[page 104]


76.

76.

an assault needed to be organized, which had to take place precisely that night with the 4 companies etc.

mußte ein Sturm angelegt werden, welches eben die Nacht geschahe mit den 4 Compagnien etc.

Around midnight, it was ordered that, while we[184] were advancing, no soldier, nor any officer should dare to speak, to make the smallest noise, under penalty of a severe punishment and, for the soldiers, under penalty of death.

Gegen Mitternacht wurde Befehl gegeben, daß wann wir jetzt vorwärts marschieren, so soll kein Soldat sich unterstehen weder Unterofficir noch Officir zu reden, um den geringsten Lermen zu machen, bey hoher Straffe und den Soldaten bey Lebens-Straffe.

If the soldier beside or in front of us happened to be wounded or fell to the ground and called to his comrade or asked him for help, or took his hand to stop him, the nearest officer had to kill him with his sword, such was the order given by the general.

Es ware verbotten, daß wann einem sein Nebenmann oder Vordermann solte plessiert werden und zu Boden fallen und seinem Camrad ruffen oder bitten thäte, ihm zu helfen und sich aufhalten thut oder ihm die Hände reigen thut um ein Aufenthalt zu machen, den soll der nächste Officir oder Unterofficir über Hauffen stechen nach gegebner Ordre vom General.

After which we left and moved forward in squads, in complete silence. It should be mentioned that it was very dark that night, and here and there one of us would fall, as the path was very bad and each soldier was loaded with 60 cartridges[185].

Nach diesem brachen wir auf und marschierten vorwärts in Plotons gantz stille. Dabey ware es auch sehr fünster diese Nacht, einer stürtzete hie, der andre dort, dann der Weg ware sehr wüst uneben, dabey ware auch jeder Soldat mit 60 Patronen be-laden.

We advanced another 100 toises, all was very silent. Then it was time for the carpenters

Wir marschierten noch einige 100 Gänge vorwärts, alles ware gantz still. Nach diesem machte man die Zimmerleuthe,

[réclame]

welche

https://gallica.bnf.fr/iiif/ark:/12148/btv1b10110846m/f53/pct:0,0,50,100/,700/0/native.jpg

Strasbourg, Médiathèque André Malraux, ms f 15, p. 104.

[agrandir]


 Notes

184. The “we” is misleading, as it refers to those attacking the redoubt (the grenadiers and Chasseurs of the Royal Deux-Ponts and Gâtinais regiments) and Flohr did not belong to these companies. A few lines before (page 103), he had written: “That day, at noon, the order was given to the grenadiers and Chasseurs of the Royal Deux-Ponts and Gâtinois regiments that they were to assemble, in the evening, on the right wing, near the entrance to the trenches on the American side. In the evening, they did indeed assemble on the right wing as the order had been given.” This is not the only passage of the text itself that proves Flohr is not a grenadier or Chasseur. The fact that he then switches to the first person plural artificially includes him in the account of this attack. There are several other examples of this in the text.
185. The cartridges, containing a bullet and powder, were made of paper at the time (a layer of paraffin could make them waterproof). Before reloading his weapon, the soldier had to tear them open to free the contents.