Page:Surprising adventures of Frederick Baron Trenck.pdf/15

 back, his horses which he has recovered from the hands of his Hussars."

That day I waited on the King, and was very cooly received. “Since your cousin said he has sent you back your horses, you have no longer any occasion for mine.”

We marched into Silesia, to begin the second campaign, which was to us as destructive as glorious to Prince Charles, instead of waiting for us in Bohemia, imprudently advanced and posted himself in the Plain of Srigau.

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 4th of June eighteen thousand dead bodies covered the plain of Strigan; 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 spare no Saxon!’ Three times we changed 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 day following all the officers received the order of Merit; for my part I remained near a month in the hospital at Schweidotz. More than sixteen thousand wounded men were dressed there; some of whom could get no assistance till the third day.

The campaign passed in marching and counter-marching: we were the most fatigued, because the Guards encamped round the King’s tent, which