netrate the
Austrian ranks.

"This act of heroism decided the victory. The Swiss rushed into the gap
made by Winkelried, and, having now come to close quarters with their
enemies, their bodily strength and the lightness of their equipment gave
them a great advantage over the heavily armed Austrians, who were
already fainting under the heat of a July sun. The very closeness of the
array of the Austrian men-at-arms rendered them incapable either of
advancing or falling back, and, the grooms who held their horses having
taken flight, panic seized them, they broke their ranks, and were hewed
down by the Swiss halberds in frightful numbers. Duke Leopold was urged
by those around him to save his life, but he scorned the advice, and,
seeing the banner of Austria in danger, rushed to save it, and was
killed in the attempt. The rout then became general, but the Swiss had
the humanity, or the policy, not to pursue their enemies, of whom
otherwise not one, perhaps, would have escaped. The loss of the
Austrians amounted to two thousand men, including six hundred and
seventy-six noblemen, three hundred and fifty of whom wore coroneted
helmets. Most of them were buried at Koenigsfelden, with their leader
Leopold. The Swiss lost two hundred men in this memorable battle, the
second in which they had defeated a duke of Austria at the head of his
chivalry."

After Sempach the men of Glarus set about making themselves a free
people. One of their first acts was the capture of Wesen and the
expulsion of its Austrian soldiers. This was followed by a truce, which
lasted till 1388, when Leopold's sons recommenced the war with fresh
fury. Wesen was recaptured by the admission of a number of soldiers in
disguise, who opened the gates to their comrades without and massacred
all the chief Swiss leaders. Some months later the men of Glarus
inflicted a severe defeat on the Austrians at the little town of
Naefels, within their state. In this important combat three hundred and
fifty men of Glarus, together with fifty from Schwyz, posted themselves
on the heights above the town, and, as the Austrians advanced, suddenly
hurled down masses of stones that soon caused a panic. Then, following
the successful tactics employed at Morgarten, the Swiss rushed down on
the disordered mass--said to consist of fifteen thousand soldiers, but
probably about half that number--and dealt death on every side. A
precipitate flight of the invaders followed, but they were