TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE

Footnote anchors are denoted by [number], and the footnotes have been placed at the end of the alphabetical ‘CYCLOPÆDIA’ section, and the ‘APPENDIX’ section.

The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.

Minor changes to the text are noted at the [end of the book.]

THE
BATTLES OF THE WORLD;

OR, CYCLOPÆDIA OF

BATTLES, SIEGES, AND IMPORTANT MILITARY EVENTS,

The Origin and Institution of Military Titles, &c. &c.,

ALPHABETICALLY ARRANGED,

WITH AN APPENDIX,

CONTAINING

A CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE,

FROM THE CREATION TO THE PRESENT DAY.

DEDICATED BY PERMISSION TO GENERAL SIR JOHN MICHEL.

BY

REV. J. DOUGLAS BORTHWICK,

AUTHOR OF “CYCLOPÆDIA OF HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY,” “THE BRITISH AMERICAN READER,” AND “THE HARP OF CANAAN.”

Montreal:

PUBLISHED BY JOHN MUIR; AND PRINTED BY JOHN LOVELL,

ST. NICHOLAS STREET.

1866.

Entered, according to Act of Provincial Parliament, in the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, by John Muir, in the Office of the Registrar of the Province of Canada.

To

General Sir John Michel, K.C.B.,

Commanding the Forces

in

British North America,

As a small mark of respect to the highest Military Authority in these Provinces, and a token of esteem for one of the Generals of that glorious army which has fought and conquered in every age of its country’s history, and in almost every clime,—

Whose flag has braved a thousand years

The battle and the breeze;

And whose actions constitute NOT a small portion of the “Battles of the World,”

This work is dedicated

BY

THE AUTHOR.

Montreal, August 1866.

PREFACE.

Within the last decade of the history of Great Britain, some very important books have been added to her literature, and especially to that particular division which treats of her wars and splendid victories, during the same period. “The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World,” by Sir E. S. Creasy, Chief Justice of Ceylon; “The Twelve Great Battles of England,” inscribed to the British Volunteers of 1860; “England’s Battles by Sea and Land,” “Russell’s Crimea and India,” “Emerson’s Sebastopol,” &c., are valuable in themselves, as describing those victories which have raised “Dear Old England” to the very first rank among the nations. But the object of the present publication embraces a larger and more extended field of research. It embraces the whole of the principal battles, by land and sea, that have EVER taken place, from the earliest recorded action of which we have in history any distinct and reliable information, to the very last event of military importance which has transpired previous to going to press.

I need scarcely say here that that event is the unprecedented and unheard of invasion of our country, by a band of lawless brigands and filibusters, from the neighbouring Republic, ycleped Fenians, who have shed blood, and wantonly invaded the territory of a friendly power. It gives me much pleasure to insert in the “Cyclopædia of Battles” some account of how they were met by our brave Volunteers, at Ridgeway and Pigeon Hill; for it proves that the Volunteers of Canada will compare favorably with those of the Mother Country: and let it be borne in mind that one-half of the men who greatly contributed to the Victory of Waterloo were recruits—raw troops—drafts from the militia—soldiers who had never been engaged before; and the same indomitable pluck—the same unconquered spirit—the same manly virtue of England’s offshoot sons, was seen in the attack at Ridgeway.

In the first general engagement in the Great Rebellion of the United States—which was fought at Bull Run—American Volunteers were also for the first time under fire, but what was the result? A total pell-mell rout—a scattered army hurrying on—cavalry, artillery, and infantry—in one mighty, confused mass—treading down and overthrowing each other, in their eagerness to escape from the manly chivalry of the South. Our brave Volunteers charged with the “Spirit of their fathers,” and gained the day.

It has been said that Canada was neither a military nor a literary colony. The events of the last few weeks fully proves to the contrary, regarding her military ardor. Her sons nobly responded to the government call; and had necessity required, as fair and fully equipped an army would have trod the battle-field as ever stood arrayed before an enemy;—and these sons of hers were scions of all stocks—from the son of the learnèd divine or lawyer, to the peasant’s only boy. As regards her literary fame she has produced works which will compare favorably with sister colonies, and may rank side by side with the Mother Country. To refute the assertion, too, may be here remarked, what an agent for some of the largest publishers both of England and the United States said not long ago; “In the last three months he had sold twenty complete copies of one of the largest and best Encyclopædias, and nearly double that number in parts,” added to the hundreds of other publications which are being scattered broadcast over the country, prove that the Canadians are cultivating their minds as well as their “broad acres.” For my own individual part, I can bear ample testimony to the generous patronage given to my publications. The first, published some years ago was rapidly sold. The second issued, was accepted by the unanimous voice and vote of the Council of Public Instruction as the standard School Reader for Lower Canada, and received the approval of the Government. The whole edition of the third, issued last Christmas, was sold in two weeks. The present work bids fair to receive as large if not a larger circulation.

To the people of Canada who have advanced and are advancing literature, by subscribing to and supporting literary institutions and productions, I tender my sincere thanks for all the patronage hitherto bestowed upon my humble endeavours to elevate the literature of this, my adopted country, and to perpetuate, in book form, among the “Battles of the World,” Canada’s Engagements with foreign foes—HER BATTLES BY LAND AND SEA.

J. Douglas Borthwick.

Montreal, 24th July 1866.

Postscript.—Since the above Preface has been in type events which were looked for, have transpired in Europe and by the accounts received some battles have already been fought on Continental soil. As far as practicable, insertion will be given to those of which we have received reliable information as regarding statistics, &c.

J. D. B.

CYCLOPÆDIA
OF THE
BATTLES OF THE WORLD.

A.

ABDICATION OF KINGS.—Numerous in ancient history. The following are those of the most remarkable character and greatest political importance:

ABOUKIR.—Commonly called the Battle of the Nile. Fought between the French and English fleets August 1st, 1798. (See [Nile].)

ABRAHAM, HEIGHTS OF.—Commonly called the Taking of Quebec, or the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Fought September 13th, 1759. (See [Quebec].)

ACAPULCO SHIP.—This was the celebrated prize. A Spanish galleon, from Acapulco, laden with gold and precious wares, and estimated by some annalists at £1,000,000 sterling and upwards, taken by Lord Anson, who had previously acquired in his memorable voyage booty amounting to £600,000. Admiral Anson arrived at Spithead, in the Centurion, with his immense gains, after having circumnavigated the globe, June 15th, 1744.

ACRE, ST. JEAN D’—anciently Ptolemais. This city was taken by Richard I and other Crusaders in 1192, after a siege of two years, with the loss of 6 archbishops, 12 bishops, 40 earls, 500 barons, and 300,000 soldiers. It was retaken by the Saracens, when 60,000 Christians perished, A.D. 1291. Acre was attacked by Bonaparte, in July, A.D. 1798, and was relieved by Sir Sidney Smith, who gallantly resisted twelve attempts during the memorable siege of the French, between March 1st, and May 27th, 1799, when, baffled by the British squadron on the water, and the Turks on shore, Bonaparte relinquished his object and retreated. St. Jean d’Acre is a pachalic, subject to the Porte, seized upon by Ibrahim Pacha, who had revolted, July 2nd, 1832. It became a point in the Syrian war in 1840. It was stormed by the British fleet under Sir Robert Stopford, and taken after a bombardment of a few hours—the Egyptians losing upwards of 2,000 in killed and wounded, and 3,000 prisoners; while the British had but 12 killed, and 42 wounded, November 3, 1840.

ACTIUM.—This battle was fought September 2nd, B.C. 31, between the fleets of Octavianus Cæsar on the one side, and of Marc Antony and Cleopatra on the other. The victory of Octavianus which followed, procured him the name of Augustus, the Venerable, bestowed on him by the Senate, and the commencement of the Roman Empire is commonly dated from this year.

ADRIANOPLE.—This battle, by which Constantine the Great procured the Roman Empire, was fought July 3rd, A.D. 323. Adrianople was afterwards taken by the Ottomans from the Greeks, in 1360, and continued to be the seat of the Turkish Empire till the capture of Constantinople in 1453. Mahomet II, one of the most distinguished of the Sultans, and the one who took Constantinople, was born here in 1430. Adrianople was taken by the Russians, who entered it, August 20th, 1829, but was restored to the Sultan at the close of the war, September 14th, the same year.

ADJUTANT.—This name is given to the officer, generally a lieutenant, whose business it is to assist the superior officers, by receiving and communicating orders.

ADMIRAL.—This, the highest title in the navy, does not appear to have been adopted till about 1300. This title was first given in England to William de Leybourne, by Edward I, in 1297. The first Lord High Admiral of England was created by Richard II in 1388. It is an office which has seldom been trusted to single hands. Prince George of Denmark, consort to Queen Anne, was Lord High Admiral in her reign. Since that time (1708) the duties were uninterruptedly executed by Lords Commissioners until 1827, when the Duke of Clarence, afterwards William IV, was appointed. He resigned August 12th, 1828, and the office has ever since been vested in the Lords of the Admiralty.

AEGOS POTAMOS.—This place is famous for the victory of Lysander over the Athenian fleet, on the 13th December, B.C. 405, in the last year of the Peloponnesian war. All the triremes of the Athenians, 180 in number, were either lost or captured, without the loss of a single ship on the side of Lysander.

AFGHAN WAR.—A fierce rebellion broke out on November 2nd, 1842, at Cabul; Burnes and Macnaughten, the British ministers, with other civil and military officers, were successively murdered, and the whole country rose in arms under the treacherous Akbar Khan, the son of the deposed king, Dost Mohammed, who determined on the massacre of the whole British force. Pusillanimity and indecision in the councils of the general-in-chief, led to an immediate evacuation of the country. 4,500 fighting men, together with about 12,000 camp followers, besides women and children, set forward, through ice and snow, on their lamentable retreat; and no sooner had they cleared out of their cantonments, than the blood-thirsty Afghans began to plunder the baggage, and fire upon the soldiery; they continued without ceasing their revengeful assaults upon the bewildered and desponding multitude, till there was nothing left to plunder, and none left to kill. Out of a host of about 26,000 human beings, only a few hundreds were rescued from death by captivity. The ladies and the wounded had been given up to the enemy early in the march, and Dr. Brydon was the only officer who made good his retreat. In the following year, however, on the appointment of Lord Ellenborough to the governor-generalship of India in the place of Lord Auckland, the British national character was repaired, the honour of their arms retrieved, and the unfortunate prisoners rescued. General Pollock was despatched into Afghanistan with an invading army; he advanced on Cabul with all possible rapidity; while, on the other side, General Nott, who had held out at Candahar during the recent difficulties, brought his forces also to bear on the capital. Victory everywhere attended the British arms; and the British officers and ladies, who had been taken prisoners, were also rescued, at Bameean, on the road to Turkistan. These disgraces having been so gloriously redeemed, it was determined to evacuate a country which ought never to have been entered; the fortifications and other works of Cabul having been destroyed, the British troops set forward, on their return home, and, after a march of about ten weeks, arrived safely on the banks of the Sutlej, December 17th, 1842.

AGINCOURT.—Fought on the 25th of October, 1415, between the English and French. When all his preparations were completed, King Henry V embarked at Southampton with a gallant army of 30,000 men, and landing at the mouth of the river Seine, invested the town of Harfleur. After a brave resistance of five months’ duration, the town surrendered; the inhabitants were expelled like those of Calais, and an English garrison occupied it. To his mortification, Henry, at the end of the siege, found his army no longer in a condition for active operations; for it had suffered so severely from dysentery, that when the sick and wounded had been sent home, it did not count more than one half of its original number. In spite however, of the remonstrances of his council, Henry resolved to march with his diminished force to Calais. He reached unopposed the ford by which Edward III had crossed the Somme, but found it secured by lines of palisades, behind which troops were posted. All the other fords were secured in like manner, and the bridges were broken. At length finding a ford unguarded, the English passed over. The constable of France, who commanded the French army, fell back towards Calais, and having received orders from his court to fight without delay, he sent heralds to King Henry to ask which way he intended to march. Henry replied, by that which led straight to Calais, and dismissed the heralds with a present of 100 crowns.

As the English were advancing, the Duke of York, having ascended an eminence, descried the masses of the enemy. The troops were instantly formed in line of battle, but the French would not advance to attack them, the experience of Cressy and Poitiers having inspired them with a dread of the cloth-yard arrows of the English. But as their army presented an array of 50,000 horsemen, they had no doubt whatever of the victory; and though the night was dark and rainy, they assembled round their banners revelling and discussing the events of the coming day; and such was their confidence that they even fixed the ransoms of King Henry and his barons. English, on the contrary, made their wills, and passed the night in devotion. Sickness, famine, and the smallness of their numbers, depressed their spirits; but their courage rose when they thought on Cressy and other victories, and on the gallant spirit of their king. Henry himself visited all their quarters, and he ordered bands of music to play all through the night to cheer their drooping spirits.

Before sunrise, on the 25th of October, 1415, being St. Crispin’s day, the English army, having heard mass, stood in order of battle. The king, wearing a helmet of polished steel, wreathed with a crown of sparkling stones, rode on a grey pony from rank to rank, inspecting and encouraging them. Hearing an officer say to another that he wished a miracle would transfer thither some of the good knights who were sitting idle at home, he declared aloud that “he would not have a single man more, as if God gave them the victory, it would be plainly due to His goodness; if he did not, the fewer that fell, the less the loss to their country.” Three French knights now came, summoning them to surrender. The king ordered them off and cried out, “Banners, advance.” The archers fell on their knees on the ground, then rose and ran on with a shout. They halted, and poured their hail of arrows on the first division of the French; and when they had thrown it into some confusion, they slung their bows behind their backs, and grasping their swords and battle-axes, killed the constable and his principal officers, and routed the whole division. They then advanced to attack the second division, led by the Duke of Alençon. Here the resistance was obstinate. Alençon forced his way to the royal standard, killed the Duke of York, and cleft the crown in the helmet of the king; but he was slain, and the division turned and fled. Henry was advancing to attack the third division, when word came that a large force was falling on the rear. The king gave hasty orders to put the prisoners to death, and numbers had perished before it was discovered that it was a false alarm, caused by an attempt of some peasantry to plunder the baggage. The slaughter was then stopped, but this cruel act tarnished the victory which was already won, for the third division offered but a slight resistance.

When Montjoy, the French king-at-arms, appeared, “To whom,” said Henry, “doth the victory belong?” “To you, sir.” “And what castle is that I see at a distance?” “It is called the castle of Agincourt.” “Then,” said the king, “be this battle known to posterity by the name of the battle of Agincourt.” The prime nobility of France were taken or slain, and 8000 knights and gentlemen lay dead on the field. The loss of the English was only the Duke of York, the Earl of Suffolk, and about 600 men.

AGRA.—This celebrated city is called the Key of Hindostan. It was surrendered, in the war of the Mahrattas, to the British forces, October 17th, 1803. The great Mogul frequently, before its surrender, resided here. It now exhibits the most magnificent ruins.

AIDE-DE-CAMP.—(From the French.) An officer whose duty is to receive and communicate the orders of a general or superior officer.

AIX-LA-CHAPELLE, PEACE OF.—The first treaty signed here was between France and Spain, May 2nd, 1668. The second, or the celebrated treaty, was between Great Britain, France, Holland, Hungary, Spain and Geneva, October 7th, 1748. A congress of the sovereigns of Austria, Prussia and Russia, assisted by ministers from England and France, met here, October 9th, 1818, and signed a convention. The sum settled by this convention as due by France to the Allies, was 265,000,000 francs.

ALBUERA OR ALBUHERA.—This battle was fought May 16th, 1811, between the English and French. The English and Anglo-Spanish army was commanded by Marshal, now Lord Beresford, and the French by Marshal Soult. After an obstinate and sanguinary engagement, the allies obtained the victory, one of the most brilliant achievements of the Peninsular War. The French loss exceeded 7000 men, previously to their retreat; but the allies lost an equal number. On the side of the allies the chief brunt of the battle fell on the British. “Colonel Inglis, 22 officers, and more than 400 men, out of 570, who had mounted a hill, fell in the 57th regiment alone; the other regiments were scarcely better off, not one-third being left standing; 1800 unwounded men, the remnant of 6000 unconquerable British soldiers, stood triumphant on this fatal hill.”

ALDERNEY, RACE OF.—Through this strait the French made their escape after their defeat at the battle of La Hogue, by Admiral Rooke, in 1692. It is celebrated for two memorable and melancholy events: 1st. Here the only son of Henry I of England was shipwrecked and drowned, with 140 youths of the highest families in England and France in 1119. 2nd. The British man-of-war Victory, of 110 guns and 1100 men, was also wrecked here October 8th, 1744, when the Admiral, Sir John Balchan, and his crew, perished on the rocks.

ALEMANNI OR ALL MEN (i.e. Men of all Nations).—A body of Suevi, who were defeated by Caracalla, A.D. 214. On one occasion 300,000 of this warlike people are said to have been vanquished in a battle, near Milan, by Gallienus, at the head of 10,000 Romans.

ALESSANDRIA.—This battle was fought, May 17th, 1799, between the Austro-Russian army, under Suwarrow, and the French under Moreau, when the latter were defeated with the loss of 4000 men. The French had possessed themselves of Alessandria the year before, but they were now driven out. It was again delivered up to them after the battle of Marengo in 1800. The village and battlefield of Marengo lie east of this town.

ALEXANDRIA.—The battle of Alexandria was fought, March 21st, 1801, between the English and the French, the latter being commanded by Menou, and the former by Sir Ralph Abercrombie. It resulted in the defeat of the French, but the British general was mortally wounded, and after the retreat of Menou, he was carried to the admiral’s ship, and died on the 28th. The command devolved on Major-General Hutchinson, who baffled all the schemes of Menou, and obliged him to surrender, September 2nd, following, the victor guaranteeing the conveyance of the French, exceeding 10,000, to a French port in the Mediterranean.

ALFORD.—This battle was fought, July 2nd, 1645, between a large body of Covenanters, under General Bailie, and the troops under the Marquis of Montrose. There was discovered some years since, in one of the mosses near this place, a man in armour, on horseback, supposed to have been drowned in attempting to escape from this battle.

ALGESIRAS, OR OLD GIBRALTAR.—By this city the Moors entered Spain A.D. 713, and it was not recovered from them till 1344. An engagement was fought here between a British squadron, under Sir James Saumurez, and several French and Spanish ships of war, which closed in the destruction of two Spanish ships, each of 112 guns, and the capture of the St. Antonio, of 74 guns, July 12th, 1801.

ALGIERS.—The British fleet, under Lord Exmouth, anchoring off Algiers, bombarded the town, which returned the fire; but all the fortifications and houses towards the sea were soon reduced to ashes, and the fleet in the harbour entirely destroyed, August 27th, 1816. The Dey was compelled to conclude a treaty by which he set the Christian captives free, and engaged to cease, in future, from reducing Christians to slaves—a stipulation which, however, he did not afterwards strictly observe; so that the French took possession of the country and made it a colony with a governor, bearing the title of Regent of Algeria. This country is famous for the celebrated French soldiers, the Zouaves, of the late wars.

ALIWAL, India.—This battle was fought, January 28th, 1846, between the British under Sir H. Smith, with 1200 men and 32 guns, and the Sikh army, under Sirdar Runjoor Singh Majeethea, 26,000 strong, supported by 68 pieces of cannon. The contest was obstinate, but ended in the defeat of the Sikhs, who lost nearly 6000 killed, or drowned, in attempting to recross the Sutlej. This battle was named after the village of Aliwal, in the Indian language, Ulleewal, near which it was fought.

ALLIA.—This memorable battle, in the history of Rome, was fought on the 18th July, B.C. 390, between the Romans and the celebrated Brennus, king of the Gauls; 40,000 of the Romans fell, and Brennus took and burnt the city of Rome. This day was always marked unlucky in the Roman calendar, and called Alliensis.

ALLIANCE, TREATIES OF.—Between the greatest European powers, which are most commonly referred to:

ALMA, BATTLE OF THE.—Fought, September 20th, 1854. “Lord Raglan waited patiently for the development of the French attack. At length an aide-de-camp came to him and reported that the French had crossed the Alma, but that they had not established themselves sufficiently to justify our advancing. The infantry were, therefore, ordered to lie down, and the army for a short time was quite passive, only that our artillery poured forth an unceasing fire of shell, rockets, and round shot, which ploughed through the Russians, and caused them great loss. They did not waver, however, and replied to our artillery manfully, their shot falling among our men as they lay, and carrying off legs and arms at every round. Lord Raglan at last became weary of this inactivity—his spirit was up—he looked around and saw by his side men on whom he knew he might stake the honour and fate of Great Britain, and anticipating a little, in military point of view, the crisis of action, he gave orders for our whole line to advance. Up rose those serried masses, and passing through a fearful shower of round shot, case shot, and shell, they dashed into the Alma, and floundered through its waters, which were literally torn into foam by the deadly hail. At the other side of the river were a number of vineyards, and to our surprise they were occupied by Russian riflemen. Three of the staff were here shot down, but led by Lord Raglan in person, they advanced, cheering on the men.

And now came the turning-point of the battle, ... Lord Raglan dashed over the bridge, followed by his staff. From the road over it, under the Russian guns, he saw the state of action. The British line, which he had ordered to advance, was struggling through the river and up to the heights in masses, firm indeed, but mowed down by the murderous fire of the batteries, and by grape, round shot, shell, canister, case shot, and musketry, from some of the guns of the central battery, and from an immense and compact mass of Russian infantry. Then commenced one of the most bloody and determined struggles in the annals of war. The Second Division, led by Sir De Lacy Evans in the most dashing manner, crossed the stream on the right. The 7th Fusiliers, led by Colonel Yea, were swept down by fifties. The 55th, 30th, and 95th, led by Brigadier Pennefather, who was in the thickest of the fight, cheering on his men, again and again were checked indeed, but never drew back in their onward progress, which was marked by a fierce roll of Minié musketry; and Brigadier Adams, with the 41st, 47th, and 49th, bravely charged up the hill, and aided them in the battle. Sir George Brown, conspicuous on a grey horse, rode in front of his Light Division, urging them with voice and gesture. Gallant fellows! they were worthy of such a gallant chief. The 7th, diminished by one-half, fell back to re-form their columns lost for the time: the 23rd, with eight officers dead and four wounded, were still rushing to the front, aided by the 15th, 33d, 77th, and 88th. Down went Sir George in a cloud of dust in front of the battery. He was soon up, and shouted, “23d, I’m all right! Be sure I’ll remember this day,” and led them on again; but in the shock produced by the fall of their chief, the gallant regiment suffered terribly, while paralysed for a moment.

Meantime the Guards on the right of the Light Division, and the brigade of Highlanders, were storming the heights on the left. Their line was almost as regular as though they were in Hyde Park. Suddenly a tornado of round and grape, rushed through from the terrible battery, and a roar of musketry from behind thinned their front ranks by dozens. It was evident that we were just able to contend against the Russians, favoured as they were by a great position. At this very time an immense mass of Russian infantry were seen moving down towards the battery. They halted. It was the crisis of the day. Sharp, angular, and solid, they looked as if they were cut out of the solid rock. It was beyond all doubt that if our infantry, harassed and thinned as they were, got into the battery, they would have to encounter again a formidable fire, which they were but ill calculated to bear. Lord Raglan saw the difficulties of the situation. He asked if it would be possible to get a couple of guns to bear on these masses. The reply was “Yes;” and an artillery officer, whose name I do not know, brought up two guns to fire on the Russian squares. The first shot missed, but the next, and the next, and the next, cut through the ranks so cleanly, and so keenly, that a clear lane could be seen for a moment through the square. After a few rounds, the columns of the square became broken, wavered to and fro, broke, and fled over the brow of the hill, leaving behind them six or seven distinct lines of dead, lying as close as possible to each other, marking the passage of the fatal messengers. This act relieved our infantry of a deadly incubus, and they continued their magnificent and fearful progress up the hill. The Duke encouraged his men by voice and example, and proved himself worthy of his proud command and of the royal race from which he comes. “Highlanders,” said Sir Colin Campbell, ere they came to the charge, “I am going to ask a favour of you: it is, that you will act so as to justify me in asking permission of the Queen for you to wear a bonnet! Don’t pull a trigger till you are within a yard of the Russians!” They charged, and well they obeyed their chieftain’s wish; Sir Colin had his horse shot under him, but his men took the battery at a bound. The Russians rushed out, and left multitudes of dead behind them. The Guards had stormed the right of the battery ere the Highlanders got into the left, and it is said the Scots Fusilier Guards were the first to enter. The Second and Light Division crowned the heights. The French turned the guns on the hill against the flying masses, which the cavalry in vain tried to cover. A few faint struggles from the scattered infantry, a few rounds of cannon and musketry, and the enemy fled to the south-east, leaving three generals, three guns, 700 prisoners, and 4000 wounded behind them. The battle of the Alma was won. It was won with a loss of nearly 3000 killed and wounded on our side. The Russians’ retreat was covered by their cavalry, but if we had had an adequate force, we could have captured many guns and multitudes of prisoners.”

The following graphic account is taken from Emerson’s Sebastopol:

“On the 19th September the march commenced. Proceeding southward, the French army, under the command of Marshal St. Arnaud, with Caurobert and Bosquet as generals of divisions, keeping the coast line; the English on their left. The fleets accompanied the march, close to the shore, ready to render assistance should circumstances render it necessary.

The English army comprised about 25,000 men, and was composed of the following regiments, led as under:—

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, LORD RAGLAN.

Light Division.—Lieut.-General Sir G. Brown. Generals of Brigade, Colonels Airey and Buller. 7th, 19th, 23rd (Welsh Fusiliers), 33rd, 77th, and 88th Infantry.

First Division.—Lieut.-General H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge. Generals of Brigade, Major-General Bentinck and Major-General Sir Colin Campbell. Battalions, Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Fusiliers; 42nd, 79th, and 93rd Highlanders.

Second Division.—Lieut.-General Sir De Lacy Evans. Generals of Brigade, Major-Generals Pennefather and Adams. 30th, 41st, 47th, 49th, 55th, and 95th Infantry.

Third Division.—Major-General Sir Richard England. Generals of Brigade, Colonels Sir J. Campbell and Eyre. 1st, 4th, 28th, 38th, 44th, 50th, and 63rd Infantry.

Fourth Division.—Lieut.-General Sir George Cathcart. Generals of Brigade, Generals Goldie and Torrens. 20th, 21st, 57th, and 63rd Infantry; 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade.

Cavalry Division.—Lieut.-General the Earl of Lucan. Generals of Brigade, the Earl of Cardigan and Major-General Scarlett. 8th and 11th Dragoons; 17th Lancers.

[The Scots Greys, the Enniskillens, the 1st Royals, and the 4th and 5th Dragoon Guards, forming the Heavy Brigade, under General Scarlett, did not land with the remainder of the army, but joined it after the battle of Alma.]

Artillery.—General Strangways.

Engineers.—General Tylden.

On the evening of the 19th, the first actual encounter with the enemy occurred. A strong body of Cossacks hovered about our line of march, and two or three guns opened fire upon our little force of cavalry from the heights on the river Bouljanak, the first stream we had to cross. The Earl of Cardigan gallantly charged the hostile troop, who evaded actual contact, and retreated until they had led our men within the range of the guns. Four of our dragoons were killed and six wounded in this skirmish. Two or three of our guns were speedily brought to bear upon the enemy, and Cossacks, gunners, and all were soon dispersed.

Another dreary bivouac on the wet ground prepared the armies for the great contest which awaited them. At day break on the morning of the 20th of September—a day destined to receive an undying fame in our military annals,—the troops resumed their march. As they approached the river Alma, and mounted the heights to the north of that once obscure but now renowned stream, they saw the preparations which the Russians had made to repel the invaders of their territory. The Alma is a small river, rising in the mountains in the east of the peninsula, and falling into the sea about twelve miles to the north of Sebastopol. The southern bank is formed of almost precipitous hills intersected by deep ravines. At the mouth of the river the cliffs are several hundred feet high, and almost perpendicular towards the sea. A large conical hill was the centre of the enemy’s position, and here enormous batteries and entrenchments had been formed, while the crown of the hills was occupied by dense masses of infantry. On the side facing the Allies, a huge redoubt was constructed with two faces, mounting thirteen large guns, and commanding the approaches to the summit and the passage of the river. Each side of the ravines enfilading the hill had powerful batteries, mounting altogether twenty-five guns, and on the cliffs towards the sea an unfinished redoubt was placed, and a large force of infantry and artillery held the position. It was presumed by the Russian commanders that the precipitous character of the hill was a sufficient defence to their left flank. In this expectation they were doomed to bitter disappointment, as the sequel will show. The immediate banks of the river were covered with vineyards and plantations, affording excellent shelter for the Russian riflemen, who were stationed there in strong force. The bridge carrying the main road across the river was destroyed, and the village of Burliuk, at its northern extremity, was in flames, to prevent its being made a point of attack by the Allies.

The effect on our men was almost miraculous. The sight of the foe strongly entrenched, and determined to wait their attack, stimulated them in an extraordinary degree. Fatigued as they were by the labours they had undergone,—despondent from their five nights’ melancholy bivouac on the wet earth, it seemed as if a new life were suddenly infused into them. Diarrhœa and dysentery had not quite departed from their ranks, and many had returned to the vessels, unable to accompany the march. But when they stood on the hill-tops on that memorable morn, and saw the tents of the Russian army, not a man but felt the strength of a giant, and burned with a fierce desire to cross bayonets with the enemy. Many a brave fellow, who had staggered thus far leaning on a comrade’s arm, and ready to drop behind and perish by the wayside, begged for a draught of brandy, and then, forgetting his weakness, and deriving new strength from the occasion, shouldered his musket, took his wonted position among his comrades, and marched bravely to the encounter.

Although the spot where they had bivouacked was only three miles distant from the river, it was mid-day by the time the allied armies had reached its banks, and were drawn up in battle array. It had been arranged by the generals that the French should commence the attack, and they occupied the extreme right of the extended line. The division commanded by General Bosquet, including those renowned warriors, the African Zouaves, rested upon the sea, and the left of their army consisted of Prince Napoleon’s division. Joining this wing of our allies, the veteran Sir De Lacy Evans was posted with the Second Division, supported by the Third Division under Sir Richard England. Sir George Brown’s Light Division came next; and the Duke of Cambridge led his magnificent body of Guards and Highlanders to the extreme left, as a support to Sir George Brown. Sir George Cathcart had the important but less showy duty of acting as a reserve, and, in conjunction with the cavalry under the Earl of Cardigan, guarding the attacking forces from any sudden coup by the Cossacks, who were hovering in suspicious proximity to our rear.

Such was the army, composed of the choicest troops, and led by the most experienced commanders of France and England, which stood prepared to attempt the dislodgment of the Russians from their strongly-fortified position. Prince Menschikoff, the Russian commander,—the same who, in his character of diplomatist, had been the agent through whom the first insult had been offered to Turkey,—now, by a singular destiny, was the first general upon whom it devolved to measure swords with the military champions whom that insult had called into the field. His army numbered about 54,000 men, so that numerically the opposing forces were very nearly matched; but the Russians had the advantage of their almost impregnable position, to approach which a river must be forded, broken ground crossed, and steep hills ascended. In addition, they were abundantly provided with guns, which were so positioned as to sweep the ground over which the attacking force must pass, while the Allies had but a small force of artillery. So confident was Menschikoff in his advantages, that he did not scruple to boast his ability to hold his position for at least three weeks against any force that could be brought against him. A number of ladies and civilians from Sebastopol had also assembled on the heights to witness the defeat and utter rout of the invaders.

The plan of the allied commanders was that the French should make a vigorous attack upon the Russian left, and when they had succeeded in driving them in upon the main body, the English, taking advantage of the confusion, were to cross the river, and endeavour to force the centre of the position. The enemy, we have already said, had considered that their left was sufficiently protected by the precipitous nature of the cliffs, which rendered them almost inaccessible; but it appears they had not calculated on the activity of the troops to whom they were opposed. The steamers of the allied fleets, shortly before ten o’clock, commenced a vigorous shelling of these heights, and soon drove back the small force of the enemy which occupied them. The mouth of the river was very narrow, and Captain Peel had moored a boat across the stream, which materially facilitated the passage of the French soldiers. The Zouaves, thoroughly seasoned and trained to the emergencies of guerilla warfare in Algeria, stealthily crossed the river, and commenced the ascent of the almost perpendicular cliffs, clinging like goats to the rocks, and finding a precarious foothold where probably no other soldiers in the world could have maintained their position. While they were thus approaching the plateau, the main body of the French army dashed through the river, exposed to a galling fire from the Russian riflemen,—who were hidden in the vineyards and plantations,—and desperately fighting, struggled up the hills. Meanwhile, the gallant Zouaves had reached the top of the cliffs, and, rapidly forming into line, charged the Russians, paralyzed by their sudden appearance, and drove them back. But in achieving this desperate feat, they had separated themselves from the main body, and cut off the possibility of retreat. The unfinished redoubt, which we have already mentioned, now opened a deadly fire on their ranks; and had it not been for the timely arrival of General Bosquet and the remainder of the division, who had succeeded in reaching the plateau, scarcely a Zouave would have remained to tell the tale of that gallant achievement. Prince Napoleon, too, had by this time crossed the stream, and arrived at the scene of action, and the indefatigable French artillerists had succeeded, with immense difficulty, in dragging a few guns up the steep hill-side.

Animated by these reinforcements, the brave Zouaves gallantly charged the Russian lines, now concentrated nearer the main body, and advanced towards the redoubt whose guns had inflicted such loss in their ranks. Two of their number, Lieutenant Poitevin and a sergeant, rushed in advance of their comrades, and leaping upon the works, planted the French flag on the redoubt. But they paid dearly for their temerity. The shouts of the French soldiers, hailing this gallant deed, had scarcely reached their ears, when they fell mortally wounded beneath the flag they had raised.

Taken by surprise by this desperate assault upon his left wing, Prince Menschikoff hastily detached considerable reinforcements from his main body to the succour of the embarrassed regiments yielding to the prowess of their French antagonists. Then the battle waged fiercely: the French, with all the chivalry of their race, gallantly charged the Russian masses, and at the bayonet’s point forced them to retreat. The enemy’s artillery, however, poured a tremendous fire into the ranks of our allies, and for a time the issue of the contest seemed doubtful. Some French regiments of the line were driven back, so deadly was the fire to which they were exposed; and nothing but the unflinching gallantry of the troops who were enabled to hold their ground, prevented them from being ignominiously precipitated from the cliffs they had so adventurously scaled.

Marshal St. Arnaud, alarmed for the safety of his soldiers, hundreds of whom were lying dead around him, so fatal were the volleys from the Russian guns and so sure the aim of the riflemen, hastily despatched an aide-de-camp to the English commander, calling upon him to bring his troops into action without a moment’s delay. “We are massacred,” was the message—certainly not the words which Napoleon, or Murat, or Ney, would have used when attacking an enemy considerably less in force than themselves; for, be it remembered, Menschikoff still held the centre of the position with the main body of the army, which had not yet been brought into action. At half-past one o’clock the order to advance was given to the English army. The soldiers, who had been lying down, so as not to expose themselves unnecessarily to the fire of the enemy, sprang to their feet, and rapidly formed into line. Sir G. Brown’s Light Division, and the Second Division, under Sir De Lacy Evans, were the first to dash into the stream, and through a perfect shower of balls from the riflemen concealed in the gardens, and heavier missiles from the batteries above, reached the opposite bank.

Since the commencement of the French attack, our artillery had been throwing shot into the Russian redoubts, and under cover of this cannonade, and the accurate fire of the Rifle Brigade, which protected our advance, the two leading divisions succeeded in crossing the stream, though not without great loss. The Russians had previously marked out the range of their guns, so that they were enabled to pour their volleys into our brigades, as they advanced to the stream, with fatal precision. The burning village of Burliuk, in front of the position occupied by Sir De Lacy Evans, necessitated the separation of his division. General Pennefather led the First Brigade and a portion of the Second across the river to the right of the village; the remainder, under General Adams, crossing to the left. The Light Division struggled manfully up the bank, which was rugged and precipitous. The ford was deep and dangerous, and as the men, drenched with water, scrambled up the banks, scores of their number fell back into the stream pierced by the fatal rifle bullet. But the blood of the gallant fellows was flowing hotly in their veins; those who, in other times, had borne the shock of battles, felt renewed the old spirit which had made them conquerors at Vimiera and at Waterloo; those who for the first time trod the fatal field felt an indescribable and fierce courage, which the sight of danger and of death infuses into most men. Six months of inaction and passive suffering were about to be consummated by a glorious victory, which should crown them as conquering heroes or immortalize their death. They had stood long “like greyhounds on the slips, straining upon the start;” now “the game was afoot,” and the old fire of English chivalry was rekindled, and burnt with as glowing a flame as of yore.

Quickly forming into line, and opening a sharp fire of musketry, the gallant Light Division rapidly advanced towards the conical hill opposite to which they had crossed, and immediately beneath the guns of the great redoubt. As they passed through the vineyards, the soldiers plucked and eagerly ate large bunches of the luscious Crimean grapes, which allayed their burning thirst, and somewhat cooled the mad fever of their excitement. Sir George Brown gallantly led the charge, and, mounted on a white horse, was a conspicuous mark for the enemy. The 7th Royal Fusiliers and the 23rd Welsh Fusiliers were among the first in the mad career. “Hurrah for the Royal Welsh! Well done! I will remember you!” shouted Sir George Brown; and animated by his voice and example, the gallant regiment dashed up the hill. Then there opened a sheet of fire, and when the smoke lifted, the 7th was broken, and a long line of dead marked the path of the fatal missiles. For a moment the brave soldiers struggled onwards, and then, blinded and confused, fell back to re-form. The Welsh Fusiliers, regardless of the fierce volleys, still pressed onwards. Once they paused, as Sir George Brown fell at their head, and rolled heavily on the blood-stained ground. In an instant he was up again unhurt, and cheering the men to the charge. His horse had fallen, pierced by eleven shots, but he was unhurt! They had reached the first stockade, had even planted their flag upon the works, when a shout was heard—“Cease firing; the French are in front!” Their gallant chief, Colonel Chester, rushing to the front, exclaimed, “No! no! on, lads!” As he spoke he fell mortally wounded. Then the regiment, confused by the contrary orders, and disheartened, did fall back; and the Russians, returning to the guns from which the brave fellows had driven them, opened a fire which left a long line of dead through their columns. Nine officers and about one hundred men were stretched upon the field. The other regiments of the Light Brigade, the 19th, 33rd, 77th, and 88th, emulated the courage of the gallant Welshmen, who, after a moment’s breathing-time, re-formed, and joined once more in the heroic assault.

Onward swept that magnificent charge, officers and men vying with each other who should be foremost to avenge their comrades’ death. But before they reached the guns, Prince Menschikoff had formed a compact mass of Russian infantry on the summit of the hill, which now advanced with level bayonets against our exhausted battalions. Breathless from their rapid charge up the hill, diminished in numbers, and fatigued from their almost superhuman exertions, they were unable to resist the shock, and, desperately contesting every inch of ground, slowly yielded to the enormous weight of the Russian columns. The gallant 33rd, the Duke of Wellington’s regiment, displayed a prowess excelled by none. Their colours were borne proudly to the last, and ever in the spot of the greatest danger. The Queen’s colours, when the fight was over, showed fourteen bullet-holes, and the regimental colours eleven. Nineteen sergeants fell around their standards, defending to the last the honour of their regiment, and preserving the fame so identified with the career of the departed warrior whose name it bore.

While the heroes of the Light Division were thus nobly performing their part, Sir De Lacy Evans and General England were gallantly bringing their divisions into action. They had forced a passage, with great difficulty, and exposed to a most destructive fire, somewhat to the left of their compatriots of Sir George Brown’s division, and, breaking through the obstacles which awaited them on the bank, rapidly advanced up the hill. The 55th and 95th encountered a tremendous fire, which they returned with vigour from their muskets, while our artillery did good service by an energetic discharge of shot and shell into the enemy’s lines. Major Rose, Captains Butler and Scham, fell to rise no more, and many other officers were severely wounded; 123 killed and wounded were the contribution of this regiment to the day’s slaughter.

As the 95th charged up the hill, one of the most affecting episodes of that fierce encounter—so full of incidents, of unsurpassed courage, and pathetic scenes—occurred. Early in the charge, Captain Eddington, a young officer, fell wounded, a ball passing through his chest. The regiment, unable to stand against the scathing fire to which they were exposed, fell back to re-form, and left the wounded officer on the ground. In full view of the regiment, a Russian rifleman advanced, and kneeling by his side, appeared to be about to offer his canteen to his lips. A thrill passed through the ranks, at the spectacle of a soldier exposing his own life thus for the purpose of alleviating the sufferings of a dying enemy. No gun would have been pointed against that man, no bayonet levelled at his life. It seemed one of those incidents that show the better feelings of humanity are not quite extinguished by the breath of war. But what was their horror when the rifleman, laying aside his canteen, levelled his piece and deliberately blew out the brains of the dying man! Among those who witnessed this cowardly assassination was a younger brother of the captain who had recently exchanged into the regiment, that he might share death and danger with his brother, whom he tenderly loved. Maddened by the spectacle of his brother’s murder, the young lieutenant sprang forward, shouting with frantic energy to the men to follow and avenge the deed. One loud yell of execration burst from the lips of the soldiers, and bounding onwards, they rushed after their leader. Waving his sword above his head, the gallant young man was a conspicuous mark, and in another moment fell headlong, pierced by a dozen bullets. Thus the two brothers, so fondly attached in life, mingled their blood on that fatal hillside—among thousands of the slain perhaps the most generally and deeply mourned.

At length Sir De Lacy Evans, who had received a severe contusion on his shoulder, rallied his men, and led them victors to the summit of the hill, silencing one of the batteries which had done such execution upon the gallant fellows of the Light Division. Sir Richard England’s division had fought—to use the language of one who shared in that charge—“like devils,” and surmounting every impediment, though not without dreadful loss, joined their gallant comrades. Everywhere the Russians were driven back by the irresistible bayonets of the British, and the conquerors literally marched through paths of blood to victory.

As yet we have not detailed the part borne by the magnificent First Division,—the very flower of the British army. The Duke of Cambridge had led his Guards and Highlanders across the Alma, to the left of the Light Division, and rapidly advanced to its assistance. As they ascended the hill, they encountered Sir George Brown’s regiments slowly yielding to the immense impetus of the Russian charge. Opening their ranks, they allowed their comrades to pass and re-form in their rear, and then the enemy for the first time was confronted with the most redoubtable infantry soldiers in the world. Then began the most desperate hand-to-hand conflict yet witnessed. The Scots Fusiliers had hurried to the rescue without waiting to form properly, and for a brief space were confused. But the individual courage of the members of that distinguished corps never for an instant was found deficient. Surrounded by the enemy, they fought with undaunted valour. Viscount Chewton, a distinguished young captain, who had gained renown in both services, having been originally a midshipman, and having borne an honourable part in the Indian campaign, dashed forward, and, waving his bearskin, shouted to them to advance. Thirteen other officers, with reckless bravery, followed his example, and in a few minutes eleven of their number were wounded. The gallant Chewton had his leg broken by a ball, and fell within fifty yards of the redoubt. Before he could be rescued, several Russians attacked the fallen man, and beat him savagely with the butt-ends of their muskets, others stabbing him at the same time with their bayonets. A strong man, he struggled desperately; and when at length rescued and borne from the field, his body was found to be almost covered with wounds. He lingered for a few days, and then expired. Two young officers, Lieutenants Lindsay and Thistlethwayte, who bore the colours, were surrounded by the enemy, and, except the four colour-sergeants, isolated from their comrades. The sergeants were one by one struck down; and then these gallant young men, back to back, kept the foe at bay, and, almost miraculously escaping unhurt, cut their way through and carried their colours safely to the top of the hill.

Meanwhile the Light Division had re-formed their lines, and now returned to the charge, in the footsteps of the dauntless Guards. In vain broad sheets of fire poured through the ranks—no man flinched. The flag which the Fusiliers had planted on the redoubt was still there, and pointed out the path they were to tread. Their royal leader proved himself worthy of his charge, and encouraged by his example the valour of his men. The Russians quailed before the tremendous onset; and when the Highlanders, who had reserved their fire, came dashing up to the front, and, after discharging a tremendous volley, charged at the bayonet’s point, the rout was complete. Thu enemy fled terror-stricken, and the Guards and Highlanders together leaped into the redoubt, the gunners precipitately hastening after their flying comrades.

At the summit of the hill a brief stand was made, and it seemed as if the contest were about to be renewed; but the Highlanders, levelling their bayonets, advanced at a rapid pace, and the enemy, dashing down their accoutrements and arms, fled, like frightened sheep, down the declivity.

Meantime the French had driven back the Russian left wing upon the main body, and now brought to bear, with deadly effect, their guns upon the retreating foe; and the second and third divisions of our army arrived upon the scene. The victory was complete: a great army, in a position of immense strength, had been ignominiously defeated, in less than three hours, by the sheer valour of English and French soldiers. True, we had paid dearly for our victory; but the annals of the British army do not record a nobler achievement.

We were unable to pursue the fugitives—our cavalry was too weak in numbers to be detached from the main body of the army: had we been stronger in that branch of the service, the victory of the Alma might have been equivalent to the conquest of the Crimea. We afterwards ascertained that Sebastopol was emptied of its garrison to strengthen the army, and had we been in a position to follow the retreating forces, we might have inflicted a blow on Russian strength from which it would not in all probability have soon recovered; as it was, the Allies remained masters of the field, and the defeated Menschikoff fled towards Baktchi-Serai, leaving behind him, according to his own admission, 1,762 dead, and 2,720 wounded. Russian assertions are not the most trustworthy, especially when the circumstances are unfavourable to themselves, and the probability is that the loss was really much greater. The English had 353 killed, and 1,612 wounded, many of whom afterwards died of their injuries. Our allies lost 256 killed, and 1,087 wounded.

On the bloody field reposed the victors when that day’s dreadful work was done: amid the dead and dying—the lifebreath painfully passing from the lips of wounded friend and foe—some of our bravo fellows, pillowed on their knapsacks, slept a fitful sleep; some crept among the heaps of dying, searching for friend or brother, and some supported the drooping head and administered a draught of water to the fevered lips of wounded comrade or dying enemy. The fight was over, the lust of blood satisfied, and all the better qualities of manhood, mercy and forgiveness, appeared beneath that setting sun. Sometimes, as they stooped to assist a dying enemy, the Muscovite, trained to treachery, with a final effort, would discharge a pistol at their heads; and then the old war spirit was once more aroused, and with clubbed musket, or deadly bayonet, the malevolent Russian was sent to his account. The sailors, who had watched the progress of the battle from the ships, when they saw that victory was ours, swarmed ashore, and hurried to the scene of strife. There they bore the wounded to the surgeon’s quarters, and to the ships, with the tenderness of women. Little drummer-boys might be seen among the prostrate heroes, comforting and rendering assistance with a care and zeal beyond their years. A fatigue party was ordered on service to bury the dead; and the surgeons, with bare arms and splashed with blood, strove by their skill and energy to alleviate the sufferings and save the lives of the poor fellows brought to them.

A frightful spectacle was that hill-side of the Alma, on the evening of the renowned 20th of September, 1854. England’s best and bravest lay dead, their pale faces lit by the setting sun: some retained the expression of that intense energy which bore them fearlessly to the mouths of the Russian guns; some, with faces calm and beautiful as an infant’s, seemed peacefully sleeping, and smiling as they slept: others, with limbs contracted, and features frightfully distorted, bore witness to the fierce agonies of the death-struggle. Russian and English and French lay commingled, as they fell in the deadly struggle; and among the heaps of corpses, many in whom the spark of life yet lingered, lay miserably groaning, or faintly crawled with shattered limbs, in search of help. Some of the bodies were headless, the brains scattered around the bloody trunk: and others were so frightfully mutilated that it was difficult to recognize any trace of humanity. While some of our men helped to bear the wounded from the field, and bury the corpses of the slain, others hovered about, and plundered the dead of clothes, arms and such matters as could be carried away; the sailors especially were active in securing trophies of war. Russian orders and crosses, Russian arms, and even the black bread from the soldiers’ knapsacks, were eagerly sought; the boots were real prizes, and the seamen, who would heartily lend a hand to succour a wounded comrade, or even a foe, had no delicacy in appropriating the clothing of the dead. An expeditious mode of measurement, by which they secured the articles which would best fit, caused some amusement, even at such a time. Jack, seating himself at the feet of a dead Russian, placed the sole of his foot against that of the corpse; if they agreed in size, the boots were at once appropriated; if otherwise, the critical mariner proceeded to another selection.

For two days the armies remained upon the field; had they marched at once, it is more than probable, nay, almost certain, they might have entered Sebastopol with but little resistance. Marshal St. Arnaud wished to make an immediate advance; but Lord Raglan refused to leave his wounded untended on the field. Though possibly we ultimately lost by this delay, we can scarcely blame a general who showed such a fine humanity even among the horrors of warfare. Our English courage is of the old chivalric sort—we fight as men, for great principles, not for the lust of conquest: our soldiers are every one a treasure of immense value, rightly used, not to be cast away to perish when their first use is passed. Human life is to Englishmen intensely sacred: we cheerfully lay it down when demanded, and in proportion do we honour and cherish those who have perilled it in our cause. A single life wilfully sacrificed for a mere strategical advantage would have been a stain on our English honour, which we should not speedily have forgiven.

At early morning, on the 23rd of September, the Allies turned their backs on the memorable heights. Two men, strong and unwounded, remained upon the field, and watched their departure; and in all that proud array, flushed with victory, there were none who bore more heroic hearts. Upwards of 200 wounded Russians still lay upon the field; and Dr. Thompson, surgeon of the 44th regiment, and his servant, volunteered to remain, and administer to their wants. Every moment increased their loneliness and their danger; for predatory bands of Cossack horsemen still hovered around the scene, against whose revengeful lances the plea of mercy and Christian charity would have been but an ineffectual shield; and yet these two brave men quailed not in their mission, and many a dying foe had his last pangs soothed, and parting agonies alleviated, by the ministrations of these good Samaritans of peace.”

ALMANZA.—This battle was fought, April 4th, 1707, between the confederate forces under the Earl of Galway, and the French and Spaniards, commanded by James Fitzjames, Duke of Berwick, the illegitimate son of James II of England, when most of the English were killed or made prisoners of war, having been abandoned by the Portuguese at the first charge.

ALMEIDA.—This was an important position, as a frontier town of Portugal, in the Peninsular war. Massena laid siege to it August 15th, 1810, and the governor capitulated August 27th following. The French crossed into Spain, leaving a garrison at Almeida, blockaded by the British, April 6th, 1811. It was evacuated by the French, May 11th, of the same year. In the end Wellington compelled Massena to retire from Portugal, but the route of the French was tracked by horrid desolation.

ALNEY.—This was rather a single combat than a battle, between Edmund Ironside and Canute the Great, in sight of their armies. The latter was wounded, when he proposed a division of the kingdom, the south part falling to Edmund, A.D. 1016; but this prince having been murdered at Oxford, shortly after the treaty, according to some by the treachery of Aldric Streon, Canute was left in the peaceable possession of the whole kingdom, A.D. 1017.

AMBOYNA.—This place is celebrated for the memorable massacre of the English factors by the Dutch, February 17th, 1623; they were cruelly tortured and put to death on an accusation of a conspiracy to expel the Dutch from the island, where the two nations resided and jointly shared in the pepper trade of Java. Amboyna was seized by the English, February 16th, 1796, but was restored by the treaty of Amiens in 1802. It was again seized by the British, February 17th, 1810, and was restored at the peace of 1814.

AMHERSTBURG.—Fought between the Canadians and Americans. In July, 1812, the American General Hull, with a force of 2500 men, crossed over from Detroit, and entered the Western district, where he issued a proclamation inviting the inhabitants to join his standard. At this time the British force on the frontier was merely nominal, and could offer little resistance. As soon as General Brock heard of this invasion, he prorogued the Parliament, then sitting at Toronto, and proceeded westward. He arrived on the 12th of August at Amherstburg, where he mustered about 330 regulars, and 400 militia and six hundred Indians. Hull, whose force, weakened by sickness and sending away two detachments, is said at this time not to have exceeded 800 effective men, retreated across the river, withdrawing the cannon prepared for the siege of Amherstburg, and shut himself up in Detroit. General Brock, instantly crossing over, advanced upon the fort and prepared for an immediate assault. A white flag, however, appeared from the walls, and a capitulation was signed, by which the whole American force, including the detachments, were made prisoners and sent to Montreal. Loud and just complaints were made by the Americans against the conduct of Hull, who was afterwards tried and condemned to be shot, but was spared on account of his age and former services.

AMIENS, PEACE OF.—Between Great Britain, Holland, France and Spain, signed March 27th, 1801.

AMSTERDAM.—Capital of Holland, surrendered to the King of Prussia, when he invaded Holland in favor of the Stadtholder in 1737. The French were admitted, without resistance, January 18th, 1795. The ancient government restored in November, 1813.

ANDRÉ, MAJOR.—An adjutant general of the British army, taken prisoner by the Americans whilst returning in disguise from a secret expedition to the American General Arnold; hanged October 2nd, 1780.

ANGRIA.—A pirate’s fort on the coast of Malabar, invested by Admiral Watson, and destroyed 1756.

ANHOLT, ISLAND OF.—Owing to the injury done by the Danish cruisers to British commerce, this island was taken possession of by England. The Danes made an attempt to regain it with a force of 4000, but were gallantly repulsed. The British force opposed to them did not amount to more than 150 men, yet triumphed in a close and desperate engagement, March 14th, 1811.

ANJOU, OR BLAUGÉ.—This battle was fought between the English and French armies April 3rd, 1421. The French were commanded by the Dauphin of France, who defeated the English, on whose side the Duke of Clarence and 1500 men perished on the field; the Duke was slain by Sir Allan Swinton, a Scotch knight, who commanded a company at arms; and the earls of Somerset, Dorset, and Huntingdon were taken prisoners. This was the first battle that turned the tide of success against the English in their first wars with France.

ANTOIGN.—This battle was fought between the central army of the French and the Allies, August 13th, 1792, in which 4500 Austrians and Prussians were killed, 3,500 taken prisoners, and 600 emigrants shut up in Longwy; 900 French were killed in the action; 30 pieces of battering cannon and howitzers, with all the baggage of the combined army, were captured.

AQUILEIA.—In the first battle fought there, Constantine II was slain by Constans towards the close of March, A.D. 340. In the second, Maximus was defeated and slain by Theodosius, July 28th. A.D. 388. In the third, Theodosius defeated Eugenius and Arbogastes, the Gaul, and remained sole emperor of the Roman world, September 6th, A.D. 394. Eugenius was put to death, and Arbogastes died by his own hand, mortified by his overthrow.

ARBELA.—The third and decisive battle fought between Alexander the Great and Darius Codomanus, king of Persia, which decided the fate of Persia, B.C. 331. The army of Darius consisted of 1,000,000 of foot and 100,000 horse; the Macedonian army amounted to only 40,000 foot and 7,000 horse. The gold and silver found in the cities of Susa, Babylon, and Persepolis, which fell into the hands of Alexander, after this victory, amounted to £30,000,000, and the jewels and other precious spoil, belonging to Darius, sufficed to load 20,000 mules and 5,000 camels. At the battle of Arbela, the Persians lost 300,000, or as some, with greater probability, say 40,000, whilst the Macedonians had only 500 slain. Darius betook himself to flight, and was slain by Bessus, Governor of Bactria, who was punished for his perfidy in the following manner:—He was taken and bound naked, hand and foot, and four trees having been by main force bent down to the ground, and one of the criminal’s limbs tied to each of them, the trees, as they were suffered to return to their natural position, flew back with prodigious violence, each carrying with it one of the limbs.

ARCOLA.—This battle was fought between the French, under General Bonaparte, and the Austrians, under Field-Marshal Alvinzy, November 19th, 1796. The result of this bloody conflict, which was fought for eight successive days, was the loss on the part of the Austrians of 12,000 men in killed, wounded, and prisoners, with 4 flags and 18 guns.

ARGENTARIA.—This battle was one of the most renowned of its times. It was fought A.D. 378, in Alsace, between the Allemanni and the Romans, the former being defeated by the latter, with the loss of more than 35,000 men, out of their whole army of 40,000.

ARKLOW.—This battle was fought June 10th, 1798, between the insurgent Irish, amounting to 31,000, and a small regular force of British, which signally defeated them.

ARMADA.—Philip, king of Spain, after some years of preparation in all the ports of his extensive dominions, had assembled in the river Tagus a fleet of 130 large vessels, carrying nearly 30,000 men, and the Prince of Parma had collected, in the ports of the Netherlands, ships and boats for the embarkation of an equal number of his veteran troops. To resist these formidable preparations, Elizabeth had only a navy of 34 ships, but the nobility and the seaports fitted out such a number of vessels at their own expense, that there soon was at sea a fleet of 180 vessels of all kinds, large and small. The chief command was committed to Howard of Effingham, Lord High-Admiral of England, and Drake, Hawkins, and Frobisher held commands under him. The fleet was stationed at Plymouth. A land army of 30,000 men was posted at Tilbury, in Essex, under the command of Lord Leicester, for the protection of the city of London, while another of equal strength was destined for the guard of the Queen’s person.

On the 29th of May, 1588, the Invincible Armada (i.e. Fleet), as it was proudly styled, sailed from the Tagus, but owing to a storm which it encountered, it did not appear off the coast of England till the 19th of July. On that day it was descried near the Lizard point, in Cornwall, by a Scottish pirate, who made all the sail he could to convey the intelligence to Plymouth, and the Admiral got his fleet out to sea with as little delay as possible.

As the Spanish Admiral had orders not to engage in hostilities till he should have seen the Prince of Parma’s army landed in England, he took no notice of the English fleet, but steadily directed his course up the Channel. The Armada sailed in the form of a crescent, of which the horns were seven miles asunder. Its motion was slow, though every sail was spread; “The winds,” says the historian, “being as it were tired with carrying the ships, and the ocean groaning beneath their weight.” The English ships, which were smaller and more active than those of the Armada, followed to harass it and cut off stragglers, and during the six days which it took to reach Calais, it suffered considerably from their persevering attacks. At Calais the Admiral learned that the Prince could not embark his troops for want of stores and sailors, and while he waited, the Armada narrowly escaped destruction from fire-ships sent into it by the English. A violent tempest succeeded, which drove it among the shoals on the coast of Zealand; and a council of war determined that, as it was now in too shattered a condition to attempt anything against the enemy, it were best to return to Spain without delay; but as the passage down the Channel was so full of hazard, it was resolved to sail round Scotland and Ireland. The Armada, therefore, set sail; the English pursued it as far as Flamborough-head, where want of ammunition forced them to give over the chase. Storms, however, assailed the Armada, and several of the vessels were cast away on the coast of Ireland, where the crews were butchered by the barbarous natives. The total loss was 30 large ships and 10,000 men. Philip received the intelligence with great tranquillity, and ordered public thanks to God and the saints for the calamity not having been greater.

In this great danger of herself and kingdom, Elizabeth had shown the spirit of a heroine. She visited the camp at Tilbury, rode along the lines mounted on a white palfrey, and cheered the soldiers by her animated language. When the danger was over she went in state to St. Paul’s, and publicly returned thanks to Heaven. She granted pensions to the disabled seamen, created the Admiral, Earl of Nottingham, and bestowed honours and rewards on his officers. The sudden death of Leicester, shortly after he had disbanded his army, intercepted the favours she might have designed for him.

ARMED NEUTRALITY.—A confederacy of the Northern powers against England, commenced by the Empress of Russia, in 1780. It resulted in the destruction of the Danish fleet before Copenhagen, April, 1801. This gave England the acknowledged claim to the empire of the sea. The neutrality was soon after dissolved.

ARMAGH.—This battle was fought A.D. 1318, against Edward Bruce, who was defeated, taken, and beheaded at Dundalk, and with him 6200 Scots lost their lives.

ARMISTICES, CELEBRATED.—The most celebrated armistices recorded in Modern History are the following:—That of Leobon, in 1797, was signed a few days after the victory of Tagliamento, gained by Napoleon I over Prince Charles. It was Bonaparte himself who proposed it. This armistice was followed by the preliminaries of Leobon and the treaty of Campo-Formio. The armistice of Stayer, concluded on the 25th December, 1800, took place after the battle of Hohenlinden. It was signed by Moreau, on the 16th January, 1801. Brune signed the armistice of Treviso, which delivered into the hands of the French the fortified places of Ferrara, Peschiera and Porto-Legnano. He was reproached with not having demanded Mantua. In 1805, Murat concluded an armistice at Hollebrun, which saved the Russian army, and was the cause of a severe letter written to him by the Emperor. On the very evening of the battle of Austerlitz, the Emperor of Austria demanded and obtained an armistice, which was preliminary to the peace of Presburg. Another armistice, also celebrated, was signed after the battle of Friedland, and led to the peace of Tilsit. At Wagram took place the armistice of Zoaim, which was the prelude to the peace of Vienna, 1809. Lastly, on the 4th of June, 1813, after Bautzen, was signed the armistice of Pleiswitz, which the Emperor Napoleon I himself considered a fault.

ARTILLERY.—The first piece was invented by Schwartz, a German Cordelier monk, soon after the invention of gunpowder, in 1330. First used by the English by Edward III at the battle of Crecy, in 1346, when that king had 4 pieces of cannon, which greatly aided in his gaining the battle. Brass cannon, first used 1635—improvements made by Browne in 1728, and have continued ever since.

ASCALON.—This battle was fought A.D. 1192. Richard I of England, commanding the Christian army, met and defeated the Sultan Saladin’s army of 300,000 Saracens and other infidels. No less than 40,000 of the enemy were left dead on the field of battle, and the victorious Richard marched to Jerusalem.

ASPERNE.—This battle was fought between the Austrian army under the archduke Charles, and the French, on the 21st of May, 1809, and two following days. In this most sanguinary fight the loss of the former army exceeded 20,000 men, and the loss of the French was more than 30,000; it ended in the defeat of Bonaparte, who commanded in person, and was the severest check he had yet received. The bridge of the Danube was destroyed and his retreat endangered; but the success of the Austrians had no beneficial effect on the subsequent prosecution of the war.

ASSAYE.—Fought September 23rd, 1803, between the Duke of Wellington (then General Arthur Wellesley) and Scindiah and the Rajah of Berar. This was Wellington’s first great battle in which he opposed a force fully ten times greater than his own. In Stocqueler’s Life of the “Iron Duke” we have the following account of this battle: “Scindiah’s army having changed its position, occupied the whole space between the Kaitna and Assaye, with a great number of guns in front, and commenced a murderous cannonade. The small number of British guns was quite incapable of coping with this vast battery. General Wellesley, therefore, directed his infantry to advance with the bayonet.

With the determined courage which had given them victory at Seringapatam, in the actions with Dhoondia Waugh, and on the walls of Ahmednuggur, the line dashed forward, carried the guns on the right, and approached Assaye. At this moment a cloud of Mahratta horse had stolen round the village, and fell upon them—sabre to bayonet—with characteristic fury. The 74th regiment wavered—the charge was too much for them.

Colonel Maxwell of the 19th Light Dragoons saw that the critical moment had arrived, Forward! was the word. Falling upon the Mahratta cavalry, the Dragoons gave the British infantry time to rally, cut up the Mahratta horse, pushed through the Scindiah’s left, and threw the whole of that part of the army into confusion. In the meantime the enemy’s centre, which had remained untouched, closed in upon the ground before occupied by their left wing, and uniting with such of their infantry and artillery as had been passed over unhurt by the British cavalry, formed itself into a kind of crescent, with its right horn resting on the river Jouah, and its left on the village of Assaye; thus presenting themselves in a fresh position on the flank of our infantry, on which, having collected a considerable number of guns, they recommenced a heavy fire. The battle was now to be fought over again, with this difference, that the contending forces had changed sides, and had the enemy’s horse behaved with the least spirit, while our cavalry was absent in pursuit of their broken battalions, there is no guessing what the consequences might have been; but, happily for General Wellesley, they kept aloof. To oppose the enemy in their new position, the Sepoy battalion on the right was immediately advanced against them, but without effect, being obliged to retire. Another was brought forward and equally repulsed. The cavalry, having by this time returned from the pursuit, and formed on the left, and the enemy’s horse having disappeared before them, the General ordered the 78th regiment and the 7th cavalry up, to head a fresh attack against the enemy’s infantry and guns, which still defended their position with obstinacy. No sooner, however, had he formed the 78th regiment in line, in directing which his horse’s leg was carried off by a cannon shot, than the enemy without waiting an attack, commenced their retreat across the Jouah, which they passed in tolerable order before our troops could come up with them. Previously to this last attack Colonel Maxwell had requested and obtained permission to charge a considerable body of infantry and guns, which having formed part of the reserve, were seen retiring in good order, along the right bank of the Jouah.

The 19th Dragoons were not long in coming up with the enemy, who having formed with their left to the Jouah, steadily waited their approach. The charge was sounded. The Dragoons advanced with rapidity, amidst a shower of musketry and grape, and had already got almost within reach of the bayonets of the enemy, who still gallantly stood their ground.

“At this moment,” writes an officer engaged in the charge, “instead of dashing among their ranks, I suddenly found my horse swept round as it were by an eddy torrent. Away we galloped right shoulders forward, along the whole of the enemy’s line, receiving their fire as we passed, till having turned our backs on them, we took to our heels manfully; every one called out Halt! Halt! while nobody would set the example! till at last a trumpet having sounded, we pulled up, but in complete disorder, dragoons and native cavalry, pell-mell. On this occasion Colonel Maxwell fell, pierced by a grape-shot. He was gallantly leading the charge when he received his death blow. Having involuntarily checked his horse and thrown his arm back, when he received his wound, the soldiers immediately behind him, not knowing the cause, mistook the gesture for a signal to retire, and did so accordingly. At least this was the reason afterwards assigned for the failure, and if true, shows how the fate of armies, and even of nations, may depend on the direction of a single shot.” Recovering from their disorder, the Dragoons renewed the charge with terrible effect, and the enemy gave way in every direction.

Thus closed this memorable battle, one of the most bloody on record to the victors. Out of about 4500 men in action, upwards of 2000 were either killed or wounded, the former amounting to more than one-third of the whole number.”

ASSYRIANS AND JEWS.—the Battles, &c., between—B.C. 710. These battles resulted in the total destruction of the army of Sennacharib, so graphically described by the Sacred penman—and afterwards in the destruction of Jerusalem, the overthrow of Solomon’s Temple, and the exile of the Jews to Babylon, for 70 years.

ATHLONE.—The English army under General Ginckel stormed Athlone, then a town of prodigious strength—crossing the Shannon in the face of the Irish army, yet not losing more than 50 men. This bold and successful enterprise procured for Ginckel the title of Earl of Athlone, 1691. See [Aughrim].

ATTILA.—Surnamed The Scourge of God, ravaged all Europe, A.D. 447. He invaded the Roman empire with an army of 500,000 Huns, and laid waste all the provinces at Chalons-sur-Marne. Aetius, the Roman prefect, met him, and defeated him with the loss of 200,000 men. Afterwards he was as signally defeated by Thorismond, King of the Goths, and died in the midst of his career.

AUERSTADT, BATTLE OF.—In this most sanguinary conflict, between the French and Prussian armies, October 14th, 1806, the Prussians were routed on every side, having lost 200 pieces of cannon, 30 standards, and 28,000 prisoners, and leaving 30,000 slain on the battle field. Both the King of Prussia and Napoleon commanded at this engagement. The French Emperor immediately afterwards entered Berlin, from which city he issued his memorable Berlin Decrees.

AUGHRIM, BATTLE OF.—Near Athlone, in Ireland. This battle was fought, July 12th, 1691, between the Irish, headed by the French General St. Ruth, and the English under General Ginckel, when the former lost 7000 men; the latter only 600 killed and 960 wounded. St. Ruth was slain. This engagement proved decisively fatal to the interests of James II in Ireland, Ginckel was immediately created Earl of Athlone; the ball by which St. Ruth was killed is still preserved suspended in the choir of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin.

AUGSBURG, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the Imperialists and the French army, the latter commanded by Moreau; who obtained so complete a victory, that Augsburg and Munich were opened to him. It was fought August 26th, 1796; Moreau, September 2nd following, again defeated the Austrians on the Jun, and again, September 7th, at Mainburg.

AUSTERLITZ, BATTLE OF.—Fought December 2nd, 1805, between the French and Austrian armies; gained by the former. Three Emperors commanded at this battle, Alexander of Russia, Francis of Austria, and Napoleon of France. The killed and wounded exceeded 40,000 on the side of the Allies, who lost besides, 40 standards, 150 pieces of cannon, and many thousands of prisoners. This decisive victory of the French led to the treaty of Presburg, which was signed December 26th same year.

B.

BABYLON.—This city was first taken by Ninus, B.C. 2059, then by Esar-haddon, B.C. 680. Both Darius and Cyrus took the city, the first through the fidelity of his officer Zopyrus, who having cut off his nose and ears fled to the Babylonians, and was admitted within the walls, and found means shortly afterwards to betray the city—the other by turning the course of the river Euphrates, and marching his soldiers up the dry bed into the city.

BADAJOS, SIEGE OF.—This important frontier fortress had surrendered to the French, March 11th, 1811, and was invested by the British under Lord Wellington, on March 16th, 1812; and stormed and taken on April following. The siege is one of the most important in the annals of warfare; for the victory was not only a glorious military achievement in itself, but it obliged the French, who had entered Portugal for the purpose of plunder, to commence a precipitate retreat from that kingdom. For particulars, see Life of Wellington, and Napier’s Peninsular War.

BADEN, TREATY OF.—Between France and the Emperor, September 7th, 1814. It was erected into a grand duchy of the Rhenish Confederation in 1806. Its territorial acquisitions, by its alliance with France, was guaranteed by the Vienna Congress of 1815.

BALAKLAVA, BATTLE OF.—Fought October 25th, 1854. If the exhibition of the most brilliant valour, of the excess of courage, and of a daring which would have reflected lustre on the best days of chivalry can afford full consolation for the disaster of to-day, we can have no reason to regret the melancholy loss which we sustained in a contest with a savage and barbarous enemy.

I shall proceed to describe, to the best of my power, what occurred under my own eyes, and to state the facts which I have heard from men whose veracity is unimpeachable, reserving to myself the exercise of the right of private judgment in making public and in suppressing the details of what occurred on this memorable day. Before I proceed to my narrative, I must premise that a certain feeling existed in some quarters that our cavalry had not been properly handled since they landed in the Crimea, and that they had lost golden opportunities from the indecision and excessive caution of their leaders. It was said that our cavalry ought to have been manœuvred at Bouljanak in one way or in another, according to the fancy of the critic. It was affirmed, too, that the Light Cavalry were utterly useless in the performance of one of their most important duties—the collection of supplies for the army—that they were “above their business, and too fine gentlemen for their work;” that our horse should have pushed on after the flying enemy after the battle of the Alma, to their utter confusion, and with the certainty of taking many guns and prisoners; and, above all, that at Mackenzie’s farm first, and at the gorge near Inkermann, subsequently, they had been improperly restrained from charging, and had failed in gaining great successes, which would have entitled them to a full share of the laurels of the campaign, solely owing to the timidity of the officer in command. The existence of this feeling was known to many of our cavalry, and they were indignant and exasperated that the faintest shade of suspicion should rest on any of their corps. With the justice of these aspersions they seemed to think they had nothing to do, and perhaps the prominent thought in their minds was that they would give such an example of courage to the world, if the chance offered itself, as would shame their detractors for ever.

In my last I mentioned that several battalions of Russian infantry had crossed the Tchernaya, and that they threatened the rear of our position and our communication with Balaklava. Their bands could be heard playing at night by the travellers along the Balaklava road to the camp, but they “showed” but little during the day, and kept up among the gorges and mountain passes through which the roads to Inkermann, Simpheropol, and the south-east, of the Crimea wind towards the interior. The position we occupied, in reference to Balaklava was supposed by most people to be very strong—even impregnable. Our lines were formed by natural mountain slopes in the rear, along which the French had made very formidable entrenchments. Below those entrenchments, and very nearly in a right line across the valley beneath, are four conical hillocks, one rising above the other as they recede from our lines; the furthest, which joins the chain of mountains opposite to our ridges being named Canrobert’s Hill, from the meeting there of that General with Lord Raglan after the march to Balaklava. On the top of each of these hills the Turks had thrown up earthen redoubts, defended by 250 men each, and armed with two or three guns—some heavy ship guns—lent by us to them, with one artilleryman in each redoubt to look after them. These hills cross the valley of Balaklava at the distance of about two and a half miles from the town. Supposing the spectator, then, to take his stand on one of the heights forming the rear of our camp before Sebastopol, he would see the town of Balaklava, with its scanty shipping, its narrow strip of water, and its old forts on his right hand; immediately below he would behold the valley and plain of coarse meadow land, occupied by our cavalry tents, and stretching from the base of the ridge on which he stood to the foot of the formidable heights at the other side; he would see the French trenches lined with Zouaves a few feet beneath, and distant from him, on the slope of the hill; a Turkish redoubt lower down, then another in the valley, then, in a line with it, some angular earthworks, then, in succession, the other two redoubts up to Canrobert’s Hill. At the distance of two or two and a half miles across the valley there is an abrupt rocky mountain range of most irregular and picturesque formation, covered with scanty brushwood here and there, or rising into barren pinnacles and plateaux of rock. In outline and appearance this portion of the landscape is wonderfully like the Trosachs. A patch of blue sea is caught in between the overhanging cliff’s of Balaklava as they close in the entrance to the harbour on the right. The camp of the Marines, pitched on the hill sides more than 1000 feet above the level of the sea, is opposite to you as your back is turned to Sebastopol and your right side towards Balaklava. On the road leading up the valley, close to the entrance of the town, and beneath these hills, is the encampment of the 93rd Highlanders.

The cavalry lines are nearer to you below, and are some way in advance of the Highlanders, but nearer to the town than the Turkish redoubts. The valley is crossed here and there by small waves of land. On your left the hills and rocky mountain ranges gradually close in towards the course of the Tchernaya, till at three or four miles’ distance from Balaklava, the valley is swallowed up in a mountain gorge and deep ravines, above which rise tiers after tiers of desolate whitish rock, garnished now and then by bits of scanty herbage, and spreading away towards the east and south, where they attain the Alpine dimensions of the Tschatir Dugh. It is very easy for an enemy at the Belbek, or in command of the road of Mackenzies’s farm, Inkermann, Simpheropol, or Bakshiserai, to debouch through these gorges at any time upon this plain from the neck of the valley, or to march from Sebastopol by the Tchernaya, and to advance along it towards Balaklava, till checked by the Turkish redoubts on the southern side, or by the fire from the French works on the northern side—i.e., the side which, in relation to the valley to Balaklava, forms the rear of our position. It was evident enough that Menschikoff and Gortschakoff had been feeling their way along this route for several days past, and very probably at night the Cossacks had crept up close to our picquets, which are not always as watchful as might be desired, and had observed the weakness of a position far too extended for our army to defend, and occupied by their despised enemy, the Turks.

At half-past seven o’clock this morning, an orderly came galloping in to the head-quarters camp from Balaklava, with the news, that at dawn a strong corps of Russian horse, supported by guns and battalions of infantry had marched into the valley, and had already nearly dispossessed the Turks of the redoubt No 1, (that on Canrobert’ Hill, which is farthest from our lines), and that they were opening fire on the redoubts Nos. 2, 3, and 4, which would speedily be in their hands unless the Turks offered a stouter resistance than they had done already.

Orders were despatched to Sir George Cathcart, and to H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, to put their respective divisions, the Fourth and the First, in motion for the scene of action; and intelligence of the advance of the Russians was also furnished to General Canrobert. Immediately on receipt of the news, the General commanded General Bosquet to get the Third Division under arms, and sent a strong body of artillery and some 200 Chasseurs d’Afrique to assist us in holding the valley. Sir Colin Campbell, who was in command of Balaklava, had drawn up the 93rd Highlanders a little in front of the road to the town, at the first news of the advance of the enemy. The Marines on the heights got under arms; the seamen’s batteries and Marines’ batteries, on the heights close to the town, were manned, and the French artillerymen and the Zouaves prepared for action along their lines. Lord Lucan’s little camp was the scene of great excitement. The men had not had time to water their horses; they had not broken their fast from the evening of the day before, and had barely saddled at the first blast of the trumpet, when they were drawn up on the slope behind the redoubts in front of their camp to operate on the enemy’s squadrons. It was soon evident that no reliance was to be placed on the Turkish infantry or artillerymen. All the stories we had heard about their bravery behind stone walls and earthworks proved how differently the same or similar people fight under different circumstances. When the Russians advanced, the Turks fired a few rounds at them, got frightened at the distance of their supports in the rear, looked round, received a few shots and shell, and then “bolted,” and fled with an agility quite at variance with common-place notions of Oriental deportment on the battle-field. But Turks on the Danube are very different beings from Turks in the Crimea, as it appears that the Russians of Sebastopol are not at all like the Russians of Silistria.

Soon after eight o’clock, Lord Raglan and his staff turned out and cantered towards the rear of our position. The booming of the artillery, the spattering roll of musketry, were heard rising from the valley, drowning the roar of the siege guns in front before Sebastopol. As I rode in the direction of the firing, over the thistles and large stones which cover the undulating plain that stretches away towards Balaklava, on a level with the summit of the ridges above it, I observed a French light infantry regiment (the 27th, I think) advancing with admirable care and celerity from our right towards the ridge near the telegraph-house, which was already lined by companies of French infantry, while mounted officers scampered along its broken outline in every direction.

General Bosquet, a stout soldierlike-looking man, who reminds one of the old genre of French Generals as depicted at Versailles, followed, with his staff and a small escort of Hussars, at a gallop. Faint white clouds rose here and there above the hill from the cannonade below. Never did the painter’s eye rest on a more beautiful scene than I beheld from the ridge. The fleecy vapours still hung around the mountain tops, and mingled with the ascending volumes of smoke; the patch of sea sparkled freshly in the rays of the morning sun, but its light was eclipsed by the flashes which gleamed from the massess of armed men below.

Looking to the left towards the gorge, we beheld six compact masses of Russian infantry, which had just debouched from the mountain passes near Tchernaya, and were slowly advancing with solemn stateliness up the valley. Immediately in their front was a regular line of artillery, of at least twenty pieces strong. Two batteries of light guns were already a mile in advance of them, and were playing with energy on the redoubts, from which feeble puffs of smoke came at long intervals. Behind these guns, in front of the infantry, were enormous bodies of cavalry. They were in six compact squares, three on each flank, moving down en échelon towards us, and the valley was lit up with the blaze of their sabres, and lance points, and gay accoutrements. In their front, and extending along the intervals between each battery of guns, were clouds of mounted skirmishers, wheeling and whirling in the front of their march like autumn leaves tossed by the wind. The Zouaves close to us were lying like tigers at the spring, with ready rifles in hand, hidden chin deep by the earthworks which run along the line of these ridges on our rear, but the quick-eyed Russians were manœuvring on the other side of the valley, and did not expose their columns to attack. Below the Zouaves we could see the Turkish gunners in the redoubts, all in confusion as the shells burst over them. Just as I came up, the Russians had carried No. 1 redoubt, the farthest and most elevated of all, and their horsemen were chasing the Turks across the interval which lay between it and redoubt No. 2. At that moment the cavalry, under Lord Lucan, were formed in glittering masses—the Light Brigade, under Lord Cardigan, in advance; the Heavy Brigade, under Brigadier-General Scarlet, in reserve. They were drawn up just in front of their encampment, and were concealed from the view of the enemy by a slight “wave” in the plain. Considerably to the rear of their right, the 93rd Highlanders were drawn up in line, in front of the approach to Balaklava. Above and behind them, on the heights, the Marines were visible through the glass, drawn up under arms, and the gunners could be seen ready in the earthworks, in which were placed the heavy ships’ guns. The 93rd had originally been advanced somewhat more into the plain, but the instant the Russians got possession of the first redoubt they opened fire on them from our own guns which inflicted some injury, and Sir Colin Campbell “retired” his men to a better position. Meantime the enemy advanced his cavalry rapidly. To our inexpressible disgust we saw the Turks in redoubt No. 2 fly at their approach. They ran in scattered groups across towards redoubt No. 3, and towards Balaklava, but the horse-hoof of the Cossack was too quick for them, and sword and lance were busily plied among the retreating herd. The yells of the pursuers and pursued were plainly audible. As the Lancers and Light Cavalry of the Russians advanced they gathered up their skirmishers with great speed and in excellent order—the shifting trails of men, which played all over the valley like moonlight on the water, contracted, gathered up, and the little peloton in a few moments became a solid column. Then up came their guns, in rushed their gunners to the abandoned redoubt, and the guns of No. 2 redoubt soon played with deadly effect upon the dispirited defenders of No. 3 redoubt. Two or three shots in return from the earthworks, and all is silent. The Turks swarm over the earthworks, and run in confusion towards the town, firing their muskets at the enemy as they run. Again the solid column of cavalry opens like a fan, and resolves itself into a “Long spray” of skirmishers. It laps the flying Turks, steel flashes in the air, and down go the poor Moslem quivering on the plain, split through fez and musket-guard to the chin and breast-belt. There is no support for them. It is evident the Russians have been too quick for us. The Turks have been too quick also, for they have not held their redoubts long enough to enable us to bring them help. In vain the Turkish gunners in the earthen batteries which are placed along the French entrenchments strive to protect their flying countrymen; their shot fly wide and short of the swarming masses. The Turks betake themselves towards the Highlanders, where they check their flight and form into companies on the flanks of the Highlanders. As the Russian cavalry on the left of their line crown the hill across the valley, they perceive the Highlanders drawn up at the distance of some half mile, calmly awaiting their approach. They halt, and squadron after squadron flies up from the rear, till they have a body of some 1500 men along the ridge—Lancers, and Dragoons, and Hussars. Then they move en échelon in two bodies, with another in reserve. The cavalry who have been pursuing the Turks on the right are coming up to the ridge beneath us, which conceals our cavalry from view. The heavy brigade in advance is drawn up in two lines. The first line consists of the Scots Greys, and of their old companions in glory, the Enniskillens; the second of the 4th Royal Irish, of the 5th Dragoon Guards, and of the 1st Royal Dragoons. The Light Cavalry Brigade is on their left, in two lines also. The silence is oppressive; between the cannon bursts one can hear the champing of bits and the clink of sabres in the valley below. The Russians on their left drew breath for a moment, and then in one grand line charged in towards Balaklava. The ground flies beneath their horses’ feet; gathering speed at every stride, they dash on towards that thin red streak topped with a line of steel. The Turks fire a volley at eight hundred yards and run. As the Russians come within six hundred yards, down goes that line of steel in front, and out rings a rolling volley of Minié musketry. The distance is too great; the Russians are not checked, but still sweep onwards through the smoke, with the whole force of horse and man, here and there knocked over by the shot of our batteries above. With breathless suspense every one awaits the bursting of the wave upon the line of Gaelic rock; but ere they come within two hundred and fifty yards, another deadly volley flashes from the levelled rifle, and carries terror into the Russians. They wheel about, open files right and left, and fly back faster than they came. “Bravo Highlanders! well done!” shout the excited spectators; but events thicken. The Highlanders and their splendid front are soon forgotten, men scarcely have a moment to think of this fact, that the 93rd never altered their formation to receive that tide of horsemen. “No,” said Sir Colin Campbell, “I did not think it worth while to form them even four deep!” The ordinary British line, two deep, was quite sufficient to repel the attack of these Muscovite cavaliers. Our eyes were, however, turned in a moment on our own cavalry. We saw Brigadier-General Scarlett ride along in front of his massive squadrons. The Russians—evidently corps d’elite—their light blue jackets embroidered with silver lace, were advancing on their left, at an easy gallop, towards the brow of the hill. A forest of lances glistened in their rear, and several squadrons of grey-coated dragoons moved up quickly to support them as they reached the summit. The instant they came in sight the trumpets of our cavalry gave out the warning blast which told us all that in another moment we should see the shock of battle beneath our very eyes. Lord Raglan, all his staff and escort, and groups of officers, the Zouaves, French generals and officers, and bodies of French infantry on the height, were spectators of the scene as though they were looking on the stage from the boxes of a theatre. Nearly every one dismounted and sat down, and not a word was said. The Russians advanced down the hill at a slow canter, which they changed to a trot, and at last nearly halted. Their first line was at least double the length of ours—it was three times as deep. Behind them was a similar line, equally strong and compact. They evidently despised their insignificant looking enemy, but their time was come. The trumpets rang out again through the valley, and the Greys and Enniskilleners went right at the centre of the Russian cavalry. The space between them was only a few hundred yards; it was scarce enough to let the horses “gather away,” nor had the men quite space sufficient for the full play of their sword arms. The Russian line brings forward each wing as our cavalry advance, and threatens to annihilate them as they pass on. Turning a little to their left, so as to meet the Russian right, the Greys rush on with a cheer that thrills to every heart—the wild shout of the Enniskilleners rises through the air at the same instant. As lightning flashes through a cloud, the Greys and Enniskilleners pierced through the dark masses of Russians. The shock was but for a moment. There was a clash of steel and a light play of swordblades in the air, and then the Greys and the redcoats disappear in the midst of the shaken and quivering columns. In another moment we see them emerging and dashing on with diminished numbers, and in broken order, against the second line, which is advancing against them as fast as it can to retrieve the fortune of the charge. It was a terrible moment. “God help them! they are lost” was the exclamation of more than one man, and the thought of many. With unabated fire the noble hearts dashed at their enemy. It was a fight of heroes. The first line of Russians, which had been smashed utterly by our charge, and had fled off at one flank and towards the centre, were coming back to swallow up our handful of men. By sheer steel and sheer courage Enniskillener and Scot were winning their desperate way right through the enemy’s squadrons, and already grey horses and red coats had appeared right at the rear of the second mass, when, with irresistible force, like one bolt from a bow, the 1st Royals, the 4th Dragoon Guards, and the 5th Dragoon Guards rushed at the remnants of the first line of the enemy, went through it as though it were made of pasteboard, and dashing on the second body of Russians as they were still disordered by the terrible assault of the Greys and their companions, put them to utter rout. The Russian Horse in less than five minutes after it met our dragoons was flying with all its speed before a force certainly not half its strength. A cheer burst from every lip—in the enthusiasm, officers and men took off their caps and shouted with delight, and thus keeping up the scenic character of their position, they clapped their hands again and again. Lord Raglan at once despatched Lieutenant Curzon, Aide-de-Camp, to convey his congratulations to Brigadier-General Scarlett, and to say “Well done.” The gallant old officer’s face beamed with pleasure when he received the message. “I beg to thank his Lordship very sincerely,” was his reply. The cavalry did not long pursue their enemy. Their loss was very slight, about thirty-five killed and wounded in both affairs. There were not more than four or five men killed outright, and our most material loss was from the cannon playing on our heavy dragoons afterwards, when covering the retreat of our light cavalry.

In the Royal Horse Artillery we had a severe, but I am glad to say a temporary loss. Captain Maude, who directed the service of his guns with his usual devotedness and dauntless courage, was struck in the arm by a shell which burst at his saddle bow and killed his horse. To the joy of all the army, it is ascertained that he is doing well on board ship. After the charge, Captain the Hon. Arthur Hardinge came galloping up to Lord Raglan with the news of what the cavalry had done.

At ten o’clock the Guards and Highlanders of the First Division were seen moving towards the plains from their camp. The Duke of Cambridge came up to Lord Raglan for orders, and his Lordship, ready to give the honour of the day to Sir Colin Campbell, who commands at Balaklava, told his Royal Highness to place himself under the direction of the Brigadier. At forty minutes after ten, the Fourth Division also took up their position in advance of Balaklava. The cavalry were then on the left front of our position, facing the enemy; the Light Cavalry Brigade was on the left flank forward; the Heavy Cavalry Brigade en échelon in reserve, with guns on the right; the 4th Dragoons and 5th Dragoons and Greys on the left of the brigade, the Enniskillens and 3rd Dragoons on the right. The Fourth Division took up ground in the centre; the Guards and Highlanders filed off towards the extreme right, and faced the redoubts, from which the Russians opened on them with such guns as had not been spiked.

At fifty minutes after ten, General Canrobert, attended by his staff and Brigadier-General Rose, rode up to Lord Raglan, and the staffs of the two Generals and their escorts mingled together in praise of the magnificent charge of our cavalry, while the chiefs apart conversed over the operations of the day, which promised to be one of battle. The Russian cavalry, followed by our shot, had retired in confusion, leaving the ground covered with horses and men. In carrying an order early in the day Mr. Blunt, Lord Lucan’s interpreter, and son of our Consul in Thessaly, had a narrow escape. His horse was killed, he seized a Russian charger as it galloped past riderless, but the horse carried him almost into the Russian cavalry, and he only saved himself by leaping into a redoubt among a number of frightened Turks who were praying to Allah on their bellies. At fifty-five minutes after ten, a body of Cavalry, the Chasseurs d’Afrique, passed down to the plain, and were loudly cheered by our men. They took up ground in advance of the ridges on our left.

And now occurred the melancholy catastrophe which fills us all with sorrow. It appears that the Quartermaster-General, Brigadier Airey, thinking that the Light Cavalry had not gone far enough in front when the enemy’s horse had fled, gave an order in writing to Captain Nolan, 15th Hussars, to take to Lord Lucan, directing his Lordship “to advance” his cavalry nearer to the enemy. A braver soldier than Captain Nolan the army did not possess. He was known to all his arm of the service for his entire devotion to his profession, and his name must be familiar to all who take interest in our cavalry for his excellent work, published a year ago, on our drill and system of remount and breaking horses. I had the pleasure of his acquaintance, and I know he entertained the most exalted opinions respecting the capabilities of the English horse soldier. Properly led, the British Hussar and Dragoon could in his mind break square, take batteries, ride over columns of infantry, and pierce any other cavalry in the world as if they were made of straw. He thought that they had not had the opportunity of doing all that was in their power, and that they had missed even such chances as they had offered to them,—that, in fact, they were in some measure disgraced. A matchless horseman and a first-rate swordsman, he held in contempt, I am afraid, even grape and canister. He rode off with his orders to Lord Lucan. He is now dead and gone. God forbid I should cast a shade on the brightness of his honour, but I am bound to state what I am told occurred when he reached his Lordship. I should premise that as the Russian cavalry retired, their infantry fell back towards the head of the valley, leaving men in three of the redoubts they had taken, and abandoning the fourth. They had also placed some guns on the heights over their position on the left of the gorge. Their cavalry joined the reserve, and drew up in six solid divisions, in an oblique line across the entrance to the gorge. Six battalions of infantry were placed behind them, and about thirty guns were drawn up along their line, while masses of infantry were also collected on the hills behind the redoubts on our right. Our cavalry had moved up to the ridge across the valley, on our left, as the ground was broken in front, and had halted in the order I have already mentioned. When Lord Lucan received the order from Captain Nolan and had read it, he asked, we are told, “Where are we to advance to?” Captain Nolan pointed with his finger to the line of the Russians, and said, “There are the enemy, and there are the guns, sir, before them; it is your duty to take them,” or words to that effect, according to the statements made since his death. Lord Lucan, with reluctance, gave the order to Lord Cardigan to advance upon the guns, conceiving that his orders compelled him to do so. The noble Earl, though he did not shrink, also saw the fearful odds against him. Don Quixote in his tilt against the windmill was not near so rash and reckless as the gallant fellows who prepared without a thought to rush on almost certain death. It is a maxim of war, that “cavalry never act without a support,” that “infantry should be close at hand when cavalry carry guns, as the effect is only instantaneous, and that it is necessary to have on the flank of a line of cavalry some squadrons in column, the attack on the flank being most dangerous. The only support our light cavalry had was the reserve of heavy cavalry at a great distance behind them, the infantry and guns being far in the rear. There were no squadrons in column at all, and there was a plain to charge over, before the enemy’s guns were reached, of a mile and a half in length.

At ten minutes past eleven, our Light Cavalry brigade advanced. The whole brigade scarcely made one effective regiment, according to the numbers of continental armies; and yet it was more than we could spare. As they rushed towards the front, the Russians opened on them from the guns in the redoubt on the right, with volleys of musketry and rifles. They swept proudly past, glittering in the morning sun in all the pride and splendour of war. We could scarcely believe the evidence of our senses! Surely that handful of men are not going to charge an army in position? Alas! it was but too true—their desperate valour knew no bounds, and far indeed was it removed from its so-called better part—discretion. They advanced in two lines, quickening their pace as they closed towards the enemy. A more fearful spectacle was never witnessed than by those who, without the power to aid, beheld their heroic countrymen rushing to the arms of death. At the distance of 1200 yards the whole line of the enemy belched forth, from thirty iron mouths, a flood of smoke and flame, through which hissed the deadly balls. Their flight was marked by instant gaps in our ranks, by dead men and horses, by steeds flying wounded or riderless across the plain. The first line is broken, it is joined by the second, they never halt or check their speed an instant; with diminished ranks, thinned by those thirty guns, which the Russians had laid with the most deadly accuracy, with a halo of flashing steel above their heads, and with a cheer which was many a noble fellow’s death-cry, they flew into the smoke of the batteries, but ere they were lost from view the plain was strewed with their bodies and with the carcasses of horses. They were exposed to an oblique fire from the batteries on the hills on both sides, as well as to a direct fire of musketry. Through the clouds of smoke we could see their sabres flashing as they rode up to the guns and dashed between them, cutting down the gunners as they stood. We saw them riding through the guns, as I have said; to our delight we saw them returning, after breaking through a column of Russian infantry, and scattering them like chaff, when the flank fire of the battery on the hill swept them down, scattered and broken as they were. Wounded men and dismounted troopers flying towards us told the sad tale—demi-gods could not have done what we had failed to do. At the very moment when they were about to retreat an enormous mass of Lancers was hurled on their flank. Colonel Shewell, of the 8th Hussars, saw the danger, and rode his few men straight at them, cutting his way through with fearful loss. The other regiments turned and engaged in a desperate encounter. With courage too great almost for credence, they were breaking their way through the columns which enveloped them, when there took place an act of atrocity without parallel in the modern warfare of civilized nations. The Russian gunners, when the storm of cavalry passed, returned to their guns. They saw their own cavalry mingled with the troopers who had just ridden over them, and, to the eternal disgrace of the Russian name, the miscreants poured a murderous volley of grape and canister on the mass of struggling men and horses, mingling friend and foe in one common ruin. It was as much as our Heavy Cavalry brigade could do to cover the retreat of the miserable remnants of that band of heroes as they returned to the place they had so lately quitted in all the pride of life. At thirty-five minutes past eleven not a British soldier, except the dead and dying, was left in front of these bloody Muscovite guns.

Captain Nolan was killed by the first shot fired, as he rode in advance of the Hussars, cheering them on. Lord Lucan was slightly wounded. Lord Cardigan received a lance thrust through his clothes. Major Halkett, of the 4th Light Dragoons, was killed. Lord Fitzgibbon of the 8th Hussars, was desperately wounded, and has since, I fear, died.

In our cavalry fight we had 13 officers killed or missing, 156 men killed or missing: total 169; 21 officers wounded, 197 men wounded; total 218. Total killed, wounded, and missing, 387. Horses killed or missing, 394; horses wounded 126; total 520.

BALKAN, PASSAGE OF THE.—This adventurous experiment was deemed impracticable by a hostile army, until effected by the Russian army under Diebitsch, whose march through the Balkan mountains is a memorable achievement of the late great Russian and Turkish war. The passage was completed July 26th, 1829. An armistice was the consequence; and a treaty of peace was signed at Adrianople in September following.

BALLINAHINCH, BATTLE OF.—This sanguinary engagement was fought, June 13th, 1798, between the Earl of Moira, afterwards Marquis of Hastings, and a large body of insurgent Irish. In this battle a large part of the town was destroyed and the royal army suffered very severely.

BALTIC EXPEDITIONS.—There were three—1st, under Lord Nelson and Admiral Patton, April 2nd, 1801, when Copenhagen was bombarded and 28 Danish ships taken or destroyed. 2nd, under Admiral Gambier and Lord Cathcart, July 27th, 1807, where 18 sail of the line, 15 frigates, and 31 brigs and gunboats surrendered to the British. 3rd, during the Crimean war, under Admiral Sir Charles Napier, accompanied by a French fleet, the bombardment of Bummersund and burning Abo were some of the more important actions of the expedition.

BALTIMORE, BATTLE OF.—Fought September 12th, 1814, between the British army, under General Ross, and the Americans; the British in making an attack upon the town were unsuccessful, and after a desperate engagement were repulsed with great loss. The gallant General who led the enterprise was killed.

BANGALORE, SIEGE OF.—This siege was commenced by the British, under Lord Cornwallis, March 6th, and the town was taken March 21st, 1791. Bangalore was restored to Tippoo, in 1792, when he destroyed the strong fort, deemed the “Bulwark of Mysore.”

BANNOCKBURN, BATTLE OF.—This battle is called the “Marathon of Scotland.” It was fought June 25th, 1314, between King Robert Bruce of Scotland and Edward II, of England. The army of Bruce consisted of 30,000 Scots, that of Edward consisted of 100,000 English, of whom 52,000 were archers. The English crossed a rivulet to the attack, and Bruce having dug deep pits, which he afterwards covered, the English cavalry fell into them and were thrown into confusion. The rout was complete—the king narrowly escaped being taken, and 50,000 English were killed or taken prisoners.

BANTRY BAY.—A French fleet, with succors to the adherents of James II, was in this bay attacked by Admiral Herbert, May, 1689. Here a French squadron anchored for a few days, in December, 1796. The mutiny of Bantry Bay is famous in naval history—17 of the mutineers were condemned to death, and 11 executed afterwards at Portsmouth, January, 1802.

BAREILLY.—India.—This place is famous in the great Indian Mutiny.—The following is a description of the attack on the British troops, by a body of Ghazees, or Fanatics, May 5th, 1859, from Dr. Russell’s correspondence.

“As soon as the Sikhs got into the houses, they were exposed to a heavy fire from a large body of matchlockmen concealed around them. They either retired of their own accord, or were ordered to do so; at all events, they fell back with rapidity and disorder upon the advancing Highlanders. And now occurred a most extraordinary scene. Among the matchlockmen, who, to the number of seven or eight hundred, were lying behind the walls of the houses, was a body of Ghazees, or Mussulman fanatics, who, like the Roman Decii, devote their lives with solemn oaths to their country or their faith. Uttering loud cries, ‘Bismillah, Allah, deen, deen!’ one hundred and thirty of these fanatics, sword in hand, with small circular bucklers on the left arm, and green cummerbungs, rushed out after the Sikhs, and dashed at the left of the right wing of the Highlanders. With bodies bent and heads low, waving their tulwars with a circular motion in the air, they came on with astonishing rapidity. At first they were mistaken for Sikhs, whose passage had already somewhat disordered our ranks. Fortunately Sir Colin Campbell was close up with the 42nd; his keen, quick eye detected the case at once. “Steady, men, steady; close up the ranks. Bayonet them as they come on.” It was just in time; for these madmen, furious with bang, were already among us, and a body of them sweeping around the left of the right wing, got into the rear of the regiment. The struggle was short, but sanguinary. Three of them dashed so suddenly at Colonel Cameron, that they pulled him off his horse ere he could defend himself. His sword fell out of its sheath, and he would have been hacked to pieces in another moment, but for the gallant promptitude of Colour Sergeant Gardiner, who, stepping out of the ranks, drove his bayonet through two of them in the twinkling of an eye. The third was shot by one of the 42nd. Brigadier Walpole had a similar escape; he was seized by two or three of the Ghazees, who sought to pull him off his horse, while others cut at him with their tulwars. He received two cuts on the hand, but he was delivered from the enemy by the quick bayonets of the 42nd. In a few minutes the dead bodies of one hundred and thirty-three of these Ghazees, and some eighteen or twenty wounded men of ours, were all the tokens left of the struggle.”

BARNET, BATTLE OF.—This battle was fought between the houses of York and Lancaster, when Edward IV gained a decisive and memorable victory over the Earl of Warwick, on Easter day, April 14th, 1471. The Earl of Warwick, who has been styled in history “The King Maker,” his brother, the Marquess of Montacute, and 10,000 of his army were slain. At the moment Warwick fell, he was leading a chosen body of troops into the thickest of the slaughter, and his body was found covered with wounds after the battle.

BARRACKS.—This word is not found in our early dictionaries. In the Dictionaire de l’Académie, it is thus defined, “Baraque—Hutte que font les soldats en campagne pour se mettre à couvert.”

BARROSA OR BAROSSA, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the British army, commanded by Major General Graham, afterwards Lord Lynedoch, and the French, under Marshal Victor. After a long conflict, the British achieved one of the most glorious triumphs of the Peninsular war. Although they fought to great disadvantage, they compelled the enemy to retreat, leaving nearly 3000 dead, 6 pieces of cannon and an eagle, the first that the British had taken. The loss of the British was 1169 men in killed and wounded.

BASQUE ROADS.—This was the place of a heroic achievement by the British. Four French ships of the line were, while riding at anchor, attacked by Lord Gambier and Lord Cochrane, and all, with a number of merchant ships, destroyed, April 12th, 1809.

BATAVIA.—Capital of Java.—Fortified by the Dutch in 1618—12,000 Chinese massacred here in one day, 1740.—Taken by the English January, 1782.—Again by the British under General Sir S. Auchmuty, August 8th, 1811.

BATTERIES.—Introduced, after the use of cannon, by the English along the coasts. Perhaps the most celebrated batteries on record are those of the French at the siege of Gibraltar, September, 1782.

BATTERING-RAM.—This was the instrument by which the ancient Romans levelled the walls of cities. It consisted of a long beam with a head of iron, like that of a ram, hence the name, and sometimes it was so ponderous that 150 or 200 men at once worked it.

BATTLE-AXE.—A weapon of the Celtae.—The battle-axe guards, or beaufetiers, who are vulgarly called beef-eaters, and whose arms are a sword and lance, were first raised by Henry VII, in 1482.

BATTLEFIELD, BATTLE OF.—Near Shrewsbury, England.—This engagement was fought between Henry IV and Percy, surnamed Hotspur. The victory was gained by Henry, whose usurpation of the throne had laid the foundation of the factions of the houses of York and Lancaster, and the civil wars that ensued. It was fought July 21st, 1403.

BAUTZEN, BATTLE OF.—Between the allied army, under the Sovereigns of Russia and Prussia, and the French, commanded by Napoleon; the allies were defeated, and this battle, followed by that of Wurtzchen, compelled them to pass the Oder, and led to armistice, which, however, did not produce peace. Fought May 20th, 1813.

BAYLEN, BATTLE OF.—The French, consisting of 14,000 men, commanded by Generals Dupont and Wedel, were defeated by the Spaniards under Pena, Compigny and other Generals, whose forces amounted to 25,000. The French had nearly 3000 killed and wounded, and the division of Dupont, which consisted of about 8000 men, was made prisoners of war. Fought July 19th, 1808.

BAYONNE.—In the neighbourhood of this town there was much desperate fighting between the French and English armies, December 10th, 11th, and 13th, 1813. Bayonne was invested by the British, January 14th, 1814, during which the French made a sally and attacked the English with success, but were at length driven back. The loss of the British was considerable, and Lieut.-General Sir John Hope was wounded and taken prisoner. It was here that the bayonet was first made, in or about A.D. 1670. According to the Abbé Langlet, it was first used by the French in battle, 1693, “with great success against an enemy unprepared for the encounter with so formidable a novelty.” Adopted by the British, September 26th, 1693.

BEACHY HEAD, ENGAGEMENT OF.—Memorable for the defeat of the British and Dutch combined fleet, by the French. The British, whose ships were commanded by the Earl of Torrington, suffered very severely in the unequal contest, June 30th, 1690. The Dutch lost two Admirals and 500 men, the English two ships and 400 men. Several of the Dutch ships were sunk to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy. The Admirals on both sides were blamed; on the English side for not fighting, on the French, for not pursuing the victory.

BEAGUE, BATTLE OF.—In Anjou, France.—Fought April 3rd, 1421, between the English and French.—The former commanded by the Duke of Clarence, the latter by the Dauphin of France, who was aided by a body of 7000 Scots, under the Earl of Buchan. The English were defeated with the loss of 1500 men killed, and the Duke himself was killed by a Scotch Knight.

BELGRADE, BATTLE OF.—Fought in 1456, between the German and Turkish armies, in which the latter was defeated with the loss of 40,000 men. Belgrade was taken by Solyman, 1522, and retaken by the Imperialists in 1688, from whom it again reverted to the Turks in 1690. Again taken by Prince Eugene, in 1717, and kept till 1739, when it was ceded to the Turks, after its fine fortifications had been demolished. It was again taken in 1789, and restored at the peace of Reichenbach, 1790. The Servian insurgents had possession of it in 1806. The most memorable siege which it sustained was undertaken in May, 1717, by Prince Eugene. On August 5th of that year, the Turkish army, 200,000 strong, approached to relieve it, and a sanguinary battle was fought, in which the Turks lost 20,000; after the battle Belgrade surrendered. This city is called “The Key of Eastern Christendom,” and “The Bulwark of Christian Europe.”

BELLAIR, BATTLE OF.—In America.—This town was attacked by the British forces, under command of Sir Peter Parker; but after an obstinate engagement, in which the result was a long time doubtful, they were repulsed with considerable loss, and their gallant commander was killed. August 30th, 1814.

BENDER.—Is memorable as the asylum of Charles XII of Sweden, after his defeat at Pultowa, by the Czar Peter the Great, July 8th, 1709. The celebrated peace of Bender was concluded 1711. It was taken by storm by the Russians in 1770, and again in 1789.—Restored by the peace of Jassey, but retained at the peace of 1812.

BERESINA, BATTLE OF.—Fought November 28th, 1812, and resulted in the total defeat of the French main army, by the Russians, on the banks of the Beresina, followed by their disastrous passage of it when escaping out of Russia. The French lost upwards of 20,000 men in this battle, and in their retreat, which was attended by the greatest difficulty, calamity and suffering, the career of their glory was closed in that campaign.

BERGEN, BATTLES OF.—Between the French and allies; the latter defeated April 14th, 1759. The allies again defeated by the French, with great loss, September, 1799. In another battle, fought October 2nd, same year, the allies lost 4000 men, and on the 6th, they were again defeated before Alkmaer, losing 5000 men. On the 20th, the Duke of York entered into a convention, by which he exchanged his army for 6,000 French and Dutch prisoners in England.

BERGEN-OP-ZOOM.—This place, the works of which were deemed impregnable, was taken by the French, September 10th, 1747, and again in 1794. Here a gallant attempt was made by the British under General Sir T. Graham (afterwards Lord Lynedoch) to carry the fortress by storm, but it was defeated. After forcing an entrance, their retreat was cut off, and a dreadful slaughter ensued; nearly all were cut to pieces or made prisoners. March 8th, 1814.

BERLIN DEGREE.—A memorable interdict against the commerce of England. It declared the British Isles in a state of blockade, and all Englishmen found in countries occupied by French troops were to be taken prisoners of war. It was issued by Napoleon from the court of the Prussian King, shortly after the battle of Jena, November 21st, 1806.

BERWICK.—Many bloody contests, were fought here between the English and Scots. It surrendered to Cromwell in 1648, and afterwards to General Monk.

BEYROOT.—This place is celebrated for the total defeat of the Egyptian army, by the allied English, Austrian and Turkish forces. The Egyptians lost 7000 in killed, wounded and prisoners, and 20 cannons. Fought October 10th, 1840.

BHURTPORE.—India.—Besieged by the British, January 3rd, 1805, and attacked five times up to March 21st, without success. The fortress was taken by General Lake, after a desperate engagement with Holkar, April 2nd, 1805. The defeat of Holkar led to a treaty by which the Rajah of Bhurtpore agreed to pay twenty lacs of rupees, and ceded the territories that had been granted to him by a former treaty, delivering up his son as a hostage, April 10th, 1805. This city was taken by storm, by Lord Combermere, January 18th, 1826.

BIDASSOA, PASSAGE OF THE.—The allied army, under Lord Wellington, effected the passage of this river, October 7th, 1813; and the illustrious British chieftain, having thus completed his glorious career in Spain and Portugal, pursued the enemy into France.

BILBOA, BATTLE OF.—This place, which had been invested by the Carlists under Villareal, and was in considerable danger, was delivered by the defeat of the besiegers by Espartero, assisted by British naval co-operation. Espartero entered Bilboa in triumph next day, Christmas day, December 25th, 1836.

BLACK HOLE OF CALCUTTA.—Surajah Doulah declared war against the English, from motives of personal resentment; and, levying a numerous army, laid siege to Calcutta—one of the principal British forts in India—but which was not in a state of strength to defend itself against the attack even of barbarians. The fort was taken, having been deserted by the commander; and the garrison, to the number of 146 persons, were made prisoners.

They expected the usual treatment of prisoners of war, and were therefore the less vigorous in their defence; but they soon found what mercy was to be expected from a savage conqueror. They were all crowded together into a narrow prison, called the Black Hole, of about 18 feet square, and received air only by two small windows to the west, which by no means afforded a sufficient circulation. It is terrible to reflect on the situation of these unfortunate men, shut up in this narrow place, in the burning climate of the East, and suffocating each other. Their first efforts, upon perceiving the effects of their horrid confinement, were to break open the door of the prison; but, as it opened inwards, they soon found that impossible. They next endeavoured to excite the compassion or the avarice of the guard by offering him a large sum of money for his assistance in removing them into separate prisons; but with this he was not able to comply, as the viceroy was asleep, and no person dared to disturb him. They were now, therefore, left to die without hopes of relief; and the whole prison was filled with groans, shrieks, contest, and despair. This turbulence, however, soon after sunk into a calm still more hideous! Their efforts of strength and courage were over, and an expiring languor succeeded. In the morning, June 20th, 1750, when the keepers came to visit the prison, all was horror, silence, and desolation. Of 146 who had entered alive, 23 only survived, and of these the greatest part died of putrid fevers upon being set free.

BLENHEIM, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the English and confederates, commanded by the Duke of Marlborough, and the French and Bavarians, under Marshal Tallard and the Elector of Bavaria, whom the Duke totally defeated, with the loss of 27,000 men, in killed, and 13,000 prisoners—Tallard being among the number of the latter; the Electorate of Bavaria became a prize of the conquerors. The nation testified its gratitude to the Duke of Marlborough by the gifts of the honour of Woodstock and hundred of Wotton, and erected for him one of the finest seats in the kingdom, known as the domain and house of Blenheim. This great battle was fought on the 2nd of August, 1704.

BOIS-LE-DUC, BATTLE OF.—Between the British and the French Republican army, in which the former were defeated, September 14th, 1794. Captured by the French, October 6th, following, and surrendered to the Prussian army under Bulow, 1814.

BOLOGNA.—Taken by the French in 1796; by the Austrians in 1799; again by the French, after Marengo, in 1800; and restored to the Pope, in 1815.

BOMBS.—Invented at Venlo in 1495; came into general use in 1634. The Shrapnel shell is a bomb filled with balls and a lighted fuse to make it explode before it reaches the enemy. A thirteen inch bomb-shell weighs 198 lbs.

BOMBARDMENT OF SEBASTOPOL.—First Attempt.—“At half-past six o’clock, on the morning of 17th October, a gun from the English batteries boomed ominously upon the ears of the Russians in Sebastopol. It was the signal for the commencement of the bombardment. It had been announced, on the previous evening, that the morrow was to initiate the combat; and already groups of expectant gazers thronged every spot which promised to afford a view of the warlike spectacle. For a moment after the signal-gun had despatched its messenger of death, a breathless expectation held the spectators in suspense; and then, from the whole line of attack, from the Quarantine on the far left to the Inkerman battery on the extreme right, a sheet of fire belched forth, and a volley of shot and shell was hurled upon the town. By this time the Russian gunners were at their post, and bravely responded to the challenge. As far as the eye could reach, a dense volume of smoke hung suspended in the air; and when it lifted, another and yet another streak of flame poured from the black earthworks, and lit up the white churches and houses of the town. The earth literally shook with the concussion of the mighty conflict. Distinct amid the roar, a sharp whizzing sound, swelling as it approached into a crashing rush, like a railway train at inexpressible speed, was heard, and a heavy blow upon the solid earthworks told where had fallen the ball of the renowned Lancaster gun. In a couple of hours it was evident that the Round Tower, the most formidable of the Russian works, was seriously damaged. But little impression, however, appeared to have been made on the mass of the enemy’s works. Their fire was splendid, and it was abundantly apparent that the victory was not to be easily achieved. About ten o’clock, a shell fell into one of the French magazines, which exploded, killing and injuring more than fifty men. This was a serious blow; and from that time the guns of our allies were evidently feebly served, and inadequate to bear their part effectually. For two hours more the terrific cannonade continued, spreading destruction in the ranks alike of the Russians and the Allies; and then, at mid-day, the fleets approached the scene of action, and prepared to take their share in the dangers and glories of the day. The French was the first to take up their position. It had been arranged between the Admirals, with the hearty concurrence of the land forces, that the French should engage the forts on the south of the harbour, while the English should attack Fort Constantine, and the batteries on the north. A semicircular line, enclosing the mouth of the harbour, would represent the position occupied by the allied fleets. The Vautour, a French frigate, had the honour of opening the fire, and very shortly afterwards the Charlemagne, Montebello, Jean Bart, and others, joined in the fray. The sight from the land side now was of the most stupendous character, and the roar deafening and incessant. Enormous volleys from hundreds of guns of the largest size rolled with never-ceasing impetuosity; and the air was loaded with a dense smoke that hid from the anxious gazers the effects of the fire. Occasionally a breeze lifted the murky canopy, and then the eye could catch the prospect beyond the frowning earthworks of shattered buildings, and not unfrequently a bright flame where the explosion of a shell had fired a roof, soon to be extinguished by the active enemy. Then, in the far distance, rose the grim outlines of the massive forts, pointing seawards their deadly array of guns; and further yet, a line of noble vessels rapidly forming into order of attack, finished the picture. But such glimpses were but momentary. Again the crimson volleys thundered forth, a light smoke poured from the sides of the French steamers, and the reply of the forts sent forth a vaporous veil, which, mingling with the smoke from the earthworks, once more enveloped in obscurity alike the attack and the defence.

It was arranged that the English sailing-vessels should be taken into position by the smaller steamers lashed to their sides. In this manner they drew up before the forts: the Queen, Britannia, Trafalgar, Vengeance, Rodney, and Bellerophon, with the Vesuvius, Furious, Retribution, Highflyer, Spitfire, Spiteful, and Cyclops alongside, arrived at their appointed positions about an hour after the French had commenced firing. The ships in advance were the magnificent steamer the Agamemnon, bearing the flag of Sir Edmund Lyons, the brave second in command; the Sanspareil, Sampson, Tribune, Terrible, Sphynx, and Lynx, and the Arrow gun-boat, accompanied by the sailing vessels, Albion, London, and Arethusa, towed by the Firebrand, Niger, and Triton.

Preceding this imposing force, a little steam-tug, the Circassia, commanded by Mr. Ball, led the way, carefully sounding as it went, and marking out the position for the larger ships. Sir Edmund Lyons had already settled the share he was determined to take in the day’s adventure, and had selected the enormous fort of Constantine as the object of his special attention. The Terrible and Sampson, dashing through the storm of fire from the casemates of Constantine, anchored opposite two very mischievous little batteries, one of which the sailors named the Wasp, from its power of annoyance in comparison with its size, and the other the Telegraph, from its proximity to the signal station. In a few moments a vigorous shelling was opened upon these two batteries, which briskly replied. The Agamemnon now opened fire, and never was a cannonade more briskly sustained, or exhibited greater precision of fire. Sir Edmund had anchored his vessel at the very edge of the shoal, which extended about 900 yards from the fort. At this distance the Russian fire was most severe. For four hours the gallant crew bore the galling shower of missiles which cut through the rigging, pierced the hull, and sent many a brave fellow to his last account. The Albion and London boldly came within range, but so deadly was the fire, that they soon withdrew, terribly crippled. The Sanspareil admirably seconded the efforts of the Agamemnon, and maintained a telling fire upon the fort. At length that too withdrew, and the dauntless Sir Edmund was left to bear the brunt of the concentrated fire of the Russian guns. His ship was riddled with shot, the sails and rigging hanging in shreds, yet, with a bull-dog pertinacity, he clung to his opponent. Despatching his lieutenant in an open boat, he summoned the Bellerophon to his aid. His message was characteristically pithy: “Tell them to come in; these forts will sink me, and I’m d——d if I leave this.” The Bellerophon quickly responded; and throwing a volley into the big fort, passed on to where the Wasp and Telegraph forts were showering their missiles on the gallant Agamemnon. The Wasp was soon silenced by the vigorous shelling of the Bellerophon; and Sir Edmund, freed from the annoyance it had caused, with unabated courage hurled his fire at his huge antagonist. The Bellerophon, however, suffered fearfully. A shell from the Russian batteries exploded in the fore part of the ship, and set fire to the lower deck. For a few moments it seemed as if unavoidable destruction was the fate of the gallant crew. The firing was suspended, and all hands rushed forward to endeavour to extinguish the flames. In this endeavour they were successful; but then a new mischance awaited them. The anchor had dragged on the bottom, and they were fast drifting towards the shoals beneath the forts, where they would have lain a helpless target for the Russian guns. In this emergency, the Spitfire, seeing the critical position of the larger vessel, dashed in, took her in tow, and safely brought her, though much damaged, out of the action.

The “saucy Arethusa,” and her little companion in arms, the Triton steamer, which, lashed to the larger vessel, had boldly entered into the thick of the fight, bore a full share of the damage done that day. As they arrived within the range of the fire, the small steamer, which was then exposed, received a volley. Then, hauling round, the broadside of the frigate was presented to the forts, and the Triton was, to some degree, sheltered by the larger hull of her consort. The sailors from the steamer hastened on board the Arethusa, to assist in manning her guns, and a glorious broadside was hurled at the Russian fort. Every shot vibrated through the Triton, so great was the recoil of the frigate’s guns. Broadside after broadside was gallantly delivered, and as promptly replied to by the cannon of the fort. Down went the rigging of the Arethusa, ropes hanging in tangled masses from her yards, and not unfrequent shots striking her hull. Some passed beyond the frigate, and soon the Triton’s gear aloft, and fallen gaffs, stays, and shrouds attested the severity of the enemy’s fire. Two shots struck the paddle-wheel, and the commander and carpenter’s mate were wounded by a shell while examining the extent of damage done. At length the Arethusa, nearly sinking, her decks covered with fallen rigging, her cockpit crowded with bleeding men, was compelled to relinquish the contest. The Triton gallantly towed her out of range, but in the act, a raking fire of shells was poured upon the deck, killing and wounding all within range of their explosion. With twenty-two holes in her funnel, she contrived to tow the frigate to Constantinople, to be docked for repairs, so extensive were her injuries.

The Labrador steamer had a narrow escape from entire destruction. Towards four o’clock a shell burst in the captain’s cabin, adjoining the powder magazine, and set fire to some ropes. A cry of “fire” was raised, the pumps set to work, and enormous quantities of water poured into the magazine. The fire was fortunately extinguished in time to save the vessel. She was, of course, compelled to withdraw from the attack, her powder being rendered useless.

Admiral Dundas’s flag-ship, the Britannia, which fired from a longer range than the ones we have mentioned, received less damage, though she did not escape quite scatheless. The enemy’s shot ploughed up the water around, and occasionally a shell or round-shot fell upon the deck or crashed through the rigging. Fortunately, however, only two men were wounded on board this ship.

The French vessels gallantly performed their part in the bombardment. Our allies had adopted the same plan as the English, and lashed small steamers to the large sailing-vessels to bring them into action. Two splendid steamers, the Pluton and the Charlemagne, proudly led the way in, followed by the Montebello, the Jean Bart, and the rest of the squadron. The enemy at Fort Alexander maintained an unflinching resistance, and inflicted severe punishment on the attacking vessels.

Those who witnessed this tremendous bombardment, whether from land or sea, will probably never forget the spectacle. No imaginative description could approach the mingled sublimity and horror of the scene. A fleet of noble vessels, powerfully armed, poured forth sheets of flame from every port-hole on the attacking side; and the ponderous forts, from hundreds of embrasures, vomited a death-dealing reply. The thunder of artillery was deafening, and the sky darkened with the smoke. Thousands of grim and fierce-looking men, their faces blackened with gunpowder and sweat, moved about the decks, and pointed the guns, amid the crash of falling spars and the groans of their wounded messmates. Beyond the town, a sullen roar was heard, which might have been the echo of the sea-battle, but which the sailors well knew was the voice of the guns on land, many manned by seamen from the fleets, and responded to by a thousand of the enemy’s pieces. The awful boom of the guns grew in intensity as some fresh ship arrived on the scene, and contributed her broadside to the attack.

On the land side the combat was an equal one. Volley replied to volley, and no symptoms appeared to induce the belief that either party was the stronger. Suddenly, about four o’clock, a mighty explosion occurred in the Russian lines, which, for a moment, seemed to quell and subdue the roar of the thundering cannon. The earth shook, and volumes of fire sprang upwards and cast a lurid glare on every object. The very artillery was paused, awe-struck by the catastrophe; and the spectators watched the result in breathless excitement. It seemed as if a subterranean fire had forced its way through the surface of the earth to annihilate the presumption of competing man. Then the flame sank, the frightful shock was passed, and a pillar of dust and rubbish took the place of the mingled fire and smoke. The magazine in the centre of the Redan had exploded, and for a brief space not a gun from that great work replied to our volleys. Then the fire re-opened, and the Russian gunners, nothing daunted, again hurled their shower of missiles against our works. Shortly afterwards, a small powder-waggon, belonging to the English, was struck by a shell and exploded, fortunately injuring none.

At length twilight warned the combatants to cease. At about six o’clock the fleets drew off, and shortly afterwards the batteries suspended their fire. The naval attack, so far as damage to the enemy was concerned, was a failure. Many Russian artillerymen were, doubtless, victims to the accuracy of our aim, and the undaunted pertinacity of our seamen. Nothing, indeed, could exceed the brilliancy of the fire; and our gallant sailors of all ranks nobly maintained their reputation. But when the morrow came, the forts were found to be almost uninjured. Not a gun the less frowned from their embrasures, not a stone seemed to be displaced. The blackened mouths of the casemates, and a multitude of scars, as it were, where the fierce storm of iron had splintered the surface of the granite, were all the evidence afforded of that desperate assault. The question between wood and granite had been fairly tried, and granite was the victor. The forts were essentially unhurt; but scarcely a ship had escaped without serious damage to masts, sails, and rigging. The Albion and Arethusa were compelled to proceed to Constantinople to be docked; the Rodney got fast upon the reef, and her masts were soon shattered by the Russian shell and shot—the little steamer Spiteful gallantly towing her off, with considerable damage to herself and loss of men; and the Bellerophon had about fifteen shots in her hull, and her wheel knocked away. Throughout the English fleet, 44 men were killed, and 266 wounded. The French loss was even greater. The Turkish vessels, which occupied the centre of the line, were too far removed from the intensity of the action to sustain any serious injury to the ships or loss to the crew.”

BOMBARDMENT OF SEBASTOPOL.—Final Attempt.—“Generals Pelissier and Simpson had arranged to commence the assault at noon on Saturday. Thu French were to commence by an attack on the Malakoff tower. If they established themselves in that work, the English were to throw themselves upon the Great Redan, while simultaneous assaults were to be made on the right on the Little Redan, towards Careening Bay, and on the extreme left on the Central Bastion and Flagstaff Battery. General Bosquet was entrusted with the direction of the Malakoff attack, which was to be approached on the left flank by General MacMahon, with a powerful corps of Zouaves, Chasseurs, and regiments of the line; the right attack on the Little Redan was to be led by General Dulac, who had a strong body of Chasseurs, and four line regiments, with another powerful force in reserve. General De la Motterouge, with five regiments, was to assault the middle of the curtain connecting these two works. General De la Salles conducted the assault on the extreme left. Five regiments, composing Levaillant’s division, were in front of the Central Bastion and its lunettes; while to its right, General D’Autemarre, with Niel’s and Breton’s brigades, were to penetrate in the track of Levaillant’s division, and seize the Mast Bastion. The Sardinians, anxious to share in the honors of the day, contributed a brigade under the orders of General Cialdini, which was to attack in conjunction with D’Autemare’s division. Finally, ten regiments, under the command of Generals Bouat and Pate, with some troops from Kamiesch, were held in reserve, ready for immediate action. On each attack a competent number of sappers were provided with materials to form bridges, and handy tools; and the gunners had abundant implements for the spiking of guns; field artillery was also posted in commanding positions to render any assistance the fortunes of the day might render necessary.

The English storming party was comprised of detachments from the Light and Second Divisions. General Codrington, of the Light Division, assisted by General Markham, commanding the Second, had the direction of the assault. The first stormers, 1000 men, were selected in equal numbers from each division, Colonels Unett and Windham leading. The Highland brigade and Guards were ordered up to the post as a reserve. General Herbillon, commanding the French corps d’armée on the Tchernaya, had made every preparation to meet any attack which might be made by the Russian army of observation; but the enemy had experienced the prowess of the Allies in the open field too bitterly again to attempt defeat.

Early in the morning, squadrons of cavalry took position on the roads leading from Balaklava and Kadikoi to the camp, to prevent, stragglers and spectators from crowding to the front, and impeding the movements of the troops engaged in the assault. Every precaution, too, was observed to prevent the enemy from having any intimation of the movements of the soldiers. Parapets were heightened, and the regiments, French and English, moved up before daylight, with such promptness and secrecy that many even in the camp were unaware of the nature of the contemplated operations.

The plan of attack had originally included the co-operation of the fleet, but a brisk gale from the north-west forbade them to leave their anchorage; and except some French and English gunboats, which did good service in throwing shells and rockets into the forts, the sailors were unwillingly mere spectators of the fray.

Precisely at twelve o’clock General MacMahon’s division left the French trenches, which were within a few yards of the Malakoff tower, and advanced rapidly up the rugged and steep ascent. It proved that very great damage had been inflicted on the tower, and nearly all the guns dismounted. In a few minutes, with the loss of only one man, the French had leaped into the work, and the tricolor waved triumphantly on the summit of this great fort—the key to the town. The Russians contested their ground with great bravery, renewing again and again their attacks, but every time repulsed with enormous loss. General Bosquet was early wounded, and retired from the field.

The signal was now given by General Pelissier for the commencement of the English assault on the Redan; and the first stormers, led by Major Welsford of the 97th, and Captain Grove of the 90th, dashed from the trenches, followed by the remainder of the troops. The great work was distant about 250 yards, and the ground was so broken that it was impossible to preserve order. The enemy, who had been taken by surprise by the suddenness of the French attack upon the Malakoff, were now thoroughly aroused and manned every gun. Showers of grape and shell poured among our men as they struggled across the open space; General Shirley, the brigadier of the Light Division, was compelled to retire, and hundreds were shot down. When the foremost men reached the Redan, the ladders were too short to reach the breach; but spite of every obstacle our brave fellows climbed the broken walls, and poured into the salient angle of the work. Major Welsford was shot down as he entered the Redan. Colonel Windham, with his brigade of the Second Division, followed quickly after, and in a few moments the triangular apex of the work was thronged with men. Then a now obstacle presented itself. An inner work commanded the position, and a terrible array of embrasures frowned upon the assailers. For the first time English troops quailed before an enemy’s fire, and notwithstanding the daring courage of Colonel Windham and the other officers, retreated to such cover as they could obtain, maintaining an ineffective fire from their muskets. In vain Colonel Windham hurried from side to side, crossing with amazing courage the line of fire, and endeavored to form his men for another assault. The few who answered his appeal were swept away by the terrible fire of the enemy. For nearly two hours was the little band exposed to such a fearful risk; and from some unaccountable remissness no reinforcements were sent. Three messengers were sent by Colonel Windham, but all were wounded in the attempt to reach General Codrington. At length the dauntless Colonel resolved to go himself; and passing across the open space, succeeded in obtaining the desired help. It was too late; the men inside the work, unable longer to hold their position, were in full retreat; and the Russians, pouring out of their cover, charged them with the bayonet, till the ditch was filled with the bodies of the English soldiers.

While the English attack was thus disastrous, the French assaults on the Little Redan and the Central Bastions were equally unsuccessful. The division of Dulac and De la Motterouge three times carried the works to which they were exposed, only to be repulsed by the heavy fire of the inner defences, and of the steamers, which ran up, and poured their broadsides into the ranks. General De la Salles, on the extreme left, attacked with great energy the Central Bastion; but the intense fire to which his division was exposed, daunted his men, many of whom were fresh troops, unused to the stern realities of battle; and after a sanguinary struggle, he was forced to abandon the attempt. General Pelissier having obtained possession of the Malakoff, suspended farther attacks; and, at length, night closed in, leaving the armies in anxious expectation of the events of the morrow.

It was the intention of General Simpson to renew the assault on the Redan with the Highlanders and Guards on the next morning. When daylight broke, a few soldiers crept forward to seek for wounded comrades, and found the work was deserted! In a brief space, flames arose from every quarter of the town; and long lines of troops could be seen passing to the north forts. Then tremendous explosions rent the air—the great forts on the south side were exploded; and, covered by a conflagration which effectually prevented pursuit, Prince Gortschakoff evacuated the town. A few hours later, and the ships in the harbor—the steamers excepted (and a few days afterwards they, too, shared the same fate)—burst into flames, or were scuttled, and sank slowly beneath the waters of the once crowded inlet of the sea, where had ridden the fleet with which Russia hoped to rule the Euxine, and from which had darted forth the murderers of Sinopé.

In this final assault the English lost no fewer than 29 officers and 356 men killed, and 124 officers and 1762 men wounded; 1 officer and 175 men were missing; total of casualties, 2447. The French suffered a loss of 5 generals killed, 4 wounded, and 6 hurt; 24 superior officers killed, 20 wounded, and 2 missing; 116 subaltern officers killed, 224 wounded, and 8 missing; 1489 sub-officers and soldiers killed, 4259 wounded, and 1400 missing; total, 7551. The Russians admit a loss on the last day of the assault of 2684 killed, 7263 wounded, and 1754 missing. Between the battle of the Tehernaya and the opening of the final bombardment, they lost 18,000 men.

Thus did Sebastopol fall! The strongest fortress in the world, garrisoned by the most colossal military power, after a siege unexampled in modern history had succumbed to the efforts of the armies of the Western Powers. Three great battles had been fought beneath its walls, and four bombardments of hitherto unknown fierceness had been directed against its bastions. The siege occupied very nearly twelve months; and more than 100,000 men must have perished by wounds and disease in and before its walls.

The besieging army had, in its different attacks, about 800 guns mounted, which fired more than 1,600,000 rounds, and the approaches, dug during 336 days, of open trenches through a rocky ground, to an extent of fifty-four English miles, were made under the constant fire of the place, and with incessant combats by day and night. During the siege we employed no less than 80,000 gabions, 60,000 fascines, and nearly 1,000,000 earth bags.

To the French unquestionably is due the honor of its capture; but who can forget the courage which the English exhibited, the fortitude they displayed, or the sufferings they endured? The first victories of that eventful year are claimed by British valour, and if, at the last, they failed, let us remember there are some tasks no ability can execute, some difficulties no skill can surmount, and some opposition no valour can subdue.”

BORODINO, OR MOSKWA, BATTLE OF.—This battle is one of the most sanguinary in the annals of the world. It was fought September 7th, 1812, between the French and Russians, commanded on the one side by Napoleon and on the other by Kutusoff, 240,000 men being engaged in the battle. Each party claimed the victory, because the loss of the others was so immense, but it was rather in favour of Napoleon, for the Russians subsequently retreated, leaving Moscow to its fate. Among the principal persons of the Russians who fell on this sanguinary field, may be mentioned Prince Bagration and General Touczkoff. Many Russian generals were wounded. Their loss amounted to the awful sum total of 15,000 men killed and more than 30,000 wounded. The French were supposed to have at least 10,000 men killed and 20,000 wounded; of these last few recovered. There were 8 French generals slain, the most distinguished of whom were Montbrun and Caulaimcourt, whose brother was the grand equerry to Napoleon Bonaparte.

BOROUGH BRIDGE, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the Earls of Hertford and Lancaster and Edward II. The king, at the head of 30,000 men, pressed Lancaster so closely that he was taken, and executed, 1322.

BOSCOBEL.—Here Charles II concealed himself in an oak tree after the fatal battle of Worcester, September 3rd, 1651. The whole army of the Prince was either killed or taken prisoners by Cromwell, and Charles ultimately escaped with great difficulty.

BOSTON.—Here the first resistance was made to the British authority by the American Colonies, in 1773. Besieged by the British next year, and two houses destroyed. In June 1775, the scene of a battle between the royal and the independent troops. Finally evacuated by the King’s troops, April, 1776.—See Bunker’s Hill.

BOSWORTH, BATTLE OF.—This battle was the thirteenth and last, between the houses of York and Lancaster.—Fought August 22nd, 1485. The crown of Richard III was found in a hawthorn bush, on the plain where the battle was fought, and so eager was Henry of Richmond to be crowned, that he had the ceremony performed on the very spot, with that very crown. “Richard advanced to meet his rival as far us the town of Bosworth. Henry, who had been joined by some of the Stanleys, and whose army now counted six thousand men, had reached the neighbouring town of Atherton. Next morning, the 22nd of August, 1485, both armies were set in battle-array on the moor called Redmore. Richard was dismayed when he saw the Stanleys opposed to him; but he soon displayed his wonted courage. Observing part of his troops inactive and others wavering, he resolved to make one desperate effort and conquer or fall, and crying out “Treason, treason!” and giving his horse the spurs, he rushed to where he saw Richmond. He killed his standard-bearer and made a furious stroke at Henry himself, which was warded off by Sir William Stanley, and Richard was thrown from his horse and slain. Lord Stanley taking up the crown which he wore, placed it on the head of Richmond, and shouts of “Long live King Henry!” were instantly raised all over the field. The loss on Richard’s side in this decisive battle was three hundred, that on Henry’s only one hundred men. The body of Richard was stripped, and being thrown across a horse, was conveyed to Leicester and there interred, and many years after his coffin could be seen used as a horse-trough.” “Sic transit gloria mundi.”

BOULOGNE.—France.—Taken by the British in 1542, restored 1550—attacked by Lord Nelson, who disabled ten vessels and sunk five, August 3rd, 1801. In another attempt he was repulsed with great loss, August 18th, following. The flotilla of Boulogne consisted of 160,000 men and 10,000 horses, with 1300 vessels and 17,000 sailors. Napoleon attempted by it to invade England, but could not succeed, and at last gave up the idea.

BOXTEL, BATTLE OF.—Fought September 17th, 1794, between the British and allied army, commanded by the Duke of York, and the army of the French Republic. The latter attacked the allies and obtained the victory after an obstinate engagement, taking 2000 prisoners and 8 pieces of cannon, and the Duke retreated across the Meuse.

BOYNE, BATTLE OF THE.—Fought July 1st, 1689, between the Prince of Orange, afterwards William III of England, and James II of England. James was defeated. “Early next morning, the 1st of July, 1689, the English prepared to pass the river in three divisions. The right forced the passage at the ford of Slane; the centre led by the old warrior Duke Schomberg, passed opposite the Irish camp; it was vigorously opposed, but it finally forced the Irish to fall back to the village of Donóre, where James stood viewing the battle. William, meantime, had passed at the head of the third division, composed of cavalry, and driven off the enemy’s horse. The French General Lausun immediately urged James to set out with all speed for Dublin, lest he should be surrounded. He forthwith quitted the field; the Irish army poured through the pass of Duleék and formed at the other side, and then retreated in good order. Its loss had been 1500 men, that of the victors was about 500, among whom were Duke Schomberg, and Walker, the brave Governor of Derry.”

BRECHIN.—Scotland.—Edward III besieged it in 1333. A battle was fought here between the forces of the Earls of Huntly and Crawford. The latter defeated in 1452.

BREDA.—Taken by Prince Maurice in 1590. By the Spaniards in 1625. By the Dutch in 1637. By the French 1793, and again by the Dutch in the same year.

BREST.—Besieged by Julius Cæsar B.C. 54. Possessed by the English, A.D. 1378. Given up 1391. Lord Berkely and a British force repulsed here, with terrible loss, in 1694. Here was the French fleet rendezvous, which was afterwards defeated by Lord Howe, 1st June, 1794.

BRETIGNY, PEACE OF.—Between France and England, ending in the release of King John, who was then a prisoner in London, May 8th, 1360.

BRIAR’S CREEK, BATTLE OF.—One of the battles between the revolted Americans and the British, in 1779. The former, under General Ashe, 2000 strong, were totally defeated by the English, under General Prevost, March 16th, 1779. Again, 3rd May following, another defeat happened to the Americans.

BRANDYWINE, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the British royalist forces and the revolted Americans, in which the latter (after a fight, sometimes of doubtful result, and which continued the entire day) were defeated with great loss, and Philadelphia fell into the possession of the victors, September 11th, 1777.

BRESLAU, BATTLE OF.—Between the Austrians and Prussians, the latter under Prince Bevern, who was defeated, but the engagement was most bloody on both sides; fought November 22nd, 1757. Breslau was taken, but was regained the same year. This city was besieged by the French and surrendered to them January 5th, 1807, and again in 1813.

BRIENNE, BATTLE OF.—Fought February 1st and 2nd, 1814, between the allied armies of Russia and Prussia and the French. The allies were defeated with great loss; this was one of the last battles in which the French achieved victory previous to the fall of Napoleon.

BRIDGE OF BOATS OF XERXES.—This bridge was connected from shore to shore in the following manner: They connected vessels of different kinds, some long vessels of fifty oars, others three banked galleys, to the number of 360 on the side of the Euxine sea, and thirteen on that of the Hellespont. When these vessels were firmly fixed together they were secured by anchors of great length on the upper side, because of the winds which set in from the Euxine; on the lower toward the Ægean sea, on account of the south and south-east winds. They left openings in three places, sufficient to afford a passage for light vessels which might have occasion to sail into the Euxine or from it—having performed this they extended cables from the shore stretching them on large capstans of wood. Then they sawed out rafters of wood making their length equal to that space required for the bridge—these they laid in order across the extended cables and then bound all fast together. Then they placed unwrought wood regularly upon the rafters; over all they threw earth, and fenced both sides in, that the horses and other animals might not be frightened by looking down into the sea.

BRIGADE.—A party or division of troops or soldiers, whether cavalry or infantry—regular, volunteer or militia, commanded by a brigadier. A brigade of artillery consists of six pieces, with usually about 140 men; a brigade of sappers consists of eight men.

BRIGADIER.—A general officer who commands a brigade, whether of horse or foot, and ranks next to a major-general—commonly called a brigadier-general.

BRUSSELS.—Bombarded by Marshal Villeroy, in 1695—taken by the French 1746. Again by Dumouriez, in 1792; near it is the celebrated field of Waterloo.

BUCHAREST, TREATY OF.—A treaty of peace between Russia and Turkey, signed May 28th, 1812.

BUDA.—Once called the Key of Christendom. It was taken by Soleyman II at the memorable battle of Mohatz, when the Hungarian King Louis was killed, and 200,000 of his subjects carried away as slaves, 1526. Buda was sacked a second time, and Hungary annexed to the Ottoman Umpire, 1540. Retaken by the Imperialists, and the Mohammedans delivered up to the fury of the soldiers, 1626.

BUENOS AYRES, BRITISH DESCENTS UPON.—A British fleet and army, under Sir Home Popham and General Beresford, took the city, with slight resistance, in 1806, but it was retaken August 12th, after six weeks’ possession. Monte-Video was taken by storm by Sir Samuel Auchmuty, February 3rd, 1807, but evacuated July 7th following. The British suffered a dreadful repulse here in an expedition of 8000 men, under general Whitelock (who was disgraced) July 6th, 1807. On entering the town they were attacked by a superior force with musketry and grape from every quarter, and perished in great numbers, but at last they were allowed to re-embark in their vessels.

BULL RUN.—This battle was fought between the Northern States of America and the Confederate States of the South, July 21st, 1861. The Union army was signally defeated, and fell back on Washington in confusion. Their loss amounted to 481 killed, 1011 wounded, and 700 prisoners. The rebel or Southern loss was 269 killed and 1483 wounded.

BUNKER’S HILL, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the English and her revolted colonists, June 16th, 1775. On the evening of that day, 1000 men, under the command of Colonel Prescott, of Massachusetts, Colonel Stark, from New-Hampshire, and Captain Knowlton, from Connecticut, were despatched on this service. They were conducted, by mistake, to Breed’s Hill, which was nearer to the water and to Boston, than Bunker’s. At twelve o’clock they began to throw up entrenchments, and by dawn of day had completed a redoubt eight rods square. As soon as they were discovered, they were fired upon from a ship of war and several floating batteries lying near, and from a fortification in Boston opposite the redoubt. The Americans, nevertheless, encouraged by General Putnam, who often visited them on the hill, continued to labor until they had finished a slight breastwork extending from the redoubt eastward to the water. And in the morning they received a reinforcement of 500 men.

The temerity of the provincials astonished and incensed General Gage, and he determined to drive them immediately from their position. About noon, a body of 3000 regulars, commanded by General Howe, left Boston in boats, and landed in Charlestown, at the extreme point of the peninsula. Generals Clinton and Burgoyne took their station on an eminence in Boston, commanding a distinct view of the hill. The spires of the churches, the roofs of the houses, and all the heights in the neighborhood, were covered with people, waiting, in dreadful anxiety, to witness the approaching battle.

The regulars forming at the place of landing, marched slowly up the hill, halting frequently to allow time to the artillery to demolish the works. While advancing, the village of Charlestown, containing about 400 houses, was set on fire by order of General Gage. The flames ascended to a lofty height, presenting a sublime and magnificent spectacle. The Americans reserved their fire until the British were within 10 rods of the redoubt; then taking a steady aim, they began a furious discharge. Entire ranks of the assailants fell. The enemy halted and returned the fire; but that from the redoubt continuing incessant and doing great execution, they retreated in haste and disorder down the hill, some even taking refuge in their boats.

The officers were seen running hither and thither, collecting, arranging and addressing their men, who were at length induced again to ascend the hill. The Americans now reserved their fire until the enemy had approached even nearer than before, when a tremendous volley was at once poured upon them. Terrified by the carnage around them, they again retreated with precipitation, and such was the panic, that General Howe was left almost alone on the hillside, his troops having deserted him, and nearly every officer around him being killed.

At this moment, General Clinton, who had observed from Boston the progress of the battle, feeling that British honor was at stake, hastened with a reinforcement to the assistance of his countrymen. By his exertions, the troops were a third time rallied, and were compelled by the officers, who marched behind them with drawn swords, to advance again towards the Americans. The fire from the ships and batteries was redoubled, and a few pieces of cannon had been so placed as to rake the interior of the breastwork from end to end.

The provincials, having expended their ammunition, awaited in silence the approach of the regulars. The latter entered the redoubt. The former, having no bayonets, defended themselves, for a short time, with the butt-end of their muskets. From this unequal contest they were soon compelled to retire. As they retreated over Charleston Neck, the fire from the floating batteries was incessant; but a few only were killed. The enemy had sustained too much injury to think of pursuit.

In this desperate and bloody conflict, the royal forces consisted, as has been stated, of 3000 men, and the provincials of 1500. Of the former, 1054 were killed and wounded; of the latter 453. This disparity of loss, the steadiness and bravery displayed by their recent undisciplined levies, occasioned among the Americans the highest exultation, and, in their view, more than counterbalanced the loss of position.

BURGOS, SIEGE OF.—Lord Wellington entered Burgos after the battle of Salamanca (fought July 22nd, 1812), on September 19th. The castle was besieged by the British and Allies, and several attempts were made to carry it by assault, but the siege was abandoned, October 21st, the same year; the castle and fortifications were blown up by the French, June 12th, 1813.

BURMESE WAR.—The first dispute with the Burmese took place in 1795, but it was amicably settled by General Erskine. Hostilities were commenced in 1824, when the British took Rangoon. After some time peace was declared, February 24th, 1826, when the British received Arracan as a compensation. A naval force arrived before Rangoon, October 29th, 1851, and after the non compliance of certain British demands by the viceroy, war was declared. On the 5th April, 1852, Martaban was stormed by the British Indian army, and on the 14th of the same month Rangoon itself fell into their hands. Then followed the storming of Bassein, May 19th, 1852, and the capture of Pegu, June 4th, 1852. On the 28th December following, Pegu was annexed to the Indian Government by a proclamation of the Governor-General.

BURLINGTON HEIGHTS, BATTLE OF.—Between the British and the United States’ forces—an obstinate and memorable engagement, contested with great valour on both sides. The Americans were routed, and the British carried the heights, June 6th, 1813.

BUSACO OR BUZACO, BATTLE OF.—This sanguinary engagement was fought, September 27th, 1810, between the British, under Lord Wellington, and the French army, commanded by Massena. The latter was repulsed with great slaughter, losing one general, and 1000 men killed, two generals and about 3000 men wounded, and several hundred prisoners; the loss of the British and their allies did not exceed 1300 in the whole. The British subsequently retreated to the lines of Torres Vedras, which were too strong for Massena to attempt to force, and the two armies remained in sight of each other to the end of the year.

C.

CABUL.—The following is succinct account of this expedition.

“Every preparation was now completed for our march, and on the 12th of October, 1842, our force, divided into three brigades, left Cabul, the first under General Pollock, the second under General McCaskill, and the rear under General Nott. We had not proceeded more than four miles, when we heard the explosion of the mines, which left the renowned Cabul a vast region of ruins; and the Affghans to judge the spirit of the British as an avenging one. Cabul lies under the Hindoo Koosh, and is bordered on the one side by the Himalaya, and the rivers Attock and Rozee: the people are robust and healthy; their manners amount to insolence and cruelty; they are continually at war with each other; and are divided into tribes. Trade seemed to have abounded greatly, and the country is generally in a flourishing state: the cities of Cabul, Ghuznee, and Candahar, are the principal ones of Affghanistan; the Persians form a considerable portion of the inhabitants of Cabul, and the traffic with that country is somewhat extensive.

The divisions made a general move at daybreak, on the 12th October, to Thag Bakh, about six miles distant from Cabul; and on the entrance to the Koord Cabul Pass, Her Majesty’s 9th and 13th Regiments, together with six Native Corps of the 1st Division, manned the hills commanding the pass, to enable those in the valley below to move on unmolested. On the morning of the 13th the troops entered the Pass which led to Tezeen, about nine miles. The mountains were high and craggy, and very dark, rendering the road extremely gloomy and sad; a torrent ran in a serpentine direction from side to side, which reminded me of the Bolun; it had to be crossed twenty-eight times during about six miles. We had scarcely got well into the jaws of this awful scene of romantic vastness, whose hollow crags seemed to echo defiance to our intruding tread, when a number of the enemy made their appearance in the rear, but were kept in check. The very great height of the mountains, of a dark, reddish colour, struck one with awe, and silence seemed to reign over all; the mind was totally occupied in contemplating this fearful sight of hidden deeds; horror struck the feeling heart, when the eye fell on the skeletons of our departed comrades, who lay in most agonizing positions, indicative of their last struggle for life. Here a spot would be strewed with a few crouched up in a corner, where they had evidently fled to cover themselves by some detached rock, from the overpowering cruelty of their foe, and had been rivetted by death. There couples were lying who had died in each other’s arms, locked as it were in the last embrace of despair: numbers lay in every direction, devoid of every particle of clothes; some with the greater part of the flesh putrefied on their bleaching bones—others were clean from having been devoured by the vast number of carrion birds and beasts inhabiting these terrible regions. I at first attempted to count the number of frames as I went along, but found them so numerous that I could not find time, and my inclination sickened from the awfulness of the scene. The pass was no more than thirty feet wide at this part, and so numerous were the mouldering frames of these whose lives had been sacrificed during the last winter, that they literally covered the road—and, in consequence, the artillery and other wheeled carriages had to pass over them—and it was indeed horrible to hear the wheels cracking the bones of our unburied comrades. It was quite easy to discover the Europeans by the hair on the skulls, which still remained fresh. After a tedious, and indeed a painful march, we reached Tezeen, which opens from the narrow Pass into a much wider part, sufficient to enable us to pitch our camp. Here was a sad scene of recent strife—scarce a tent could be pitched but a skeleton or two had to be removed, just kicked aside as though it were a stump of a tree, in order to leave clear the place for the interior of the tent, and there remained unnoticed. It has often been a subject of deep reflection to me, to think how utterly reckless man can be made by habit: so used were we to these sights, that it became a mere commonplace matter to see such relics of devastation and massacre. I remember walking with a friend down the centre of the camp, and we had often to stride over skeletons, without the least observation, further than I could not help heaving a sigh, and reflecting in silence on their unfortunate end.

The next day took us thirteen miles on a road of extreme barrenness; the high, wild, rugged mountains, hemmed in the narrow defile; the skeletons of the massacred force still strewed the road in every direction; no signs of vegetation, or aught to relieve the eye from wildness—the numerous hollow crags, as we passed, seemed to ring with echoing despair, and afforded most formidable positions for the treacherous Affghan to use his jezail or matchlock, without fear of opposition. The enemy, finding we had now entered the Pass, hovered about, and succeeded in murdering an officer, and a few men of Pollock’s force. The divisions marched one day a-head of each other, and thus kept up a continued line of communication. I, with General Nott’s, arrived at this ground on the 14th; the road was equally extremely harassing the next day, as indeed, ever since our entrance to the Pass. The ascents and descents are so numerous, coupled with having to cross the water so often, and there being no hold for the feet, on the loose flinty stones, made it very trying for both man and beast. Upwards of twenty times had the gushing torrent, dashing from side to side of the valley, to be waded through, and numbers of bleaching frames of the victims of Akbar’s treachery, lay exposed in the midst of the rolling stream. In one part of this day’s march we came to a place fifty yards in length, crowded with dead bodies of men, horses, and camels, which were those of a troop of irregular cavalry, who had all been cut up on this spot. About a mile from Sah Baba, our next ground, stands a round tower, the ruins of an old fort; it was now used as a bone house, and was crammed to the ceiling, with skulls, legs, arms, and shattered frames, and numbers were heaped outside the door, and round it,—placed there by the enemy, to form a glaring spectacle of their bitter revenge. A large body of Affghans were now seen covering the hills in our rear, and opened a fire into the dreary abyss, on our rear guards and baggage as they passed. The column had moved on some few miles, but were halted, and those of our troops in possession of the heights commenced an attack, and succeeded in repelling them, and forcing them to retreat, and we reached camp with little loss. This place is said to be the burial place of Lamech, the father of Noah, and if we may judge from its wild, dreary, stony, barren appearance, which looked as if it had been washed up into a heap after the deluge, and so void of all chances of fertility, that one could scarcely doubt the tradition.

Our next day led on to Kutta Sang, and of all the roads I had ever seen or traversed, as yet, this was the worst. The route led from hill to hill, the ascents being difficult and stony, and the descents in addition being very dangerous, as a fearful precipice presented itself should you happen to fall. These unwelcome views were many in number, and coupled with the tedious progress of the cattle and baggage, and the difficulty experienced in dragging the guns and loads up these many steep hills, and nothing but a dreary road to travel onward, made the march bad indeed. After the main body reached camp, the rear guard was attacked; a reinforcement was despatched, and a smart skirmish ensued; the Affghans seemed to delight in annoying us, and from their hidden positions most peremptorily carried their plan into effect; we lost few men compared with them, and the whole reached camp about midnight. Still the poor soldier found misery destined for him in every direction. On arriving at a new ground, two regiments had to mount duty on the summits of the hills bordering the route, which had to be ascended after the day’s harassing march, thus forming a second, much more so. The scanty, coarse meal, being nothing more than a quantity of meat and broth made from an allowance of a scarcely lifeless carcass, of the hard-driven, skeletonized bullock, and this of times not prepared before the dead hour of night; and then carried up to the men cold and tasteless. The bread or cake made of coarse, hand-ground flour, full of grit and small straw, half-baked and calculated to produce disease by its use; and ere this was well eaten, the rouse would sound, and the weary instrument of Britain’s safety would be wending his way through the dreary and unknown regions, ’mid almost perpendicular rocks, and perilous tracks. Such was the road of the next day’s march, to Jugdulluk Pass: this is by no means the most difficult one to explore—the sides not being near so high as those already traversed; it had some appearance of fertility, being studded with many small bushes. There were innumerable small caves, or recesses in the rocks, and it was from those dark-dens, forming cover for the enemy, that they succeeded so well in cutting off our unfortunate brethren, whose skeletons here were very numerously strewed about the path, and thus rendered the Pass more horrible than it would have been; for the light shone brighter here than we had it for some time. Nay, so stupendous were the mountains, hemming the ravines we had passed, that it would be often far advanced in the day before the sun would be seen by those beneath.

The unfortunate 44th made a somewhat successful stand in the Jugdulluk Pass, and succeeded, ere they were overpowered, in slaying many of their foes. The pass was narrow, and the Affghans, who had preceded us some hours, with a view to intercept and baffle us, had formed breastworks across the road; and, would it be believed, that these breastworks were formed of skeletons of our own men and horses? Not less than 100 frames could have been here piled up, which had to be removed before we could pass on. About 600 of the enemy made their appearance here, and in the first onset did considerable damage,—but a detachment from the main body soon dislodged them, and put them to the rout; it was common to see, lying on the road, bodies of murdered Sepoys and couriers; and in fact to attempt to enumerate the acts of treachery practised on us, would be next to impossible. We at length reached Soorkab. At this ground was a cluster of fine tall trees, which relieved the eye, and led us to hope we were approaching a land of the living; the camp was bordered by the celebrated Red River, a most beautiful crystal stream, rolling most musically over a stony bottom, and under the ridge of an immense mountain; the continued buzz kept up by the murmuring torrent echoing from the fearful crags, lulled the weary travellers in camp to sleep. Across this river is a most splendid bridge of one gigantic arch, which led by a declivitous route from this Pass to another; on the right of this bridge, which was erected by Alexander, issued a cataract roaring and dashing from the hills, which fed the stream, and formed a most beautiful picture. It was on this bridge that a number of the 44th—from the extreme inclemency of the weather, and the bitterness of the frost—were so benumbed with cold that they were unable to use their arms when attacked on their retreat. Oh! when reflection is but called up, and the miserable condition of these poor, oppressed creatures, considered, it cannot but call forth a sigh of deep regret,—bereft of every chance of escape, or wherewithal to exist,—as they were. When we consider that some of our nearest and dearest relatives or friends were amongst the number—surely, if there is one spark of sympathy left, it will be kindled for those whose last struggle was for their country’s cause.

Our next route led across the bridge through the defile already described, and on the road were lying the bodies of two murdered Sepoys. The ascents and descents were as usual; and from the summit of these intersecting hills, the eye would carry itself upon range after range of never ending cliffs and walls of mountains; the dark aspect of the distant horizon carried with it a volume of thoughts, wondering when the back would be once more turned on such dreariness. The moving mass below would be seen winding its serpentine length along the Pass, which from its narrowness, being obstructed by huge masses of detached rock having fallen from the heights, and impassable by other than taking a circuitous route, were truly harassing to the men and cattle. I may as well here mention the great trials and difficulties experienced in dragging along the heavy portions of the baggage, more particularly the celebrated Somnauth gates, which it will doubtless be remembered, were taken by direction of the Governor General, from the tomb of Sultan Mahomed at Ghuznee. These gates, it will doubtless also be remembered, were the idolatrous trophy of the Hindoos in the Guzerat Peninsula. The General directed a guard of not less than the wing of a regiment to mount over these gates, which were placed upon two platform carts, and drawn by six bullocks each. The other castes of the native Sepoys would not go near them, and the Hindoos were comparatively few, and insufficient to perform the duty, and as these gates were to be taken to the provinces for the purpose of being restored to that race, so great was the care taken of them that they were placed next to the main body of the army on the march, and nothing was permitted to go before them. The consequence was, that oftentimes, owing to the bullocks growing stubborn, the whole in the rear have been delayed; and the gates have had to be dragged by fatigue parties of the Europeans—night has set in—the enemy have taken advantage of our position, and have succeeded in cutting off numbers who otherwise would have been safe in camp. The badness of the roads and darkness of the night, together with the incessant fatigue and consequent loss occasioned by the protection of these idolatrous baubles, have caused much well-grounded controversy, and involved much discredit on the authorities. Many are the lives which have been lost by this—and for what? to restore to a tribe of idolaters, an idol, that they might worship with the greater vehemence, as it had been recaptured for them; and all this, too, by the representative of a Christian people. I need say nothing farther, except that, owing to the great question raised relative to their restoration, in our Parliament in 1843 and 1844, and since the recall of Lord Ellenborough, they remain like so much lumber stored in one of the stations in Bengal.

But to proceed to the march. A short distance from our camp, which was Gundamuck, stands a small hill, where the remnant of the 44th Regiment, about 300, made their last stand, and fought most desperately whilst their ammunition lasted, and were at length annihilated: their skeletons strewed the hill sides and summit; about 250 soldiers, and upwards of 30 officers, I believe, fell on this hill, and a deplorable sight it presented. We soon reached the camp, where Generals Pollock and McCaskill had halted; this place had been formed into a dépôt for grain and forage (only chopped straw), on Pollock’s advance on Cabul; the Passes from Peshawur, as he passed through, had been kept by our troops; thus in a great measure securing our route. We now refreshed ourselves with a day’s rest, and our cattle with a feast of forage, such as it was; and also in comparative confidence, as we were now but a couple of day’s stage from Jellalabad. The mails from Europe for the army were despatched from Calcutta and met us at this place, so that all in all it was quite a day of pleasure, receiving news from that dear place Home, “which never was so sweetly felt as in such times as these,”—conjunction of the Divisions, and recognition of old comrades who had escaped the perils of the few past days, and such like,—made the whole feel refreshed, and filled us with the utmost cheerfulness.”

CAIRO, OR GRAND CAIRO.—Burnt to prevent its occupation by the Crusaders, in 1220. Taken by the Turks from the Egyptian sultans, and their empire subdued, 1517. Taken by the French under Bonaparte, July 23rd, 1798. Taken by the British and Turks, when 6000 French capitulated, June 27th, 1801.

CALAIS.—Taken by Edward III, after a year’s siege, August 4th, 1347, and held by England 210 years. It was retaken by Mary, January 7th, 1558, and the loss of Calais so deeply touched the Queen’s heart, historians say it occasioned her death. Calais was bombarded by the English, 1694.

CALVI, SIEGE OF.—Besieged by the British, June 12th, 1744, and after a close investment of 59 days, surrendered on August 10th following. The garrison then marched out with the honors of war, and were conveyed to Toulon. It surrendered to the French in 1796.

CAMBRAY.—Taken by the Spaniards in 1595. It was invested by the Austrians, August 8th, 1793, and the Republican General Declay replied to the Imperial summons to surrender, that “he knew not how to do that, but his soldiers knew how to fight.” The French here were defeated by the Duke of York, April 23rd, 1794. It was then seized by the British, by Sir Charles Colville, June 24th, 1815. This was one of the fortresses occupied by the allied armies for five years after the fall of Napoleon.

CAMDEN, BATTLES OF.—The first battle fought here was between General Gates and Lord Cornwallis. The Americans were defeated August 16th, 1780. The second battle was fought between the revolted Americans and the British, the former commanded by General Greene, and the latter by Lord Rawdon. The Americans were again defeated, April 25th, 1781. Camden was evacuated and burnt by the British, May 13th, 1781.

CAMPERDOWN, BATTLE OF.—This was a memorable engagement, off Camperdown, between the British fleet, under Admiral Duncan, and the Dutch fleet, commanded by Admiral De Winter. The Dutch lost 15 ships, which were either taken or sunk. It was fought October 11th, 1797. This victory obtained the brave and good Admiral a peerage.

CAMPO FORMIO, TREATY OF.—Concluded between France and Austria. This memorable and humiliating treaty took place on the 17th October, 1797. By this treaty Austria had to yield the low countries and the Ionian Islands to France; and Milan &c., to the Cisalpine Republic.

CANNAE, BATTLE OF.—This battle, one of the most celebrated in ancient history, was fought between the Romans and Hannibal. The forces of the Africans amounted to 50,000, while those of the Romans were equal to 88,000, of whom 40,000 were slain. The victor sent 3 bushels of gold rings as a present to the Carthagenian ladies, which he had taken off the fingers of the Roman knights slain in this memorable engagement. So contested was the fight that neither side perceived an earthquake, which happened during the battle. The place is now called “The Field of Blood.” Fought 21st May, B.C. 216.

CANNON.—They are said to have been used as early as 1338. First used by the English at the siege of Calais, 1347. Used by the English first in battle, that of Crecy, in 1346.

CAPE BRETON.—Discovered by the English 1584. Taken by the French in 1632. Restored and again taken in 1745, and retaken in 1748. Finally possessed by the English, when 5000 men were made prisoners of war, and 11 ships destroyed, 1758. Ceded to England at the peace of 1783.

CAPE ST. VINCENT.—1st Battle.—Admiral Rooke, with 20 ships of war, and the Turkish fleet under his convoy, was attacked by Admiral Tourville with a force vastly superior to his own, off Cape St. Vincent, when 12 English and Dutch men of war and 80 merchantmen were captured or destroyed by the French. It was fought June 15th, 1693.

2nd Battle.—This second battle was one of the most glorious of the British navy. Sir John Jarvis, being in command of the Mediterranean fleet of 15 sail, gave battle to the Spanish fleet of 27 ships of the line, and signally defeated the enemy, nearly double in strength, taking 4 ships and destroying several others. Fought February 14th, 1797. For this victory Sir John Jarvis was raised to the peerage under the title of Earl St. Vincent.

CAPTAIN.—This title, derived from the French capitaine, literally signifies a head or chief officer,—the officer who commands a company. In Turkey, the Captain-Bashaw is the High Admiral.

CARLISLE.—The castle founded by William II, in 1092, was made the prison of the unfortunate Queen of Scots, 1568. Taken by the Parliamentary forces in 1645, and by the Pretender in 1745.

CARRICKFERGUS.—This town surrendered to the Duke of Schomberg, August 28th, 1689. William III landed here June 14th, 1690, to reduce the adherents of James II. This place is memorable for the expedition of the French Admiral Thurot, when its castle surrendered to his force of 1000 men, in 1760.

CARTHAGE.—Founded by Dido. Taken by the Roman General Scipio, and burnt to the ground B.C. 146. The flames of the burning city raged for 17 days, and thousands of the inhabitants perished in them rather than survive the calamities of their country. Afterwards it was rebuilt, but razed by the Saracens, and now no trace of the city appears.

CARTHAGENA.—In Columbia.—Was taken by Sir Francis Drake in 1584. It was pillaged by the French of £1,200,000 in 1697. It was bombarded by Admiral Vernon in 1740–1.

“When the forces were landed at Carthagena, the commanders erected a battery, with which they made a breach in the principal fort, while Vernon, who commanded the fleet, sent a number of ships into the harbor to divide the fire of the enemy, and to co-operate with the army on shore. The breach being deemed practicable, a body of troops were commanded to storm; but the Spaniards deserted the forts, which, if possessed of courage, they might have defended with success. The troops, upon gaining this advantage, were advanced a good deal nearer the city; but there they met a much greater opposition than they had expected. It was found, or at least asserted, that the fleet could not lie near enough to batter the town, and that nothing remained but to attempt one of the forts by scaling. The leaders of the fleet and the army began mutually to accuse each other, each asserting the probability of what the other denied. At length, Wentworth, stimulated by the admiral’s reproach, resolved to try the dangerous experiment, and ordered that fort St. Lazare should be attempted by scalade. Nothing could be more unfortunate than this undertaking; the forces marching up to the attack, the guides were slain, and they mistook their way. Instead of attempting the weakest part of the fort, they advanced to where it was the strongest, and where they were exposed to the fire of the town. Colonel Grant, who commanded the grenadiers, was killed in the beginning. Soon after it was found that their scaling ladders were too short; the officers were perplexed for want of orders, and the troops stood exposed to the whole fire of the enemy, without knowing how to proceed. After bearing a dreadful fire for some hours with great intrepidity, they at length retreated, leaving 600 men dead on the spot. The terrors of the climate soon began to be more dreadful than those of war; the rainy season came on with such violence, that it was impossible for the troops to continue encamped; and the mortality of the season now began to attack them in all its frightful varieties. To these calamities, sufficient to quell any enterprise, was added the dissension between the land and sea commanders, who blamed each other for every failure, and became frantic with mutual recrimination. They only, therefore, at last, could be brought to agree in one mortifying measure, which was to re-embark the troops, and withdraw them as quickly as possible from the scene of slaughter and contagion.”

CASTIGLIONE, BATTLE OF.—One of the most brilliant victories of the French arms under Napoleon against the Austrians, commanded by General Wurmsex. The battle lasted 5 days, from the 2nd to the 6th July, 1796. The Austrians lost 70 field pieces, all their caissons, and between 12,000 to 15,000 prisoners, and 6000 killed and wounded.

CASTILLON, BATTLE OF.—In France.—Fought between the armies of England (Henry VI) and those of France (Charles VII). The English were signally defeated, July 7th, 1453,—Calais alone remaining in their hands.

CASTLEBAR, BATTLE OF.—Fought between a body of French troops and an insurgent Irish force, at Killala, on the one hand, and the King’s royal forces on the other; the latter, after a short contest, being obliged to retire, August 28th, 1798.

CATAMARANS.—Fire machines for destroying ships, invented and tried on the Boulogne flotilla of Napoleon. Sir Sidney Smith attempted to burn the flotilla, but failed, August 31st, 1805.

CATAPULTÆ.—Engines used by the ancient Romans for throwing stones. Invented by Dionysius, the King of Syracuse, B.C. 399.

CATEAU, PEACE OF.—Concluded between Henry II of France and Philip II of Spain, in 1599. A battle was fought here between the allies, under the Prince of Cobourg, and the French. The latter were defeated with a loss of 5000 in killed and 5 pieces of cannon, March 28th, 1794.

CAWNPORE.—In India.—Famous in the Great Indian mutiny, which is thus described:

“At Cawnpore, a terrible disaster befell the British arms. Sir Hugh Wheeler, a veteran officer of approved bravery, had entrenched himself in the barracks with a force of less than 300 fighting men, and upwards of 500 women and children, the wives and families of officers and civilians, and of the Queen’s 32d regiment, then besieged at Lucknow. The insurgents were commanded by Nena Sahib, or, rather, Dhandoo Pant, Rajah of Bhitoor, the adopted son of the late Peishwah Bajee Raho. This man, under the mask of kindly feeling toward the English, nurtured a deadly hatred against the government, which had refused to acknowledge his claims as the Peishwah’s successor. He had long been addicted to the most revolting sensuality, and had lost all control over his passions. Wearied and enraged by the desperate resistance of this handful of brave men, he offered them a safe passage to Allahabad, if they would give up their guns and treasure. The place, indeed, was no longer tenable; and the survivors, diminished in number, were exhausted by constant vigils and want of food. In an evil moment, then, they accepted the terms of their perfidious enemy, marched down to the river, and embarked on board the boats which had been prepared for them. Suddenly a masked battery opened fire upon them, and crowds of horse and foot soldiers lined either bank. Many were shot dead, still more were drowned, and about 150 taken prisoners; four only escaped by swimming. The men were instantly put to death in cold blood; the women and children were spared for a few days longer.

“General Havelock, taking the command at Allahabad of the 78th Highlanders, the Queen’s 64th, the 1st Madras Fusiliers, and the Ferozepore regiment of Sikhs, had set out in the hope of arriving at Cawnpore in time to release Sir Hugh Wheeler and his devoted comrades. After marching 126 miles, fighting four actions, and capturing a number of guns of heavy calibre, in eight days, and in the worst season of an Indian climate, he was yet too late to avert the terrible catastrophe. The day before he entered Cawnpore, Nena Sahib foully murdered the women and children, who alone survived of the Cawnpore garrison, and caused them to be flung, the dead and the dying, into a well of the courtyard of the assembly rooms.”

Another account says:—

“General Havelock arrived before Cawnpore on the 18th July, and so eager was he to rescue the garrison (for he was not yet aware of what had happened), that he attacked the Sepoy position without delay. Ordering a charge, his gallant band rushed to the onset. Not a word was uttered until when within 100 yards of the rebels, three deafening cheers,—cheers such as Englishmen only can give, rang out. Then came the crash; a murderous volley of musketry and the crash of bayonets soon drove the mutineers back, and Cawnpore was taken; 1000 British troops and 300 Sikhs had put to flight 5000 of the flower of the native soldiery, with a native chief in command.

“When Havelock’s soldiers entered the assembly rooms, the blood came up over their shoes. There they found clotted locks of hair, leaves of religious books, and fragments of clothing in sickening array, while into the well outside the bodies had been rudely thrown. The horrors of that scene will never be fully known. A terrible retribution fell on the mutineers. General Neil compelled the Brahmins to wipe out, on their bended knees, the sanguinary traces of the outrages before he ordered them to execution, and when the 78th Highlanders found the mutilated remains of one of General Wheeler’s daughters, they divided the locks of hair among them, pledging each other in solemn covenant, that for every hair thus appropriated, a mutineer’s life and that alone could be the atonement. The eldest daughter of Sir Hugh Wheeler is said to have behaved in a most heroic manner; one of the natives testified that she shot five Sepoys with a revolver, and then threw herself into the well.”

CAVALRY.—Of the ancients the Romans had the best cavalry. To each legion there was attached 300 cavalry in ten turmae. The Persians were famous for their horse troops—they had 10,000 horse at the battle of Marathon, B.C. 490, and 10,000 Persian cavalry at the battle of Issus, B.C. 333. Horse soldiers were early introduced into the British army. During the wars of Napoleon the strength amounted to 31,000 men. The British cavalry is divided into the household troops, dragoons, hussars and lancers. Since 1840 the number has continued, with little variation, to the present day, at about 10,000.

CEDAR RAPIDS, CANADA.—Occupied by the Americans as a small fort in 1776. Taken by a detachment of the British army, and 500 Indians, under the celebrated Indian chief Brant, without firing a gun. The Americans sent to its support were captured after a severe engagement.

CENTURION.—From the Latin Centum a hundred. An officer who commanded 100 men in the Roman army. There were 6000 men in a legion, and hence sixty centurions. He was distinguished from the others by a branch of vine which he carried in his hand.

CEYLON.—Discovered by the Portuguese, A.D. 1505. Columbo, its capital, taken by the Dutch, in 1603, recovered in 1621; again taken 1656. Seized by the British 1795. Ceded to Great Britain by the Peace of Amiens in 1802. The British troops were treacherously massacred or imprisoned by the Adigar of Candy, June 26th, 1803. The complete sovereignty of the whole island taken by England in 1815.

CHÆRONEA, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the Athenians and Bœotians, B.C. 447. Another battle, and the great one of history, was fought here between the confederate army of Greece of 30,000, and that of the Macedonians, under Philip, amounting to 32,000, August 2nd, 338 B.C. Yet another battle was fought here between Archelaus, Lieutenant of Mithridates and Sylla, B.C. 86, when Archelaus was defeated and 110,000 Cappadocians slain.

CHAMBLY.—An important military post on the River Richelieu, Canada. It was often attacked by the Iroquois Indians. In 1775 it was captured by the Americans, but retaken in 1776. It is now a small military station.

CHARLEROI, BATTLES OF.—Great battles in several wars have been fought near this town; the chief in 1690 and 1794. (See [Fleurus].) Besieged by Prince of Orange in 1672, and again invested by the same Prince, with 60,000 men, in 1677, but he was obliged to retire. Near to the place is Ligny—(which see)—memorable at the battle of Waterloo.

CHARLESTOWN.—Massachusetts.—Burnt by the British forces under General Gage, January 17th, 1775. English fleet here repulsed with great loss, June 28th, 1776. Taken by the British, May 7th, 1779.

CHARLESTON.—South Carolina.—Besieged by the British troops in March 1780, and surrendered in May 13th following, with 6000 prisoners. Evacuated by the British, April 14th, 1783. Famous during the wars of Secession. The South Carolina Convention assembled here, March 26th, 1861. A battle was fought here, and the rebels or Confederates defeated, August 19th, 1861, and after experiencing all the vicissitudes of war, it was evacuated February 17th, 1865, and next day surrendered to General Gilmore.

CHATEAUGUAY.—Canada.—To effect a junction with the army of General Wilkinson, on October 26th, 1813, General Hampton, with 3500 men pushed forward from Lake Champlain towards Montreal. At the junction of the Ontario and Chateauguay Rivers, he there met 400 Canadians under Colonel de Salaberry, who most bravely disputed his advance. By skilful management and great bravery on the part of the Canadian officers, Viger and Doucet, the Americans were compelled to retreat towards Plattsburg. Their loss was considerable, while that of the Canadians was only two men killed and sixteen wounded. Gen. Hampton returned to Plattsburg, his army having dwindled away by sickness and desertion.

CHATILLON, CONGRESS OF.—Held by the four powers allied against France, February 5th, 1814, but the negociation for peace was broken off, March 19th following.

CHAUMONT, TREATY OF.—Between Great Britain, Austria, Russia and Prussia, March 1st, 1814. It was followed by the treaty of Paris, by which Napoleon abdicated, April 11th following.

CHERBOURG.—Famous for an engagement between the English and French fleets. French defeated; 21 of their ships burnt or destroyed by Admirals Rooke and Russel, May 19th, 1692. The fort, etc., destroyed by the British, who landed August, 1758. The works begun by Louis XVI, and completed by Napoleon, are proof against any armament in the world.

CHESAPEAKE, BATTLE OF THE.—Fought at the mouth of the river of this name, between the British Admiral Greaves and the French Admiral De Grasse, in the interest of the revolted States of America, 1781. The Chesapeake and Delaware, blockaded by the British in 1812. The American frigate of this name surrendered to the Shannon, British frigate, after a very severe action, June 2nd, 1813.

CHILLIANWALLAH, BATTLE OF.—In India.—This memorable and sanguinary battle, between the Sikh forces and the British, was fought January 13th, 1849. Lord Gough commanded. The Sikhs were completely routed, but the British also suffered severely: 26 officers were killed and 66 wounded, and 731 rank and file were killed and 1446 wounded. The loss of the Sikhs was 3000 killed and 4000 wounded. This battle was followed by the attack on the Sikh camp and the army under Sheere Shing, in its position at Goojerat (which see) February 21st, 1849.

CHIPPEWA.—On the 5th July, 1814, General Ball with 2400 men gave battle here to 4000 Americans. The British fought bravely, but were obliged to retire to Lundy’s Lane, or Bridgewater, near the Falls of Niagara.

CHRYSLER’S FARM.—Williamsburg, Canada.—On the 11th November, 1813, the Americans, under General Wilkinson, in their passage down the St. Lawrence to attack Montreal, being harassed by the Canadian forces, resolved to land and disperse them. They were 2000 strong and the Canadians 1000. After two hours of very hard fighting, in an open field, the Americans were compelled to retire, with the loss of one general, and 350 killed and wounded. Canadian loss 200. Medals were granted to the victors of this battle by the British Government.

CHINA.—“The opening of the China trade to all British subjects, by the abolition of the East India Company’s monopoly in 1833, gave rise to a series of disputes with the native rulers, which at length led to open hostilities. These disputes, relating at first mainly to the legal rights and immunities to be enjoyed by the commercial superintendents appointed by the British cabinet, came eventually to be merged in the greater question touching the traffic in opium, which had all along been in some measure declared contraband by the Imperial Government. It was not, however, peremptorily prohibited till 1836; and even afterwards, through the connivance of the inferior authorities, an active smuggling trade continued to be carried on till 1839, when the Imperial Commissioner Lin, determined on its forcible suppression, seized the persons of the British merchants at Canton, and of Captain Elliot, the superintendent. That functionary was then compelled, by threats of personal violence to himself and his fellow-prisoners, to issue an order for the surrender of all the opium on board the vessels in the vicinity of Canton, which, to the value of above £2,000,000 sterling, was accordingly given up to the Chinese, who destroyed it,—the superintendent at the same time pledging the faith of the English government for compensation to the merchants. After various fruitless attempts to obtain satisfaction for this outrage, or even an accommodation by which the regular trade might be resumed, the cabinet of London resolved on hostilities. These, which were vigorously prosecuted, gave the Chinese a salutary lesson as to their inferiority to Europeans in military science and discipline; and they ended in a peace, signed August 29th, 1842, by which the Emperor agreed to pay $21,000,000 by way of compensation, to open five of his principal ports to our commerce, and to surrender the island of Hong-Kong to the British crown for ever.”

The following is a brief narrative from an English journal of the war of 1860 in China:—“On the 25th of June, 1860, the arrival of Sir Hope Grant at Tahlien Bay completed the muster of the British force in Northern China. General de Montauban reached Cheefoo at the same time, but his tale of men was not full; and as the Ambassadors were not due for a fortnight, it was determined that our troops should be landed. This was done, and horses and men benefited exceedingly by their sojourn on the breezy slopes which look upon the northern and southern sides of the grand harbor of Tahlien-wan, chosen for our rendezvous; notwithstanding that the hottest month of the summer was passed by the men in bell-tents, and by horses in the open.

On the 1st August, a landing was effected at Pehtang without opposition, much to our surprise and delight, for the only spot at which disembarkation was practicable is distant only 2000 yards from the snug-looking forts which appeared to protect the town; and even at this place there was a mile of water at high tide, or of more difficult mud at low water, to be traversed, before the troops could reach anything which might, by courtesy or comparison, be termed dry ground.

The 2nd brigade of 1st Division of British troops, and a French brigade, formed the first landing party. A vigorous resistance had been expected at this place; and had a fair proportion of the means lavished on the defence of the Peiho been expended on the Pehtang river, we should have had great trouble, for by nature that position is certainly the stronger. The forts on either side, and the town which adjoins that on the right bank, are built on two molecules of solid ground, which have turned up, one does not know how, at a distance of five miles inland from the bar, which closes the entrance of the river, to even the smallest gunboats, save at high water. The town is surrounded by a sea of mud, impassable to horse or man, inundated at high tide; it is connected with the comparatively higher country bordering the Peiho by a narrow causeway, which a determined and skilful enemy could hold against any force whatever, until driven successively from positions which might be established on the causeway at every hundred yards. We found, on the night of the 1st August, that the forts were deserted, and that the guns with which they bristled were but wooden “Quakers.” Next day we occupied town and forts.

Large bodies of cavalry having shown themselves in our front, a reconnaissance was made on the 3rd August, covered, in the absence of cavalry, not yet landed, by infantry and by two French 8-pounder guns, the only artillery disembarked. We discovered that our polite enemy had left the causeway unoccupied, and that his force held no position nearer than 8 miles from the town we were in. The Chinese pickets opened fire upon our troops, but were speedily driven back. The reconnaissance effected, our force returned to Pehtang unmolested.

Meanwhile the Admirals had set to work, landing troops, horses, guns, materiel, and stores. The navy worked famously; and as everything had to be brought into the river either in, or in tow of, the gunboats, whose movements depended upon the tides, the work, under the active superintendence of Captain Borlase, C.B., continued without regard to any arbitrary distinction between day and night. During four or five of the ten days spent in this tedious operation, the rain fell in torrents; and as the interior of Pehtang is below high water-mark, the streets were knee-deep in mud, composed, in addition to the usual impurities pertaining to that substance, of flour, wardrobes, Tartar-hats, field rakes, coal, shutters, oil-cake, chaff, china-cups, matting, beer-bottles, tin cans, and kittens, being chiefly the contents of the dwellings of the townspeople, which were successively turned out of windows to make room for our troops. The cavalry and artillery horses were picketed in the streets, where alone space was available; and how they and we and everybody escaped death from typhus fever or plague, Heaven only knows. The sanitary officer was outraged by the result. During this time, water for the use of the troops was obtained in boats filled by the navy in the river above the influence of the tide, and towed to Pehtang, where the contents were landed in barrels for distribution.

On the 12th August, after a delay of a day on account of the French, who at first were unwilling to advance till the season changed, we moved out to attack the enemy’s position; General Michel with the 1st Division and the French, along the causeway against the enemy’s front, General Napier, with the 2nd Division and cavalry, by a track which diverged from the causeway to the right at a short distance from Pehtang, with the view of turning the enemy’s left.

It will not be easy for those who were not present to realise the difficulties of this march, or to do justice to the troops who performed it. The gun-waggons sank literally axle-deep, and their hinder parts had to be left behind; the heavy cavalry were greatly distressed in struggling through the mud, and it occupied the troops six hours to traverse four miles, during which time the enemy remained in his position.

Napier’s division having reached moderately firm ground, advanced upon the open Tartar flank and rear; whilst the Allied left cannonaded his front, which was covered by a formidable intrenchment. The Tartar cavalry came out in great numbers to meet Napier, who opened on them with Armstrong guns. At first the Tartars seemed puzzled, but not disturbed; presently, seeing they were losing men, they rapidly extended, and in a few minutes the 2nd Division stood enveloped in a grand circle of horsemen, advancing from all points towards the centre. Napier’s infantry were speedily deployed, his cavalry let loose, and artillery kept going; and though the heavy ground was rendered more difficult for our cavalry by ditches broad and deep, whose passages were known to the enemy alone, yet, within a quarter of an hour of their advance, the Tartar force was everywhere in retreat. Not, however, till a body of their horsemen, which had charged Sterling’s battery, had been gallantly met and beaten by a party of Fane’s Horse, inferior in number, under Lieutenant Macgregor, who was severely wounded.

The Allied left then advanced along the causeway, and occupied the lines of the intrenchments about Senho, which the enemy deserted on the success of our right.

Amongst some papers found after the action, was a copy of a report from the Tartar General San-ko-lin-tzin to the Emperor, setting forth that the physical difficulties in the way of our landing at Pehtang, and of advancing thence across a country which never is dry, rendered it unnecessary to dispute our disembarkation on that river; and even if a landing should be effected, and our troops could be got under weigh, the general considered that nothing would be easier than to destroy us with his hordes of cavalry, so soon as we got entangled in the marshes.

At Senho the Allied forces rested their right on the Peiho river. The Taku Forts are about six miles lower down. Mid-way between Senho and the northernmost or nearest fort on the left bank, stands the town of Tungkoo, surrounded by a very long intrenchment, consisting of a formidable rampart and a parapet, covered in all its length by a double wet ditch.

General de Montauban proposed to attack this town the afternoon we reached Senho, but Sir Hope Grant would not consent to do so until he had acquired some knowledge of the position.

The French Commander-in-Chief thereon determined to take the place at once without the aid of our troops. The French troops were led along the causeway communicating between Senho and Tungkoo, which appeared to be the only means of approach; but so considerable a fire was developed from the ramparts as to deter our Allies from attempting a coup-de-main, and they returned to camp after cannonading the place for half an hour.

Means having been afterwards found of approaching Tungkoo with a large front on firm ground, the 1st British Division and the French captured the place on the 14th August. It was exclusively an affair of artillery; the enemy’s guns in position on the ramparts were silenced by our Armstrong and 9-pounder guns, and the rifled 24-pounder of the French, gradually advanced, covered by infantry, to successive positions, as the enemy’s fire became weaker. The Allies had forty-two guns in the field. We found about fifty guns of all sorts in the ramparts, which the enemy, abandoned as our infantry advanced under cover of the guns. The British headed by the 60th Rifles, turned the right of the ditch, and entered the works a quarter of an hour before the French, who made their entry at the gate.

After taking Tungkoo, the 1st Division (British) returned to its camp in front of Senho, and the 2nd Division, which had been in reserve, occupied the town.

The view from General Napier’s house-top was not encouraging. As far as the eye could reach, we were surrounded by salt marshes, intersected by very numerous and wide canals, which carry sea-water into the salt-pans.

It was in contemplation to attack the north and south forts simultaneously, with a force operating on each side of the Peiho, and a bridge of boats was in course of construction across the river at Senho. But as all the materials of the bridge, save boats, had to be conveyed overland from Pehtang, its progress could not be rapid. Meanwhile, by dint of most laborious reconnaissance, General Napier had discovered that open ground near the north fort could be reached by artillery, on the completion of a line of causeway which he had commenced over the inundated ground within the town of Tungkoo, and by establishing crossing-places at certain points on five or six canals. He urged an immediate attack on the north forts only; and, having obtained permission to throw out a picket towards them, on the 19th, made so good a use of it, that in one night the passages of the canals were completed, and the Commander-in-chief was conducted next morning within five hundred yards of the nearest fort. Seeing all obstacles to the approach of the forts overcome, Sir Hope Grant frankly consented to General Napier’s scheme, and intrusted its execution to his division. The French commander was very averse to the plan proposed. He formally protested against it, but General Grant maintained his determination; and, devoting the night of the 20th to the construction of batteries, the attack was made upon the upper north fort at daylight of the 21st August. The fire of thirty-one pieces of British and six of French ordnance gradually subdued the enemy’s artillery; their magazine was exploded by one of our shells; shortly before, that of the further north fort, which supported it, was blown up by a shell from one of the gunboats, which were rendering such assistance as they could give at a range of two thousand yards, the distance imposed by the stakes and booms which were laid across the river. On the advance of the infantry, the French crossed the ditches, upon scaling-ladders laid flat. Our engineers, who trusted to pontoons, were less successful, and the French had reared their ladders against the ramparts for a quarter of an hour, before our infantry, some by swimming and scrambling, others by following the French, had struggled across the ditches and reached the berme. But so active was the defence that no French soldier got into the place by the ladders, though several bravo men mounted them; an entrance was eventually made by both forces at the same time through embrasures, which were reached by steps hewn out of the earthen rampart with axes, bayonets, and swords.

When the attack was delivered General de Montauban was absent from the field, the French army being represented by General Collineau and his brigade.

It had been intended to breach the rampart near the gate, and so secure an entrance to the fort actually taken by assault; but our gallant Commander-in-Chief became impatient of the process, and the more speedy means of escalade was resorted to. It is highly probable that the rapidity of our success, and the tremendous loss inflicted on the garrison of the first fort, who had no time for escape in any large numbers, conduced to the surrender of the second fort and to the prompt abandonment of the position. Our loss amounted to two hundred and three British killed and wounded; the French loss was somewhat less. That of the Tartars was estimated at two thousand men, large numbers of whom became inmates of our hospitals.

The attack was gallant, so was the defence, and the success was perfect. The enemy immediately surrendered the further northern fort into our hands, with two thousand prisoners; and before the evening the entire position on the Peiho, covering an area of six square miles, and containing upwards of six hundred guns, was abandoned by its defenders.

The attack on the forts had only been deferred until provisions and munitions of war could be drawn from Pehtang, which we had quitted on the 12th August, in as light marching order as possible. Since our arrival at Senho, our tents, packs, kits, ammunition, and baggage, had gradually been brought through the mud to the front as speedily as the limited means of transport would permit, but in the process many of the beasts of burden perished. The state of the country would alone account for this; but further, as none of the commissariat waggons were at this time disembarked, it was necessary that everything should be carried upon the backs of transport animals, many of which having just landed from Manilla, Japan, and Bombay in sorry condition, were quite unfit for this service. At this juncture the Chinese Coolie Corps, composed of men recruited at Canton, became the only reliable means of transport. They were very hard worked, but they performed their duty very cheerfully and well.

From the first landing at Pehtang until after the capture of the forts, the army was entirely dependent on sea-borne provisions, brought from the fleet in gunboats and carried across from Pehtang; fresh meat rations were therefore rare. No sooner were the forts surrendered than the Chinese peasantry hastened to establish markets; and fruit, poultry, eggs and sheep were offered for sale in profusion, at such moderate prices, that on the march from Tungkoo to Tientsin, spatchcock fowls, savoury omeletes, and stewed peaches became the staple food of the British soldier. On the 22nd of August, the day after the forts were captured, Admiral Hope, with a squadron of gunboats, had pushed up the Peiho river to Tientsin. He met with no opposition, and the townspeople threw themselves at his feet. The Ambassador, Commander-in-Chief, and a portion of our troops, speedily followed in gunboats; the remainder of the force by land, so soon as transport could be organized. The last of our regiments reached Tientsin, distant thirty-five miles from Taku, on the 5th of September.

A convention for the cessation of hostilities was to be signed on the 7th, and ground was actually taken for a review of all the troops, which was to be held for the edification of the Commissioners, after they should have signed the treaty.

Suddenly the sky darkened: it was ascertained that “Kweiliang” and his brother Commissioners were not armed with the powers they asserted, and ultimately, instead of parading on the 8th in holiday pageant, a portion of our forces began that day the march towards Pekin. The Ambassadors left next day, in company with the Commanders-in-Chief; the forces were advanced as far as carriage could be procured; but the means of the commissariat were insufficient to move the whole army to such a distance, and to carry the necessary supplies. The draught cattle furnished by the mandarins at Tientsin were spirited away at the first halting place, and the 2nd division of the British army, which was to have brought up the rear, had to devote its carriage to the assistance of the 1st division, and remain behind.

In this emergency the commissariat would have had the greatest difficulty in feeding the troops in the front, but for the measures taken by Sir Robert Napier, who remained in command at Tientsin. By inducing persistent efforts to push boats up the river Peiho, which runs parallel to the road nearly up to Pekin, but which had been pronounced unnavigable by even the smallest craft, and by laying embargo on the traffic of Tientsin, General Napier procured, and with the aid of the navy organised, large means of water transport, which afforded invaluable assistance.

As the Ambassadors advanced they were met by letters announcing the appointment of “Tsai Prince of Ee” as Chief Commissioner to conclude negotiations in lieu of Kweiliang, who was pronounced to have proved himself incompetent; and on the 14th September, Messrs. Parkes and Wade held a conference with the Commissioners at Tung-chow, whereat, all preliminaries being settled, a letter was written to Lord Elgin acceding in terms to all his demands.

It was arranged that Lord Elgin was to meet the Commissioners in the walled city of Tung-chow, eight miles short of Pekin, where he would sign the convention, under escort of 1000 men; and that he should immediately afterwards proceed to Pekin, there to exchange ratifications of the Treaty of Tientsin (1858), under similar protection. Our armies meanwhile were to encamp four miles below Tung-chow.

Nothing remained but to settle details, and take up suitable quarters for Lord Elgin at Tung-chow. For this purpose Mr. Parkes, accompanied by Messrs. Loch (private secretary), De Norman (attached to Shanghai mission), and Bowlby (Times’ correspondent), with an escort of Fane’s Horse, under Lieut. Anderson, went out on the 17th. Lieut.-Colonel Beauchamp Walker accompanied the party, for the purpose of inspecting the ground designated by the Chinese for our encampment, and Mr. Thompson (Commissariat) was sent to guage the capabilities of supply of the city of Tung-chow.

On arrival they were well received; but in discussing affairs they were surprised to find objections raised on several points to which the Chinese Commissioners had before consented. However, after a discussion of five or six hours, the Chinese negociators gave way; and having arranged details, our party slept that night in the city, the guests of the Commissioners.

Next morning Colonel Walker, accompanied by Messrs. Parkes and Loch, and attended by a Chinese officer deputed by the Commissioners, proceeded to examine the ground on which the British army was to be encamped, leaving the larger part of the escort at Tung-chow, where Messrs. Bowlby and De Norman also remained, pending the return of Parkes and Loch, who had yet to find a suitable residence for Lord Elgin within the walls of Tung-chow. On the way out, the party found the Tartar army in hurried movement in the direction of our forces, and on reaching the ground proposed for encampment, discovered it to be entirely commanded by the position which the Tartar forces, supported by a numerous artillery, were then taking up.

Seeing this, Parkes turned round and rode back to Tung-chow to demand a cessation of these hostile movements. Loch went on into the British camp with a couple of men to report progress, whilst Col. Walker, Thompson, and half-a-dozen dragoons, remained in the Tartar position, at Parkes’s request, until he should return. Having reported progress to the Commander-in-Chief, whom he met advancing, about a mile from the Tartar position, Loch returned towards the Tartars, accompanied by Captain Brabazon, R. A., with orders to Parkes to come back at once.

Mr. Parkes, on reaching Tung-chow, was rudely received by the Prince of Ee, and was told that until the questions to which objections had been made the day previous had been satisfactorily determined, peace could not exist. Thereupon Parkes, with Bowlby, De Norman, and all our people, left Tung-chow for the British camp. Mid-way they met Loch and Brabazon, who turned homewards with them, and all went on together, preceded by a flag of truce.

Before they came in sight of Colonel Walker and his few men, Tartar cavalry, blowing their matches, and making other hostile gestures, came galloping along the high bank on either side of our people, who were in a hollow way. Presently the party was summoned to halt; being surrounded, and ignorant of the ground, it was deemed advisable to comply, both to insist on the sanctity of the flag of truce, and to gain an opportunity of discovering the best way out of their uncomfortable position. The Tartar officer in command civilly told them, that as firing had commenced, he was unable to let them pass, without orders from his General, to whose presence he would conduct Mr. Parkes. Parkes, Loch, and one Sikh rode away with the officer. Suddenly turning the angle of a field of maize, they found themselves in the midst of a mob of infantry, whose uplifted weapons their guide with difficulty put aside. Further on stood San-ko-lin-tzin, the Tartar General, of whom Parkes demanded a free passage. He was answered with derision; and, after a brief parley, in which San-ko-lin-tzin upbraided Parkes as the cause of all the disasters which had befallen the empire, at a sign from the General our men were tossed off from their horses, their faces rubbed in the dust, and their hands tied behind them, and so, painfully bound, were placed upon carts, and taken to Pekin. Orders, were, at the same time, sent to capture the escort, which had been already surrounded by ever increasing numbers. Some of the troopers suggested the propriety of cutting their way through, but Anderson replied it would compromise the others, and refused to do what his gallant heart desired.

Soon, however, the whole party was disarmed, and taken to Pekin on their horses without dishonor. Next day they were removed to the Summer Palace of Yuen-Ming-Yuen, where they were severally bound. Their hands and feet tied together behind their backs, they were thrown on their chests, and kept in the open air exposed to the cold at night, and the still considerable heat by day, without food or water, for three days and nights. From the first their bonds were wetted to tighten them, and if they attempted to turn or move to rest themselves, they were cruelly kicked and beaten. On the third day poor Anderson’s fingers and nails burst from the pressure of the cords, which were not even then relaxed. The wrist bones became visible, and mortification ensued; the victim became delirious, and thus mercifully made unconscious of the horror of his position, this gallant soldier died. During his sufferings his men made efforts to approach him and to gnaw his cords, but they were savagely kicked away by his inhuman jailers. The condition of the survivors was only ameliorated, after the lapse of three days, by the bonds on their hands and feet being exchanged for heavy chains and irons. But, from this time, they were regularly, though most scantily and miserably, fed.

Poor Bowlby died the fifth day, in the same way as Anderson, then De Norman and several of the men. All appear to have kept noble hearts, and to have cheered and encouraged each other, but no less than thirteen sank under the horrors of this captivity. Brabazon and a French Abbé, who were taken with the escort, were, still unbound, seen to leave the party, on the way to Pekin, saying they were going to the Chinese Commander-in-Chief to procure the release of their companions. Their mournful fate was, we rejoice to know, less horrible. They were beheaded, by order of a Chinese General, on the 21st September, in revenge for a wound he had received during the action of the day; but their bodies being then thrown into the canal, were unhappily never recovered.

Parkes, Loch, and their Sikh orderly, had been taken off straight to Pekin, and never saw anything of the rest of their party. Parkes was known by sight and reputation, and his position and that of Loch was, in a manner, recognised. Their cords were unbound after eight hours, when they were heavily ironed, separated from each other, and each put into ward with sixty prisoners—murderers and felons of the first class—with whom they ate and slept and lived. By day they were allowed to move about in their wards; at night their chains were fastened to staples in the prison roof. They represent their fellow prisoners to have behaved uniformly with kindness towards them, sharing with them any little comforts they possessed, and carrying their chains when they moved. But they were treated with extreme rigour, and their allowance of food was scanty.

After the 29th September a change of treatment was adopted. Parkes and Loch were taken from prison, and confined together in a temple, where they were treated with every consideration. Their dinner was furnished by the Véry of Pekin, and mandarins visited them, bringing little presents of fruit. During this time the diplomatists were trying to turn Parkes to political account. They wrote to Lord Elgin to say that the prisoners then in Pekin were very well, and that the basis of a treaty was being arranged with Mr. Parkes, which would no doubt be satisfactory to all parties. And thus matters went on until the joyful day came of the prisoners’ release.

The firing spoken of as the immediate cause of the detention of our people, began thus: Colonel Walker and his party had been left in the lines of the Tartars, who were at first rudely good-humoured, as he moved about and observed how completely the guns, now in position behind a ridge of sandhills, covered the ground allotted by the Commissioners for the encampment of our forces. Suddenly Walker’s attention was attracted by a cry uttered close to him. He saw a French officer who had come out of Tung-chow during the morning, and had attached himself to the English, in the act of being cut down and pulled off his horse by a party of soldiers. Walker rode up to him, and catching hold of his hand, essayed to drag him away. A mob closed round Walker; some attempted to lift him off his horse; whilst others, taking advantage of his right hand being engaged, canted his sword out of its scabbard and made off. A mortal blow was dealt to the poor Frenchman; swords were drawn on all sides; and Walker calling on his men to put spurs and ride, galloped for his life towards our troops, now drawn up within sight, about half a mile away. The party was pursued by cavalry, and fired on by Tartar infantry and guns in succession; but they reached our lines alive, with one horse severely, and two men slightly, wounded.

An immediate advance was made by the Allied forces; the enemy were speedily driven from their guns, and their cavalry was swept away by successive charges of our horse. All their guns, seventy-five in number, their camps, and quantities of arms, were captured by our troops, who occupied for the night the walled town of Chan-kya-wan, which gave its name to the battle. That place is twelve miles from Pekin, in a direct line, and four from Tung-chow, which is the port of Pekin on the Peiho; and lies to the right of the direct road from Tientsin.

But the victory did not lead, as we had fondly hoped, to the immediate recovery of the prisoners, victims of treachery so dark as to have been unsuspected even by the experienced and wary Parkes. The night before the foul plot was carried out, the Prince of Ee had entertained our people at dinner, and, smiling, had bidden them adieu. An officer, deputed by the Prince, attended the party in the morning, and it was perhaps not unnatural for Parkes to believe that he could induce the Prince to countermand the movement of troops which he then saw, and which he supposed to be unknown to the High Commissioner. The Prince’s reception of Parkes, of course, dispelled this expectation, and no time was lost in returning to camp. Even then there was no appearance of immediate danger to the party, unless from possible excitement of the rude soldiery through whom they had to pass; for both Chinese and Tartars had up to this time invariably shown the fullest confidence in the protection of flags of truce, under which officers had frequently passed between the Allied and Chinese camps during the war then waging.

The soldiers, however, possessed that reverence for the emblem of peace which animates most other savages; and it was at the hands of San-ko-lin-tzin, the commander-in-Chief of the Chinese army, and the apostle of competitive examination, that the Chinese Government was degraded to the last degree by the deliberate violation of a flag of truce, and by the capture of the heralds whom it should have shielded.

Having ascertained that a considerable force of Tartars was encamped between Tung-chow and Pekin, Sir Hope Grant advanced on the 21st September to attack their position. Again the Tartars were completely beaten, their camps and guns all captured, and great loss inflicted on the enemy by our cavalry. The King’s Dragoon Guards made a capital charge; and a squadron of Fane’s horse, under Lieutenant Cattley, attached for the day to the French, after driving the enemy into a village, galloped quickly round it, and falling on the enemy’s flank, as he emerged on the other side, inflicted signal punishment. The number of Tartar troops on or about the field this day is estimated at 80,000 men, of whom 30,000 were actually engaged. The allied forces numbered 6200—viz., English, 3200 of all arms, and fifteen guns; and French, 3000, with twelve guns.

The action of Pā-li-chow left us in possession of the important strategic point called the Pā-li bridge, whereby the paved causeway from Tung-chow to Pekin crosses the canal constructed between those places. It further gave us the line of the canal on which the enemy had rested, and left the approach to Pekin open to our troops.

Our success was immediately followed by a letter from the Prince Koung, brother of the Emperor, and heir to the throne, announcing to the Ambassadors that he had been appointed, with full powers, to conclude a peace, in the room of Prince Tsai.

After the fight of the 18th, Sir Hope Grant had sent an express to summon General Napier, with as much of the 2nd division as could be spared from Tientsin. The General had already succeeded in procuring from the Chinese authorities carriage for his troops, which the Commissariat was unable to furnish. The order found them ready to move, and General Napier reached headquarters on the 24th, having marched seventy miles in sixty hours, with a supply of ammunition, which was much required, escorted by a company of Brownlow’s light-footed Punjabees.

The army halted in the position it had won until siege guns had arrived by water from Tientsin; fourteen days’ supply had been brought up the river, and all available troops had been collected. The force in front was strengthened by all the infantry of the garrison of Tientsin, which was replaced by the 19th Punjab Infantry from Tahlien Bay, and by marines, whom the Admiral landed from the fleet.

Advancing from Pā-li on the 6th October, the British took up position on the northern road leading from the gates of Pekin to Tartary, without falling in with any of the enemy, except a picket, which retired with precipitation. The French who were to have operated on the left between our flank and Pekin, marched, through some misunderstanding, across our rear, and took possession of the imperial palace of Yuen-Ming-Yuen, “the Fountain of Summer,” six miles to the North of Pekin, and four miles away to our right. We heard nothing of them all night; but Sir Hope Grant found them the next morning, when arrangements were made for the division between the two forces of the treasures which the palace contained. But in the absence of any British troops the arrangements broke through, and our prize agents, finding the principal valuables appropriated by the French, abandoned their functions. Thereupon on the 8th indiscriminate plunder was allowed; but as of the British a few officers only had access to the palace, and none of the men, our officers were ultimately desired to give up all they had brought away, and the property they had collected was ultimately sold by auction for the benefit of the troops actually present in the field before Pekin.

A most spirited sale ensued of china, enamels, jade, furs, silk, &c., which realised £5000; and this sum, added to the amount of gold and silver bullion which had been brought in, enabled the prize agents at once to make a distribution amongst the troops, ranging from £3 for a private soldier, to £60 for a first-class field officer. All our generals surrendered their shares to the troops. The arrangement made was perhaps the fairest that could be arrived at under the actual circumstances of the time; but of a booty worth at least a million of money, belonging to the imperial crown—therefore prize of the fairest character—the British troops have profited only to the amount of £25,000. The balance has gone to the French, who take the broadest view of the question of halves, or to the Chinese peasantry, who plundered as they pleased, after the departure of the French, on the third day of occupation.

On the 8th October, the first-fruits of our advance on Pekin were realised, in the surrender to us, by the Chinese, of Messrs. Parkes and Loch, and the Sikh orderly who had been taken with them. A French savant and three men were given up at the same time. Our poor fellows looked wonderfully well; but M. d’Escayrae’s hands were still contorted by the pressure to which they had been subjected during the twenty hours in which he was bound. The delivery of prisoners was the direct result of an intimation sent to the Chinese, on the 7th October, that unless all the prisoners still in their hands were delivered up immediately, a gate of the city placed in our possession without opposition, and competent persons deputed to conclude a peace, Pekin would be taken by assault; but if all the prisoners were given up, our troops would not be allowed to enter the city, and the lives and property of the inhabitants should be respected.

Saturday, the 13th October, at noon, was the period fixed on for compliance with our demands. Before the time elapsed, eleven of our Sikh horsemen who had been prisoners, were delivered up alive, and the remains of all who had perished (save poor Brabazon and the Abbé), were received in coffins. On the 17th they were buried in the Russian cemetery, with all the honour and solemnity that could be paid. The Ambassadors of England, France, and Russia, the Commanders-in-Chief, and the allied officers not on duty, attended. The Roman Catholic and Greek prelates showed, by their presence, generous sympathy in the untimely fate of our countrymen.

But as the complete fulfilment of the demands was still uncertain, batteries were erected against the city wall at a distance of 150 yards, by the British and French respectively, and arrangements were made for opening fire at noon of the 13th, if the gate was not by that time given up. Every one agreed in hoping that thousands of inoffensive people might be spared the misery of an assault; but the 2nd Division must have felt something like a pang when, at the appointed hour, they saw their General ride with an escort through the gate, and found, by the display of the ensign from its top, that the Tartars had surrendered to us the command of the Imperial city.

Yes, we were there, masters of the capital of China—at the very end of the map of the world—at the point which appears to schoolboy minds the limit of creation. We held the massive four-storied keep which frowns like a line-of-battle ship above the Gate of Peace; our troops and field artillery were actually on the walls which commanded the whole of the interior of the city, and they could move to any point along the fifty feet road which the summit of the wall presents. The walls and gates adjoining, together with some few larger double-storied buildings, were the only objects visible from our position varying the universal dun-colour of the city houses and enclosing walls. The broad street which leads from our gate into the city was packed with a dense crowd, anxious to make out the foreigners, and indulging in sonorous “Ei Yaws” at every novelty which met their wondering eyes. Electrified indeed were the Celestials when the bands of a French regiment, and of our 67th and 99th, struck up within the gateway, and guards presented their clanging arms as the Generals rode by; but the climax was reached when Desborough’s guns were spurted up the steep stone ramps which lead from the base to the summit of the wall, fifty feet in height, drawn by six horses of fabulous stature, and driven by the terrible barbarians who eat their enemies.

The surrender was carried out in good faith; but the appearance on the walls of guns of heavy calibre, evidently recently moved into positions whence our batteries were observed, spoke either of divided counsels or of tardy resignation on the part of our enemies.

Still our success was insufficient. No retribution had been exacted for the violation of the flag of truce, and for the murder of our countrymen, and no one seemed to feel certain whether a treaty was to be obtained or not. It was useless to demand the surrender of the persons who had instigated the barbarous treatment of the prisoners, for they were known to be very near the person of the Emperor, and there was therefore no chance of our getting the real offenders. An atonement in money, for the iniquities perpetrated, though repugnant to our feelings, appeared to be the only kind of demand with which the Chinese Government, humiliated and beaten as it was, could be expected to comply. The readiest means of obtaining a treaty was obviously to remain at Pekin until we got it; but the French Commander refused positively to detain his troops at the capital after the 1st November, and the English General was greatly indisposed to incur the risk of keeping his force there through the winter, in the absence of complete and timely arrangements for provisionment, which it was considered the advanced period of the season rendered impracticable.

Accordingly, on the 18th October, an ultimatum was addressed by the plenipotentiaries to Prince Koung, requiring him to reply by the morning of the 20th, whether, after paying, as a necessary preliminary to further negotiations, a sum of money in atonement for the murders committed, he would on an early day sign the convention already agreed upon? His Excellency was told that the Summer Palace, which had been partially plundered before the fate of the prisoners was known, would now be entirely destroyed, that its ruins might present a lasting mark of the abhorrence of the British Government at the violation of the law of nations which had been committed. He was also told, that in case of refusal to comply with the demands now made, the Imperial Palace of Pekin would be captured, plundered and burned.

In support of the ultimatum, the 1st Division of the British force, with cavalry, proceeded on the 18th and 19th to complete the plunder and destruction of the Summer Palace, whose smoke, driven by the northerly wind, hung over Pekin, whilst its ashes were wafted into the very streets of the capital. The French declined to take any part in this act of punishment—first, because they thought the palace had already been destroyed on their quitting it; and further, they feared that this demonstration would frighten the Chinese out of all hope of making any treaty at all.

The result showed that not one-fourth of the Imperial pavilions which constitute the Summer Palace had been even visited in the first instance, much less burned; and great booty was acquired by the troops employed as well as by the members of the embassy, navy, and staff, who were able to accompany the force. And so salutary was the effect produced on the advisers of the Imperial crown, that a letter acceding to all demands was received at daylight on the 20th, to the renewed disappointment of the 2nd Division, who again were under arms for the assault.

On the 22nd, the atonement-money, amounting to £100,000, was paid; and on the 24th, her Majesty’s Plenipotentiary, accompanied by the Commander-in-Chief, and escorted by a division of the army, entered in state and triumph the gates of the dim, mysterious city. The Ambassador was received by a deputation of Mandarins, who accompanied Lord Elgin to the hall, three miles distant, at the far side of the Tartar city, where the Prince Koung, surrounded by the principal officers of state, awaited his arrival.

At five o’clock that afternoon, ratifications of the treaty of 1858 were duly exchanged by the representatives of the sovereigns, and a convention signed, which, commencing with a recital of the Emperor’s regret at the occurrences at the Peiho Forts in 1858, declares Tientsin a free port, and thereby opens the Peiho to within seventy miles of Pekin for the traffic of the world. The provisions of the convention permit free emigration of Chinese, with their wives and families, to all parts of the world, and transfer a territory at Cowloon, opposite Hong Kong, where our troops were encamped in 1860, to the British Crown. An indemnity of three millions sterling to the British is guaranteed; and stipulation is made for the establishment of a British force at Tientsin, until the terms are fulfilled. A portion of the indemnity is to be paid 31st, December, 1860, whereon Chusan is to be evacuated by the English and French troops. But no provision is made for the evacuation of Canton, to which the French are at present understood to be disinclined to agree. The remainder of the indemnity is to be paid by periodical instalments of one-fifth of the gross revenue of the customs of China.

After signing the convention, Lord Elgin expressed a hope that the treaty would inaugurate friendly relations between the powers. Prince Koung replied that he himself had been about to utter the same words; and acknowledging that foreign affairs had hitherto been greatly mismanaged, observed, that as their administration was now exclusively placed in his hands, he had no doubt their future management would be more satisfactory.

The Franco-Chinese treaty was ratified by Baron Gros and the Prince Koung on the following day.”

CINTRA, CONVENTION OF.—This disgraceful convention was concluded between the British army, under Sir Hew Dalrymple and the French under Marshal Junot. The latter were allowed to evacuate Portugal and to be carried home to France in British ships, taking with them their ill-got gain; signed the day of the battle of Vimeira, August 22nd, 1808.

CITATE.—Fought 5th January, 1854, between Omar Pacha and the Turks, on the one side, and the Russians on the other.

“The army to which was allotted the first active operation was that commanded by General Fishback, with Generals Engelhardt and Bellegarde under his orders. This force was to occupy the extreme west of the Russian line of attack, and to drive the Turks from their position at Kalafat. By the time, however, that Fishback had reached Citate, a village within a few miles of his destination, he discovered that his force of about 15,000 men was inadequate to dislodge an equal number, strongly intrenched, and in unimpeded communication with Widdin, on the opposite side of the river, whence considerable supplies of men and ammunition could doubtless be obtained. He resolved, therefore, to postpone the assault until the 13th of January (the Russian New Year’s day), by which time he would be in possession of the requisite reinforcements, which he anticipated would raise his force to 45,000 men. Achmet and Ismail Pachas, who commanded the garrison at Kalafat, were well aware of the plans of the Russian commander, and determined to forestall his action. At daybreak, on the 6th of January, they sallied from the town with fifteen field-pieces, 10,000 regular infantry, 4000 cavalry, and 1000 of the irregular troops, known as Bashi-Bazouks. Three thousand men from the garrison at Widdin crossed the river to defend Kalafat from surprise; and at Moglovitz, between that town and Citate, a similar number were detached as a reserve. About nine o’clock the Turks reached Citate, and opened a side fire upon the village, while the infantry vigorously charged in front. After three hours of sanguinary street-fighting, the nature of the ground forbidding organized military combinations, the Russians retreated to the works they had thrown up beyond the village. The Turkish field-pieces were now brought to bear upon the intrenchments, and several vigorous assaults were made and as bravely repulsed. In the midst of the conflict, a large body of Russian reinforcements arrived, and the Turks, who occupied the gardens and orchards round the village, were exposed to an energetic assault in their rear. Nothing daunted, and favoured by their position, the Ottomans fought nobly, and succeeded in routing the newly-arrived reinforcement of the enemy, just as Ismail Pacha appeared upon the scene with the reserve from Moglovitz. Concentrating their forces, they now rushed at the intrenchments, and, beating down all opposition, drove the enemy from the position they had held. Nearly 2400 Russians dead in the streets and earth-works, a like number wounded, four guns, and the depôts of ammunition and arms which they captured, attested that day the prowess of the Turkish arms. Their own loss was about 200 killed and 700 wounded. For two days they held the place against the attempts of the Russians to recapture it; and then, emerging into the open field, drove the Russians before them back to Krajova. Then, retiring in triumph, they re-entered Kalafat, which, now mounting 250 heavy guns, and garrisoned (including Widdin) by 25,000 men, might safely promise a desperate resistance to any further Russian attempt.”

CIUDAD RODRIGO.—This strong fortress of Spain was invested by the French, June 11th, 1810, and surrendered July 10th, following.—Remained in the hands of the French till stormed gallantly by the British, under Wellington, January 19th, 1812.—Loss of the British and Portuguese 1000 killed and wounded, equal number of French, and 1700 prisoners.

CLONTARF, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the Irish and Danes on Good Friday, 1039. The Danes were signally defeated, 11,000 of them perished in battle, but the Irish had to deplore the loss of Bryan Boiroimhe, the King, and many of the nobility.

CLOSTERSEVEN, CONVENTION OF.—Between the Duke of Cumberland, third son of George II, and the Duke of Richelieu, commanding the French; 38,000 Hanovarians laid down their arms and were dispersed,—signed September 10th, 1757.

COALITIONS AGAINST FRANCE.

1st. Prussia issued her manifesto June 26th, 1792.

2nd. Great Britain, Germany, Russia, Naples, Portugal and Turkey signed them, June 22nd, 1799.

3rd. Great Britain, Russia, Austria and Naples, August 5th, 1805.

4th. Great Britain, Russia, Prussia and Saxony, October 6th, 1806.

5th. England and Austria, April 6th, 1809.

6th. Russia and Prussia, ratified at Kalisch, March 17th, 1813.

COLONEL.—This word is derived from the French, and means the chief commander of a regiment of troops.

COMMANDERS-IN-CHIEF OF THE BRITISH ARMY SINCE 1674:

CONFEDERATION OF THE RHINE.—The League of the Germanic States formed under the auspices of Napoleon Bonaparte. By this celebrated League the German States had to raise 258,000 troops to serve in case of war. It terminated with the downfall of Napoleon.

CONFLANS, TREATY OF.—A compact between Louis XI of France and the Dukes of Bourbon, Brittany and Burgundy. This treaty put an end to the “War of the Public Good,” in 1468.

CONSTANTINE THE GREAT.—It was whilst preparing to cross the Alps, to chastise the barbarians, that Constantine is said to have witnessed the supernatural appearance which induced him to embrace Christianity, and establish it henceforth as the religion of the empire. While meditating in his tent on the dangers that surrounded him, and praying for divine guidance and protection amidst them, there is said to have appeared over against him in the heavens a pillar of light in the form of a cross, bearing this inscription, “By this overcome.” Those who were attached to paganism looked upon this as a most inauspicious omen, but it made a different impression on the Emperor. He caused a royal standard to be made, like the appearance he had seen in the heavens. This was always carried before him in his war as an ensign of victory and celestial protection. Soon after this event he embraced the religion of Christ, and a little while after encountered Maxentius, his opponent, whom he utterly defeated in a terrible battle—Maxentius himself having been drowned while attempting to cross the river Tiber.

CONSTANTINOPLE.—Taken by the western crusaders in 1204. Retaken in 1261. Conquered by Mahomet II., who slew 6000 of the people, A.D. 1453. Ever since possessed by the Turks.

COPENHAGEN.—Capital of Denmark. It was bombarded by the English, under Nelson and Admiral Parker. Of twenty-three ships belonging to the Danes, eighteen were taken or destroyed, April 2nd, 1801. Again, after another bombardment of three days, the city and fleet surrendered to Admiral Gambier and Lord Cathcart, September 7th, 1807. Immense naval stores and eighteen sail of the line, fifteen frigates, six brigs, and twenty-five gunboats were captured.

CORNET.—An instrument of music of the nature of a trumpet. In modern usage, a cornet is a commissioned officer of cavalry next below a lieutenant who bears the ensign or colors of a troop.

CORONEA, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the Athenians and Allies and the Spartans. The King of the Spartans, engaging the Allies, completely defeated them, B.C. 394.

CORPORAL.—The lowest officer of a company next below a sergeant. The corporal of a ship of war is an officer under the master-at-arms, employed to teach the sailors the use of small arms. Napoleon was familiarly known among his troops by the name of the Little Corporal, and as he used to say there was just one step between the sublime and the ridiculous, so opposite extremes are taken in his titles. Emperor! Corporal!

CORUNNA, BATTLE OF.—Sir John Moore commanded the British army of about 15,000 men, and had just accomplished a safe retreat, when they were attacked by the French with a force of 20,000. They were completely repulsed, but the loss of the British was immense. Sir John Moore was struck by a cannon ball which carried off his left shoulder and part of his collar bone, leaving the arm dangling by the flesh. He died immediately. In the evening of the day of battle the remains of the splendid British army embarked at Corunna, January 16th, 1809. Previous to the battle, the army under their illustrious leader, had accomplished an arduous yet honorable retreat, for many leagues through an enemy’s country.

CRACOW.—It was taken by Charles XII, in 1702. Taken and retaken several times by the Russians, and Kosciusko expelled the Russians, March 24th, 1794, but it surrendered to the Prussians the same year. Occupied by 10,000 Russians, September, 1831; seized by Austria, and incorporated into that empire, November 16th, 1846.

CRESSY.—Fought between the English and French, August 26th, 1346. In the month of July in the year 1346, King Edward, at the head of an army of 30,000 men, landed at La Hogue, in Normandy. He was accompanied by his son, the Prince of Wales, though only fifteen years of age, and by his principal nobility. Having taken several towns, he moved along the left bank of the Seine, which river he wished to cross, in order to join an army of Flemings in Picardy. But he found the bridges all broken, and King Philip, at the head of a numerous army, followed his motions on the opposite bank of the river. At length Edward contrived to repair one of the broken bridges, and to pass over unknown to Philip; and he then marched rapidly till he reached the river Somme; but he there again found all the bridges secured, and learned that Philip was at Amiens with 100,000 men. Being informed that there was a ford near the town of Abbeville, which might be passed when the tide was low, Edward set out for it at midnight; but when the English reached it, the waters were not sufficiently low; and while they were waiting, a large body of French cavalry came down to oppose their passage. The English horsemen, however, gallantly plunged into the stream, drove off the enemy, and gained the opposite bank. The whole army was over when King Philip arrived, and the rising of the tide obliged him to go round by the bridge of Abbeville.

Though the French army was nearly four times as numerous as his own, King Edward resolved to give it battle. He drew up his troops in three divisions on an eminence behind the village of Creci or Cressy. The prince of Wales, aided by the Earls of Oxford and Warwick, led the first, the King himself commanded the last. At dawn (the day was the 26th of August), Edward having heard mass and received the sacrament, rode along the lines, cheering his men, and at ten o’clock they sat down and took their breakfast in their ranks. The French, meantime, advanced from Abbeville in confusion and disorder. A storm of thunder and rain came on and lasted through a great part of the day; but at five o’clock in the afternoon, the sky becoming clear, Philip ordered a body of Génoese cross-bowmen, in his service, to begin the battle. The Génoese gave a shout, and discharged their bolts; the English archers, who were posted in front, showered in return their arrows of a yard in length; and the Génoese, unable to re-charge their ponderous crossbows, fell into disorder. The count of Alençon then charged the first division of the English with a numerous body of cavalry. The second line advanced to its aid, and a knight was sent off to King Edward, who was viewing the battle from the top of a windmill, to pray him to send more help. “Is my son slain or wounded?” said the King. “No, sire.” “Then,” replied he, “tell Warwick, he shall have no aid. Let the boy win his spurs.” When this message was brought to the English, it redoubled their courage; and the French were at length totally routed, with immense loss. “Fair son,” cried Edward to the Prince, as he clasped him to his bosom after the battle, “Fair son, continue your career. You have acted nobly, and shown yourself worthy of me and the crown.”

The person of the highest rank who fell in this great battle was John, king of Bohemia. This prince, who was blind from age, ordered four of his knights to lead him into the thick of the battle. They interlaced his and their own bridles, and rushed forward, and all were slain. The crest of the King of Bohemia, three ostrich feathers, and his motto, Ich dien, i.e. I serve, were adopted by the Prince of Wales, and still are those of the heir-apparent of the crown of England.

CRIMEA, LANDING IN THE.—Crimean War.—The following graphic description is from Emerson’s Sebastopol:—“At length the great fleet, nearly 400 vessels in all, on the 7th of September, 1854, a memorable day thenceforth, set sail for its destination. What that destination was none knew. Orders were issued to rendezvous off the Isle of Serpents, near the Sulina mouth of the Danube. The scene, when the immense flotilla was fairly under weigh, was of the most exciting and animating character. Every ship bore on its side the number of the regiment and nature of troops it conveyed, and carried a distinguishing flag. As night closed in, lanterns signalling the division to which it belonged were displayed, and an illumination, such as the waters of the Euxine never reflected, was witnessed by the sharers in the daring adventure. No incident of these modern practical times, perhaps, has partaken so largely of the character of romance as the departure of this renowned expedition. The great armada, which taxed the energies of the most powerful maritime nation of the sixteenth century, was a puny flotilla compared to the one we are now writing of. The largest vessel of that celebrated fleet was a cockleshell to many of our noble steamers, detached from their customary vocation of carrying on the commercial intercourse of nations, and devoted to the service of war. Resources of science, unknown before the present generation, and adapted by skill to our naval requirements, were there in abundance, rendering a single steamer more than a match for a dozen vessels of an earlier age, and almost independent of the adverse winds and strong currents which had dispersed many a gallant fleet and defeated many a deep-laid scheme of conquest. Iron, naturally one of the densest of bodies, became, in the hands of the scientific shipwright, buoyant as cork; and vessels, each large enough to carry a regiment of cavalry besides its proper crew, and to which a Spanish brig-of-war of the days of Philip might have served for a jolly-boat, breasted the broad waves of the Euxine, freighted with as brave and chivalrous warriors as menaced Troy, or did battle with the infidel possessors of Jerusalem.

Brave and chivalrous indeed, for they sailed they knew not whither, to encounter an unknown enemy. It might be that they were to force a landing at once under the very guns of Sebastopol, and by sheer audacity achieve the capture of the renowned fortress. It might be that, debarking at a distance from that spot, they would be exposed to toilsome marches, in an enemy’s country, harassed by clouds of Cossacks, and opposed by great armies, in strong positions, infinitely outnumbering their own force, when even continuous victory would necessarily be almost entire annihilation. But, like the errant-knights of old, they anticipated no difficulties, and bore a stout heart for any fate. English and French, officer and man, seemed to have but one desire, that of meeting all foes at all hazards, and winning gallantly or dying gloriously.

The general instructions furnished to Marshal St. Arnaud (who, by reason of the French army being so numerically superior to the English, and his military rank as marshal being higher than that of Lord Raglan, assumed the rank of generalissimo of the expedition), and which were understood to have been drawn up by the Emperor Louis Napoleon himself, though leaving to the discretion of the Generals the point of debarkation on the shores of the Crimea, yet strongly recommended—so strongly, in fact, as almost to amount to a command—the choice of Kaffa as the most convenient spot. It was, we cannot help believing, exceedingly fortunate that the allied Generals resolved upon examining for themselves the locality, and ultimately rejected the plans of the Emperor. Kaffa, it is true, affords the largest bay and the most secure anchorage in the Crimea, and, had they been the only requisites, there could have been little doubt that the imperial scheme would have been adopted. But the fleet was only valuable in the expedition as an auxiliary to the army—as a basis of operations, a depôt of stores, a means of conveying reinforcements, an assistant in the actual bombardment, or a medium of retreat in event of a disaster. For all practical purposes Sebastopol was the Crimea; and Sebastopol is on the western coast, while Kaffa is on the eastern, at least 100 miles distant. Had the object been to provide for the security and comfort of the fleet, it might as well have been in snug quarters at Spithead or Cherbourg, as at Kaffa, and there it would have been about as useful. The plan of Napoleon was to seize the town of Kaffa, thence to march across the peninsula, taking possession of Karu-Bazar, Simferopol, and Baktchi-Serai, thus advancing to Sebastopol, and securing the harbour of Balaklava, as a naval basis near the scene of intended operations. But the Emperor, by some strange oversight, seems to have forgotten his own previous caution not to separate from the fleets, when he sketched out the march of an army, only 50,000 strong, encumbered with necessary ammunition and baggage, along a road forty miles from the sea in some parts, through a mountainous district, in an enemy’s country, for a 100 miles, exposed to continued encounters with immense armies, and necessitated to seize and retain possession of, at least, three large towns, strongly garrisoned. It is true, a force stationed at Kaffa might intercept reinforcements arriving from Asia, or along the narrow strip of land bridging the Putrid Sea; but what was to hinder the arrival of the legions which should be poured into the Crimea, through Perekop, the most direct and available route from the very heart of the military strength of Russia, on the first intelligence of the invasion? Supposing, too, that a sufficient force to hold Kaffa had been left in occupation there (and if it had not been, what would have prevented the arrival of troops from Asia and the north, which would have followed the invaders, and enclosed them between two fires?)—that the three great towns had been captured and consequently garrisoned—or where the utility of taking them?—deduct the necessary casualties of the march, and the inevitable results of the unavoidable battles, even supposing them to have been victories, and how many men could possibly have arrived before Sebastopol out of 50,000? The expedition to the Crimea at all was romantic, and is said to have been strongly opposed by some of our most able Generals; but this contemplated march through a mountainous region, interposing innumerable obstacles to transit, in the face of a powerful enemy, far from assistance, cut off from supplies of food or ammunition, with three fortified towns to capture, at least several pitched battles to fight, and, as a finish to the prospect, the most strongly fortified town in the world to reduce, was the very absurdity of Quixoteism.

Fortunately, we say, the generals were wiser than their teacher. When the ships collected at their appointed rendezvous, orders were received to proceed to a spot about forty miles west of Cape Tarkan, in the north of the Crimea; then, embarking in the Caradoc, a small English steamer, Marshal St. Arnaud and Lord Raglan, accompanied by their seconds in command, Generals Canrobert and Brown, and Sir Edmund Lyons, proceeded to survey the coast and select the spot most favourable to their purpose. They skirted the western shore, ran close into Eupatoria, examined the coast thence to Sebastopol (where a few weeks previous, General Canrobert and Sir George Brown had closely scanned the fortifications on a flying visit, penetrating, under cover of night even into the harbour, and not retiring until the grey light of morning had revealed to them a considerable amount of information), passing almost within range of the guns, and coasting round to the little harbour of Balaklava; which having scrutinized, they returned in safety to the fleets. Had any of the large Russian steamers crossed the path of the little Caradoc, and attacked it, a very different fate might have awaited the Allies from that which they anticipated. But the Russian Admirals little dreamed of the prize they might have secured, and our modern Agamemnons were borne back unscathed from their perilous cruise.

On the morning of Monday, the 11th of September, the chiefs returned from their trip and rejoined the fleet; and the anxious expectation as to the point of debarkation, which had agitated the minds of all on board, during the two days’ tedious riding at anchor, was in some degree alleviated by the order to make sail, and rendezvous thirty miles west of Sebastopol. Even then, uncertainty seemed to cloud the counsels of the Commanders. The fleet was dispersed, the heavy sailing vessels having failed to keep in company with their more alert fellows of the steam fleet. At length, the English and French fleets, in one compact flotilla, approached the shore, and the town of Eupatoria, and the hills of the south-east, were presented to the eager gaze of the soldiers. A small steamer was despatched to summon the town to surrender at discretion, and a refusal being received, a small body of English and French marines was landed, their appearance soon stifling any qualms of conscience the local authorities might have felt at yielding up their trust to the enemy. The fleet then shaping a course in a south-easterly direction, the plans of the allied Generals became apparent. About eight miles from Eupatoria the ships cast anchor at a mile from the shore, in the Bay of Kalamita, near a place known as Old Fort. A narrow strip of level land was the spot selected for debarkation, and the enemy exhibited no signs of opposition, or even preparation. It had been not unnaturally anticipated that a formidable resistance would have been made to the expected landing of the Allies, which could only then have been accomplished with much loss. On the contrary, the only signs of Russian life apparent, was the presence of a mounted Russian officer, who, attended by three or four Cossacks, securely stationed on a neighbouring eminence, was calmly sketching the scene.

It had been arranged that the ships of the Admirals should occupy the centre of the bay, thus dividing the two armies. Had this determination been carried out, the landing might have been effected with the least imaginable difficulty; but the French Admiral, with an exclusive attention to his own branch of the allied force, which subsequent events of the campaign paralleled, thought proper to anchor his vessel at the extreme right of the bay, thus throwing the vessels into considerable confusion. One transport was grounded, and several fouled in their endeavours to get into their proper positions. In an incredibly short space of time, however, order was restored; and, under the energetic superintendence of Sir Edmund Lyons, the steamers and transports commenced to discharge their living freights. The sea was literally covered with boats, laden with soldiers in their varied uniforms, and bearing rations for three days, every article that could possibly be dispensed with being left in the ships. Those who landed first marked out with flags the spots to be occupied by each division and regiment; and the sailors, standing knee-deep in the water, lent hearty assistance to those who were less amphibious than themselves. Nothing could exceed the delight of the sturdy seamen, as they lifted their red-coated compatriots from the boats, and placed them dry-footed on the shore; or lent a hand, with more zeal than knowledge, to disembark the horses. Frequently, a noble charger, startled by the novelty of his situation, would roll into the water, half a dozen ancient mariners clinging to his mane or tail, and sharing his immersion,—emerging at length, dripping with brine, but in a high state of jollity at having rescued their steed, and overwhelming him with caresses of a nautical fashion, as they soothed his fears or indulged him with a short trot on terra firma. The two or three Cossacks who had watched our landing now deemed it prudent to withdraw, though not until a few shots had warned them of the prowess of the English riflemen, and one of their number had received a compliment from Major Lysons, of the 23rd, which would probably render his sitting in the saddle, or elsewhere, exceedingly inconvenient for some time to come. It so chanced, however, that even these few Cossacks were very nearly inflicting a heavy blow on the English army, by the capture of one of its most distinguished officers. Sir George Brown, general of the Light Division, had no sooner landed, than with characteristic daring he mounted his horse, and advanced alone to gain a view of the surrounding country. He had ridden some distance, and had closely approached the retreating party, quite unconscious of their neighbourhood, when he was suddenly astonished by the unwelcome apparition of three ferocious horsemen, lance in hand, in full career towards him, and at but a few yards’ distance. Sir George, who was almost unarmed, was too old a soldier to mistake rashness for courage, and wisely considering the odds too great, discreetly put spurs to his horse and galloped off, followed by his Cossack pursuers. A few of our men had fortunately, however, followed in the steps of their leader, and when they saw his danger, hastened to the rescue. Half a dozen levelled rifles proved too strong an argument for the valour of the Russian horsemen, and they, in their turn, made a precipitate retreat. Sir George Brown rejoined the main body, and proved, when the time came, that he could attack as bravely as he could retire discreetly.

By the time when the approaching darkness rendered it necessary to suspend operations for the day, 20,000 English, with thirty-six guns, and numerous horses, had been landed, and the French in about equal force. Our men had left their tents in the ships, and officers and common soldiers were alike unprovided with means of shelter. Their rations consisted of provisions for three days; and in this respect, those high in command shared with their less distinguished followers. As night closed in, torrents of rain began to descend, and in a brief space of time, the narrow strip of land on which they stood, bounded on the one side by the sea, and on the other by a salt lake, was a dismal swamp. Wrapping themselves in their blankets, which were thoroughly soaked in a few minutes, the men lay down in the mud, and endeavoured to sleep. A moderate, and not very luxurious supper of cold pork, washed down with a single sip of rum, was their first meal in the Crimea; and then, officers and men strove to drown in slumber the wretched aspect of affairs which thus initiated their invasion. Sir De Lacy Evans was fortunate enough to possess a tent, which some considerate member of the veteran’s staff had contrived to bring on shore. An old cart, the property probably of some Tartar peasant, frightened from his accustomed labour, made, when overturned, a canopy such as royalty seldom couches beneath; but under its welcome shelter the Duke of Cambridge pressed, no doubt for the first time, the bare earth. The French were better provided. They had contrived to land a considerable number of tents; and, moreover, many of their regiments were supplied with the little tentes-abris, a portion of which was borne by each soldier; and several of these parts could be united into a small tent, sufficiently commodious to afford some protection from the severity of the weather.

How little can the home-keeping public realise the feelings which must have been predominant in the bosoms of the men during that melancholy bivouac! Soldiers are, perhaps, less sensitive to hardships and exposure than civilians; and probably comparatively callous to the finer sentiments. But it is scarcely possible to conceive that, out of 60,000 men, lying on the bare earth in an enemy’s country, there would be many who would not be keenly alive to the emotions their situations would naturally suggest. Physically depressed by a day of extreme toil, poorly fed, and drenched by the descending torrent, the past would be inevitably present to their imaginations, and with the past the probable future. Many men will march dauntlessly to the cannon’s mouth, and show no signs of fear, but with cheerful voice, and light step, dash through the enemy’s fire, and over the bodies of the dead. But in the stillness of the night, when no excitement warms his blood, the bravest will be despondent, and the strong man be moved with emotions as keen as those which agitate the breasts of the tender woman or the sympathetic child. Oceans rolled between them and all they had learned to love and value. No hand so rough but had been pressed by some other hand on the day of departure; no nature so fierce and ungentle but had softened into a better manhood as the cliffs of England receded from the view. And now they lay through the long hours of that miserable night, striving vainly enough to drown their remembrances in sleep, and gain renewed strength and courage for the morrow—the morrow that might bring death, and certainly imminent dangers. Before them lay an unknown land—a future of deadly uncertainty. Battles were to be fought, shot and steel to be encountered; and who could tell who were destined to lie in the obscurity of death on that foreign soil, and who to bear the tidings back to thousands of melancholy homes?

Thus was passed the night of the 14th of September, the anniversary of the death of the great Duke of Wellington, who, two years before, ended his career amid the universally expressed sorrow of a great people. He was, we had fondly hoped, the last great representative of the military glory of this country. A new era had been, we believed, initiated, in which the arts of peace supersede the operations of war. And now, but two years after the conqueror of Waterloo had looked for the last time upon the world, an English army had landed upon the shores of a hostile territory, and was commencing a warfare of which no man could see the termination, and which bade fair to involve every nation of Europe. The chosen champion of England’s military glory was quiet in his tomb; but his companions, pupils, and successors were prepared to emulate his deeds, and strike as vigorously for the honor of their country, and the maintenance of the freedom of Europe.”

CROPREADY, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the forces of Charles I of England and the Parliament, June 6th, 1644. It was a drawn battle; for both sides, in their respective accounts, claim the victory.

CRUSADES.—The holy wars, waged by the Christians, to wrest the Sepulchre of Christ and Jerusalem, from the hands of the Saracens, continued for many years, and no important results were derived from them as regards territorial acquisition, but they had an immense effect in civilizing the west countries of Europe. There were three principal ones.

CUDDALORE.—India.—Possessed by the English in 1681. Reduced by the French, 1758. Recaptured two years afterwards by Sir Eyre Coote. Taken again in 1781. Besieged by the British under General Stuart in 1783.

CUIRASS.—A covering for protecting the body of cavalry from the weapons of opponents. The French had a body of soldiers covered with them.

CULLODEN, BATTLE OF.—Fought April 16th, 1746, between the Pretender and the Duke of Cumberland. The Scots lost 2500 men, while the English lost only 200. A writer thus describes the battle:—

“Thus far the affairs of the rebel army seemed not unprosperous; but here was an end of all their triumphs. The Duke of Cumberland, at that time the favourite of the English army, had been recalled from Flanders, and put himself at the head of the troops at Edinburgh, which consisted of about 14,000 men. With these he advanced to Aberdeen, where he was joined by several of the Scotch nobility, attached to the house of Hanover; and having revived the drooping spirits of his army, he resolved to find out the enemy, who retreated at his approach. After having refreshed his troops at Aberdeen for some time, he renewed his march, and in twelve days he came up to the banks of the deep and rapid river Spey. This was the place where the rebels might have disputed his passage, but they lost every advantage in disputing with each other. They seemed now totally void of all counsel and subordination, without conduct, and without unanimity. After a variety of contests among each other, they resolved to wait their pursuers upon the plains of Culloden, a place about nine miles distant from Inverness, embosomed in hills, except on that side which was open to the sea. There they drew up in order of battle, to the number of 8000 men, in three divisions, supplied with some pieces of artillery, ill manned and served.

“The battle began about one o’clock in the afternoon; the cannon of the King’s army did dreadful execution among the rebels, while theirs was totally unserviceable. One of the great errors in all the Pretender’s war-like measures, was his subjecting wild and undisciplined troops to the forms of artful war, and thus repressing their native ardour, from which alone he could hope for success. After they had kept in their ranks and withstood the English fire for some time, they at length became impatient for closer engagement; and about 500 of them made an irruption upon the left wing of the enemy with their accustomed ferocity. The first line being disordered by this onset, two battalions advanced to support it, and galled the enemy with a terrible close discharge. At the same time the dragoons, under Hawley, and the Argyleshire militia, pulling down a park wall feebly defended, fell among them, sword in hand, with great slaughter. In less than thirty minutes they were totally routed, and the field covered with their wounded and slain, to the number of 3000 men. The French troops on the left did not fire a shot, but stood inactive during the engagement, and afterwards surrendered themselves prisoners of war. An entire body of the clans marched off the field in order, while the rest were routed with great slaughter, and their leaders obliged with reluctance to retire. Civil war is in itself terrible, but much more so when heightened by unnecessary cruelty. How guilty soever an enemy may be, it is the duty of a brave soldier to remember that he is only to fight an opposer, and not a suppliant. The victory was in every respect decisive, and humanity to the conquered would have rendered it glorious. But little mercy was shown here; the conquerors were seen to refuse quarter to the wounded, the unarmed, the defenceless; some were slain who were only excited by curiosity to become spectators of the combat, and soldiers were seen to anticipate the base employment of the executioner. The Duke, immediately after the action, ordered thirty-six deserters to be executed. The conquerors spread terror wherever they came; and, after a short space, the whole country round was one dreadful scene of plunder, slaughter, and desolation; justice was forgotten, and vengeance assumed the name.”

CUNNERSDORF, BATTLE OF.—The King of Prussia with 50,000 men attacked the Austrian and Russian army with 90,000 men (in their camp). At first he gained considerable advantages, but pursuing too far, the enemy rallied and gained a complete victory. The Russians lost 200 pieces of cannon and 20,000 men in killed and wounded. Fought August 12th, 1759.

CUSTOZZA, BATTLE OF.—Fought Sunday, 24th June, 1866 between the Austrians and Italians. “The Italian army, divided into three corps and a reserve, making up a force of from 80,000 to 90,000 combatants, after crossing the Mincio at Gotto, and on the other points, on Saturday afternoon, June 23rd, 1866, and sending reconnoitering parties towards Peschiera and Verona, encamped for the night at some place beyond Roverbella, equidistant from the two fortresses. On the ensuing morning an attempt was made upon those high positions of Sona, Somma Campaigna, and Santa Ciustina, which commands the fifteen miles railway line joining the two strongholds, positions which played a conspicuous part in the campaign of 1848. The object of the Italians was evidently to take possession of the railway, so as to isolate Peschiera and secure a basis of operations against Verona. The Austrians, however, who were massed in great force at Verona, sallied forth from that place at daybreak, and, anticipating the Italian movements, took up their position upon those hills, which are now everywhere bristling with bastions and redoubts, and may be looked upon as mere outworks of the two citadels, extending from the gates of one to those of the other. After a severe and bloody, or, as the Italians describe it, “desperate struggle,” which lasted nearly the whole day—that longest of summer days—the Imperial army was victorious along the whole line. They stormed the summit of Montevente, where the Italians held out the longest, and at the close of the engagement, at five o’clock in the afternoon, they also carried the position of Custozza, a spot fatal to Italian arms in their encounter with Radetski, in July, 1848. The victors captured several guns, and about 2000 prisoners, and behaved, as the Archduke Albert’s bulletin assures us, and as we may readily believe, with even more than their ordinary bravery and endurance. On the same evening the Italian army was obliged to re-cross the Mincio.

The Italian accounts of the engagement present no points of material difference. According to them, the first army corps was sent forward to occupy some positions between Peschiera and Verona, but being surrounded by superior numbers, it “failed to effect its purpose,” and the description given of its losses in the contest leaves us little doubt that it was all but annihilated. The second and third corps, unable—it is not said for what reason—to advance to its rescue, were still in the evening “almost intact.” It was also stated from Brescia that the army had maintained its position; but there is little doubt that it had to withdraw across the Mincio later in the night. The Italians had several of their Generals wounded, among others the King’s second son, Prince Amadeus, who has arrived at Brescia.

There is every probability, also, that the Italians were, on this occasion, outnumbered by their enemies: for the Austrians have from 200,000 to 250,000 men in Venetia, and as they had in their hands the most formidable of all engines of modern warfare—the railway, they had probably massed three-fourths, at least, of their troops in Verona, ready for the long-expected Italian inroad. The Archduke’s bulletins, in fact, never speak of garrisons, but tell us that the “imperial army” was in the field.

The Italians, we are assured, behaved with great heroism, and, no doubt although they lost the day, they came off without loss of honour. An advance across the Mincio, right into the heart of the Quadrilateral, is an enterprise which no other European army would, under such circumstances, have ventured upon, but a frenzy to do something seems to have possessed the whole Italian nation, and the men in command could think of nothing better than dashing their heads against those formidable stone walls. There may be bravery in so desperate an attempt to take the bull by the horns, but we believe it would be impossible for the king or La Marmora to say what results they expected from their ill-conceived and worse-executed attempt. It was a battle in which they staked the very existence of their army, while their enemies, in the worst event, ran no other risk than that of a safe and leisurely retreat behind the shelter of their bastions. The least that may be said of it is, that like the Balaklava charge, “C’était beau mais ce n’était pas la guerre.” Ever since 1848 and 1849 the Austrians have strained every nerve to strengthen these four citadels, and have extended their outworks, so that the line between Peschiera and Verona, especially, is a vast intrenched camp.”

CYZICUM, BATTLE OF.—Fought during the Peloponnesian war. Plutarch states that Mindarus was slain in this battle. The Athenians gained a complete victory over the Lacedæmonian fleet. Fought B.C. 410.

D.

DAMASCUS.—Taken by the Saracens, 633. Again by the Turks in 1006, and was destroyed by Tamerlane in 1400.

DANTZIC.—It surrendered to the French, after a siege of four months, May 5th, 1807; and, by the treaty of Tilsit, was restored to its former independence under the protection of Russia and Saxony. It was besieged by the Allies in 1812, and surrendered to them January 6th, 1814. By the treaty of Paris it reverted to its former status.

DARDANELLES, PASSAGE OF THE.—This was achieved by the British fleet under Sir John Duckworth, February 19th, 1807; but the admiral was obliged to repass them—which he did with great loss and immense damage to the fleet, March 2nd following. The castles of Sestos and Abydos hurled down rocks, each of many tons weight, upon the decks of the British ships.

DARTMOUTH.—Burnt by the French, in the reign of Richard I and Henry IV. Prince Maurice took it in 1643, but it was retaken by General Fairfax, by storm, A.D. 1646.

DELHI.—Once the great capital of the Mogul empire. In 1738, when Nadir Shah invaded Hindostan, he entered Delhi, and 100,000 of the inhabitants were put to the sword. In 1803, the Mahrattas aided by the French, got possession of the place; but they were afterwards defeated by General Lake. This city has been the scene of much commotion in the course of its history.

The following is a short account of the storming of Delhi, in the last great mutiny:

“Until the latter end of August, the British troops before Delhi are rather to be considered as an army of observation, than as a besieging force. Their inferiority in numbers and artillery was barely counter-balanced by their superior discipline, courage and physical strength. These advantages enabled them, indeed, to maintain their ground, but not to assume the offensive.

Toward the close of August, however, a re-inforcement of European and Sikh troops, under Brigadier Nicholson, arrived from the Punjab, and, on the 25th of that month, the rebels were defeated at Nujuffghur, with great slaughter, and the loss of thirteen guns. A few days later a heavy siege-train was received from Ferozepore, and breaching batteries were constructed on the north side of the city. The siege may be said to have commenced on the 7th September, and by the evening of the 13th, the engineers reported two practicable breaches—one near the Cashmere, the other near the Water bastion. Arrangements were, therefore, at once made for an assault, to take place at daybreak on the following morning.

The first column, commanded by Brigadier Nicholson, advanced under a tremendous fire, and, applying their scaling-ladders, carried the Cashmere bastion, and established themselves in the main-guard. Almost simultaneously, the second column, under Brigadier Jones, stormed the Water bastion, and effected a junction with their comrades inside the walls.

A third column, under Colonel Campbell, awaited the blowing open of the Cashmere gate to join the assault. They had not long to wait. Lieutenants Salkeld and Home, of the engineers, accompanied by three sergeants carrying the powder-bags, walked up to the gateway in broad daylight, and, while exposed to a heavy fire of musketry, coolly fastened the bags to the iron spikes of the gate. In the performance of this heroic exploit, Lieutenant Salkeld was severely wounded, and two of the sergeants killed upon the spot; but the train was lighted, and the gate blown open with a tremendous crash.

As the smoke cleared away, the storming party sprang through the ruins with a British cheer; and the three columns uniting, made themselves master of the whole line of works, from the Water bastion to the Cabul gate; and before nightfall were in possession of Skinner’s house, the Church, the College, and the adjacent grounds. This brilliant success, however, was not achieved without great loss of life.

Of the European soldiery, eight officers and 162 rank and file were killed, with 52 officers and 510 rank and file wounded; of the Sepoys, 413 were placed hors de combat, of whom 103 were slain outright. The total number of casualties thus amounted to 1145, or one-third of the entire assaulting force. Among the mortally wounded was Brigadier Nicholson, whose death was justly deplored as a national calamity.

Simultaneously with these main attacks, a diversion was made by a fourth column, consisting of Sikhs, Ghoorkas, and Cashmerians, on the suburbs of Kishengunge and Pahareepore. But, in spite of their most strenuous efforts, these troops failed to overcome the desperate resistance offered by the enemy, and, in the end, were compelled to retreat, though not ingloriously.

The day following the assault was consumed in shelling the palace, and in battering the magazine. A breach was effected, and, at daylight on the 16th, a storming party dashed forward with such impetuosity that the rebel artillerymen dropped their lighted port-fires and fled, leaving undischarged six guns of large calibre commanding the breach and loaded with grape. On the 17th, the British troops became masters of the Bank, formerly the palace of the Begum Sumroo, and shortly afterwards, of the Jumma Musjid, or principal mosque. Heavy guns were now brought to play upon the palace and the bridge of boats, and, by the evening of the 20th, the rebels entirely evacuated the city and its suburbs. Then was seen the extent of the damage sustained by the former capital of the Mogul dynasty. Whole streets had been laid in ruins; dead bodies tainted the air in all directions; the inhabitants, reduced to beggary, were crouching, terror-stricken, in obscure lurking-places. But the British soldier is merciful in victory, as he is irresistible in battle. To armed rebels, no mercy was shown; but women and children, and the defenceless citizens, were spared and protected.

The venerable descendant of Timour—venerable only by reason of his gray hairs and extreme old age—had fled, with his principal Begum, two sons, and a grandson, to the tomb of his ancestor, Hoomavoon, son of the mighty Baber. He was discovered and seized by captain Hodson, of the 2nd European Fusiliers. His own life, and that of his queen, were respected—but the princes were led out and shot, and their dead bodies publicly exposed at the kotwalee, or mayor’s court.

General Wilson, whose health failed him in the hour of victory, now resigned the command to Brigadier Penny, C.B., a veteran of approved gallantry. Colonel Burn, whose father so gallantly defended Delhi against Jeswunt Rao Holkar, in 1803, was appointed military commandant within the city, and measures were successfully taken to re-establish order, and to afford protection to well-disposed and peaceful citizens. Two movable columns, consisting each of 1600 infantry, 500 cavalry, three troops of horse artillery, and eighteen guns, were told off, and ordered to follow up the retreating enemy without delay. One of these, commanded by Colonel Greathed, of the 84th, came up with a rebel force strongly posted near Bolundshuhur, and, after a spirited engagement, utterly discomfited them with the loss of two guns, a vast quantity of ammunition, and 100 men.”

DEMERARA AND ESSEQUIBO.—Founded by the Dutch but taken by the British, under Major General White, April 22nd, 1796. Restored in 1802. Again surrendered to the British, under General Grinfield and Commodore Hood, September 20th, 1803. They are now British colonies.

DENNEWITZ, BATTLE OF.—In this battle a remarkable victory was obtained by Marshal Bernadotte, Prince of Denmark—who afterward became Charles XIV of Sweden—over Marshal Ney, September 6th, 1813. The loss of the French exceeded 16,000 men and two eagles, while the loss of the opposite army was inconsiderable.

DETTINGEN, BATTLE OF.—Between the British, Hanoverian, and Hessian army, commanded by George II of England in person and the Earl of Stair, on the one side, and the French army, commanded by Marshal Noailles and the Duke of Grammont, on the other side. The English army amounted to 52,000 men, the French to 60,000 strong. The French having passed a defile which they should have guarded, the British and Allies bravely sustained the impetuous charge of the French cavalry, so that they were obliged to give way, and recross the Mayne, with the loss of 5000 men. Fought June 16th, 1743.

DIEPPE.—In France.—This town was bombarded by an English fleet, under Admiral Russell, and laid in ashes, July 1694. Again bombarded by the British, September 14th, 1803.

DIZIER ST.—In Champagne.—One of the most memorable sieges in modern history. This town sustained a siege for six weeks against the army of Charles V, Emperor of Germany, A.D. 1544. A battle was fought here between the armies of the Allies on the one side, and the French, commanded by Napoleon in person, on the other, in which he was defeated with great loss, January 27th, 1814.

DONNINGTON, BATTLE OF.—In Lincolnshire, England.—Fought between the Royalists, commanded by Colonel Cavendish, and the forces of the Parliament—the latter defeated, 1643. The battle of Donnington, in Gloucestershire, was fought in 1645, when the Royalists, under Lord Aston, were defeated by Colonel Morgan. This victory led to the surrender of the King’s garrison at Oxford.

DRAGOON.—Name supposed to have been derived from dragon. The first regiment of dragoons in England was raised A.D. 1681.

DRESDEN, BATTLE OF.—Between the allied army, under the Prince of Schwarzenberg, and the French army, commanded by Napoleon, August 26th and 27th, 1813. The Allies were 200,000 strong. They attacked the position of Napoleon, and the event had nearly proved fatal to them, but for an error of General Vandamme. They were defeated with dreadful loss, and were obliged to retreat into Bohemia. Vandamme pursuing them too far, his division was cut to pieces, and he and all his staff made prisoners. In this battle, General Moreau received his mortal wound, while in conversation with the Emperor of Russia.

DROGHEDA.—In Ireland.—Cromwell took this city by storm, and put the governor and all the garrison to the sword, August 14th, 1649. More than 3000 men, mostly English, perished, one individual—a lieutenant—alone escaping. Cromwell also murdered every man, woman, and child of the citizens that were Irish!

DRUM.—A martial instrument—the invention of which is ascribed to Bacchus. Being an oriental invention, it was introduced into Europe by the Moors, A.D. 713.

DUMBLANE OR DUNBLANE, BATTLE OF.—Called also the Battle of Sheriffmuir.—Fought between the Royalist army, and the Scotch rebels, November 12th, 1715. The Duke of Argyle, who commanded the Royalists, had in his army 4000 veteran troops; the Earl of Mar, who commanded the rebels, 8000, but all newly raised. The loss was equal on both sides, and each claimed the victory. The Highland foot behaved most gallantly.

DUNBAR, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the Scottish and English army, in which John Baliol was defeated by the Earl of Warrenne, and Scotland subdued by Edward I, April 27th, 1296. Another battle was fought here between the Scots and the English, under Cromwell, who obtained a great victory, September 3rd, 1650.

DUNDALK.—Edward Bruce, being defeated in his unfortunate invasion of Ireland, was beheaded here, in 1318, and with him 6200 Scots invaders, lost their lives. The walls and fortifications were destroyed in 1641.

DUNGAN HILL, BATTLE OF.—In Ireland.—Fought between the English and Irish armies. The former commanded by Colonel Jones, who signally defeated the insurgent Irish, of whom 6000 were slain, while the loss of the English was inconsiderable. Fought July 10th, 1647.

DUNKIRK.—Taken by the English and French from the Spaniards, June 24th, 1658. Sold by Charles II, for £500,000, to Louis XIV, in 1662. The English attempted to besiege this place, but the Duke of York, who commanded, was defeated by Hoche, and forced to retire with loss, September 7th, 1793.

DUNSINANE, BATTLE OF.—Celebrated by Shakespeare. Fought between Macbeth, the thane of Glamis, and Seward, earl of Northumberland. Macbeth was signally defeated, fled, and was pursued, when he was slain, 1057.

DURHAM, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the English and Scottish armies, October 17th, 1316. See [Nevill’s Cross].

E.

EBRO.—Scene of a signal defeat of the Spaniards, by the French, November 23rd, 1808. Scene also of several movements of the allied forces during the Peninsular War.

ECKMUHL, BATTLE OF.—Fought, April 22nd, 1809, between the main armies of France and Austria. The French army was commanded by Napoleon, and the Austrian by the Archduke Charles. Napoleon, by one of his masterly movements, broke through the Imperial army, and completely routed them.

EDGEHILL, BATTLE OF.—Fought, October 23rd, 1642, between the Royalists and the Parliament army, the first engagement of importance in the civil war. Charles I was present in this battle. Prince Rupert commanded the Royalists and the Earl of Essex the Parliamentarians. The Earl of Lindsay, one of Charles’ Generals, who commanded the foot forces, was mortally wounded and taken prisoner. The King’s army lost 5000 men, dead on the field of battle, with vast numbers of wounded and prisoners; but the great loss on the other side prevented them from making all they could of the victory.

ENSIGN.—A flag or banner. The lowest commissioned officer in an infantry regiment—he who carries the flag or colors—hence the name; derived from the French.

ENGHIEN, BATTLE OF.—Fought, August 3rd, 1692, between the British, under William III, and the French, under Marshal Luxembourg, who were victorious. William had put himself at the head of the confederate army in the Netherlands, and leagued himself with the Protestant powers upon the continent against the ambition of Louis XIV, and in the end he triumphed.

ENLISTMENT OF SOLDIERS AND SEAMAN.—None enlisted are to be sworn in before a magistrate in less than twenty-four hours, and then they are at liberty to withdraw, upon returning enlistment or bounty money and 21s. costs. All enlistment is now voluntary.

ENNISKILLEN.—Ireland.—It made an obstinate defence against the army of Elizabeth; then against James II, 1689—1500 Enniskillens met General McCarty with a force of 6000 men—defeated him, with a loss of 3000 men, and took all the rest—losing only twenty men, July 1689. The Enniskillen dragoons were raised here.

ESSLING, BATTLE OF.—Fought, May 22nd, 1809, between the armies of France and Austria, commanded by Napoleon and the Archduke Charles,—a dreadful conflict, which began on May 21st, and continued on the 22nd. Napoleon was defeated with the loss of 30,000 men—but the Austrians lost 20,000. This was the most severe check that Napoleon had ever yet experienced, which rendered his army’s retreat very difficult.

EUPATORIA.—Crimea.—Famous in the Crimean war. The following is an account of its capture by the Allies:

“About 25,000 Turks, under Omer Pacha, the veterans for the most part of the army of the Danube, had occupied the town, and strongly entrenched themselves, assisted by a small force of English and French, and supported by the presence of a naval squadron, under the command of Captain Hastings, of the Curaçoa. For some days previous to the 16th of February, large bodies of Russians had been observed in the vicinity; and on the morning of that day, a strong force of artillery, supported by bodies of cavalry and infantry, estimated at about 40,000 men, opened a smart fire upon the town, at a distance of 1200 yards, subsequently advancing nearer. The small squadron, under Captain Hastings, was enabled to do good service; the Valorous pitching shells and shot among the enemy on the left; and the Viper, an active little gun-boat, smartly seconding her efforts on the left. The enemy’s infantry approached to the right of the town, through the cemetery. As they advanced from the burying-ground, they were met by a vigorous fire of musketry from the entrenchments. The Furious had detached a rocket-party, which coming round among the windmills to the right of the town, met the advancing Russians with a succession of volleys. The enemy advanced to within twenty yards of the ditch, and then fell into confusion. Selim Bey, the leader of the Egyptian contingent, seizing the opportunity, threw forward his brigade in a rapid charge with the bayonet upon the disordered columns, but fell mortally wounded at the head of his men. Unable to stand the terrific fire to which they were exposed, and yielding before the vigorous charge of the Egyptians, the Russians gave way, and the repulse was complete. The artillery limbered up their guns, and with the cavalry, drew leisurely from the spot. The enemy’s loss must have been immense, considering the short time the skirmish lasted, as the ground was strewed with the bodies of the slain, who were quickly despoiled by the ever ready Bashi-Bazouks, and left stark naked in their blood. The loss to the defenders of the town was 101 killed, and 286 wounded. The Turkish artillery suffered greatly from the enemy’s fire, nineteen men being killed in one battery. Thus did Omer Pacha initiate his campaign in the Crimea.”

EURYMEDON, BATTLE OF.—One of the most celebrated battles in Grecian history, when Cimon destroyed the fleet of the Persians at Cyprus, and the land forces also at the River Eurymedon, B.C. 470.

EVESHAM, BATTLE OF.—Fought, August 4th, 1265, between Prince Edward, afterwards Edward I, and Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester—in which the Barons were defeated, and Montfort slain. This victory broke up the confederation of the Barons against the King.

EXETER.—When held by the Danes King Alfred invested and took it A.D. 894. Sweyn besieged it 1003. Again besieged by William the Conqueror, 1067. Surrendered to King Stephen, 1136. Besieged by Sir William Courtenay, 1469. Lastly assaulted by Perkin Warbeck 1497.

EXPEDITIONS OF THE BRITISH. PRINCIPAL ONES.

EYLAU, BATTLE OF.—Fought, February 8th, 1807, between the French and Russians.—It was one of the most terrible and bloody in Napoleon’s wars. Napoleon lost 15,000 men, and the Russians 20,000, in slain alone. Both armies were dreadfully crippled by this battle, and both had to retire.

F.

FALCZI, PEACE OF.—This celebrated peace was concluded between Russia and Turkey, July 2nd, 1711,—the Russians giving up Azof and all their possessions on the Black Sea to the Turks. In the following year the war was renewed, and at last terminated in the peace of Constantinople, April 16th, 1712.

FALKIRK, BATTLE OF.—First battle fought between Edward I of England, and the Scots under William Wallace, July 22nd, 1298; and the second between the King’s forces and Prince Charles Stuart, the Pretender, January 18th, 1746. Both are described in the following extracts:

“Edward had been in Scotland for about a month. He had advanced as far as Kirkliston, ten miles west of Edinburgh. Symptoms of mutiny began to appear among his hungry soldiers. He was compelled to give orders for a retreat to Edinburgh, meaning to wait there till his fleet, laden with provisions, should arrive at Leith, and then to advance again.

Things stood thus, when two scoundrels, the Earl of Dunbar and the Earl of Angus, came at daybreak into the camp of the English, and gave information that Wallace lay in the forest of Falkirk, intending to attack the English in their quarters that very night. Edward was filled with joy at the tidings. “Thanks be to God,” he cried, “who hath hitherto delivered me from every danger! They shall not need to follow me, for I shall instantly go and meet them.”

In an hour’s time he had his army in motion for the west. That night they encamped on a moor near Linlithgow. Each man slept in his armour, each war-horse was kept ready bridled beside its rider. The king himself slept on the bare ground, like the meanest soldier in his army. In the middle of the night the sleeping king received a kick from his own charger, by which two of his ribs were broken. As soon as morning dawned the march was resumed. The king, wounded as he was, was among the first to mount.

Passing through the town of Linlithgow, they continued their march, and gained a rising ground at some distance beyond. There they halted, and the fighting Bishop of Durham said mass. While the ceremony was performing the sun rose, and his rays, glancing upon the array of spears, showed them the Scottish army taking their ground on the slope of a small hill not far from Falkirk. Wallace arranged his battle thus: His main force lay in his infantry, who fought with long spears, and carried short daggers and axes for close battle slung at the girdle. They were divided into four circular masses, or schiltrons, as they were called in the military language of the time. In these circles the spearmen stood compactly together, with their long spears stretched out, and forming a ring of steel. The spaces between circle and circle were occupied by the archers, tall yeomen from the forests of Selkirk and Ettrick. The cavalry, amounting to 1000 heavy armed horse, were placed in the rear. Among them were most of the nobles who had joined Wallace; but the jealousy which these proud barons felt towards him, and their selfish fear of losing their estates, made them less than half-hearted in the cause.

The English came on in three divisions, each division as strong as the whole Scottish army. At the first clash of spears the entire body of the Scottish cavalry, led by the traitor lords, turned bridle, and rode off the field without a blow given or taken. While the battle raged against the circles of spearmen, the English horse charged the Scottish archers. The brave foresters stood firm to meet the rush of 7000 of the finest cavalry ever present on a stricken field. But what could they, lightly armed as they were, do against mailed horse and steel-clad knights? They defended themselves so bravely with their short daggers that the very enemy admired them. But they died there to a man. After the battle the conquerors remarked their tall and handsome forms as they lay dead on the ground they had kept so well.

The four circles of the Scottish spearmen remained yet entire, standing up like a wall, with their spears, point over point, so thick and close together that no living man could pierce through. But the cloth-yard arrows from the great bows of England fell thick and deadly among them. The columns of archers advanced near and discharged their shafts in perfect security, the Scots having neither cavalry to scatter them by a charge, nor archers to reply to them. Drawing their arrows to the head, they shot with all their force into the circles, and quickly breached the living walls. Through the gaps made by the archers the English cavalry charged, and having once broken in made a dreadful slaughter. The battle was lost. One duty alone remained to the Scottish leader, and that was to save the remainder of his army from destruction by a retreat. Well and soldierly he did it. Retiring slowly, and himself with his best knights defending the rear, he was able to draw off the broken remains of his circles, and to gain the shelter of Torwood forest.”

Second Battle.—“Being joined by Lord Drummond, Prince Charles invested the castle of Stirling, commanded by General Blakeney; but the rebel forces, being unused to sieges, consumed much time to no purpose. It was during this attempt that General Hawley, who commanded a considerable body of forces near Edinburgh, undertook to raise the siege, and advanced towards the rebel army as far as Falkirk. After two days spent in mutually examining each other’s strength, the rebels being ardent to engage, were led on, in full spirits, to attack the King’s army. The Pretender, who was in the front line, gave the signal to engage, and the first fire put Hawley’s forces into confusion. The horse retreated with precipitation, and fell upon their own infantry; while the rebels, following up the blow, the greatest part of the royal army fled with the utmost precipitation. They retired in confusion to Edinburgh, leaving the conquerors in possession of their tents, their artillery, and the field of battle.”

FEROZESHAH, BATTLE OF.—India.—Between the Sikhs and British. The British attacked the entrenchments of the Sikhs, and carried by storm the first line of works, December 21st, 1845. Night coming on the operations were suspended till day-break next day, and their second line was carried and their guns captured; the Sikhs advanced to recapture the guns but were repulsed with great loss, and retreated towards the Sutlej, December 22nd, and re-crossed the river unmolested, December 27th.

FERROL, BRITISH EXPEDITION TO.—Upwards of 10,000 British landed, August, 1800, near Ferrol, commanded by Sir James Pulteney. Despairing of success, though they had gained the heights, they re-embarked and returned to England, by order of the General, and in opposition to the wishes and advice of his officers.

FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD.—Henry VIII embarked at Windsor to meet Francis I of France, at Ardres, May 31st, 1520. So much magnificence was displayed on the occasion, that the field received that name, by which it is now always known in history.

FIRE SHIPS.—Used first in the 16th century. The first use of them, in the English navy, was by Lord Effingham, in the engagement of the Armada, July, 1588.

FLAG.—Acquired its present form in the 6th century, in Spain; introduced, it is said, by the Saracens.

FLAT BUSH, BATTLE OF.—Long Island, America.—Fought August 27th, 1776, between the British forces and American colonists, when the latter, after a desperate engagement, were compelled to retire, with the loss of 2000 men killed, and 1000 prisoners.

FLEURIS, BATTLE OF.—Fought, June, 17th, 1794, between the Allies, under the Prince of Cobourg, and the French revolutionary army, commanded by Marshal Jourdan. The Allies had 100,000 men, and having met the enemy on the plains of Fleuris, were signally defeated. Between 8000 and 10,000 were killed, wounded and taken prisoners, and Jourdan was able to form a junction with the French armies of the Moselle—the Ardennes and the north. In this memorable battle, the French made use of a balloon to reconnoitre the enemy’s army—an experiment which it is said very materially tended to their gaining the victory.

FLODDEN.—Fought on the 9th September, 1513, between the English and Scots. Underneath is a graphic account of the most disastrous battle that ever befell the Scottish arms.

“On the 22nd of August, 1513, James IV of Scotland, at the head of a gallant army, crossed the Tweed, for the purpose of revenging some injuries which he conceived himself to have received at the hands of the King of England, who was then pursuing hostilities in France. Immediately on his crossing that river, he laid siege to the castles of Etel and Ford, and spent much precious time in endeavouring to reduce those fortresses.

Whilst such was the course pursued by the King, the Earl of Surrey concentrating the strength of the northern counties, soon raised an army of 26,000 men; and marching through Durham, received there the sacred banner of St. Cuthbert. He was soon after joined by Lord Dacre, Sir William Bulmer, Sir Marmaduke Constable, and other northern Barons; and on proceeding to Alnwick, was met by his son, Lord Thomas Howard, Lord Admiral of England, with a reinforcement of 5000 men. On advancing with this united force, Surrey dispatched Rouge Croix Herald to carry his challenge to the King of Scots, which was couched in the usual stately terms of feudal defiance. It reproached him with having broken his faith and league, which had been solemnly pledged to the King of England, in thus invading his dominions—and offered him battle on the succeeding Friday, if he would be content to remain so long in England and accept it. Lord Thomas Howard added a message, informing the King, that, as High Admiral, and one who had borne a personal share in the action against Andrew Barton, he was now ready to justify the death of that pirate, for which purpose he would lead the vanguard, where his enemies, from whom he expected as little mercy as he meant to grant them, would be sure to find him. To this challenge, James instantly replied, that “he desired nothing more earnestly than the encounter, and he would abide the battle on the day appointed.” As to the rude accusation of broken honour which had been brought against him, he desired his herald to carry a broad denial of the statement. “Our bond and promise,” he observed, “was to remain true to our royal brother, so long as he maintained his faith with us. This he was the first to break; we have desired redress, and have been denied it; we have warned him of our intended hostility—a courtesy which he has refused to us; and this is our just quarrel, which, with the grace of God, we shall defend.” These mutual messages passed on the 4th of September; and on the day appointed, Surrey advanced against the enemy. By this time, the distress for provisions, the incessant rains, and the obstinacy of the King in waiting upon his pleasures, and his observation of the punctilios of chivalry, the hours which might have been spent in active warfare, had created dissatisfaction in the soldiers, many of whom deserted, with the booty they had already collected; so that in a short time the army was much diminished in numbers. To accept the challenge of his adversary, and permit him to appoint a day for the encounter, was contrary to the advice of his best councillors; and he might have recollected, that in circumstances almost similar, two great masters in war, Douglas and Randolph, had treated a parallel proposal of Edward III with a sarcastic refusal. He had the sagacity, however, to change his first encampment for a stronger position on the hill of Flodden, one of the last and lowest eminences which detach themselves from the range of the Cheviots; a ground skillfully chosen, inaccessible on both flanks, and defended in front by the river Till, a deep sluggish stream, which ran between the armies.

On advancing and reconnoitering the spot, Surrey, who despaired of being able to attack the Scots without exposing himself to the probability of defeat, again sent a herald to request the King to descend from the eminence into the plain. He complained, somewhat unreasonably, that James had “putte himself into a ground more like a fortress or a camp, than any indifferent field for battle to be taxed;” but James would not even admit the messenger into his presence. So far all had succeeded and nothing was required on the part of the King but patience. He had chosen an impregnable position, had fulfilled his agreement by abiding the attack of the enemy; and such was the distress of Surrey’s army in a wasted country, that to keep it longer together was impossible. He attempted, therefore, a decisive measure, which would have appeared desperate, unless he had reckoned upon the carelessness and inexperience of his opponent. Passing the Till on the 8th of September, he proceeded on its east side to Barmoor wood, two miles distant from the Scottish position, where he encamped for the night. His march was concealed from the enemy by an eminence on the east of Ford; but the manœuvre being executed without observation or interruption, evinces a shameful negligence in the Scottish commanders. Early on the morning of the 9th, he marched from Barmoor wood in a north-westerly direction; and then turning suddenly to the eastward, crossed the Till with his vanguard and artillery at Twisel bridge, not far from the confluence of the Till and the Tweed—whilst the rear division, under Surrey in person, passed the river at a ford. Whilst these movements were taking place the Scottish King remained unaccountably passive. His veteran officers remonstrated. They showed him, that if he advanced against Surrey, when the enemy were defiling over the bridge with their vanguard separated from the rear, there was every chance of destroying them in detail, and gaining an easy victory. The Earl of Angus, whose age and experience gave great weight to his advice, implored him either to assault the English, or to change his position by a retreat, ere it was too late; but his prudent counsel was only received by a cruel taunt. “Angus,” said the King, “if you are afraid, you may go home;” a reproach which the spirit of the old Baron could not brook. “My age,” said he, “renders my body of no service, and my counsel is despised; but I leave my two sons and the vassals of Douglas in the field; may the result be glorious, and Angus’s foreboding unfounded!”

The army of Surrey was still marching across the bridge, when Borthwick, the master of the artillery, fell on his knees before the King, and solicited permission to bring his guns to bear upon the columns, which might then be done with the most destructive effect; but James commanded him to desist on peril of his head, declaring that he would meet his antagonist on equal terms in a plain field, and scorned to avail himself of such an advantage. The counsel of Huntly was equally ineffectual; the remonstrance of Lord Lindsay of the Byres was received by James with such vehement indignation, that he threatened on his return to hang him up at his own gate. Time ran on amidst these useless altercations, and the opportunity was soon irrecoverable. The last divisions of Surrey’s force had disentangled themselves from the narrow bridge; the rear had passed the ford; and the Earl, marshalling his army with the leisure his enemy allowed him, placed his entire line between James and his own country. He was thus enabled, by an easy and gradual ascent, which led to Flodden, to march upon the rear of the enemy; and without losing his advantage for a moment, he advanced against them in full array, his army being divided into two battles, and each battle having two wings. On becoming aware of this, the King set fire to the temporary huts and booths of his encampment, and descended the hill, with the object of occupying the eminence on which the village of Brankston is built. His army was divided into five battles, some of which had assumed the form of squares, some of wedges; and all were drawn up in line, about a bow-shot distant from each other. Their march was conducted in complete silence; and the clouds of smoke which arose from the burning camp, being driven in the face of the enemy, mutually concealed the armies; so that when the breeze freshened, and the misty curtain was withdrawn, the two hosts discovered that they were within a quarter of a mile of each other. The arrangement of both armies was simple. The van of the English, which consisted of 10,000 men, divided into a centre and two wings, was led by Lord Thomas Howard; the right wing being intrusted to his brother, Sir Edmund, and the left to Sir Marmaduke Constable. In the main centre of his host Surrey himself commanded; the charge of the rear was given to Sir Edward Stanley; and a strong body of horse, under Lord Dacre, formed a reserve. Upon the part of the Scots, the Earls of Home and Huntly led the advance; the King, the centre; and the Earls of Lennox and Argyle, the rear; near which was the reserve, consisting of the flower of the Lothians, commanded by the Earl of Bothwell. The battle commenced at four in the afternoon, by a furious charge of Huntly and Home upon the portion of the English advance under Sir Edmund Howard; which, after some resistance, was thrown into confusion, and totally routed. Howard’s banner was beaten down; and he himself escaped with difficulty. Lord Thomas Howard, dreading the consequences of a defeat, dispatched a messenger to his father, Lord Surrey, entreating him to extend his line with all speed, and strengthen the van by drawing up a part of the centre on its left. The manœuvre was judicious, but it would have required too long a time to execute; and at this critical moment, Lord Dacre galloped forward with his cavalry to the support of his advance. Nothing could have been more timely than this assistance; he not only checked the career of the Scottish Earls, but drove back the division of Huntly with great slaughter; whilst Home’s men, imagining they had already gained the victory, began to disperse and pillage. Dacre and the Admiral then turned their attack against another portion of the Scottish advance, led by the Earls of Crawford and Montrose, who met them with levelled spears, and resolutely withstood the charge. Whilst such was the state of things on the right, a desperate contest was carried on between James and the Earl of Surrey in the centre. In his ardour, the King forgot that the duties of a commander were distinct from the indiscriminate valour of a knight: he placed himself in the front of his lances and billmen, surrounded by his nobles, who, whilst they pitied the gallant weakness of such conduct, disdained to leave their sovereign unsupported. The first consequence of this was so furious a charge upon the English centre, that its ranks were broken, and for a while the standard of the Earl of Surrey was in danger; but by this time Lord Dacre and the Admiral had been successful in defeating the division led by Crawford and Montrose, and wheeling towards the left, they turned their whole strength against the flank of the Scottish centre, which wavered under the shock, till the Earl of Bothwell came up with the reserve, and restored the day in this quarter. On the right, the divisions led by the Earls of Lennox and Argyle were composed chiefly of the Highlanders and Isle-men, the Campbells, Macleans, Macleods, and other hardy clans, who were dreadfully galled by the discharge of the English archers. Unable to reach the enemy with their broadswords and axes, which formed their only weapons, and not very amenable to discipline, their squadrons began to rush fiercely forward, eager for closer fight, and thoughtless of the fatal consequences of breaking their array. It was to little purpose that La Motte and the French officers with him attempted by entreaties and blows to restrain them; they neither understood their language nor cared for their violence, but threw themselves sword in hand upon the English. The squares of English pikemen stood to their ground; and though for a moment the shock of the mountaineers was terrible, its force once sustained, became spent with its own violence, and nothing remained but a disorganisation so complete that to recover their ranks was impossible. The consequence was, a total rout of the right wing of the Scots, accompanied by a dreadful slaughter, in which the Earls of Lennox and Argyle were slain. Yet, notwithstanding this defeat on the right, the centre, under the King, still maintained an obstinate and dubious conflict with the Earl of Surrey. No quarter was given on either side; and the combatants were disputing every inch of ground, when Stanley, without losing his time in pursuit of the Highlanders, drew back his division and impetuously charged the rear of the Scottish centre. It was now late in the evening, and this movement was decisive. Pressed on the flank by Dacre and the Admiral—opposed in front by Surrey, and now attacked in the rear by Stanley, the King’s battle fought with fearful odds against it; but James continued by his voice and his gestures to animate his soldiers, till he fell pierced with an arrow, and mortally wounded in the head by a bill, within a few paces of the English Earl, his antagonist. The death of their sovereign seemed only to animate the fury of the Scottish Nobles, who threw themselves into a circle round the body, and defended it till darkness separated the combatants. At this time Surrey was uncertain of the result of the battle; the remains of the enemy’s centre still held the field; Home with his borderers hovered on the left; and the commander allowed neither pursuit nor plunder, but kept a strict watch during the night. When the morning broke, the Scottish artillery were seen standing deserted on the side of the hill, their defenders had disappeared; and the Earl ordered thanks to be given for a victory which was no longer doubtful.

The loss of the Scots, in this fatal battle, amounted to about 10,000 men. Of these a great proportion were of high rank; the remainder being composed of the gentry, the farmers and landed yeomanry, who disdained to fly when their sovereign and his nobles lay stretched in heaps around them. Among the slain were thirteen Earls—the King’s natural son, the Archbishop of St. Andrews—the Bishops of Caithness and the Isles—the Abbots of Inchaffray and Kilwinning—and the Dean of Glasgow; besides fifteen Lords and chiefs of clans. The body of James was found on the morrow amongst the thickest of the slain, and recognised by Lord Dacre, although much disfigured by wounds. It was carried to Berwick, and ultimately interred at Richmond.”

FONTAINBLEAU, PEACE OF.—Concluded between France and Denmark, in 1670. Treaty of ditto between the Emperor of Germany and Holland, signed November 8th, 1785. Second Treaty of ditto, between Napoleon and the Royal Family of Spain, October 27th, 1807. Concordat of ditto, between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII, January 25th, 1813. Entered by the Austrians, February 17th, 1814. Napoleon here resigned his imperial dignity, and bade farewell to his army, April 5th, 1814.

FONTENOY.—Fought, April 30th, 1745,—according to others, May 11th, 1745—between the French, commanded by Count Saxe, and the English, Hanoverians, Dutch, and Austrians, commanded by the Duke of Cumberland. “The French entered upon the war with great alacrity. They besieged Fribourg, and in the beginning of the succeeding campaign invested the strong city of Tourney. Although the Allies were inferior in number, and although commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, yet, they resolved, if possible, to save the city by hazarding a battle. They accordingly marched against the enemy, and took post in sight of the French, who were encamped on an eminence, the village of St. Antoine on the right, a wood on the left, and the town of Fontenoy before them. This advantageous situation did not repress the ardour of the English, who began the attack at two o’clock in the morning, and pressing forward, bore down all opposition. They were for nearly an hour victorious, and confident of success, while Saxe, a soldier of fortune, who commanded the French army, was at that time sick of the same disorder of which he afterwards died. However, he was carried about to all the posts in a litter, and assured his attendants that, notwithstanding all unfavourable appearances, the day was his own. A column of the English, without any command, but by mere mechanical courage, had advanced upon the enemy’s lines, which, opening, formed an avenue on each side to receive them. It was then that the French artillery on the three sides began to play on this forlorn body, which, though they continued for a long time unshaken, were obliged at last to retreat. This was one of the most bloody battles that had been fought in this age; the Allies left on the field 12,000 men, and the French bought their victory with nearly an equal number of slain.”

FORT DU QUESNE.—United States.—Famous in the French war of Canada with the English. The following extract well describes the expedition:

“Braddock, who had been recommended to this service by the Duke of Cumberland, set forward upon this expedition in June, and left the cultivated parts of the country on the 10th, at the head of 2200 men, directing his march to that part of the country whence Major Washington had retreated the year before. Being at length within ten miles of the French fortress he was appointed to besiege, and marching forward through the forest with full confidence of success, on a sudden his whole army was astonished by a general discharge of arms, both in front and flank, from an enemy that still remained unseen. It was now too late to think of retreating; the troops had passed into the defile which the enemy had artfully permitted them to do before they offered to fire. The vanguard of the English therefore, fell back in consternation upon the main body, and the panic soon became general. The officers alone disdained to fly, while Braddock himself still continued to command his brave associates, discovering at once the greatest intrepidity and imprudence. An enthusiast to the discipline of war, he disdained to fly from the field, or to permit his men to quit their ranks, when their only method of treating the Indian army was by precipitate attack, or an immediate desertion of the field of battle. At length Braddock, having received a musket shot through the lungs, dropped, and a total confusion ensued. All the artillery, ammunition, and baggage of the army was left to the enemy, and the loss sustained by the English amounted to 700 men. The remnant of the army, in this emergency, was saved by the courage and ability of Washington, who first here appears conspicuously on the theatre of this world’s great events.”

FORT ERIE.—Canada.—This fortress was taken by the American General Brown, July 3rd, 1814. Defended by only 170 men, no wonder it yielded to the Americans with 4000 strong. On the 15th August, General Drummond tried to retake it, but failed. September 17th the besieged made a sortie but were driven back, each side losing 600 men. Evacuated by the Americans, who blew up to the fort November 5th, 1814.

FORT NIAGARA.—Canada.—Captured by Sir William Johnston. In the war of 1813 it was surprised and captured by the Canadians.

FREDERECKSHALL.—Rendered memorable by the death of Charles XII of Sweden, who was killed by a cannon ball before its walls, and while in the trenches leaning against the parapet examining the works. He was found in that position with his hand on his sword and a prayer book in his pocket.—December 11th, 1718. It is now generally believed that some traitor shot the King with a pistol.

FRENCHTOWN.—Canada.—This town was taken from the British by the American General Winchester, January 22nd, 1813. Retaken by the British forces under General Proctor immediately afterwards, when the American commander and the whole of his troops were made prisoners of war.

FRIEDLAND, BATTLE OF.—Fought, June 14th, 1807, between the allied Russian and Prussian armies on the one side and the French, commanded by Napoleon in person, who signally defeated them, with the lose of eighty pieces of ordnance and 50,000 men. This victory led to the peace of Tilsit.

FUENTES DE ONORE, BATTLE OF.—Napier thus describes this great battle: “On May 2nd, 1811, Messina crossed the Agueda with 40,000 infantry, 5000 cavalry, and about thirty pieces of artillery, to relieve Almeida. He expected every day to be superseded in his command, and he wished to make a last effort for his own military character. Wellington could muster no more than 32,000 men, of which force only 1200 were cavalry. He, however, determined to fight rather than give up the blockade of Almeida; after much fighting night came on and put an end to the battle. Next day Messina was joined by Bessières, with a body of the Imperial Guard, and on the 5th the enemy made the grand attack. The battle raged throughout a vast plain, and in all the Peninsular War there was never so dangerous an hour for England. The fight lasted till evening, when the lower part of the town was abandoned by both sides—the British keeping the chapel and crags, and the French retiring a cannon shot from the stream.” Fought, May 5th, 1811.

G.

GALWAY.—Ireland.—In 1690, Galway declared for King James, but it was invested and taken by General Ginckel, immediately after the memorable battle of Aughrim, July 12th, 1691.

GENERAL.—This rank has been given to commanders from very remote antiquity. In the French army, Montmorency was the first officer who was so called, in 1203. Cardinal Richelieu was the first who took the title Generalissimo, having coined the word when he assumed supreme command of the French armies in Italy, in 1629.

GENOA.—Bombarded by the French, in 1684, and by the British, in 1688 and 1745. Taken by the Imperialists, December 8th, 1746. Sustained a siege from the British fleet and Austrian army, when it capitulated, May, 1800. Surrendered to the French, after the battle of Marengo. Next surrendered to the combined English and Sicilian armies, April 8th, 1814, but was transferred to the Kingdom of Sardinia, in 1826. The city seized by insurgents, who, after a murderous struggle, drove out the garrison, and proclaimed a Republic, April, 1850, but in the end the insurgents surrendered to General Marmora.

GERMANIC CONFEDERATION.—When Napoleon determined that the German or Holy Roman Empire should no longer exist, but that a Confederation of States should be in its stead, the proposal was adopted by the Allied Sovereigns, in 1815, which has continued ever since.

GETTYSBURG.—United States.—This battle was fought between the Confederates of the Southern States, and the Northern army. General Lee was defeated by the United States’ troops. This battle immediately followed the surrender of Vicksburg to General Grant. Fought on the 4th July, 1863.

GHENT.—Taken by the Duke of Marlborough, in 1706. Several times taken and retaken during the Napoleon wars. The peace of Ghent, between Great Britain and America, signed here, December 24th, 1814.

GHIZNEE, BATTLE OF.—The British, under Sir John Keane, attacked this place, and having blown up the gates, forced their way into the city, and succeeded in fixing the British colors on the towers, July 23rd, 1839. Ghiznee capitulated to the Affghans, March 1st, 1842. The following account gives the items of General Nott’s entering it, September 7th, 1842:

“Ghiznee is situated on the base of a hill, which supports its rear or main post, and commands a most extensive plain, and it is in the midst of a rich, fertile country; it has ever held the most noble rank as a capital, and is capable of being rendered one of the most important fortifications in the Eastern nations; its adjacent hills are great, and border on Dora and Bameean; it covers the routes of the latter, as well as Loghar and Cabool; near the low hills which command the city, are several cemeteries, and ancient buildings; at a short distance is Rozah, in which stands the great sepulchre, and shrine of Mahmood, the once famed Emperor of Ghiznee; and of whom “Dow” speaks so much in his History of Hindostan.

The fortress in itself is of great importance; the town is walled round, and contains several thousand houses; the former principally of stone, and the latter of mud. It is surrounded by a deep trench; the main entrance, being the one blown up by Sir John Keane, is in ruins, and another was made to the right. In the centre of the town stands the citadel, which had three tiers; the lower one had been much improved since we possessed it, and a parade ground, or large square, had been formed, as a park for the ordnance. A river ran close by, which afforded good water, and rendered it almost complete. All remained quiet, till within a short distance from them, fortunately for us, as it enabled us to get up our baggage, and cattle; close to the rear of the column the road was very difficult, being over extensive fields of long grass, and the ditches very numerous and wide, in crossing which the cattle were continually falling, which greatly delayed us. General Nott directed the Light Battalion to proceed with the Quarter Master General, to take up an encampment opposite to Ghiznee, at a place some two and a half miles from the fortress, known as Sir John Keane’s garden. I accompanied this body, and as we proceeded, we discovered the enemy in the citadel, and a great number outside, preparing to advance. The Quarter Master General ordered a portion of his force to man a small hill, which commanded their approach, and left it in charge of Captain Adamson, of the 40th. The General dispatched, in another direction, the 16th Native Infantry, under Colonel McLaren, who were met by the enemy, and a smart action took place; fortunately, however, after having rallied for some time, the corps managed to get under cover, in a walled garden, about a mile from the fort, and kept them off in fine style; the Colonel, finding the enemy so numerous, feared a serious result, as the chances were, the General could not send him a re-inforcement before the whole of his ammunition would be expended, and a soldier without ammunition is not in the most enviable situation. The Quarter Master General’s party was attacked, but effected a complete mastery over them, and drove them back. The General, perceiving the situation of McLaren, dispatched the 3rd Regiment Light Cavalry, and two of Anderson’s guns, who got up just in time to save them, as they were getting short of shot; at length came up the General with the main body; the cavalry made a grand charge after those outside the town, and we lost a great number of our men, but not before leaving a greater number of the enemy lying on the field; during all this time those in possession of the citadel were not idle, but made some excellent play with their guns from the square I named, as being situated on the lower part of the citadel; but fortunately for us their knowledge of the art of gunnery was so shallow that they did little or no damage with their guns. One of the hills mentioned as adjacent to the fortress, was called Balloon Hill, from its peculiar form, and difficulty of ascent; this hill was literally crowded with rebels, and their colours were planted in every direction; they now began to emerge from the gates in great numbers, and finding, after the charge of the cavalry, that they had no chance of overpowering the front, Shooms-ood-Dien dispatched a large force round, to attack the rear of our columns. The General had, however, taken the necessary precaution, and reinforced the rear guard to 3000 men, with six guns, including the heavy battery. Perceiving the object the enemy had in view, he let fly a volley of grape to meet them, which had the desired effect, and left numbers of them dead on the ground, and the rest immediately made off; the next thing to be done was to got possession of Balloon Hill. This hill was so situated that it commanded all around it, and more particularly the square in the citadel, as it immediately covered it. The General directed the 40th and 16th to proceed at once and take the hill. The order was in itself easily given; my readers may imagine the position.

The guns from the citadel were in full play, the hill was in possession of, and covered by several hundreds of the enemy, both horse and foot; the ascent was considerable, and we were nearly two miles from it. However, it is not for Britons to look at difficulties in such a moment, for had we done so we should never have accomplished it; we set forward, and those in the fortress seeing our advance, opened a heavy fire upon us, which, Providence be thanked, showed us that they could not hit their mark, and we reached the foot of the hill with little loss. Those in possession leapt for joy, at the apparent opportunity of cutting us off. We commenced the ascent, throwing out skirmishers in every direction; our fire was kept up steadily as on a parade, and every ball seemed to find its desired billet; numbers fell, of course, but not near so many as we had been anticipating. We were obliged to halt half way to gain breath, and necessitated to keep up a heavy fire; we again advanced, and the enemy began to show symptoms of retiring, which greatly encouraged us, and we made a desperate effort, and sent a volley into them, charged, and at length they retired; we followed, and at last gained the summit. They rushed down the other side, and made off in the direction of Candahar, where they were met by a brigade sent round by the General for that purpose.

Having gained possession of the hill, those in the citadel began to pour the fire of artillery into us, but as usual without success, and in order to get out of sight we were ordered to lie down, that they might imagine we had evacuated our position; as we lay there, the balls were fast whistling over us, and the force under the command of the General was making a clean sweep of all those outside the walls, which, after he had effected, next repaired to the citadel. It was, however, found impracticable to storm the fortress that day; first, because the Sappers and Miners would not have time to complete their operations; and secondly, in consequence of the fatigued state of the troops. The 16th was to be left in charge of the hill, and the 40th were ordered to return to the encampment; this order was, if anything, even worse than the first, because all being comparatively quiet, we should, on retiring, be the only targets for them to fire at, and our utter destruction seemed inevitable; we, however, had to obey, and as was expected, no sooner did we come under cover of their guns than they opened a severe fire from all their pieces, but their firing was always either too far, or too short; and thus we reached camp in almost safety.

The followers had been all employed in pitching the tents, and the cooks (natives) had prepared our scanty meal; the 16th were left in possession of the hill; and the General ordered two guns, either under Captain Blood or Anderson, to proceed to the top of the hill, and dislodge them in the citadel, which, after some difficulty, was effected, and most ably did they accomplish their duty; they soon put a stop to them, and by their superior arrangement and management of artillery, disabled nearly all their guns. We had scarcely got well seated in our tents when we were suddenly surprised by the whizzing of a ball over the camp, which lodged in the officer’s mess tent of the 41st; after that came another and another, and they kept up a fine string of them, aiming most admirably. We soon discovered that they had a sixty-eight pounder, which before had remained quiet.

Those shots coming so fast, and lodging just in our midst, doing considerable damage, although we were nearly two miles from it, compelled the General to shift camp a mile further off, and we were at last out of the reach of the bull-dog; they most certainly in this distance did put us to the rout. This piece was called “Chuppa Jung,” of Persian manufacture, and as is usual in all the forts of importance in Asia, was placed in the citadel; and a most powerful piece it was.

The General now began to arrange his plans for storming and taking the fortress; the engineers were all busily employed in preparing for the operation; and as the day began to draw to a close, orders were issued for the troops to be in readiness to move just before daylight on the morrow. The night at length came on, and lights were ordered to be extinguished at eight P.M.; and at that hour all was darkness, and enveloped upwards of 20,000 souls.

All was at length prepared for the attack, and about half an hour before the day broke, the word was passed from tent to tent, to form up. Each rose in sadness, and many shook the hand of his comrade as for the last time; the cattle were dispatched with the powder, to ensure the explosion, and platforms had been carefully planted for the heavy battery to commence a breach. The troops were slowly and silently advanced, and arranged ready to storm immediately after the gates were blown up; and daybreak was to be the signal. At length the day dawned, and lo! what was our surprise when we saw floating on the highest tower the English colors. The sight relieved each heart as though we had a fortune. The enemy had during the night evacuated the citadel, having received certain orders to that effect from Caboul. Colonel McLaren, who had kept the hill, finding they had left it, took immediate possession, and placed “The Flag that braved a thousand years” on the highest point. Thus did Providence prevent the inevitable loss of some hundreds of our force, and never was a force more agreeably surprised than those at Ghiznee, on the 6th of September, 1842.”

GIBRALTAR.—A British fortress on the Straits of the same name. From the circumstance of its immense strength and impregnability, other great fortresses have also received its name, as Quebec, which is called the Gibraltar of America. The height of the wall is 1437 feet. Taken by the Saracens, in 712. In 1462, the King of Castile took the fortress and town from the Moors; and the English, under Sir George Brooke, the Prince of Hesse-Denmark, Sir John Leake, and Admiral Byng, bravely won it, July 24th, 1704. It was surrendered, after a dreadful cannonade, to the British by the Governor, the Marquis de Salines, and has ever since continued one of the most brilliant gems in the coronet of England’s Queen. Long may she reign to wear it. The following are the different attacks which have been made upon it since the British took it. On the 11th October, 1704, the same year it was captured by the British, it sustained a siege from the Spaniards and French, who lost 10,000 whilst the British loss was only 400. Again the Spaniards attacked it in 1720, but were repulsed with great loss. In 1728, they again attacked it but were driven back with the loss of 5000 out of 20,000, while the English lost 300. After this came the memorable siege of the Spaniards and French, whose prodigious armaments astonished the whole of Europe. They were the most stupendous up to that time ever brought before any city or fortress. The siege continued from July, 1770, to February, 1783. The allied army amounted to 40,000 men. The Duke of Crillon had 12,000 of the best troops of France, 1000 pieces of artillery were brought to bear against the fortress, besides which there were forty-seven sail of the line all three-deckers, ten great floating batteries esteemed invincible, carrying 212 guns, an immense number of frigates, xebeques, bomb-ketches, cutters, and gun and mortar boats; while small craft literally covered the bay. For weeks and weeks together 6000 shells were daily thrown into the town, and, on one single occasion, 8000 barrels of gunpowder were expended by the enemy, yet in one single night were all these immense batteries destroyed by red-hot cannon balls, and their whole line of works annihilated by a sortie of the garrison, commanded by General Elliot, November 27th, 1781. The loss of the enemy in this memorable night alone, amounted to upwards of £2,000,000 sterling. The grand defeat by the garrison of only 7000 British, occurred September 13th, 1782. Since then the British have remained in peaceful possession.

GISORS, BATTLE OF.—In France.—Fought between the armies of France and England, in which the former were signally defeated by Richard I, who commanding in person, and whose parole for the day was “Dieu et Mon Droit,” and from this it was made the motto of the Royal Arms of England, A.D. 1193.

GLENCOE, MASSACRE OF.—The McDonalds of Glencoe, were cruelly massacred, May 9th, 1691, merely for not surrendering in time after King William’s proclamation perpetrated by the Earl of Argyle’s regiment. 38 men besides women and children perished.

GOOJERAT, BATTLE OF.—India.—Fought February 21st, 1849. Lord Gough with 21,000 men and 100 guns attacked the enemy, numbering 60,000 men, with 59 guns. The Sikh Chief was strongly posted between two river courses which protected his flanks, and yet allowed him good manœuvring space to retire either on the east or west side of the town of Goojerat, which afforded shelter and protection to his rear. The battle began at 7 A.M. After a severe engagement of nine hours, at 4 P.M. the enemy had been driven from every post and was in general retreat, which the field artillery and cavalry converted into a rout and flight. They were pursued for 15 miles, and next day another fresh force took up the direct pursuit. Some of the guns and the whole of the ammunition and camp equipage fell into the hands of the British. The Chief, Shere-Singh, escaped with only 8000 men out of 60,000. The loss on the side of the British was 100 killed and 900 wounded.

GOREE.—Taken by the English Admiral Holmes, in 1693—ceded to France 1678. Again taken by the British, 1758—1779—1800—and 1804.

GOREY, BATTLE OF.—Fought June 4th, 1798, between the King’s troops and the Irish rebels, in which, after a desperate battle, the King’s forces were routed with great slaughter. They lost several pieces of artillery, and retreated to Gorey and afterwards to Arklow.

GORGET.—An ancient breastplate. It was of great size, and gave rise to the modern diminutive breastplate which was in existence at the Restoration. It is now disused.

GRAMPIAN HILLS, BATTLE OF THE.—This was a celebrated engagement between the Scots and Picts—the former under Galgacus, and the latter under Agricola. Fought A.D. 79.

GRAND ALLIANCE.—Signed at Vienna between England and the States General—to which Spain and the Duke of Savoy afterwards acceded, May 12th, 1689.

GRANICUS, BATTLE OF.—Alexander the Great fought and won this battle against the Persians—B.C. 334. The Macedonian troops crossed the Granicus in the face of the Persian army, and totally defeated them. Alexander’s army was only 30,000 foot and 5000 horse and the Persian 600,000 foot, and 60,000 horse.

GRENADES.—A kind of bombshell invented in 1594. It is a small hollow globe or ball of iron, two inches diameter, and filled with fine powder and set on fire by a fusee at a touch-hole. The grenadiers were those soldiers who were armed with a pouch of hand grenades—established in France in 1667—and England in 1685. The latter word is applied now, according to Gay, to the tall soldiers—of which there is generally a company in every regiment.

GROCHOW, BATTLE OF.—Near Praga, Warsaw.—Fought February 20th, 1831, between the Poles and Russians. After a bloody battle, which continued all day and almost all the next, the Poles remained masters of the field. The Russians retreated, having lost 70,000 men, and the Poles, 2000.

GUADALOUPE.—Taken by the English, in 1759, and restored 1763. Again taken in 1779, 1794, and 1810. At last, restored to France at the peace of 1814.

GUARDS.—The custom of having guards was introduced by Saul, King of Israel, B.C. 1093. Bodyguards instituted by Henry VII, 1485. Horse guards by Edward VI, 1550. The three regiments of the British service, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Foot Guards, were raised in 1660, and the command of them given to Colonel Russell, General Monk, and Lord Linlithgow. The Second, or the Coldstream, was the first raised. The Horse Grenadier Guards, first troop raised 1693, and second in 1702.

GUNPOWDER.—Invented by a Monk of Cologne, 1320. It has entirely revolutionized the art of war; consists of three ingredients, viz., charcoal, sulphur and saltpetre.

H.

HALIDON HILL, BATTLE OF.—Fought July 19th, 1333.—“The Scots were rash enough to attack the English as they held the top of a bold hill, at the foot of which lay a marsh. The English archers, posted on the face of the hill, shot down the Scots, almost at their leisure, while they struggled heavily through the spongy ground. Under the deadly arrow flight, the Scots dragged themselves through the bog, and attempted, all breathless and exhausted, to charge up the hill against the fresh troops of England. They were forced down with great slaughter. Many more were slain as they struggled back through the fatal bog. The bloody lesson, however, seems not to have been lost. Once and again King Edward made the savage apparition of war to pass through Scotland. But the Scots baffled him by following the wise policy of Bruce. He traversed a country completely deserted and laid waste. The inhabitants, with their cattle and all their property, had retired to the inaccessible fastnesses of the mountains. Every advanced column and detached party of the English was assailed, stragglers cut off, and alarms kept up. Famine and disease did the work. Captain Hunger was more than a match for Captain Sword. Edward made nothing by his invasions, though he marched through the country as far north as Inverness. He was compelled each time to fall back again on his own territory, with great loss of men from hardships and misery, and the harassing attacks of the Scots, who sallied out from every glen, forest, and mountain defile.”

HALYS, BATTLE OF.—This great battle was fought between the Lydians and Medes, on the banks of the river Halys. It was interrupted by an almost total eclipse of the sun. Fought, May 28th, B.C. 585.

HANAN, BATTLE OF.—Fought, October 29th, 1813, between a division of the combined armies of Austria and Bavaria, 30,000 strong, under General Wrede and the French, 70,000 strong. The latter were on their retreat from Leipsic when encountered by the Allies, and suffered severely, although at the end of the battle the Austrians had to retire.

HARLAW, BATTLE OF.—Fought, July 24th, 1411, between the Earl of Mar, who commanded the Royal army, and Donald, the Lord of the Isles. Neither army gained the victory, it being a drawn battle. So many nobility and gentry were slain in this engagement that a Scottish historian declares, “more illustrious men fell in this one conflict alone than had fallen in foreign wars during many previous years.”

HASTINGS, BATTLE OF.—Fought, October 14th, 1066. In the beginning of summer, William embarked his powerful army of 60,000 men on board a fleet of 300 sail; and, after some small opposition from the weather, landed at Pevensey, on the coast of Sussex, tranquilly.

“Harold, who seemed resolved to defend his right to the crown, and retain that sovereignty which he had received from the people, who only had a right to bestow it, was now returning, flushed with conquest, from defeating the Norwegians, who had invaded the kingdom, with all the forces he had employed in that expedition, and all he could invite or collect in the country through which he passed. His army was composed of active and valiant troops, in high spirits, strongly attached to their king, and eager to engage.

On the other hand, the army of William consisted of the flower of the continent, and had long been inured to danger. The men of Britanny, Boulogne, Flanders, Poictou, Maine, Orleans, France, and Normandy, were all voluntarily united under his command. England never before nor ever since, saw two such armies drawn up to dispute its crown.

The day before the battle, William sent an offer to Harold to decide the quarrel between them by single combat, and thus to spare the blood of thousands: but Harold refused, and said he would leave it to the God of armies to determine. Both armies, therefore, that night pitched in sight of each other, expecting the dawning of the day with impatience. The English passed the night in songs and feasting; the Normans in devotion and prayer.

The next morning, at seven as soon as day appeared, both armies were drawn up in array against each other. Harold appeared in the centre of his forces, leading on his army on foot, that his men might be more encouraged, by seeing their king exposed to an equality of danger. William, fought on horseback, leading on his army, that moved at once, singing the songs of Roland, one of the famous chiefs of their country. The Normans began to fight with their cross-bows, which, at first, galled and surprised the English; and, as their ranks were closed, their arrows did great execution. But soon they came to closer fight, and the English with their bills hewed down their adversaries with great slaughter. Confusion was spreading among the ranks, when William, who found himself on the brink of destruction, hastened with a select band to the relief of his forces. His presence restored the suspense of battle; he was seen in every place, endeavouring to pierce the ranks of the enemy, and had three horses slain under him. At length, perceiving that the English continued impenetrable, he pretended to give ground, which, as he expected, drew the enemy from their ranks, and he was instantly ready to take advantage of their disorder. Upon a signal given the Normans immediately returned to the charge with greater fury than before, broke the English troops, and pursued them to a rising ground. It was in this extremity that Harold was seen flying from rank to rank, rallying and inspiring his troops with vigour; and though he had toiled all day, till near night-fall, in front of his Kentish men, yet he still seemed unabated in force or courage, keeping his men to the post of honour.

Once more, therefore, the victory seemed to turn against the Normans, and they fell in great numbers, so that the fierceness and obstinacy of this memorable battle was often renewed by the courage of the leaders, whenever that of the soldiers began to slacken. Fortune at length determined a victory that valour was unable to decide.

Harold, making a furious onset at the head of his troops against the Norman heavy armed infantry, was shot into the brains by an arrow; and his two valiant brothers, fighting by his side, shared the same fate. He fell with his sword in his hand, amidst heaps of slain.”

HAVRE-DE-GRACE.—Defended for the Huguenots by the English in 1562. Bombarded several times by the British Navy. Successfully attacked for three days from July 6th to 9th, 1759. Again bombarded in 1794 and 1795—and again by Sir Richard Strachan in 1798. Declared in a state of blockade 1803; and the attempts of the British to burn the shipping here signally failed, August 7th, 1804.

HERARA, BATTLE OF.—In Arragon.—In this battle, Don Carlos of Spain, in his struggle for his hereditary right to the throne of that kingdom, encountered, at the head of 12,000 men, and defeated General Buerens, who had not half the number of the Queen’s troops. The loss of Buerens was about 1000 killed and wounded. Fought, August 24th, 1837.

HERRINGS, BATTLE OF THE.—Vertot says that this battle, fought in 1429, received its name from the following ludicrous occasion. The Duc de Bourbon, in attempting to intercept a convoy on the road to the English Camp, before Orleans, was severely beaten. It was a convoy of salt-fish—and this action has ever since been called by the above name.

HOCHKIRCHEN, BATTLE OF.—Between the Prussian army, commanded by Frederick II, and the Austrians, commanded by Count Daun. The King was surprised in his camp and defeated by the Imperial General. In this battle, an illustrious Scotsman, Field-Marshal Keith, in the service of Prussia, was killed; and such was the respect and admiration which his name inspired, that Counts Daun and Lacy, the Austrian Generals, shed tears on beholding the corpse, and ordered its interment with military honours. Fought, October 14th, 1758.

HOCHENLINDEN, BATTLE OF.—Fought November 3rd, 1800, between the Austrian and French armies—the latter commanded by General Moreau. The Austrians were defeated with dreadful slaughter, losing 10,000 men in killed and wounded, and 10,000 more in prisoners. The forces of each army were nominally equal at the commencement of the battle.

HOMELDEN, BATTLE OF.—Between the Scots, headed by the Earl of Douglas, and the Percys, in which the Scots were defeated. Douglas and many of the nobility were taken prisoners in this battle. Fought in 1403.

HORATII AND CURIATII, COMBAT BETWEEN THE.—Fought B.C. 669. The forces of the two states met about five miles from Rome. While the armies were awaiting the signal for the battle, the Alban General, stepping into the space between them, proposed to decide the dispute by single combat. To this proposition Tullus agreed. There were in each army three twin brothers, all remarkable for their courage, strength, and activity, and to them it was resolved to commit the management of the combat. The Roman brothers were called Horatii and the Albans Curiatii. The champions met. Victory, which for a time, appeared doubtful, at last seemed to decide against the Romans. Two of their champions lay dead on the field, and the third seemed, by flight, to beg for mercy. Defeat was however only apparent. It soon became evident that this flight of the surviving Roman was pretence in order that, by separating his antagonists, he might have an opportunity of engaging them singly. Turning suddenly upon the foremost of the Curiatii, he laid him dead at his feet. The second instantly shared his fate. Fatigued and disabled by his wounds, the third slowly advanced to offer an easy victory. He was slain almost unresisting, while the conqueror exclaimed “Two have I already sacrificed to the Manes of my brothers; a third will I offer up to my country.”

HUSSAR.—This kind of soldier originated in Poland and Hungary, and as they, being light cavalry, were more suited for hasty attacks than a set battle, they are supposed to have taken their name from the huzzas or shouts which they made at their first onset. Pardon says that they were oddly clothed, having the skins of tigers, &c., hanging on their backs, against bad weather, and wore fur caps, with a cock’s feather. Introduced into the British service in the last century.

I.

INKERMANN, BATTLE OF.—One of the most brilliant achievements in the history of the British Army. Fought on the 5th of November, 1854.

“Two days after the repulse of the enemy’s sortie, by Sir De Lacy Evans’ division, General Dannenberg, with a large Russian reinforcement, arrived at Baktchi-Serai from Odessa, which place he left on the 19th of October. In order that his men might reach the scene of action with the greatest practicable rapidity, and in good condition, every available cart and rustic conveyance was pressed into the service. They were thus comparatively fresh and vigorous after so rapid a march. On the 3rd of November, one division, under General Soimonoff, entered Sebastopol. The remainder, under General Pauloff, encamped at Tchorgoun, a short distance to the east.

Strengthened by this considerable reinforcement, the Russian Generals decided upon an attack upon the position of the Allies in such strength that it should be scarcely possible to make an effectual resistance. The Grand Dukes Michael and Nicholas, sons of the Emperor, had arrived at Sebastopol, with the purpose of encouraging the garrison by their presence, and witnessing the total defeat of the haughty invaders. On Sunday, the 4th of November, solemn religious services were held in the town. Patriarchs and Bishops of the Greek Church addressed the soldiery, urged upon them the importance of the trust which their good father the Czar had thought proper to impose upon them,—assured them that death in his service was only the road to a martyr’s crown, and that the English were monsters of cruelty, who committed the most atrocious barbarities upon all prisoners of war. Finally, they said the British camp abounded in treasure, one-third of which should be the property of the soldiery. Incited by these promises,—stimulated by extra rations of ardent spirits,—and fanatically believing that the destruction of the English heretics would be a work of acceptable piety, the Russian soldiers mingled shouts of devotion to the Czar and death to the Allies, and prepared themselves for the encounter of the morrow.

The plan of attack, as decided upon by the enemy’s commanders, was shortly this:—The extreme right of the British position, near the bridge which crossed the Tchernaya at Inkermann, was notoriously our weak point. Sir De Lacy Evans, whose division occupied this position, had repeatedly called Lord Raglan’s attention to this vulnerable point; but so laborious were the duties devolving upon our men, and so extended the line of defence, that it was impossible to spare either men or guns for the establishment of works. The French, whose large numbers and secure position on the western plateau left them a far smaller share of the duty, had been early applied to for assistance, but had hitherto refused. Sir John Burgoyne had called the special attention of General Biot to the danger of leaving exposed such an avenue to the camp of the Allies; but the French commander seems to have been at this time but little disposed to relieve the English of any of the toil or danger they had so willingly undertaken, but which proved too much for their effectual performance. At length the English, by almost superhuman exertions, had erected a small work on the brow of the hill, intended to carry two guns, but they had not yet been mounted.

Towards this point, then,—of the unprotected nature of which the Russians were perfectly well aware, thanks to the newspaper correspondents, who, in their anxiety to satisfy the curiosity of the readers at home, contrived (unwittingly, we believe) to afford the enemy a very great deal of valuable information,—the attention of the Russians was naturally directed. It afforded a convenient access to the very centre of the English lines, and would, in all probability, offer but a feeble resistance. It was arranged that Gortschakoff should, at an early hour on the morning of the 5th, make a threatening demonstration in front of Balaklava, apparently renewing the attempt of the 25th of October. This would have the effect of drawing a considerable portion of the armies to the defence of that important position, thus leaving the front comparatively unprotected. On the extreme left of the line, General Timofeyer would also make a feigned attack, occupying the attention of the French. The actual assault was to be made by the recently-arrived army of General Dannenberg. The two divisions already named, according to the Russian computation (most probably understated), were of the following strength: General Soimonoff’s corps consisted of three regiments of the 10th division, three of the 16th, and one of the 17th, amounting altogether to 16,200 bayonets, with twenty-two heavy and sixteen light guns; that of General Pauloff, numbering 13,200 bayonets, was composed of three regiments of the 10th division, two Chasseur regiments of the 18th, with twelve guns. The two corps thus numbered 29,400 bayonets, and fifty guns. Soimonoff was ordered to march from the Malakoff Tower in a westerly direction, until he reached the Kilen ravine, under cover of which he was to penetrate into the English centre on the western side of the ravine. Five o’clock in the morning was fixed as the time for the assault. Pauloff’s division was to cross the Tchernaya, force the English lines at the unprotected point, and cutting their way through the second division join Soimonoff in the main attack, when General Dannenberg, with the remainder of the army, would appear upon the scene, and, it was fondly imagined, give the coup de grace to the invaders. Such was the plan of the Russian Generals, carefully matured, and kept profoundly secret from the Allies. We shall see the result.

All night the bells of Sebastopol rang loudly. The heavy November mist obscured the sound; and most probably, the English soldiers, far from considering the clashing from the belfries as the signal for the gathering of troops, imagined that one of the multitudinous festivals of the Greek Church was being celebrated with unwonted ostentation. Towards morning the mist thickened, and it was impossible to discern any object at above a few yards’ distance. Taking advantage of the fog, the Russians conveyed their guns to the lofty eminences beyond the Tchernaya, facing the British position, and by almost incredible efforts, in a very brief time, had established a formidable battery in a most commanding situation. About four o’clock in the morning, intelligence arrived at head-quarters that Balaklava was again threatened. General Bosquet was immediately on the alert, with his French chasseurs, and the indomitable Sir Colin Campbell was fully prepared to meet any force which might be despatched against him. It was no part, however, of the enemy’s tactics seriously to attack this position. His purpose was fully served by the attention of the French being attracted to this point, and the English being diverted from the real point of assault. About five o’clock enormous bodies of Russian infantry, under cover of the heavy fog, silently passed the bridge across the Tchernaya, and stealthily crept up the hill towards the weak point of the English position at the newly-erected two-gun battery. The pickets of the 55th, on duty at this spot, suddenly found themselves in presence of an over-whelming force of the enemy. Desperately fighting, the courageous little band slowly yielded ground, contesting every step, and retreating up the hill towards the redoubt. Their smart firing, in reply to the tremendous volleys of the enemy’s musketry, which were now poured into the handful of men, aroused the camp, and indicated the real nature of the enemy’s plans. General Pennefather, who commanded the Second Division, in the absence of Sir De Lacy Evans (who was compelled by the debilitated state of his health to leave his active duties, and retire on board one of the ships in the harbor), immediately hastened to the scene; and the men of his division, hastily shaking off their sleep, quickly responded to the alarm. In a few minutes all was bustle and activity. Officers and men, alike hurried forward, some half-dressed, all unbreakfasted, many suffering from sickness, and none free from the effects of privation and over-toil. From the Second Division the intelligence of the attack was quickly carried to the camps of the First, Fourth and Light Divisions, and the Duke of Cambridge, Sir George Cathcart, and Sir George Brown, instantly put themselves at the heads of their men, and lost no time in marching to the scene of action.

When the pickets were driven in, they retreated to the little two-gun battery, and fired through the embrasures at the masses of the enemy, now advancing in dense columns to the attack. The Russian batteries on the opposite hills opened a tremendous fire upon them, and the guns of the town and the ships in the harbor threw enormous volleys of shell and shot right into the camp of the Second Division, tearing up the ground, and destroying the tents. For a few moments the gallant fellows of the 51st held their ground, but no courage could long contend against such fearful odds. In spite of their fire, much too feeble to stay the advance of such massive columns, the Russians advanced at a rapid pace up the hill, the few shots of the undaunted defenders of the redoubt telling fatally in their ranks. Almost before the English could reload, the Russians were swarming around the battery, and leaping over the embrasure. Many were hurled back again by the bayonets of the undaunted picket, who at length, borne down by the weight of the attack, were driven from the work, and retreated down the hill. The 41st and 49th now came into the action, and forming into line, charged the advancing Russians, and drove them back to the redoubt. Again was this little work the scene of a tremendous contest. The two regiments discharging a brisk volley from their Minié rifles, levelled their bayonets, and driving the enemy pell-mell before them, hurled them out of the battery, and once more the English were masters of the position. The retreating Russians were speedily met and reinforced by other columns of infantry, and then doubled in numbers, again advanced to the attack. The fire, too, from their batteries, poured unceasing destruction into the thin ranks of the English regiments. Already the dead and dying were lying thick around, and many of the bravest and best among them had fallen beneath the intense fire of the enemy. The Russian masses literally surged up the hill, and hurled themselves once more at the devoted little band. A fearful struggle followed. Hand to hand was the combat waged, the bayonet doing deadly havoc upon friend and foe. In vain the brave defenders of their post struggled against the unequal odds; in vain the officers heroically exposed themselves and encouraged their men to the desperate encounter; and in vain the men themselves emulated their leaders’ undaunted courage—the enemy, so immensely superior in numbers, drove them, after a sanguinary defence, from the work, and pursued them, desperately fighting in their retreat, towards the camp of their division.

The alarm had now spread throughout the entire camp, and even reached Balaklava, rousing the sleepers on board the ships in the harbour. The heavy booming of the cannon told how fierce was the contest. Sir De Lacy Evans forgot his sickness, and leaving the bed to which for many days he had been confined, insisted on being rowed ashore; and mounting a horse, which he was almost too weak to guide, started for the field of battle. Lord Raglan, with his staff, had by this time reached the spot, and at once saw the critical position of the Allies; and saw, too, the blunder which the enemy had committed. General Soimonoff, who should, upon issuing from the ravine near Careening Bay, have turned to the right and attacked the centre of the English line, weakened by the tremendous assault on the extreme left of the position, mistook the direction and marched to the left, thus reaching the ground occupied by the Second Division, and embarrassing General Pauloff’s operations by permitting the concentration of the English forces to repel his assault, instead of diverting their attention by an attack at a comparatively remote point. For a General of Raglan’s experience to take advantage of this blunder was an easy task. He immediately made such arrangements of the small means at his command as would enable him to present two fronts of resistance on the threatened points, while preserving the solidity of his position.

The 20th and 47th regiments now arrived to the assistance of the gallant 49th and 41st, driven with such dreadful slaughter from the two-gun battery. The brave Colonel Carpenter, of the 41st, had fallen pierced with many bullets; and the blood-thirsty Russians, with that tiger-like ferocity which has made the day of Inkermann so fearfully memorable, mutilated the senseless form of the grey-headed old warrior, clubbing their muskets, and beating him on the face till it was almost impossible to distinguish his features. Covered with blood, frightfully mangled, and recognised only by his uniform, the colonel was at length, when the enemy retreated, found by his men, and borne, still breathing, from the field, to linger for a few days in acute agonies, and then to breathe his last. Amidst a hurricane of bullets from the Russian troops, and exposed to a deadly storm of missiles from the enemies’ batteries, the 20th and 47th fearlessly charged the opposing masses, and endeavoured to take the redoubt. They were successful in the attempt. The Russian lines trembled before their impetuous onset. The levelled bayonets, borne onwards by the resistless vigour of Englishmen, now maddened by the excitement of battle, cheered by their officers, and with the memory of Alma, swept down the hordes of irresolute Muscovites, and with a ringing cheer, the victorious Britons were once again in the earthwork. There, indeed, was a sight to rouse their hearts—if, indeed, further stimulant were needed—to deeds of vengeance. Not one of those who in the previous attacks had fallen wounded was now alive. The remorseless Russians—assassins rather than soldiers—had bayonetted every one who showed signs of life. The little battery was choked with heaps of dead. Englishmen and Russians lay as they fell stiff in their blood, and disfigured by the agonies of death. Not one was left to tell his victorious comrades, who leaped shouting into the redoubt, how bravely their companions in arms had disputed its possession, how dearly the enemy had purchased a temporary success, or how basely that success had been consummated by the most brutal murder of wounded and unarmed men. But the Russians were not disposed to submit to the loss of this important position which they had made so many efforts to retain. Fresh legions were launched against the two regiments who had been thus far successful; and in irresistible strength, still another attempt was made to regain the post. Against such numbers it was impossible to contend successfully. The brave holders of the redoubt fought desperately, with that unyielding pertinacity for which the British infantry, beyond any soldiery in the world, is distinguished. But the shot from the batteries on the hills beyond the river swept through their lines; on every hand brave fellows fell pierced with bullets, or mangled by exploding shells. The enemy was tenfold their number, and swept on like a torrent against their feeble defence. After a brief but most heroic struggle, the noble remnant of the gallant 20th and 47th yielded to a force they could no longer withstand, and retreated to the main body, leaving the Russians for the third time the masters of the two-gun battery.

The masters, it is true; but not the undisputed masters. A yet bloodier contest was to be waged for its possession—a contest which should make that small unfinished work, on which as yet no gun had been mounted, renowned throughout Europe. By the time that the 20th and 41st had been driven back, as we have just recorded, the Duke of Cambridge had reached the scene of action with the brigade of Guards—those renowned soldiers whose bayonets had carried the heights of Alma, and whose prowess was a theme of terror in the Russian camps. No soldier who had shared in or witnessed that tremendous fight could forget the terrible onslaught of those bear-skinned warriors, when the choicest troops of the Czar were trampled under foot, or scattered like chaff before their irresistible charge. The Coldstreams, no longer the magnificent battalion which a few months before left the shores of England, but reduced by the casualties of war and sickness to a few hundred badly fed and miserably-clothed men, though retaining all the ancient courage, heightened, indeed, by the hardships they had endured and the memory of their former achievements,—advanced in close ranks, at a rapid pace and with fixed bayonets, against the living wall of the Russians, who held the crown of the hill. Though the enemy were as ten to one, they yielded and broke before that matchless onset. Scattering the foe before them, the valiant Guardsmen swept like a hurricane into the battery, and the defeated Russians were precipitated, a flying and disordered mass, down the hill. The Coldstreams had well avenged their comrades’ fall, but they had not yet gained an undisputed success. On came fresh battalions of the Russians. The flying regiments were mingled with, or sought refuge behind the advancing legions. Again the dense mass struggled up the hill, and again did it devolve upon English valour to defend the post which had been so dearly won. Not less than 6000 Russians advanced in a compact mass towards the two-gun battery. The defenders did not muster more than as many hundreds. Nothing daunted, they fired through the embrasures and from the brow of the hill smart volleys; and when their ammunition failed, as at length it did, many hurled stones at the enemy. But moment by moment the advancing host drew nearer and nearer. The summit of the hill is reached, they surround the fort, leap over the earthworks, and in an instant there is a hand to hand struggle, such as, perhaps, was never excelled in modern warfare. They are repulsed—literally dashed down the hill. Twice the assault renewed; the second time they are again defeated; the third time they are once more in the battery. Bayonet crosses bayonet in rapid thrusts, fearful shrieks of agony are mingled with the shouts and curses of infuriated men, the floor is cumbered with the fallen and slippery with blood; the gallant Coldstreams are alone and unaided, and every moment fresh foemen rush into the deadly mêlée. Hundreds fall before the fatal bayonets of the dauntless Guards—their places are supplied by hundreds more, fresh and unwounded. In front, on either side, they swarm around, ferocious and malignant. Back to back, the English heroes meet their tremendous charge. In all the horrors of that scene, amid all the carnage which surrounds them, their high courage never fails, their firm bearing is never relaxed. Though many fall mortally wounded, their comrades bestride their bodies, and there is still the bristling chevaux-de-frise of bayonets, against which the foe hurl themselves in vain, and only to fall in hundreds, thrust to the heart by the fatal steel, wielded by the hands of the most determined soldiers in the world. At length the limit is reached beyond which resistance is impossible, and slowly yielding to the immense superiority of numbers, the Guards give ground, and prepare to leave the battery once more in the hands of the enemy. They retreat from the spot, and then see that their path is barred by another and fresh force of the enemy. Death appears inevitable; other soldiers might lay down their arms, and few would doubt their courage, so great is the disparity of strength. But the Guards are not dismayed even then. Struggling into line, with rapidity gained only by their perfect discipline, they level their bayonets, charge the fresh foe, and in an instant are among them. Down go the Russian infantry, stabbed and trampled on. A brief struggle, and the invincible Coldstreams have cut through the masses of the foe, and sweeping all opposition from their path, have rejoined the main body of their comrades.

While this deadly contest was waging, the battle on the left of the position was rivalling it in intensity. Soimonoff’s army had attacked, and the greater portion of the Second Division were bravely opposing their advance. The English artillery were ordered up to the support, and taking position on the hill, did good service, and sent many a Russian to his great account. But at length their ammunition was exhausted, and the enemy advancing in great force, after a stirring combat, in which Major Townsend, a gallant and experienced officer, was killed, and prodigies of valour were performed, succeeded in capturing four of our guns.

The battle had now assumed tremendous proportions. The whole of the Second and Fourth Divisions were engaged, as well as portions of the First and Light Divisions, about 8000 men in all. Including the fresh regiments which Dannenberg now brought into action, not less than 60,000 Russians were in the field. Against this overwhelming force the English bravely held their ground. The brigade of Guards, gallantly led by their royal commander, had again united, and waged a desperate warfare against unequal odds. In front, the Light Division and a portion of the Second preserved a firm bearing, and opposed themselves fearlessly to the shock of the advancing battalions. On the left, Soimonoff’s corps d’armée was met by the remainder of the Second Division, who bore the assault of the enemy, inspirited by their success in driving back the artillery and capturing the guns. Their exultation was fated to be of brief duration, for the gallant Second, having repulsed their first attack, now assumed the offensive, and charging the Russian columns, after a sanguinary struggle, drove them back, and recaptured the guns.

The ground to which the struggle was now confined was hilly and covered with thick brushwood, sloping towards the harbour, the ships in which, moored so as to command the English lines, poured a destructive fire into our ranks. The brigade of Guards, forced by the enormous odds to quit the Two-gun Battery, after such a terrific contest, were now engaged in hand-to-hand conflict with nearly ten times their number of the enemy. It was impossible, from the fierceness of the contest and the nature of the ground, to preserve military order. The battle was a series of detached groups, sometimes a few dauntless Guardsmen, bareheaded and back to back, disputing every inch of ground, and with their bayonets inflicting terrible execution on the enemy; sometimes a young officer, rallying a few of his men around him, dashing with a ringing cheer at a phalanx of the foe, and as their dense mass was broken by the impetuosity of the attack, falling pierced by a dozen bullets, with his last breath cheering on his men to the charge. So fell Lieut.-Colonels Mackinnon and Cowell; so fell Sir Robert Newman; and so fell many another brave soldier and good man. The Duke of Cambridge, affected almost to tears by the sight of so many lying in their blood, was everywhere in the thick of the fight, urging on his men, and setting them an example of the most daring courage. Almost alone, he dashed into the mêlée, amid a shower of bullets from the Russian rifles. Once he had nearly fallen a victim to his own enthusiasm and contempt of danger. Conspicuous by his uniform and fine person, he presented a prominent mark for the aim of the ambushed enemy. Reckless of the danger, he disdained even ordinary precautions. In this emergency, Dr. Wilson, anxious to lend his professional services to the wounded, saw the peril of the Duke, and collecting a handful of men, dispersed the enemy’s riflemen, and rescued the too daring leader. Nothing could exceed the deadly nature of the combat. The Guards fought as only men can fight, when utterly desperate. There seemed but small probability that one of that noble brigade would leave the ground unhurt. The Russians, strong in their numbers, inspirited by intoxication and fanaticism, poured their legions in vain against the resistance of such unquenchable heroism. Heaps of dead covered the ground, and the assassin Muscovites, unable to subdue the living, wreaked a miserable vengeance on the fallen, bayonetting and madly disfiguring with their clubbed muskets every prostrate antagonist. When the battle was over, many a brave fellow, who had fallen wounded, was found an unrecognisable mass of mangled flesh and blood. Rendered nearly mad by the sight of such devilish atrocity, the survivors redoubled their almost surpernatural efforts, and though pressed on every side, maintained the struggle with unfailing valour, still the same invincible Guardsmen, so terrible at Alma, so heroic at the fight for the Two-gun Battery.

The Light Division meanwhile maintained its reputation in the vigorous struggle in which they were now engaged. Sir George Brown, their General, was severely wounded, and borne from the field, his white hair streaming in the wind, and his face deadly pale, from the acuteness of his suffering. A five-gun battery, under the direction of Sir Thomas Troubridge, Major of the 7th Fusiliers, did good service against the advancing columns of the enemy; but the brave fellows who manned it suffered terribly from the fire from the batteries of the town. Sir Thomas himself had his right leg and left foot carried away by a thirty-nine pounder from the Round Tower, or Malakoff. Notwithstanding the severity of the injury, and the excruciating agony he must have endured, he refused to permit his men to carry him to the rear; but ordered them to lift him to a gun-carriage, whence, streaming with blood, he continued to give the word of command, nor quitted his post till the enemy were routed.

Seeing the desperate nature of the contest, Sir George Cathcart conceived the idea that by descending the side of the hill, he might take the enemy in flank, and so relieve the Guards from the unequal struggle in which they were engaged. He despatched General Torrens, with portions of the 46th and 68th regiments on this duty. They advanced rapidly, but from either hand rained the bullets of the Russian riflemen, concealed in the brushwood. The horse of General Torrens fell pierced by five bullets, and on every side, the number who were struck down attested the severity of the fire to which they were exposed. Torrens himself received a ball through his lungs, and was carried senseless from the field. Sir George Cathcart, seeing the fierce opposition which his brigade sustained, immediately dashed forward with the remainder of his men, and fearlessly charged the enemy. Too late he saw the error into which he had been led. He was perfectly surrounded by the enemy, who held the high ground commanding the valley into which he had led his brigade, in the hopes of making a vigorous flank attack. For some time, his little band returned sharp volleys to the enemy’s rifles. Then a cry was raised that their cartridges were exhausted. There was no retreat, and the fierce fire poured like hail into their ranks. “You have got your bayonets!” shouted their dauntless leader, and dashed forwards followed by his men. As he raised himself in his stirrups, a bullet pierced his brain, and the heroic Cathcart, the subduer of the Cape savages, fell headlong from his horse, quite dead. By his side fell Colonel Seymour, Adjutant-General of the Fourth Division, sharing his leader’s fate. He was wounded before Sir George, but concealed his hurt. When the General fell, Colonel Seymour dismounted to render him assistance. The brigade had swept on, unable to pause in their career, and then the enemy rushing on the wounded Seymour cruelly murdered him, as he stooped over the body of his friend, and consummated their infamy by basely stabbing with their bayonets the insensible body of the noble Cathcart.

It was now eleven o’clock, and it seemed impossible that the English could much longer withstand the terrible assault. They were driven back exhausted by the long struggle; hundreds of their best and bravest had fallen heroically; and the enemy was still pouring fresh legions into the fray. The fog and drizzling rain obscured the scene of action, so that it was impossible for the Generals to concert a scheme of operations, or even to know accurately the state of affairs: it was rather a series of battles than one action. Lord Raglan and his staff were eagerly watching the fray, but unable to control the movements of the troops. Nothing could save the entire army but the self-devotion and valour of the men: tactics were unavailable, and generalship useless. Now, however, came the crisis of the struggle. General Bosquet had by this time discovered that the threatened attack on Balaklava was but a feint; and warned by the thunder of cannon and the roll of musketry of the real point of attack, hastened to, the rescue. Two troops of horse-artillery were speedily despatched, and took up a position whence they could effectively play upon the Russian guns. Hastening to the spot, with his dashing regiments of Zouaves and Chasseurs Indigènes, he precipitated himself upon the left flank of the Russian hordes. General Canrobert, too, at the same time, ordered up several French regiments of the line to the assistance of the English Second Division, on the left.

Wearied, wounded, and almost disheartened, the English heroes were gradually giving ground to the foe, when their ears caught, above the din of battle, the rapid tread and loud shouts of advancing troops, and perceived through the mist the forms of massive columns, moving at a rapid pace, whether friends or foes they scarcely knew. In a few moments, a joyous “Hurrah!” rang from the broken lines, and a mighty cheer was echoed through the fog: then they knew the French were there to help them. A new life seemed to animate them; no longer they retreated, but summoning up the last flashes of their failing fire, charged the foe anew. The Russians, staggered by the fresh assault, surprised by the sudden appearance of the warriors of Africa, hesitated and gave way. Then, uniting their ranks, the English and the French, with mingled shouts, loud “Hurrahs!” and “Vive l’Empereur!” dashed into the paralyzed columns, and drove the bayonets home through many a Russian breast. The Zouaves leaped through the tangled brushwood, and, with wondrous activity, scattered the confused and retreating battalions. Then came the tremendous fire from the ships in the harbour, and the guns from the heights, which almost swept them from the field, and forced them for a brief space to pause in their career. It was but for an instant. Renewing their charge, English and French once more dashed at the flying foe, and at the bayonet’s point, with fearful slaughter, drove them, a disorderly mob, down the hill-side.

The moment had now come when Lord Raglan could effectively exhibit his generalship: for hours he had sat in his saddle, in a most exposed situation, unable to control the fluctuating fortunes of the day. Under his direction, General Strangways had opened a heavy fire of artillery upon the Russian guns upon the opposite hills, with the hope of silencing their fatal volleys. This was all he had been enabled to perform for the succour of the troops engaged. Many fell around him, but the brave old General refused to move from his exposed situation, anxious for the time to arrive when he might be enabled so to manœuvre his forces as to drive back the enemy. General Strangways was within a short distance of the Commander-in-Chief, when a shot, which had actually passed between the legs of Lord Raglan’s horse, shattered his leg, and he fell to the ground. He was borne carefully to the rear, where, in a few moments, the gallant old man, who had survived the dangers of Leipzig, and a fearful wound at Waterloo, breathed his last; meeting his fate with a calm heroism that affected to tears many a brave man fresh from the honours of that sanguinary field. The Russians had left on the field two 18-pounder guns, and Lord Raglan now ordered them to be brought up to the front. Colonel Dickson had already anticipated the order, and the guns had been dragged by main strength to the fitting position on a ridge front of the Second Division. Assisted by Captain D’Aguilar, a well-aimed fire was poured into the Russian batteries; the guns were overthrown, the gunners killed, and the fire for an instant quelled; but the fertility of the enemy’s resources did not fail them even now: fresh gunners supplied the places of those struck down by the English fire, and the deadly duel was resumed. Then came the retreating infantry—a headlong mass, and the fiery Zouaves and reanimated British in hot pursuit. Three times were the artillerymen swept away from their guns; as many times their places were supplied. Then, under cover of fierce volleys from the town and ships, they succeeded in carrying off their guns. The French batteries now advanced to the crown of the ridge, and opened fire on the retreating masses, flying pell-mell towards the heights. Hundreds fell beneath the deadly volleys—the thunders of the death-dealing artillery drowned alike the shrieks and groans of the wounded and the triumphant shouts of the victors, and the battle of Inkermann was won!

About 8000 English and 6000 French had thus utterly defeated more than 50,000 of the enemy, with the disadvantage of being taken by surprise. The English were enfeebled by sickness, imperfectly fed, and inadequately provided with necessary equipments and ammunition. The Russians were mostly fresh troops, prepared for the attack, and supported by the tremendous batteries of the town and ships. It is to the French unquestionably that we were indebted for the victory: no human courage could much longer have withstood such disproportionate odds. The gallant Bosquet, by his promptitude and the dashing valour of his African soldiers, saved not only the fortunes of the day, but the very existence of the English army. Our loss was 462 killed, including 43 officers, 1952 wounded, and 198 missing; giving a total of 2612 casualties. Three generals were killed—Cathcart, Goldie, and Strangways; and three—Brown, Torrens, and Bentinck—were wounded. If we reckon that only about 8000 were engaged, these numbers show that nearly every third man was killed, wounded, or fell into the hands of the enemy. The Russians admit a loss of 2969 killed, of whom 42 were officers; and 5791 wounded, including 206 officers; giving a total loss of 8760. There can be no rational doubt that their real loss was nearly double, and the number of Russians killed or wounded was at the least equal to the entire English and French forces engaged in the battle. Our brigade of Guards alone lost twelve officers killed on the field, besides many wounded. Truly the daring courage of the English gentleman has not deteriorated in these latter days! The chivalric valour which placed the officers in the very front of danger was nobly seconded by the unquenchable spirit of the men whom they led; they were mostly fasting, when they hurried to the scene of conflict, and for ten long hours were engaged in one of the deadliest struggles the military historian has ever recorded. Some were sick, all were gaunt and emaciated. It was Agincourt once more. The starved legions met and overthrew five times their number. Such was the bloody battle of Inkermann!”

IPSUS, BATTLE OF.—Fought B.C. 301. Between Seleucus and Antigonus, King of Asia. On the side of Antigonus was his son, whilst Ptolemy, Lysimachus and Cassander were ranged on the side of Seleucus. The army of Seleucus consisted of 70,000 foot, and 10,000 cavalry, with 75 elephants. The other army amounted to 64,000 infantry, and 10,500 horse, with 600 elephants and 120 chariots. Antigonus and his son were signally defeated.

IRUN, BATTLE OF.—Between the British auxiliary legion, under General Evans, and the Carlist forces. It was fought, May 17th, 1837. On the 16th, the legion marched from St. Sebastian to attack Irun, which, after a desperate resistance, they carried by assault. Great exertions were made by the British officers to save the lives of the prisoners from the fury of the soldiers of the legion, their minds having been exasperated by the frequent massacre of such of their comrades as had from time to time fallen into the hands of the enemy. The town was pillaged.

ISLE-AUX-NOIX.—In the Richelieu River, Lower Canada.—Commands the entrance to Lake Champlain. Fortified by the French, in 1759. Captured by the English, in 1760. Taken by the Americans, in 1775 (from which place they issued their proclamation to the Canadians). It rendered important service in the war of 1812–1814.

ISLE OF FRANCE.—Taken, with six French frigates, and many Indiamen, by the British from the French, December 2nd, 1810. The British retain possession of it, and it is now a freed colony.

ISMAEL, SIEGE OF.—In Bessarabia.—After a long siege by the Russians, who lost 20,000 men before the place, the town was taken by storm, December 22nd, 1790, when the Russian General, Suwarrow, the bloodiest and most merciless warrior of modern times, put the brave Turkish garrison, consisting of 30,000 men, to the sword—every man was butchered. Not satisfied with this vengeance, the General ordered the town to be pillaged by his ferocious soldiery, and 6000 women were murdered in cold blood.

ISSUS, BATTLE OF.—Alexander the Great completely defeated Darius in this battle, fought B.C. 333. The Persian army, according to Justin, amounted to 400,000 foot and 100,000 horse, of which 61,000 foot and 10,000 cavalry were left dead on the field, and 40,000 were taken prisoners. The Macedonians lost only 300 foot and 150 horse, according to Diodorus Siculus.

J.

JAFFA.—Celebrated in Scripture as Joppa. Taken by Napoleon, in February, 1799. The French driven out by the British, in June, the same year. Here, according to the account of Sir Robert Wilson, Napoleon massacred 3800 Arab prisoners of war; but this is reasonably doubted.

JANVILLIERS, BATTLE OF.—Between the French and Prussians, which, after a severe engagement, Blucher, who commanded the latter army, was driven back to Chalons with considerable loss. Fought, February 14th, 1814.

JARNAC, BATTLE OF.—The Duke of Anjou, afterwards Henry III of France, defeated the Huguenots, under Louis, Prince of Condé, who was killed in cold blood by Montesquieu. The victor was but seventeen years of age, and on account of his successes and his triumph at Moncontour, the Poles chose him for their king; he had his arm in a sling, and a moment before the battle, his leg was broken by a kick from a horse. Fought, March 13th, 1569.

JAVA.—This island capitulated to the British, August 8th, 1811. The sultan dethroned by the English and the hereditary Prince raised to the throne, June, 1813. Restored to Holland, in 1814.

JEMMAPPES, BATTLE OF.—This was one of the most obstinate and hard-fought battles in modern times; 40,000 French troops forced 28,000 Austrians, who were entrenched in woods and mountains, defended by forty redoubts and an immense number of cannon. The revolutionary general Dumouriez, was the victor in this battle, which lasted four days. According to the most authentic accounts, the loss on the Austrian side was 10,000 men killed, and that of the French 12,000. Fought, November 5th, 1792.

JENNA, BATTLE OF.—One of the most bloody battles fought in the Napoleon wars, between the French and Prussian armies; the former commanded by Napoleon—the latter by the Prussian King. The latter was signally defeated with the loss of 30,000 slain, and 30,000 taken prisoners, and 200 field pieces taken. After this Napoleon advanced to Berlin, October 14th, 1806.

JERUSALEM.—Taken by the Israelites B.C. 1048, and by Nebuchadnezzar B.C. 587. Razed to the ground by Titus A.D. 70, after one of the most awful as well as remarkable sieges recorded in history and predicted by our Blessed Lord. More than 1,100,000 Jews perished on this occasion. Rebuilt by Adrian A.D. 130. Taken by the Persians in 614; by the Saracens in 636; and by the Crusaders in 1099, when 70,000 infidels were put to the sword. A new kingdom was then founded, and lasted eighty-eight years. Again taken from the Christians by Saladin, in 1187, and by the Turks in 1217. Lastly taken by Bonaparte, in February, 1799.

JUGURTHA, THE WAR WITH.—A memorable war, of which the Roman historian, Sallust, has written an account, commenced B.C. 111, and continued five years. Metellus was first sent against him, then Sylla and Marius—the latter of whom took him prisoner, and at last he died in prison, at Rome.

K.

KAFFIR WAR.—There was an invasion of the Kaffirs, or Caffres, in the vicinity of Grahamstown, Cape of Good Hope, in October, 1831. The invaders fell upon the settlers, murdered them, burnt their houses, destroyed their crops, and carried off their cattle; this irruption was eventually suppressed by the colonial authorities. Other, but slighter annoyances to the colonists took place occasionally, up to December, 1850, when Sir Harry Smith, the then Governor, proclaimed martial law, and ordered the colonists to rise en masse for the defence of the frontier; the Kaffirs had previously defeated the British troops, and had committed many murderous forays on the villages. Then followed several disastrous operations in the Water Kloof, and Colonel Fordyce and several officers and men of the 74th Regiment were killed, November 6th, 1847. Captain Oldham, and others, had just before this fallen into an ambuscade and been killed. The wreck of the Birkenhead with re-enforcements from England, took place February 26th, 1852. General Cathcart, at last, on the 20th December, 1852, attacked them with 2000 British troops at Berea, where they numbered 6000 cavalry. In this action Captain Tanner and 38 men were killed, and two other officers and 15 men wounded. The Kaffirs suffered severely, and at last were obliged to sue for peace.

KALITSCH, BATTLE OF.—Fought, February 13th, 1813, between the Saxons, under the French General Regnier, and the Russians under Winzingerode. An obstinate engagement in which the French were defeated, with the loss of 2000 killed and some thousands taken prisoners.

KALUNGA, FORT.—In the East Indies.—Unsuccessfully attacked by the East India Company’s forces, and General Gillespie killed, October 31st, 1814. Again unsuccessfully attacked, November 25th, following, and evacuated by the Nepaulese on the 30th November, 1814.

KARS, THE BATTLE OF THE HEIGHTS OF.—“On the 29th September, 1855, about 3.30 A.M., the Russians were seen advancing up the Shorak valley in dense masses, but in what order could not then, on account of the darkness, be ascertained. Our troops were in a moment under arms, and at their posts. General Kmety, with one battalion of infantry and seven companies of chasseurs, was stationed in Sheshanegee Tabia; Major Teesdale, with one battalion of infantry, in Yuksek Tabia; and Hussein Pacha, with the Arabistan Corps, in Tahmasb Tabia, where he was soon joined by Kerim Pacha, the second in command of the army. Bashi-bazouks were also dispersed throughout the different works, and the Laz held a small work called Yarem Ai Tabia, in front of Yuksek Tabia. General Kmety was the first to open fire with round-shot on the advancing battalions of the enemy; he was immediately answered by two guns placed in position on a height forming the north-west boundary of the Shorak valley. In a few minutes the whole visible force of the Russians charged up the hill with loud cries; they were received with a terrific fire of grape and musketry, which mowed down whole ranks at every volley. General Kmety’s position was attacked by eight battalions of the enemy; they advanced very gallantly to within five paces of the work, when so heavy a fire was opened on the head of the column that the whole corps wavered, halted, then turned, and fled down the hill in the greatest confusion, leaving 850 dead. They did not renew the attack there.

Tahmasb Tabia bore the brunt of the battle; about 16 battalions, with many guns, were brought up against it, but its garrison was undaunted, and for a long time the Russians could not even get possession of the breast-work forming the left wing of that battery; but, at length, an overwhelming force obliged the Turks to retire within the redoubt. A scene of carnage now ensued perfectly terrible to behold. As the Russians came over the brow of the hill within the breastwork, to take the battery in rear, Tchim and Tek Tabias and Fort Lake opened on them with 24-pound shot, which tore through their ranks, but they did not seem to heed this. They charged Tahmasb Tabia, which was one sheet of fire, over and over again, and so resolute were their assaults that many of the Russian officers were killed in the battery, but they could not succeed in carrying it.

General Kmety, after having repulsed the Russians, went forward with four companies of chasseurs to Yuksek Tabia, which was sorely pressed. Major Teesdale pointed out a battalion of Russian chasseurs which lay hidden behind Yarem Ai Tabia (this work having been abandoned by the Laz at the commencement of the battle), and begged that they might be dislodged. The General at once determined to carry the battery; so, forming up his men, he charged and drove the Russians down the hill; leaving a company to defend the work, he returned to Yuksek Tabia, from whence perceiving a battalion of the enemy trying to turn the right wing of Tahmasb Tabia, he reinforced his corps with three companies from Major Teesdale, and charged the Russians; here, too, he was successful. In the meantime reinforcements were sent up from below; these formed behind the tents of the reserve, and watched their opportunity in attacking the Russian columns, when driven back from an assault on the batteries. For seven hours this went on; reserve after reserve of the enemy was brought forward, but only to meet death. Nothing could shake the firmness of our troops, till at length the Russians, wearied and dispirited, at eleven A.M., turned and fled down the hills in a confused mass, not one single company keeping its ranks. The army was followed in its flight by the townspeople and Bashi-bazouks, who brought down hundreds as they fled. While the infantry were engaged in this conflict, the Cossacks tried to penetrate into the tents of the reserve, but they were soon driven back by the townspeople and infantry reserves with heavy loss.

One battalion of Russian infantry attempted to march round the position, and take a small battery situated in a commanding position on the road leading to a village called Tchakmak. It commenced its march in splendid order, but ere it went 600 yards it was broken and in great disorder, and so terrified, that fifty or sixty of our chasseurs drove the broken mass down the Tchakmak valley like a flock of sheep. The cause of the terror was the terrible fire opened upon it by Yuksek Tabia, the guns of Sheshanegee Tabia and Fort Lake.

A column of eight battalions, with 16 guns and three regiments of cavalry, attacked the English lines at half-past five A.M. This line of fortification was at the time very weakly garrisoned; the breastwork was carried in a few minutes, the batteries Teesdale, Thompson, and Zohrah, successively fell into the enemy’s hands, and the men who formed their garrisons retired into Williams Pacha Tabia. The Russians then brought up their artillery into position in front of Zohrab Tabia, and began firing upon Fort Lake and shelling the town, but Fort Lake (under the able superintendence of the gallant officer whose name it bears), Arab Tabia, and Karadagh, opened so heavy a fire on them with 24 pounders, that they were compelled to withdraw their artillery altogether. The Russian infantry then charged Williams Pacha Tabia, but were repulsed by a flanking fire from Fort Lake and a severe fire of musketry from the defenders of the battery attacked. They retired into Zohrab Tabia, re-formed, and again assaulted; a body of their chasseurs was at the same time sent forward to within 500 yards of Fort Lake, to take a small open work called Churchill Tabia, which was doing the enemy without the lines much harm. This was occupied by two companies of our chasseurs: they turned to receive the attack of the enemy; and, after retiring a short distance halted, and kept the Russians at bay. While this was going on, Captain Thompson, who had charge of the batteries of Karadagh and Arab Tabia, sent over the 5th regiment of infantry from Arab Tabia to retake the English Tabias of Teesdale and Thompson, and from below two battalions of the 2nd regiment came up to recapture Zohrab Tabia. The forces commenced the attack together from each end of the line, and drove the Russians out of the forts and breastworks at the point of the bayonet. Once out of the lines, they did not attempt to retake them. Unfortunately the enemy had time, while in possession of the batteries, to take away five guns, and to spike three, but they abandoned three of the captured guns at a short distance from the redoubts, so that we only lost two. As the enemy retreated our long guns again played on their columns, and they retired as speedily as possible.

Some cavalry attempted to engage the battery above the village of Tchakmak, but again the terrible guns of Fort Lake drove them off. By 10.30 A.M. the English Tabias were silent.

Such was the dreadful battle of “The Heights of Kars.” This is but a very lame account of the glorious fight. I have not the time to enter into greater details, but it will give an idea of what our men did and had to endure. The forces of the enemy exceeded 30,000, while ours, engaged, were below 8000. Not one of our men had tasted anything since the previous afternoon; hungry and thirsty, they remained undaunted, and repulsed column after column of the Russians; at last their heroism was rewarded with perhaps the most brilliant victory that has been gained during this war.

The field of battle was a sight too horrible ever to be forgotten by me; the dead lay in vast heaps in every direction around the forts—the ditches were full of mutilated bodies—the tents were torn to rags—arms, clothes, broken ammunition-boxes lay strewed about. Upwards of 6000 Russians fell, and more than 4000 muskets have been collected, and 150 prisoners taken. The total loss to the enemy in killed and wounded must have been very near, if not more than, 15,000. Several Generals were killed or wounded; amongst the former, reports say, General Breumer, the second in command; and General Baklanoff, who commanded the attack on Canly Tabia on the 7th of last August. Thousands of carts have been sent to Gumri (Alexandropoli) with wounded.

Our list of casualties is but small, about 1000 in killed and wounded. Dr. Sandwith, the Inspector of Hospitals, had made his arrangements, and, thanks to his abilities, the hospitals are in good order.

For this great victory, Turkey has to thank General Williams; during the past four months his exertions to get things into order have been astonishing; night and day he has laboured. He has had many and great obstacles to overcome, but nothing could break his energy. On the memorable 29th he directed the movements of the troops; the reinforcements always reached their appointed position in time. The great results of the day prove how well his operations were conceived.

The loss inflicted on the enemy fully shows how well the positions of the redoubts were chosen by Colonel Lake. All the batteries flanked each other, and the Russians were unable to bring up guns to command any of our positions. The troops kiss the batteries, and say that the Miralai Bey (Colonel) was “Chok akill” (very wise) when he made them work.

Captain Thompson aided greatly in recapturing the English lines. He directed, by order, the guns of Arab Tabia and Karadagh, and sent the troops over to attack the Russians.

Major Teesdale was in the hottest fire, and acted with great coolness and bravery. He is the admiration of the Turks. He showed them how English officers behave in battle.

All the Turkish officers did their duty nobly. Kerim Pacha was slightly wounded, and had two horses killed under him; Hussein Pacha was hit; two Colonels, and many other officers, were killed.”

Another account thus graphically describes the fall of Kars:—

“Omer Pacha, gradually overcoming the difficulties of that deficiency in transports found himself at the head of about 15,000 troops in Abasia, a good many of these being his own trustworthy veterans. He had gradually edged them down towards redoubt Kaleh, which he fixed on as his basis of operations. On the 30th Shemserai was secured, and, having driven in the Russian outposts from Sogdidi and endeavoured to open relations with Schamyl, while conciliating the Princess Dalian and the Christian population in his own neighbourhood, he moved inland in a south-eastern direction. But, owing to the difficulties of the country, which is an entanglement of woods interspersed with very rich but neglected farm lands, and owing still more to the precariousness and uncertainty of any supplies from the inhabitants, his progress was extremely slow. He did all that lay in his power, purchasing provisions in every direction, and organizing, as his principal resource, a regular commissariat at Redoubt Kaleh. The river Phasis, which flows from the Caucasus to the Euxine, is navigable for nearly a hundred miles from the sea; and he had hoped to have availed himself of this channel for important manœuvres. His plan was this:—The first strong Russian post was at Kutais, where the great high road—by Gori, into Georgia, and down to Tiflis—would take his advancing columns over the celebrated Soorem Pass. Once master of Kutais, and with his communications well secured upon the Black Sea along his rear line, he hoped either to be able to defeat all the local Russian garrisons and posts between Soorem and the capital of the fertile province lying beyond and below it, or else to recall by the terror of his progress the army of General Mouravieff, then menacing Armenia, and beleaguering Kars. In either case a great blow would be struck, and the hard-pressed troops of General Williams relieved. Then, should it even prove too late to advance permanently that year beyond Mingrelia, he could at least strengthen himself in Kutais, make it his new centre for future operations, and call up, meantime, additional forces for the campaign of spring. General Mouravieff would then be pressed from the side of Armenia, where he was now acting offensively, and from the side of Imeretia, on which he would be thrown also upon the defensive. But it was already too late; and the Russian chief knew it. Well informed of the true state of the Kars garrison, he never disquieted himself, or in the slightest altered his plans, in consequence of Omer Pacha’s diversion. Should the Muchir even beat the militia which now guarded the northern gorges of Georgia, he felt sure that it would all come to the same result. The season, the floods, scarcity, would compel the victor to retreat; much more would such become his necessity if, in the interim, he, General Mouravieff, should succeed in reducing Kars, and, while thus liberating his own army for an encounter with the Ottoman, should rob the latter of the chief motive which prompted this venturous advance by depriving it of its character as a diversion. Indeed, in such a contingency, the further Omer might have penetrated, the worse, perhaps, would be his situation; since General Mouravieff, by not returning directly towards Tiflis (which would be rather better able than Kars had been to stand a siege in its turn and to hold any assailant in play), but by moving diagonally, north-east by north, along the excellent Russian line from Alexandropol to Akhazik, would himself take Omer Pacha in flank and rear, shatter his line of communication, overwhelm his detached supports, and cut him off from the sea.

For these reasons, General Mouravieff tranquilly and steadily persisted in the blockade of Kars; and never for a moment showed any inclination to turn aside to face the Turkish invader. A month and seven days had now elapsed since the assault on Kars was repulsed so gloriously, when Omer Pacha at length brought his labouring columns through the miry woodlands as far as the Ingour. There he saw, for the first time, a regular stand prepared by the enemy, about 12,000 strong, intrenched on the opposite bank, and commanding the passage by batteries. They were chiefly the Russian militia of Georgia and were under the command of General Bragation-Makrausky. The Turks had some 20,000 men. The stream was barely fordable in half-a-dozen places, by which the enemy’s intrenchments could be turned. The Turks passed it, up to their armpits in water, holding their muskets aloft; our countrymen—Colonel Ballard, Captain Dymsck, and others—showing a splendid example worthy of English officers. The engagement lasted five hours, when the Russians fled, leaving behind them 60 prisoners, five gun-carriages and ammunition carts, and 400 killed. They appear to have carried off their wounded. Omer Pacha had 220 wounded and 68 killed. Pressing on the track of the fugitives he came up with them before the end of November, within sight of Kutais, and obtained another advantage. But the floods had come; the Phasis had assumed the dimensions of a torrent; great forest trees were swept down the stream as if they were reeds—now engulfed out of sight in the eddies, now reappearing on the surface for a moment as they were borne away; the roads were impassable to artillery, and almost to infantry; the whole country was transformed into an alternation of morass and lagoon; a day’s march was the work of a week; the troops were broken up and islanded, as it were, into helpless detachments; the commissariat could not act; the supplies arrived with greater irregularity, incertitude, and insufficiency from day to day; the whole army was suffering incredible hardships and privations; it was threatened with annihilation unless a retrograde movement were promptly made; and, finally, came the news Kars had succumbed at last. The conquerors, therefore, retired, unpursued, and gradually straggled back to Redoubt Kaleh, where Omer Pacha soon succeeded in restoring their tone and refreshing their energies.

So ended the war of 1855 with Russia; for this was really its last incident, General Mouravieff having already dismantled the fortifications of Kars, and withdrawn the bulk of his forces to Gumri. It was on the 28th of November that General Williams at last surrendered to him the stubborn Armenian fortress. The heroic garrison had long been macerated by the failure of rations and by disease. Even their ammunition was expended. In another assault on the day of their surrender they would have had no means of firing half-a-dozen rounds from their guns, and they were completely past the power of personal resistance as a body, being unable to wield their weapons, and hardly able to stand erect. They had borne literally the fiercest extremities of famine. They were now a corps of spectres, with scarcely the strength to speak. Yet these men had furnished indiscriminately the sentinels who had mounted guard over the little pile of half-rotten farina which was to be doled out in a biscuit a day for each; and the trusty sentries never touched the food which was the sole remaining common stock. Under such circumstances it was that General Williams rode out with a flag of truce, and told Prince Mouravieff that he would surrender Kars provided all the courtesies and honours of war were conceded to the garrison. General Kmety and some few attendants had tried a different expedient—they stole out and cut their way through the leaguer on the only serviceable horses left.

Mouravieff listened with attention to General Williams, who threatened, if his various stipulations were not granted, to burst every gun and destroy every military trophy still extant in Kars. The Russian chief replied with chivalrous warmth and visible emotion as he looked at the emaciated hero, that all was granted, and that he was proud as an enemy to testify that General Williams and those under him had immortalised themselves. Nothing, in short, could surpass the nobility of sentiment displayed (both then and in the subsequent treatment of the prisoners) by Prince Mouravieff and the Russian army.”

KERTCH.—An expedition undertaken against this place during the late Russian war was completely successful. “Notwithstanding the recall of the expedition to Kertch in the early part of the month, the Allied Generals were resolved to carry out the project of a descent upon that part of the coast; and, on the 22nd of May, another expedition departed: the English force under Sir George Brown, and the French under General D’Autemarre. The two Admirals, Sir Edmund Lyons and Bruat, accompanied the land forces. The troops engaged numbered 15,000, with five batteries of artillery. It was apprehended that a serious resistance would probably be made at Kertch, and that the fleets would have difficulty in forcing the straits into the Sea of Azov, if they were exposed to the fire of the powerful batteries of Kertch and Yenikale. In order, then, that the town might be attacked from the land side, Sir George Brown landed his force at Kamiesch Bournu, a few miles to the south of Kertch, and advanced overland. The enemy, however, had no intention of risking a contest, and evacuated the town, destroying the magazines, and blowing up the fortifications. When the troops entered Kertch, they found it deserted by nearly all the inhabitants; and the ships in the straits hurredly endeavouring to escape into the Sea of Azov. In this attempt they were frustrated by the activity of the allied fleets; and the Admirals, finding the depth of water more than they had anticipated, started in full pursuit, capturing and burning every vessel they could approach. Yenikale was, like Kertch, deserted by its garrison; and in a few hours the Allies were in undisturbed and bloodless possession of the two towns commanding the outlet of the Sea of Azov, and the fleets were in full chase of the Russian navy in those waters.”

KIEL, TREATY OF.—Between Great Britain, Sweden and Denmark, signed January 14th, 1814.

KILCULLEN, BATTLE OF.—Fought May 23rd, 1798, between a vast body of insurgent Irish and the British forces, commanded by General Dundas. The latter were defeated. General Dundas, however, subsequently beat the rebels near Kilcullen bridge, when 3000 were slain, and hundreds wounded and taken prisoners.

KILDARE.—The great rebellion commenced here in May 23rd, 1798. On that night Lieutenant Gifford, of Dublin, and a number of gentlemen were murdered. Quelled in the following year.

KILLALA.—A French force landed here, August 22nd, 1798. They were joined by the Irish insurgents, and the actions of Castlebar, Colooney and Ballyhannack followed. At the battle of Killala the insurgents were defeated with great slaughter, by the Royalist forces, September 23rd, 1798.

KILLIECRANKIE, BATTLE OF.—Fought July 17th, 1689, between the forces of William III and the adherents of James II. “General Mackay, the officer sent against Claverhouse, had about 3000 foot and some companies of horse under his command. But they were mostly all raw recruits, and entire strangers to the Highland way of fighting. At the head of the wild and gloomy pass of Killiecrankie, Mackay found himself in front of the rebels. He drew up his men, three deep, along the side of the narrow valley into which the pass opens. The Highlanders occupied the hill on the north side of the valley. At this time, the bayonet screwed into the muzzle of the musket, so that troops could not fire with bayonets fixed. The Highlanders, in dense masses broke down from the hill. Firing their guns once, they dropped them, and then with target on the left arm, and flashing broadsword they rushed, wildly yelling, on the enemy. Mackay’s troops fired a volley, which did little harm to the loose array of their leaping, bounding foes, and before they could screw in their bayonets, the Highlanders were among them. An empty musket without a bayonet could do little against the sweeping broadsword. A panic seized Mackay’s raw levies, and they broke and fled, pursued and cut down by the savage Highlanders.

Claverhouse never knew that he had won a victory. He fell at the beginning of the action, pierced by a musket ball which entered beneath his arm. When one in a pack of hungry wolves is killed, the rest turn upon him and eat him up. Claverhouse’s own men, true to their savage instinct of plunder, stripped his body, and left it naked upon the field, where it was with difficulty distinguished from the other bodies of the fallen!”

KOLIN, OR KOLLIN, BATTLE OF.—In this engagement the famous Austrian General Daun, gained a celebrated victory over Frederick the Great of Prussia, June 18th, 1757. Next year he obliged the Prussians to raise the siege of Olmutz and to retreat to Moravia.

KONIAH, BATTLE OF.—Fought on the Plains of Koniah, formerly Jornium, between the army of the Sultan of Turkey and the Pacha of Egypt, in which, after a most bloody action which continued all the day, the Turkish army was defeated, and the Grand Vizier himself wounded and taken prisoner, December 31st, 1833.

KOWNO, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the French and Russian armies, in which the French were defeated with great slaughter, and the loss of upwards of 6000 prisoners, 21 pieces of cannon; many thousands on both sides were slain. Fought, December 14th, 1812.

KRASNOI, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the French under Davoust, and the Russian army commanded by Kutusoff. In this bloody battle Davoust was entirely overthrown, and his army dispersed, thousands upon thousands being left dead on the field, November 16th, 1812.

KUNNERSDORF, BATTLE OF.—One of the most bloody battles on record, and fought between the Prussian and Russian armies. The King of Prussia, after a great slaughter of the enemy for upwards of six hours, had gained many advantages and had nearly accomplished victory; but too eager in pursuing the retreating enemy, the latter rallied, and in the end the Prussians were defeated with the loss of 20,000 men and 200 pieces of cannon, August 12th, 1759.

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LACOLLE MILL, BATTLE OF.—Operations were commenced early in the spring of 1814. An American army, commanded by General Wilkinson, and amounting to upwards of 3000 men, entered Lower Canada on the western shore of Lake Champlain. They attacked and completely invested Lacolle Mill, which was defended by Major Handcock, of the 13th regiment, and about 180 men. They were vigorously repulsed from this little fortress and driven back to the United States.

LA HOGUE, BATTLE OF.—Between the English and Dutch combined fleets under Admirals Russel and Rooke, and the French under Tourville. The Allies gained a complete victory, burning thirteen ships of the French, and destroying eight more, and forcing the rest to fly, and so preventing the threatened invasion of England, May 19th, 1692.

LA ROTHIÈRE, BATTLE OF.—Between the French, commanded by Napoleon, and the Prussian and Russian armies, which were defeated after a desperate engagement with the loss of some thousands slain, and 3000 prisoners and 30 pieces of cannon, February 1st, 1814. This was about one of the last victories of Napoleon.

LA VENDÉE, WAR OF.—Many battles in this war were fought between the French Royalists of La Vendée and the Republican armies in 1793–4. The war terminated January 10th, 1800.

LAKES CHAMPLAIN, ERIE, AND ONTARIO.—These lakes were the scene of many engagements between the English and American colonists in the War of Independence, and also in the war of 1812–15, the chief of which was the capture of the British fleet by the Americans after a severe action, September 11th, 1813.

LANDEN, BATTLE OF.—Between the Allies and French, in which William III of England commanded. Owing chiefly to the cowardice of the Dutch horse, this sanguinary engagement ended in the defeat of the Allies, July 19, 1693. The Duke of Berwick, illegitimate son of James II, who was fighting on the side of France, was taken prisoner in this battle by Brigadier Churchill, afterwards the great Duke of Marlborough.

LANGSIDE, BATTLE OF.—Fought, May 13th, 1568, between the forces of Queen Mary of Scotland and the Regent. “Many powerful Barons called their vassals to their banners, and hastened to support the Queen. In a few days her camp at Hamilton contained 6000 men. The Regent had with difficulty mustered 4000, but he determined to bring the Queen’s army to battle at once. She broke up her camp at Hamilton, and marched towards Dumbarton. The village of Langside lay on her line of march, and her troops must pass through a narrow lane leading up the face of the hill on which the village stood. Moray posted his hag-butters, or matchlock-men, among the cottages, and lined with them the garden-hedges on both sides of the lane. The Queen took her station on an eminence half a mile distant, from which she had the battle full in sight. She saw her troops press up the hill, and endeavour to force the passage of the lane. She saw them reel under the close and deadly fire of the hagbut-men who lined the hedges. She saw them come on again stoutly, and meet the shock of Moray’s spearmen. She saw the mass of combatants swaying to and fro in doubtful conflict. And then she saw her troops swept down the hill, broken and scattered, the Regent’s men fiercely pursuing and spearing the wretched fugitives.”

LAON, BATTLE OF.—In France.—Between the Allies, chiefly the Prussian army, and the French. This battle or rather succession of actions, was fought under the walls of the town, and ended, after a sanguinary and obstinate contest in the defeat of the latter with great loss, March 9th, 1814.

LARGS, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the ancient inhabitants of Scotland and the Northmen. A bloody battle, fought 30th September, 1263. The following description is from the pen of an eminent Scottish modern writer:

“It was about the middle of August when the fleet of Haco, which counted 160 ships, rounded the Mull of Cantyre and entered the Frith of Clyde. Time is everything in war. Haco should have landed immediately. Every day was bringing the storms of Autumn nearer, and every day was giving time to the King of Scotland to increase his forces. Haco was a veteran who had been King of Norway forty-six winters. Alexander was a young man who had lived fewer than half the years that Haco had reigned. But the youth fairly outwitted the veteran. He sent an embassy of barefooted friars on board of Haco’s ship to propose terms of peace. The barefooted envoys came and went between the two kings, and the time was spun out in negociations till the weather began to break; the fleet was running short of provisions, and the Scots in formidable numbers were assembling on the shore.

“It was now the last day of September. At night there came on a storm so sudden and so wild that the Norwegians believed it to have been raised by the spells of the Scotch witches. The ships were torn from their anchors and ran ashore, or dashed against each other in the pitchy darkness. Haco ordered the attendance of his priests, took to his boat, and landed on the island of Cumbrae, where, amid the howling of the storm, he had mass performed. In stranger circumstances, surely, mass was never said or sung. Unluckily for Haco, the strong-winged tempest heeded it not. It continued with unabated fury all night and all the next day. The fleet drove up the channel, scattering the sea with wreck, and the shore with stranded vessels. The heights above the coast were covered by a multitude of armed peasants, who watched their opportunity and rushed down to attack the stranded ships.

“When the second morning broke, and the violence of the tempest had somewhat abated, Haco, by means of his boats, landed with a large force to protect his stranded vessels from the armed peasantry, and if possible to tow them off. While the Norwegians were engaged in the operation of floating off their ships, the sun rose, and his level rays caught the surrounding hills. Through the grey sheet of morning mist which covered the landscape, flashes as of fire were seen. It was the sun’s rays glancing upon the polished armour of the Scottish army. They advanced rapidly, and the Norwegians could soon discern their pennons and banners waving above their wood of spears, and the knights and leaders, blazing in complete steel, marshalling the line. They were commanded by King Alexander in person.

“They attacked with fury, and drove back the advanced body of the Norwegians. It seemed as if the whole force of the enemy was about to be swept into the sea before the fierce onset of the Scots. But the Norsemen, who fought entirely on foot, threw themselves into a circle with their long spears pointing out to the foe, like a huge hedgehog with prickles of steel. All day long the battle raged around this ring of spears. The storm had renewed its violence, so that it was impossible to send help on shore. Again and again the Scottish horse repeated their furious charge. The circle of steel was slowly forced back along the shore, but it could not be broken. A Scottish knight, Sir Piers de Curry, rode round and round it brandishing his spear and challenging any Norse captain to single combat. He wore a helmet inlaid with gold and set with precious stones; his mail was gold-embossed; his sword-belt studded with jewels. A leader of the Northmen accepted his challenge, and stepped out from the circle of spears. The Scottish knight spurred his horse and rushed down upon him with levelled lance. The Norseman with his great sword parried the spear-thrust, and as the knight passed him in his career, smote him with his whole strength upon the thigh. The sword cut sheer into the saddle through steel and bone, so that the limb was separated from the body, and the proud knight fell dead beneath his horse.

“A re-inforcement from the ships at length succeeded in landing through the surf; and with the aid of these fresh troops the Norwegians bore back the Scots from the shore. Night fell upon the weary combatants, and under cover of the darkness the Norwegians got on board their ships.”

LAYBACH, CONGRESS OF.—Attended by the Sovereigns of Russia, Prussia, and Austria, and resulting in two circulars, stating that Naples should be occupied with the Austrian troops, May 6th, 1821.

LEGHORN.—Entered by the French revolutionary army, July 27th, 1796, but the immense amount of British property in the city had been previously removed. Evacuated by the French in 1799, and retaken the next year. The Austrian took the city May 12th, 1849.

LEGION.—A Roman body of soldiers, about 6000 men. The 10th legion was a favourite one with Cæsar. Ancient Britain was generally protected by three legions.

LEIPSIC, BATTLE OF.—This battle fought, October 16th, 17th, and 18th, 1813, between the allied army of Russia, Prussia, and Austria on the one side, and Napoleon on the other, was one of the greatest, bloodiest, and most decisive of modern times. The French numbered 160,000 men, and the Allies 260,000 strong. This great battle was lost by the French, chiefly owing to the seventeen German battalions, then Saxon allies, turning upon them in the heat of the action; 80,000 perished on the field, of whom more than 40,000 were French, who also lost sixty-five pieces of cannon and many standards. This victory of the allied army was followed by that of the capture of Leipsic, and the rear guard of the French army next day. The King of Saxony and his family were also made prisoners.

LEPANTO, BATTLE OF.—The great naval battle between the combined fleets of Spain, Venice, and Pius V, and the whole maritime force of the Turks. Don John of Austria commanded the allied fleet, which consisted of 206 galleys and 30,000 men. The Turks had 200 galleys. After a dreadful engagement they lost 150 galleys, and 30,000 men in killed and prisoners. Fought, October 7th, 1571.

LEUCTRA, BATTLE OF.—One of the most famous in ancient history, fought July 8th, 371 B.C. In this battle 4000 Spartans, with their King, were slain, and not more than 300 Thebans. After this battle the Spartans lost their position in Greece, which they had held for 500 years.

LEWES, BATTLE OF.—Between Henry III of England and Montfort, Earl of Leicester. Fought, May 14th, 1264. The Royal army was overthrown, and the King, his brother and son Prince Edward, were taken prisoners.

LEXINGTON, BATTLE OF.—The first battle fought between Great Britain and her revolted colonies of America; gained by the British, who destroyed the stores of the colonists, but they lost in battle 273 men killed and wounded. Fought, April 19th, 1775.

LEYDEN, SIEGE OF.—A memorable siege sustained against the armies of Spain; 6000 of the inhabitants died during the siege, of famine and pestilence, A.D. 1574. A University was afterwards founded in commemoration of this event.

LIEUTENANT.—An officer who supplies the place of a superior in his absence. In military affairs the second commissioned officer in a company of infantry, cavalry or artillery. In ships of war, a lieutenant is next in rank to the captain.

LIGNY, BATTLE OF.—Fought, June 16th, 1815, just before the celebrated battle of Waterloo, between the Prussians under Blucher, and the French commanded by Napoleon. The French gained the victory.

LINCELLES, BATTLE OF.—Between the allied English and Dutch armies and the French, in which the French were defeated August 18th, 1793. In this battle, General Lake commanded the 3rd battalion of Foot Guards, who so much distinguished themselves. Colonel Bosville, of the Coldstreams, was killed; the French lost 11 cannon.

LINCOLN, BATTLE OF.—A battle was fought at Lincoln between the armies of the Princess Maud and King Stephen of England. Stephen was defeated and captured, February 2nd, 1141. Another battle was fought here between the Dauphin of France and Henry III of England. This was a bloody engagement, in which the French and their English adherents were completely defeated, and Louis withdrew his pretensions to the English crown, May 19th, 1217.

LINLITHGOW-BRIDGE, BATTLE OF.—Between the forces of the Earl of Angus, and the forces of Lenox, who fought to get possession of the person of James V, then a minor. Lenox was slain by Sir James Hamilton, 1525.

LIPPSTADT, BATTLE OF.—One of the most bloody battles ever fought in the world. Called also Lutzen, which see.

LISLE, SIEGE OF.—Besieged by the Duke of Marlborough and the Allies, and taken after three months, in 1708. Restored at the treaty of Utrecht, 1713—this siege is accounted one of the most famous in modern times. It also sustained a severe bombardment by the Austrians in the revolutionary war, but they were obliged to raise the siege, October 7th, 1792.

LISSA, BATTLE OF.—This battle, fought December 5th, 1757, closed the campaign, in which the King of Prussia vanquished Prince Charles of Lorraine; 6000 Austrians were slain. Laid in ashes by the Russians in 1707.

LODI, BATTLE OF THE BRIDGE OF.—One of the earliest of Napoleon’s victories. Fought in Italy, May 10th, 1796. Napoleon commanded the French army, which was opposed to the Austrians, under General Beaulieu, and obtained a splendid victory after a bloody engagement, in which several thousands of the Imperialists were slain, and many thousands made prisoners. Napoleon nearly lost his life at this battle, and was wounded in the hip with a bayonet. One of his great Marshals in this battle, a sergeant, saved him, and was commissioned on the spot.

LONDONDERRY, SIEGE OF.—Memorable for a siege during the reign of James II, of England. James’ army, under the French General Rosene, retired with the loss of 8000 men, after having practised almost unparalleled cruelties upon the inhabitants of the surrounding villages, April 20th, 1689.

LONGBEARDS OR LONGOBARDS.—Hence Lombardy. The Longobards or Longbeards, who had overrun and taken possession of the great plain of the basin of the Po, retained to some extent their separate independence even under the empire of Germany. They had their own laws and customs, and were in the habit of crowning the emperor, or whoever else was acknowledged, as king of Lombardy. Hence, too, Napoleon wore the iron crown of their kings. This famed symbol of kingship was deposited in the Cathedral of Monza; it is a broad circle of gold, set with large rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, and was secured in an ornamented cross placed over an altar, closely shut up within folding doors of gilt brass. The crown is kept in an octagonal aperture in the centre of the cross. It is composed of six equal pieces of beaten gold, joined together by close hinges, and the jewels and embossed gold ornaments are set in a ground of blue and gold enamel, interesting as exhibiting an exact resemblance to the workmanship of the enamelled part of a gold ornament now in the Ashmolean Museum, which once belonged to King Alfred. But for those who have an appetite for relics, the most important part of this crown is a narrow iron rim, which is attached to the inside of it all round. The rim is about three-eighths of an inch broad, and a tenth of an inch thick, made out of one of the nails used in the Crucifixion. The crown is said to have been presented to Constantine by his mother; and the sacred iron rim, from which it has its name, was to protect him in battle. And, although this iron has now been exposed more than fifteen hundred years, there is not a speck of rust upon it.

LONG ISLAND, BATTLE OF.—Between the British troops under Sir William Howe and the revolted Americans, who suffered a severe defeat, after a well fought action, losing 2000 men in killed and wounded and 1000 prisoners. The Americans were pursued to New York, but were saved by a thick fog, which enabled them to escape. Fought, August 27th, 1776.

L’ORIENT, BATTLE OF.—Lord Bridport achieved a memorable victory over the French fleet, June 23rd, 1795. The British squadron actually engaged consisted of 10 ships of the line—the enemy’s, of 12 ships of the line, 11 frigates, and some smaller vessels. After an action of three hours the French got into port, leaving three sail of the line in the possession of the British. The loss of the French was severe.

LOSSES IN GREAT BATTLES.—The Military Gazette of Vienna makes the following comparisons of the forces engaged in the battle of Solferino and in former great battles:—“At that battle there were more than 300,000 soldiers in the field, and the losses must have amounted to at least from 30,000 to 37,000. At the battle of Leipsic, which lasted for three days, the 330,000 allies had against them 260,000 French; the latter lost 30,000 prisoners and 45,000 killed and wounded, and the former 48,000 killed and wounded. After Leipsic, the most sanguinary battle was that of Moscow, on the 7th of September, 1812. The Russians had 130,000 men and 600 pieces of cannon, the French 134,000 men and 587 cannon; the former lost 58,000 and the latter 50,000; the losses were, therefore, 40 per cent. At Bautzen, on the 21st of May, 1813, there were 110,000 Russians and Prussians opposed to 150,000 French; the latter lost 20,000 men and the allies 15,000, and not a single cannon. At Wagram, on the 5th and 6th of July, 1809, we had 137,000 men, and Napoleon 170,000; we lost 20,000 men and the enemy 22,000. At Esling we were 70,000 against 85,000; we had 20,000 killed and wounded, the enemy 13,000 killed; but he left in our hands 33,000 prisoners, and was obliged to send 30,000 to Vienna to have their wounds attended to, so that out of the 160,000 men engaged about one-half were put hors de combat. At Austerlitz there were 70,000 French, as many Russians, and 13,000 Austrians; the losses were 21,000 Russians, with 160 pieces of cannon, 5,800 Austrians, and 10,000 French. At Jena there were 142,000 French against 150,000 Prussians. At Waterloo there were 170,000 men, of whom 70,000 were French, who lost 25,000 men and 250 cannon, whilst the Allies lost 31,000 men.”

The following statistics of Mr. Haussener will complete the account of the losses in Great Battles:

“The wars which have been waged from 1815 to 1864, have caused the death of 2,762,000 men, of whom 2,148,000 were Europeans, and 614,000 from other quarters of the globe, which gives an average of 43,800 per annum. The figures do not include the deaths caused by epidemics resulting from war. The most sanguinary hostilities of that period are these:—The Eastern war of 1856, in which 508,600 men fell in the following proportions: 256,000 Russians, 98,900 Turks, 107,000 French, 45,000 English, and 2600 Italians. The Caucusus (1829–60) 330,000 men lost their lives. The revolt in India (1857–59) cost 196,000 lives. The Russo-Turkish war (1820–29) 193,000. The Polish insurrection (1831) 190,000. The whole of the French campaigns in Africa (1830–59) 147,000. The Hungarian insurrection 142,000. The Italian war 129,870, of whom 96,874 died on the field or from their wounds; and 33,000 from various diseases. The total number of lives lost in Europe during the wars from 1793 to 1815 amounted to 5,530,000, which gives for the twenty-three years an average of 240,434 deaths per year.”

LUCKNOW, SIEGE OF.—Memorable in the Great Indian Mutiny. The following account of the gallant defence of a few Europeans at the Gateway, Lucknow, where General Neill fell, September 26th and 27th, 1857, is abridged from the Account of Dr. A. C. Home, contained in “The Mutinies of Oude:”—

“There were present, including Dr. Home, nine sound men, two wounded officers, Captain Beecher and Lieutenant Swanson, and three wounded men: total, fourteen. Private McManus kept outside the doorway, sheltering himself behind a pillar, and killed so many of the assailants that at length he had only to raise his piece to cause all the enemy to leave their loopholes. The bodies of the dead Sepoys round the door were, in fact, a defence. Ryan and McManus actually rushed out and brought in a wounded officer who lay in a dhoolie in the adjoining street, returning in safety, although the ground was torn by musket balls about them. The conduct of Hallowell also was splendid. He always managed to kill an enemy at a most critical moment, and at length shot the leader. Finally the Sepoys pushed a screen on wheels before them, to protect themselves from the Minié rifle, and set the building on fire, when the gallant little band retreated in good order to a shed at a short distance, and defended themselves afresh. Their cowardly assailants took this opportunity to massacre all the wounded in dhoolies near to the house first defended. This small company of heroes kept the foe at bay during the night. At daybreak, however, they heard firing, when Ryan suddenly jumped up and shouted, ‘Oh, boys! Them’s our own chaps!’ In about three minutes Captain Moorsom appeared at the entrance-hole of the shed, and they were brought off in safety.”

The following is an account of Havelock’s relief of Lucknow:

“It was thus the 19th of September before General Havelock was in a position to cross the Ganges for a third time, and to advance with an efficient force to relieve the long-beleaguered garrison at Lucknow. On that day the army of relief crossed the river by a bridge of boats, and encamped on the other side. General Havelock’s force consisted of about 2000 European infantry, the Sikh regiment of Ferozepore, three batteries of field artillery, and a handful of volunteer cavalry. The rebels mustered above 40,000 strong, but their numerical superiority only served to enhance the prowess of their conquerors. The first engagement took place on the 21st of September, at the village of Mungarwar, and resulted in the total defeat of the mutineers. Five field-pieces and guns in position were taken, two of the former being captured by the volunteer cavalry, led on to the charge by General Outram in person. From this point the army pushed on by forced marches, without encountering any organized opposition, until it arrived before the city of Lucknow. Skirting the suburbs of that once stately capital, General Havelock forced his way through every obstacle, and, by the evening of the 25th, had relieved the heroic garrison. The relief was opportune. Two mines had already been driven under the chief works, and, in a few hours more, would have been loaded and sprung. The besieged would thus have been placed at the mercy of those who knew no mercy. The city, however, had still to be subdued. From several advantageous positions the enemy continued to fire upon the fort, and were only finally dislodged after a series of determined assaults. In these operations the loss of the British was very severe. General Neill, the brave and energetic saviour of Benares, and the inexorable avenger of the massacre at Cawnpore, was among the slain. With him fell major Cooper, in command of the artillery, and many other gallant spirits. Even now much remained to be done. Taking courage from their overwhelming numbers, the enemy soon closed again around the army of deliverance, and cut off their communications with Cawnpore. Encumbered with not less than 1000 women and children, and sick and wounded men, it would have been hazardous if not impossible to have attempted a march across a difficult country. Under these circumstances Sir James Outram, who had assumed the chief command, determined on remaining at Lucknow, and awaiting the arrival of re-inforcements. Sir Colin Campbell, the Commander-in-Chief, left Cawnpore with a strong force, on the 9th of November, to relieve Lucknow. He succeeded, by a well-conceived stratagem on the 12th, in bringing away the garrison with the women and children, and marched for Cawnpore. On the third day after leaving Lucknow, General Havelock died from the effects of dysentery, brought on by excessive fatigue and anxiety. In December, Cawnpore was attacked by 25,000 rebels with fifty guns, and Sir Colin Campbell was summoned from the neighbourhood of Lucknow for its defence. He arrived in season to save the place, after a severe action with the enemy. Sir Colin remained at Cawnpore, collecting a large force for the final siege of Lucknow. During the time which was thus occupied, several actions of minor importance took place; but it was not till the 17th of March that Lucknow was recovered, after a short but active siege. After its fall, the kingdom of Oude, of which it was the capital, was speedily restored to obedience and comparative tranquillity.”

LUNEVILLE, PEACE OF.—Between the French Republic and the Emperor of Germany, concluded February 9th, 1801.

LUTZEN, BATTLE OF.—Between the French, commanded by Napoleon, and the combined armies of Russia and Prussia, commanded by General Wittgenstein, May 2nd, 1813. This bloody battle opened the campaign of that year, and though each side claimed the victory, it was manifestly on the side of France. Marshal Duroc was mortally wounded in this battle.

LUTZENGEN OR LUTZEN, BATTLE OF.—Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, fought this battle against the Emperor. In this sanguinary engagement Gustavus was basely killed in the victory, November 6th, 1632. This Gustavus was the most illustrious hero of his times, and the chief support of the German Protestants, and an ally to Charles I of England.

LUXEMBURG.—Considered the strongest fortress in the world, taken by the French in 1543; then by the Spaniards in 1544; again by the French in 1684—restored to Spain in 1697. Again taken by the French, in 1701, and given to the Dutch, and ceded to the Emperor at the peace of 1713. During last century it also sustained a long and memorable siege, June 17th, 1795. The garrison surrendered to the French, and were liberated on parole.

M.

MAESTRICHT.—Taken by the Prince of Parma in 1579; reduced by the Prince of Orange, in 1632. Louis XIV took it in 1675. William, Prince of Orange, invested it in 1676; restored to the Dutch in 1678; besieged by the French, in 1748. In 1793, attacked by the French, who took it the following year; but in 1814, it was delivered up to the allied forces.

MAGENTA, BATTLE OF.—Fought June 4th, 1859, between the French and Austrians. The French gained a splendid victory, the Allies losing 12,000, the Austrians 15,000. The latter rapidly retreated and evacuated Milan. The battle of Magenta was begun by the Austrians, who, although in full retreat towards Pavia, were ordered to change their front, and attack the advanced guard of the Allies, who had crossed the Ticino at Buffalora. Suddenly 25,000 Austrians attacked a battalion of Zouaves, together with two battalions of grenadiers; a close and deadly fire was now exchanged. Then the Austrians charged with the bayonet. At 12 o’clock the French were retiring, having lost General Leclere, a colonel, a lieutenant colonel, and 12 officers, when reinforcements appearing on their left, they rallied and forced the Austrians to withdraw. The bold assault of General McMahon decided the victory; and for his brave conduct and efficient generalship, Napoleon conferred on him the rank of Marshal, with the title of Duke of Magenta. General Guyalai brought into the action 120,000 men; he left 20,000 of them wounded or dead on the battle-field: 7000 were taken prisoners; 5 flags, 4000 knapsacks, 12,000 muskets and 4 guns, fell into the hands of the French. During the battle of Magenta the bridge and the village of Magenta were taken and retaken seven times. It was only at half-past eight at night that the Austrians withdrew. Their retreat was slow and orderly.

MAIDA, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the French, commanded by General Regnier, and the British, under Major General Sir John Stuart. The French were nearly double the number of the British, yet the latter gained a most glorious victory on the “Plains of Maida,” a village of Calabria. The loss of the French was very great, July 4th, 1806. The British commander, from this victory, has historically received the name of the “Hero of the Plains of Maida.”

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.

MAMELON AND QUARRIES.—The capture of the Mamelon and the action of the Quarries, took place in the great siege of Sebastopol. The former was gallantly stormed and taken by our allies the French and the action of the Quarries redoubted to the indomitable pluck of British soldiers. The following is a good account of the action and capture of the fort:

“A third general bombardment opened on the 6th of June. At half-past two o’clock in the afternoon, the fire of 157 English and 300 French guns and mortars simultaneously opened upon the town. The Russian reply was feeble, and inflicted but little damage upon our batteries. A fierce cannonade was maintained by the Allies during that and the following day, and towards evening, on the 7th, a grand combined attack was made by the English on the Quarries, and by the French on the Mamelon. The former of these works, as the name implies, were pits from which stone had formerly been excavated for the buildings in the town, and occupied a position between the head of our advanced sap and the Great Redan, the most formidable work of Russian defence, and which in the general plan of attack had been apportioned to the English. The Mamelon, as it was specifically called—the general term mamelon, a rounded hill, describing its appearance—was the foremost of two similar eminences, at a short distance from each other. The one nearest the town was surmounted by the Malakoff tower and works, and was the most elevated and commanding position of the enemy’s line of defence, the Mamelon, or Mamelon Vert, as the French designated it, had long since lost all claim to the latter name, being excavated into trenches and rifle-pits, from which a most annoying fire was maintained upon the French lines. Our Allies had already made a very gallant though unsuccessful attempt at its capture; and it was under the cover of its guns that the Russian sortie of the 22nd of March was made.

It was then absolutely necessary that an endeavour should be made by the besieging army to carry these formidable works, which presented such obstacles to their advance; and accordingly the evening of the 7th of June was fixed for the assault. At about six o’clock, the French battalions, chosen for the assault, consisting of the Algerine Zouaves, detachments of the 61st, 7th, and 50th regiments of the line, and of the Chasseurs-à-Pied, and Imperial Guard, about 1200 men in all, moved up to the front, closely followed by the reserve or working party, to follow the attacking column, and secure possession of the works. This second column, commanded by General Brunet, comprised a battalion of the Chasseurs-à-Pied, and the 11th, 24th, 69th, and 16th regiments of the line. General Bosquet was entrusted with the entire direction of the assault.

Our attacking force was composed of detachments from the Light and Second Divisions. About 400 men from the 18th, 7th, 47th, 49th, were told off to lead the assault, under the immediate command of Colonel Shirley, of the 90th regiment. The working parties were selected from remaining regiments of the Light Division; the main body remaining under arms in reserve.

Immediately the signal rockets took their flight towards the town, the attacking columns darted forward. The active French troops swarmed up the sides of the Mamelon, and in a few moments were in hand-to-hand contest with the Russian defenders. With an unusual supineness the batteries of the town offered no impediment to the advance. It might be that the fierce bombardment to which for twenty-four hours they had been exposed, had temporarily silenced them. Whatever might be the cause, but little opposition was sustained by, and scarcely any loss inflicted on the attacking columns, who reached the parapet on the crown of the hill at a rapid pace. Here the enemy made a stand, and for a brief space struggled bravely to maintain their position. It was, however, but an ineffectual effort. The French fought with the utmost daring; and the enemy giving way before the impetuous onslaught, retreated down the hill, the French in eager pursuit. In the valley, however, the Russians received large reinforcements from the Malakoff Tower on the opposite eminence, and a fierce fire was opened on the French from the batteries of the Malakoff. Then the tide of battle turned; and the hitherto assailants, out-numbered, were driven up the hill, contesting every foot of ground. Some of the Zouaves, with characteristic daring, evading the attacking force, pressed onwards, and, as on the previous occasion, positively entered the Malakoff, and spiked some of the guns. Our allies, unable to bear the vigorous charge and overwhelming numbers of the enemy, who now pressed upon them, were forced to relinquish the hold they had obtained upon the Mamelon, and retreated over the brow of the hill, reluctantly relinquishing the advantage they had gained. The French, after a brilliant attack, were driven back by the reinforced defenders of the hill, and the Russians were once more masters of the Mamelon.

General Bosquet, however, was not the man to accept a repulse as a final defeat. Reforming the column in the trenches at the foot of the hill, and sending fresh troops to their assistance, he prepared for a second assault. This time the French, eager to retrieve their disaster, rushed forward with emulous bravery, and again the hill side was covered with the advancing columns, pressing onwards to the attack. Trench after trench was carried and in a few moments the assailers again occupied the topmost parapet. The Russians fought desperately; but no courage could withstand the fierce valour of the French. The enemy were hurled down the hills, and our allies, mad with excitement, rushed after them, in a rapid bayonet charge, covering the ground with the killed and wounded, and driving the flying enemy to the refuge of the Malakoff. Meanwhile the working party in their rear had speedily thrown up parapets and breastworks on the Russian side; and although the guns from the town and the shipping in the harbour played vigorously upon the hill, they were enabled to hold their important acquisition.

Farther to the right, the French had also attacked and carried, after considerable resistance, a line of works leading to and defending Careening Bay, and connected with the works of the Mamelon, known as the White Works. A number of guns were taken, and the French were thus in possession of an access to the great harbour, and enabled to throw up works commanding the shipping.

We have thus far related the varying fortunes of the French attack. Let us now turn to the English assault on the Quarries. Simultaneously with the advance of our allies, Colonel Campbell threw his small force into the Russian works, experiencing but trifling opposition; and congratulating himself upon having so easily achieved his object. Advancing beyond the Quarries towards the Redan, there is no doubt the adventurous English might even have entered that great work itself, so great was the confusion among the Russians, caused by the attack on the Mamelon, had they been in sufficient force to warrant such a feat. The enemy, however, soon mustered their strength, and Colonel Campbell was forced, after a stubborn resistance, to yield his position. Three times did the small British force retreat from the Quarries, and as many times they retook them with the bayonets. At length they were enabled to throw up an earthwork, which ensured their possession of this important position. In one of the Russian attacks, an instance of individual prowess occurred, which obtained for the performer of it the rare honour of being named, though a non-commissioned officer, in Lord Raglan’s despatch. The assailing party had wavered a little before the sharp fire from the British muskets, when Lance-Corporal Quin, of the 47th, darted out of the work towards a Russian officer and four men, who had advanced somewhat in front of the main body of the enemy. With the butt-end of his musket he brained one of the soldiers, bayoneted a second and the other two precipitately fled from the doughty corporal. Then collaring the officer, and administering a gentle stimulant with the point of his bayonet to quicken his advance, he dragged him a prisoner into the work, in less time than we have occupied to tell the tale.

The enemy’s loss must been very great, judging by that which the victors sustained in the two attacks. The French lost about 60 officers, and 2000 men killed and wounded; and the British, 35 officers, and 365 rank and file.”

MARSHAL, FIELD.—This rank is of modern date in the British army. It is the highest military rank in the army.

MARSTON MOOR, BATTLE OF.—This battle was the beginning of the misfortunes of Charles I of England—fought July 3rd, 1644.

“The Scots and Parliamentarian army had joined, and were besieging York, when Prince Rupert, joined by the Marquis of Newcastle, determined to raise the siege. Both armies drew up on Marston Moor, to the number of 50,000, and the victory seemed long undecided between them. Rupert, who commanded the right wing of the Royalists, was opposed by Oliver Cromwell, who now first came into notice, at the head of a body of troops which he had taken care to levy and discipline. Cromwell was victorious; he pushed his opponents off the field, followed the vanquished, returned to a second engagement, and a second victory; the Prince’s whole train of artillery was taken, and the Royalists never after recovered the blow.”

MERIDA.—In Spain.—Taken by the French in January, 1811. Near here the British army, under Lord Hill, defeated the French, under General Girard, after a severe engagement October 28th, 1811. The British took Merida from the French, July 1812, after a severe encounter,—General Hill himself leading the combined armies of Britain and Spain.

MILAN.—French expelled from it by Charles V, of Germany, 1525. Seized again by the French, June 30, 1796. Retaken by the Austrians in 1799; regained by the French, May 31, 1800. Napoleon crowned with the Iron crown, at Milan, May 26, 1805. (See [Longbeards] or [Longobards]). This city, celebrated for the Milan decrees against all continental intercourse with England, issued by Napoleon, December 17th, 1807. Here an insurrection occurred against the Austrians, March 18th, 1848, which resulted in a battle, and flight of the viceroy and troops.

MILITIA.—Supposed to have been introduced into England by King Alfred. The English volunteers and militia, a splendid body of men, who have more than once materially assisted Government in times of necessity. The Canadian Volunteers are a body of men almost equal to the soldiers of the line; and during the late Fenian excitement, have shown to the whole world that a brave man delights to defend his hearth and home, and that “dulce est mori pro patriâ.”

MINDEN, BATTLE OF.—Fought, August 1st, 1759, between the English, Hessians and Hanoverians, on the one side, and the French on the other. The Allies were commanded by Prince Ferdinand, and under him Lord George Sackville. The Allies gained a complete victory, and pursued the French to the very ramparts of Minden. Lord Sackville, who commanded the Allied cavalry, for some disobedience of orders, on his return to England was tried by court martial and dismissed the service, but was afterwards restored.

MOCKERN, BATTLES OF.—Between the French, under Eugène Beauharnois, and the allied Russian and Prussian army, which was signally defeated with great loss, April, 1813. There was another bloodier battle fought here, October 14th, 1813, between the same contending armies; five times Mockern was taken and retaken during this conflict.

MOHATZ, BATTLES OF.—In Hungary.—Here, in 1526, Louis, King of Hungary, was defeated by the Turks, under Solyman II, with the loss of 22,000 men. Another battle was fought here between the Christians, commanded by Prince Charles of Lorraine, and the Turks, who were defeated with the loss of 10,000 men, A.D. 1687.

MOHILON, BATTLE OF.—Between the Russians, under the celebrated Prince Bagration, and the French, under Marshal Davoust. This was one of the most bloody engagements in the campaign of 1812. The Russians were totally defeated, with immense loss in killed and wounded; fought, July 23rd, 1812.

MOLWITZ, BATTLE OF.—Between the Prussians and Austrians. The Prussians were commanded by Frederick III, who obtained a great and important victory. An immense number of killed and wounded on the side of the Austrians was the result of this sanguinary battle. Austria being at the time in alliance with Great Britain, the consequence of the victory seriously affected the interest of that country. Fought, April 10th (March 30th), 1741.

MONTEBELLO, BATTLE OF.—Fought May 20th, 1859, between the Austrians and French. “On the 20th May, a severe action was fought at Montebello, which lasted six hours. The Austrians appear, in the first instance, to have taken Montebello from the French, and to have been afterwards expelled by the French. A desperate hand to hand conflict took place in the village, which had to be carried, house after house. The Austrians, after the battle, evacuated Casteggio, and retired along the Creatisma road.”

MONTE VIDEO.—Taken by storm, by the British force, under Sir Samuel Auchmuty, February 3rd, 1807, with a terrible loss of nearly two-thirds of his army. It was evacuated, July 7th, same year, in consequence of the severe repulse of the British at Buenos Ayres.

MONTEREAU, BATTLE OF.—Fought, February 18th, 1814, between the Allied army and the French, the latter commanded by Napoleon himself. In this desperate engagement, the Allies were defeated with great loss in killed and wounded. This battle was one of the last ever gained by Napoleon. Four months after he was ruined at Waterloo.

MOODKEE, BATTLE OF.—In India.—Between the British and Sikhs. The advanced guard of the British was attacked by the Sikh forces, but the latter were repulsed and driven back three miles, losing great numbers of men and 15 pieces of cannon, December 18th, 1845. Sir Robert Sale was mortally wounded in this battle, being in his sixty-fifth year. Lady Sale signalized herself during the two memorable retreats from Afghanistan.

MORGARTEN, BATTLE OF.—Between the Swiss and Austrians. The Swiss numbered 1300, the Austrians 20,000. Fought, November 15th, 1315. “The 15th November, 1315, dawned; the sun darted his first rays on the shields and armour of the advancing host; and this being the first army ever known to have attempted the frontiers of the Cantons, the Swiss viewed its long line with various emotions. Montfort de Tettnang led the cavalry into the narrow pass of Morgarten, and soon filled the whole space between the Mountain (Mount Sattel) and the lake. Fifty men, on the eminence above Morgarten, raised a sudden shout, and rolled down heaps of rocks and stones among the crowded ranks. The confederates on the mountain, perceiving the impression made by this attack, rushed down in close array, and fell upon the flank of the disordered column. With massy clubs they dashed in pieces the armour of the enemy, and dealt their blows and thrusts with long pikes. The narrowness of the defile admitted of no evolutions, and a slight frost having injured the road, the horses were impeded in all their motions; many leaped into the lake; all were startled; and at last the whole column of soldiers gave way, and suddenly fell back on the infantry; and these last, as the nature of the country did not allow them to open their files, were run over by the fugitives, and many of them trampled to death. A general rout ensued, and Duke Leopold was, with much difficulty, rescued by a peasant, who led him to Winterthur, where the historian of the times saw him arrive in the evening, pale, sullen and dismayed.”

MORTAR.—A short gun of an extraordinary large bore and close chamber, used for throwing bomb shells. The mortar was first made in England in 1543.

MOSCOW, BURNING OF.—Entered by the French, September 4th, 1812. “At length Moscow, with its domes, and towers, and palaces, appeared in sight; and Napoleon, who had joined the advance guard, gazed long and thoughtfully on that goal of his wishes. Murat went forward, and entered the gates with his cavalry; but as he passed through the streets, he was struck by the solitude which surrounded him.

Nothing was heard but the heavy tramp of his squadrons as he passed along, for a deserted and abandoned city was the meagre prize, for which such unparalleled efforts had been made. As night drew its curtains over the splendid capital, Napoleon entered the gates, and immediately appointed Mortier governor. In his directions, he commanded him to abstain from all pillage. For this, said he, you shall be answerable with your life. Defend Moscow against all, whether friend or foe. The bright moon rose over the mighty city, tipping with silver the domes of more than 200 churches, and pouring a flood of light over 1000 palaces, and the dwellings of 300,000 inhabitants. The weary army sunk to rest; but there was no sleep for Mortier’s eyes.

Not the gorgeous and variegated palaces and their rich ornaments, nor the parks and gardens, and oriental magnificence that everywhere surrounded him, kept him wakeful, but the ominous foreboding that some dire calamity was hanging over the silent capital. When he entered it, scarcely a living soul met his gaze, as he looked down the long streets; and when he broke open the buildings, he found parlors, and bedrooms, and chambers all furnished and in order, but no occupants. The sudden abandonment of their homes, betokened some secret purpose yet to be fulfilled. The midnight moon was sailing over the city, when the cry of “Fire!” reached the ears of Mortier; and the first light over Napoleon’s falling empire was kindled, and the most wondrous scene of modern time commenced,—the burning of Moscow. Mortier, as governor of the city, immediately issued his orders, and was putting forth every exertion, when, at day-light, Napoleon hastened to him. Affecting to disbelieve the reports that the inhabitants were firing their own city, he put more rigid commands on Mortier to keep the soldiers from their work of destruction.

The marshal simply pointed to some iron covered houses that had not yet been opened, from every crevice of which smoke was issuing like steam from the sides of a pent up volcano. Sad and thoughtful, Napoleon turned toward the Kremlin, the ancient palace of the Czars, whose huge structure rose high above the surrounding edifices.

In the morning, Mortier, by great exertions, was enabled to subdue the fire. But the next night, at midnight, the sentinels on watch, on the lofty Kremlin, saw below them the flames bursting through the houses and palaces, and the cry of “Fire!” “Fire!” passed through the city. The dread scene had now fairly opened. Fiery balloons were seen dropping from the air, and lighting upon the houses; dull explosions were heard on every side from the shut up dwellings, and the next moment a bright light burst forth, and the flames were raging through the apartments. All was uproar and confusion. The serene air and moonlight of the night before, had given way to the driving clouds, and a wild tempest that swept with the roar of the sea over the city. Flames arose on every side, blazing and crackling in the storm, while clouds of smoke and sparks, in an incessant shower, went driving toward the Kremlin. The clouds themselves seemed turned into fire, rolling in wrath over devoted Moscow. Mortier, crushed with the responsibility thus thrown over his shoulders, moved with his young guard amid this desolation, blowing up the houses, and facing the tempest and the flames, struggling nobly to arrest the conflagration. He hastened from place to place amid the blazing ruins, his face blackened with the smoke, and his hair and eyebrows seared with the fierce heat. At length, the day dawned, a day of tempest and of flame; and Mortier, who had strained every nerve for 36 hours, entered a palace, and dropped down with fatigue.

The manly form and stalwart arm, that had so long carried death into the ranks of the enemy, at length gave way, and the gloomy marshal lay and panted in utter exhaustion. The day was one of tempest; and when night again enveloped the city it was one broad flame, wavering to and fro in the blast.

The wind had increased to a perfect hurricane, and shifted from quarter to quarter, as if on purpose to swell the sea of fire, and extinguish the last hope. The fire was approaching the Kremlin, and already the roar of the flames and the crash of the falling houses, and the crackling of burning timbers, were borne to the ears of the startled Emperor.

He arose and walked to and fro, stopping and convulsively gazing on the terrific scene. Murat, Eugène, and Berthier rushed into his presence, and on their knees besought him to flee; but he still clung to that haughty palace, as if it were his empire. But at length the shout, “The Kremlin on fire!” was heard above the roar of the conflagration, and Napoleon reluctantly consented to leave. He descended into the street with his staff, and looked about for a way of egress, but the flames blocked every passage. At length they discovered a postern gate, leading to the Moskwa, and entered it, but they had only entered still further into the danger. As Napoleon cast his eyes around the open space, girdled and arched with fire, smoke, and cinders, he saw one single street yet open, but all on fire.

Into this he rushed, and amid the crash of falling houses, and raging of the flames, over burning ruins, through clouds of rolling smoke, and between walls of fire, he pressed on; and at length, half suffocated, emerged in safety from the blazing city, and took up his quarters in the imperial palace of Petrousky, nearly three miles distant.

Mortier, relieved from his anxiety for the Emperor, redoubled his efforts to arrest the conflagration. His men cheerfully rushed into every danger. Breathing nothing but smoke and ashes,—canopied by flame, and smoke, and cinders,—surrounded by walls of fire that rocked to and fro, and fell with a crash amid the blazing ruins, carrying down with them red hot roofs of iron,—he struggled against an enemy, that no boldness could awe, or courage overcome.

Those brave troops had heard the tramp of thousands of cavalry, sweeping battle without fear, but now they stood in still terror, before the march of the conflagration, under whose burning footsteps was heard the incessant crash of falling houses, and palaces, and churches. The continuous roar of the raging hurricane, mingled with that of the flames, was more terrible than the thunder of artillery; and before this new foe, in the midst of this battle of the elements, the awe-struck army stood powerless and affrighted. When night descended again on the city, it presented a spectacle, the like of which was never seen before, and which baffles all description: the streets of fire, the heavens a canopy of fire, and the entire body of the city a mass of fire, fed by a hurricane that whirled the blazing fragments in a constant stream through the air. Incessant explosions, from the blowing up of stores of oil, and tar, and spirits, shook the very foundations of the city, and sent volumes of smoke rolling furiously toward the sky. Huge sheets of canvas, on fire, came floating, like messengers of death, through the flames; the towers and domes of the churches and palaces, glowed with red-hot heat over the wild sea below, then tottering a moment on their bases, were hurled by the tempest into the common ruin.

Thousands of wretches, before unseen, were driven by the heat from the cellars and hovels, and streamed in an incessant throng through the streets. Children were seen carrying their parents,—the strong the weak,—while thousands more were staggering under loads of plunder, they had snatched from the flames. This, too, would frequently take fire in the falling shower, and the miserable creatures would be compelled to drop it and flee for their lives. Oh, it was a scene of woe and fear indescribable! A mighty and close packed city of houses, and churches, and palaces, wrapt from limit to limit in flames, which are fed by a whirling hurricane, is a sight this world will seldom see. But this was all within the city. To Napoleon, without, the spectacle was still more sublime and terrific. When the flames had overcome all obstacles, and had wrapped everything in their red mantle, that great city looked like a sea of fire, swept by a tempest that drove it into vast billows.

Huge domes and towers, throwing off sparks like blazing firebrands, now towered above these waves, and now disappeared in their maddening flow, as they rushed and broke high over tops, and scattered their spray of fire against the clouds. The heavens themselves seemed to have caught the conflagration, and the angry masses that swept it, rolled over a bosom of fire. Columns of flame would rise and sink along the surface of the sea, and huge volumes of black smoke suddenly shoot into the air, as if volcanoes were working below.

The black form of the Kremlin alone towered above the chaos, now wrapped in flame and smoke, and again emerged into view, standing amid the scene of desolation and terror, like virtue in the midst of a burning world, enveloped but unscathed by the devouring elements. Napoleon stood and gazed upon this scene in silent awe. Though nearly three miles distant, the windows and walls of his apartment were so hot, that he could scarcely bear his hand against them. Said he, years afterwards, “It was the spectacle of a sea and billows of fire, a sky and clouds of flame; mountains of red rolling flame, like immense waves of the sea, alternately bursting forth, and elevating themselves to skies of fire, and then sinking into the ocean of flame below. Oh! it was the most grand, the most sublime, the most terrific sight the world ever beheld.”

MOSKWA, BATTLE OF.—Also called the battle of Borodino, which see.

MUSKET.—First used at the siege of Anasitti, 1414. Introduced generally into the British army, and bows and arrows laid aside, 1521.

MUNCHENGRATZ AND GITSCHIN, BATTLES OF.—Fought, 28th June, 1866, between the Austrians and the Prussians. The Times’ correspondent, with the Prussian army, gives the following account of these battles:

“The Prussian leader calculated that if he made a demonstration of a careless march towards Munchengratz by the highroad and railway, the Austrians, who might be on the Mushey Berg, would lie there quiet till the heads of his columns had passed their position in order that their artillery might take the marching troops in reverse, and that he might himself in the meantime turn their position. By the same bait he also hoped to hold his adversaries on the Kaczowberg until their retreat was cut off. To effect this double object, the seventh division was to move from Turnau by a road on the south side of the Iser, whereby the village of Wschew crosses the road from Podoll to Sobotka, at Zdiar. It was then to take the Austrians on the Mushey Berg in rear—for this hill slopes gently on its reverse side towards a rivulet which forms the little lake of Zdiar. The division was afterwards to push on over the hill and strike the road from Munchengratz to Furstenbruck, between the village of Bossin and the former place. On the right bank of the river General Herwarth was to advance from Huhnerwasser on Munchengratz, cross the Iser, and occupy the town, throwing out at the same time a division to his left, which by Mohelnitz should take in reverse the defenders of the Kaczowberg. The divisions of Horne and Manstein were to push down the main road from Podoll, while strong reserves closed down to Podoll. A division of infantry was to cross at Huberlow and attack the Kaczowberg in front, while a division of cavalry kept the communications open between the divisions on the right bank of the river. A strong division of cavalry was also sent from Turnau to scour the country to Jicin in the direction of Josephstadt.

About eight o’clock this morning, Prince Charles, with General Von Voigts-Retz, his chief of the staff, and General Stuhltnahl, his Quarter-master-General, came down to the bridge of Podoll, and almost immediately the Jagers, who formed the advanced guard of Horne’s division, crossed the bridge, but not before an opening cannonade in the direction of Munchengratz told that Bittenfeld was already engaged. On a hill upon the northern bank there was a convenient spot from which to see the whole theatre of the combat, and here the Prussian staff went to watch the course of the action.

Attention was called towards Munchengratz, where the progress of Bittenfeld’s attack could be traced by the puffs of white smoke which rose from the discharges of the artillery. The Prussian cannonade was seen to be slowly advancing, and that of the Austrian to be retiring, while a heavy cloud of black smoke rising close beside the town showed that the Austrians had retired from the right bank of the river and had burned the bridge. For a short time the fight was stationary, but in about a quarter of an hour a bright flash of flame and a much heavier smoke rising from the Austrian line told that an ammunition waggon had exploded. Their battery then ceased firing and rapidly retired, while a quick advance of the Prussian cannonade showed that Bittenfeld’s pioneers had quickly thrown their bridge, and that his corps was across the Iser. But the Austrians did not go far, for in a short time they were again in action in the direction of the Jung Bunzlau Road, and one battery was drawing off towards Furstenbruck. It then seemed that Bittenfeld had halted; the cannonade ceased in this direction. The heads of the Prussian columns were some way past the hill, and were pushing steadily towards Munchengratz, when the well-known puff of smoke rising from the dark firs on the Mushey Berg plateau showed that the Austrians had opened fire upon them. The battery on the hill did not appear to be more than four guns, and at first they fired slowly, nor did they do much execution. Their shells, projected from so great a height, went straight into the ground, and did not ricochet among the troops; but they were well aimed, and in most cases burst at the proper moment, and every now and then a man went down. A squadron of Uhlans was directed to pass close along the foot of the Mushey Berg, so that the guns on the plateau could not be depressed sufficiently to hurt them, and were to gain a steep path which leads to the summit between the highest point and Bossin, while an infantry brigade was to support the movement; but before this plan could be carried into execution the Seventh Division was heard engaged on the reverse side, and the Austrian battery quickly limbered up and retired. The guns were not intercepted by the Seventh Division; but here General Franscky made 600 prisoners from the infantry which was on the hill to support the battery. While the Seventh Division was still engaged behind the Mushey Berg, four Austrian guns appeared on the summit of the hill, between Bossin and Wessely, and opened fire against the Prussian columns, who were now again advancing over the plain. But Franscky was pushing towards them, and his artillery threatened to enfilade them, so that they soon had to retire. The Seventh Division then struck the road between Munchengratz and Bossin, and attacked the latter village. Bittenfeld had already pushed towards it from Munchengratz, and supported this attack. The first round of Franscky’s artillery set fire to a house, which began to burn fiercely, and the flames were soon communicated to the next, for most of the cottages in this country are built of wood, which, dried in the hot summer sun, readily takes fire. After a sharp skirmish, the Austrians were driven from the village and retired in the direction of Furstenbruck, and they left here 200 prisoners; and General Herwarth von Bittenfeld had already captured 200.

With the occupation of the village of Bossin ended the combat of Munchengratz, in which, by a series of strategic movements, with little fighting, and slight loss—for the Prussian killed, wounded, and missing do not number 100—Prince Frederick Charles has gained about twelve miles of country, and has taken 1000 prisoners, has turned the strong position of the Kaczowberg, and has effected his secure junction with the corps of General Bittenfeld.

The corps of General von Schmitt marched yesterday from the neighbourhood of Podoll to Sobotka, and there, striking the road from Munchengratz to Gitschin, General von Schmitt changed the direction of his march to the left, and advanced towards Gitschin. He moved with his two divisions at some distance apart—that of General von Werder, or the Third Division, as it is named in the muster-roll of the army, led the way. Von Werder’s advanced guard consisted of the 2nd battalion of Jagers, and the 3rd battalion of the 42nd Regiment. In rear of these followed the three battalions of the regiment of the late King of Prussia, the two remaining battalions of the 42nd, and one battalion of the 14th Regiment, with one six-pounder and two four-pounder field-batteries.

A strong Austrian force held the wood behind the first ravine, with its sharpshooters hidden behind the trunks of the fir-trees, with the view of compensating for the inferiority of their rifle to the Prussian needle-gun. Behind each marksman two soldiers were placed, whose only duty was to load their rifles and hand them to the picked men to whom the firing was intrusted. The Austrian artillery was placed behind the wood, so that it could bring a cross fire on the opening in the front through which the chaussée passes, and strike heavily on the Sobotka bank of the ravine and the open country beyond. As the Prussian advanced guard approached the ravine, the Austrian batteries opened fire upon them, and the marksmen from behind the trees also soon commenced a biting fire. The Jagers and the men of the 42nd quickly spread out as skirmishers, and, regardless of the withering fire to which they themselves were exposed, showered bullets from their quickly loaded arms against the defenders of the wood, while some of their artillery quickly brought into action tried to silence the Austrian guns. But the fight was unequal, the sharpshooters behind the trees could rarely be seen, and the fire of the Prussians did not tell much upon their concealed enemies, nor were their guns in sufficient force to engage successfully the more numerous Austrian pieces. The Jagers from among the trees were aiming well; the men of the 42nd were falling fast, and it seemed that the defenders would be able to hold the wood. But the rest of the Prussian division was coming up; more artillery was already in action; and the Austrian gunners began to fire with less effect. The regiment of the King of Prussia soon arrived. The Prussian soldiers, unable to make much impression with their fire on the riflemen in the trees, were already anxious to come to close quarters, and then General von Werder sent his men forward to take the woods with the bayonet. They were carried, but not without loss, for the Austrians retired from tree to tree, and only when pressed beyond the last skirt of the wood retired under cover of their guns and reserves to take up a position on the further brow of the next ravine. The musketry fire recommenced. The opponents stood on either bank of the hollow, and poured volley after volley into each other’s ranks, while the artillery, from positions on the flanks of both lines, sent their shells truly among their adversaries’ infantry. But here the needle-gun had more success, for the Austrians stood up clear against the sky, and soon the white uniforms began to go down quickly. No troops so ill-armed could have stood before the murderous fire which the Prussians directed against the opposite line. The Austrians did all that men could do; but, after losing fearfully, were obliged to fall back and take up their third position in the village of Lochow.

It was now about seven o’clock in the evening; the combat had already lasted almost two hours, but here it was renewed more fiercely than ever. The Prussians, encouraged by their success—brave soldiers and bravely led—eagerly came to the attack. With hearts as big and with officers as devoted, the Austrians stood with a desperate calmness to receive them. On both sides the fighting was hard; but at any distance the Austrian rifle had no chance against the needle-gun; and at close quarters the boyish soldiers of the Kaiser could not cope with the broad-shouldered men of Pomerania, who form the corps d’armée, one division of which was here engaged. Yet for three-quarters of an hour the little village of Lochow was held, and the continuous rattle of the rifles and the heavy cannonade of the guns remaining almost stationary told the determination of the assault and the stoutness of the defence. But the Austrians were slowly forced from house to house and from orchard to orchard, and had to retreat to their last vantage ground on the top of the Gitschin bank of the fourth ravine.

And here both sides re-engaged in the fight with the utmost fury. The defenders felt that this was their last standing-point, and on its maintenance depended the possession of Gitschin; the assailants knew that success here would almost certainly bring them to the object of all their exertions. The Prussian line soon formed on the top of the opposite bank to that held by the Austrians, and then began to fire rapidly against the brow where the Austrians stood. The latter returned the fire, but from necessity more slowly; still their guns smote the Prussian troops heavily, and the shells, bursting in front of the assailants’ line, caused many casualties. But the Pomeranians were highly excited, and it is said that a heavy mass of the Prussians dashed down the road and rushed up the opposite slope with their rifles at the charge. There a fierce struggle ensued. The strong men of Pomerania pressed hard against their lighter opponents, and pushed them beyond the brow of the slope on to the level plain; yet the lithe and active Austrians fought hard, and strove to drive their bayonets into the faces of their taller antagonists; but strength and weight told, for their more powerful adversaries urged them back foot by foot till a gap was clearly opened in the defenders’ line. The musketry bullets had also told sharply on the Austrians, and they were obliged to retire. They drew off across the plain towards Gitschin, but not in rout. Slowly and sullenly they drew back, suffering awful loss in the open plain where the needle-gun had a fair range; but they fought for every yard of ground, ever turning to send among the advancing Prussians shots which were often truly aimed, but which formed no sufficient return for the showers of bullets which were rained upon themselves. For long the plain was the scene of the advancing combat, and it was not till near midnight that General von Werder occupied Gitschin. In the town the Austrians did not stand; they held some houses at the entrance for a short time, but these were carried, and then they retired rapidly towards the south. In their haste they left their hospitals; and here, as well as in Lochow, Von Werder’s division took a large number of prisoners.”

MUTINY:—A memorable mutiny in the British fleet,

MYCALE, BATTLE OF.—Fought, September 22nd, 479 B.C., between the Greeks and Persians. The Persians consisted of about 100,000 men. They were completely defeated, many thousands of them killed, their camp burned, and the Greeks triumphantly embarked their troops, and sailed to Samos with an immense booty.

N.

NAAS, BATTLE OF.—A desperate engagement between a body of the King’s forces, consisting of the ancient Britons and the Armagh militia. The insurgent Irish, who had just begun the Great Rebellion of 1798, were 3000 strong, and were defeated with the loss of 300 killed and some hundreds wounded. Fought, May 24th, 1798.

NARVA, BATTLE OF.—This was the celebrated battle in which Peter the Great of Russia was totally defeated by the renowned Charles XII of Sweden. Fought, November 30th, 1700. The Russians amounted to 70,000 men, while the Swedes had only 20,000. The enemy lost 30,000 in killed, whilst as many surrendered to the conqueror.

NASEBY, BATTLE OF.—Between Charles I of England and the Parliamentary army, under Fairfax and Cromwell. The main body of the Royal army was commanded by Lord Astley. Prince Rupert led the right wing, Sir Marmaduke Langdale the left, and the King himself headed the body of reserve. The forces of the Parliament gained the victory, the Royalists being obliged to abandon the field, losing all their cannon and baggage and 5000 men made prisoners. Fought, June 14th, 1645.

NAVY OF ENGLAND.—What the British Navy has done, and the number of vessels captured by it, is shown in the following table:—

NAVARINO, BATTLE OF.—Fought on the 20th October, 1827. “The atrocities which marked the warfare between the Greeks and Turks were so shocking to humanity, that the Sovereigns of Europe felt themselves bound to interfere, and a treaty for the pacification of Greece was signed in London, on the 6th of July, 1827, by the representatives of England, France, and Russia. In consequence of this, the allied fleets in the Mediterranean prepared to force the combatants to consent to an armistice, and blockaded the Turkish fleet in the harbour of Navarino. Ibrahim Pacha, the Turkish commander in the Morea, paying but little attention to the remonstrances of the allied Admirals, the united fleets sailed into harbour, on the 20th of October, under the command of Sir Edward Codrington, to intimidate him into submission. A shot fired by a Turkish vessel was the signal for a general engagement, which lasted four hours. It terminated in the almost utter annihilation of the Turkish fleet, with comparatively little loss to the allied squadrons. The independence of Greece was virtually achieved by this brilliant victory, and was further secured by the arrival of a small military force from France; the Turkish government, however, refused submission, and war was commenced against Russia. The events of this war, though not properly belonging to English history, demand a brief notice; in the first campaign the Turks made an obstinate resistance, and gained some advantages over their opponents; but in the following year (1829), the Russian arms were everywhere successful; the passages of the Balkan were forced; Adrianople, the second city in the empire, was captured, and the Sultan forced to consent to terms of peace, dictated almost at the gates of Constantinople. The demands of Russia were, however, less exhorbitant than might have been expected under the circumstances, but there is reason to believe that this moderation was inspired by a dread of provoking the jealousy and resentment of England.”

NEVILL’S CROSS, BATTLE OF.—Fought October 17th, 1346, between the Scots and English. More than 15,000 of the Scots were slain.

“Philippa, Edward’s Queen, took upon her the conduct of the field, and prepared to repulse the enemy in person: accordingly, having made Lord Percy general under her, she met the Scots at a place called Nevill’s Cross, near Durham, and offered them battle. The Scots King was no less impatient to engage; he imagined that he might obtain an easy victory against undisciplined troops, and headed by a woman. But he was miserably deceived. His army was quickly routed and driven from the field. 15,000 of his men were cut to pieces; and he himself, with many of his nobles and knights, were taken prisoners, and carried in triumph to London, A.D. 1346.”

Another historian says:—

“Some years after his return home, King David burst into England at the head of an army. Edward was absent in France, and David thought to avail himself of the opportunity. It turned out a dear business to him. Marching southward as far as Durham, he laid waste the country with fire and sword. At a place called Nevill’s Cross, an English army came up. A Scottish knight, seeing their archers gathering in a vast cloud, and knowing well the bitter shower which that cloud would discharge, said to the King, “Give me but 100 horse, and I will disperse them all.” The conceited and headstrong King gave no heed. The archers commenced their deadly practice without interruption. Three hours of the arrow sleet, three hours of furious charging by the English horse, and the Scots were a rout of fugitives. Their King was taken prisoner and convoyed to London. Mounted on a tall black horse that he might be seen by all the people, the son of Robert the Bruce was conducted to the Tower.”

NEWARK, BATTLE OF.—This battle was fought March 21st, 1644, between the army of the Parliament and the Royal forces, under Prince Rupert. He was defeated, and here afterwards Charles I put himself into the hands of the Scotch army.

NEWBURY, BATTLES OF.—The first battle, fought September 20th, 1643, was between the Parliamentary army and that of Charles I. It lasted till midnight, and among the slain was Lucius Carey, Viscount Falkland. A second battle was fought here next year, October 10th, and the result, as the first, was equally dubious, both sides claiming victory.

NEW ORLEANS, BATTLE OF.—(See [Orleans].)

NIAGARA FORT.—Upper Canada.—“The Fort of Niagara was a place of great importance, and served to command all the communication between the northern and western French settlements. The siege was begun with vigour, and promised an easy conquest; but General Prideaux was killed in the trenches by the bursting of a mortar, so that the whole command of the expedition devolved upon General Johnson, who omitted nothing to push forward the vigorous operations of his predecessor, to which also he added his own popularity with the soldiers under him. A body of French troops, who were sensible of the importance of this fort, attempted to relieve it; but Johnson attacked them with intrepidity and success; for in less than an hour their whole army was put to the rout. The garrison soon after perceiving the fate of their countrymen, surrendered prisoners of war.”

NICOPOLIS, BATTLE OF.—Between the Christian powers, under Sigismund, King of Hungary, and the Turks. This battle, fought A.D. 1396, is celebrated as the first fought between the Cross and Crescent. The Christians triumphed; the Turks lost 20,000 in slain, and 20,000 in wounded and prisoners.

NILE, BATTLE OF THE.—Fought, August 1st, 1798, between the fleets of England and France. The French fleet arrived at Alexandria August 1st, 1798, and Admiral Brueys, not being able to enter port, which time and neglect had ruined, moored the ships in Aboukir Bay, in a strong and compact line of battle; the headmost vessel, according to his own account, being as close as possible to a shoal on the north-west, and the rest of the fleet forming a kind of curve along the line of deep water, so as not to be turned by any means in the south-west.

The advantage of numbers, both in ships, guns, and men, was in favour of the French. They had 13 ships of the line and 4 frigates, carrying 1196 guns, and 11,230 men. The English had the same number of ships of the line, and one 50 gun ship, carrying 1012 guns, and 8068 men. The English ships were all seventy-fours; the French had three 80 gun ships, and one three-decker of 120.

During the whole pursuit it had been Nelson’s practice, whenever circumstances would permit, to have his captains on board the Vanguard, and explain to them his own ideas of the different and best modes of attack, and such plans as he proposed to execute on falling in with the enemy, whatever their situation might be. There is no possible position, it is said, which he did not take into consideration. His officers were thus fully acquainted with his principles of tactics; and such was his confidence in their abilities, that the only thing determined upon, in case they should find the French at anchor, was for the ships to form as most convenient for their mutual support, and to anchor by the stern. “First gain your victory,” he said, “and then make the best use of it you can.” The moment he perceived the position of the French, that intuitive genius with which Nelson was endowed displayed itself; and it instantly struck him that where there was room for an enemy’s ship to swing there was room for one of ours to anchor. The plan which he intended to pursue, therefore, was to keep entirely on the outer side of the French line, and station his ships, as far as he was able, one on the outer bow and another on the outer quarter of each of the enemy’s. Captain Berry, when he comprehended the scope of the design, exclaimed with transport, “If we succeed, what will the world say?” “There is no if in the case,” replied the Admiral; “that we shall succeed is certain—who may live to tell the story is a very different question.”

As the squadron advanced, they were assailed by a shower of shot and shell from the batteries on the island, and the enemy opened a steady fire from the starboard side of their whole line, within half gunshot distance, full into the bows of our van ships. It was received in silence; the men on board every ship were employed aloft in furling sails, and below in tending the braces, and making ready for anchoring;—a miserable sight for the French, who, with all their skill and all their courage, and all their advantages of number and situation, were upon that element on which, when the hour of trial comes, a Frenchman has no hope. Admiral Brueys was a brave and able man; yet the indelible character of his country broke out in one of his letters, wherein he delivered it as his private opinion that the English had missed him, because, not being superior in force, they did not think it prudent to try their strength with him. The moment was now come in which he was to be undeceived.

A French brig was instructed to decoy the English. By manœuvring so as to tempt them towards a shoal lying off the island of Beguieres; but Nelson either knew the danger, or suspected some deceit, and the lure was unsuccessful. Captain Foley led the way in the Goliath, out-sailing the Zealous, which for some minutes disputed this post of honour with him. He had long conceived that, if the enemy were moored in line of battle in with the land, the best plan of attack would be to lead between them and the shore, because the French guns on that side were not likely to be manned, nor even ready for action. Intending, therefore, to fix himself on the inner bow of the Guerrier, he kept as near the edge of the bank as the depth of water would admit; but his anchor hung, and, having opened his fire, he drifted to the second ship, the Conquérant, before it was cleared, then anchored by the stern, inside of her, and in ten minutes shot away her masts. Hood, in the Zealous, perceiving this, took the station which the Goliath intended to have occupied, and totally disabled the Guerrier in twelve minutes. The third ship which doubled the enemy’s van was the Orion, Sir J. Saumarez; she passed to windward of the Zealous, and opened her larboard guns as long as they bore on the Guerrier; then passing inside the Goliath, sunk a frigate which annoyed her, hauled toward the French line, and, anchoring inside between the fifth and sixth ships from the Guerrier, took her station on the larboard bow of the Franklin and the quarter of the Peuple Souverain, receiving and returning the fire of both. The sun was now nearly down. The Audacious, Captain Gould, pouring a heavy fire into the Guerrier and the Conquérant, fixed herself on the larboard bow of the latter, and when that ship struck, passed on to the Peuple Souverain. The Theseus, Captain Miller, followed, brought down the Guerrier’s remaining main and mizen masts, then anchored inside the Spartiate, the third in the French line.

While these advanced ships doubled the French line, the Vanguard was the first that anchored on the outer side of the enemy, within half pistol shot of their third ship, the Spartiate. Nelson had six colours flying in different parts of the rigging, lest they should be shot away—that they should be struck, no British Admiral considers as a possibility. He veered half a cable, and instantly opened a tremendous fire, under cover of which the other four ships of his division, the Minotaur, Bellerophon, Defence and Majestic, sailed on ahead of the Admiral. In a few minutes every man stationed at the first six guns in the fore part of the Vanguard’s deck was killed or wounded—these guns were three times cleared. Captain Louis, in the Minotaur, anchored next ahead, and took off the fire of the Aquilon, the fourth in the enemy’s line. The Bellerophon, Captain Darby, passed ahead, and dropped her stern anchor on the starboard bow of the Orient, seventh in the line, Bruey’s own ship of one hundred and twenty guns, whose difference in force was in proportion of more than seven to three, and whose weight of ball, from the lower deck alone, exceeded that from the whole broadside of the Bellerophon. Captain Peyton, in the Defence, took his station ahead of the Minotaur and engaged the Franklin, the sixth in the line, by which judicious movement the British line remained unbroken. The Majestic, Captain Wescott, got entangled with the main rigging of one of the French ships astern of the Orient, and suffered dreadfully from that three-decker’s fire; but she swung clear, and closely engaging the Heureux, the ninth ship in the starboard bow, received also the fire of the Tonnant, which was the eighth in the line. The other four ships of the British squadron, having been detached previous to the discovery of the French, were at a considerable distance when the action began. It commenced at half-after six, about seven the night closed, and there was no other light than that from the fire of the contending fleets.

Trowbridge, in the Culloden, then foremost of the remaining ships, was two leagues astern. He came on sounding, as the others had done. As he advanced, the increasing darkness increased the difficulty of navigation, and suddenly, after having found eleven fathoms’ water, before the lead could be hove again, he was fast a-ground; nor could all his own exertions, joined to those of the Leander and Mutiné brig, which came to his assistance, get him off in time to bear a part in the action. His ship, however, served as a beacon to the Alexander and Swiftsure, which would else, from the course they were holding, have gone considerably further on the reef, and must inevitably have been lost. These ships entered the bay and took their stations, in the darkness, in a manner still spoken of with admiration by all who remember it. Captain Hallowell, in the Swiftsure, as he was bearing down, fell in with what seemed to be a strange sail. Nelson had directed his ships to hoist four lights horizontally at the mizen peak as soon as it became dark, and this vessel had no such distinction. Hallowell, however, with great judgment, ordered his men not to fire. “If she was an enemy,” he said, “she was in too disabled a state to escape; but, from her sails being loose, and the way in which her head was, it was probable she might be an English ship.” It was the Bellerophon, overpowered by the huge Orient. Her lights had gone overboard, nearly two hundred of her crew were killed or wounded, all her masts and cables had been shot away, and she was drifting out of the line towards the lee-side of the bay. Her station at this important time was occupied by the Swiftsure, which opened a steady fire on the quarter of the Franklin and the bows of the French Admiral. At the same instant Captain Ball, with the Alexander, passed under his stern, and anchored within sight on his larboard quarter, raking him, and keeping a severe fire of musketry upon his decks. The last ship which arrived to complete the destruction of the enemy was the Leander. Captain Thompson, finding that nothing could be done that night to get off the Culloden, advanced with the intention of anchoring athwart-hawse of the Orient. The Franklin was so near her ahead, that there was not room for him to pass clear of the two; he therefore took his station athwart-hawse of the latter, in such a position as to rake both.

The two first ships of the French line had been dismasted within a quarter of an hour after the commencement of the action; and the others in that time suffered so severely, that victory was already certain. The third, fourth and fifth were taken possession of at half-past eight. Meantime Nelson received a severe wound on the head from a piece of langridge shot. Captain Berry caught him in his arms as he was falling. The great effusion of blood occasioned an apprehension that the wound was mortal. Nelson himself thought so; a large flap of the skin of the forehead cut from the bone, had fallen over the eye; and, the other being blind, he was in total darkness. When he was carried down, the surgeon, in the midst of a scene scarcely to be conceived by those who have never seen a cockpit in time of action, and the heroism which is displayed amid its horrors—with a natural but pardonable eagerness, quitted the poor fellow then under his hands, that he might instantly attend the admiral. “No!” said Nelson, “I will take my turn with my brave fellows.” Nor would he suffer his own wound to be examined, till every man who had been previously wounded was properly attended to. Fully believing that the wound was mortal, and that he was about to die, as he had ever desired, in battle and in victory, he called the chaplain, and desired him to deliver what he supposed to be his dying remembrance to Lady Nelson; he then sent for Captain Louis on board, from the Minotaur, that he might thank him personally for the great assistance he had rendered to the Vanguard; and, ever mindful of those who deserved to be his friends, appointed Captain Hardy from the brig to the command of his own ship, Captain Berry having to go home with the news of the victory. When the surgeon came in due time to examine the wound (for it was in vain to entreat him to let it be examined sooner), the most anxious silence prevailed; and the joy of the wounded men, and of the whole crew, when they heard that the hurt was superficial, gave Nelson deeper pleasure than the unexpected assurance that his life was in no danger. The surgeon requested, and, as far as he could, ordered him to remain quiet; but Nelson could not rest. He called for his secretary, Mr. Campbell, to write the despatches. Campbell had himself been wounded, and was so affected at the blind and suffering state of the Admiral that he was unable to write. The chaplain was sent for; but before he came, Nelson, with his characteristic eagerness, took the pen, and contrived to trace a few words, marking his devout sense of the success which had already been obtained. He was now left alone; when suddenly a cry was heard on the deck that the Orient was on fire. In the confusion he found his way up, unassisted and unnoticed; and, to the astonishment of every one, appeared on the quarter-deck, where he immediately gave order that boats should be sent to the relief of the enemy.

It was soon after nine that the fire on the Orient broke out. Brueys was dead; he had received three wounds, yet would not leave his spot; a fourth cut him almost in two. He desired not to be carried below, but to be left to die upon deck. The flames soon mastered his ship. Her sides had just been painted, and the oil-jars and paint-buckets were lying on the poop. By the prodigious light of this conflagration, the situation of the fleets could now be perceived, the colours of both being clearly distinguishable. About ten o’clock the ship blew up, with a shock which was felt to the very bottom of every vessel. Many of her officers and men jumped overboard, some clinging to the spars and pieces of wreck with which the sea was strewn; others swimming to escape from the destruction which they momently dreaded. Some were picked up by our boats; and some, even in the heat and fury of the action, were dragged into the lower ports of the nearest British ships by the British Sailors. The greater part of her crew, however, stood the danger to the last, and continued to fire from the lower deck. This tremendous explosion was followed by a silence not less awful; the firing immediately ceased on both sides; and the first sound which broke the silence was the dash of her shattered masts and yards falling into the water from the vast height to which they had been exploded. It is upon record, that a battle between two armies was once broken off by an earthquake:—such an event would be felt like a miracle: but no incident in war produced by human means, has ever equalled the sublimity of this coinstantaneous pause, and all its circumstances.

About seventy of the Orient’s crew were saved by the English boats. Among the many hundreds who perished were the Commodore, Casa Bianca, and his son, a brave boy only ten years old. They were seen floating on a shattered mast when the ship blew up. She had money on board (the plunder of Malta) to the amount of six hundred thousand pounds sterling. The masses of burning wreck which were scattered by the explosion, excited for some moments apprehensions in the English which they had never felt from any other danger. Two large pieces fell into the main and foretops of the Swiftsure, without injuring any person. A port-fire also fell into the main-royal of the Alexander; the fire which it occasioned was speedily extinguished. Captain Ball had provided, as far human foresight could provide, against any such danger. All the shrouds and sails of his ship, not absolutely necessary for its immediate management, were thoroughly wetted, and so rolled up, that they were as hard and as little inflammable as so many solid cylinders.

The firing recommenced with the ships to leeward of the centre, and continued till about three. At daybreak the Guillaume Tell and the Généreuse, the two rear ships of the enemy, were the only French ships of the line which had their colours flying: they cut their cables in the forenoon, not having been engaged, and stood out to sea, and two frigates with them. The Zealous pursued; but, as there was no other ship in a condition to support Captain Hood, he was recalled. It was generally believed by the officers that, if Nelson had not been wounded, not one of these ships could have escaped; the four certainly could not, if the Culloden had got into action; and, if the frigates belonging to the squadron had been present, not one of the enemy’s fleet would have left Aboukir Bay. These four vessels, however, were all that escaped; and the victory was the most complete and glorious in the annals of naval history. “Victory,” said Nelson, “is not a name strong enough for such a scene;” he called it a conquest. Of thirteen sail of the line, nine were taken and two burnt; of the four frigates, one was sunk; another the Artemise was burnt in a villainous manner by her captain, M. Estandlet, who having fired a broadside at the Theseus, struck his colours, then set fire to the ship, and escaped with most of his crew to shore. The British loss in killed and wounded amounted to 895. Westcott was the only captain who fell: 3105 of the French, including the wounded, were sent on shore by cartel, and 5225 perished.

Thus ended this eventful battle, which exalted the name of Nelson to a level at least with that of the celebrated conqueror, whose surprising success at the head of the French armies had then begun to draw the attention of the civilized world. The first words of his despatches on this memorable occasion prove his gratitude to that Providence which had protected him:—“Almighty God has blessed his Majesty’s arms.”

NISBET, BATTLE OF.—Fought, May 7th, 1602, between the English and Scotch armies,—10,000 of the latter were left dead on the field and in the pursuit.

NORTHALLERTON, BATTLE OF.—Or the Standard.—A furious engagement fought in Yorkshire, England, August 22nd, 1137, between the Scottish and English armies. This battle received the latter name from a high crucifix which was erected by the English on a waggon and was carried along by the troops. (See [Standard, Battle of])

NORTHAMPTON, BATTLE OF.—Fought between the Duke of York and Henry VI of England. Henry was defeated, and made prisoner, after a bloody fight, which took place July 19th, 1460.

NOIR, BATTLES OF.—First, fought, August 15th, 1799, between the French army commanded by Joubert, and the Russians, under Suwarrow. The French were defeated with immense slaughter,—10,000 being left dead on the battlefield, among whom was their General, Joubert, and several distinguished officers. A second battle was fought, January 8th, 1800, between the Austrian and French armies, when the latter a second time were signally defeated.

NUMANTIA, SIEGE OF.—Celebrated in the life of Scipio Africanus. He besieged the city with 60,000 men, the Numantines had only 4000 able to bear arms, but for 14 years it bravely withstood all attempts, till at last it fell, and every soul preferred to perish rather than fall into the hands of the Romans.

O.

ORLEANS.—France.—Besieged by John Talbot, the Earl of Salisbury, October 12th, 1428; relieved, and the siege raised by the Maid of Orleans—Joan of Arc—from which circumstance she received her name.

ORLEANS NEW.—The British made an attack on New Orleans, December, 1814; they were repulsed by the Americans, under General Jackson, with great loss January, 7th, 1815. The American troops were entrenched behind a large number of cotton bales, and the British were obliged to advance in an open and exposed plain for more than a mile, during which they were literally mowed down by the shot from the cotton batteries. Some of the bravest Peninsular heroes fell here and met a soldier’s grave.

ORTHES, BATTLE OF.—Fought, February 27th, 1814, between the British and Spanish armies, on the one side, and the French on the other. The Allies were commanded by Wellington—the French by Soult. In this memorable engagement the Allies gained a complete victory.

OSTROLENKA, BATTLE OF.—Between the Poles and Russians. It was one of the most sanguinary and desperate battles fought between the two countries, and took place May 26th, 1831. On both sides the slaughter was immense, but the Poles remained masters of the field.

OTTERBURN, BATTLE OF.—Fought, July 31st, 1388. The following is a graphic account of this engagement:—

“One of the Scotch inroads into England, in the time of Robert II, led to the famous battle of Otterburn, or “Chevy Chase.” This was considered, by the judges of fighting in those days, to have been the best fought, and, for the numbers engaged, the most severe of all the battles of that age. There was not a man, knight or squire, that did not acquit himself gallantly, fighting hand to hand with his enemy. It was about the time of Lammas, when the moor men were busy with their hay harvest, that the Earl of Douglas rode into England to drive a prey. The warders on the walls of Newcastle and Durham saw, rising in all directions, thick columns of smoke. This was the first intimation of the presence of the Scots. In their return homeward they halted three days before Newcastle, where they kept up an almost continual skirmish. The Earl of Douglas had a long combat with Sir Henry Percy, and took his pennon. “Hotspur, I will carry this pennon into Scotland,” said the Douglas, “and fix it on the tower of my castle of Dalkeith, that it may be seen from far.” “That shall you never, Earl of Douglas,” said Hotspur; “be assured you shall never have this pennon to boast of.” “I will fix your pennon before my tent,” said Douglas, “and shall see if you will venture to take it away.”

The Scots resumed their march homeward. They encamped at Otterburn, “upon the bent so brown,” and Douglas declared his resolution to wait there for two or three days, and see if the Percy would come to recover his pennon. On the evening of the second day the Scots were supping, some, indeed, had gone to sleep, when a loud shout of “Percy! Percy!” was heard, and the English were upon them. It was a sweet moonlight evening in August, clear and bright, and the breeze blew soft and fresh. The Scots, though somewhat taken by surprise, rose to the fight cool and “siccar,” as at Bannockburn itself. The lances crossed, and many on both sides went down at the first shock. Douglas, shouting his war cry, ordered his banner to advance. Percy, eager to encounter the Douglas, advanced his banner also. The two banners met, and many valiant deeds of arms were done around them. But the English were three to one, and the Scots were beginning to be forced back.

Seeing this, the Earl of Douglas seized a battle-axe with both hands and dashed into the midst of the enemy, his men following close. He struck right and left, and cut a lane deep into the battalion of the English. At last three spears were thrust against him all at once. One struck him on the shoulder, one on the breast, and the stroke glanced off his armour down into his groin; the third struck him in the thigh. With these three strokes he was borne to the earth, and as soon as he fell a battle-axe hewed deep into his head. The English marched over him without knowing who he was.

Sir John Sinclair, cousin to the Earl, knelt beside him, supported his bloody head, and asked, “Cousin, how fares it with you?” “Indifferently,” said he. “Thanks be to God, there are but few of my ancestors who have died in their beds. I bid you revenge my death, for my heart grows every moment more faint. Lift up my banner, which is on the ground, from the death of the valiant squire who bore it. Shout ‘Douglas!’ and tell neither friend nor foe but what I am with you.” Having spoken thus he expired. His orders were obeyed. They cast a mantle over his body, took his banner from the dead hand of the squire, raised it, and shouted, “Douglas!” The Scots came thronging up to the cry. They levelled their lances, and pushed with such courage that the English were soon driven beyond the spot where the Douglas lay. Again the shout of “Douglas!” rose more vehement and loud. The Scots in a dense mass renewed the onset, bore the enemy before them, and broke them so completely that they never rallied again. Percy himself was made prisoner. He and his pennon, too, had to go to Scotland.

Thus the dead Douglas won the field. The Scots laid the body of their leader in a coffin, which they placed on a car, and began their march home. They came without interruption to Melrose, and there, in the fair abbey, the Douglas was laid. The banner, about which his dying charge had been given at Otterburn, was hung above the place of the warrior’s rest.”

OUDENARDE, BATTLE OF.—Fought, July 11th, 1708, between the Allies, commanded by Marlborough, and Prince Eugene and the French. The French were defeated, and completely routed, with great loss. The result of this victory was, that the French King entered into a negotiation for peace.

OULART, BATTLE OF.—Fought, May 27th, 1798, between a body of 3000 Irish insurgents and the King’s troop, a small number. In this engagement the North Cork Militia were cut to pieces—the Lieut. Colonel, one Sergeant and three Privates alone remaining.

OURIQUE, BATTLE OF.—Fought, July 25th, 1139. Alfonso, Count of Portugal, encountered five Saracen Kings and an immense army of Moors on the plains of Ourique. After a glorious victory, he was hailed King by his soldiers on the spot. He afterwards entered Lisbon in triumph, and overthrew the Moorish dominion in Portugal. This was, perhaps, the greatest battle recorded in the History of Portugal.

P.

PALESTRO, BATTLE OF.—Fought, 29th May, 1859, between the Austrians and the French.

“On the 29th May, was fought the battle of Palestro. The Austrian avant-garde, 1500 strong, occupied the villages of Palestro and Vinzaglio. They were carried by the Allies at the point of the bayonet, and two cannons, the first captured since the opening of the war, were taken. The next morning the Austrians advanced to retake Palestro. Having cannonaded the village, a body of Austrians advanced to cut off the communication between the Piedmontese troops and the river. Perceiving this, the Zouaves, who had arrived during the night, threw themselves, in spite of a murderous fire, on the Austrians, take eight guns and put the Austrians to flight. During this engagement the King of Sardinia headed an attack on a battery. The Emperor of the French, a few days afterwards, complimenting him on his bravery, told him that if he wished to be King of Italy, he must take rather more care of his august person. This engagement inspired the Austrians with a great dread of the Zouaves, whom they call the quei terribili zuai.”

PAMPELUNA, BATTLE OF.—Taken by the French on their invasion of Spain; invested by the British; hence very bloody engagements, July 27th and 29th, 1813. It surrendered to the British same year.

PARMA, BATTLES OF.—The confederates, England, France and Spain, fought against the Emperor of Austria, June 29th, 1734. Both sides claimed the victory. A second battle, called the great battle of Parma, in which the French, under Marshal McDonald, were defeated by the celebrated Suwarrow, with the loss of 20,000 men and four Generals, July 12th, 1799.

PATAY, BATTLE OF.—This battle was fought, June 10th, 1429. Joan of Arc was present in this battle. The French signally defeated the English; the consequence of which was that Charles VII of France entered Rheims in triumph, and was crowned July 17th, same year—Joan of Arc assisting in the ceremony in full armour and holding the sword of state.

PAVIA, BATTLE OF.—Fought, February 24th, 1525, between the French and Imperialists, when the former were defeated and their King, Francis I, after fighting with heroic bravery and killing seven men with his own hand, was obliged to surrender himself a prisoner of war. He wrote to his mother a letter acquainting her with the melancholy news in these expressive words—“Tout est perdu, Madame, hors l’honneur.”

PEAFFENDORF, BATTLE OF.—Fought, August 15th, 1760, between the Imperialists and Prussians; the Austrians were totally defeated by the King of Prussia, who, by this victory, prevented the Austrian army from forming a junction with the Russians.

PHALANX.—This word originally signified a battalion or squadron. The Greek Phalanx consisted of 8000 men, in a square battalion, with shields joined and spears crossing each other. The celebrated Phalanx of Epaminondas, or the Theban Phalanx, was wedge shaped, and by it he achieved his two great victories. The modern square is based on the Grecian Phalanx, which was itself, as well as the Roman Orb, taken from the Theban. The renowned Macedonian Phalanx of Alexander the Great’s father, Philip, was instituted B.C. 360. This consisted of 16,000 picked men divided into four equal parts of 4000 each. They performed their evolutions upon the enomoty or single file, whether it were required to extend or deepen the line, and there was an interval between every two sections for the convenience of manœuvring.

PHARSALIA, BATTLE OF.—Fought, May 12th, 48 B.C., between Julius Cæsar and Pompey.

“The battle commenced about daybreak, and before noon the army of Pompey was utterly defeated. Pompey himself, early in the battle, seemed entirely to have lost his presence of mind, and fled in despair to his tent, there to await the result. Cæsar, determined to make the most of his advantage, notwithstanding the weariness of his troops, did not permit the pursuit to slacken till the army of Pompey was entirely scattered. A considerable body of them had taken refuge in an adjacent mountain. By cutting off all hope of succor, Cæsar induced them to surrender. He received their submission with the greatest gentleness, and forbade his soldiers from offering violence to their vanquished countrymen. This was the most complete victory Cæsar ever obtained. His loss did not exceed 200, while that of Pompey was 10,000, and 24,000 surrendered themselves prisoners of war. On passing over the battle field, so thickly strewn with Romans, Cæsar is said to have been affected even to tears, while he exclaimed to one near him, “They would have it so.”

PHILIPPI, BATTLE OF.—Fought, October, 42 B.C., between Octavius Cæsar and Marc Antony, on the one side, and Brutus and Cassius on the other.

“In the meantime, Brutus and Cassius, the principal conspirators against Cæsar, having retired into Greece, persuaded the Roman students at Athens to declare for the cause of freedom. In Syria and Macedonia they succeeded in raising large armies, and soon found themselves in a condition to support a contest on which the empire of the world depended. While at Sardis, Brutus and Cassius are said to have had a serious misunderstanding, the effect of a jealousy which had been industriously raised between them. But no bad consequences arose from it, for immediately joining their armies, they hastened to oppose Antony and Octavius, who were rapidly advancing to meet them. Once more the empire of the world was about to be decided by a single battle. It was a time of fearful suspense. Should the arms of Brutus be successful, the Roman people might again form a free republic. On the other hand, should Octavius triumph, they had to fear a worse tyranny than ever had been exercised by Julius Cæsar. Brutus and Cassius took their station each on a little hill near the city of Philippi. Behind them was the sea, by which they might obtain supplies, and between them and the plain on which the Triumviri had encamped their army, was an impassable morass. In this favorable position, it was their policy to delay a battle as long as possible. On the contrary, the Triumviri, not being able to obtain supplies by sea, and conscious that their army could not long be sustained by the resources of the surrounding country, were eager immediately to engage. A road was constructed by them through the morass which separated the armies. The tall reeds of the morass having concealed the soldiers while making the road, Brutus and Cassius were in some measure taken by surprise when the enemy advanced over it, and the impatience of their own soldiers prevented a longer delay.

A battle therefore ensued. Antony led his forces against that part of the army commanded by Cassius, and in a short time put his cavalry to flight. Cassius did all that the courage of a single man could do to rally his troops, but in vain. Supposing the battle to be entirely lost, and determined not to fall into the hands of the enemy, he returned into his tent and killed himself. Brutus still kept possession of the camp, and did all in his power to encourage his men. Still he determined for the present to avoid seeking another battle. His design was to starve the enemy, whom he know to be in great want of provisions. After a respite of twenty days, he was, however, forced to give in to the impatience of his men, and try the fate of a battle. In the engagement that followed, wherever Brutus commanded in person, he had the advantage. But the troops of Cassius being seized with a panic, communicated their terror to the rest, and soon the whole army gave way. In the midst of his bravest officers Brutus fought with undaunted courage. The son of Cato, and the brother of Cassius, fell fighting at his side. At last, however, yielding to the necessity of the case, Brutus fled. Octavius and Antony, secure of the victory, thought only of getting Brutus into their power. He was on the point of being overtaken, when Lucilius, his friend, determined to save his life by the sacrifice of his own. Giving himself up to a band of Thracians, he told them he was Brutus, and requested to be conducted into the presence of their General. Antony seeing the Thracians approach, and being informed of the prisoner’s capture, prepared himself for an interview with his enemy. But Lucilius, advancing with a cheerful air, said, “It is not Brutus that is taken. Fortune has not yet had the power to commit so great an outrage upon virtue. As for my life, it is well lost in preserving his honor. Take it, for I have deceived you.” Antony, struck with such fidelity, pardoned him, and gave him his friendship. Meanwhile Brutus, with a few friends had escaped over a rivulet, and night coming on, they concealed themselves under a rock. An officer whom Brutus had sent out to ascertain the extent of their defeat, did not return, and he rightly judged that he had fallen into the hands of the enemy. Before the first battle, Brutus had told Cassius that if he was defeated, he would not fall alive into the power of Octavius, and he now prepared to end his misfortunes with his life. After calling to mind with great tenderness many of his friends, who had fallen in the battle, he bade farewell to all present, one by one, saying aloud, that he was happy in never having been betrayed by any one whom he had trusted as a friend. Soon after, falling upon his sword, he expired in the forty-third year of his age.”

PIGEON HILL.—Famous as the scene of a skirmish between the British Regulars and Volunteers and the Fenian bandits, who attempted to invade Canada during the past summer. The following gives honor to whom honor is due, and is written by a gentleman who can be relied on:

“If any evidence were required, more than we possess, of the essentially weak and contemptible character of the Fenian organization, the circumstances attending the operations of Her Majesty’s forces and our own volunteers on Saturday, June 9th, in the neighborhood of Pigeon Hill, would furnish it. As one who accompanied that expedition, and had an opportunity of observing all that passed, I shall be happy to furnish you with a few details. I arrived at St. Armand’s Station between 11 and 12 o’clock, just at the moment that two waggons from Pigeon Hill arrived, bringing five Fenian prisoners, who had been taken that morning by different parties, whose names I need not mention, as I cannot give all with accuracy. I must confess that my astonishment was great when I saw them. Three were little scamps—such as one sees about the streets of all great cities, as news-boys, &c. One was a tolerably stout, resolute looking-fellow, the other a mild-looking young man, much better dressed, who, I am sorry to say, stated himself to have been born in Yorkshire, though hailing from Montpelier, Vt. Shortly after they were lodged in the guard-house, another prisoner, an able-bodied hard-looking customer, about 28 or 30 years of age, was brought in. He had a tremendous black eye, which he told me he received in a brawl with his own companions the night previous. Leaving these in the custody of the St. Armand volunteers, the column of attack started for Pigeon Hill about 2 P.M. The Granby and Waterloo volunteers, commanded by Captain Millar, formed the advance guard, being followed by two 12-pounder Armstrong guns of Captain Balfour’s battery, with their complements of artillerymen, commanded by Captain Phipps, R.A. These were followed by two companies of the Rifle Brigade, under Major Nixon, who, I understand, commanded the whole column, and two companies of the 25th regiment—another company of that regiment forming the rear guard. Between the main body and the rear guard, the supply waggon and a farmer’s waggon, carrying the Surgeon’s apparatus and medical comforts, were placed.

The officers and men were in the highest spirits, only fearing lest the redoubtable Fenians should seek shelter too promptly in Uncle Sam’s dominions, the line being only half a mile from their camp. The day was very fine, a bright sun, tempered by a cool breeze, having dried up the roads, and made marching pleasant. And I may here remark a circumstance creditable to the pluck and training of our volunteers, that, although several soldiers of the line and rifles were knocked up, and obliged to fall out, the volunteers, though forming the advance guard and obliged to keep in advance of the powerful artillery horses, had not a man who manifested the least fatigue. At Holt’s Corner a short halt took place, and a prisoner was brought up from the south road, leading to Highgate, by a farmer I understood, of the name of Reynolds, who with his son and hired man, had just captured him while reconnoitering. He was mounted upon a handsome horse, and had rather a gentlemanly and refined appearance. He was speedily dismounted, being succeeded in his saddle by Captain Hallowes of the 25th Regiment, and conducted to the rear in charge of a guard from that regiment. Another prisoner was met squatted in a single waggon between the feet of two farmers of Stanbridge who had captured him—a very low and unintellectual type of humanity. Just before the column reached Pigeon Hill there was a cry, “Incline to the right,” and that splendid body of horsemen, the Guides, under Captain D. L. Macdougall, dashed past in single file, and took their place in front. They had no opportunity that day, more is the pity, to “flesh their maiden swords” upon any considerable body of the Fenians. But they rode round by the Cook’s Corner road, and thus, at a later period of the day, cut off the retreat of some who would have escaped, and took two of the scoundrels prisoners. If the Fenians had a good sight of them, they must have felt inclined to keep out of their way. In turning to the right at the tavern at Pigeon Hill, the whole column descended the hill on the road leading directly to the line—the artillery taking the lead. The guns were placed in position on a high point overlooking the whole valley, and about half-a-mile within the line. One company of the 25th remained with the guns, and the remainder of the infantry, in two lines, with the rifles thrown out in front as skirmishers, descended into the valley in the direction of the woods, which were about three-fourths of a mile distant. The last red coat disappeared among the trees, and we remained in anxious expectation awaiting the result. Meantime the farmer’s family before whose door the guns were placed, and who had suffered sore annoyance for several days from the constant demand of the ragamuffins for food, gladly brought to their deliverers such simple refreshment as could be hastily prepared. Presently a single rifle shot was heard, echoing loudly through the woods—two more followed, then a dropping fire of twenty-five or thirty shots and all was silent.

At the first report the whole party sprang to their feet, the gunners placed themselves by their pieces, and the officers of artillery prepared to point them upon any body of the enemy that might break cover. And much were all disappointed when the firing ceased.

Presently the red coats emerged from the woods, marched across a small clearing and disappeared in the woods beyond. After waiting some time longer and the sun beginning to approach the horizon, the horses were put to the guns and waggons and preparations were made for returning to St. Armand. One company of the 25th regained their comrades on the hill. The rest of the force made their way by the Cook’s Corner road back to Pigeon Hill, with the exception of one company of the Rifles, which was detached towards Frelighsburg. The rest of the force reached St. Armand’s Station between 9 and 10 o’clock at night.

The result of this expedition was unsatisfactory, though all concerned did their duty with the utmost alacrity and zeal. But when there was really no enemy to fight, no great victory could be achieved.

It was generally supposed that 2 Fenians only were killed and 16 captured, but I have been since informed that 4 bodies were found in the woods on Sunday.

Thus ended most ingloriously to those concerned in it this base attempt to desecrate, by unlawful invasion, the soil of Canada, and to detach from their allegiance to their rightful Sovereign a contented, happy and loyal people. I may add, in conclusion, that the inhabitants were most active in searching for and arresting straggling Fenians and bringing them into head-quarters.”

PINKEY, BATTLE OF.—Fought, September 10th, 1547, between the English, under the Earl of Hertford Protector, and the Scots, when the latter were totally defeated. Few victories have been achieved with less loss to the victors; the English loss was no more than 200, whilst the Scots lost the enormous number of 20,000.

PISTOL.—The smallest sort of fire arms. First used by the English cavalry, A.D. 1544.

PLAINS OF ABRAHAM.—See [Quebec].

PLASSY, BATTLE OF.—Fought, June 23rd, 1757, between the British, under Lord Clive, and the native Hindoos, under Surajah Dowlah. The Hindoo army consisted of 70,000 men, whilst the British did not exceed 3000, yet the Surajah was signally defeated. This battle laid the foundation of the British power in India.

PLATÆA, BATTLE OF.—Fought, September 22nd, B.C. 479, between Mardonius, General of the Persians, and the Lacedæmonians and Athenians under Pausanias. The Persian army consisted of 300,000 men, 3000 of which only remained alive after the battle. The Grecians lost only 91 Spartans, 52 Athenians, and 16 Tegeans. Pausanias received one-tenth of all the immense plunder for his uncommon valour, and the rest were rewarded each according to his respective merit.

PLATTSBURG, EXPEDITION TO.—The British squadron against Plattsburg, on Lake Champlain, was designed under General Sir George Prevost, but it was abandoned, after a severe defeat of the naval squadron of England on the Lake, September 11th, 1814.

PODULTZ, BATTLE OF.—Fought, June 28th, 1866, between the Austrians and the Prussians. The Prussians everywhere were victorious. The needle gun of their army was decidedly superior to any other weapon used. The following is the Times account:

“On the northern side of Gitschin and on the Turnau road the Austrians had taken up a position to cover the town against the Prussians, advancing from the direction of Turnau. As the Prussians advanced they saw the village of Podultz close to the road, and on their right, standing at the top of the gentle ascent by which the road rises to the top of the lower spur, on the other side of the road and about 300 yards from it, nearer to the advancing division by 200 yards than Podultz, the village of Diletz, lying in the plain, while high on their right they could see the chimneys of Brada above the thick fir wood which, lying on the hill side, in front of that village, runs down nearly to Podultz, and traced by the different colours of the foliage the ground occupied by its orchards. The three villages and the fir wood were held by Austrian and Saxon troops, supported by seven battalions of artillery, which were placed both on the spur and on the Brada Hill, while behind the spur were hidden three of Austria’s finest cavalry regiments—the Hussars of Radetzky, of Lichtenstein, and of the Austrian Regiment the King of Prussia. As soon as the Prussians came within range the Austrian batteries opened upon them; the Prussian guns replied, and, under cover of their artillery, the columns advanced to the attack of the position. The 8th and 48th Regiments advanced against the village of Diletz, which was garrisoned by the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th Saxon battalions, and where, as the prisoners report, the King of Saxony himself took part in the fight. The 12th and 18th Regiments advanced against the village of Podultz. Both attacking columns were exposed to a very hot fire, but after a severe struggle both villages were carried, though that of Podultz, set on fire by a shell, was burning when the Prussians occupied it. General Edelsheim, who commanded the Austrian cavalry, with a desperate valour, attacked the burning village, but the horses would not face the flames, and the Prussian infantry, from behind the blazing houses, fired on the disordered squadrons and killed many troopers. After taking Podultz, the 12th and 18th Regiments pushed past Brada, leaving it to their right, and made for the Lochow Road, in order to cut off the retreat of the Austrians, who were retiring from Lochow on Gitschin. The Austrian cavalry charged the advancing Prussians, but the latter received them without forming square, and the horsemen recoiled, broken by their steady fire. The Austrian troops in Brada, and the Saxons and Austrians in Diletz were quite separated by the capture of the village of Podultz, and the former were almost entirely taken; the latter were cut off from retreat in large numbers, for Von Werder was pressing towards Gitschin, the roads were crowded, and the little river formed on the right of the broken allies a wide extent of marshy ground, which it was almost impossible to cross. The loss of the Saxons between Diletz and Gitschin was tremendous; they fell thickly, and the ground was covered with corpses. The Prussians suffered much, but they fought most bravely, and, with only four regiments, and half as many guns as their opponents, carried a very strong position held by a much superior force; for the Prussians had in the field but 16,000 men, and the allied strength is estimated at 30,000. Under a crushing fire they advanced to the attack of Podultz and Diletz, and the vacancies in the muster-roll show how fearfully they suffered; but every man who fell on the Prussian side was trebly avenged, and a long broad track of fallen enemies marks the line of march of the four regiments who so well fought and won Diletz.

The field of Diletz is almost more thickly strewn with killed and wounded. Here the Prussians lie more thickly than at Lochow, for the more numerous artillery of the defenders ploughed with terrible effect through the dense columns of the assailants as they advanced to the attack. But between Diletz and Gitschin the ground is covered with broken arms, knapsacks, shakos, and fallen men, who are mostly either Saxons or Austrians, for here the needle-gun was more used than artillery.

The Prussians took 7000 prisoners in the two combats, and many officers: and the Austrian loss in killed and wounded is estimated at 3000, so that yesterday evening has withdrawn 10,000 soldiers from under the Austrian colours.”

POICTIERS, 1356.—“Ten years after the victory of Crecy, a similar event took place in one of the south-west districts of France, at Poictiers, the capital of Poiteau. Edward “the Black Prince,” now in the prime of his early manhood, regarding his country as at war with France, sallied forth from the Gascon province in the summer of 1356, on a ravaging expedition, to do his enemy all the damage in his power. He left Bourdeaux with about 12,000 men; ascended the Garonne as far as Agen, and then, turning to the left, entered central France, and overran the fertile provinces of Limousin, Querci, Auvergne, and Berri. It was harvest-time, and everywhere the harvest was seized, the towns plundered, and all captives able to pay a ransom were carried to Bourdeaux. One account states that the English army sent off no fewer than 5000 cartloads of plunder to Bourdeaux. This employment doubtless had its attractions for the army; but its commander seems to have forgotten that he was invading and exasperating a powerful kingdom, whose people and sovereign might be expected to take vengeance for such an inroad as this.

Philip of Valois was now dead, and John, his son, a high-spirited but indiscreet prince, had succeeded him. Hearing of young Edward’s performances in Limousin and Berri, “he instantly declared with an oath,” says Froissart, “that he would forthwith set out after him, and would fight him whenever he could find him. He therefore issued forth a general summons to all his nobles and vassals of every kind, that they should set forth to meet him on the borders of Touraine and Blois, for he was determined to fight the English.”

He soon marched from Paris, having with him a considerable body of troops, and went to Chartres to be nearer the enemy, and to gain quicker intelligence of his proceedings. Here he rested some days, and “great crowds of knights and men at arms daily joined him, from Auvergne, Berri, Burgundy, Lorraine, Hainault, Picardy, and other provinces.” But as yet neither of these two Princes seems to have been well informed of the other’s movements.

“The Prince,” says Froissart, “having with him 2000 men-at-arms and 6000 archers, rode on at his ease, having all things at his command. They found Auvergne, which they were now overrunning, very rich and teeming with abundance; and when they entered any town, they rested there for some days to refresh themselves, consuming what they pleased, and destroying the rest, whether of corn, wine, or other provisions.” “They kept advancing, and found plenty everywhere, for the provinces of Berri, Poiteau, Touraine and Maine,” says Froissart, “were very rich, and full of provisions for an army.”

At Bourges they were stopped by the strength of the place; having no means of besieging a fortified town, they passed on, and came to another town, the name of which Froissart does not give, but which, he says, had great plenty of wines and provisions. This they carried by storm, and here they remained three days.

And now tidings were brought to the Prince that the King of France was at Chartres with a large army, and that all the passes and towns on the north of the Loire were manned and well defended. He therefore held a council of war, in which it was resolved to return at once to Bourdeaux, doing the enemy what damage was possible on the road. But the castle of Romorontin delayed their retreat, the Prince making it a point of honour not to be foiled by so small a place, and wasting therefore three days before it. This delay enabled the French army to reach him. The King of France, having now a large force, had set forward from Chartres, had crossed the Loire at Blois, and was rapidly marching on the city of Poictiers. Both of the chiefs seem to have been in the dark as to the exact position of the other—John, imagining the English to be far before him, and Edward similarly deeming the French to be in his rear. At last, at Chauvigny, on the Vienne, the two armies came in sight of each other, or rather, learned each other’s proximity by an encounter of outposts. A party of French knights falling in with two of Edward’s captains and a party of sixty men, pursued them until they came to the main body of the English, and here, not retreating, the greater part of the assailants were either slain or captured. From the prisoners, the Prince learned that the King of France was close by with his army, and that he could not retreat without fighting him. He called in immediately all foragers; and ordered every man to keep under his standard. Four experienced Captains, with 200 horse, were sent out to reconnoitre the French positions. They were not long before they fell in with it, and captured some stragglers. They soon perceived the whole plain to be covered with troops. Their approach alarmed the French, who, instead of entering Poictiers, turned towards the English army, and as it was late encamped for the night in the open fields. The English detachment returned to the Prince, and told him that the French “were in immense numbers.” The Prince replied, “God help us! we must begin to consider how we can best receive them.”

The next day was Sunday. The French king ordered a solemn mass in his pavilion, and he and his four sons communicated. There then assembled around him the great Lords, the Duke of Orleans, the Duke of Bourbon, the Earl of Ponthieu, the Constable of France, the Marshal of France, and a great body of Lords and famous knights. They were long debating; at last it was resolved “that each Lord should display his banner, advance into the plain, and push forward in the name of God and St. Denis.” It is already tolerably clear, that this great army had no General.

“Then might be seen all the nobility of France, richly dressed out in shining armour, with banners and pennons gallantly displayed; for all the flower of the French nobility was there.” By the advice of the Constable and marshals, the army was divided into three battalions, each consisting of 16,000 men-at-arms. Nearly 50,000 spears then, a large proportion doubtless mounted, were arrayed against 2000 English lances, and 4,000 archers, with a few irregulars. Michelet says: “There were the King’s four sons, 26 Dukes or Counts, and 140 knights-bannerets—a magnificent spectacle; but the army was none the better for all that.”

The King sent forward three knights to reconnoitre the English army. They returned, and Sir Eustace Ribeaumont said, “Sir, we have examined the English closely; they amount, according to our estimate, to about 2000 men-at-arms, 4000 archers, and 1500 footmen. They are posted very strongly; and have fortified their position as well as they can. They are on a hill, which is only approachable by one road or lane; so narrow that only four men can ride abreast.”

The French were now on the point of moving forward to the attack, when the Cardinal de Perigord came up at a full gallop, and making a low reverence, entreated the King to listen to him a moment. “You have here,” he said, “all the flower of your kingdom against a mere handful of English; you may have them on other terms than by a battle. Let me go to the Prince, and remonstrate with him on the dangerous situation he is in.” The King said, “It is very agreeable to us; but make haste back again.”

The Cardinal set off at full speed; and was admitted to the Prince, whom he found on foot in the midst of his army. He said, “Fair son, if you have well considered the great army of the King of France, you will allow me to make up matters between you, if I possibly can.” The Prince said, “Sir, save my own honour, and that of my army, and I will agree to any reasonable terms.” The Cardinal then returned to the French camp, and saw the King; and all that day he rode from one army to the other, trying to bring about an agreement. Many proposals were made, the Prince offered to give up all the towns and castles which he had taken; to release all his prisoners without ransom; and to engage not to take up arms against the King of France for the next seven years. But John refused the offer; demanding that Edward, with an hundred of his knights, should surrender themselves prisoners. “The Prince and his army,” says Froissart, “disdained to accept any such conditions.” Another account says, that Edward exclaimed, “England shall never have to pay a ransom for me!”

Thus Sunday was spent; and the battle was necessarily deferred till the morrow. The English, however, had well employed their time in still further strengthening their positions. But they were short of provisions; and could the French have stooped to defer the attack, and to be content with cutting off all supplies, Edward and his whole force must have submitted themselves before the termination of another week. But such a course would have been humbling to the pride of France. A certain triumph seemed in the power of the French commanders, and they could brook no delay.

Edward, therefore, made up his mind for a struggle for life or liberty on the Monday morning. He remained on the defensive; except that he detached a body of 300 men-at-arms, and as many archers, with orders to make a circuit, and get into the flank and rear of the Duke of Normandy’s battalion; the position of which he could survey from his hill.

“And now,” says Froissart, “the whole army of the Prince, including every one, did not amount to more than 8000; while the French had upwards of 60,000 combatants, among whom were more than 3000 knights. The Prince, seeing all hope of an accommodation at an end, addressed his captains and men, saying:—

“Now, my gallant follows! what though we be but a small body when compared with our enemies; let us not be cast down on that account; for victory is not always with the greater numbers, but God gives it to whom he pleases. If the day shall be ours, great will be the honour of it: if not, I have a father, and you all have friends, who will be sure to avenge our deaths. Stand fast, therefore, and fight like men; and if it please God, you shall see me play the part of a true knight.”

And now came on the French, and soon it was seen that here, as in many other battles of the time, the English bow was a most formidable weapon. The battalion of the French marshals entered the lane by which the English position must be approached; and now the archers began to ply their weapons “in such sort that the horses, smarting under the pain of their wounds, would not advance, but turned about, threw their masters, and created a general confusion. And if a few of the French struggled through and came in sight of the Prince’s battalion, a small party or two of English knights, who waited for them, instantly attacked them and slew them, or made them prisoners.

Thus, in a short time, this battalion of the marshals was defeated. The front line was driven back in confusion on the division immediately behind it. This, unable to advance, began to give ground, impelled by the crowd of fugitives pressing back upon it. But in retreating, this battalion fell back upon the Duke of Normandy’s and soon confusion and terror spread through the whole army. The detachment which the Prince had placed over-night on the flank and rear of the Duke of Normandy’s battalion, now came forth from their ambuscade, and fell vehemently upon the already disordered ranks of the French; “and, in truth,” says Froissart, “the English archers shot so thickly and so well, that the French did not know which way to turn themselves to avoid the arrows.” And now, this battalion, which was broad enough in the front, grew thin and scanty in the rear, for the news of the repulse of the marshals had spread, and the men began to escape in crowds. Meanwhile the English on the hill, perceiving that the first battalion was beaten, and that the Duke of Normandy’s was in great disorder, gave the word, and the knights and men-at-arms were in a moment in their saddles.

“The day is ours,” said Sir John Chandos, and, giving a shout, the 2000 horse pushed down the hill, charging with vehemence the disordered battalion.

“Let us make for the King himself,” said Sir John to the Prince, “for I know that he will not fly, and we shall have him—if it please God.”

And now the battle grew hot; the French were so numerous, and in such disorder, that it was an arduous task that still remained. Edward charged the division of the Duke of Athens, broke it, and drove it before him;—then the battalion of Germans, under the Count of Salzburg, which was soon overthrown and put to flight. Meanwhile “the English archers, advancing with the cavalry, shot so well that none dared to stay within their reach.”

And now three of the King’s sons, the Duke of Normandy, the Earl of Poictiers, and the Earl of Touraine, with 800 lances which had never put spear in rest, took flight and rode off the field.

The King himself stood firm. “If one-fourth of his soldiers,” says Froissart, “had behaved as well as he did, the day would have been his own.” Again he says, “King John himself did wonders, he fought with a battle-axe, with which he defended himself bravely.” The English knew the value of such a prize, and they directed their chief efforts to his capture. The Earl of Tancarville was made prisoner close to him, as were the Earl of Ponthieu, and the Earl of Eu. A little further on, the Lord Charles d’Artois and many other knights were captured by the flank attack. “The English and Gascons poured so fast upon the King’s division that they broke all its ranks,” and now the last show of order was lost, and the whole field was one confused mass. Every one was pressing forwards, eager to seize the King; at last a young French knight, who had been banished and had entered the English service, entreated the king to surrender or he would lose his life. “To whom am I to surrender?” said John, “where is my cousin the Prince of Wales? Who are you?” “I am Denis de Morbeque, knight of Artois,” said the Frenchman, “surrender yourself to me and I will lead you to the Prince.” “Well,” said the King, giving him his glove, “I surrender myself to you.”

Sir John Chandos, who had remained by the Prince’s side all the day, had now advised him to raise his banner on an elevated point, and to pitch his tent, for there was no longer any French army in sight. Accordingly, the banner was raised, a small pavilion was pitched, wine was brought, the Prince took off his helmet, and the trumpets began to sound. But now the Prince addressed the Earl of Warwick and Lord Cobham, saying. “I pray you to mount your horses, and ride over the field, that I may know, if possible, what has become of the King.” These two lords immediately rode forth, and they soon perceived a great crowd of knights and men-at-arms, all striving with a great noise. More than ten knights were loudly claiming the honour of having taken the King. “The two lords then pushed through the crowd by main force, and ordered all to stand aside. They commanded, in the Prince’s name, all to keep their distance, on pain of death. They then, dismounting, approached the King with profound reverence, and conducted him peaceably to the Prince of Wales.” Edward received the King with a low obeisance, and comforted him as well as he was able, ordering wines and refreshments to be brought, which he presented to the King with his own hand. “In the evening a supper was spread in the Prince’s pavilion; and the King, his son Philip, with Bourbon, Artois, the Earl of Tancarville, Estampes, Granville, and others, were seated at an elevated table, while the Prince served the King with his own hands. The French princes, struck with Edward’s courtesy, declared that he would be one of the most gallant knights in Christendom, if it please God to grant him life.”

Meanwhile, the English horse continued its pursuit of the fugitives, up to the very gates of Poictiers. “There was such an horrible spectacle of men slaughtered and trampled down, as it is wonderful to think of. The frightened French, in crowds, surrendered the moment they caught sight of an Englishman.”

The report now given in to the Prince, showed that the King and one of his sons, and 17 Earls, besides a great number of Barons and knights, were prisoners; and that from five to six thousand lay dead on the field.[1] But the victors were troubled what to do with the crowds of captives of all ranks, who were twice as numerous as themselves. They concluded, at last, to ransom them on the spot, and even to take the pledges of those who had no money. As for the booty, it was immense; “there being quantities of gold and silver plate, rich jewels, and trunks full of gold and silver ornaments. As to fine armour, that was in such abundance as to be little regarded.”

The prince and his little army, now undisturbed, continued their march, and in a few days passed the Garonne, and arrived safely at Bourdeaux. “Great was the dismay at Paris, when the fugitives brought word that there was no longer a King nor Barons in France, but all were killed or taken.”

England, very naturally, rejoiced through all her coasts. The Prince, after a short stay, embarked for England with his illustrious prisoner, to whom, for greater ease and comfort, he assigned a separate vessel. He entered London with knightly courtesy, riding a small black horse, while the King of France, royally mounted on a white charger, rode by his side. The palace of the Savoy was made the residence of the captive monarch, and there king Edward and his Queen frequently visited him. John, however, was long detained in England, the enormous sum of 3,000,000 of gold crowns being demanded from France for his ransom. He finally consented to those hard terms; but on returning to his own kingdom, he found so much difficulty in persuading his people to raise this great ransom, that he finally resolved to return to his prison in Westminster. As true as he was brave, he nobly answered his council, who tried to persuade him to be guilty of a breach of his engagement, that “if honour were banished from every other abode, it ought at least to find a home in the breast of Kings.” He returned to his home in the Savoy; where, a few months after, he died. Edward III ordered his obsequies to be performed with royal magnificence, and sent his corpse, with a splendid retinue to France, where it found a place in the burial-place of the Kings, in the abbey-church of St. Denis.”

POLOTSK, BATTLE OF.—Fought, July 30th, 1812, between the French Marshal, Oudinot, and the Russians under Wittgenstein. The Russians were defeated with great loss.

PONDICHERRY.—India.—Settled by the French in 1674; taken by the Dutch in 1693; besieged by the British in 1748, and taken by our forces in January, 1761, but restored in 1763. Again taken in October, 1778, and restored in 1783. Again captured by the British, August 23rd, 1793, and finally in 1803.

PORTOBELLO.—South America.—Taken from the Spaniards by Admiral Vernon, November 22nd, 1739. Again taken by the British, who destroyed the fortifications, in 1742.

PRAGA, BATTLES OF.—Fought, October 10th, 1794, between the Poles and Russians; 30,000 Poles were butchered in this battle by the merciless Suwarrow. A second battle, fought March 31st, 1831, between the same countries, resulted with defeat of the Russians who lost 4000 killed and wounded, and 6000 prisoners and 12 pieces of cannon.

PRESCOTT, BATTLE OF.—Upper Canada.—Fought, November 27th, 1838, between the Canadian Rebels and the British, under Major Young, and on the following day by Lieut.-Colonel Dundas, who, after a desperate resistance, succeeded in dispersing the insurgents, several of whom were killed and many taken prisoners; the troops also suffered considerably. After the attack the remainder of the rebels surrendered. In these engagements the rebels were aided by the Americans, who invaded the Canadian territory in great numbers.

PRESTON, BATTLE OF.—Fought, November 12th, 1715, between the Scotch insurgents, under Forster, and the British, under General Willis. The first attack was successful, on the side of the Jacobites, but the Royal forces being augmented by the arrival of General Carpenter, Preston was invested on every side, and the Scots at length laid down their arms, and their nobles and leaders were secured. Some were shot as deserters, and others sent off to London, pinioned and bound together, to frighten their party.

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.

Q.

QUARTRE BRAS, BATTLE OF.—Fought, June 16th, 1815, between the French and English. The French were commanded by Marshal Ney, and the British by the Duke of Brunswick, the Prince of Orange, and Sir Thomas Picton. It was fought two days before Waterloo. The British fought, to maintain their position, with wonderful intrepidity, notwithstanding their inferiority in number, and the fatigue of marching all the preceding night. The gallant 42nd Regiment of Scotch Highlanders, or the Black Watch, suffered very severely in pursuit of a French division repulsed early in the morning, by cuirassiers being posted in ambush behind growing corn as high as the shoulders of the tallest men. In this battle, the Duke of Brunswick fell, whose death is alluded to in the well-known lines of Byron on the field of Waterloo.

QUEBEC.—Has been five times assaulted. Founded by the French in 1605. Reduced by the English, with all Canada, in 1626, and restored in 1632. Besieged again by the English, but without success, in 1711, but was taken, under Wolfe, September 13th, 1759. The following is a good account of the capture of the city, under the immortal Wolfe. Quebec was again besieged by the American General Montgomery, who was slain before it, December 31st, 1775, and the siege was raised early next year. Appended is also an account of the siege and death of the American General.

“Wolfe’s army, amounting to about 8000, was conveyed to the vicinity of Quebec by a fleet of vessels of war and transports, and landed, in two divisions, on the island of Orleans, on the 27th of June. The Marquis de Montcalm made vigorous preparations for defending Quebec. His armed force consisted of about 13,000 men, of whom six battalions were regulars, and the remainder well disciplined Canadian militia, with some cavalry and Indians. He ranged these forces from the River St. Charles, to the Falls of Montmorency, with the view of opposing the landing of the British.

“Wolfe first attempted the entrenchment of Montmorency, landing his troops under cover of the fire from the ships of war, but he was gallantly repulsed by the French. In consequence of this repulse, he sent dispatches to England, stating that he had doubts of being able to reduce Quebec during that campaign. His prospects, indeed, were not encouraging: the great stronghold kept up an incessant fire from its almost inaccessible position, bristling with guns, defended by a superior force, and inhabited by a hostile population. Above the city, steep banks rendered landing almost impossible; below, the country for eight miles was embarrassed by two rivers, many redoubts, and watchful Indians. A part of the fleet lay above the town, the remainder in the north channel, between the island of Orleans and Montmorency.

“Soon after this repulse, however, Wolfe roused his brave and vigorous spirit, called a council of war, and proposed, it is generally said, at the instigation of his second in command, General Townsend, to gain the heights of Abraham behind and above the city, commanding the weakest part of the fortress. The council acceded to this daring proposal, and their heroic commander commenced his preparations; in the meanwhile, making such active demonstrations against Montcalm’s position, that the French still believed it to be his main object.

“On the 11th of September, the greater part of the troops landed, and marched up the south shore opposite Quebec,—forded the river Etchemin—and embarked on board the men of war and transports which lay above the town. On the 12th, the ships of war sailed nine miles up the river, to Cap Rouge. This feint deceived Montcalm, and he detached De Bougainville, who, with his army of reserve, proceeded still farther up the river to prevent the English from landing. During the night, the English troops dropped silently down the river, with the current, in boats, and at four o’clock in the morning began to land.

“It is surprising how the troops contrived to land, as the French had posted sentries along the shore, to challenge boats and give the alarm. The first boat was questioned, when Captain Donald M‘Donald, one of Frazer’s Highlanders, who was perfectly well acquainted with the French language and customs, answered to “Qui vive?” which is their challenge, the word “La France”—when the sentinel demanded “A quel régiment?” the captain replied, “De la Reine,” which he knew by accident to be one of those commanded by De Bougainville. The soldier took it for granted that it was an expected convoy, and saying “Passe,” the boats proceeded without further question. One of the sentries more wary than the rest, running down to the water’s edge called out, “Pourquoi est-ce que vous ne parlez pas plus haut?” to which the captain answered in a soft tone of voice, “Tais-toi, nous serons entendus.” Thus cautioned, the sentry retired, and the boats proceeded without further altercation, and landed at the spot now celebrated as “Wolfe’s Cove.”

“General Wolfe was one of the first on shore, and on seeing the difficulty of ascending the precipice, observed familiarly to Captain M‘Donald, “I don’t believe there is any possibility of getting up, but you must do your endeavour.” Indeed the precipice here was so steep, that there seemed no possibility of scaling it, but the Highlanders, grasping the bushes which grew on its face ascended the woody precipice with courage and dexterity. They dislodged a small body of troops that defended a narrow path-way up the bank; and a few more mounting, the General drew up the rest in order as they arrived. With great exertion they reached the summit, and in a short time, Wolfe had his whole army drawn up in regular order on the plains above.

“Montcalm, struck with this unexpected movement, concluded, that unless Wolfe could be driven from this position, Quebec was lost. Hoping probably that only a detachment had as yet reached it, he lost his usual prudence and forbearance, and finding that his opponent had gained so much by hazarding all, he, with an infatuation for which it is difficult to account, resolved to meet the British army.

“He crossed the St. Charles on the 13th, sallying forth from a strong fortress without field artillery—without even waiting the return of Bougainville, who, with 2000 men, formed a corps of observation,—before he could concentrate his forces, advanced with haste and precipitation, and commenced a most gallant attack, when within about 250 yards of the English line. The English moved forward regularly, firing steadily, until within thirty or forty yards of the French, when they gave a general volley which did great execution. The English had only a light cannon, which the sailors had dragged up the heights with ropes. The sabre, therefore, and the bayonet decided the day. The agile Scotch Highlanders, with their stout claymores, served the purposes of cavalry, and the steady fire of the English Fusiliers compensated, in some degree, for the want of artillery.

“The heroism of Montcalm was as conspicuous as that of his illustrious opponent,—both headed their men,—both rushed with eagerness where the battle raged most fiercely. Often by their personal prowess and example did they change the fortune of the moment. Both were repeatedly wounded, but still fought on with enthusiasm. And, at last, both those gallant commanders fell mortally wounded, whilst advancing to the last deadly charge at the head of their respective columns.

“Wolfe was first wounded in the wrist. He immediately wrapped a handkerchief round his arm, and, putting himself at the head of his grenadiers, led them on to the charge. He was then struck with a second ball, but still pressed on, when, just as the enemy were about to give way, he received a third ball in the breast and groin, and sank. When they raised him from the ground, he tried with his faint hand to clear the death-mist from his eyes. He could not see how the battle went, and was sinking to the earth, when the cry “They run!” “They run;” arrested his fleeting spirit. “Who run?” asked the dying hero. “The French,” replied his supporter, “they give way everywhere.” “What!” said he, “do they run already? now God be praised; I die happy!” and so saying, the youthful victor breathed his last. Such was the death of Wolfe, at the early age of thirty-five, when but few men begin even to appear on the theatre of great events.”

DEATH OF GENERAL MONTGOMERY, ETC.

“The first Congress of what is now called “The United States,” met in Philadelphia, on the 5th of September, 1774. It is remarkable that one of their first objects, after obtaining their own independence, was to attempt to seize on the country they had assisted England to conquer. It is a singular fact that the money, which it was endeavoured to levy upon the New Englanders and their fellow-colonists, and which, in a great measure, caused the rupture, was for the express purpose of defraying the great expenses incurred by England in the capture of Canada.

Having resolved to invade Canada, the Americans entered it in the fall of 1775, in two directions—by Lake Champlain and by the sources of the Kennebec River. The first division, under General Montgomery, was very successful. After obtaining possession of Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and St. Johns, he advanced towards Montreal. His force was very considerable, while there were but few British soldiers in Canada. General Carleton, who succeeded General Murray in the military command, had been repulsed at Longueuil; so that Montgomery had only to take possession of the city, which he did on the 19th of November. The naval force in the river, and all the military stores and provisions, were surrendered into his hands, and General Prescott, with the volunteers and soldiers, became prisoners of war. Finding plenty of woollen cloth in the city, General Montgomery took the opportunity of new-clothing his troops, who had suffered much from the severity of the weather. The second division of the American army, under General Arnold, reached the St. Lawrence on the 9th of November. They had traversed, with dreadful fatigue, the forests and swamps in the District of Maine, and arrived at Point Levi, opposite Quebec, worn out and dispirited. Quebec was at this time defenceless; and had General Arnold been able to cross the river, that capital, and with it the territory of Canada, must have passed into the hands of the Americans. Fortunately all the shipping had been removed to the other side, and it was not until the 14th that he was able to cross over. He landed 500 men at Wolfe’s Cove, and waited near that place in the hope of being joined by Montgomery from Montreal. General Carleton, the British Governor, was at this time occupied, with his troops near Montreal, in endeavouring to repulse Montgomery. The latter wished to effect a junction with General Arnold, that they might unitedly attack the fortress. Perceiving that the safety of the country depended upon the possession of Quebec, Carleton effected a masterly movement to reach that place. In this, he was assisted by Captain Bouchette, R.N., who conveyed him through the American forces by night, in a canoe with muffled paddles. He arrived at the citadel of Quebec on the 19th, whilst the Americans thought him busily engaged with Montgomery, near Montreal.

General Carleton’s arrival at Quebec was hailed with great joy by the Canadians, who vied with the oldest British soldiers in preparations for defence. The force under his command amounted to only 1800 men. Not more than 350 were regulars—of whom 230 were Frazer’s Highlanders, who had settled in the country, and were re-embodied under Colonel McLean. The remainder were 450 seamen, and a gallant band composed of Canadian militia and artificers. The American Generals had now effected a junction of their forces, and summoned the fortress to surrender. This was at once rejected. After pushing the siege during the month of December, without any prospect of success, Montgomery determined upon making a night-attack. This intention soon became known to General Carleton, who made every preparation to defeat the enemy. The Governor, with the officers and gentlemen off duty, took up their quarters for several days at the Recollet Convent, where they slept in their clothes. During this month’s siege, the American riflemen kept up an unintermitting fire upon the sentinels, and threw from forty to fifty shells every night into the city. The inhabitants became so accustomed to the occurrences of a siege that they ceased to regard them with alarm, all joining cheerfully in bearing arms and performing the duty of soldiers. Two strong parties were formed on the 31st of December—one under Montgomery, the other under Arnold, whose local knowledge of Quebec was accurate. They were to advance from opposite sides and meet at the foot of Mountain street; then force Prescott gate and reach the Upper Town.

The besiegers approached the city with the most careful silence, aided by the raging of a furious storm. Advancing by the road which winds round the face of the rock, the army was crowded into the narrow pass which led to the gate. Notwithstanding every precaution the confused noise of the approaching troops rose above the conflict of the elements, and struck the watchful ear of the outer sentinel, who, receiving no answer to his challenge, roused the British guard. The party who defended the battery, consisted of Canadian militia, with nine British seamen to work the guns. They kept a close watch, and, as soon as the day broke, discovered the troops marching in the snow. Orders were given to make no movement; and the Americans, having halted at the distance of fifty yards, sent forward an officer to reconnoitre. On his return the troops marched forward with a quickness and precision deserving the highest praise. The English then opened a tremendous fire from the artillery which commanded the path; the groans which succeeded plainly revealed the enemy; and it was not until every sound in answer to their fire had died away, that they ceased their cannonade. The enemy having retired, thirteen bodies were found in the snow. Montgomery’s orderly sergeant, desperately wounded, but yet alive, was found and brought into the guard-room. On being asked if the General himself had been killed, he evaded the question by replying that he had not seen him for some time. This faithful sergeant died in about an hour afterwards. It was not ascertained that the American General had been killed, until General Carleton, anxious to learn the truth, sent to inquire if any of the prisoners would identify the body. An officer consenting accompanied the aide-de-camp to the “Près de Ville” guard, and pointed out the body, pronouncing over it a glowing eulogium on Montgomery’s bravery. His two aides-de-camp were also recognised among the slain. This brave man had fought by the side of Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham; but, marrying an American lady, the daughter of Judge Livingston, he imbibed the politics of his father-in-law’s family, and joined the cause of the colonists against the Mother Country. The excellence of his qualities and disposition procured him an uncommon share of private affection and esteem. After his death the Continental Congress ordered a magnificent cenotaph to be erected to his memory in St. Paul’s Church, N.Y. Thither his remains were removed in 1818, by the desire of his widow, and with the permission of the then British Governor, Sir John Sherbrooke. In the meantime, Arnold, who had been repulsed at the opposite side of the town, took the command, and attempted still to maintain his ground; but the dispirited state of his men rendered him unable to keep up more than an imperfect blockade at a distance of three miles, which he at last abandoned. In the whole attack upon Quebec the Americans lost about 100 killed and wounded, and six officers of Arnold’s division, inclusive of the loss at Près de Ville. The British had one officer and seventeen men killed and wounded. The number of those who surrendered was 426.”

QUEENSTON.—Upper Canada.—This town, on the River Niagara, was taken by the United States troops in the American war of 1812, October 13th, but was retaken by the British, who defeated the Americans with loss. The following is a succinct account of the battle and death of general Brock, the Hero of Upper Canada:

WAR OF 1812 AND DEATH OF GEN. BROCK.

“The American Government assembled at the Niagara frontier a force of 6300 men; of this force, 3170 (900 of whom were regular troops) were at Lewiston, under the command of General Van Rensselaer. In the American reports this army is set down at 8000 strong, with 15 pieces of field ordnance. To oppose this force Major General Brock had part of the 41st and 49th regiments, a few companies of militia, and about 200 Indians, in all 1500 men; but so dispersed in different posts at and between Fort Erie and Fort George, that only a small number was available at any one point. Before daylight on the morning of the 13th of October, a large division of General Van Rensselaer’s army, numbering between 1300 and 1400, under Brigadier General Wadsworth, effected a landing at the lower end of the village of Queenston (opposite Lewiston), and made an attack upon the position, which was defended with the most determined bravery by the two flank companies of the 49th regiment, commanded by Captains Dennis and Williams, aided by such of the militia forces and Indians as could be collected in the vicinity. Captain Dennis marched his company to the landing place opposite Lewiston, and was soon followed by the light company of the 49th, and the few militia who could be hastily assembled. Here the attempt of the enemy to effect a passage, was for some time successfully resisted, and several boats were either disabled or sunk by the fire from the one-gun battery on the heights, and that from the masked battery, about a mile below. Several boats also were, by the fire from this battery, so annoyed, that falling before the landing place, they were compelled to drop down with the current and recross to the American side. A considerable force, however, effected a landing some distance above, and succeeded in gaining the summit of the mountain. No resistance could now be offered to the crossing from Lewiston, except by the battery at Vromont’s Point, half a mile below, and from this a steady and harassing fire was kept up, which did considerable execution.

At this juncture Sir Isaac Brock arrived. He had for days suspected this invasion, and on the preceding evening he called his staff together and gave to each the necessary instructions. Agreeable to his usual custom he rose before daylight, and hearing the cannonade, awoke Major Glegg, and called for his horse Alfred, which Sir James Craig had presented to him. He then galloped eagerly from Fort George to the scene of action, and with two Aides-de-Camp passed up the hill at full gallop in front of the light company, under a heavy fire of artillery and musketry from the American shore. On reaching the 18-pounder battery at the top of the hill, they dismounted and took a view of passing events, which at that moment appeared highly favourable. But in a few minutes a firing was heard, which proceeded from a strong detachment of American regulars under Captain Wool, who, as just stated, had succeeded in gaining the brow of the heights in rear of the battery, by a fisherman’s path up the rocks, which being reported as impossible, was not guarded. Sir Isaac Brock and his Aides-de-Camp had not even time to remount, but were obliged to retire precipitately with the twelve men stationed in the battery, which was quickly occupied by the enemy. Captain Wool having sent forward about 150 regulars, Captain Williams’ detachment of about 100 men advanced to meet them, personally directed by the General, who, observing the enemy waver, ordered a charge, which was promptly executed; but as the Americans gave way, the result was not equal to his expectations. Captain Wool sent a reinforcement to his regulars, notwithstanding which, the whole was driven to the edge of the bank. Here some of the American officers were on the point of hoisting a white flag with an intention to surrender, when Captain Wool tore it off and reanimated his dispirited troops. They now opened a heavy fire of musketry, and, conspicuous from his cross, his height, and the enthusiasm with which he animated his little band, the British Commander was soon singled out, and he fell about an hour after his arrival.

The fatal bullet entered his right breast, and passed through his left side. He had but that instant said, “Push on the York Volunteers!” and he lived only long enough to request that his fall might not be noticed, or prevent the advance of his brave troops, adding a wish which could not be distinctly understood, that some token of remembrance should be transmitted to his sister. He died unmarried, and on the same day, a week previously, he had completed his 43rd year. The lifeless corpse was immediately conveyed into a house close by, where it remained until the afternoon, unperceived by the enemy. His Provincial Aide-de-Camp, Lieutenant Colonel McDonell, of the militia, and the Attorney General of Upper Canada, a fine promising young man, was mortally wounded soon after his chief, and died the next day, at the early age of twenty-five years. Although one bullet had passed through his body, and he was wounded in four places, yet he survived twenty hours, and during a period of excruciating agony his thoughts and words were constantly occupied with lamentations for his deceased commander and friend. He fell, while gallantly charging up the hill, with 190 men, chiefly York Volunteers, by which charge the enemy was compelled to spike the 18-pounder in the battery there.

THE BATTLE OF QUEENSTON HEIGHTS.

At this time, about two in the afternoon, the whole British and Indian force thus assembled was about 1000 men, of whom 600 were regulars. In numbers the Americans were about equal—courage they had, but they wanted the confidence and discipline of British Soldiers. After carefully reconnoitering, General Sheaffe, who had arrived from Fort George, and who had now assumed the command, commenced the attack by an advance of his left flank, composed of the light company of the 41st, under Lieutenant McIntyre, supported by a body of militia and Indians. After a volley, the bayonet was resorted to, and the American right driven in. The main body now advanced under cover of the fire from the two 3-pounders, and after a short conflict forced the Americans over the first ridge of the heights to the road loading from Queenston to the Falls. The fight was maintained on both sides with courage truly heroic. The British regulars and militia charged in rapid succession, until they succeeded in turning the left flank of the enemy’s column, which rested on the summit of the hill. The Americans who attempted to escape into the woods were quickly driven back by the Indians; and many cut off in their return to the main body, and terrified by the sight of these exasperated warriors, flung themselves wildly over the cliffs, and endeavoured to cling to the bushes which grew upon them; but some, losing their hold, were dashed frightfully on the rocks beneath; while others, who reached the river, perished in their attempts to swim across it. The event of the day no longer appeared doubtful.

Major-General Van Rensselaer, commanding the American army, perceiving his reinforcements embarking very slowly, recrossed the river to accelerate their movements; but, to his utter astonishment, he found that at the very moment when their services were most required, the ardour of the unengaged troops had entirely subsided. He rode in all directions through the camp, urging his men by every consideration, to pass over. Lieutenant-Colonel Bloome, who had been wounded in the action and recrossed the river, together with Judge Peck, who happened to be in Lewiston at the time, mounted their horses and rode through the camp, exhorting the companies to proceed, but all in vain. Crowds of the United States militia remained on the American bank of the river, to which they had not been marched in any order, but ran as a mob; not one of them would cross. They had seen the wounded recrossing, they had seen the Indians; and they had seen the “Green Tigers,” as they called the 49th, from their green facings, and were panic struck. There were those to be found in the American ranks who, at this critical juncture, could talk of the Constitution, and the right of the militia to refuse crossing the imaginary line which separates the two countries. General Van Rensselaer having found that it was impossible to urge a single man to cross the river to reinforce the army on the Heights, and that army having nearly expended its ammunition, boats were immediately sent to cover their retreat; but a desultory fire which was maintained upon the ferry from a battery on the bank at the lower end of Queenston, completely dispersed the boats, and many of the boatmen relanded and fled in dismay. Brigadier-General Wadsworth was, therefore, compelled, after a vigorous conflict had been maintained for some time upon both sides, to surrender himself, all his officers, and 900 men, between three and four o’clock in the afternoon. The loss of the British army was 16 killed and 69 wounded; while that on the side of the Americans was not less than 900 men, made prisoners, and one gun and two colours taken, and 90 killed and about 100 wounded. But amongst the killed of the British army, the government and the country had to deplore the loss of one of their bravest and most zealous Generals, in Sir Isaac Brock, and one whose memory will long live in the warmest affections of every Canadian and British subject. The country had also to deplore the loss of the eminent services and talents of Lieutenant-Colonel McDonell, whose gallantry and merit rendered him worthy of his chief.

The gratitude of the people of Canada to the memory of Brock was manifested in an enduring form. They desired to perpetuate the memory of the hero who had been the instrument of their deliverance, and they were not slow in executing their design; and whilst his noble deeds were still fresh in the memory of all, the Provincial Legislature erected a lofty column on the Queenston Heights, near the spot where he fell. The height of the monument, from the base to the summit, was 135 feet; and from the level of the Niagara River, which runs nearly under it, 485 feet. The monument was a Tuscan column, on rustic pedestal with a pedestal for a statue; the diameter of the base of the column was 17½ feet and the abacus of the capital was surmounted by an iron railing. The centre shaft, containing the spiral staircase, was 10 feet in diameter.

On Good Friday, the 17th of April, 1840, a vagabond of the name of Lett, introduced a quantity of gunpowder into the monument with the fiendish purpose of destroying it, and the explosion, effected by a train, caused so much damage us to render the column altogether irreparable. Lett had been compelled to fly into the United States for his share in the rebellion of 1837, and well knowing the feeling of attachment to the name and memory of General Brock, which pervaded all classes of Canadians, he sought to gratify his malicious and vindictive spirit, and at the same time to wound and insult the people of Canada by this atrocious deed.