The battles of the world

FORT ERIE.--_Canada._--This fortress was taken by the American General Brown, July 3rd, 1814. Defended by only 170 men, no wonder it yielded to the Americans with 4000 strong. O...

This diversion, however, which was caused so opportunely by Bulow’s arrival, naturally brought great relief to the British line. It drew off Count Lobau’s corps, the sixth, of 7...

Xerxes, still entertaining some hopes of their flight, waited four days on purpose to give them time to retreat;[9] and in this interval of time he used his utmost endeavours to...

The Protector of the Commonwealth proved himself quite as jealous of maintaining the power and privileges of the navy, as any of his kingly predecessors, and he did what not one...

POICTIERS, 1356.--“Ten years after the victory of Crecy, a similar event took place in one of the south-west districts of France, at Poictiers, the capital of Poiteau. Edward “t...

During the whole pursuit it had been Nelson’s practice, whenever circumstances would permit, to have his captains on board the _Vanguard_, and explain to them his own ideas of t...

RIFLE PITS, CONTEST AT THE.--_Crimean war._ “The bombardment was re-opened on Easter Monday, the 9th April, soon after daybreak. Heavy rain fell all day, and the dense atmospher...

“Never was victory more complete. The trophies were innumerable. Marshal Jourdan’s baton of command was brought to Lord Wellington, who sent it to the Prince Regent, from whom h...

The English came on in three divisions, each division as strong as the whole Scottish army. At the first clash of spears the entire body of the Scottish cavalry, led by the trai...

The next day took us thirteen miles on a road of extreme barrenness; the high, wild, rugged mountains, hemmed in the narrow defile; the skeletons of the massacred force still st...

As to the strength of the British army, there can be no kind of doubt upon that point, for the actual numbers present in each battalion and squadron was carefully recorded; and...

So ended the war of 1855 with Russia; for this was really its last incident, General Mouravieff having already dismantled the fortifications of Kars, and withdrawn the bulk of h...

L’ORIENT, BATTLE OF.--Lord Bridport achieved a memorable victory over the French fleet, June 23rd, 1795. The British squadron actually engaged consisted of 10 ships of the line-...

Alliance of Leipsic April 9, 1631. “ “ Vienna May 27, 1657. “ The Triple Jan. 28, 1668. “ The Grand May 12, 1689. “ The Hague Jan. 4, 1717. “ The Quadruple Aug. 2, 1718. “ The G...

ST. CHARLES.--On the 6th of November, 1837, a riot occurred at Montreal, but no lives were lost. On the 10th, Sir John Colborne, the Commander of the Forces, removed his head qu...

“General Havelock arrived before Cawnpore on the 18th July, and so eager was he to rescue the garrison (for he was not yet aware of what had happened), that he attacked the Sepo...

The general instructions furnished to Marshal St. Arnaud (who, by reason of the French army being so numerically superior to the English, and his military rank as marshal being...

Precisely at this hour the French artillery opened fire upon the orchards of Hougoumont, and Jerome, with his division, moved forward to the attack. As we have seen, Napoleon hi...

OUDENARDE, BATTLE OF.--Fought, July 11th, 1708, between the Allies, commanded by Marlborough, and Prince Eugene and the French. The French were defeated, and completely routed,...

At this juncture Sir Isaac Brock arrived. He had for days suspected this invasion, and on the preceding evening he called his staff together and gave to each the necessary instr...

Our attacking force was composed of detachments from the Light and Second Divisions. About 400 men from the 18th, 7th, 47th, 49th, were told off to lead the assault, under the i...

Entered, according to Act of Provincial Parliament, in the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, by JOHN MUIR, in the Office of the Registrar of the Province of Canada.

Onward swept that magnificent charge, officers and men vying with each other who should be foremost to avenge their comrades’ death. But before they reached the guns, Prince Men...

“The garrison of Sebastopol having failed, on the 2nd of August, in a desperate attempt to forces the Allied lines by the Woronzoff Road, remained inactive only in appearance. T...

But now of his great rival and conqueror:--The Duke of Wellington had not the same opportunity for displaying his skill and talent in 1815, which he had enjoyed in 1813. His pro...

During four days, the besiegers were employed in constructing three galleries to cross the Rua Quemada. Two of these failed. By means of the third they succeeded in establishing...

The 20th and 47th regiments now arrived to the assistance of the gallant 49th and 41st, driven with such dreadful slaughter from the two-gun battery. The brave Colonel Carpenter...

From the first landing at Pehtang until after the capture of the forts, the army was entirely dependent on sea-borne provisions, brought from the fleet in gunboats and carried a...

Strong detachments guarded the different hotels of the ministers. Loud cries and shouts were constantly heard, of “Down with the Jesuits!”--“Down with the Bourbons!” “Death to t...

In this final assault the English lost no fewer than 29 officers and 356 men killed, and 124 officers and 1762 men wounded; 1 officer and 175 men were missing; total of casualti...

“The chiefs of the Mamelukes, with their adherents, being assembled, by invitation from the Pacha of Egypt, within the citadel of Cairo, after a time, according to eastern custo...

Joseph, the nominal King of Spain, was apprized of the approach of the English and Spanish forces, and marched out of Madrid with 25,000 French veterans, commanded by Marshals J...

He was not far from the city, when he met a vessel covered with streamers and olive branches, bringing ten of the most considerable persons of the state, as ambassadors to implo...

Well and earnestly was this duty performed. All night long were the wretched French pursued. Nine times did they attempt to halt for rest, and nine times was the Prussian drum h...

1264 There were 700 Jews slain in London, because one of them would have forced a Christian to have paid more than two-pence, for the use of twenty shillings a week.

IRUN, BATTLE OF.--Between the British auxiliary legion, under General Evans, and the Carlist forces. It was fought, May 17th, 1837. On the 16th, the legion marched from St. Seba...

At ten minutes past eleven, our Light Cavalry brigade advanced. The whole brigade scarcely made one effective regiment, according to the numbers of continental armies; and yet i...

BOMBARDMENT OF SEBASTOPOL.--_First Attempt._--“At half-past six o’clock, on the morning of 17th October, a gun from the English batteries boomed ominously upon the ears of the R...

The Italians, we are assured, behaved with great heroism, and, no doubt although they lost the day, they came off without loss of honour. An advance across the Mincio, right int...

1618 Sir Walter Raleigh is executed for high treason, at the instigation of the Spanish ambassador. The poet Shakspeare flourished during the beginning of this and the latter pa...

219 Hannibal takes Saguntum; originates the second Punic war, which lasts seventeen years; 218 Crosses the Alps; defeats the Romans, first on the river Ticinus, then on the Treb...

Mourad Bey, no sooner perceived the lateral movement of the French army, than, with a promptitude of decision worthy of a skilful general, he resolved to attack the columns whil...

As the Spanish Admiral had orders not to engage in hostilities till he should have seen the Prince of Parma’s army landed in England, he took no notice of the English fleet, but...

“The Prussian leader calculated that if he made a demonstration of a careless march towards Munchengratz by the highroad and railway, the Austrians, who might be on the Mushey B...

While the centre advanced slowly, but surely, a space seemed to be left between the ground they had occupied and the left of the Austrians, who were continually retiring there....

Some of the Zouaves were themselves taken prisoners and sent to Vienna, where they attracted extraordinary notice. On their arrival they were surrounded by Hungarian and Polish...

The advancing columns having approached within a few yards of the summit of the eminence, halted, and deployed into line, and thus marched on, when having reached the apex of th...

Orders were despatched to Sir George Cathcart, and to H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, to put their respective divisions, the Fourth and the First, in motion for the scene of actio...

Still our success was insufficient. No retribution had been exacted for the violation of the flag of truce, and for the murder of our countrymen, and no one seemed to feel certa...

HARLAW, BATTLE OF.--Fought, July 24th, 1411, between the Earl of Mar, who commanded the Royal army, and Donald, the Lord of the Isles. Neither army gained the victory, it being...

1815 Bonaparte sailed from Elba, and landed with 1,000 men at Cannes, in France. Bonaparte enters Paris, March 21. An attempt made by Margaret Moore to steal the Crown from the...

“Five days before this desperate attempt to force the passage of the river at Oltenitza, General Luders had succeeded in crossing, at Galatz, into the Dobrudscha. Gortschakoff,...

There remained only the division of Foy, which formed the extreme right of the French line, and still maintained a gallant fight. It seemed difficult for this General to extrica...

1864 Tercentenary of Shakspeare, April 10th. Great storm at Calcutta, October 5th. General Sherman returns to Vicksburg from a successful raiding expedition into Albania and Mis...

“First body of French troops leaves Toulon; Austrian ultimatum dispatched from Vienna to Turin. It is received at Turin. The limit fixed by the ultimatum (of three days) expires...

Pg 25: ‘men vieing with’ replaced by ‘men vying with’. Pg 39: ‘28,000 prisioners’ replaced by ‘28,000 prisoners’. Pg 40: ‘The seige is one’ replaced by ‘The siege is one’. Pg 47...