Battle of Hühnerwasser
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Hühnerwasser was a minor engagement during the Austro-Prussian War
. It was the first engagement in the opening days of the Königgratz
campaign, fought in Bohemia on June 26, 1866. It was fought between troops of the Prussian Elbe army and troops from the Austrian I Corps, led by Leopold Gondrecourt.
Leopold Gondrecourt ordered his troops – a battalion of Slovakian jäger and a battalion Hungarian line infantry – to attack the Prussian outposts at Hühnerwasser and throw them back across the Iser. The attacking troops stumbled across a Prussian company stationed between the trees, which alarmed the rest of the Prussian force. The four Prussian companies used the advantage of the Dreyse needle gun to stop Austrian attacks. Gondrecourt then recalled his troops and retreated to Münchengratz, having lost 277 men. Prussian losses were 50 men.
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
. It was the first engagement in the opening days of the Königgratz
Battle of Königgrätz
The Battle of Königgrätz , also known as the Battle of Sadowa, Sadová, or Hradec Králové, was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War, in which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire...
campaign, fought in Bohemia on June 26, 1866. It was fought between troops of the Prussian Elbe army and troops from the Austrian I Corps, led by Leopold Gondrecourt.
Leopold Gondrecourt ordered his troops – a battalion of Slovakian jäger and a battalion Hungarian line infantry – to attack the Prussian outposts at Hühnerwasser and throw them back across the Iser. The attacking troops stumbled across a Prussian company stationed between the trees, which alarmed the rest of the Prussian force. The four Prussian companies used the advantage of the Dreyse needle gun to stop Austrian attacks. Gondrecourt then recalled his troops and retreated to Münchengratz, having lost 277 men. Prussian losses were 50 men.
Reference
- Geoffrey WawroGeoffrey WawroGeoffrey Wawro is a Professor of Military History at the University of North Texas, and Director of the UNT Military History Center. His primary area of emphasis is modern and contemporary military history, from the French Revolution to the present...
, The Austro-Prussian War. Austria's war with Prussia and Italy in 1866 (New York 2007), p. 129-130.