Escape

The Grühne river flew softly in the night near the prisoners' camp near Willecheny, north of the village of Spülge. A company of militia watched over the captured Klaußstadt Brigade's men. The Flossian officers were offered separate quarters, and only Major Schilswig refused; he had been, against the advice of Elector Strutzenheim, conspiring to break out of the camp. Most of his own regiment - or what had remained of them - would follow him without doubt; however, he needed more than them to make his plan work.

Von Strutzenheim's wound healed well, so Schilswig visited him again in a fresh attempt to convince him of a breakout. - 'We are in no state to do that, Major', the elector said, 'and we have no horses and no weapons. An officer's sword is hardly enough for three hundred men.'

'We could subdue the guards; we could take our arms back; avoid that cursed von Spülge and get home through the river', the Major insisted.

'Do whatever you want, I will not stop you; but I will not help you either. This conversation is over.'

It was near midnight when most of the camp, crawling like a centipede, became awake. Silent shades crept upon the Böhnstadter sentries. However, they were cavalrymen and not jäger; a corporal stepped upon a dry branch and the Böhnstadter were alert. 'To arms! To arms!', shouted Major Schilswig, hoping to break through by sheer force. Muzzle flashes crashed through the darkness as a well-organized provisional platoon drew up in a shallow line at the end of the camp. 

The clash was confusing. Men were running up and down inside the camp, and most of the guards seemed totally lost after the first five minutes. 'Follow me, sir!', a sergeant from his own regiment yelled into Schilswig's ear. They staggered past a troop of Böhnstadter pinned in hand-to-hand combat by club-wielding cavalrymen, then happened upon the riverbank sooner than the Major expected. 'We must swim or they'll notice us', the sergeant said. 'Any good swimmers that can lead the way?' - and soon they disappeared into the night. Forty dragoons made it to the Flossian bank, and with a huge circle around the Böhnstadter camp started on their way to Grübsheim.