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15S A History of Sweden
of ruins. Tilly himself wept over the fate of the city
(May, 1631).
The Battle of Breitenfeld, Sept. 7, 1631. After the
fall of Magdeburg came the decisive moment for John
George. Tilly demanded that he unite his troops with
the imperial army and contribute to the support of
these forces. When the elector refused, Tilly led his
greedy hordes into the prosperous fields and villages
of Saxony. Now John George had no other recourse
than to entreat Gustavus Adolphus for help. The two
leaders formed an alliance, united their forces, and
marched against Tilly at Breitenfeld, near Leipsic.
There Tilly took up a favorable position at the top
of a long, sloping plain. Gustavus Adolphus marshaled
his troops on the plain below. The September sun
shone bright over the plain where the fate of millions
yet unborn was that day to be decided. Gustavus him-
self commanded the right wing; Gustav Horn, whom
the king called his "right hand/’ commanded the left.
Lennart Torstensson with the artillery was placed be-
fore the center. The Saxon troops, in a body, joined
themselves to the left wing of the Swedish army, in
new and splendid uniforms and shining armor with all
possible finery. Grand, too, was the appearance of
Tilly’s regiments. They were made up of well-trained
and seasoned warriors, overbearing through constant
victories. A Swedish eyewitness writes : "Torn, worn,
soiled, our men appeared as against the glittering, gild-
ed, plumed imperialists/’ But they were men well-disci-
plined in many a hard fight in the Russian and Polish
wars. And in this army dwelt the trust in God ex-
pressed in the hymn :
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