The battles of the British Army : $b being a popular account of all the principal engagements during the last hundred yearsBlackwood, Robert Melvin
History
The battles of the British Army : $b being a popular account of all the principal engagements during the last hundred years
Blackwood, Robert Melvin
Battles -- Great Britain; Great Britain -- History, Military; Great Britain. Army -- History
These signal repulses of a powerful and gallant enemy could not but
cost a heavy expenditure of blood. Many brave officers had fallen,
and at this period of the conflict the killed and wounded amounted to
upwards of eight hundred men.
The troops rested upon their arms, and each battalion on the ground it
had occupied the preceding day. The cavalry were stretched beside their
horses; all were ready for an attack; but the night passed with some
slight alarms, and no serious disturbance.
The morning was ushered in by a tremendous cannonade, while the
grenadiers of Lapisse’s division, in two columns, advanced again to
attack the height upon the left. They were bravely led forward by
their officers, and made many desperate but unavailing efforts to win
the summit of the hill, but nothing could shake the firmness of the
British. They allowed the columns to mount the rugged ascent, until
they had nearly touched the ridge, then a close volley, a loud huzza,
followed by rapid charge, broke the formation of the French, and sent
them precipitously down the hill. Again and again the attempt was
made with equal ill fortune; until, totally disheartened by repeated
repulses and leaving the ground heaped with dead, the enemy abandoned
all hope of carrying this well-defended position, and retreated out of
fire.
It was now half-past eight, and the fighting had never intermitted from
five that morning. The loss on both sides was frightful; the French
infinitely greater than the British. Their repeated attacks on the
height occasioned immense loss; and their troops, dispirited by want of
success, and wearied by constant but unavailing exertion, showed little
inclination to renew the battle.
The heat of the sun had become intolerable, and the movements, on the
French part, were stayed. Indeed, the firing had ceased over the field,
and the work of slaughter, by a sort of mutual consent, was for a time
suspended. The French commenced cooking their dinners, and the British
and their allies produced their scantier rations. During this temporary
cessation of hostilities, it was a matter of some deliberation with the
British commander, whether in turn he should become the assailant, or
remain quietly and await the result of the enemy’s decision; and it was
a fortunate circumstance that the latter was his determination.
At this time a curious incident occurred, that for a brief space
changed the character of the war, and, even on a battlefield covered
with the dead and dying, produced a display of kindly feeling between
two brave and noble-minded enemies.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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