Great Britain -- Defenses; Imaginary wars and battles
The enemy, now driven into a triangle, fought with demoniacal strength,
and that frenzied courage begotten of despair. On the hills around
Sevenoaks and across to the valley at Otford, the slaughter of the
French was fearful. Britons fighting for their homes and their country
were determined that Britannia should still be Ruler of the World.
From Wimlet Hill the enemy were by noon totally cut up and routed by the
12th Middlesex (Civil Service), under Lord Bury; the 25th (Bank), under
Capt. W. J. Coe, V.D.; the 13th (Queen's), under Col. J. W. Comerford;
the 21st Middlesex, under Col. H. B. Deane, V.D.; and the 22nd, under
Col. W. J. Alt, V.D. Over at Oxted, however, they rallied, and some
brilliant charges by Cossacks, the slaughter of a portion of our advance
guard, and the capture of one of our Volunteer batteries on Botley Hill,
checked our advance.
The French, finding their right flank being so terribly cut up, had
suddenly altered their tactics, and were now concentrating their forces
upon the Volunteer position at Caterham in an endeavour to break through
our defensive line.
But the hills about that position held by the North London, West London,
South London, Surrey, and Cheshire Brigades were well defended, and the
General had his finger upon the pulse of his command. Most of the
positions had been excellently chosen. Strong batteries were established
at Gravelly Hill by the 9th Lancashire Volunteer Artillery, under Col.
F. Ainsworth, V.D.; at Harestone Farm by the 1st Cinque Ports, under
Col. P. S. Court, V.D.; at White Hill by the 1st Northumberland and the
1st Norfolk, under Col. P. Watts and Col. T. Wilson, V.D.; at Botley
Hill by the 6th Lancashire, under Col. H. J. Robinson, V.D.; at
Tandridge Hill by the 3rd Lancashire, under Col. R. W. Thom, V.D.; at
Chaldon by the 1st Newcastle, under Col. W. M. Angus, V.D., who had come
south after the victory at the Tyneside; at Warlingham village by the
1st Cheshire, commanded by Col. H. T. Brown, V.D.; at Warlingham Court
by the 2nd Durham, under Col. J. B. Eminson, V.D.; on the Sanderstead
road, near King's Wood, by the 2nd Cinque Ports, under Col. W. Taylor,
V.D.; and on the railway near Woldingham the 1st Sussex had stationed
their armoured train with 40-pounder breech-loading Armstrongs, which
they fired very effectively from the permanent way.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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