The battles of the world : $b or, cyclopedia of battles, sieges, and important military eventsBorthwick, J. Douglas (John Douglas)
History
The battles of the world : $b or, cyclopedia of battles, sieges, and important military events
Borthwick, J. Douglas (John Douglas)
Battles; Military history
paralyzed by their sudden appearance, and drove them back. But
in achieving this desperate feat, they had separated themselves
from the main body, and cut off the possibility of retreat. The
unfinished redoubt, which we have already mentioned, now opened
a deadly fire on their ranks; and had it not been for the timely
arrival of General Bosquet and the remainder of the division, who
had succeeded in reaching the plateau, scarcely a Zouave would
have remained to tell the tale of that gallant achievement. Prince
Napoleon, too, had by this time crossed the stream, and arrived at
the scene of action, and the indefatigable French artillerists had
succeeded, with immense difficulty, in dragging a few guns up the
steep hill-side.
Animated by these reinforcements, the brave Zouaves gallantly
charged the Russian lines, now concentrated nearer the main body,
and advanced towards the redoubt whose guns had inflicted such loss
in their ranks. Two of their number, Lieutenant Poitevin and a
sergeant, rushed in advance of their comrades, and leaping upon the
works, planted the French flag on the redoubt. But they paid dearly
for their temerity. The shouts of the French soldiers, hailing
this gallant deed, had scarcely reached their ears, when they fell
mortally wounded beneath the flag they had raised.
Taken by surprise by this desperate assault upon his left wing,
Prince Menschikoff hastily detached considerable reinforcements
from his main body to the succour of the embarrassed regiments
yielding to the prowess of their French antagonists. Then the
battle waged fiercely: the French, with all the chivalry of their
race, gallantly charged the Russian masses, and at the bayonet’s
point forced them to retreat. The enemy’s artillery, however,
poured a tremendous fire into the ranks of our allies, and for
a time the issue of the contest seemed doubtful. Some French
regiments of the line were driven back, so deadly was the fire to
which they were exposed; and nothing but the unflinching gallantry
of the troops who were enabled to hold their ground, prevented them
from being ignominiously precipitated from the cliffs they had so
adventurously scaled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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