enstein himself was at Lutzen.

Gustavus called his generals together and informed them of the news.
Learning that Lutzen was but five miles distant--as it turned out, a
mistaken piece of information, as it was nearly twice as far--he ordered
that the men should take some food, and then wheeling to the left, push
on towards Lutzen.

It was not until some time later that Wallenstein learned from the
Imperial scouts that Gustavus was upon him. It was then nearly five
o'clock in the evening, and darkness was at hand. Considering the heavy
state of the roads, and the fact that Gustavus would have in the last
three miles of his march to traverse a morass crossed by a bridge over
which only two persons could pass abreast, he felt confident that the
attack could not be made until the following morning.

Mounted messengers were sent in all directions to bring up his troops
from the villages in which they were posted, and in the meantime the
troops stationed around Lutzen were employed in preparing obstacles to
hinder the advance of the Swedes. On either side of the roads was a low
swampy country intersected with ditches, and Wallenstein at once set his
men to work to widen and deepen these ditches, which the troops as they
arrived on the ground were to occupy. All night the troops laboured at
this task.

In the meantime Gustavus had found the distance longer and the
difficulties greater than he had anticipated; the roads were so heavy
that it was with difficulty that the artillery and ammunition wagons
could be dragged along them, and the delay caused by the passage of the
morass was very great.

Indeed the passage would have been scarcely possible had the men of an
Imperial regiment of cuirassiers and a battalion of Croats, who were
posted in a village on the further side of the morass, defended it; but
instead of doing so they fell back to an eminence in the rear of the
village, and remained there quietly until, just as the sun set, the
whole Swedish army got across. The cuirassiers and Croats were at once
attacked and put to flight; but as darkness was now at hand it was
impossible for Gustavus to make any further advance, and the army was
ordered to bivouac as it stood. The state of the roads had defeated the
plans of Gustavus. Instead of taking the enemy by surprise, as he had
hoped, and falling upon them scattered and disunited, the delays which
had occurred had given Wallenstein time to bring up all his forces, and