16 
GERMAN MANOEUVRES. 
7.—I shall ride at the head of the main body of the advanced 
guard. 
Distribution of troops :— 
1. —Independent Cavalry—Major von Nathusins, 22nd Dragoons, 
1£ Squads. 
2. —Advanced guard—Oberstlieutenant Dieckmann, 3 Battalions, 
J Squadron, less 10 Troopers, 1 Co. P. 
3. —Main body—8 Battalions, 10 Troopers, 2 Abt. F., 1 Dn. Tel. 
(Signed) Bock von Wiilfingen, 
General-Major. 
The above communicated verbally. 
The following message was despatched at 6.45 a.m. to the officer 
commanding the troops in Waibstadt:— 
The Brigade marches at once from Rohrbach on Waibstadt, with 
the object of taking part in the battle in which the South Corps is 
engaged. 
I shall endeavour to bridge the Schwarzbach so far as required by 
me. 
(Signed) Bock von Wiilfingen, 
General-Major. 
It will be seen that the Southern Force had 5 batteries, 2 squadrons, 
11 battalions, and the Northern 4 batteries, 2 squadrons and 8 
battalions, and that the operations represented a portion of a battle in 
which a whole Army Corps was engaged on both sides; and, further, 
that the stronger force was on the move against a smaller one which 
was stationary. 
The action was commenced by the artillery of the Northern Force, 
who opened fire upon the Southern Column as it debouched from the 
Grosser Wald; the artillery of the latter was hurried up to reply, came 
into action on the high ground above Waibstadt, the range being a 
little over 3,000 metres; neither artillery advanced, as any forward 
movement would have brought them down into the broad deep hollow 
and a second position was impracticable. The position of the Southern 
Artillery had this great disadvantage, that owing to the dense woods 
on its right, running to within two to three hundred yards of the 
Schwarzbach, the left of the enemy was not visible. The latter made 
very good use of this circumstance by massing the great proportion of 
his force out of the range of artillery fire, on his extreme left, and 
under cover of the wood north of the Sackberg; holding the front 
only with his artillery and two battalions. In the meantime the 
infantry of the Southern Force, under cover of their superior artillery, 
crept down to Waibstadt; two bridges were thrown over the narrow 
but deep Schwarzbach, the infantry crossed, deployed and advanced 
across the Helmstadt road and the railway and began to mount the 
heights, when a counter attack in great force was made by the North, 
who advanced from the left under cover of the wood, south of the 
