Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1886-10-23
SELECTIONS.
PATRIOTS IMMORTAL DEED.
ARNOLD WINKELRIED's HEROIC
SELLF.IMMOLATION AT THE
BATTLE OF SEMPACH.

Make way for liberty y he cried
Made way for liberty, and died"
Near Sempach Duke Leopold, OF
Austria, was signally defeated on
the 9th of July, 1886, by the Swiss
Confederates, owing to the noble
selfsacrifce of Arnold Won Winkel-
ried.
Sempach, the village, stands upon
ground that slopes gently northward
from the southwest corner of the
lake. 1t has today about thousand
inhabitants. A chapel, a mile and
a half distant, marks the spot where
Leopold fell.
In the fourteenth century Sempach
was the western outpost of the Can.
tons against the Swabian and Aus
TRAN armies. At the time of our
narrative the Austrian forces were
gathered at Baden, near Zurich. A
council Of war was held, at which it
was decided +" after Sempach shall
have been chastised for it's PREACHER
GUS detection" (from the invading
enemy, to do various other things
set down in full programme ofsub.
jugation. 1t was we'll for the Swiss
cause that the Waterloo came first.
Tue Duke advanced at the head
or his forces from Baden, and came
to the plain to the east of Sempach.
The Confederates were massed in
the woods on the rising ground to
the west. The Austrian army con-
sisted of 1000 horses and 1,4O0 foot
soldiers. The former consisted of
the nobility, knights, lords and ba-
rOns, and we're attended by their
servants. They were encased in the
heavy armour of the period. The
Confedcrates numbered thirteen or
fourteen hundred, and were poorly
armed with short weapons, many of
them simply with hatchets. Some
had for shields small boards which
they fastened to the left arm. But
their arms were nerved with burn
ing patriotism, and they thought
little of the defence of their persons.
Leopold, thinking 1t unwise to at
tempt to drive the Swiss from their
position on the hill, ordered the cav
airy to dismount and send their hors-
es to the rear. He then formed them
into a solid phalanx, with their long
spears projecting from the close hu-
man wall. An impregnable barrier,
it seemed, to any assault by the
Swiss peasants. The duke himself
dismounted and took place
among his knights. When his com
panions tried to his dissuade him
from doing this, urging the value of
his life, be exclaimed with vehe-
mence: "Shall Leopold look on
from atar and see how his brave
combat and die for him ~ The
Swiss patriots had better cause,
but not Drawer hearts than their
Austrian foe.
The day wore on. The Confeder-
ates. fearing lest the enemy's infan-
try. who were behind the cavalry,
might move around and attack them
in the rear, determined to break
through the unbroken line OF lane
ces." if possible. They could but
perish in the attempt. Knceling
first upon the ground they implored
the divine blessing upon their valor.
We can easily imagine with what
farvor they prayed. 1t was for their
country, for their homes, for their
dear ones, they we're to battle against
a superior foe. Well might they ap-
peal for aid to the God of battles.
While they were thus engaged. the
historian tells us, +. the Duke created
knights; the sun stood high /; the
day was sultry."
The Swiss, arising from their
knees, ran at full speed down the
hill, and sought in vain an opening
in the enemy's ranks. They threw
themselves fruitlessly against the
projecting spears. After repeated
repulses, one of their number, An.
thony du Pont, cried, .Strike the
poles of the spears, they are hollow y
This was done, but the broken spears
were quickly replaced from behind
Du Pont persisted in one of these as
saults. The ConfedeTates had losi
sixty men, and had made no impress
le<rr \