On the eastern wall of the town hall in Bolesławiec, there is a bas-relief depicting the moment when the French General Brun was disarmed by a woman from Bolesławiec, Mrs. Bonin. On June 16, 1913, the plaque was ceremonially unveiled. Those taking part in the inauguration included the bas-relief’s creator, Jenny von Bary-Doussin, who came from Bolesławiec; several great-granddaughters of Mrs. Bonin; the town mayor; the school choir; and several hundred residents of Bolesławiec. Most of them were women, as June 16 was celebrated as the holiday of the women of Bolesławiec. The chronicles speak of an event that took place on February 10, 1807, when Lieutenant Schrader, together with four soldiers, captured a French general, along with a Saxon officer and a courier. Later sources, together with stories circulating around the town, described the event somewhat differently. Mrs. Bonin, the wife of a Prussian officer who devoted himself to farming on an estate in Łąka, describes the entire event in detail in her memoirs, in which she played a significant role. In 1807, during the war between Prussia and France, she went to Zgorzelec to ask Prince von Pless to send troops to Bolesławiec in order to capture the French military treasury. The prince sent Lieutenants Schrader and Fischer with 70 cavalrymen. However, on the way they were informed that Bolesławiec had been occupied by 600 Frenchmen. Bonin promised the prince that she would not lose a single soldier, so she decided to send Lieutenant Fischer and 66 cavalrymen to Lwówek, while she herself, together with Lieutenant Schrader and four soldiers, rode to the town. Upon arrival, it turned out that the French had not yet arrived. A French officer did arrive, however, and while looking for lodgings for General Brun, he was captured by our heroine.
She led him to the “Under the Three Lime Trees” inn (it stood in the market square, where there is now an empty lot), where her four companions, who were having breakfast, imprisoned him. After a brief consultation, without waiting for Lieutenant Schrader, they all set off with the prisoner to General Brun. Seeing his opponents’ advantage, he surrendered his sword as a sign of submission. This is the moment depicted in the bas-relief. On the left stand two soldiers together with Mrs. Bonin, while General Brun stands opposite her. Behind him, Corporal Schmidt holds a chest containing 70,000 thalers from the French military treasury; another soldier can be seen in the background. Seeing that French troops could arrive at any moment, they ordered the captured general to provide written confirmation that he had been taken prisoner. Meanwhile, a stagecoach arrived in Bolesławiec, carrying Major General Baron Globig. He too was captured and imprisoned in the “Under the Three Lime Trees” inn by our heroine. As if that were not enough, Count Erpach, caught in another stagecoach, joined the group of prisoners.
After completing the task, Lieutenant Schrader, together with his unit and the prisoners, went to the command headquarters, while Mrs. Bonin headed to her estate in Łąka, intending to take her entire family to safety. At headquarters, the commanders met with the prisoners. The Prussian commander addressed General Brun with the words: “General, this is the lady whose resourcefulness we owe the good fortune that you and your men have become prisoners.”