scattered and partially captured a picket of chasseurs,
and approached the position held by Captain Ewald.
This was at first defended by a non-commissioned
officer and sixteen men. The captain and nineteen
more men hastened to assist them. The Americans
had to advance over a narrow dyke, some thirty paces
long, and on this they were crowded together. Every
shot told in their ranks, and twenty-nine were killed
or wounded. The chasseurs lost but two men, and
Muhlenberg drew off his force. “On these occasions,”
says Ewald, “we must screw the heels of our shoes
firmly to the ground and not think of moving off, and
we shall seldom find an adversary who will run over
us in such a position.” Ewald was wounded in the
knee in this skirmish. Eelking relates that Arnold
came to see the captain after the fight. Ewald
reproached the general for not reinforcing the chasseurs.
Arnold answered that he had thought the position
was lost. “So long as one chasseur lives,” cried the
angry captain, “no ——— American shall come over the
dyke.” Arnold, who still considered himself an American,
took this in bad part, and showed his pique by
omitting to mention the conduct of the chasseurs in
the orders of the day. Ewald complained of this to
Arnold's aid, and the general came to him the next
day with apologies, and rectified the omission.[1]
Meanwhile Lafayette, with twelve hundred Continentals, had been ordered to Virginia. The young general marched at once with a part of his force, leaving Wayne to follow with the remainder. Ten French
- ↑ MS. journal of the Jäger Corps; Ewald's “Belehrungen,” vol. ii. p. 169; Eelking's “Hülfstruppen,” vol. ii. pp. 107, 108.
