Battle
On August 25 Frederick's infantry attacked a Russian "observation corps", which consisted of young conscripts only. The Russians managed to hold their own until the famed cavalry of Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz struck against them. The Russian cavalry clashed with the Prussians but was routed and had to flee towards the lines of the Russian infantrymen but these, confused by clouds of dust and gun smoke, mistook them for the Prussians and opened artillery fire.
In the meantime, Frederick's infantry fell upon the left wing of the Russian army. Frederick intended to repeat the oblique order assault that had granted him victory at the battle of Leuthen, yet as the Russian lines were unable to retreat due to the swamps in their rear, and the left flank of Frederic's army was likewise unable to enclose the Russian lines because of the unfavorable terrain and successful Russian resistance, the battle took the course of an extremely bloody, frontal clash of the adversaries' armies within a narrow battlefield setting.
During the ensuing battle, both sides quickly ran out of powder and engaged in hand-to-hand fighting. One Russian detachment was said to take hold of a supply of wine barrels and drink themselves to stupefaction. When some of the Prussian battalions showed signs of tiring, Frederick himself led them in an attack. The battle was described by contemporaries as the bloodiest in the 18th century. One Prussian officer reported that "bodies of Russians covered the field row by row; they kissed their cannons while their bodies were cut to pieces by our sabers, but still they would not retreat". After the battle, Frederick famously declared that "it's easier to kill the Russians than to win over them".
Murderous fighting continued until nightfall, by which time 80% of the observation corps were dead.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Zorndorf
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