“At that moment the Austrian general, Schmidt, who had led the Russian corps from Dürrenstein, headed a final charge which was to strike a crushing blow and complete the destruction of our column. But Fabvier (the colonel in charge of Mortier’s artillery) heard them advance. Concealed by the darkness, he let Schmidt approach quite near. Then he suddenly fired the gun on that side, at the shortest range, in among the headmost of the attacking troops. The discharge threw the enemy into confusion and killed their leader. Into this bloody opening Mortier and Gazan precipitated themselves, overthrowing everything before them. Dürrenstein itself was retaken in the impetuous dash.” It was indeed a _tour de force_; a sudden reversal of the fortunes of the fight. The feat in its complete accomplishment surprised even Mortier’s expectations. “The Marshal, in fact, could hardly believe his own success.” So an officer puts it. But he had done more than burst through the toils. As daylight next morning showed, the Russians, driven headlong, had abandoned six of their guns, and left in the hands of the French no fewer than twelve standards. Two of them were taken by the two Dupont regiments which had so gallantly flung themselves on the Russian rear. That was as concerned honour and glory. As a set off, barely 2,000 remained of Mortier’s corps of 6,000 men. Two-thirds of the total when the roll was called next day were found to have fallen on the field. [Sidenote: THEIR FATE STILL IN DOUBT] Mortier’s men regained Dürrenstein, all in flames; set on fire by the Russians as they evacuated the village. But where was Dupont and his Division? They had heard Dupont’s distant guns just before dark; but except the two regiments who had been rushed forward independently, ahead of the main body, starting immediately after Mortier’s visit in the early afternoon, no help from Dupont had reached them. Gazan’s wearied survivors of the midnight battle dared not even yet lay aside their arms. The fight was not all over. The enemy were still near by; just beyond the outskirts of the village. Both the Russian divisions that they had been fighting with in front and rear had in the end united. Outnumbering Mortier’s men as they did by ten to one, the Russians would certainly turn back and be on them before long with re-formed ranks, eager to take vengeance for their defeat and the rough handling they had undergone. But the end was near. Suddenly, from the farther side of Dürrenstein, from the direction in which the enemy had fallen back, there came a violent outburst of firing. Immediately on that followed sounds of shouting. Then there was the trampling rush of a great host of men all making for the village. “With despair in our hearts we were preparing for another battle, when, in answer to our challenge of ‘Qui vive?’ came back, with electrifying effect, the answer ‘France!’ It was Dupont. At last he had arrived to the rescue of his Marshal.