[page 80]


56.

56.

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of his surprise concerning the soldiers’ satisfaction as well as the good humor and loyalty of his troops stationed in America etc. whereat we pursued our task and each of us fashioned the expected fascines[163] and gabions[164] with patience, until the day when we once again had the food supplies that we were entitled to; one day, while going to work, we encountered a few bread carts, which were attacked as soon as we had seen them, and almost entirely pillaged, which almost caused a great commotion; if the satisfaction we had given in the past had not been taken into account, some would have paid for it with their lives etc.[165] We continued for a few more days fashioning fascines until we thought there were enough, after which we had to carry them all to the camp.

that er auch an seine Majestet melden wie vergnügt und getreu ihm seine Truppen wären die in America stehen etc worauf wir aber das unsrige Vorhaben steths fortsetzten und jedermann verfertigte täglich seine angesachte Faschienen und Schantzkörbe mit Gedult biß wir wiedrum zu unsren völligen Lebensmittel kamen ; einsmals begegneten uns im hinaus auf die Arbeit zugehen einige Brod-Wägen welche auch so-bald als wir sie erblickten angegriffen wurden und fast gantz ausgeleeret worden dieses aber gabe bey-nahe einen großen Lermen ab ; wofern man nicht hätte die vorige Zufriedenheit angesehen so konten es einige mit dem Leben bezahlen etc. Wir machten noch einige Täge Faschienen fort biß man glaubte es wären genug hernach mußten sie alle ins Lager ge-tragen werden.

As all the war preparations were completed at present, on September 3rd the order was given that in each company in all the regiments, 36 men be ready to go to the front lines, a half hour before nightfall; these sappers[166] or men of the troop each had to have their tools and rifles, and in addition carry a fascine or a gabion. The sappers were commanded by General Chastellux. These sappers were also accompanied by a picket as well as by grenadiers and Chasseurs.

Weilen nun anjezo alle Kriegs-Rüstungen zubereitet warn als dan wurde befohlen den 3ten 7br daß jede Compag[nie] von allen Regimenten sich mit 36 Mann vor der Front vertig hielten eine halbe Stunde vor der Nacht ; diese Arbei-ter oder Mannschaft mußten jeder mit Schantzgescher und seinem Gewehr versehen seyn nebst einer Faschine oder Schantzkorb dabey zu tragen. Diese Arbeiter commandirte M[onsieu]r Chastellux General. Auch werden diese Arbeiter wohl mit Piqueter versehen nebst auch denen Grenadirs und Jäger.

[réclame]

diese

https://gallica.bnf.fr/iiif/ark:/12148/btv1b10110846m/f41/pct:0,0,50,100/,700/0/native.jpg

Strasbourg, Médiathèque André Malraux, ms f 15, p. 80.

[agrandir]


 Notes

163. A fascine is a bundle of branches. They are used to fill in the ditches and protect the trenches from enemy fire during an attack. See Vauban for the illustration.
164. A gabion is a sort of basket with no bottom that is filled with earth in order to protect the troops during a siege. Idem for the illustration.
165. Criminal behavior amongst the troops was severely punished at that time.
166. These sappers (from the French sapeurs), also called pioneers, were soldiers appointed with the tasks of digging and building fortifications. Here the sappers played a fundamental role in the siege as they dug the trenches. As Flohr suggests, being a sapper was particularly demanding (“hands covered with blisters”, 58) and dangerous (“each soldier sought to hide into the earth as quickly as possible to be sheltered from the hail of bullets”, 57) because until October 8, the besieging forces could not retaliate English bombardments because they lacked the adequate artillery.