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
At early morning, on the 23rd of September, the Allies turned their
backs on the memorable heights. Two men, strong and unwounded,
remained upon the field, and watched their departure; and in all
that proud array, flushed with victory, there were none who bore
more heroic hearts. Upwards of 200 wounded Russians still lay upon
the field; and Dr. Thompson, surgeon of the 44th regiment, and his
servant, volunteered to remain, and administer to their wants.
Every moment increased their loneliness and their danger; for
predatory bands of Cossack horsemen still hovered around the scene,
against whose revengeful lances the plea of mercy and Christian
charity would have been but an ineffectual shield; and yet these
two brave men quailed not in their mission, and many a dying foe
had his last pangs soothed, and parting agonies alleviated, by the
ministrations of these good Samaritans of peace.”
ALMANZA.--This battle was fought, April 4th, 1707, between the
confederate forces under the Earl of Galway, and the French and
Spaniards, commanded by James Fitzjames, Duke of Berwick, the
illegitimate son of James II of England, when most of the English
were killed or made prisoners of war, having been abandoned by the
Portuguese at the first charge.
ALMEIDA.--This was an important position, as a frontier town of
Portugal, in the Peninsular war. Massena laid siege to it August
15th, 1810, and the governor capitulated August 27th following. The
French crossed into Spain, leaving a garrison at Almeida, blockaded
by the British, April 6th, 1811. It was evacuated by the French,
May 11th, of the same year. In the end Wellington compelled Massena
to retire from Portugal, but the route of the French was tracked by
horrid desolation.
ALNEY.--This was rather a single combat than a battle, between
Edmund Ironside and Canute the Great, in sight of their armies. The
latter was wounded, when he proposed a division of the kingdom, the
south part falling to Edmund, A.D. 1016; but this prince having
been murdered at Oxford, shortly after the treaty, according to
some by the treachery of Aldric Streon, Canute was left in the
peaceable possession of the whole kingdom, A.D. 1017.
AMBOYNA.--This place is celebrated for the memorable massacre of
the English factors by the Dutch, February 17th, 1623; they were
cruelly tortured and put to death on an accusation of a conspiracy
to expel the Dutch from the island, where the two nations resided
and jointly shared in the pepper trade of Java. Amboyna was seized
by the English, February 16th, 1796, but was restored by the treaty
of Amiens in 1802. It was again seized by the British, February
17th, 1810, and was restored at the peace of 1814.
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