on the side of the gate of Valenciennes; | the second was placed under the direction of General Fagel, against the gate of Marville; and the third was to be led on by General Schuylemburgh, against the horn-work of the gate of the Seven Fountains. Sixty battalions were appointed for the trenches; three imperialists, seven English, three Danes, seven Prussians, three Saxons, twentythree Dutch, five Hanoverians, three Palatines, four Hessians, two Wirtemburghers, and six squadrons of the troops of the several nations were to attend the usual services of horse in a siege. during the night, with the loss of thirty men killed and wounded. The tenth day dawned, and thirty vessels laden with artillery and ammunition, rode safely near the bridge of communi cation. On the same day, the besieged made a sally with 500 men, but retired with equal speed upon the approach of the confederates. On the 12th, they made another sally by the Valenciennes gate; but General Lottum had disposed all things at his attack with such regularity, that the enemy were immediately repulsed with the loss of twenty men. On the 13th, the besiegers commenced Despair appears to have made the their destructive work, at the point of enemy desperate; for on the 4th of July, attack assigned to General Lottum, and they made a fierce essay to possess them-fired from two batteries of twelve pieces selves of Commines and Fort-Rouge. of cannon each, with so much skill and In the former place, a major had been success, that the guns of the enemy on stationed with 150 men, and in the lat- that side, were speedily dismounted; ter, a captain with fifty. Twice this while a windmill, from which the foe handful of heroes were attacked with had very greatly annoyed the allies in considerable fury, but with a calm bra- the trenches, was completely destroyed. very which no attempt of the enemy could shake, they met their assailants, and maintained the contest until a large body of the allied troops came to their assistance, when they retired with precipitation, and entirely abandoned the important post of Warneton. The meditated siege, which had by unavoidable circumstances been delayed until the 7th instant, when, as the darkness of night descended upon the earth, and covered the movements of the confederate forces from the enemy, the trenches were opened before Tournay, at the three determined places of attack. The loss sustained was, comparatively, small, about thirty men being killed, and as many wounded. On the following day, at about four in the afternoon, the trenches were relieved, but in consequence of the torrents of rain which fell during the night, the besiegers were greatly incommoded, and the operations, as a necessary result, retarded. A battery to cover those who were engaged in the trenches, from the annoyance of the enemy, appeared indispensable, and accordingly, on the ninth, one was commenced by the besiegers. The rain continued to descend, en masse, and the fire of the besieged was continued and heavy; but, notwithstanding these inconveniences, the trenches were carried on As the morning of the 14th opened, they commenced at the same point, to fire from another battery, in order to force open the sluices; and on the same day, the battery at the station occupied by General Fagel, began its operations, as did also those at the position commanded by General Schuylemburgh. While these united batteries were in active play, doing "damage infinite, and spreading slaughter round," different companies were busily engaged in mounting the remainder of the cannons and mortars on several other batteries, all of which were in full condition to commence their hostile work on the sixteenth. The siege now went on with awful activity. The besiegers, commanded by Count Lottum, commenced the demolition of the wall which shut up the communication between the town and the citadel. On the 19th, a battery of eleven pieces of cannon at General Fagel's post, played with destructive fire, with a view of enlarging the breach at the attack of Count Lottum, as also upon a covered way, on the same side, which led from the Scheldt to the citadel, which would, it was well known, greatly facilitate the attack made by the count. The 21st had not passed, before the besiegers had made themselves masters of the whole counterscarp at General Fagel's point of attack, while the firing into the covered way on the other side the Scheldt was so heavy, that the besieged were obliged to abandon that post. The attack of General Schuylemburgh was also, by this time, in a considerable state of forwardness; for such an incessant fire was kept up from their batteries, that, on the 22nd, breaches in the horn-work, the ravelin, and the wall of the town, were almost in a condition to be mounted, and, at the same time, the saps were carried to the wall of the ditch. They continued, notwithstanding the fire from all the batteries to enlarge the breaches; so that General Schuylemburgh, on the 27th, caused the ravelin and half moon at his attack to be stormed; and, although, the resistance of the enemy was exceedingly vigorous, and their fire tremendously heavy, the allies succeeded in obtaining a secure lodgment upon their walls. On the 28th, in the morning, the besieged made another daring sally, in order to retake, if possible, the works they had lost on the preceding night; but being met with a warm reception, by which they sustained considerable loss, they considered it prudent to retire in haste. In the evening, necessary arrangements were made for a general storm, when the enemy, fearing to be taken sword in hand, beat a parley, and desired to capitulate for the town: hostages were, in consequence, exchanged, and, after some debates, the capitulation was agreed to. Thus, after twenty-one days of open trenches, the allies reduced a place which the French considered impregnable; while a numerous army belonging to the enemy looked on, but feared to make any attempt to relieve it. The French, according to the capitulation, surrendered one gate on the 30th of July. The next day, Surville, the French governor, was entertained at dinner by Prince Eugene; and, in the afternoon retired to the citadel, which his garrison of about 4000 men had already entered, while the Earl of Albemarle, who was appointed governor of Tournay, took possession of the town. The time agreed on for evacuating the place expiring that night, the allies began to work on the approaches of the citadel. On the 1st of August, in the evening, the French began the first act of hostility, by firing from the citadel with cannon and small arms, upon Count Lottum's trenches and batteries; the salute was immediately replied to by them; and during the whole night, the firing continued with fierceness on both sides. Orders were issued on the same day for a fresh attack, in order to destroy the lines of circumvallation about the town. During this time, Surville proposed to the allied general, the appointing of two persons to treat respecting the surrender of the citadel, and Prince Eugene with the Duke of Marlborough nominated De Lalo (a brigadier in the British troops), on their part; and Surville named the Marquis de Ravignan (a brigadier in the French service); who, having conferred, drew up and subscribed articles for settling the time of surrendering the citadel. These articles were sent to the French court for their approbation, and an answer was to be returned in seven days. But upon this occasion, the French gave a fresh proof of their insincerity, and manifested to the world, that their proposals for delivering up the citadel of Tournay, was a mere artifice, by which to gain time, and deceive the allies. The French king refused to ratify the articles, except upon condition that there should be a cessation of arms, in general, in the Netherlands, until the 5th of September; to this, however, the allied powers would not consent, and, therefore, the siege was renewed and prosecuted with all possible rigour, notwithstanding the great disadvantages under which the confederate troops lay, in consequence of the great number of the enemies' mines. From the 8th of August, the day on which the Marquis de Ravignan returned from the French court, to the 20th of the same month, the enemy sprung no less than sixteen mines! One of which was sprung with so much execution, that part of the wall from the town to the citadel, two branches of the trenches, a parallel, two saps, and two of the besiegers' mines were ruined, while a captain, two ensigns, and nineteen privates, fell in the havock. On the 22nd, the miners of the allies discovered the branch of another mine; and as they were busily employed in endeavouring to trace the mine itself, they heard the enemy working on a vast gallery near them. Instant orders were issued to a lieutenant with sixteen grenadiers to dislodge them; but the lieutenant being killed at the onset, his men were disheartened and retired. Another officer with a fresh detachment of men was immediately ordered to the service, but the number of grenades thrown by the enemy created so intolerable a smoke, that the besiegers were obliged to retire to escape suffocation. Frequently, while the miners of the allied army were engaged in their work, they came into contact with the enemy, and engaged them with pistol and bayonet. On the 26th the enemy sprung a mine which killed above 400 of the confederate troops, who, notwithstanding that loss, and the heavy fire of the besieged, succeeded in lodging themselves near the palisadoes at General Schuylemburgh's attack. On the two following days, the fire upon the citadel was awful, while the quantity of bomb-shells which were thrown into it, did dreadful execution. On the latter of of these days, Monsieur du Mey, the chief director of the attack, was mortally wounded. At six o'clock on the morning of the 30th, the enemy beat a parley, being desirous to capitulate; and upon the exchange of hostages, Monsieur Dolet, the Marquis de Ravignan, and four other officers, came out of the citadel; and Major-General Hondorf with five other officers, on the part of the besiegers, went in. Dolet and his associates were brought to the house of the Earl of Albemarle, where the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene sat to receive their proposals. The project of capitulation, which contained an offer to surrender the place, consisted of eleven articles, the principal of which, for the sake of brevity, may be summed up in the following preamble. "That the chapel should not be made use of for the exercise of any other religion than the Roman Catholic, upon any pretext whatever; that they should be allowed twelve pieces of cannon, and six mortars, with ammunition for twenty charges, and horses, and waggons, and other necessaries for that purpose, to be furnished by the besiegers: that the garrison should march out, with drums beating, and colours flying, and other usual marks of honour. That they should have four covered waggons, and that the prisoners should be returned on either side, and no deserters stopped.' Such were the proud terms proposed by Dolet and the other French hostages, to those to whom they were almost to be considered in the character of prisoners already. The Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene hesitated not to reply to them; but immediately assured the hostages, that the only conditions that could be allowed the garrison was, that they should surrender themselves prisoners of war. The determination of the allied generals was founded upon a conviction, that it was nothing beyond what was due to the honour of the confederate arms, as well as a proper mark of their disapproval of the French king's conduct, in having refused to agree to the former capitulation. The reply received from Marlborough and Eugene was carried by Monsieur Dolet and his brother officers to the governor of the citadel; and, as the most conclusive evidence that the terms were rejected, hostilities were renewed with fury about three o'clock in the afternoon. The struggle, however, was a fruitless, and, indeed, a cruel one; no possibility existed that anything could be obtained by it, while the lives of many unfortunate fellow-creatures were sacrificed on both sides. Famine threatened them within the walls of the citadel, while a still closer investing foe without possessed the power to bury the whole of its inhabitants in its smouldering ashès. At the end of three days, another parley was sounded; a fresh conference was held by appointed deputies, and the surrender of the citadel formally took place, upon the following conditions. "That all the officers and soldiers should retain only swords and baggage, and leaving their colours and arms behind, were permitted to return to France, upon condition that they should not serve, until they were actually exchanged against the like number of officers and soldiers of the allies; and those taken at Warneton were immediately to be sent back as part of that exchange." Thus terminated a siege, than which few surpass it in the history of the wars, both for interest and importance; or, in which more military skill was displayed, or more genuine courage evinced. THE LOST BATTLE. A GENTLEMAN who had been intimately acquainted with Marshal Blucher for thirty years past, happening to be at Frankfort at the time of the marshal's arrival after the battle of Waterloo, hastened to pay his respects to his excellency at his hotel, the White Swan. One evening, being alone with him and conversing on several political matters, more particularly on the subject of the battle of Waterloo," Prince," said he, "I have read not only all the official accounts, but almost every description published of that glorious affair, still I do not consider myself perfectly au fait as to the subject. Pray tell me, was it you and your brave army, my dear prince, that gained the battle, or were Wellington and the English conquerors?" Connaught; and Picton used to remark, "that all the light division left in the way of plunder was sure to be found by his ragged rascals." Another observation of Sir Thomas Picton's, when speaking of his soldiers, was, "I don't care how they dress, so long as they mind their fighting." And this was the only thing his division did mind—one unconquerable feeling seemed to pervade the whole. Picton had taught them to be daring, never to pause, never to retreat; and so well had they learned their lesson, that it is a singular fact, the third division was never repulsed when they attacked! Success operates strongly on the minds of soldiers in making them respect their leaders; it gives them confidence in themselves and their officers; they fight with a firmer front, and think less of a reverse, and the victorious veteran becomes at length equal to a host of untried soldiers. The war waged by the With the greatest affability, the prince"fighting division" was of that stern led his querist to a window of the saloon, and answered in German, "Would you my friend, learn the fact of the case? If so, let me tell you, that neither Wellington nor myself gained the battle. Napoleon lost it. And what is extraordinary, this same Napoleon, who is one of the greatest tacticians of our day, has lost it by a false step in tactics. Grouchy and Bulow, Bulow and Grouchy, those are the wheels upon which turned the fortunes of the day."-Anecdote of Foreign Courts. PICTON'S "FIGHTING DIVISION." THE third division was not so conspicuous for the regularity of its appointments or its parade movements, as the more important duties of the field. One regiment in particular, the Eighty-eighth, or Connaught Rangers, as brave and steady a fighting set of fellows as ever handled a musket, were perhaps as determined a band of marauders as ever sacked a city, or robbed a poultry-yard their appearance was at the time equally irregular, and Picton used familiarly to call them his brave ragged rascals. But this irregularity in the regiments of the "fighting division" was not confined to the Eighty-eighth, although the palm certainly rested with the Rangers of and unyielding description which defied opposition; their battle-front was terrible; warmed by their chief, they rushed on, nor ever stopped until the enemy was overcome. Picton often spoke in terms of the warmest admiration of the noble bearing of his soldiers, when exposed upon severai occasions to the most severe fire without returning a shot; every gap in the line would be in an instant filled up; when, close or unbroken, they would move on until bid to pour in their deadly answer, or charge with the bayonet. After the escalade of the castle of Badajoz, he spoke of them with an expression of gratitude for the devoted manner in which they obeyed his orders, regardless of the fearful nature of the attack, and undaunted by the fate of each succeeding comrade who had gained the summit of the ladders. "Still," he observed to an officer who was with him for some time after he was wounded-" still they rushed to the foot of the ladders, even striving who should be first to mount; but they fell so fast, and the ladders were so insecure, that even the bravest began to waver. I called upon them, however, to make another effort, when they poured on and bore one another up, until at length the wall was gained; nothing could resist them. Yet I could hardly make myself believe that we had taken the castle." It was not, however, by words only that Picton evinced the sense he entertained of his gallant soldiers; for, a few days after the capture of Badajoz, Picton desired one of his aides-du-camp to pay to the remainder of the men who composed the storming party of his division, one guinea each, as a testimonial of their general's gratitude. The soldiers soon fair spoils of war. discovered the truth, and hurried back to recover their arms, and to get hold of the man, who by his address and courage had thus disgraced them; but the Cearnach took care to place himself and his prize out of danger. When the soldiers reached Inverness, they were tried and punished for the loss of their arms. COURAGE AND CRAFT OF A LOWLANDER. In the autumn of 1746, a party, consisting of a corporal and eight soldiers, marching north to Inverness, after passing Tummell Bridge, halted on the roadside, and placed their arms against a large stone some yards behind them. Robert Bane (one of that select band of Scottish warriors called Cearnachs, a body of men employed in enterprises where uncommon danger was to be encountered, which afterwards degenerated into a lawless sort of leviers of black mail, or tribute) observed the soldiers, and the manner in which they disposed of their arms. This, as he said, was a good opportunity to make a dash at his old friends the Seidar dearg, or red-coat soldiers, whom he had met at Gladsmuir, Falkirk, and Culloden. None of his neighbours were at home to assist him, but he sallied out by himself, armed with his gun, pistols, and broad-sword; and proceeding with great caution, got close to the party undiscovered, when he made a sudden spring, and placed himself between the soldiers and their guns. Brandishing his sword in one hand, and pointing his gun with the other, he called out to them in broken English to surrender instantly, or he would call his party, who were in the wood behind, and would kill them all. The soldiers were so alarmed and taken by surprise, that they permitted the Cearnach to carry off their arms, for the purpose of delivering them, as he said, to his companions in the wood. He quickly returned, however, and desiring the soldiers to follow him quietly, else those in the woods would be out, he conducted them to Tummell Bridge inn, where he left them, and repairing to the wood, took possession of the arms as THE LAST ROSE As a proof of the confidence which our neighbours repose in the generous features of the British character, during the march of the English and Prussians, after the battle of Waterloo, towards Paris, an Englishman, on the other side of the Condé, met with an interesting adventure. Entering the garden of a cottage of superior appearance that had been visited by the enraged Prussians, and had shared the fate of the rest of the hamlet, he perceived that he was watched from behind the bushes by some children, who ran away as soon as they perceived themselves observed. He called after them, but to no purpose. The sound of the English accent, however, emboldened the mother of the family to show herself from a neighbouring thicket; and at length she took Understandto approach him. ing English well, she told him her family were just venturing back from the woods, where they had been two days without shelter, and almost without food, to see what havoc the spoilers had made, when they were again alarmed by the appearance of soldiers. Being assured they were English soldiers, she readily agreed to remain, under the confidence which the national character inspired; and having accepted what her visitor had to offer, as the only acknowledgment in her power, she sent one of her children to pull and present to her guest the only rose which her ruined garden afforded: it was the last rose, she said, she had, and she was proud to bestow it on an Englishman. courage London :-Printed by JOSEPH LAST, No. 3, Edward-street, Hampstead-road.-Published by WILLIAM MARK CLARK, No. 19, Warwick-lane, Paternoster-row; and may be had, by order, of all Booksellers in town and country. |