Battle of Mollwitz - Aftermath

Aftermath

The victory was actually the responsibility of Field Marshal Schwerin. The Prussian king had fled from the battlefield when the Austrians seemed to be winning. Later Frederick the Great swore never again to leave his troops behind in battle and adhered to this promise faithfully until his death in the late 18th century. He annexed the province of Silesia from Austria and learned a number of valuable lessons from Mollwitz. He is quoted as saying "Mollwitz was my school". Frederick had made several mistakes but his army still managed to win the battle due to the superior training of his soldiers. From now on he was committed to aggressiveness, and geared his entire army towards an aggressive approach. He gave a standing order that his cavalry commanders would never receive a cavalry charge while standing still. He greatly increased the use of light cavalry, Hussars, who would act as skirmishers and scouts. Afterwards he is quoted as saying "The Prussian army always attacks."