Having completed this conquest, the brigade proceeded to Freysingen, where it rejoined the main army, and advanced from thence to Munich. This celebrated city surrendered immediately, and the King being desirous of preserving it from plunder, he made a present of about five shillings English to every soldier in the army, and posted Hepburn's Scots Brigade at the bridge to prevent the ingress of stragglers. The army was afterwards encamped without the town, excepting the old Scots brigade, which entered the city with the King, and Hepburn's own regiment furnished the guard at the market-place, while the remainder of the brigade furnished the King's guard at the castle. As no other brigade was admitted into Munich, this circumstance proves the high estimation in which this old Scots corps was held. Its commander, Brigadier-General Hepburn, was appointed governor of Munich.

Leaving this city on the 1st of June, the brigade again directed its march towards Donawerth, where it arrived on the 4th. It subsequently marched to the relief of Weissemberg, which was besieged by the enemy; but the garrison surrendered before the troops marching for its relief arrived. The brigade then continued its march to Furt, where an encampment was formed. It was afterwards employed in several operations of a defensive character. The King having to defend Nurenberg, and to confront an army of 60,000 men with only 20,000, his Majesty formed an entrenched camp round the city, where the brigade was stationed some time.

The enemy's army, commanded by the Duke of Bavaria and Count Walstein, appeared before Nurenberg, and by means of their immense superiority of numbers endeavoured to cut off the supplies of provision from the Swedish army, but were unable to accomplish their object. The opposing armies lay watching each other's movements until the 21st of August, when, reinforcements having arrived for the Swedes, the King attacked the enemy's fortified camp; the old Scots Brigade was sharply engaged in the attack of the heights of Altenberg, and in the attempt on Altenberg Castle, in which service it lost many officers and men; but the attack failed at every point. The King afterwards formed a fortified camp within cannon shot of the enemy, and the two armies confronted each other until the 8th of September, when his Majesty retired, and five hundred musketeers of the old Scots Brigade, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Sinclair, covered the retreat to Neustadt. A few days afterwards, the Marquis of Hamilton being about to return to England, Brigadier-General Hepburn obtained permission to accompany him, and the regiment was left under the command of the Lieutenant-Colonel. When the gallant Hepburn and several other officers took leave of their companions in arms, Monro informs us that "the separation was like the separation which death makes betwixt friends and the soul of man, being sorry that those who had lived so long together in amity and friendship, also in mutual dangers, in weal and in woe, the splendour of our former mirth was overshadowed with a cloud of grief and sorrows, which dissolved in mutual tears."

The brigade was now commanded by Colonel Monro, and towards the end of September it marched to the relief of Rayn, which was besieged by the enemy; but this garrison also surrendered before the troops marching to its relief arrived. The King, however, resolved to retake the town, and having arrived before the walls on the 3rd of October, he took advantage of a thick fog, and brought his cannon to bear upon the works unperceived, when the garrison immediately surrendered.

The brigade being much exhausted and decreased in numbers from its recent hard services, it was placed in quarters of refreshment in Bavaria, while the King marched with part of the army into Saxony. Before his departure, his Majesty expressed his approbation of the conduct of these veteran Scots on all occasions, and exhorted the commanding officers to use every possible expedition in replacing the casualties in the ranks of their respective regiments; but this proved the final separation between the great Gustavus Adolphus and these distinguished regiments; his Majesty marched to Saxony, and was killed at the battle of Lützen,[31] which was fought on the 6th of November, 1632.

After the death of the King of Sweden[32] the old Scots Brigade served for a short time under the Elector Palatine, and was employed in the siege and capture of Landsberg, a town of Upper Bavaria on the Lech; and while before this place a dispute about precedence arose between this and another (Ruthven's) brigade: "But," observes Colonel Monro, "those of Ruthven's Brigade were forced, notwithstanding their diligence, to yield the precedence unto us, being older blades than themselves, for in effect we were their schoolmasters in discipline, as they could not but acknowledge."

When the capture of Landsberg was effected, the old Scots Brigade marched to the relief of Rayn, which was closely beset by the Bavarians, who raised the siege on the approach of the Scots, and retired into Saxony.

From Rayn the brigade marched to the vicinity of the ancient city of Augsburg, where the men lay two months of extreme cold weather in the open fields; the loss of the great Gustavus Adolphus was now seriously experienced, the generals were indecisive, and operations were suspended.

1633

But in February, 1633, the brigade was again called into action. It proceeded, in the first instance, to Ulm, a considerable town on the banks of the Danube, and from thence towards Memmingen, to attack a division of the enemy stationed in the town; but, having halted at some hamlets within three miles of the place, the houses took fire in the night, and the brigade lost much baggage, and saved its cannon and ammunition with difficulty. This misfortune did not, however, prevent the troops from marching against their adversaries, who after some sharp skirmishing, retired.