From The Eagle Rising: The Story of Prussia’s Arrival On the World Stage, pub. 1989 by Professor Reinicke Herz
Throughout the middle months of 1848, rebellions continued to erupt in Bohemia and in Prussia proper (as they did throughout Europe), and Austrian armies continued to harass Prussian positions in Upper Austria (Linz, Graz, Salzburg, etc.). But, on balance, the Prussians managed to hold their ground and retake what had been lost in the previous year.
While plenty of activity was recorded throughout central Europe during the last year of the war, nothing was decisive. Most of the concentration of both general staffs was on taking and retaking Wien.
The Austrians saw one more counterattack fail to dislodge the invaders from Wien, and yet another attempt at cutting them off at Brno was also foiled. By the middle of October, Prussia was firmly in control of the Austrian capital and the surrounding province. Halberstam remained confident enough that he dispatched two divisions to take the city of Bratislava, but this effort was pushed back.
General Hobarth made an attempt to push the Prussians out in October, which went nowhere. Then, he frittered away his forces in several feeble attempts to retake the city through the month of November. Finally, he determined it would be better to build up his forces to prepare for a full-fledged counteroffensive.
The Austrians attacked the day after Christmas, 1848. Fighting was intense, and very bloody. Both sides threw in reinforcements as they became available.
It became increasingly clear to Premier von Kauperke that Prussia then had (after January victories in Budejovice and Judenburg) as strong a negotiating position as she would have at any time in the foreseeable future. He dispatched a negotiating team to Buda, where the Austrian government had retired. These diplomats were led by Count Joachim von Arenburg, who had been instructed to endeavor to meet Kauperke’s reduced goals for this war. Kauperke explained that Prussia must have the German-populated territories in Silesia and Bohemia, including Praha, which would provide a supply of coal and iron. He also emphasized that the primary goal of Prussia from the beginning was to seize the sulphur mines near Linz. Anything else was open to Arenburg’s discretion.
However, perhaps the Austrians sensed that they were gaining the upper hand. They refused five separate offers through February of 1849, up until March 8th, when the Prussians retreated from Wien.
Von Halberstam’s retreat this time was strategic – he determined that the war of attrition in which he found himself was not to Prussia’s advantage. He wished to extract what he could from a bad situation, and reorganize nearby for another assault.
At the first Battle of Wien, at the end of 1847, the Prussian armies were nearly successful, but had lost their steam and were pushed back. In the second instance, at the end of 1848, when Prussia actually took control of Wien for a time, it was due to poor planning on the part of the Austrians, and good follow-up by von Halberstam. But that gain was temporary. At the third investment of Austria, at the end of March 1849, there could be no question -- von Halberstam’s strength was overwhelming. And the hapless Hobarth was neither expecting nor prepared to see another offensive so soon.
On April 18th, Austrian troops again relinquished control of their capital. By the end of the month, Wien and the surrounding province were in Prussia’s full control, and were not to be dislodged.
Now, the game became capturing territory enough to convince Emperor Ferdinand to finally give way and end what had become a far more difficult task than the Prussian leadership anticipated. Prussian armies began advancing to the north and south of Wien – Graz, Maribor, Sopron, Bratislava and Zator.
On July 6th, 1849, Emperor Ferdinand personally attended a meeting with Count von Arenburg, and accepted his most recent proposal. It ceded Cieszyn and Troppau in Silesia, Karlsbad and Praha in Bohemia, and Linz in Upper Austria, with a connecting land route through Budejovice. It left the Austrian province of Plzen alienated from the mainland of the country – a situation all too familiar to Prussian citizens – but so long as Bavaria remained friendly to Austria access could be had through her territory.
Comparison:
King Wilhelm and Count von Kauperke had begun with grand dreams of conquest of all the German territories of Austria. But they were forced to conclude that a brilliant military victory, albeit after two full years, and annexation of many prime regions of raw materials, would have to suffice. It was better than half of what they had sought, all considered.
Indeed, the world was impressed by the gains made by Prussia. But, as many pointed out, at what cost were they achieved?
