Schleswig. So the German troops have once again been beaten, 
once again the German-Prussian policy has suffered a brilliant 
defeat! This is the outcome of all those solemn promises of a strong, 
united Germany!—The time that could have been used to press 
home the initial victory they let slip by in useless negotiations which 
the enemy only entered into under duress in order to gain time for 
renewed resistance. And when Russia declared that she would 
intervene if Jutland were not evacuated, they still failed to recognise 
what lay behind the offer of an armistice, they lacked the courage to 
accept the impending conflict, the long-awaited and unavoidable 
conflict with Russia. Indeed, the proponents of a policy of force were 
at a loss, they gave in like cowards and during the retreat the “brave” 
guards were defeated by the “little” Danes! If this is not a case of 
open treason, then it is a manifestation of such immense incompe- 
tence that in any case the management of the whole affair must be 
placed in other hands. Will the National Assembly in Frankfurt at 
last feel compelled to do what it should have done long since, that is 
take over foreign policy itself? Or will it here too—“in the trust that 
governments perform what are the duties of their office”— proceed 
to the order of the day? 

There follows the report of the Danish attack at Sundewitt,* taken 
from the Schleswig-Holsteiner Zeitung. 


Rendsburg, May 29. Yesterday (Sunday, the 28th) was assigned to the relief of 
confederate troops on outpost duty outside Alsen.” This information must have 


* The Danish name is Sundeved.— Ed. 
The Danish name is Als.— Ed. 


Defeat of the German Troops at Sundewitt 35 


reached the Danes, who are generally well served by their spies in that region. 
Considerably reinforced by troops that in the last few days had once more been 
brought over from Fiinen? to Alsen, they carried out a landing on this side of the river 
the full significance of which the Germans do not seem to have grasped, since their 
attention was taken up with the coming on and off guard of their own troops. Soon 
after the stationing of the new pickets the Germans suddenly found themselves under 
heavy attack beneath the Düppel Heights from a greatly superior force of Danish 
infantry and artillery, while at the same time the appearance of a number of ships and 
gunboats west of Erkensund (near Alnver and Treppe) gave the impression that a 
landing was also to be carried out there. Clearly this was an attempt by the Danes to 
split the German forces, but they achieved only a slight measure of success. On the 
Düppel Heights a fierce battle ensued in which both sides suffered heavy casualties, 
some of them fatal, as a result of cannon-fire (it is not yet possible to give figures). The 
Danes fought famously. Their numbers are put at 8,000 men, who took up 
battle-stations under cover of the deck-guns and flanked by cannon on land, while our 
men can scarcely have numbered 7,000. It was several hours before the battle was 
decided, when at last, around 7 o'clock in the evening, the German troops were forced 
to begin the retreat via Gravenstein northwards to Quars, while the Danes got to 
within an hour’s march of Gravenstein, where our rearguard had stopped.