Heine fumbled to take the telescope from the attendant and saw a dense throng of soldiers gathering in front of the Prussian line, an array so long it seemed endless.
"Quick! Sound the alarm!" he shouted at once, "The Prussians are about to launch an attack!"
Fortunately, although the Legnica frontline had remained calm, it was still a state of war between two countries, so the soldiers maintained a state of combat readiness every day.
Soon, sharp whistles and assembly drumbeats rang out all around.
Austrian soldiers grumbled as they lined up near the defensive line, and then heard dense cannon fire coming from the opposite side.
Accompanied by the screeches of shells, nearly 20 cannonballs landed near the Austrian artillery positions, kicking up a large amount of dust.
The Austrian artillerymen also returned fire hastily but after firing about a dozen shots, they were shocked to find that their ammunition was nearly depleted.
