The Republican journal., 1869-08-19
A HERO OF WATERLOO.

the battle Won? According to the best mill
tary critics, there was abundance of courage
on both sides, but on neither side any skill,
the superiority of numbers on the part of the
allies ultimately deciding the combat Per-
haps ii futtercd and paralyzed the Duke Of
Wellington that he had to face for the first
time the mightest man the world had for
centuries seen and perhaps Napoleon began
the awful conflict like a dispirited gambler,
who has no longer faith in his own sagacity,
adroitness and fortune. If the Duke of
Wellington and the Emperor Napoleon might
have done better at the battle of Waterloo,
the same cannot be said of Hundsfott
Saudiste, whose achievements have hitherto
been buried amongst heaps of German lum-
! Der, from which we now propose to disinter
them for the entertainment and edlication Of
| the reader
! In 1916, while William l., of Hesse-Cassel
was still busy with his military and other re-
forms, one of his ministers received the fol-
lowing letter from England:
"a brave man, a native of Electoral Hesse
serving in the English army as a member of
the German Legion, and as an artilleryman,
saved at the battle of Waterloo an English
battery All the artillerymen had been shot
down, and a French regiment Of cuirassiers
rushed on the battery with the widest fury
The valiant man, who, unassisted, had load
ed all the pieces with grapeshot, fearlessly
seized the match, and with the rapidity Of
lightning hurled the whole fire of the battery
at the approaching horsemcn. SO frightful
was the slaughter that the whole regiment
broke and fled. Hereby the English grena-
ders gained time to secure the battery, which
had been defended by the intrepidity of a
single man. England delights in being CRATE
| ful, bat on this occasion was unable to recon-
pense adequately, or at all, a distinguished
service. The German Legion was dissolved
and the gallant artilleryman was forgotten.
But when the army reports were perused
atrcsh, the grievous neglect was at once dis
covered. 1t has become an urgent duty to
atone for the oversight. We very respectful
| ly, therefore, request you to make enquiries
for the man, whose name is IIundsfott Saudis-
tel, and who is doubtless, for his high char
acter and notable achievements. known to
many persons. The large gold war medal
and suitable sum of money we wish to place
in his hands without delay in recognition of
the bold and famous feat"
| Not small was the astonishmcnt caused in
Cassel by this epistle. Such excessive modes
| ty had never been heard of before. A man
of rare stamp must this IIessian hero be.
Dligent search had to be made for the war
rior, who would no doubt blush for his own
renown, as soon as whisper thereof reached
his ear. 1t seemed almost cruelty to disturb
the philosopher in his profound retirement.
| Yet a descendant of George II. could not
treat disdainfuly a request coming from the
chiefs of the English military administration.
A letter was therefore dispatched to every
district magistrate of Hesse-Cassel. Minute
and perseverng investigation was earnestly
urged. If the Great Unknown who was like
wise the Great Known, was still alive, he
could not fail to be discovered when SO many
eyes were with hunger spying for the tracks
of his footsteps. But every district magis-
trate, the more he darted fussily hither, and
looked into all sorts of questions, the more
he was doomed to disappointment Man
ifestlv the ilustrous Saudistcl had vanished
from the earth
AT last, an Amtmann, more fortunate than
his brethren, found in a village on the cX-
treme frontier of the mighty realm of Hesse-
Cassel a hermit who was called Saudistel,
and who might be presumed to be the miss
ing artilleryman, the soldier who had been
in the English service, and who, by one grand
deed, had made himself immortal.
1t is seldom that the district magistrate can
render himself great by coming in contact
with greatness. We can pardon, therefore,
our Amtmann for shouting loud shout OF
victory.
In hot haste the Amtmann fired at the her
NIT a whole battery Of interrogations. The
hermit was stalwartly built and might have
laid some claim to good looks; but his nose
had suspicious tinge, coppery red, which
is not generally supposed to be the best
establishment for noses. AS a rule, it cannot
be called a watery color, for it never arises
from the excessive drinking of water.
The better to be hermit, Herr Hundsfott
Saudistel undertook the humble and by no
means onerous duties Of swineherd.
''What can | do to serve you, excellent
Herr Amtmann?' asked the valiant swine
herd, with speech not so thick, and with nose
not SO coppery as usual, as it was early in
the day.
sit down. said graciously, the self-im-
portant magistrate, 'and answer me clearly,
correctly and honestly. Have you ever
served rs a soldier under the English?'
Certainly have, Herr Amtmann,' was the
reply
How did you come into the British ser
vice" Herr Hundsfott Saudistel shrugged
his shoulders, and with the ease of Il soldier
who had seen the world, he began his mar
rative:
You must know, Herr Amtmann, that l
was one of the conscripts sent from Hesse-
Cassel to join the French army in Spain. In
that fine country there were blue beans in
abundance, but they were not good for eat
ing, ana soldier who had got one OF them
into his stomach Immediately lost his appe-
tite, and could never drink any more
schnapps. I was fond neither of the blue
beans, nor of the French, and as I heard that
the English had landed, and had benevo-
lent desire to show us the way back to the
frightfully high mountains we had crossed
when we entered Spain, felt a strong desire
to aid them in their kind attempt, not to en-
ploy our customary phrase
That is to say, you wanted to DESERT
cried the magistrate, with a smile.
If the expression pleases you BETTER by all
means use it., proceeded Saudistel. But we
had good cause for wanting to be off, can
assure you. The English had plenty to eat
and drink, while we suffered bitter hunger
and thirst. Even water was not to be had j;
for, though have never liked water, would
willingly have swallowed it in the absence of
anything else. The redcoats, pressing for
ever on, drove us nearer to the high noun