He went immediately to Marshal Soult, then Governor of Madrid, told him
what had taken place, and reminded him of the decree to suppress this
institution. Marshal Soult told him that he might go and suppress it The
Colonel said that his regiment (the 9th. of the Polish Lancers,) was not
sufficient for such a service, but if he would give him two additional
regiments, the 117th, and another which he named, he would undertake the
work. The 117th regiment was under the command of Col. De Lile, who
is now, like Col. L., a minister of the gospel, and pastor of an
evangelical church in Marseilles, France. "The troops required were
granted, and I proceeded," said Col. L., "to the Inquisition which was
situated about five miles from the city. It was surrounded by a wall of
great strength, and defended by a company of soldiers. When we arrived
at the walls, I addressed one of the sentinels, and summoned the holy
fathers to surrender to the Imperial army, and open the gates of the
Inquisition. The sentinel who was standing on the wall, appeared to
enter into conversation with some one within, at the close of which he
presented his musket, and shot one of my men. This was the signal of
attack, and I ordered my troops to fire upon those who appeared on the
walls."
It was soon obvious that it was an unequal warfare. The soldiers of the
holy office were partially protected by a breast-work upon the walls
which were covered with soldiers, while our troops were in the open
plain, and exposed to a destructive fire. We had no cannon, nor could
we scale the walls, and the gates successfully resisted all attempts at
forcing them. I could not retire and send for cannon to break through
the walls without giving them time to lay a train for blowing us up.
I saw that it was necessary to change the mode of attack, and directed
some trees to be cut down and trimmed, to be used as battering rams. Two
of these were taken up by detachments of men, as numerous as could work
to advantage, and brought to bear upon the walls with all the power they
could exert, while the troops kept up a fire to protect them from the
fire poured upon them from the walls. Presently the walls began to
tremble, a breach was made, and the Imperial troops rushed into the
Inquisition. Here we met with an incident, which nothing but Jesuitical
effrontery is equal to. The Inquisitor General, followed by the father
confessors in their priestly robes, all came out of their rooms, as we
were making our way into the interior of the Inquisition, and with long
faces, and arms crossed over their breasts, their fingers resting on
their shoulders, as though they had been deaf to all the noise of
the attack and defence, and had just learned what was going on, they
addressed themselves in the language of rebuke to their own soldiers,
saying, "WHY DO YOU FIGHT OUR FRIENDS, THE FRENCH?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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