FML Friedrich Freiherr Wodniansky von Wildenfeld halted his 15th Infantry Division just before midnight, knowing his troops to be tired but apparently unaware of just how close the Russians were to his bivouacs. The Austrians had settled in for what remained of the night when the Russians attacked at about 2 a.m., their advance heralded by heavy and accurate artillery fire.

The Austrians suffered an utter disaster, with half of 15th Infantry Division killed, wounded, taken prisoner or scattered. Despondent, Wodniansky shot himself, thereby assuring that he would take the blame. Following a long-standing pattern in the Imperial and Royal Army, not only was Wodniansky blamed but his superior, VI Corps commander Svetozar Boroević, was promoted.