Palafox and his brother the marquis remained near Santa Engracia, trying to encourage their followers to repair the barricades behind the breaches, and to loophole and strengthen those of the houses which still stood firm. But amid the dreadful and unceasing storm of projectiles it was hard to keep the men together, and most of the projected retrenchments were battered down before they could be finished. At two o’clock in the afternoon of the fourth, Verdier let loose his storming columns, composed of four Polish and nine French battalions[127]. They were directed in three bodies against three separate breaches, the easternmost in the Convent of Santa Engracia, the second at the gate of the same name, the third more to the left, in the wall near the gate of the Carmen. All three were successful in forcing their way into the city: the defences had been completely shattered, and at one point 300 continuous yards of the outer wall had fallen. The Spaniards clung for some time to the cloisters and church of Santa Engracia, but were at last expelled or exterminated, and 1,000 yards of the _enceinte_ with the adjoining buildings were in the hands of the French. [127] I find in the _Vaughan Papers_ the following note: ‘General Lefebvre-Desnouettes was residing at Cheltenham on parole, having been taken prisoner at Benavente by Lord Paget. I went to Cheltenham on May 27, 1809, for the express purpose of seeing the general. He told me that he had advanced at first with no more than 3,000 men, but that after General Verdier joined him, the French force employed against Saragossa was 15,000 men. I understood that in the attack of July 2 and the previous fighting they lost 2,000 men, and that their total loss in the whole siege was 4,000, including three generals wounded.’ _Nap. Corresp._ (xvii. 389, 426) calls the whole force before Saragossa on August 2, 17,300 men. But there seems to have been present in all only-- (1) Lefebvre-Desnouettes’ column: { 2nd of the Vistula (1st and 2nd batts.) 1376 Brigade { 70th of the line (3rd batt.) 379 Grandjean { 4th _bataillon de marche_ 581 { 6th ditto 655 = 2991 { 1st of the Vistula (1st and 2nd batts.) 1243 Brigade { 1st supplementary regiment of the Legions Habert { of Reserve (1st and 2nd batts.) 1030 { 47th of the line (3rd batt.) 420 { 15th ditto (4th batt.) 411 = 3104 { Regiment of Polish Lancers 717 Cavalry { 5th _escadron de marche_ 217 = 934