THE DANISH RETREAT.

Otago Witness, Issue 653, 4 June 1864, Page 19

THE DANISH RETREAT.

The following letter, with which we have been favored, is from a private in the Ist Regiment of the Danish army, and addressed to his brother : — Sondebborg, Feb. 8. You ask me to give you a full account

of all I have gone through during the . memorable 6th— Bth February; but, to look back, these two days seem as long as two months. I cannot put all I would like to tell you into one letter, but you must at any rate know the following : On Friday evening, at nine o'clock, I lay In the works, along with several others of our company, congratulating myself on l>eing there safe and sound after the sharp fighting we had had. We got our pipes lighted, and were chatting about the affair at Bustrup, in which, you know, I took a part, when a sergeant came by, shouting "Into poaition immediately." We were on our legs in a moment, and ten minutes afterwards the regiment stood ready to march. Our company numbered then four • officers, ten sergeants, sixteen corporals, and 181 privates. Our brave Colonel Beck rode along before us, and said, ** Yes, children, there will be stiff work for us, but I know I can depend on you. To the left, march!" and off we set. I believed, as did most, that we were on the road to Missunde, but when we left the town behind us we heard the sad truth from Lieutenant Riebau. I spare you all the oaths and growls which passed from rank to rank. I was silent, out my imagination pictured a retreat full • of horrors; truly my imagination fell short of the reality. How that terrible night between Friday and Saturday passed I know not, as I literally slept, staggering along with my blessed 75 kit, and my elegant thin leather boots thick pair had been hors de combat for several days). The boots pained me beyond expression ; I felt as if walking on thorns. I have a dim recollection of being in a house, and getting a glass of milk frozen over ; of seeing the king spectre-like line of the army iv the freezing cold night trudge along the alippery road ; of seeing fallen horses and ' overturned carriages ; but I repeat, I was asleep. For three night 3 I had not had, mall, four hours' sleep, and the march ■and my ill-humour put me out of sorts; so we went up hill and down hill till eight o'clock next morning, when we made halt at a little fiuage. I went into a house where there

was an old woman, and she gave me a cup 4»f delightful coffee, or rather chicory, but never did Gianelli's 12s coffee taste half so

Add to that a biscuit hard as

stone and a piece of half frozen pork, and •you. have ray ' meal, which, however, strengthened ' me exceedingly. An hour afterwards we resumed our march.

The road was perfectly full of carriages and guns, and a regiment of dragoons rode past us, keeping in the fields, as the horses stumbled so much on the frozen road. At twelve o'clock we had again a rest, while 'tjompany on company marched past us. -_ . . As I made for my company, which was a little outside the town, ray sergeant said to me, "Do you hear the Austrians ?" and now I could hear in good -earnest the rumbling in the distance. *• Close in!" cried the sub-officers; whips • cracked on the spent horses, and here and theTe one fell. " Out with it to the side, and cut it loose, if it cannot rise," and on we went. A whole waggon lull cf " commissariat monsters," supplied with large -cloaks and footstools, had, sad to say, to leave their comfortable seats, and go on loot till they found another conveyance. "The thunder of the cannon came nearer and nearer. " Company, attention ! Left face! March south," and we turned on our own steps. We met now several battalions, and at last the 9th and 11th Regiments. The latter greeted us with '" Hurrah for the Kulsviers I" and a soldier with a hoarse bass voice growled, holding «p his bayonet, "See that you give a good allowance of this," and •away they went northwards. We were alone. Colonel Beck now •«ame forward, and said to the companies— "The general trusts to you to hold out j if we hold here for two hours, we save a whole division. Do not tire till the enemy is on you, and then in with the *ayonet." "Depend on us, we'll do our duty." «I know you will, children." we then moved into a field to the left, then io a line over a slight rising ground, and as aoon as we passed the acclivity there we had the Germans. From the east came » regiment of cavalry, and right along the bigh road another, while a company of horse artillery rode at the gallop into a field a little way off and «boomV they went. A shell struck between me and the *nan at my side, and rose again, ricocfoetuig twenty paces from me. A fearful -try told that it had done its work. After « quarter of an hour had passed we were formed into a square, and down came the ■«av»lry, shouting and cheering, with their •awes raised, some of thesa discharging Aeir pistols -Stand fast, aim welt lads," The dragoons broke and fledj leaving many homa and mea behiad them.

"Fall into line— forward." Forward we went— then shells again from the artillery — then into " squares to meet another charge of the cavalry, whom we again beat off. So it went on for two hours, our ranks getting fearfully thin, We got breath for a moment, and I heard a voice near me whisper, " Farewell, my Marie ! Farewell, my dear ltttle ones." The words touched me deeply. They, came from a brave comrade from the neighborhood of Koeskilde, who regularly received a letter every post-day, and who as regularly himself wrote loving words to hia dear ones at home. I pressed his hand and whispered — " God never deserts the widow and the fatherless." v Thank you," he paid, and loaded again. (I know you will be pleased to hrsr that this brave, modest, fellow is still alive.) As it got dark, the enemy charged again and again, aud, alas! one company got broken; it was a frightful moment; we heard the sabres and bayonets rattling, and wild shouts from either side. Our square held firm, although we were charged at least twenty times. At last I had not a cartridge left, and had to help myself to those of my fallen comrades. At last the night fell, the snow held off for a little, and we drew slowly back through a wood and through several villages, stopping every moment to take down the most troublesome of the dragoons in our rear. Between eight and nine o'clock we reached Fieu3burg, had two hours' rest, and then got on board a steamer, which brought us to Sonderborg. At ten o'clock, 20 of us were quartered on a workman who lives immediately out of the town. Our condition when we reached Flensburg was pitiful The gallant regiment was now a mere ruin ! not more than 50 of our company were in all to the fore. But, God be praised ! already c .to-day onr numbers have swelled, and many dear comrades are again collected round the tattered red flag which we love so well. A Colonel came forward while we put ourselves into position, and said, "I thank you, gallant Ist Regiment, God bless you !" When we passed other divisions they shouted "Hurrah." Yes, at one place a standard was lowered before us. We may well be proud. The enemy must have suffered frightfully, as they charged on us quite blindly, and masses of their dead and wounded lay on the snow and dyed it red ; but the cursed shells and grenades which they threw in on us cost ua many brave raen.-~N. N.—"Scotsman."