his staff stood upon an eminence commanding the scene of the conflict
and discussed plans for the attack. John was present in attendance upon
the Earl of Meldritch and overheard enough of the remarks to realize
that the generals were far from confident of success. In fact, Baron
Kissel was anything but an enterprising commander, and his timidity
naturally infected the officers under him. Young as he was, John had a
considerable knowledge of military tactics but, which was more to the
purpose, he possessed the eye and the instinct of a born soldier. As
he gazed across the ground occupied by the Turkish army, to the town
beyond, these qualities enabled him to estimate the position and the
possibilities of strategy with surer judgment than even the veterans
beside him. He noted that the river Raab divided the Ottoman force into
two equal bodies and he realized that the key to success in the coming
action lay in keeping these apart. Before the party returned to camp
he had formed a plan which he imparted to his colonel at the first
opportunity.
The flint-lock had not yet come into use. Foot soldiers went into
action carrying their cumbersome guns with a piece of resin-soaked
rope attached to the stock. This was called a “match,” being used to
ignite the powder in the pan. It burned slowly, and of course could be
replenished at will. John’s plan was to counterfeit several regiments
of men standing with matchlocks ready to fire. The Earl heartily
approved the suggestion, as did Baron Kissel, and placed the necessary
men and material at the disposal of the young ensign. John stretched
between posts a number of lengths of rope at about the height of a
man’s waist. Along these he tied, at intervals of two feet, “matches”
similar to those which have been described. As soon as darkness set
in these were lighted and each contrivance was carried out by two
men and set up in the plain of Eisenberg, which lay to the west of
Ober-Limbach. To the Turks the long lines of flickering lights must
have looked like companies and regiments of soldiers marching and
taking up position.
Whilst this stratagem was being carried out Baron Kissel advanced his
entire force of ten thousand men against that portion of the Turkish
army that lay on the east bank of the river. Upon these they charged
vigorously, and at the same time Lord Ebersberg, with his garrison
of five thousand, attacked them in flank. The Turks thus assailed on
two sides and being unable in the darkness to ascertain the strength
of the enemy, fell into confusion and were slaughtered with ease. The
other portion of the Ottoman army, confronted as it imagined itself
to be by a strong force, had not dared to move from its position and
stood alarmed and irresolute until Baron Kissel fell upon its rear
after having completely routed the former body. The Moslems offered no
resistance but fled panic-stricken into the night, leaving their camp
and thousands of killed and wounded in the hands of the victors.
A large quantity of provisions and other necessities were found in the
Turkish camp and removed to the town. Thus furnished and reinforced
by two thousand picked soldiers from Kissel’s command, the place was
in good condition to withstand further attack, and so the Baron left
it, proceeding north to Kerment. John Smith’s share in this important
engagement was not overlooked. The Earl of Meldritch publicly declared
himself proud of his young protege and secured for him the command of
two hundred and fifty horse in his own regiment. Thus before he had
reached his twenty-second year John had earned a captaincy and the
respectful regard of his superior officers.
Winter brought about a temporary cessation of hostilities and on their
resumption, early the next year, a reorganization of the Imperial army
was made. Three great divisions were formed: One, under the Archduke
Matthias and the Duc de Mercœur, to operate in Lower Hungary; the
second, under Archduke Ferdinand and the Duke of Mantua, to retake
Caniza; and the third, under Generals Gonzago and Busca, for service
in Transylvania. The regiment of the Earl of Meldritch was assigned to
duty with the first division and attached to the corps commanded by
the Duc de Mercœur. Thus strangely enough our hero found himself after
all serving under the very leader to whom the trickster De Preau had
promised to conduct him.
With an army of thirty thousand, one-third of whom were Frenchmen,
the Duc addressed himself to the capture of the stronghold of
Stuhlweissenburg, which was then called Alba Regalis. The fortifications
and natural defences of the place rendered it well-nigh impregnable. It
was held by a strong and determined force that bravely repelled attacks
and frequently sallied forth to give battle to the besiegers. The
Christian army can not be said to have made any progress towards taking
the place when John gave another exhibition of the fertility of his mind
and devised a plan which led to the fall of the town.
The young cavalry captain made frequent circuits of the walls studying
the fortifications and the various points of attack. He found that a
direct assault could not be made at any point with hope of success,
save, perhaps, one. Here the defence was lax owing to the fact that
a morass, which extended for some distance from the wall, seemed to
preclude the possibility of approach. Testing this quagmire under cover
of darkness, John found that it was not so deep but that a few hundred
men laden with stones and logs of wood could in a short while fill in
sufficient to make a pathway across it. But they would necessarily have
to work by daylight, and the next thing was to devise a scheme by which
the attention of the garrison could be diverted from them long enough
to allow of the accomplishment of the object.
The bomb-shell had not yet been devised, but somewhere in his extensive
reading John had gathered the idea of such a missile. He set to work
to make what he called a “fiery dragon” and constructed a sling to
send it on its way. At the first attempt the thing worked to his
satisfaction. He then detailed to the Earl of Meldritch his plan for
taking the city by stratagem. The Duc de Mercœur having consented to
the scheme--the more readily since he had heard of John’s previous
exploits--preparations for putting it into effect were pushed with
haste, for just at this time news was received of a strong relieving
force which was on the march for Alba Regalis.
Fifty bombs were manufactured under John’s directions, and, together
with the slings, were conveyed to a side of the town remote from that
on which the attack was to be made. Meanwhile the Earl of Rosworme had
gathered a force of picked men to make the assault and five hundred
others with large baskets filled with material to be dumped into the
morass. This body assembled in eager expectation of the diversion which
the English captain promised to create.
John had selected one of the most crowded quarters of the city for the
destination of his “fiery dragons” and he let them loose in the market
hour when the crowd would be greatest. One after another, with flaming
tails, they pursued their hissing flight over the ramparts and, as
they struck the ground, burst, scattering death on every side. The air
was immediately filled with the cries of the affrighted Turks who fled
from the spot and the groans of those who lay wounded and dying. But by
the time the stock of bombs had become exhausted the townspeople and
garrison were hurrying to the spot from every direction to put out the
flames which had broken forth in several places and threatened to sweep
the city.
Whilst the defenders were thus engaged with the fire that spread
rapidly in the strong wind, the Earl of Rosworme’s party completed
their causeway without interruption and his fighting men gained within
the walls and opened one of the gates before they were discovered.
The besieging army poured into the doomed town and a fearful carnage
ensued. The Turks fought like demons and neither asked nor received
quarter. Hardly a man of the garrison escaped. A last remnant of five
hundred made a stand before the palace with the Turkish commander in
their midst. He counselled them not to surrender and himself determined
to die fighting. His men were cut down one after another and he,
sorely wounded, was about to be slain by the infuriated soldiers, when
the Earl of Meldritch rescued him and made him prisoner despite his
protests.
Alba Regalis, one of the most valued strongholds of the Turks, was
in the possession of the Christian army but sixty thousand Moslems,
determined to retake it, were approaching by rapid marches.
VIII.
THE DIN OF BATTLE
The battle of Girkhe--The Duc de Mercœur pits twenty thousand
Christians against sixty thousand Turks--The conflict rages from
morn till night--Meldritch’s men do valiant service--John’s horse is
killed under him--He is rescued by Culnitz and saves the latter’s
life in turn--Duplaine dies fighting one to ten--The Earl’s fearful
plight--Seven hundred against three thousand--“For faith and
Meldritch!”--The Earl is cut off--“Culnitz! Vahan! Follow me! To the
Chief, my men!”--Count Ulrich turns the scales--The Turks break and
flee from the field--Victory and night.
Alba Regalis had been in the hands of the Turks for thirty years,
and during that time had become virtually a Moslem city. Turkish
mosques, palaces and market place had been constructed in it and its
fortifications had been strengthened until the place was well-nigh
impregnable. The Turks had come to consider Alba Regalis a permanent
possession and its fall was a great blow to their pride as well as a
serious setback in their military operations. As soon as the Sultan
was informed of the Duc de Mercœur’s advance against the stronghold,
he hastily raised a force of sixty thousand men and sent it to the
relief, under Hassan Pasha, the commander-in-chief of the Turkish
army. Hassan had pushed forward with all possible expedition but,
as we know, Alba Regalis fell whilst he was still a considerable
distance away. This did not check the advance of the Turkish general.
On the contrary it induced him to hurry on in the hope of arriving
before the Christians should have time to repair the breaches in the
walls and other damages to the defences which their assault must, as
he naturally supposed, have made. Thanks, however, to Captain John
Smith’s stratagem, as we should now call him, the artillery had been
comparatively little used in the reduction of the city and a few days
sufficed to put it in its former condition, so far as the outworks were
concerned.
Scouts kept a close watch on the Turkish army and reported to the Duc
that it was strung out to such an extent that the last regiments were
a full day’s march behind the vanguard. This fact suggested to Mercœur
the bold expedient of going out to meet the enemy instead of awaiting
him behind the walls of Alba Regalis. The plan was based on logical
reasoning and had the approval of Meldritch and other leaders. The
Turks would not expect such a move and would continue their advance
in single column of regiments. The Christians would thus have the
advantage of numbers on their side in the early part of the engagement
and the enemy could hardly bring more than two to one against them
before the close of the first day. If advisable the defenders of
the city might retire within the walls at nightfall. The force of
Hassan Pasha was largely composed of raw levies, undisciplined and
inexperienced, who would necessarily be worn in consequence of the
forced marches to which they had been subjected. Furthermore, the Duc
was too keen a soldier to allow thirty thousand men to be shut up in a
beleaguered town for months when their services were so urgently needed
elsewhere. These considerations then prompted him to a decision which
proved to have been an eminently wise one.
Mercœur had no idea of seriously hazarding the loss of Alba Regalis.
When he issued to battle there were left in the town ten thousand men,
a sufficient number to hold it for some months even if the worst befell
their comrades. With his main body, twenty thousand strong, the Duc
marched out to meet the oncoming Turks. The spot he selected for the
encounter was one where the enemy must debouche from a comparatively
narrow way upon the extensive plains of Girkhe. The latter expanse
afforded ideal conditions for the movement of cavalry, upon which arm
the general mainly depended for success. The Christian army arrived
at the battle-ground at the close of day and, after throwing out a
chain of videttes and posting strong guards, passed a restful night in
bivouac.
The Duc’s force had hardly finished its morning meal when the videttes
retired before the van of the advancing Turks and the outposts fell
back in orderly manner upon the main body. The hoarse bray of the
trumpets called the soldiers “to arms” and, as they had lain down
in ranks the night before, the regiments were formed in a very few
minutes. It was no part of the Duc’s plan to contest the advance of
the enemy or to attempt to drive him back. The Turkish regiments as
they arrived were freely permitted to march forward and deploy upon the
plain. The Christian army was massed, and as each corps of the Ottomans
lined up in its crescent formation the Duc sent one of his own against
it. They were about equal in numbers, that is to say, each one thousand
strong. It was the hope of the Christian commander that in this way
he should be able to rout a considerable portion of the Turkish army
before it could bring a very superior force upon the field. The best
of his troops Mercœur held back until the latter part of the day when
the hardest fighting might be expected to occur. Thus John Smith and
many another brave fellow was forced to stand impatiently watching
his comrades in action. Twice during the forenoon, however, Captain
Smith was permitted to take out his troop and make a brief charge for
the purpose of turning the tide where a Christian regiment appeared
to be overmatched. So, for hours this strange battle progressed in
a series of duels. Every thirty or forty minutes brought a fresh
Turkish regiment on the field where it was at once engaged by one of
the Christian corps in an isolated conflict. There was no attempt at
military tactics or combined movements on the part of the various
colonels. Each had his own little battle to fight with a Turkish
zanzack. He was instructed to attend strictly to that and pay no heed
to what might be going on around him. When he had beaten and routed the
body opposed to him, he was to retire and rest his men and horses.
It was a very ingenious arrangement when you think about it. Once
engaged the Turks were obliged to come on as at first. If they should
halt, even for an hour to mass a strong force, the Christian commander
would overwhelm and annihilate the Moslem regiments upon the field.
Despite the fact that several bodies of the Ottomans were utterly
broken and driven from the field, the constant arrival of fresh Turks
gradually increased their numbers until at noon they had fully twenty
thousand men in action, opposed to about thirteen thousand of the Duc
de Mercœur’s force. Up to this time five thousand of the Moslems and
two thousand Christians had been put out of action. The former were
constantly receiving fresh accessions to their numbers, whilst the
regiments of the latter which had been most actively engaged during the
morning could only be lightly employed thereafter.
But the flower of Mercœur’s force had been held in reserve until
this time. It consisted of five regiments of splendid cavalry--five
thousand horsemen eager for the fray. The time had come to launch them
against the enemy in support of the now hardly-pressed troops that had
borne the burden of battle thus far. The commanders and men knew what
was expected of them. They were prepared to meet odds of five to one
and more if necessary. They had fed and watered their chargers, they
had looked to their buckles and bits. Their pistols were loaded and
primed and each had drained the flagon of wine handed to him by his
horse-boy. They made a brave picture as they sat their champing steeds
in glistening armor and with drawn swords awaiting the word to advance.
Since each corps acted as an independent unit, we can only follow the
fortunes of that which bore the brunt of the fierce fighting in the
afternoon of that memorable autumn day.
The regiment of Meldritch consisted of four companies, commanded
respectively by the following captains: Duplaine, a Frenchman; Vahan
and Culnitz, Germans; and the Englishman, John Smith. Each of these
performed prodigies of valor before the fall of night and the dashing
Duplaine met a soldier’s death upon the field.
The Earl lost no time in taking his impatient men into action. Riding
in their front, conspicuous by his great height and the scarlet
plumes that surmounted his helmet, he led them towards a body of the
enemy that had just entered the plain. Meldritch’s corps, in line of
double rank, advanced at a trot, breaking into a hand-gallop as they
approached the foe. Then, as the uplifted sword of the Earl gave the
signal, they swept forward in a mighty charge and with a shout crashed
through the line of Turks, overthrowing horse and rider in their
impetuous course. In an instant the ground was strewn with dead and
dying, with kicking animals and with men striving to get clear of the
struggling mass. The victors rode among them slaying without mercy,
whilst the remnant of the broken regiment fled in every direction.
When his men had reformed and breathed their horses, the Earl sent them
at another regiment with like results, and so again and again. But such
work tells on man and horse, and as Meldritch’s men tired the odds by
which they were confronted increased. They no longer swept through the
ranks of the enemy with ease but had to cut and hew their passage.
Their charges broke the compactness of their own lines and ended in
mêlées from which they emerged in small bodies with loss and fatigue.
In one of these later encounters, the black Barbary--his colonel’s gift
to Captain Smith--suddenly pitched forward in the throes of death,
flinging his rider heavily to the ground. Our hero’s career must have
ended there had not Culnitz spurred to his rescue just as three Turks
rode at him.
“Up! Up behind me in the saddle!” cried Culnitz generously, as he
reached John’s side. But the young Englishman had no idea of hazarding
his comrade’s life by such a proceeding. His sword had flown from
his hand as he fell. He now snatched Culnitz’s battle-axe from the
saddle-bow and prepared to help his rescuer meet the trio of Turks
who were now upon them. One of these, whose handsome horse and fine
accoutrements proclaimed him to be a person of distinction, attacked
the German captain from the side on which John stood. Ignoring the man
on foot, the Turk swung his blade at the neck of the mounted officer.
Culnitz was completely engaged with the other two assailants and the
blow must have severed his head but, as the Turk’s arm swept forward,
it met the battle-axe wielded by our hero, which shattered the bone.
The next instant Smith had dragged the Turk from his horse and was in
the saddle. The gallant young captains now had little difficulty in
disposing of the two Moslems who confronted them and a few others who
attempted to bar their return to their comrades.
The Colonel was overjoyed to see his two young officers reappear and
their men greeted them with wild huzzas, for all had feared that they
were cut off and lost. Meldritch’s regiment was now reduced to a scant
three companies. Duplaine had met a glorious fate fighting single
handed against ten of the enemy. His company--that is what was left of
it--the Earl distributed amongst the other three and once more formed
his men up for a fresh attack. They were fortunate at this juncture in
finding themselves near a small stream at which men and horses assuaged
their consuming thirst.
The hours had dragged slowly by to the anxious Duc who, surrounded
by his staff, stood upon an eminence surveying the field. His breast
swelled with pride at the many sights of valor presented by the
constantly shifting scene. Never had commander witnessed more gallant
service, but men are mortal and Mercœur knew that flesh and blood could
not much longer endure the fearful strain. The Turks had put full
forty thousand men upon the plain since the day begun and their troops
were still arriving in a steady stream. Scarce ten thousand Christians
remained fit to fight, and these were already pitted against some
thirty thousand Moslems. Anxiously the commander’s gaze followed the
slowly setting sun, and as Wellington in after years longed for the
arrival of Blücher, so Mercœur now prayed for the fall of night.
Looking toward the road over which the Turkish troops, like a huge
snake had poured all day, a sight met the Duc’s eyes that caused his
heart to beat with apprehension. To his utter dismay he saw approaching
a stately body of men on white chargers. He quickly recognized them as
the Barukh Regiment, one of the finest in the army of the Sultan and
two thousand strong.
“Now may Our Lady of Mercy support Meldritch,” cried Mercœur with
emotion, “for surely no mortal help can save him in this pass!”
This deep concern on the part of the general was excited by the
fact that Meldritch’s regiment, which we left reforming for another
onslaught, was nearest to the Barukhs, who were evidently extending
their ranks with the design of attacking it. Quickly the white horsemen
advanced and Meldritch, when he was apprised of his danger, found his
corps enveloped in a rough triangle, the base of it formed by the body
of the enemy he had been on the point of charging. At a glance his
soldier’s eye recognized the superiority of the Barukh cavalry and he
wheeled two companies about to face the graver danger, whilst to Vahan,
with the third, was entrusted the task of preventing a rear attack by
the smaller body of the enemy.
They were seven hundred to three thousand. To charge upon their jaded
horses must have been to break themselves and become engulfed in that
mass of splendid horsemen. The Earl, therefore, decided to await the
attack. It was the climax of the fight--the most critical moment of the
day. On the result of the coming conflict depended the issue of the
battle. The Earl turned in his saddle and addressed his men.
“These be worthy of our steel,” he cried, pointing with his outstretched
sword towards the oncoming Barukhs. “Our commander watches us. Let every
man strike for Christ, for honor and for life.” “For Faith and
Meldritch!” responded the men heartily.
The Turks charged with courageous fury. Seven hundred pistols were
discharged full in their faces, emptying hundreds of saddles. They
recoiled but came again almost immediately. Once more they received a
volley at close range and this time fell back in disorder, their ranks
thrown into confusion by the great number of riderless horses that
ran wildly amongst them. The Earl deemed the moment favorable for a
counter-attack.
“Charge!” he cried in ringing tones, and plunged into the Moslem horde,
followed by his men.
Thrusting and hacking for dear life, Meldritch’s troopers slowly fought
their way through the Barukhs. As they emerged in little knots they
began to rally round the standards of their several leaders. The three
captains were thus engaged in collecting the remnants of their men,
when they perceived that the Earl was completely cut off. His plume,
now no ruddier than his armor, marked the spot where alone, like a lion
at bay, he held back a circle of the enemy. The red rays of the evening
sun flashed from his long blade which, like a streak of fire, swept in
wide strokes, now on this side and anon on that.
“To the Chief!” shouted John. “Culnitz! Vahan! Follow me! To the Chief,
my men!”
Smith’s voice rose above the clangor of weapons as he spurred into the
dense mass of Moslems, closely followed by his fellow-captains. With
slashing blows they opened a lane through which some fifty of their men
rode after them. In a few minutes they gained beside the wearied Earl
and surrounded him with a band of devoted followers.
The situation of this handful of heroes, beset by more than a thousand
furious enemies, was precarious in the extreme. To cut their way out
was impossible, and they prepared to sell their lives dearly and die
as becomes gallant soldiers. But Fortune favors the brave. At this
critical juncture, Count Ulrich, having routed the force to which he
had been opposed, was able to bring his regiment to the relief of
Meldritch. They bore down upon the Barukhs who, taken in the rear and
by surprise, broke and fled over the field.
The Turkish trumpets now sounded the “recall” and the shattered
regiments of the Sultan retired to where Hassan’s banner proclaimed the
presence of the dispirited commander. The Duc de Mercœur’s exhausted
men lay down in their cloaks upon the ground which they had soaked with
the blood of ten thousand Turks.
IX.
GUERILLA TACTICS