Military discipline permitted the officers to do nothing but obey.
The colonel was left with his orderly upon the top of the hill up which the Austrians were advancing. The orderly continued firing until the first platoon of the enemy were upon them, when he fell, and the colonel was left standing alone.
"Where is the Thirteenth Regiment?" asked the Austrian officer.
"I am the Thirteenth Regiment," replied the colonel with a smile.
"Then surrender," cried the officer.
"You insult me by asking me, a colonel in the Serbian army, to surrender," replied the colonel as he raised his revolver. But the Austrians were watching sharply and fired first, and the brave colonel fell mortally wounded.
He was carried back of the Austrian lines in an ambulance. When the Austrian general was told the story, he hurried to the hospital and found Colonel Batsicht still alive.
The Austrian told him that it was sad indeed to see such a brave man dying and that he was sorry the colonel had not surrendered.
"I am not sorry, General," replied the colonel.
A few hours later he died, and was buried with military honors.