The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition, Vol. 22: Juvenilia and Other PapersStevenson, Robert Louis
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The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition, Vol. 22: Juvenilia and Other Papers
Stevenson, Robert Louis
English literature -- 19th century
11th. _Scarlet_.--The horse-artillery returned through Scarlet on the
Glendarule road; hideous confusion reigns; were the enemy to fall upon
us now, the best opinions regard our position as hopeless. Authentic
news has been received of the desertion of Cinnabar.
_Sandusky_.--The enemy has again appeared, threatening Mar, and the
column moving to the relief of the Yolo column has stopped in its
advance in consequence. General Stevenson moved out a column with
artillery, and crushed a flanking party of the enemy's great centre army
on Scarlet, Garrard, and Savannah road; no loss was sustained on our
side; the enemy's loss is officially calculated at four hundred killed
or wounded.
_Scarlet_.--At last the moment has arrived. The enemy, with a strong
column of horse and horse-artillery, occupied Grierson this morning.
This, with his Army of the Centre moving steadily forward upon Garrard,
places all the troops in and around this place in imminent danger of
being entirely cut off, or being forced to retreat before overwhelming
forces across the Blue Mountains, a course, according to all military
men, involving the total destruction of General Potty's force. Piffle's
whole corps, with the heavy artillery, continued its descent on the left
bank of the Sandusky river, while Potty, dashing through Scarlet at the
hand-gallop, and among the cheers of the populace, moved off along the
Grierson road, collecting infantry as he moved, and riding himself at
the head of the horse-artillery.
NOTE.--General Potty was an airy, amiable, affected creature, the very
soul of bravery and levity. He had risen rapidly by virtue of his
pleasing manners; but his application was small, and he lacked
self-reliance at the Council Board. Piffle called him a parrot; he
returned the compliment by calling Piffle "the hundred-weight of
bricks." They were scarce on speaking terms.
Half an hour after, he had driven the fore-guard of the enemy out of
Grierson without the loss of a trooper on our side; the enemy's loss is
reckoned at 1,600 men. I telegraph at this juncture before returning to
the field. So far the work is done; Potty has behaved nobly. But he
remains isolated by the retreat of Piffle, with a large force in front,
and another large force advancing on his unprotected flank.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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