From the Fury of the Norsemen Deliver Us 163As the fortifications seemed to be impregnable an alternative idea
was developed, that of dragging Swedish heavy guns to the top of the
hill, where they could be mounted in a position to bombard most of
the camp below, thus forcing the Imperialists out. Duke Bernhard of
Weimar, a German prince but one of Gustavus’s generals, was in com-
mand of the troops holding the top of the ridge west of the Alte Veste,
so he set men about trying to haul the necessary artillery up a steep
track through the woods. The idea may have been good but the execu-
tion proved difficult, carried out under fire and harassed by Imperialist
light cavalry, and it became impossible when it started to rain late in
the afternoon, turning the track into mud. Night fell, leaving both sides
standing at their posts on the ridge, but although there was a pause in
the fighting it continued to rain. By the morning of 4 September it was
clear that there was nothing to be gained from continuing the attack,
and Gustavus ordered a retreat.
Wallenstein did not attempt a pursuit, as his own men were
exhausted, having been in the field or in action for 48 hours. Moreover
the Swedish defensive position at Fürth had been prepared for just such
a contingency, and he had no wish to allow Gustavus to salvage some-
thing of his reputation by fighting a successful rearguard action. As it
was, the aura of invincibility which had built up around the king during
eighteen months of successes in Germany was severely damaged by this
failure, while from the Swedish ranks Monro criticised him for relying
on inadequate intelligence about the strength of the defences, and for
continuing the attack long after it was apparent that it had little chance
of success. Casualties were high as a result, and it is estimated that the
Swedes lost of the order of 1000 dead and 2000 seriously wounded,
while the Imperialist losses were no more than a third of this level. In
his report to the emperor Wallenstein gave generous credit to Aldringer
for his part in the engagement, adding that ‘all officers and soldiers,
infantry and cavalry alike, behaved as bravely as I have ever in my life
seen in a battle’.^15
While Wallenstein went back to his waiting game Gustavus looked
for ways to extricate himself from the situation. He suggested peace
negotiations, offering to send Oxenstierna to Wallenstein or even to
meet him face to face himself, to which the general courteously but
firmly replied that he had no authority to discuss such matters but
that he would forward the king’s proposal to the emperor in Vienna.^16
Even had there been any prospect of success in that quarter Gustavus
could not afford to wait. Autumn was coming and his army was start-
ing to melt away. Disease and casualties had already made inroads,