but, from their motions, they seemed undetermined
how to act.” Drums and bugles sounded in the streets
of Trenton. Rail was still in bed, and sleepy in his
cups. Lieutenant Biel, acting as Brigade Adjutant,
was at first “afraid” to rouse him,[1] but hastened off
to the main guard and despatched another lieutenant
and forty men to support the pickets. As he returned
to headquarters Rall was hanging out of the window
in his night-shirt and crying, “What's the matter?”
The adjutant, in reply, asked if he had not heard the
firing. Rall said he would be down at once, and
presently he was dressed and at the door. A company of
the Lossberg regiment, which had quarters on the
Pennington road, and acted as an advanced guard, had
formed across that road, and received the flying pickets,
but had presently fallen back into the town.
Washington was pressing in by King and Queen Streets
(now Warren and Greene Streets), and Sullivan by the
river road into Second Street. A part of Rall's
regiment presently succeeded in forming, and after a while
Rall himself appeared, on horseback. Lieutenant
Wiederhold reported to him, saying that the enemy was
in force, and not only above the town but also upon
the right and the left. Rall asked how strong the
enemy was. Wiederhold answered that he could not
say, but that he had seen four or five battalions come
out of the woods and that three of them had fired at
him before he fell back. Rall called out to advance,
but seemed dazed, and unable to form a plan. His
forces were still in disorder. Rall struck off to the
right into an apple orchard east of the town, and tried
- ↑ “Scheut sich” (Marburg Archives).
