MARCH OF THE FRENCH ON LONDON.
South of the Thames, where the gigantic force of French and Russians,
numbering nearly two hundred thousand of all arms, had been prevented
from attacking London by our Volunteers and Regulars massed along the
Surrey Hills, the slaughter on both sides had been frightful. The
struggle was indeed not for a dynasty, but for the very existence of
Britain as an independent nation.
Sussex had been devastated, but Kent still held out, and Chatham
remained in the possession of the defenders.
The rout of the British at Horsham prior to the march of the left column
of invaders to Birmingham was succeeded by defeat after defeat, the
engagements each day illustrating painfully that by force of
overwhelming numbers the invaders were gradually nearing their goal--the
mighty Capital of our Empire.
Gallant stands were made by our Regulars at East Grinstead, Crawley,
Alfold, and from Haslemere across Hind Head Common to Frensham. At each
of these places, long, desperately-fought battles with the French had
taken place through the hot September days,--our Regular forces
confident in the stubborn resistance that would be offered by the long
unbroken line of Volunteers occupying the range of hills behind. Our
signallers had formed a long line of stations from Reculvers and Star
Hill, south of the Medway Fortress, to Blue Bell Hill, between Chatham
and Maidstone, thence through Snodland, Wrotham, Westerham, and
Limpsfield to Caterham, and from there on through Reigate Park, Boxhill,
St. Martha's, and over the Hog's Back to Aldershot. With flags in day
and lamps by night messages constantly passed, and communication was
thus maintained by this means as well as by the field telegraph, which,
however, on several occasions had been cut by the enemy.
Yet although our soldiers fought day after day with that pluck
characteristic of the true Briton, fortune nevertheless seemed to have
forsaken us, and even although we inflicted frightful losses upon the
French all round, still they gradually forced back the defenders over
the Surrey border. Terror, ruin, and death had been spread by the
invading Gauls. English homes were sacked, French soldiers bivouaced in
Sussex pastures, and the ripening corn was trodden down and stained with
blood. The white dusty highways leading from London to the sea were
piled with unheeded corpses that were fearful to gaze upon, yet
Britannia toiled on undaunted in this desperate struggle for the
retention of her Empire.
After our defeat at Horsham, the Russians had contented themselves by
merely driving back the defenders to a line of resistance from Aldershot
to the north of Bagshot, and then they had marched onward to Birmingham.
From Horsham, however, two columns of the invaders, mostly French, and
numbering over twenty thousand each, had advanced on Guildford and
Dorking. At the same time, a strong demonstration was made by the enemy
in the country north of Eastbourne and Hailsham, by which the whole of
the district in the triangle from Bexhill to Heathfield, and thence to
Cuckfield and Steyning, fell into their hands. The British, however, had
massed a strong force to prevent the enemy making their way into West
Kent, and still held their own along the hills stretching from
Crowborough to Ticehurst, and from Etchingham, through Brightling and
Ashburnham, down to Battle and Hastings.
The north of London had during the weeks of hostilities been strongly
guarded by Volunteers and Regulars, for information of a contemplated
landing in Essex had been received; and although the defenders had not
yet fired a shot, they were eagerly looking forward to a chance of
proving their worth, as their comrades in other parts of England had
already done.
At first the tactics of the invaders could not be understood, for it had
been concluded that they would naturally follow up their successes on
landing with a rapid advance on London.
It was, of course, evident that the vigorous demonstrations made in the
North and other parts of Britain were intended with a view to drawing as
many troops as possible from the defence of London, and dispose of them
in detail before surrounding the capital. Yet, to the dismay of the
enemy, no blow they delivered in other parts of our country had had the
desired effect of weakening the defensive lines around London. At the
opening of the campaign it had been the enemy's intention to reduce
London by a blockade, which could perhaps have been successfully carried
out had they landed a strong force in Essex. The troops who were
intended to land there were, however, sent to Scotland instead, and the
fact that they had been annihilated outside Glasgow resulted in a
decision to march at once upon the metropolis.
Advancing from Horsham, the French right column, numbering 20,000 men
with about 70 guns, had, after desperate fighting, at last reached
Leatherhead, having left a battalion in support at Dorking. The British
had resolutely contested every step the French had advanced, and the
slaughter around Dorking had been awful, while the fighting across
Fetcham Downs and around Ockley and Bear Green had resulted in frightful
loss on both sides.
Our Regulars and Volunteers, notwithstanding their gallantry, were,
alas! gradually driven back by the enormous numbers that had commenced
the onslaught, and were at last thrown back westward in disorder,
halting at Ripley. Here the survivors snatched a hasty rest, and they
were during the night reinforced by a contingent of Regulars who had
come over from Windsor and Hounslow. On the arrival of these
reinforcements, the Colonel, well knowing how serious was the situation
now our first line of defence had been broken, sent out a flying column
from Ripley, while the main body marched to Great Bookham, with the
result that Leatherhead, now in the occupation of the French, was from
both sides vigorously attacked. The British flying column threatening
the enemy from the north was, however, quickly checked by the French
guns, and in the transmission of an order a most serious blunder
occurred, leading to the impossibility of a retreat upon Ripley, for
unfortunately the order, wrongly given, resulted in the blowing up by
mistake of the bridges over the river Mole by which they had crossed,
and which they wanted to use again.
Thus it was that for a time this force was compelled to remain, at
terrible cost, right under the fire of the French entrenched position at
Leatherhead; but the enemy were fortunately not strong enough to follow
up this advantage, and as they occupied a strong strategical position
they were content to await the arrival of their huge main body, now on
the move, and which they expected would reach Leatherhead during that
night. After more fierce fighting, lasting one whole breathless day, the
defenders were annihilated, while their main body approaching from the
south also fell into a trap. For several hours a fierce battle also
raged between Dorking and Mickleham. The British battery on Box Hill
wrought awful havoc in the French lines, yet gradually the enemy
silenced our guns and cut up our forces.
The invaders were now advancing in open order over the whole of Sussex
and the west of Kent, and on the same day as the battle was fought at
Leatherhead, the high ground south of Sevenoaks, extending from Wimlet
Hill to Chart Common, fell into their hands, the British suffering
severely; while two of our Volunteer batteries in the vicinity were
surprised and seized by a French flying column.
In the meantime, another French column, numbering nearly twenty thousand
infantry and cavalry, had advanced from Alfold, burning Ewhurst and
Cranley, and after a desperately-contested engagement they captured the
British batteries on the hills at Hascombe and Hambledon.
On the same day the French advance guard, though suffering terrible
loss, successfully attacked the battery of Regulars on the hill at
Wonersh, and Godalming having been invested, they commenced another
vigorous attack upon the strong line of British Regulars and Volunteers
at Guildford, where about fourteen thousand men were massed.
On the hills from Gomshall to Seale our brave civilian defenders had
remained throughout the hostilities ready to repel any attack. Indeed,
as the days passed, and no demonstration had been made in their
direction, they had grown impatient, until at length this sudden and
ferocious onslaught had been made, and they found themselves face to
face with an advancing army of almost thrice their strength. Among the
Volunteer battalions holding the position were the 1st Bucks, under Lord
Addington, V.D.; the 2nd Oxfordshire Light Infantry, under Col. H. S.
Hall; the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Bedfordshire Regiment, under Col. A. M.
Blake, Lieut.-Col. Rumball, and Col. J. T. Green, V.D.; the 1st Royal
Berkshire, under Col. J. C. Carter; the 1st Somersetshire Light
Infantry, under Col. H. M. Skrine, V.D.; and the 1st and 2nd Wiltshire,
under the Earl of Pembroke, V.D., and Col. E. B. Merriman, V.D. Strong
batteries had been established between Guildford and Seale by the 1st
Fifeshire Artillery, under Col. J. W. Johnston, V.D., and the Highland
Artillery, under Col. W. Fraser, V.D.; while batteries on the left were
held by the 1st Midlothian, under Col. Kinnear, V.D.; the 1st East
Riding, under Col. R. G. Smith, V.D.; and the 1st West Riding, under
Col. T. W. Harding, V.D.
Commencing before dawn, the battle was fierce and sanguinary almost from
the time the first shots were exchanged. The eight 60-pounder guns in
the new fort at the top of Pewley Hill, manned by the Royal Artillery,
commanded the valleys lying away to the south, and effected splendid
defensive work.
[Illustration: BRITISH VOLUNTEER POSITIONS ON THE SURREY HILLS.]
Indeed, it was this redoubt, with three new ones between Guildford and
Gomshall, and another on the Hog's Back, which held the enemy in check
for a considerable time; and had there been a larger number of a similar
strength, it is doubtful whether the French would ever have accomplished
their design upon Guildford.
The Pewley Fort, built in the solid chalk, and surrounded by a wide
ditch, kept up a continuous fire upon the dense masses of the enemy, and
swept away hundreds of unfortunate fellows as they rushed madly onward;
while the Volunteer batteries and the Maxims of the infantry battalions
poured upon the invaders a devastating hail of lead.
From Farnham, the line through Odiham and Aldershot was held by a force
increasing hourly in strength; therefore the enemy were unable to get
over to Farnborough to outflank the defenders. Through that brilliant,
sunny September day the slaughter was terrible in every part of the
enemy's column, and it was about noon believed that they would find
their positions at Wonersh and Godalming untenable.
Nevertheless, with a dogged persistency unusual to our Gallic
neighbours, they continued to fight with unquelled vigour. The 2nd
Oxfordshire Light Infantry and the 1st and 2nd Wiltshire, holding very
important ground over against Puttenham, bore their part with
magnificent courage, but were at length cut up in a most horrible
manner; while the 1st Bedfordshire, who, with a body of Regulars
valiantly held the road running over the hills from Gomshall to Merrow,
fought splendidly; but they too were, alas! subsequently annihilated.
Over hill and dale, stretching away to the Sussex border, the rattle and
din of war sounded incessantly, and as hour after hour passed, hundreds
of Britons and Frenchmen dyed the brown, sun-baked grass with their
blood. The struggle was frightful. Volunteer battalions who had
manoeuvred over that ground at many an Eastertide had little dreamed
that they would have one day to raise their rifles in earnest for the
defence of their home and Queen. Yet the practice they had had now
served them well, for in one instance the 1st Berkshire succeeded by a
very smart manoeuvre in totally sweeping away several troops of
Cuirassiers, while a quarter of an hour later half an infantry battalion
of Regulars attacked a large force of Zouaves on the Compton Road, and
fought them successfully almost hand to hand.
Through the long, toilsome day the battle continued with unabated fury,
and as the sun went down there was no cessation of hostilities. A force
of our Regulars, extending from Farnham over Hind Head Common, fell
suddenly upon a large body of French infantry, and, outflanking them,
managed--after a most frightful encounter, in which they lost nearly
half their men--to totally annihilate them.
In connection with this incident, a squadron of the 5th Dragoon Guards
made a magnificent charge up a steep hill literally to the muzzles of
the guns of a French battery, and by their magnificent pluck captured
it. Still, notwithstanding the bravery of our defenders, and their
fierce determination to sweep away their foe, it seemed when the sun
finally disappeared that the fortunes of war were once more against us,
for the French had now received huge reinforcements, and Dorking and
Leatherhead having already passed into their hands two days previously,
they were enabled to make their final assault a most savage and terrific
one.
It was frightful; it crushed us! In the falling gloom our men fought
desperately for their lives, but, alas! one after another our positions
were carried by the invaders literally at the point of the bayonet, and
ere the moon rose Guildford had fallen into the enemy's hands, and our
depleted battalions had been compelled to retire in disorder east to
Effingham and west to Farnham. Those who went to Effingham joined at
midnight the column who had made an unsuccessful effort to recover
Leatherhead, and then bivouaced in Oldlands Copse. The number of wounded
in the battles of Guildford and Leatherhead was enormous. At Mickleham
the British hospital flag floated over St. Michael's Church, the Priory
at Cherkley, Chapel Farm, and on Mickleham Hall, a portion of which
still remained intact, although the building had been looted by Zouaves.
In Leatherhead the French had established hospitals at Givons Grove,
Vale Lodge, Elmbank, and in the Church of St. Mary and the parish church
at Fetcham. At Guildford, in addition to the field hospitals on Albury
Downs and behind St. Catherine's Hill, Holden, Warren, and Tyting Farms,
Sutton Place and Loseley were filled with wounded French infantrymen and
British prisoners, and many schools and buildings, including the
Guildhall in Guildford town, bore the red cross.
At two most important strategic points the first line defending London
had now been broken, and the British officers knew that it would require
every effort on our part to recover our lost advantages. The metropolis
was now seriously threatened; for soon after dawn on the following day
two great French columns, one from Guildford and the other from
Leatherhead, were advancing north towards the Thames! The enemy had
established telegraphic communication between the two towns, and
balloons that had been sent up from Guildford and Ashstead to
reconnoitre had reported that the second line of the British defence had
been formed from Kingston, through Wimbledon, Tooting, Streatham, and
Upper Norwood, and thence across _via_ Sydenham to Lewisham and
Greenwich.
It was upon this second line of defence that the French, with their
enormous force of artillery, now marched. The Leatherhead column, with
their main body about one day's march behind, took the route through
Epsom to Mitcham, while the troops from Guildford pushed on through
Ripley, Cobham, and Esher.
This advance occupied a day, and when a halt was made for the night the
enemy's front extended from Walton to Thames Ditton, thence across
Kingston Common and Malden to Mitcham. Bivouacing, they faced the
British second line of defence, and waited for the morrow to commence
their onslaught. In London the alarming news of the enemy's success
caused a panic such as had never before been experienced in the
metropolis. During the long anxious weeks that the enemy had been held
within bounds by our Volunteers, London had never fully realised what
bombardment would mean. While the French were beyond the Surrey Hills,
Londoners felt secure; and the intelligence received of the enemy's
utter rout at Newcastle, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Glasgow added
considerably to this sense of security.
London, alas! was starving. Business was suspended; trains no longer
left the termini; omnibuses, trams, and cabs had ceased running, the
horses having been pressed into military service, and those which had
not had been killed and eaten. The outlook everywhere, even during those
blazing sunny days and clear moonlit nights, was cheerless and
dispiriting. The bright sun seemed strangely incongruous with the black
war-clouds that overhung the gigantic city, with its helpless, starving,
breathless millions.
In the sun-baked, dusty streets the roar of traffic no longer sounded,
but up and down the principal thoroughfares of the City and the West End
the people prowled, lean and hungry--emaciated victims of this awful
struggle between nations--seeking vainly for food to satisfy the
terrible pangs consuming them. The hollow cheek, the thin, sharp nose,
the dark-ringed glassy eye of one and all, told too plainly of the
widespread suffering, and little surprise was felt at the great
mortality in every quarter.
In Kensington and Belgravia the distress was quite as keen as in
Whitechapel and Hackney, and both rich and poor mingled in the gloomy,
dismal streets, wandering aimlessly over the great Modern Babylon, which
the enemy were now plotting to destroy.
The horrors of those intensely anxious days of terror were unspeakable.
The whole machinery of life in the Great City had been disorganised, and
now London lay like an octopus, with her long arms extended in every
direction, north and south of the Thames, inert, helpless, trembling.
Over the gigantic Capital of the World hung the dark Shadow of Death. By
day and by night its ghastly presence could be felt; its hideous
realities crushed the heart from those who would face the situation with
smiling countenance. London's wealth availed her not in this critical
hour.
Grim, spectral, unseen, the Destroying Angel held the sword over her,
ready to strike!