again put his foot into it. Blundering into Grierson with a lot of
unsupported horse, he has got exactly what he deserved. The whole
command was crushed by that wide-awake fellow, Potty, and a lot of guns
and ammunition lie ignominiously deserted on our own side of the river.
All this through mere chuckle-headed incompetence and the neglect of the
most elementary precautions, within a day's march of two magnificent
armies, either of which, under any sane, soldierly man, is capable of
marching right through to Glendarule.
"This is the last scandal. Yesterday, it was a whole regiment cut off
between the Garrard road and the Sandusky river, and cut off without
firing or being able to fire a single shot in self-defence. It is an
open secret that the men behind Mar are starving, and that the whole
east and the city of Savannah were within a day of being deserted. How
long is this disorganisation to go on? How long is that bloated
bondholder to go prancing round on horseback, wall-eyed and
muddle-headed, while his men are starved and butchered, and the forces
of this great country are at the mercy of clever rogues like Potty, or
respectable mediocrities like Stevenson?"
General Piffle's force was, I learn, attacked this morning from across
the river by the whole weight of the enemy's centre. Supports were being
hurried forward. Ammunition was scarce. A feeling of anxiety, not
unmixed with hope, is the rule.
_Noon_.--I am now back in Scarlet, as being more central to both actions
now raging, one along the line of the Sandusky between General Piffle
and the Army of the Centre, the other toward Grierson between Potty and
the corps of Generals Green and Lafayette. News has come from both
quarters. Piffle, who was at one time thought to be overwhelmed, has
held his ground on the Sandusky highroad; and by last advices his whole
supports had come into line, and he hoped, by a last effort, to carry
the day. His losses have been severe; they are estimated at 2,600 killed
and wounded; but it appears from the reports of captives that the
enemy's losses must amount to 3,000 at least. The fate of the engagement
still trembles in the balance. From the battle at Grierson, the news is
both encouraging and melancholy. The enemy has once more been driven
across the rivers, and even some distance behind the town of Grierson
itself on the Tahema road; he has certainly lost 2,400 men, principally
horse; but he has succeeded in carrying off his guns and ammunition in
the face of our attack, and his immense reserves are close at hand. Both
Green and Lafayette are sent wounded to the rear; it is unknown who now
commands their column. These successes, necessary as they were felt to
be, were somewhat dearly purchased. Two thousand six hundred men are
_hors de combat_; and the chivalrous Potty is himself seriously hurt.
This has cast a shade of anxiety over our triumph; and though the light
column is still pushing its advantage under Lieutenant-General Pipes, it
is felt that nothing but a complete success of the main body under
Piffle can secure us from the danger of complete investment.
14th. _Scarlet_.--The engagement ended last night by the complete
evacuation of Grierson. Pipes cleared the whole country about that town
in splendid style, and the army encamped on the field of battle; sadly
reduced indeed, but victorious for the moment. The enemy, since their
first appearance at Grierson, have lost 4,400 men, and have been beaten
decisively back. There is now not a man on our side of the Sandusky; and
our loss of 2,600 is serious indeed, but, seeing how much has been
accomplished, not excessive. The enemy's horse was cut to pieces.
Piffle slept on the ground that he had held all day. In the afternoon he
had once more driven back the head of the enemy's columns, inflicting a
further loss of 3,200 killed and wounded at the lowest computation; but
the enemy's camp-fires can still be plainly made out with a field-glass,
in the same position as the night before. This is scarcely to be called
success, although it is certainly not failure.
_Sandusky_.--All quiet at Sandusky; the army has fallen back into the
city, and large reserves are still massed behind.
_Editorial Comment_.--The battle of Grierson is a distinct success; the
enemy, with a heavy loss, have been beaten back to their own side. As to
the vital engagement on the Sandusky and the heavy fighting before Yolo,
it is plain that we must wait for further news of both. In neither case
has any decided advantage crowned our arms, and if we are to judge by
the expressions of the commander-in-chief to our Sandusky correspondent,
the course of the former still leaves room for the most serious
apprehensions. General Potty, we are glad to assure our readers, will be
once more in the saddle before many days. It is an odd coincidence that
all the principal commanders in the battle of Grierson were at one
period or another of the day carried to the rear; and that none of the
three is seriously hurt. Green and Lafayette were shot down, it appears,
within a few moments of each other. It was reported that they had been
having high words as to the reckless advance over the Sandusky, each
charging the blame upon the other; but it seems certain that the fault
was Lafayette's, who was in chief command, and was present in Grierson
itself at the time of the fatal manoeuvre. The result would have been
crushing, had not General Potty been left for some hours utterly without
ammunition; Commissary Scuttlebutt is loudly blamed. To-morrow's news is
everywhere awaited with an eagerness approaching to agony.
15th. _Scarlet_.--Late last night, orders reached General Pipes to fall
back on this place, where his reserves were diverted to support Piffle,
hard-pressed on the Sandusky. This morning the manoeuvre was effected
in good order, the enemy following us through Grierson and capturing one
hundred prisoners. The battle was resumed on the Sandusky with the same
fury; and it is still raging as I write. The enemy's Army of the Centre
is commanded, as we learn from stragglers, by General Napoleon; they
boast of large supports arriving, both from Savannah and Tahema
directions. The slaughter is something appalling; the whole of Potty's
infantry corps has marched to support Piffle; and as we have now no more
men within a day's ride, it is feared the enemy may yet manage to carry
Garrard and command the line of the river.
_Sandusky_.--This morning, General Stevenson marched out of town to the
southward on the Savannah and Sandusky road. It was fully expected that
he would have mounted the Sandusky river to support Piffle and engage
the enemy's Army of the Centre on the flank; and the present manoeuvre
is loudly criticised. Not only is the integrity of the line of the
Sandusky ventured, but Stevenson's own force is now engaged in a most
awkward country, with a difficult bridge in front. To add, if possible,
to our anxiety, it is reported that General Delafield, in yesterday's
engagement, lost 3,200 men, killed and wounded. He held his ground,
however, and by the last advices had killed 800 and taken 1,400
prisoners, with which he had fallen back again on Yolo itself. This
retrogression, it seems, is in accordance with his original orders: he
was either to hold Yolo, or if possible advance on Savannah via Brierly.
This last he judged unwise, so that he was obliged to cling to Yolo
itself. This also is seriously criticised in the best-informed circles.
Osbourne himself is reported to be in Savannah.
YALLOBALLY RECORD.--"We have never concealed our opinion that Osbourne
was a bummer and a scallywag; but the entire collapse of his campaign
beats the worst that we imagined possible. We have received, at the same
moment, news of Green and Lafayette's column being beaten ignominiously
back again across the Sandusky river and out of Grierson, a place on our
own side; and next of the appearance of a large body of troops at Yolo,
in the very heart of this great land, where they seem to have played the
very devil, taking prisoners by the hundred and marching with arrogant
footsteps on the sacred soil of the province of Savannah. General
Napoleon, the only commander who has not yet disgraced himself, still
fights an uphill battle in the centre, inflicting terrific losses and
upholding the honour of his country single-handed. The infamous Osbourne
is shaking in his spectacles at Savannah. He was roundly taken to task
by a public-spirited reporter, and babbled meaningless excuses; he did
not know, he said, that the force now falling in on us at Yolo was so
large. It was his business to know. What is he paid for? That force has
been ten days at least turning the east of the Mar Mountains, a week at
least on our own side of the frontier. Where were Osbourne's wits? Will
it be believed, the column at Lone Bluff is again short of ammunition?
This old man of the sea, whom all the world knows to be an ass and whom
we can prove to be a coward, is apparently a peculator also. If we were
to die to-morrow, the word Osbourne would be found engraven backside
foremost on our hearts."
Note. _The Tergiversation of the Army of the West_.--The delay of the
Army of the West, and the timorous counsels of Green and Lafayette, were
the salvation of Potty, Pipes, and Piffle. This is the third time we
hear of this great army crossing the river. It never should have left
hold. Lafayette had an overwhelming force at his back; and with a little
firmness, a little obstinacy even, he might have swallowed up the thin
lines opposed to him. On this day, the 16th, when we hear of his leaving
Grierson for the third time, his headquarters should have been in
Scarlet, and his guns should have enfiladed the weak posts of Piffle.
_Sandusky. Noon_.--Great gloom here. As everyone predicted, Stevenson
has already lost 600 men in the marshes at the mouth of the Sandusky,
men simply sacrificed. His wilful conduct in not mounting the river,
following on his melancholy defeat before Mar, and his long and fatal
hesitation as to the Armies of the West and Centre, fill up the measure
of his incapacity. His uncontrolled temper and undisguised incivility,
not only to the Press, but to fellow-soldiers of the stamp of Piffle,
have alienated from him even the sympathy that sometimes improperly
consoles demerit.
_Editorial_.--We leave our correspondents to speak for themselves,
reserving our judgment with a heavy heart. Piffle has the sympathy of
the nation.
_Scarlet_. 9 P.M.--The attack has ceased. Napoleon is moving off
southward. Our fellows smartly pursued and cut off 1,600 men; in
spreading along the other side of the Sandusky they fell on a flanking
column of the enemy's Army of the West and sent it to the right-about
with a loss of 800 left upon the field. This shows how perilously near
to a junction these two formidable armies were, and should increase our
joy at Napoleon's retreat. That movement is variously explained, but
many suppose it is due to some advance from Sandusky.
_Sandusky_.8 P.M.--Stevenson this afternoon occupied the angle between
the Glendarule and the Sandusky; his guns command the Garrard and
Savannah highroad, the only line of retreat for General Napoleon's guns,
and he has already hopelessly defeated and scattered a strong body of
supports advancing from Savannah to the aid of that commander. The enemy
lost 1,600 men; it is thought that this success and Stevenson's present
position involve the complete destruction or the surrender of the
enemy's Army of the Centre. The enemy have retired from the passes
behind Mar; but it is thought they have moved too late to save Savannah.
Pleasant news from Colonel Delafield, who, with a loss of 600, has
destroyed thrice that number of the enemy before Yolo.
17th. _Scarlet_.--The enemy turned last night, inflicting losses on the
combined forces of Generals Pipes and Piffle, amounting together to
1,600 men. But his retreat still continues, harassed by our cavalry and
guns. The rest of the troops out of Cinnabar have arrived, via
Glentower, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Everyone is in high
spirits. Potty has resumed command of his division; I met him half an
hour ago at lunch, when he expressed himself delighted with the
campaign.
_Sandusky_.--A great victory must be announced. Today Stevenson passed
the Sandusky, and occupied the right bank of the Glendarule and the
country in front of Savannah. General Napoleon, in full retreat upon
that place, found himself cut off, and, after a desperate struggle, in
which 2,600 fell, surrendered with 6,000 men. The wrecks of his army are
scattered far and wide, and his guns are lying deserted on the Garrard
road. At the very moment while Napoleon was surrendering his sword to
General Stevenson, the head of our colours cut off 1,400 men before
Savannah, which was under the fire of our guns, and destroyed a convoy
on the Mar and Savannah highroad. This completes the picture; the enemy
have now only one bridge over the Glendarule not swept by our artillery.
Delafield has had another partial success; with a loss of 1,000 he has
cut off 1,200 and made 400 prisoners, but a strong force ts reported on
the Yolo and Yallobally road, which, by placing him between two fires,
may soon render his hold on the Yolo untenable.
Note.--General Napoleon. His real name was Clamborough. The son of a
well-known linen-draper in Yolo, he was educated at the military college
of Savannah. His chief fault was an overwhelming vanity, which betrayed
itself in his unfortunate assumption of a pseudonym, and in the gorgeous
Oriental costumes by which he rendered himself conspicuous and absurd.
He received early warning of Stevenson's advance from Sandusky, but
refused to be advised, and did not begin to retreat until his army was
already circumvented. A characteristic anecdote is told of the
surrender. "General," said Napoleon to his captor, "you have to-day
immortalised your name." "Sir," returned Stevenson, whose brutality of
manner was already proverbial, "if you had taken as much trouble to
direct your army as your tailor to make your clothes, our positions
might have been reversed."
[Illustration: From the original sketch in Stevenson's Note-book]
_Editorial Comment_.--Unlike many others, we have never lost confidence
in General Stevenson; indeed, as our readers may remember, we have
always upheld him as a capable, even a great commander. Some little
ruffle at Scarlet did occur, but it was, no doubt, chargeable to the
hasty Potty; and now, by one of the finest manoeuvres on record, the
head general of our victorious armies has justified our most hopeful
prophecies and aspirations. There is not, perhaps, an officer in the
army who would not have chosen the obvious and indecisive move up the
Sandusky, which even our correspondent, able as he is, referred to with
apparent approval. Had Stevenson done that, the brave enemy who chooses
to call himself Napoleon might have been defeated twelve hours earlier,
and there would have been less sacrifice of life in the divisions of
Potty and the ignorant Piffle. But the enemy's retreat would not have
been cut off; his general would not now have been a prisoner in our
camp, nor should our cannon, advanced boldly into the country of our
foes, thunder against the gates of Savannah and cut off the supplies
from the army behind Mar. A glance at the map will show the authority of
our position; not a loaf of bread, not an ounce of powder can reach
Savannah or the enemy's Army of the East, but it must run the gauntlet
of our guns. And this is the result produced by the turning movement at
Yolo, General Stevenson's long inactivity in Sandusky, and his advance
at last, the one right movement and in the one possible direction.
YALLOBALLY RECORD.--"The humbug who had the folly and indecency to pick
up the name of Napoleon second-hand at a sale of old pledges, has been
thrashed and is a prisoner. Except the Army of the West, and the
division on the Mar road, which is commanded by an old woman, we have
nothing on foot but scattered, ragamuffin regiments. Savannah is under
fire; that will teach Osbourne to skulk in cities instead of going to
the front with the poor devils whom he butchers by his ignorance and
starves with his peculations. What we want to know is, when is Osbourne
to be shot?"
Note.--The _Record_ editor, a man of the name of McGuffog, was
subsequently hanged by order of General Osbourne. Public opinion
endorsed this act of severity. My great-uncle, Mr. Phelim Settle, was
present and saw him with the nightcap on and a file of his journals
around his neck; when he was turned off, the applause, according to Mr.
Settle, was deafening. He was a man, as the extracts prove, not without
a kind of vulgar talent.
YALLOBALLY EVENING HERALD.--"It would be idle to disguise the fact that
the retreat of our Army of the Centre, and the accidental capture of the
accomplished soldier whose modesty conceals itself under the pseudonym
of Napoleon, have created a slight though baseless feeling of alarm in
this city. Nearer the field the troops are quite steady, the inhabitants
enthusiastic, and the loyal and indefatigable Osbourne multiplies his
bodily presence. The events of yesterday were much exaggerated by some
papers, and the publication of one rowdy sheet, suspected of receiving
pay from the enemy, has been suspended by an order from headquarters.
Our Army of the West still advances triumphantly unresisted into the
heart of the enemy's country; the force at Yolo, which is a mere handful
and quite without artillery, will probably be rooted out to-morrow.
Addresses and congratulations pour in to General Osbourne; subscriptions
to the great testimonial Osbourne statue are received at the _Herald_
office every day between the hours of 10 and 4."
ABSTRACT OF SIX DAYS' FIGHTING, FROM THE 19TH TO THE 24TH, FROM THE
GLENDARULE TIMES SATURDAY SPECIAL.--"This week has been, on the whole,
unimportant; there are few changes in the aspect of the field of war,
and perhaps the most striking fact is the collapse of Colonel
Delafield's Yolo column. Fourteen hundred killed and eighteen hundred
prisoners is assuredly a serious consideration for our small army; yet
the good done by that expedition is not wiped away by the present
defeat; large reinforcements of troops and much ammunition have been
directed into the far east, and the city of Savannah and the enemy's
forces in the pass have thus been left without support. Delafield
himself has reached Mar, now in our hands, and the cavalry and stores of
the expedition, all safe, are close behind him. Yolo is a name that will
never be forgotten. Our forces are now thus disposed: Potty, with the
brave artillery, lies behind the south-east shoulder of the Blue
Mountains, on the Sandusky and Samuel City road; Piffle, with the Army
of the Centre, has fallen back into Sandusky itself; while Stevenson
still holds the same position across the Sandusky river, his advance to
which will constitute his chief claim to celebrity. Savannah was
bombarded from the 18th to the 20th, inclusive; 4,000 men fell in its
defence. Osbourne himself, directing operations, was seriously wounded
and sent to Yallobally; and on the evening of the 20th the city
surrendered, only 600 men being found within its walls. A heavy
contribution was raised: but the general himself, fearing to expose his
communications, remains in the same position and has not even occupied
the fallen city.
"In the meantime the army from the pass has been slowly drawing down to
the support of Savannah, suffering cruelly at every step. Yesterday
(24th) Mar was occupied by a corps of our infantry, who fell on the rear
of the retreating enemy, inflicting heavy loss."
NOTE.--Retreat of the Mar column. The army which so long and so usefully
held the passes behind Mar, over the neck of Long Bluff, did not begin
to retreat until the enemy had already occupied Mar and begun to engage
their outposts. Supplies had already been cut off by the advanced
position of Stevenson. The men were short of bread. The roads were
heavy; the horses starving. The rear of the column was continually and
disastrously engaged with the enemy pouring after. It is perhaps the
saddest chapter in the history of the war. My grandmother, Mrs. Hankey
(_nee_ Pillworthy), then a young girl on a mountain farm on the line of
the retreat, distinctly remembers giving a soda biscuit, which was
greedily received, to Colonel Diggory Jacks, then in command of our
division, and lending him an umbrella, which was never returned. This
incident, trivial as it may be thought, emphatically depicts the
destitution of our brave soldiers.
In the meantime, in the west, the enemy are slowly passing the rivers
and advancing with their main body on Scarlet, and with a single corps
on Glentower. Cinnabar was occupied on the 21st in the morning, and a
heavy contribution raised. The situation may thus be stated: In the
centre we are the sole arbiters, commanding the roads and holding a
position which can only be described as authoritative. In the east,
Delafield's corps has been destroyed; but the enemy's army of the pass,
on the other hand, is in a critical position and may, in the course of a
few days or so, be forced to lay down its arms. In the west, nothing as
yet is decided, and the movement through the Glentower Pass somewhat
hampers General Potty's position.
The comparative losses during these days are very encouraging, and
compare pleasingly with the cost of the early part of the campaign. The
enemy have lost 12,800 men, killed, wounded, and prisoners, as against
4,800 on our side.
YALLOBALLY HERALD.--Interview from General Osbourne with a special
reporter.--"I met the wounded hero some miles out of Yallobally, still
working, even as he walked, and surrounded by messengers from every
quarter. After the usual salutations, he inquired what paper I
represented, and received the name of the _Herald_ with satisfaction.
'It is a decent paper,' he said. 'It does not seek to obstruct a general
in the exercise of his discretion.' He spoke hopefully of the west and
east, and explained that the collapse of our centre was not so serious
as might have been imagined. 'It is unfortunate,' he said, 'but if Green
succeeds in his double advance on Glendarule, and if our army can
continue to keep up even the show of resistance in the province of
Savannah, Stevenson dare not advance upon the capital; that would expose
his communications too seriously for such a cautious and often cowardly
commander. I call him cowardly,' he added, 'even in the face of the
desperate Yolo expedition, for you see he is withdrawing all along the
west, and Green, though now in the heart of his country, encounters no
resistance.' The General hopes soon to recover; his wound, though
annoying, presents no character of gravity."
NOTE.--General Osbourne's perfect sincerity is doubtful. He must have
known that Green was hopelessly short of ammunition. "Unfortunate," as
an epithet describing the collapse of the Army of the Centre, is perhaps
without parallel in military criticism. It was not unfortunate, it was
ruinous. Stevenson was a man of uneven character, whom his own successes
rendered timid; this timidity it was that delayed the end; but the war
was really over when General Napoleon surrendered his sword on the
afternoon of the 17th.
THE DAVOS PRESS
_In the Reproductions which follow of Moral Emblems, etc., by R. L.
Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, the tint shows the actual size of the
paper on which the pamphlets were printed_
NOTICE.
Today is published by _S. L. Osbourne & Co._
ILLUSTRATED
BLACK CANYON,
_or_
Wild Adventures in the FAR WEST.
AN
Instructive and amusing TALE written by
_SAMUEL LLOYD OSBOURNE_
PRICE 6D.
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
Although _Black Canyon_ is rather shorter than ordinary for that kind of
story, it is an excellent work. We cordially recommend it to our
readers.
_Weekly Messenger._
S. L. Osbourne's new work (_Black Canyon_) is splendidly illustrated. In
the story, the characters are bold and striking. It reflects the highest
honor on its writer.
_Morning Call._
A very remarkable work. Every page produces an effect. The end is as
singular as the beginning. I never saw such a work before.
_R. L. Stevenson._
BLACK CANYON,
_or_
Wild Adventures in the FAR WEST
A