Foxholme Hall, and Other Tales

by William Henry Giles Kingston

irregular cavalry; these are met by theBashi-Bazouks, and a series of tournaments occur in the enamelled grassyspace intervening between the stern masses of advancing troops and thebreastworks of Kars. Two or three regiments of cavalry now advance fromthe Russian lines, and, after a trot of a mile or two, charge theretreating squadrons of Turkish cavalry. The rout of the latter iscomplete, but the Bashi-Bazouks, under a gallant native chief fromDamascus, Ali Bey, fight well while retreating. Suddenly puffs of densewhite smoke issue from the Karsdagh and Hafiz Pasha batteries, and thescreaming balls are seen to plough through the dense Russian masses.The enemy's artillery is now brought up, but their balls glanceharmlessly from the dense earthworks. The horsemen from both sides aremingled, and rush for the entrance; but the Cossacks fall under thedeadly fire of the batteries, while those on whom our guns cannot playare singled out by the Turkish riflemen, who line the rocky sides ofKarsdagh. The attempt to rush into the works has failed; after lessthan an hour's cannonading the enemy retires, while this repulse raisesthe spirits of the garrison to the height of enthusiasm. The Turkishloss has been trifling, perhaps twenty, while that of the enemy musthave been considerably more." So the fighting went on: sometimes theenemy approached the entrenchments and retired without making anattack--at other times they attempted to storm the place, but were weredriven back with slaughter. The British officers did not cease tostrengthen their position; but they had soon to contend with a moreterrible enemy than the Russians within their own entrenchments.

  All their supplies had been cut off--their provisions fell short, andfierce famine made its appearance. Discontent among the troops--theirregulars chiefly--naturally followed; the town was closely beset byCossack horsemen on every side. Still the war was carried on in acivilised manner, and, from the first, the Russian General Mouravieffshowed himself a truly chivalric and humane man. It was felt that,should Erzeroum be taken, a vast number of siege-guns would be broughtagainst Kars, and its doom be sealed.

  Another attack was made by the Russians on the 7th of August, but theywere driven back with considerable slaughter. But it is with theEnglish officers we have to do:--"No sign of despondency clouded thehonest face of General Williams. His `Good morning' salutation was ascheerful as on the morrow of the first little victory. He was thin--hecould not well be thinner: no wonder, for he never seemed to sleep.Long ere daylight he was with the sentries of Major Teesdale's battery,the point nearest the Russians, and his glass learned every movement;anon he was encouraging the Bashi-Bazouks and settling theirdifferences, or arranging some plan for feeding the townspeople; and inhis confidential conversation with his officers on the state of affairs,he would impress on them the duty of maintaining a bright and hopefulbearing, since all the garrison looked up to them for encouragement,Thompson lived altogether on the Karsdagh, and his glass ranged thehorizon from early morning until night; nor did he then go to a quietcouch; for, though he turned in, yet, after an hour's light slumber, hewould visit each sentry round the whole works, and no part of theposition was as well guarded as that where this Argus had taken up hisquarters. Teesdale lived with the gallant Hungarian, Kmety, and actedas chief of his staff. Besides his graver duties, he was constantlyharassing the Cossacks with parties of riflemen, or menacing andattacking the Russian cavalry with a company of rifles and a couple ofguns." Thus day after day skirmishing went on, but provisions becamemore and more scarce; scurvy, the cholera, and fever broke out; numbersdied, but the courage of the brave leaders never flagged. There was nolonger provender for the horses, and some of the cavalry, with a fearfulloss, cut their way through the enemy and escaped.

  But the day of battle was not longer to be delayed--that day which wasto win the renown a soldier covets for the gallant strangers who led theTurkish forces. On the 29th of September, before daybreak, one of theadvanced sentries of the chief battery, nearest to the enemy, heard asound in the distance, something like the rumbling of wheels and thetramp of infantry. Kmety was soon on the spot. He applied his ear tothe ground, and recognised the rumble of artillery-wheels; while stillthe measured tread of infantry was heard advancing nearer and nearer upthe valley. The night was moonless, and very dark. Again all wassilent. The Zebek riflemen look well to their percussion caps; the wordis passed to the artillery-men, "_peshref_" (grape); the advanced postscreep into the lines with the ominous words "_Ghiaour gueliur_" (Theinfidels are coming). A dark mass, faintly seen through the gloom, isobserved. It is moving; it is a column of men! A gun is pointed in thedirection, the match is applied, and a hissing shower of grape fliesinto the mass. An unearthly scream of agony from mangled human framesfollows the thunder of the gun, when both are drowned by a loud hurrahwhich rises on all sides, and soon the whole line of breastworks isassailed in front and flank. All surprise is at an end. The Russiansadvance in close column on the breastworks and redoubts, while someRussian batteries, well placed on a commanding eminence opposite, pourshot, shell, and grape into the redoubts. Steadily each columnadvances, while grape, round-shot, and musketry are pelted into them.They still rush on; their officers, with wondrous self-devotion, chargein front, and, single-handed, leap into the redoubts only to fallpierced with bayonets. Their columns, rent and torn, retire to reform.Meantime, on the left flank and rear of the position, the breastworksare carried; a number of tents are occupied by Russian troops, whiletheir officers, ignorant that the redoubts are closed, flatterthemselves that the position is won. Kmety now, however, hastilygathers together a formidable body of his best troops; Teesdale turnssome guns towards the rear and works them vigorously; Kmety's riflemenpour into these partially victorious Russians a continued andwell-directed fire, which holds them in check, and woefully thins theirranks. Meantime, the son has risen, and shows each position of theenemy. A sulphurous cloud envelops the scenes of fiercest conflict,while reserves in formidable numbers crown the distant slopes. Freshcolumns of the enemy charge again and again the front line ofbreastworks and batteries, from which they are at first driven back:they are received with a deadly and withering fire; and thus the fightcontinues. But this is not the only struggle going on. The line ofbreastworks and forts protecting the heights on the north of the townare attacked simultaneously by overpowering numbers, and being defendedonly by a weak force, mainly of Laz irregulars, are carried and occupiedby Russian troops, who pile arms and wait for further orders; while theRussian artillery-men employ their time in busily shelling the town,which they now command. Meantime, General Williams from the centre ofthe camp is watching events. He despatches a body under Kherim Pasha,which appears suddenly on the flank of a large body of Russians nowgaining ground in the rear of the Turks on the chief battery. A loudyell arises of triumph and vengeance. Baba Kherim waves his sword; histroops pour a volley into the enemy; Kmety and his men, hithertooverpowered, raise a responsive cheer: they rush on, crying, "_Sungu_!_sungu_!" (The bayonet! the bayonet!) Teesdale pours fresh grape intothe staggering masses; the Russians waver--they give way--the havocslacks not. The Turkish artillery hurl round-shots into these columnsof brave and devoted men. Captain Thompson, on the extreme east, iswith might and main working a heavy gun, and keeping the enemy in check.Once, and once only, there is a slight sign of giving way, but GeneralWilliams despatching reinforcements, changes the backward into a forwardmovement. The loud hurrahs of the Russian hosts are mingled with theyells of the Turks, who tight like tigers, charging repeatedly with thebayonet. White-turbaned citizens are seen plunging into the fight,hewing with their scimitars; athletic and savage Lazistan mountaineersfight with the clubbed rifle, or hurl stones at the advancing foe, whilethe latter, ever obedient to a stern discipline, advance again and againto the deadly batteries, and are blown from the very mouths of the guns.Strong proof is there of the excellence of Colonel Lake's batteries.For seven and a half hours the furious contest rages; when about mid-daythe Russian columns are seen running down the hill, their cavalry andartillery steadily protecting their retreat. A confused mass ofcitizens follows
them with the utmost temerity, firing into theirretreating ranks. But where was the Turkish cavalry? Two thousandhorsemen would have destroyed the Russian army, but none remain. Theenemy reform, and march off unmolested.

  The victory was complete, and the brave garrison looked forward withhope to relief, but relief did not come--cholera did, and famine. Theprovisions decreased, and many soldiers died of starvation, of cholera,sometimes fifty in a night. News, however, came that Selim Pasha hadlanded at Trebizond, and was advancing to their succour, and so ourbrave countrymen resolved not to yield. Still the relief did not come.Famine, disease, and death stalked round the camp. Human endurancecould last no longer. The 25th of November arrived, and GeneralWilliams and his aide-de-camp, Teesdale, rode over, under a flag oftruce, to the Russian camp, to propose a capitulation. They were wellreceived by the