Page:Life and surprising adventures of Frederick Baron Trenck.pdf/14

 campaign, which was to us as destructive as glorious; Prince Charles, instead of waiting for us in Bohemia, imprudently advanced and posted himself in the plain of Strigau.

Our army was drawn in haste from its cantonments in the neighbourhood of Kamenz, and in twenty-four hours was in order of battle. The 14th of June, eighteen thousand dead bodies covered the plain of Strigau; and the Imperial army, and that of Saxony, its ally, were totally defeated.

The Life Guards were on the right: before the attack, the King said to our squadron, "Now my friends, prove that you are my Guards, and no Saxon!" Three times we charged the Cavalry and the Infantry twice. We alone took seven standards and five colours, and in less than an hour all was over.

I received a pistol shot in the right-hand; my horse was badly wounded, and at the third charge I was obliged to mount another. The following day, all the officers received the order of Merit; for my part I remained near a month in the at Schweidnitz. More than sixteen thousand wounded men were dressed there; some of could get no assistance till the third day.

The campaign passed in marching and marching: we were the most fatigued, because the Guards encamped round the King's tent, which placed in the middle of the camp, always formed the van-guard.

The famous battle of Soran was-fought on September 14th, The King had sent such large detachments into Saxony, Silesia, and Bohemia the grand army consisted at most of twenty-thousand men. Prince Charles, who obstinately persisted in judging of his enemy by the number