The New Hampshire Gazette

Advices relating to the King of Prussia's Army and Count Daun's, collected from Accounts published by Authority.

The beginning of July the Prussian Army quitted Silesia, and advanced to Saxony, on the 13th encamped at Grenau near Dresden; mean while Count Daun with his Army quitted his strong camp, and marched to Bautzen, where he encamped: On the 14th the King of Prussia invested the City of Dresden, and sent a summons the same day to the governor, General Maguire, to surrender the Place, offering him an honourable capitulation, and liberty for himself and garrison to march out freely, and the city should receive no damage. Which offer was rejected, and the governor answered he would defend it to the last extremity. Batteries were immediately erected, which the Governor no sooner saw, but he set fire to the Suburbs, and burnt the houses. The Prussians having possession of the Suburbs, and their batteries erected, they began playing on the city the 18th; some of the bombs set fire to the houses near the ramparts, but it was the positive orders of the King not to act against the town, but the ramparts only: However, the fire would not have become general, had not one of the towers of the large Church [had] 4 pieces of cannon thereon, which fired at the Prussian batteries: Some bombs thrown to silence them set fire to the town: The fall of the steeple communicated the flames to the houses, and high wind rising, spread them so far that a considerable quarter of the town has been burnt down, about 200 capital houses, besides the grand church, it is said, are destroyed; and the old town of Dresden mostly beaten down; the Castle, the arsenal, the Roman Catholic church, and the greatest part of the city are saved.

Marshal Daun having left a sufficient garrison therein, he did not appear to succour it till the 19th, having strengthened his Army by large Detachments from Loudohn's and Beck's corps: He took his camp between villages of Schönfeld and Weghß, from Dresden; the Duke de Holstein, with a detached body to strengthen the town on the other side of the river, was ordered by the King to cross the Elbe, lest he should be surrounded by the Austrians: By this means M. Daun had a free communication with Dresden, and encamped at a place called the Barns, and poured into the city 16 battalions of fresh troops, and 109 cannon, to replace those which had been dismounted by the Prussians; he also built two bridges of boats on the Elbe, whereby there being no longer any hope of succeeding in the siege, the King resolved on the 21st to raise it, on the night between the 21st and 22d, Marshal Daun's troops that were in the city made a sally on those who formed the siege: They were soon repulsed, and pursued to town with the loss of 1000 men: The Prussians made 200 prisoners, among the officers, Gen. Nugent, and one cannon.

The Prussian Head-quarters were transferred on the 22d from Grenau to Leubnitz, still keeping possession of the suburbs of Pirna, the great garden, & the strong camp of Plauen. Gen. Lascy is encamped between Gross-Sedlitz and Dohna: the army of the Empire behind Maxen, and Marshal Daun at the Barns, on the other side of the Elbe: By the situation of the two armies, viz. that of the King of Prussia, and that under Count Daun a battle must inevitably be, so that we hourly expect to hear the consequence. His Prussian Majesty was again intrench'd advantageously, and was watching all proper opportunities of advantage for an action.