TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
Footnote anchors are denoted by [number], and the footnotes have been
placed at the end of the alphabetical ‘CYCLOPÆDIA’ section, and the
‘APPENDIX’ section.
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:
Henry IV. of Germany A.D. 1080
Baliol of Scotland “ 1306
Charles V. of Germany “ 1556
James II. of England “ 1688
Philip V. of Spain “ 1724
Napoleon April 5, 1814
Charles X. of France Aug. 2, 1830
Louis Philippe “ Feb. 24, 1848
Ferdinand of Austria. Dec. 2, 1848
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:
Alliance of Leipsic April 9, 1631.
“ “ Vienna May 27, 1657.
“ The Triple Jan. 28, 1668.
“ The Grand May 12, 1689.
“ The Hague Jan. 4, 1717.
“ The Quadruple Aug. 2, 1718.
“ The Germanic July 23, 1785.
“ The Paris May 16, 1795.
Austrian Alliance March 14, 1812.
Alliance of Toplitz Sept. 9, 1813.
The Holy Alliance Sept. 26, 1815.
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.