of the English guard, under Colonel Osborn, came to
our assistance, and the Americans were driven back
with great loss and pushed nearly to Boundbrook.”[1]
Jäger Bauer, who stood by Ewald on this occasion, was
an insignificant-looking fellow from the Anspach
district. Ewald had at first refused to take him into the
company on account of his appearance, but had been
persuaded to enlist him on seeing the excellence of
his shooting. Shortly after the affair above mentioned
Bauer gave another proof of his daring. On the morning
of the 25th of May, Ewald, with a party of eleven
chasseurs and thirty dragoons, fell into an ambuscade
near Boundbrook. They were surrounded and in danger
of being taken, and just at that moment Ewald's
horse stumbled, and the captain lay in the road. When
the chasseurs, who were a little way off, saw their
captain's horse coming towards them riderless, Bauer and
two others started out to bring off the injured officer.
They carried him back amid a shower of lead, and had
got him into a safe place, when Bauer noticed that
Ewald's hat was missing. “We must go get it,” said
he, “or they will carry our captain's hat in triumph
into Boundbrook to-morrow.” So they ran back
again, and actually brought off the hat in spite of the
bullets.[2]
Ewald asserts that Colonel Reed visited Donop twice before the surprise of Trenton, on the pretext of making an exchange of prisoners, but really for the purpose of reconnoitring. He goes on to tell the following story: “In the same way the two colonels, Hamil-