Source:
The court and times of Charles the First, volume 2, pages 202 to 203, published by Robert Folkestone Williams, 1848
The letter excerpt:
Essex House, December 3, 1632.
The death of the King of Sweden is now confirmed here by the coming of Dalbier from those parts...
Dalbier's relation of the battle is, that Wallenstein's forces and Pappenheim's were joined together; that the king's army and theirs were not above 35,000; and that there was not above 5,000 killed in the place of both sides; that the king charged his enemies twice or thrice bravely in his own person; wherein, having received a hurt in the shoulder and breast, he desired Bernard Saxe Weimar to carry him off a while; and as they were turning away, a horseman of the enemy shot the king and Saxe Weimar, and killed him presently. Whereupon the skirmish grew so hot they could not carry the king off till the battle was ended with the death of Pappenheim, the taking of all the enemies' ordnance, bag and baggage, with many colours, and the flying away of Wallenstein into Leipsic, who stole from thence also in the night. Farther, he saith, that it is concluded that that army shall go under the name of the queen, as it did of the king, and that Saxe Weimar is made general thereof. I pray God they have the Elector of Saxony's hearty and constant support thereunto, in that they two have not heretofore so well accorded; which if they now do, the business may prosper: otherwise, it is much to be doubted. ...
With more modernised spelling:
Essex House, December 3, 1632.
The death of the King of Sweden is now confirmed here by the coming of Dalbier from those parts...
Dalbier's relation of the battle is that Wallenstein's forces and Pappenheim's were joined together, that the King's army and theirs were not above 35,000, and that there was not above 5,000 killed in the place of both sides. That the King charged his enemies twice or thrice bravely in his own person, wherein, having received a hurt in the shoulder and breast, he desired Bernhard Saxe-Weimar to carry him off a while; and, as they were turning away, a horseman of the enemy shot the King and Saxe-Weimar and killed him presently. Whereupon the skirmish grew so hot they could not carry the King off till the battle was ended with the death of Pappenheim, the taking of all the enemies' ordnance, bag and baggage, with many colours, and the flying away of Wallenstein into Leipzig, who stole from thence also in the night.
Farther, he saith, that it is concluded that that army shall go under the name of the Queen, as it did of the King, and that Saxe-Weimar is made general thereof. I pray God they have the Elector of Saxony's hearty and constant support thereunto, in that they two have not heretofore so well accorded; which, if they now do, the business may prosper. Otherwise, it is much to be doubted. ...
French translation (my own):
Essex House, 3 décembre 1632.
La mort du roi de Suède est maintenant confirmée ici par l'arrivée de Dalbier de ces régions...
Dalbier raconte la bataille selon laquelle les forces de Wallenstein et de Pappenheim étaient réunies, que l'armée du roi et la leur ne comptaient pas plus de 35 000 hommes et qu'il n'y eut pas plus de 5 000 hommes tués de chaque côté. Le roi chargea ses ennemis deux ou trois fois avec courage en sa personne, et, ayant reçu une blessure à l'épaule et à la poitrine, il demanda à Bernard de Saxe-Weimar de l'emmener un moment; et, alors qu'ils s'éloignaient, un cavalier ennemi tira sur le roi et sur Saxe-Weimar et le tua sur le coup. L'escarmouche devint si vive qu'ils ne purent enlever le roi qu'après la mort de Pappenheim, la prise de toutes les armes, sacs et bagages ennemis, et la fuite de Wallenstein à Leipzig, qui s'enfuit de là aussi pendant la nuit.
Il dit en outre qu'il est décidé que cette armée se portera sous le nom de la reine, comme elle l'a fait sous celui du roi, et que la Saxe-Weimar en sera le général. Je prie Dieu qu'ils aient le soutien chaleureux et constant de l'électeur de Saxe, car ces deux pays ne se sont pas encore si bien entendus jusqu'à présent; et s'ils le font maintenant, l'affaire peut réussir. Autrement, il est fort douteux.
Swedish translation (my own):
Essex House, den 3 december 1632.
Sveriges konungs död bekräftas nu här genom att Dalbier kommer från dessa parter...
Dalbiers redogörelse av striden är att Wallensteins styrkor och Pappenheims styrkor förenades, att konungens armé och deras uppgick till högst 35,000 man och att det inte fanns mer än 5,000 man dödade på båda sidor. Att konungen två eller tre gånger tappert anklagade sina fiender i sin egen person, varvid han, efter att ha fått ett sår i axeln och bröstet, begärde att Bernhard av Saxe-Weimar skulle bära bort honom en stund; och när de vände bort, sköt en fiendens ryttare konungen och Saxe-Weimar och dödade honom strax. Varpå skärmytslingen blev så het att de inte kunde bära bort konungen förrän striden avslutades med Pappenheims död, förrän alla fienders ammunition, väskor och bagage med många färger togs, och förrän Wallensteins flykt till Leipzig, som flydde därifrån också om natten.
Vidare, säger han, att det är slutsatsen att den här armén skall gå under drottningens namn, som den gjorde under konungens, och att Saxen-Weimar görs till general därav. Jag ber Gud att de har kurfursten av Saxens hjärtliga och ständiga stöd därtill, i det att dessa två inte hittills så väl har getts; vilket, om de nu gör det, kan affären blomstra. Annars skall man betvivla det mycket.
Note: Dalbier = John Dalbier (born circa 1600, died 1648), a German professional soldier from the Rhineland who emigrated to England and fought in the Thirty Years' War and the War of the Three Kingdoms. He served with the Parliamentarian army during the First English Civil War before switching to the Royalist side during the Second English Civil War. He was killed at the Battle of St. Neots on July 10 or 11, 1648.
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