contusion: several generals were wounded.
The battle was obstinately disputed by both armies; its fury cost the
Imperialists twenty thousand men, eight thousand of whom were taken,
with four generals. They lost twenty-seven pair of colors and fifty
cannon. Marshal Daun was wounded at the commencement of the battle.

When the enemy saw the first line of the Prussians give ground, with
hopes too frivolous, they despatched couriers to Vienna and Warsaw to
announce their victory; but the same night they abandoned the field of
battle, and crossed the Elbe at Torgau. On the morning of the following
day (the 4th), Torgau capitulated to General Hulsen. The Prince of
Wurtemberg was sent over the Elbe to pursue the foe, who fled in
disorder: he augmented the number of prisoners already made. The
Imperialists would have been totally defeated had not General Beck, who
was not in the engagement, covered their retreat by posting his corps
between Arzberg and Triestewitz, behind the Landgraben. It was wholly
in the power of Daun to have avoided a battle. Had he placed Lacy behind
the defile of Neiden, instead of the ponds of Torgau, which six
battalions would have been sufficient to defend, his camp would have
been impregnable, so great may the consequences be of the least
inadvertency in the difficult trade of war.

When the Russians were informed of the fate of the day of Torgau, they
retired to Thorn, where they crossed the Vistula. The army of the King,
on the 5th, advanced to Strebla, and on the 6th to Meissen. The
Imperialists had left Lacy on that side of the Elbe, that he might cover
the bottom of Plauen before their arrival. He attempted to dispute the
defile of Zehren with the vanguard; but, when he saw the cavalry in
motion to turn him by Lommatsch, he fled to Meissen, where he crossed
the Tripsche; but, in spite of the celerity of his march, his rear-guard
was attacked, and lost four hundred men. The pursuit was continued that
an attempt might be made, favored by the fears and disorder of the foe,
to pass the bottom of Plauen with him and seize on this important post.
But no diligence could accomplish this; the troops were two hours too
late; for, on arriving at Ukersdorf, another corps of the enemy was
discovered, that had already taken post at the Windberg, the right of
which extended to the Trompeter Schloesgen. This was the corps of
Haddick, who, with the Prince de Deuxponts, quitting Leipsic, had
marched to Zeitz, an