Great Britain -- Defenses; Imaginary wars and battles
The Russian army corps which marched from Leith upon Edinburgh about
seven o'clock on the following morning met with a most desperate
resistance. On Arthur's Seat a strong battery had been established by
the City of Edinburgh Artillery, under Col. J. F. Mackay, and the 1st
Berwickshire, under Col. A. Johnston; and on the higher parts of the
Queen's Drive, overlooking the crooked little village of Duddingston,
guns of the 1st Forfarshire, under Col. Stewart-Sandeman, V.D., flashed
and shed forth torrents of bullets and shell, which played havoc with
the enemy's infantry coming up the Portobello and Musselburgh roads.
Batteries on the Braid and Blackford Hills commanded the southern
portion of the city; while to the west, the battery on Corstorphine Hill
prevented the enemy from pushing along up the high road from Granton.
Between Jock's Lodge and Duddingston Mills the Russians, finding cover,
commenced a sharp attack about nine o'clock; but discovering, after an
hour's hard fighting, that to attempt to carry the defenders' position
was futile, they made a sudden retreat towards Niddry House.
The British commander, observing this, and suspecting their intention to
make a circuit and enter the city by way of Newington, immediately set
his field telegraph to work, and sent news on to the infantry brigade at
Blackford.
This consisted mainly of the Queen's Volunteer Rifle Brigade (Royal
Scots), under Col. T. W. Jones, V.D.; the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th
Volunteer Battalions of the Royal Scots, under Col. W. U. Martin, V.D.,
Col. W. I. Macadam, Col. Sir G. D. Clerk, Col. P. Dods, and Col. G. F.
Melville respectively, with a company of engineers. The intelligence
they received placed them on the alert, and ere long the enemy extended
his flank in an endeavour to enter Newington. The bridges already
prepared for demolition by the defenders were now promptly blown up, and
in the sharp fight that ensued the enemy were repulsed with heavy loss.
Meanwhile the formidable division of the 3rd Russian Army Corps guarding
the base at Leith had attacked the Corstorphine position, finding their
headquarters untenable under its fire, and although losing several guns
and a large number of men, they succeeded, after about an hour's hard
fighting, in storming the hill and sweeping away the small but gallant
band of defenders.
The fight was long. It was a struggle to the death. Over the whole
historic battle-ground from the Tweed to the Forth, fighting spread, and
everywhere the loss of life was terrible.
The long autumn day passed slowly, yet hostilities continued as vigorous
and sanguinary as they had begun. Before the sun sank many a brave
Briton lay dead or dying, but many more Muscovites had been sent to that
bourne whence none return.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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