Great Britain -- History -- Commonwealth and Protectorate, 1649-1660 -- Sources; Great Britain -- History -- Early Stuarts, 1603-1649 -- Sources
The next day, the other two Towers were summoned; in one of which
was about six or seven score; but they refused to yield themselves:
and we knowing that hunger must compel them, set only good guards
to secure them from running away until their stomachs were come
down. From one of the said Towers, notwithstanding their condition,
they killed and wounded some of our men. When they submitted, their
officers were knocked on the head; and every tenth man of the
soldiers killed; and the rest shipped for the Barbadoes. The soldiers
in the other Tower were all spared, as to their lives only; and
shipped likewise for the Barbadoes.
I am persuaded that this is a righteous judgment of God upon these
barbarous wretches, who have imbrued their hands in so much innocent
blood; and that it will tend to prevent the effusion of blood for
the future. Which are the satisfactory grounds to such actions,
which otherwise cannot but work remorse and regret. The officers and
soldiers of this Garrison were the flower of their army. And their
great expectation was, that our attempting this place would put fair
to ruin us; they being confident of the resolution of their men, and
the advantage of the place. If we had divided our force into two
quarters to have besieged the North Town and the South Town, we could
not have had such a correspondency between the two parts of our Army,
but that they might have chosen to have brought their Army, and have
fought with which part of ours they pleased,--and at the same time
have made a sally with 2,000 men upon us, and have left their walls
manned; they having in the Town the number hereafter specified, but
some say near 4,000....
And now give me leave to say how it comes to pass that this work
is wrought. It was set upon some of our hearts, that a great thing
should be done, not by power or might, but by the Spirit of God.
And is it not so, clearly? That which caused your men to storm so
courageously, it was the Spirit of God, who gave your men courage,
and took it away again; and gave the Enemy courage, and took it away
again; and gave your men courage again, and therewith this happy
success. And therefore it is good that God alone have all the glory.
FOOTNOTE:
[2] "Tenalia," a kind of advanced defensive work, which takes its
name from its resemblance, real or imaginary, to the lips of a pair
of pincers (Carlyle).
THE NAVIGATION ACT (1651).
(EXCERPT.)
=Source.=--_Acts and Ordinances of the Interregnum._ Vol. ii., p. 559.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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