On the day after his arrival, the 21st of August, Gustavus marched
out and opened a cannonade upon the Imperialists' position, in order
to induce Wallenstein to come down and give battle. Wallenstein was
not, however, to be tempted, but kept his whole army busy with the
spade and axe further intrenching his position. The next day the
king brought his guns nearer to the enemy's camp, and for twenty-four
hours kept up a heavy fire. The only result, however, was that
Wallenstein fell back a few hundred yards on to two ridges, on one
of which was the ruined castle called the Alte Veste; the other was
known as the Altenburg. The ascent to these was steep and craggy,
and they were covered by a thick forest. Here Wallenstein formed
in front of his position a threefold barrier of felled trees woven
and interlaced with each other, each barrier rising in a semicircle
one above the other. Before the Swedish cannon ceased to fire the
new position of the Imperialists had been made impregnable.
Unfortunately for Gustavus he had at this moment lost the services
of the best officer in his army, Sir John Hepburn, whom he had
always regarded as his right hand. The quarrel had arisen from some
trifling circumstance, and Gustavus in the heat of the moment made
some disparaging allusion to the religion of Hepburn, who was a
Catholic and also to that officer's love of dress and finery.
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