The sixteenth of April his Majesty did break up with the army from Augsburg, taking his march towards Ingolstadt, of intention to start the Duke of Bavaria from thence, having left so many of our army behind us as took in Landsberg, Mindelheim, Füssen, Schongau and divers other parts in Schwabenland by accord, where General Major Ruthven then governor of Ulm, had brought with his forces that were also behind us, all the Papists' towns that were betwixt Ulm and Lindau under his Majesty of Sweden's contribution, and most part of Schwabenland also, for which service his Majesty gifted unto him, under his hand and seal, the grafschaft or Earldomof Kirchberg, lying next adjacent to the city of Ulm, which belonged to the Fuckers of Augsburg, that were made earls by the Emperor, from merchants having turned soldiers, to serve his Imperial Majesty: which grafschaft or earldom could pay yearly, beside contribution to the wars, ten thousand Rex-Dollars, being a good augmentation of pay for an old servant, who had served long and valourously, without the least blot of discredit, and retired bravely with means and credit to his country, carrying the marks of his valour in his body, being above the waist full of tokens of valour, credibly gotten in his master's service; for as he was courageous before his enemy, he was also fortunate in his conduct, in obtaining victory beyond his fellows; and being often singled out, man to man, to make his courage the more undoubted, he always gave testimony in this kind of his valour, answerable to the external show and hansome frame of his body, being in personage inferior to no man, for strength and comely stature.
His Majesty continuing his march towards Ingolstadt, coming within sight of the town, he drew his army in battle, horse, foot, and artillery, where we stood the whole night at arms. The next day drawing nearer to the enemies' army being incamped before us, Ex opposito, on the other side of the Danube, ready to second the town on all occasions, which his Majesty considering, gave order to draw out our leaguer, and to set men to work after we were quartered; where, for our welcome, the enemy from the town did salute us furiously with cannon; so that at first, the head was shot from the young Markgrave of Baden, and his Majesty recognoscing, the leg was shot from his horse; divers others were also here lamed by the cannon.
The night drawing on, his Majesty expecting a strong out-fall from the town, their army being so near, our brigade, according to custom, was commanded to march, and to stand the whole night in arms, on a razed champaign, under mercy of cannon and musket, being ordained in case of the enemies' out-fall, by fighting to hold them up, till our army might be in readiness to relieve us; being in April, though the air was cold, the service being hot, sundry were taken away in full ranks with the cannon, being in no action ourselves, but standing ready to maintain our ground, in case the enemy should pursue us, which to my mind, was the longest night in the year, though in April; for at one shot I lost twelve men of my own company, not knowing what became of them, being all taken alike with the cannon; and he that was not this night, in this stand afraid of a cannon bullet, might in my opinion, the next night, be made gunpowder of without pain, and who would swear he was not affrighted for a shot, I would not trust him again, though he spake truth.
His Majesty, in the beginning of the night, commanded a thousand Swedens, being musketeers, led by sufficient officers in his Majesty's own presence, to fall on the skonce, before the bridge, which was beset with fifteen hundred foot, and five hundred horse, lying open on the side, that lay next the town, that if the enemy should storm and enter, he might be clensed out again with cannon and musket, from the town wall; notwithstanding whereof, the Swedens bravely advanced, even to the graff, being ready to storm they were plagued with the musket, and with fireworks, that leaving three hundred men killed about the skonce, they were forced to retire; the enemy continuing a thunder-clap of muskets for one half hour, till they were fully retired. His Majesty finding nothing could be effectuate in this manner; retired with the musketeers, leaving us and our brigade in the former stand, to attend the enemies' out-coming, to make us acquainted with the thundering of cannon; where no man, were he never so stout, could be blamed to stoop, seeing the cannon in the night firing in a right line before him, he that would not shift his body, to eschew the grazing of a bullet, was not to be pitied, if killed through ostentation.
Here death, that cruel fellow, courted all alike, yet none was so enamoured, as willingly to embrace him, though well I know, many brave fellows were resolved to meet him, for to give him the foil before he came near.
This night a soldier though not stout, might pass prentice in our calling in one night, for resolution; where having stayed till it was day, we retired to the leaguer, with great loss of men, that were killed and hurt, where they that had escaped the malheur, were glad to discourse at large of their night's watch.
His Majesty finding this town strong by nature, situation, and art, lying on the Danube, really fortified with a bridge over the river, fortified also before the entry, and the town being well provided of all furniture, having a strong garrison, and in need an army to supply it, which made his Majesty, for that time, rise from it, having gotten intelligence, that the Duke of Bavaria's forces by sleight had taken in Rheinsberg, where the most part of the army was sent thither to beset the pass, who immediately after their entry, disarmed the citizens, being all Protestants, having quartered above twenty soldiers in every house, where also the Duke himself did march with the rest of his army, knowing his Majesty was not able to gain credit before Ingolstadt, he went away, suffering his Majesty to stay behind, to try his fortune against the town, who also did break up, and marching away, the enemy with a strong party of horsemen, and of dragoniers, charged our rear-guard; General Banier being commanded to make the retreat, where the enemy having charged, he behaved himself well by good command, charging the enemy with small troops, forcing them to retire, while as the body of the army was retiring, the General commanding still fresh troops, one after another, to receive the enemies' charge, till at last all were safely retired, and the enemy retired also, not daring to show himself without the passes on the field, being well beaten at an out-fall by the Swedens the day before.
The retreat honourably made, his Majesty continued his march on Moosburg, having lain that night on the hill at Gaisenfeld, having in the afternoon before drawn the whole army in one front, horse, foot, and cannon, for doing the funeral rites of the Markgrave of Baden, whose corpse being appointed to be sent away with a convoy to be buried; before their departure, the whole cannon was twice discharged, and then the whole musketeers of the army from the right hand to the left, did give two salvos of musket, and after them, the whole army of horse did give two salvos of pistol. This day also, old Captain David Ramsey was buried, having died of a consuming fever.
The next day our march continuing towards Moosburg, where we did lie five days, his Majesty having sent Field Marshal Horne, with a strong party of horse, foot, and cannon, towards Landshut; where Hepburne with his brigade was also employed. The town not being strong, the enemy, after a little skirmish made with horse in the fields, retired over the water, casting off the bridge behind them, they escaped, having left a weak garrison of foot in the town and castle, to make an accord, for keeping the town unplundered, which was suddenly agreed on, so that before night, we were quartered in the town, the enemy being retired, where divers of our brigade made booty worth their pains.
The next day his Majesty hearing we had taken in the town, did break up with the army towards Memmingen, leaving orders for for the Field Marshal to join with the army at Freising, having got moneys for his Majesty, both from Landshut, and the Bishopric of Freising, for keeping them unplundered.
Hohfnwart, Pfaffenhofen, being two walled towns, with the Abbacy of St. Morris, and the Abbacy of St. George, were also brought under contribution; where the boors on the march cruelly used our soldiers (that went aside to plunder) in cutting off their noses and ears, hands and feet, pulling out their eyes, with sundry other cruelties which they used, being justly repaid by the soldiers, in burning of many dorps on the march, leaving also the boors dead, where they were found.
A strong party of the Duke's soldiers, thinking to have surprised the Swedens in their quarters, they fell themselves in the ditch that they prepared for others, so that very few of them escaped with life out of the Swedens hands.
By this time also Weissenburg not far from Nuremberg, was taken in by the Duke's forces, having got some cannon from the castle of Wülzburg: Nevertheless, the Swedens garrison behaved themselves valourously, in making an honourable accord, though those Papists unworthily broke their promise, for those that would not willingly serve, were cut down, and the town by condescending was also plundered, their wives and children were abused, and the Burgomasters and Preachers were taken prisoners unto Ingolstadt, and the ports of the town they razed and burnt.
