The light columns of smoke that arose from the Prussian camp as the French advanced indicated their occupation,—­and that by no means suggested alarm.  They were cooking their dinners, with as much unconcern as though they had not yet seen the coming enemy nor heard the clangor of trumpets that announced their approach.  Had the French commanders been within the Prussian lines they would have been more astonished still, for they would have seen Frederick with his staff and general officers dining at leisure and with the utmost coolness and indifference.  There was no appearance of haste in their movements, and no more in those of their men, whose whole concern just then seemed to be the getting of a good meal.

The hour passed on, the French came nearer, their trumpet clangor was close at hand, every moment seemed to render the peril of the Prussians more imminent, yet their inertness continued; it looked almost as though they had given up the idea of defence.  The confidence of the French must have grown rapidly as their plan of surrounding the Prussians with their superior numbers seemed more and more assured.

But Frederick had his eye upon them.  He was biding his time.  Suddenly there came a change.  It was about half-past two in the afternoon.  The French had reached the position for which he had been waiting.  Quickly the staff officers dashed right and left with their orders.  The trumpets sounded.  As if by magic the tents were struck, the men sprang to their ranks and were drawn up in battle array, the artillery opened its fire, the seeming inertness which had prevailed was with extraordinary rapidity exchanged for warlike activity; the complete discipline of the Prussian army had never been more notably displayed.

The French, who had been marching forward with careless ease, beheld this change of the situation with astounded eyes.  They looked for heaviness and slowness of movement among the Germans, and could scarcely believe in the possibility of such rapidity of evolution.  But they had little time to think.  The Prussian batteries were pouring a rain of balls through their columns.  And quickly the Prussian cavalry, headed by the dashing Seidlitz, was in their midst, cutting and slashing with annihilating vigor.

The surprise was complete.  The French found it impossible to form into line.  Everywhere their columns were being swept by musketry and artillery, and decimated by the sabres of the charging cavalry.  In almost less time than it takes to tell it they were thrown into confusion, overwhelmed, routed; in the course of less than half an hour the fate of the battle was decided, and the French army completely defeated.

Their confidence of a short time before was succeeded by panic, and the lately trim ranks fled in utter disorganization, so utterly broken that many of the fugitives never stopped till they reached the other side of the Rhine.