ORDER OF BATTLE // November 21, 1759
Battle of Maxen
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 46,000 estimated
Austria
32,000
Medium-confidence figure
Prussia
14,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Maxen, fought on 21 November 1759 at Maxen in the Electorate of Saxony, resulted in the surrender of a Prussian corps under Friedrich August von Finck to an Austrian force under Leopold Josef Graf Daun. The engagement was a stark illustration of the numerical disparity that characterized Austrian operations against Prussia during this phase of the Seven Years' War: Daun committed 32,000 troops against Finck's 14,000, with Prussian casualties recorded at 2,000 alongside the capitulation of the corps as a whole. The loss of an entire formation to surrender represented a significant operational setback for Frederick's Prussia, which by 1759 was facing sustained pressure across multiple fronts within the broader Seven Years' War.
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