PRESTON-PANS, BATTLE OF.—Fought, September 21st, 1745, between Prince Charles the Pretender and the Royal forces.
“In the meantime Sir John Cope, who had pursued the rebels through the Highlands, but had declined meeting them in their descent, being now reinforced by two regiments of dragoons, resolved to march towards Edinburgh and give the enemy battle. The young Adventurer, whose forces were rather superior, though undisciplined, attacked him near Preston-Pans, about twelve miles from the capital, and in a few minutes put him and his troops to flight. This victory, by which the King lost 500 men, gave the rebels great influence; and had the Pretender taken advantage of the general consternation, and marched directly for England, the consequence might have been fatal to freedom. But he was amused by the promise of succours which never came; and thus induced to remain at Edinburgh, to enjoy the triumphs of an important victory, and to be treated as a monarch.”
PULTOWA, BATTLE OF.—Fought, July 8th, 1709, between Charles XII of Sweden and Peter the Great of Russia. In this celebrated battle the Czar entirely defeated the Hero of Sweden, and forced him to flee to Turkey. This battle was lost on account of Charles having been wounded just before, being obliged to issue his orders from a litter, his soldiers thus having no opportunity of seeing their loved commander.
PULTUSK, BATTLES OF.—One between the Saxons and Swedes, in which the former were defeated, 1703; and the other between the French, under Napoleon, and the Russian and Prussian armies. Both sides claimed the victory, but it inclined in favour of the French.
PYRAMIDS, BATTLE OF THE.—Fought between the French and Turks, 1798. “The sight of the Pyramids, and the anxious nature of the moment, inspired the French General with even more than usual ardour; the sun glittered on those immense masses, which seemed to arise in height every step the soldiers advanced, and the army, sharing his enthusiasm, gazed, as they marched, on the everlasting monuments. “Remember,” said he, “that from the summit of those Pyramids forty centuries contemplate your actions.”
With his usual sagacity, the General had taken extraordinary precautions to ensure success against the formidable cavalry of the Desert. The divisions were all drawn up as before, in hollow squares six deep, the artillery at the angles, the general and baggage in the centre. When they were in mass, the two sides advanced in column, those in front and rear moved forward in their ranks, but the moment they were charged, the whole were to halt, and face outward on every side. When they were themselves to charge, the three front ranks were to break off and form the column of attack, those in the rear remaining behind, still in square, but three deep only, to constitute the reserve. Napoleon had no fears for the result, if the infantry were steady; his only apprehension was, that his soldiers, accustomed to charge, would yield to their impetuosity too soon, and would not be brought to the immovable firmness which this species of warfare required.
Mourad Bey, no sooner perceived the lateral movement of the French army, than, with a promptitude of decision worthy of a skilful general, he resolved to attack the columns while in the act of completing it. An extraordinary movement was immediately observed in the Mameluke line, and speedily 7000 horsemen detached themselves from the remainder of the army, and bore down upon the French columns. It was a terrible sight, capable of daunting the bravest troops, when this immense body of cavalry approached at full gallop the squares of infantry. The horsemen, admirably mounted and magnificently dressed, rent the air with their cries. The glitter of spears and cimeters dazzled the sight, while the earth groaned under the repeated and increasing thunder of their feet. The soldiers, impressed, but not panic-struck, by the sight, stood firm, and anxiously waited, with their pieces ready, the order to fire. Desaix’s division being entangled in a wood of palm-trees, was not completely formed when the swiftest of the Mamelukes came upon them; they were, in consequence, partially broken, and thirty or forty of the bravest of the assailants penetrated, and died in the midst of the square, at the feet of the officers: but before the mass arrived the movement was completed, and a rapid fire of musketry and grape drove them from the front round the sides of the column. With matchless intrepidity, they pierced through the interval between Desaix’s and Regnier’s divisions, and riding round both squares, strove to find an entrance; but an incessant fire from every front mowed them down as fast as they poured in at the opening. Furious at the unexpected resistance, they dashed their horses against the rampart of bayonets, and threw their pistols at the heads of the grenadiers, while many who had lost their steeds crept along the ground and cut at the legs of the front rank with their cimetars. In vain thousands succeeded, and galloped round the flaming walls of steel; multitudes perished under the rolling fire which, without intermission, issued from the ranks, and at length the survivors, in despair, fled towards the camp from whence they had issued. Here, however, they were charged in flank by Napoleon at the head of Dugua’s division, while those of Vial and Bon, on the extreme left, stormed the intrenchments. The most horrible confusion now reigned in the camp; the horsemen, driven in disorder, trampled under foot the infantry, who, panic-struck at the rout of the Mamelukes, on whom all their hopes were placed, abandoned their ranks, and rushed in crowds towards the boats to escape to the other side of the Nile. Numbers saved themselves by swimming, but a great proportion perished in the attempt. The Mamelukes, rendered desperate, seeing no possibility of escape in that direction, fell upon the columns who were approaching from the right, with their wings extended in order of attack; but they, forming square again with inconceivable rapidity, repulsed them with great slaughter, and drove them finally off in the direction of the Pyramids. The intrenched camp with all its artillery, stores, and baggage fell into the hands of the victors. Several thousands of the Mamelukes were drowned or killed; and of the formidable array which had appeared in such splendour in the morning, not more than 2500 escaped with Mourad Bey into Upper Egypt. The victors hardly lost 200 men in the action; and several days were occupied after it was over in stripping the slain of their magnificent appointments, or fishing up the rich spoils which encumbered the banks of the Nile.”
PYRENEES, BATTLE OF THE.—Fought, July 28th, 1813, between the British army, commanded by Wellington, and the French, commanded by Marshal Soult. The French were defeated, with great slaughter. After the battle of Vittoria, fought, June 21st, Napoleon sent Soult to supersede Jourdan, with instructions to drive the British across the Ebro; a duty which he could not accomplish; for he was obliged to retreat into France, which was entered by the British, and he lost 20,000 men, in a series of engagements in the Pyrenees, which separate France from Spain, from July 25th to August 2nd, same year.