rried
out. These hesitated before the resolute aspect of the English, but the
crowd of foreign soldiers ranged themselves with them, and the attack was
about to commence, when a number of English soldiers were seen running,
musket in hand, from their camp.

The Hessian colonel saw that to attempt to carry out his orders, now,
would bring on something like a pitched battle, and he therefore waved
his men back, saying to General Hamilton:

"I have nothing to do now, sir, but to report to General Ginckle that I
have been prevented, by force, from carrying his orders into effect."

"That you will, of course, do," General Hamilton said coldly. "I shall be
perfectly prepared to answer for my conduct."

There was no goodwill between the English and foreign sections of
Ginckle's army, and General Hamilton had some trouble in preventing the
soldiers from attacking the Hessians, and in inducing them to retire to
their camp. As soon as he arrived there, he ordered the drums to be
beaten, and the whole division to get under arms. He then despatched an
officer to General Ginckle, narrating the circumstances, and saying that
the honour of the whole army was concerned in preventing an officer,
fairly taken prisoner in war, and not while acting as a spy, from being
injured; and that, indeed, policy as well as honour forbade such a course
being taken, as there were several officers of rank in the hands of the
Irish, who would naturally retaliate on them the execution of prisoners
of war. He made a formal complaint against Colonel Hanau, for refusing to
delay the execution until he could lay the matter before the general. As
for his own conduct in the matter, he said he was perfectly prepared to
defend it before any military court, but that court must be held in
England, where he purposed to return at once, with the division his
majesty had intrusted to his command.

The Dutch general had, long before he received the letter, been informed
of what had taken place, and had also learned that the English division
had struck their tents, and were drawn up under arms. To allow them to
depart would be to entail certain ruin upon the campaign, and he felt
that it was more than probable that the course Hamilton and his officers
had taken would be upheld by a military court in England, and that public
opinion would condemn the execution of an officer, taken in fair fight.
He therefore wrote a letter to General Hamilton, saying that he regrette