Every day, and often many times in the day, we
have arrivals at our quarters of officers just come
in from the front, and from these I hear constant
accounts of the state of affairs. I cannot think
that particulars of such a nature can be of any
interest to non-Danish readers. Whether the name
of the corporal who lost his arm yesterday was
Hansen, or Petersen, or Basmussen — one of the
three it is almost certain to have been — or whether
thfc gun whose muzzle was knocked clean off stood
in battery A, B, or C, are not matters of import-
ance, as far as the outer public is concerned. It
is only, therefore, of the broad features of the siege
that I wish to speak. This much may be justly
said, that the final struggle seems growing daily
nearer and nearer. The Prussian fire has improved
in accuracy, or, at any rate, the ranges of the
different positions are now better known; the
circular chain of batteries which is to surround the
foot of Dybbol Hill is rapidly approaching com-



THE SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN WAB. 135

pletion. There are now fourteen, or some say
sixteen batteries, in position at different points be-
tween Avn-Bierg on the Wemming Bund and
Sand-Bierg on the Als-Sund. Yesterday after-
noon, we had two or three hours of the heaviest
firing we have yet known; the roar of cannon
was almost continuous ; and its severity may be
judged from the fact that upwards of 1,500 shells
were thrown close round Dybbol windmill, with
the object of setting fire to the farm-buildings
which surround it. At last the atteihpt was suc-
cessful, and a dense cloud of smoke rose from
straw-roofs, and covered the whole crest of the hill.
