Annals of a FortressViollet-le-Duc, Eugène-Emmanuel
History
Annals of a Fortress
Viollet-le-Duc, Eugène-Emmanuel
Fortification -- France -- History; Fortification -- History; Siege warfare -- History
The conflict was sanguinary. The besiegers, driven back against the
intrenchment, could neither deploy nor manoeuvre. Messire Charles
d'Amboise sent a reinforcement, but the bombardiers of the tower G, at
the risk of killing some of their own party, discharged stone balls and
leaden bullets over the intrenchment at the fresh troops. Some
well-aimed shots threw this battalion into confusion, as the soldiers
could not see what was taking place in the interior, and were besides
exposed to projectiles thrown by defenders mounted on the salient of the
intrenchment. In fact the utmost these last comers could do was to
facilitate the retreat of their comrades, which had become a very
perilous one. The outwork was therefore recovered by the besieged--were
they able to keep it?
Messire Charles d'Amboise saw that it was not prudent to hurry on an
attack, and that in the face of a resolute garrison he must determine to
proceed methodically. As the last rays of daylight faded the besiegers
had all repassed the intrenchment conquered the day before, and were
leaving on the field more than a hundred dead, wounded, and prisoners.
They had been obliged to abandon the culverin they had seized. The
wounded were transported to the abbey and consigned to the care of the
monks, who attended to them as well as to the wounded among the
besieged. The prisoners were shut up in the castle, where they were well
treated. Some Swiss were among them.
It was painful to the Sire de Montcler to abandon the outwork after this
success; but it was evident that the besiegers would make new efforts to
seize it, since the place was accessible only on that side, and many
men must be sacrificed in retaining it. Now the garrison had suffered in
the last struggle losses at least equivalent to those of the enemy; and
these losses could not be repaired, while the troops of the king of
France would be reinforced, if necessary. The Swiss prisoners, when
questioned, had not concealed the fact that the enemy might reckon upon
a fresh body of their own countrymen, five hundred in number, before
long.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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