I thought this post would be straightforward, but then I dug too deep.
"Der Freischutz" (aka "The Fatal Marksman") is yet again a deal-with-the-devil tale. It's based on the German folktale of a hunter who receives a handful of magic bullets that are guaranteed to hit whatever he aims at. All except one bullet, which the devil controls.
For once, the version in Evening Tales for the Winter credits the original story: it's from Johann August Apel, and the German original comes from Volume one of the Gestpensterbuch (Ghost Book), first published in 1810. The uncredited translator is Thomas de Quincey, as can be verified in this 1908 bibliography.
De Quincey's version (with both translator and original author uncredited) first appeared as "The Fatal Marksman" in Popular Tales and Romances of the Northern Nations, Vol 3 (1823). Curiously, it's one of the few stories whose authorship is not attributed. The anthology editor only speaks of "the author of the Freischutz" in the Preface (in Volume 1), even though he or she does mention Apel's Gespensterbuch collaborator, Friedrich Laun, by name four pages later.
The attribution to Apel came later, in Tales of the Wild and Wonderful (1825). This seems to be the source that Henry St. Clair took the story from.
Another Version, Another Mystery #
Apel's version of "Der Freischutz" seems to have become rather popular; it formed the basis for Carl Maria von Weber's opera of the same name, which is probably the version of the story best known today. However, what really interests me is another version of the tale, allegedly by E. T. A. Hoffman.
According to an 1847 Athenaeum article, Hoffman also wrote a version of "Der Freischutz", rendered into English by the reviewer as "The Affianced Bride." This version tells the story of a huntsman who takes the magic bullets, and accidentally kills his bride. So far, so good; this is the story Apel tells, as well. The alleged Hoffman version goes on to tell how the huntman vows never to marry again, but then breaks his promise, with the expected consequences.
Based on the (English) snippets provided in the Athenaem article (see page 813 [direct link found here]), it looks worth reading. I wondered if I could find it.
The French translation referred to is Contes nocturnes de Hoffmann, translator P. Christian. I found an 1862 edition, here, though it must have been originally published in 1847 or before. The story, in French, is "Le Spectre Fiancé." I don't read French, but from what I could work out, it is the same tale mentioned in the Athenaeum review. However....
It is not the story "Le Spectre Fiancé" mentioned in ISFDB, which I verified is indeed "Das unheimliche Gast," known in English as "The Uncanny Guest"---a completely different story. I could not find anything that plausibly matched the tale I was looking for in the complete works of Hoffman. But of course, I could have missed something, since I'm trying to compare a story in French to works in German -- neither of which are languages I read.
In fact, looking at the table of contents of Contes nocturnes de Hoffmann, I realized I didn't recognize any of the titles, except "L'elixir du Diable" --- which does not seem to be Hoffman's The Devil's Elixir (Hoffman's work is a two volume novel, for one thing).
So what are these French tales? Retellings, with different character names (that's how I tried to match the stories)? Stories falsely or erroneously attributed to Hoffman? Or simply known Hoffman tales that I've never heard of? I'd love it if someone who is more familiar with Hoffman (and can read French) would let me know.
Reference
Anonymous, "Hoffman and Fantastic Literature--[Contes Nocturnes de Hoffman--La Vie de E.T.A. Hoffman, por Prof. Christian]", The Athenaeum No. 1031, pp 811-813. July 31, 1847.