Hearty acknowledgments are due to the authors and publishers who have so kindly permitted quotation from their books. Every such permission is more particularly mentioned in its place. The writer has also had many a talk with men who have fought in the Crimea, in India, in France, and in South Africa, and is indebted to them for some little personal touches such as give life and colour to a narrative. CONTENTS CHAPTER I SIEGE OF GIBRALTAR (1779-1782) PAGES The position of the Rock--State of defence--Food-supply--Rodney brings relief--Fire-ships sent in--A convoy in a fog--Heavy guns bombard the town--Watching the cannon-ball--Catalina gets no gift--One against fourteen--Red-hot shot save the day--Lord Howe to the rescue 17-27 CHAPTER II DEFENCE OF ACRE (1799) Jaffa stormed by Napoleon--Sir Sidney Smith hurries to Acre--Takes a convoy--How the French procured cannon-balls--The Turks fear the mines--A noisy sortie--Fourteen assaults--A Damascus blade--Seventy shells explode--Napoleon nearly killed--The siege raised--A painful retreat 28-36 CHAPTER III THE WOUNDED CAPTAIN IN TALAVERA (1809) Talavera between two fires--Captain Boothby wounded--Brought into Talavera--The fear of the citizens--The surgeons’ delay--Operations without chloroform--The English retire--French troops arrive--Plunder--French officers kind, and protect Boothby--A private bent on loot beats a hasty retreat 37-52 CHAPTER IV THE CAPTURE OF CIUDAD RODRIGO (1812) A night march--Waiting for scaling-ladders--The assault--Ladders break--Shells and grenades--A magazine explodes--Street fighting--Drink brings disorder and plunder--Great spoil 53-61 CHAPTER V THE STORMING OF BADAJOS (1812) Rescue of wounded men--A forlorn hope--Fire-balls light up the scene--A mine explodes--Partial failure of the English--Escalade of the castle--Pat’s humour and heroism--Saving a General--Wellington hears the news--The day after the storm 62-75 CHAPTER VI A PRISONER IN ST. SEBASTIAN (1813) The _coup de grâce_--The hospital--A cruel order--An attempt at escape--Removed to the castle--The English at the breach--Many are wounded--French ladies sleep in the open--A vertical fire--English gunners shoot too well--A good sabre lightly won 76-89 CHAPTER VII JELLALABAD (1842) Position of the town--Sale’s brigade rebuilds the defences--A sortie--Bad news--A queer noise--A ruse that did not succeed--The only survivor comes in--Story of a massacre--The earthquake--The walls are down--Are rebuilt--English magic--Pollock comes--Fight outside--The peril of Lady Sale 90-109 CHAPTER VIII SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL (1854-1856)