Battle of Nachod

Battle of Náchod
Cavalry clash at the Battle of Nachod by Richard Knötel
Date 27 June 1866 Location Nachod, Bohemia Result Prussian victory
Belligerents
Prussia	Austrian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Von Steinmetz	Von Ramming
Casualties and losses
1,122	5,719

The Battle of Nachod (or Náchod) on 27 June 1866 was the first major action of the Austro-Prussian War. The advance guard of General Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz's 5th Corps occupied some high ground near Nachod as part of a Prussian advance into Bohemia from Silesia. Elements of the Austrian 6th Corps under General Von Ramming came on the scene and attacked the Prussians but were repulsed. As more Austrians arrived, they were ordered into attacks which proved both costly and unsuccessful. Finally, the badly mauled Austrians retreated from the field. The Prussian infantry enjoyed a technical advantage in having the needle gun, a breech-loading rifle that could be fired and loaded from a prone position. Consequently, the Austrian infantry, which were only equipped with muzzle-loading rifles, suffered a disproportionate number of casualties.

The Prussian Second Army, invading Bohemia, had to split up in order to negotiate the passes of the Riesen Mountains. General Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz's 5th Corps was nearly caught as it emerged from a gully by the village of Nachod, Bohemia. The King’s Grenadiers were in the advance guard, and raced forward, first to occupy some woods outside the gully’s opening, and then to take possession of the heights above Wenzelsberg.

To counter the danger of the Prussians flanking his army, during the evening June 26, Benedek finally decided to send Ramming's VI Corps to Nachod to block the passes. Benedek's orders were only received by Ramming at 1:30 AM on June 27. The first Austrian troops started up at 3:30 AM, the bulk of the corps started at 5:00 AM, without having eaten.

The Austrian Colonel Hertwegh was supposed to occupy the next village of Vysokov so as to block the road, but instead, when at 9:00 AM he got to Wenzelsberg he on his own initiative wheeled right to attack the Prussians on the ridge above; the King’s Grenadiers simply mowed his men down. It was now that the superiority of Prussian equipment made itself felt. Their new breech-loading needle guns enabled them to fire three shots to the Austrians’ muzzle-loader's one. The Prussian cavalry now rode forward along the road to stop the Austrians reaching Vysokov, and here a cavalry battle developed.

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