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
AUGHRIM, BATTLE OF.--Near Athlone, in Ireland. This battle was
fought, July 12th, 1691, between the Irish, headed by the French
General St. Ruth, and the English under General Ginckel, when the
former lost 7000 men; the latter only 600 killed and 960 wounded.
St. Ruth was slain. This engagement proved decisively fatal to the
interests of James II in Ireland, Ginckel was immediately created
Earl of Athlone; the ball by which St. Ruth was killed is still
preserved suspended in the choir of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin.
AUGSBURG, BATTLE OF.--Fought between the Imperialists and the
French army, the latter commanded by Moreau; who obtained so
complete a victory, that Augsburg and Munich were opened to him.
It was fought August 26th, 1796; Moreau, September 2nd following,
again defeated the Austrians on the Jun, and again, September 7th,
at Mainburg.
AUSTERLITZ, BATTLE OF.--Fought December 2nd, 1805, between the
French and Austrian armies; gained by the former. Three Emperors
commanded at this battle, Alexander of Russia, Francis of Austria,
and Napoleon of France. The killed and wounded exceeded 40,000 on
the side of the Allies, who lost besides, 40 standards, 150 pieces
of cannon, and many thousands of prisoners. This decisive victory
of the French led to the treaty of Presburg, which was signed
December 26th same year.
B.
BABYLON.--This city was first taken by Ninus, B.C. 2059, then by
Esar-haddon, B.C. 680. Both Darius and Cyrus took the city, the
first through the fidelity of his officer Zopyrus, who having cut
off his nose and ears fled to the Babylonians, and was admitted
within the walls, and found means shortly afterwards to betray the
city--the other by turning the course of the river Euphrates, and
marching his soldiers up the dry bed into the city.
BADAJOS, SIEGE OF.--This important frontier fortress had
surrendered to the French, March 11th, 1811, and was invested
by the British under Lord Wellington, on March 16th, 1812; and
stormed and taken on April following. The siege is one of the most
important in the annals of warfare; for the victory was not only a
glorious military achievement in itself, but it obliged the French,
who had entered Portugal for the purpose of plunder, to commence a
precipitate retreat from that kingdom. For particulars, see Life of
Wellington, and Napier’s Peninsular War.
BADEN, TREATY OF.--Between France and the Emperor, September
7th, 1814. It was erected into a grand duchy of the Rhenish
Confederation in 1806. Its territorial acquisitions, by its
alliance with France, was guaranteed by the Vienna Congress of 1815.
BALAKLAVA, BATTLE OF.--Fought October 25th, 1854. If the exhibition
of the most brilliant valour, of the excess of courage, and of
a daring which would have reflected lustre on the best days of
chivalry can afford full consolation for the disaster of to-day, we
can have no reason to regret the melancholy loss which we sustained
in a contest with a savage and barbarous enemy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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