The battles of the world

by J. Douglas Borthwick

MAJOR.—This officer holds the rank between a Lieutenant Colonel and a Captain. A Major General is one who commands a division, next above rank to a Brigadier General.

MALAKOFF AND REDAN, ATTACK ON THE.—In the celebrated Crimean war. The following is a good description of the attack:

“General Pelissier divided his attacking force into three columns, numbering altogether about 25,000 men. The first, under General Mayran, was to assault the extreme left of the Russian line; the second, in the centre, led by General Brunet, was to turn the Malakoff on its proper left; while the third, under General d’Autemarre, was to operate upon its right. The Imperial Guard was held in reserve, and two batteries of artillery occupied the Mamelon. The signal for advance was to be three rockets fired from the Lancaster battery, which General Pelissier had chosen as his position of observation. By an unfortunate mistake, General Mayran mistook the flaming fuse of a bomb-shell for the rocket, and eager for the fray, led his division rapidly forward. It was now apparent that the enemy had full notice of our intended attack. Not only the batteries were fully armed, but the steamers were anchored so as to be able to pour their broadsides upon the French columns. Generals Saurin and De Failly, obedient to the commands of their General, dashed forward, followed at an impetuous pace by their troops. Then the Russians opened fire from their batteries and steamers, and a hurricane of shot and shell arrested the career of the brave French; and their leader, General Mayran, paid the penalty of his mistake, falling mortally wounded at their head. General Pelissier had now arrived upon the scene of action, and perceiving the error, at once ordered up reinforcements to the threatened division, which, strengthened by the addition of the voltigeurs of the Guard, some regiments of the line, and a battalion of grenadiers, was enabled to maintain its position under the orders of General De Failly, who succeeded to the command, though prevented by the deadly fire of the enemy from advancing further. The centre column, under General Brunet, had little better success than the other division. In fact, the unlucky mistake of Mayran, in precipitating the attack, had disordered the entire plan of advance, and aroused the Russians, and enabled them to concentrate their strength for defence. General Brunet himself was struck in the chest by a musket-ball; and his division was forced to retire to the trenches with great loss. General D’Autemarre, who commanded the left attack, no sooner saw the preconcerted signal, than he gave the word to advance, and the 5th Foot Chasseurs and the first battalion of the 19th regiment of the line, deploying to the left, along the crest of the ravine which there enters the town, carried the entrenchment which connects it with the Malakoff, and succeeded in entering the fortification. The sappers who accompanied the advance immediately planted ladders, the remainder of the regiments hurried forward, and the eagles of the French army waved aloft, encouraging the repulsed troops of the other divisions to renewed exertions.

While the French were thus straining every nerve against tremendous odds, and with fearful loss, to perform their parts in the achievements of the day, the English were none the less eager to win their laurels before the Great Redan. Sir George Brown, just returned from the Kertch expedition, was intrusted with the direction of the assaulting party, composed of detachments of the Light, Second, and Fourth Divisions. The plan of attack was, that the force should be divided into three columns; the Light Division to storm the right of the Redan at the re-entering angle; the Fourth Division was to attack the left flank of the fortification at a similar position; while the Second was to storm the apex of the Redan, as soon as the other divisions had established themselves in the work. Colonel Yea, of the 7th Fusiliers, led the storming party of the Light Division, composed of the 7th, 23rd, 33rd, and 34th. Colonel Shirley held the 19th, 77th, and 85th in reserve. The troops advanced in good order from the trenches, preceded by a covering party of Rifles, and dashed forward to the attack. They had, however, several hundred yards of broken ground to cross; and the enemy, well prepared for their reception, poured from every embrasure such a storm of shot and shell as effectually broke their ranks. Colonel Yea and the regimental officers gallantly endeavoured to animate their men to the assault, and led them fearlessly forward against the belching fire of the batteries. As the brave old colonel was cheering on his men, a shower of grape swept along, and he rolled in the agonies of death, struck at once in the head and stomach. His brave companions fell around him dead or wounded; and the regiments, unable to face such a sheet of fire, fell back disordered to the trenches, leaving nearly a third of their number on the field.

On the left attack, Sir John Campbell, with the Fourth Division, exhibited extraordinary courage, and led his men forward to the attack with tremendous energy. Here again was the tragedy of the Light Division repeated. The men were mowed down as they left the trenches, and Sir John, like Colonel Yea, fell cheering on his men. The loss was terrific. The Second Division, to whom had been reserved the duty of attacking the apex of the Redan, seeing the failure of the flank assaults, desisted from the attempt, and withdrew to the trenches, though having suffered considerably from the enemy’s fire.

The only success of the day was that achieved by the Third Division under General Eyre, who had been ordered by Lord Raglan to attack the Cemetery Batteries, at the head of the ravine leading to the Dockyard Creek. The brigade consisted of the 9th, 18th, 28th, and 44th regiments. Four volunteers from each regiment, under Major Fielden, of the 44th regiment, were selected to feel the way, and cover the advance. The 18th Royal Irish formed the storming party. They possessed themselves of the Cemetery with but little difficulty; and then four companies of the 18th dashed forward, so eager were they for the fray, and actually entered the town, and established themselves in the Russian houses. They were followed by the 9th, under Colonel Borton. The enemy’s batteries now opened a fierce fire on the daring handful of men; and although they could not drive them from their position, effectually prevented their retreat, from four o’clock in the morning until eight at night. During that time they suffered terribly from thirst, and some of the brave fellows actually crawled from the houses, reached the English lines, and returned with cans of water to their comrades. In this way a letter was convoyed asking for reinforcements; but General Eyre had already retired from the spot, and the two gallant regiments were left unsupported, to bear the brunt of the enemy’s fire until nightfall, when the remnant of them withdrew from their dangerous post, and rejoined the main body.

The failure of the English attack enabled the Russians to draw from the Redan reinforcements to repel the French under General D’Autemarre, who were so nearly redeeming the fortunes of the day at the Malakoff. Unable to contend against the forces now brought against them, the French were compelled to retire from the commanding position they had obtained. General Pelissier sent reinforcements; but it was impossible a single division, exposed to an appalling flank fire and an immensely superior force in front, could long sustain such an unequal contest. They fought bravely; but on that fatal day bravery availed but little, and they, too, added to the numbers of the defeated.

Such was the great disaster of the 18th of June, the anniversary of that day when the two nations, now brothers in defeat, were opposed to each other on the plains of Waterloo. Want of concert between the generals—and to Pelissier the blame is mainly due—resulted in a most disheartening repulse, and the loss of thousands of brave men; the English casualties amounting to no less than 251 killed (including 21 officers); 70 officers and 1130 men wounded; and 22 missing. The French loss must have been greater.”

MALPLAQUET, BATTLE OF.—The Allies under the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene, gained this battle, September 11th, 1709, over the French, commanded by Marshal Villars. The armies of each consisted of nearly 120,000 choice men. It was attended with immense slaughter on both sides, the Allies losing 18,000 men, which terrible loss was but ill-repaid by the capture of Mons, which followed the victory.