Page:The Hessians and the other German auxiliaries of Great Britain in the revolutionary war.djvu/130

 112 of the English guard, under Colonel Osborn, came to our assistance, and the Americans were driven back with great loss and pushed nearly to Boundbrook.” Jäger Bauer, who stood by Ewald on this occasion, was an insignificant-looking fellow from the Anspach district. Ewald had at first refused to take him into the company on account of his appearance, but had been persuaded to enlist him on seeing the excellence of his shooting. Shortly after the affair above mentioned Bauer gave another proof of his daring. On the morning of the 25th of May, Ewald, with a party of eleven chasseurs and thirty dragoons, fell into an ambuscade near Boundbrook. They were surrounded and in danger of being taken, and just at that moment Ewald's horse stumbled, and the captain lay in the road. When the chasseurs, who were a little way off, saw their captain's horse coming towards them riderless, Bauer and two others started out to bring off the injured officer. They carried him back amid a shower of lead, and had got him into a safe place, when Bauer noticed that Ewald's hat was missing. “We must go get it,” said he, “or they will carry our captain's hat in triumph into Boundbrook to-morrow.” So they ran back again, and actually brought off the hat in spite of the bullets. Ewald asserts that Colonel Reed visited Donop twice before the surprise of Trenton, on the pretext of making an exchange of prisoners, but really for the purpose of reconnoitring. He goes on to tell the following story: “In the same way the two colonels,