Battle of Hochkirch The Battle of Hochkirch was a battle fought on October 14 , 1758 during the Seven Years ' War between a Prussian army of 30 , 000 - 36 , 000 commanded by Frederick the Great and an Austrian army of 80 , 000 commanded by Marshal Leopold Josef Graf Daun . The battle took place around Hochkirch , which is 9 km east of Bautzen , Saxony . Prelude . Frederick did not plan on staying in the small village for an extended period of time . He and his army would only stay until their provisions arrived from Bautzen then keep moving eastward . Frederick had omitted any thought of strategy when setting camp . He also ignored the warnings of his officers who thought staying in the village was suicide . Regardless , Frederick scattered his men north to south , in an “ S ” shape , next to Hochkirch . He faced his troops east towards the last known location of Daun ’ s army . The weak side ( west - side ) was guarded by an outpost of nine battalions with battery support . Their purpose was mostly to keep contact with a deployed scout unit . The east side was guarded by eleven battalions and twenty - eight squadrons . Frederick had his best soldiers garrison the village of Hochkirch . To the east of the village was high ground occupied by the Austrians , whose looming presence had increasingly made the Prussians more anxious of an attack . However , Frederick did not believe an attack would occur seeing that Daun ’ s army had been dormant in recent months . The Start of Battle . However what Frederick thought was the opposite of what was true . After days of personally scouting the Prussian camp and being urged by his officers , Daun thought it to be a good opportunity for attack . Daun noted the fact that the Prussians neither increased their security nor deployed their troops in response to the Austrian presence , they were non - responsive . He also took into account that his men were eager to fight a battle and they outnumbered the Prussians by over two - to - one . Using the darkness and fog as cover , the Austrians fell on the Prussians when the church bell rang at 5 a . m . They were grouped in small shock units so that they could be more easily controlled under the cover of night . The east side was the first to be attacked . The Prussians were caught completely off guard . Many men were still sleeping or just waking up when the Austrians attacked . The Finale . At first Frederick thought the sounds of the battle were just an outpost skirmish , but was soon alerted when his own Prussian cannons started to fire on his camp . By daybreak the fog had lifted and the soldiers could make out friend from foe . The Prussians mounted a large counterattack , but the Austrians started to close in on their flank and rear , forcing them to fall back . Much of the fighting occurred in the village , volleys being exchanged between buildings . Eventually the orderly Austrian army caused the disarrayed Prussians to fall back to the walls of Hochkirch , and eventually to retreat out of the village . Prussian counterattacks were launched ; however , all fell short . Around 10 a . m . the Prussians retreated to the north - west . The aftermath . Frederick and the remaining Prussian army were out of range of the Austrian army by the time they had gotten themselves organized . In the end Frederick lost more than a quarter of his army , 6 generals , one of whom was his brother - in - law , 101 guns , and nearly all the tents . Daun and his army celebrated their victory . Daun was sent a blessed sword and hat from Pope Clement XIII , a common reward for defeating " infidels " . Although Frederick showed off his leadership and courage in rallying his troops again , this is marked as one of his worst losses . The wounded Prussians had to make their own way to the field hospital ; walking wounded dumped the others onto carts , waiting for them to die so they could have their clothes . The wounded had to beg for food from villagers ; even medical orderlies robbed them . James Francis Edward Keith . Commanding the rearguard of Frederick ' s forces was Field Marshal James Keith , a Scot from Peterhead , who managed to hold back the entire Austrian Army , enabling Frederick to retire in order , before being killed . 250 years later a granite monument , inlaid with a bronze plaque , was erected by the inhabitants of Hochkirch in memory of " Generalfeldmarschall Jacob von Keith " and his achievement . The inscription reads " Suffering , Misery , Death " .