Cassel; with an
eye to besieging the same, and rooting the French permanently out. To
prevent or delay which, what can Soubise and D'Estrees do but send for
their secondary smaller Army, which is in the Lower-Rhine Country under
a Prince de Conde, mostly idle at present, to come and join them in the
critical regions here. Whereupon new Controversy shifting westward to
the Mayn and Nidda-Lahn Country, to achieve said Junction and to hinder
it. Junction was not to be hindered. The D'Estrees-Soubise people and
young Conde made good manoeuvring, handsome fight on occasion; so that
in spite of all the Erbprinz could do, they got hands joined; far too
strong for the Erbprinz thenceforth; and on the last night of August
were all fairly together, head-quarter Friedberg in Frankfurt Country (a
thirty miles north of Frankfurt); and were earnestly considering the
now not hopeless question, 'How, or by what routes and methods, push
to northwestward, get through to those blockaded Hessian Strong-places,
Cassel especially; and hinder Ferdinand's besieging them, and quite
outrooting us there?'

"This is a difficult question, but a vital. 'Sweep rapidly past
Ferdinand,--cannot we? Well frontward or eastward of him, dexterously
across the Lahn and its Branches (our light people are to rear of him,
on this side of the Fulda, between the Fulda and him): once joined with
those light people by such methods, we have Cassel ahead, Ferdinand to
rear, and will make short work with the blockades,--the blockades will
have to rise in a hurry!' This was the plan devised by D'Estrees;
and rapidly set about; but it was seen into, at the first step,
by Ferdinand, who proved still more rapid upon it. Campings,
counter-campings, crossings of the Lahn by D'Estrees people, then
recrossings of it, ensued for above a fortnight; which are not for
mention here: in fine, about the middle of September, the D'Estrees
Enterprise had plainly become impossible, unless it could get across
the Ohm,--an eastern, or wide-circling northeastern Branch of the
Lahn,--where, on the right or eastern bank of which, as better for him
than the Lahn itself in this part, Ferdinand now is. 'Across the Ohm:
and that, how can that be done, the provident Ferdinand having laid hold
of Ohm, and secured every pass of it, several days ago! Perhaps by a
Surprisal; by extreme despatch?'

"Amoneburg is a pleasant little Town, about thirty miles east of
Marburg,--in which latter we have b