Just then the British General, Lord Cornwallis, rode up. He saw his valiant enemy stripped to his shirt, the blood pouring from his eleven wounds. Immediately, he gave orders that the Baron should be treated with respect and care.
“I regret to see you so badly wounded,” he said, “but am glad to have defeated you.”
The Baron was carried to a bed. He was given every care. His devoted adjutant watched by his bedside, and the British officers came to express their sympathy and regret. But the brave Baron lingered three days only, then he died. Almost his last thoughts were with the men of his command. He charged his adjutant to thank them for their valour, and to bid them an affectionate farewell from him.
The people of Camden erected a monument in memory of the Baron de Kalb.
THE BANNER OF THE MORAVIAN NUNS
“Take thy Banner; and beneath
The war-cloud’s encircling wreath
Guard it—till our homes are free—
Guard it—God will prosper thee!
. . . . . . . . . .
“Take thy Banner; and if e’er
Thou shouldst press the soldier’s bier
And the muffled drum should beat
To the tread of mournful feet,
Then this Crimson Flag shall be
Martial cloak and shroud for thee!”
And the Warrior took that Banner proud,
And it was his martial cloak and shroud.
From The Hymn of the Moravian Nuns,
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
It was the young and gallant Marquis de Lafayette, who during the terrible rout on the field of Brandywine, leaped from his horse, and sword in hand tried to rally the fleeing American soldiers. But a musket ball passing through his leg, he fell wounded to the ground.