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threatened to break into open mutiny, the leaders had
to return to the main army.
This fear was realised on the 15 th of March, when a
sanguinary conflict between German and Scottish soldiers
occurred, which ended in the unparalleled and inexcusable
slaughter of 1500 Scots within the space of one hour in
the face of the enemy. A quarrel about some unpaid ale
in the canteen was the ostensible cause. A German
officer was called in to restore peace ; but it was too late.
The altercation ended in a free fight in which several
Scottish soldiers were killed. In vain also was the
interposition of De la Gardie, Ruthven, and Tott, who at this
time came upon the scene. They barely escaped with
their lives. Ruthven was wounded severely. Then the
Scots seized the guns and threatened to fire. Upon this
the whole of the German horsemen charged, and so
furious was their onset, so much did they outnumber their
enemies, that within the short space of one hour they only
lost about thirty men, whilst their opponents, unsupported
by their own cavalry, were practically annihilated.1 The
Scottish camp was nearest to the fortress; first came
Michell’s regiment, then David Spalding’s, and lastly
Gilbert Wauchope’s. Behind them, parallel to each
other, were the German and Swedish camps. During
the fight a number of Scottish officers lost their lives,
amongst them David and Jacob Murray and George
Michell. Thomas Michell, his brother, seems to have
escaped death, for we find him amongst the Scottish officers
1 It is said that the Scottish horsemen had been ready to mount, but
that the mélée would have spread to the Swedish and the remaining
German troops if they had assisted their countrymen; and so they
refrained. Only MoncriefPs regiment seems to have afforded help. De
la Gardie mentions 2000 as the number of Scots slain, but he possibly
means the loss of the Scots during the whole unfortunate campaign.
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