Königgrätz, a city overlooking the river Elbe, was a western strongpoint
of the Austrian Empire. On the morning of July 3, 1866, Prussia attacked
the city against high odds and defeated the Austrian army in a single
day, despite the Austrian advantage in heavy artillery and command of
the high ground. The fall of Königgrätz transferred power over the
German states from Austria to Prussia, marking the beginning of the
German nation, a political consequence considered to be among the most
important of any conflict in modern history.
The battle for the city of Königgrätz--now called Hradec Králové,
located in the Czech Republic--was the largest of its time, with nearly
half a million troops involved. It was also the first battle where the
outcome was directly determined by the availability of new technologies,
including the railroad, telegraph, cast steel rifled cannon, and
breech-loading rifle. It also marked a lesson in the fallacy of
dependence on technology at the expense of sound strategy.
In this full account, distinguished historian Gordon A. Craig discusses
the state of political affairs surrounding the battle, the personalities
involved, the weaponry, and the tactics in order to recreate the
battlefield in all its complexity.