een, in very old times; looking
after St. Elizabeth, Teutsch Ritters, Philip the Magnanimous and other
objects. Amoneburg stands on the left or western bank of the Ohm, with
an old Schloss in it, and a Bridge near by; both of which, Ferdinand,
the left or southmost wing of whose Position on the other bank of Ohm
is hereabouts, has made due seizure of. Seizure of the Bridge, first
of all,--Bridge with a Mill at it (which, in consequence, is called
BRUCKEN-MUHLE, Bridge-Mill),--at the eastern end of this there is a
strong Redoubt, with the Bridge-way blocked and rammed ahead of it;
there Ferdinand has put 200 men; 500 more are across in Amoneburg and
its old Castle. Unless by surprisal and extreme despatch, there is
clearly no hope! Ferdinand's head-quarter is seven or eight miles
to northwest of this his Brucken-Muhle and extreme left; next to
Brucken-Muhle is Zastrow's Division; next, again, is Granby's; several
Divisions between Ferdinand and it; 'Do it by surprisal, by utmost force
of vehemency!' say the French. And accordingly,

"SEPTEMBER 21st [day of the Equinox, 1762], An hour before sunrise,
there began, quite on the sudden, a vivid attack on the Brucken-Muhle
and on Amoneburg, by cannon, by musketry, by all methods; and, in spite
of the alert and completely obstinate resistance, would not cease; but,
on the contrary, seemed to be on the increasing hand, new cannon, new
musketries; and went on, hour after hour, ever the more vivid. So that,
about 8 in the morning, after three hours of this, Zastrow, with his
Division, had to intervene: to range himself on the Hill-top behind this
Brucken-Muhle; replace the afflicted 200 (many of them hurt, not a
few killed) by a fresh 200 of his own; who again needed to be relieved
before long. For the French, whom Zastrow had to imitate in that
respect, kept bringing up more cannon, ever more, as if they would bring
up all the cannon of their Army: and there rose between Zastrow and
them such a cannonade, for length and loudness together, as had not been
heard in this War. Most furious cannonading, musketading; and seemingly
no end to it. Ferdinand himself came over to ascertain; found it a hot
thing indeed. Zastrow had to relieve his 200 every hour: 'Don't go down
in rank, you new ones,' ordered he--'slide, leap, descend the hill-face
in scattered form: rank at the bottom!'--and generally about half of the
old 200 were left dead or lamed by their hour's work. 'They intend to
ha