s of Gustavus, in his eagerness to advance the
patriot cause, had pushed south into the very heart of the enemy's
country, and finally burst into the town of Koeping. Here, with all the
rashness of a new-made officer, he let loose his soldiers on the town.
The result was just what might have been expected. Ere nightfall the
whole army, officers and men, were drunk. They retired to their camp,
built blazing fires, and lay down to sleep without watch or guard. News
of the situation was carried at once to Vesteras, where a force of three
thousand men was got together and sent post-haste to Koeping. It reached
the patriot camp soon after midnight on April 26. The scene of
debauchery was not yet past. The Danes fell upon them as they lay there
in their drunken stupor, and slew them.[59]

Three days before this catastrophe Gustavus divided his entire forces
into two parts, placing one under the command of an officer named Olsson
and the other under one Eriksson. He then reviewed his troops, and
prepared to march against the Castle of Vesteras. He had planned an
attack on the east side of the castle, and the force sent down to Koeping
had been given orders to attack it simultaneously on the west. On
learning of the disaster at Koeping he seems to have made no change in
his own manoeuvres. He waited till the 29th, and then advanced to the
walls of Vesteras. His design was not to attack the town that day. But
the Danish soldiers, chafing for the fight and already glorying in
success, gave him no choice. They came boldly forth to meet him, led by
a line of cavalry, who dashed upon the patriots, so runs the chronicle,
"like raging lions." The patriots received the charge like men. In
their front rank were the halberdiers, armed with sharp weapons some
fifteen or twenty feet in length. With these they kept the cavalry at
bay, and worried the horses till at length confusion began to spread
along the line. No sooner did the patriots see this than they discharged
a volley of arrows, hitherto reserved. Under this double discomfiture,
from their own horses and their opponents' arrows, the cavalry yielded,
then finally turned and fled, leaving four hundred dead upon the field.
Nor was this all. As the cavalry, frenzied with terror, dashed through
the town-gate, they found the narrow streets blocked with the infantry,
on whom their ungovernable steeds rushed with all the fury lent by fear.
A large number were thus trampled to death, while