It would be impossible to describe the enthusiasm of the men as they
passed the base of the hill, where stood the heroic king who wished to
be at the most dangerous post. Cries of "Long live the king! long live
George V! long live Hanover!" made the air tremble as in a tempest. The
horses tore up the earth like an earthquake.
Benedict could not restrain himself. He put his spurs to his horse and
disappeared in the ranks of the cuirassiers. Seeing the storm which was
bursting upon them, the Prussians formed into squares. The first which
encountered the Hanoverian cavalry disappeared under their horses' feet;
then, whilst the infantry fired in their faces, the cuirassiers took the
Prussian army on the flank, which, after a desperate struggle, tried to
retreat in order, but, ferociously pursued, found themselves routed.
The prince followed these movements with an excellent pair of field
glasses and described everything to the king, his father. But soon his
glasses followed only a group of fifty men, at the head of whom was
Captain Einem, whom he recognized by his great stature, and of whom
Benedict, recognizable by his blue uniform among the white cuirassiers,
was one. The squadron passed on by Nagelstadt and proceeded towards the
last Prussian battery which still held out. The battery fired on the
squadron from a distance of thirty yards. Everything vanished in the
smoke. Twelve or fifteen men alone remained; Captain Einem was lying
under his horse.
"Oh! poor Einem!" cried the prince.
"What has happened to him?" asked the king.
"I think he is dead," said the young man; "but no, he is not dead. There
is Benedict helping to drag him from under his horse. He is only
wounded. He is not even wounded! Oh, father, father! There are only
seven left out of fifty; only one artilleryman is left; he is aiming at
Einem, he is firing.... Oh, father! you are losing a brave officer, and
King William a brave soldier; the artilleryman has killed Einem with a
shot from his carbine, and Benedict has cut him down at his gun with his
sabre."
The Prussian army was in full flight, the victory was with the
Hanoverians!...
The Prussians retired to Gotha. The rapidity of the march to the field
of battle had so fatigued the Hanoverian cavalry that they could not
pursue the fugitives. In this respect the advantages of the battle were
lost.
The results were: eight hundred prisoners, two thousand dead or wounded,
two cannon taken.
The king rode round the field of battle to complete his task by showing
himself to the unhappy wounded.
Benedict had become an artist once more, and was dreaming of his
picture. He was seated on the first piece of cannon which had been
taken, and was sketching a general view of the battlefield. He saw that
the prince was searching among the killed and wounded officers of the
cuirassiers.
"Pardon, monseigneur," said he, "you are looking for the brave Captain
Einem, are you not?"
"Yes," said the prince.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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