s filled with terror, especially as we
were certainly informed that the whole Russian army was advancing from
Meseric and Konigswalda, by the way of Landsberg. A reinforcement was
immediately sent to our piquet-guard, in the suburb, amounting, by this
junction, to three hundred men, who were soon attacked by the enemy, and
the skirmish lasted from four till seven o'clock in the evening.
During this dispute, we could plainly perceive, from our ramparts
and church-steeple, several persons of distinction mounted on English
horses, reconnoitring our fortification through perspective glasses.
They retired, however, when our cannon began to fire: then our
piquet took possession of their former post in the suburb; and the
reinforcement we had sent from the city returned, after having broken
down the bridge over the Oder. Next day count Dohna, who commanded the
army near Franckfort, sent in a reinforcement of four battalions,
ten squadrons, and a small body of hussars, under the command of
lieutenant-general Scherlemmer. The hussars and a body of dragoons were
added to the piquet of the little suburb; the four battalions pitched
their tents on the Anger, between the suburbs and the fortification; and
the rest of the dragoons remained in the field to cover the long suburb.
General Scherlemmer, attended by our governor, colonel Schuck, went with
a small party to observe the enemy; but were obliged to retire, and were
pursued by the cossacks to the walls of the city. Between four and five
o'clock next morning the poor inhabitants were roused from their sleep
by the noise of the cannon, intermingled with the dismal shrieks and
hideous yellings of the cossacks belonging to the Russian army. Alarmed
at this horrid noise, I ascended the church-steeple, from whence I
beheld the whole plain, extending from the little suburb to the forest,
covered with the enemy's troops, and our light horse, supported by the
infantry, engaged in different places with their irregulars. At eight I
descried a body of the enemy's infantry, whose van consisted of four or
five thousand men, advancing towards the vineyard, in the neighbourhood
of which they had raised occasional batteries in the preceding-evening;
from these they now played on our piquet-guard and hussars, who were
obliged to retire. They then fired, _en ricochet_, on the tents and
baggage of the four battalions encamped on the Anger, who were also
compelled to retreat. Having thus cleared the e