Part 35

“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, defeated as he had been, resolved upon abandoning the position he had so disastrously occupied, and shifting his ground farther to the east, effected a passage at Tultscha, beyond the point where Luders had passed with his army. The two divisions were now united, and numbered about 5000 men. By a curious coincidence, the 23rd of March, the day on which Gortschakoff crossed the river, was the same day in which Odessa was so successfully bombarded by the allied fleets. Thus was the Russian success more than counterbalanced. Four days later, England and France had officially entered into the struggle. The great object of the enemy’s movements now became apparent. Prince Paskiewitch, the veteran General, the most celebrated commander of the Russian army, was summoned from Poland to assume the supreme command, and Schilders, the most accomplished general of engineers, also hastened to the scene of operations. The capture of Silistria, the strongest fortress on the southern bank of the Danube, and the key to Bulgaria, was evidently the object of the Russians. So important was the possession of this place deemed by the Czar, that the most imperative directions were forwarded to accomplish it at any cost. The plan of operations was this. Gortschakoff and Luders, having crossed the Danube, were to advance towards Silistria, intercepting communications, and investing it on the land side; while Paskiewitch was to throw forward the main body of the army and vigorously assault it from the northern side. The garrison of Silistria, commanded by Moussa Pacha, a General of great ability and indomitable courage, did not number more than 8000 men.

“Now commenced one of the most memorable sieges which history has ever recorded. Others have exceeded it in the number of men engaged, in the length of time occupied, but none in heroic episodes and unflinching constancy. On the 14th of April, batteries were thrown up on the north bank of the Danube, opposite the devoted town, and a vigorous bombardment opened, but without much effect. On the 28th the first assault was made, but so hot was the reception the attacking force met with, that three weeks elapsed before they had sufficiently recovered to completely invest the town. By that time 53,000 Russians had surrounded the fortress, and batteries had been established, commanding the most important points. On the south-west front, and consequently the land side of the town, two very important earthworks were thrown up, known as Arab Tabia and Illanii. The ground on which these works were situated rises in a series of platforms, which virtually command the town. Their defence, therefore, was of the utmost importance to the brave garrison. Again and again, for the space of ten weeks, did the enemy precipitate strong columns of men against these mounds of earth, and again and again were they driven back with enormous loss. In vain the Russian cannonade levelled the bastions and slaughtered the defenders; others supplied their places, and once more the works rose defiantly. The Russian shells swept the ground, and the Turks burrowed in the trenches, till the advancing columns of assailants rushed to the breach. Then the undaunted defenders sprang upon them, and hurled them back, covered with defeat. Every attack was made with increased numbers, and made only to be the more ignominiously defeated. Mines were stealthily advanced towards the works; but the Turks countermined, and the Russian sappers were blown into the air. All this while an incessant bombardment from the river batteries poured death into the town. But the undaunted besieged never for a moment relaxed their resistance. Three master-spirits guided their operations, and infused heroic courage into their ranks. Captain James Butler, a young Englishman, who had volunteered for service in the army of the East, had joined the garrison, in company with Lieutenant Nasmyth, another young officer, animated by similar motives. These two gallant men were the very soul of the defence, and aided by the brave Maussa Pacha, the Ottoman Commander, successfully defied the power of the assailants. Butler, as the senior of the two Englishmen, assumed a position readily acceded to him by his Turkish allies, and to him they were indebted for the admirable construction and disposition of the defensive works. Lieutenant Nasmyth proved himself a most able seconder of his friend’s exertions, and in the capacity of “special correspondent” of the _Times_ newspaper, made all Europe acquainted with the details of this extraordinary siege.

“Straining every nerve, and exhausting every resource, to become masters of the place, the Russian Generals summoned to their aid the larger portion of the right wing of their army, thus materially weakening their power of opposing the Turkish forces to the westward of Silistria, who, in consequence, obtained some easy successes. On the 12th of May, a tremendous assault was made by the besiegers on the town, and repulsed after a sanguinary struggle, in which more than 2000 Russians was lost. Ten days afterwards another assault was attempted, and again was the enemy defeated. With true Russian wiliness, overtures were secretly made to Moussa Pacha to betray his trust, and for an adequate price to deliver the fortress to the Czar. The brave man scornfully rejected the proposition, and bade the enemy to take it if they could. Meanwhile, Omer Pacha was anxiously endeavouring to succour the devoted garrison. Obstacles interposed by the stupidity, if not traitorous connivance, of officials in the ministry, had hitherto effectually tied his hands; but at length, on the 5th of July, a detachment of Turkish troops effected an entrance into the town after a smart skirmish; and on the 8th, about a thousand more literally cut their way through the Russians, and were added to the garrison. Aided by those welcome reinforcements, the Turks now assumed the offensive, and on the night of the 13th made a sortie, and succeeded in destroying the Russian works, springing their mines, and inflicting a terrible loss upon their ranks.

“It was now evident to the Russian Commanders that, if the town were to be taken at all, it must be by a _coup de main_, and a grand assault was ordered for the 28th of June. But they had miscalculated the valour of their soldiers. Daunted by the warm reception they had hitherto experienced, they absolutely refused to march again to the breach; and nothing but the threat of stopping their rations unless Silistria were taken the next day, could induce these valiant warriors to perform their duty. On the next day, the Russian Generals led their half-starved and unwilling forces against the redoubts of Silistria. The Commanders, Prince Paskiewitch, Count Orloff, Generals Schilders, Gortschakoff, and Luders, placed themselves in the very front of the attacking force, anxious to stimulate the soldiers by their own exposure. The assault was attempted, and most triumphantly repulsed. The Russians were thrown into the utmost disorganization, and fled precipitately from the well-directed volleys of the garrison. Their leaders, too, paid dearly for their temerity. Paskiewitch himself was severely wounded; Schilders had both his legs shattered, Luders his jaw shot away, Count Orloff was killed, and Gortschakoff received a serious wound. Nor did the brave defenders escape without irreparable loss. Their gallant chief, Moussa Pacha, was struck on the head by a round shot, and expired instantly; and the noble Butler fell a sacrifice to his undaunted courage. The Turkish reinforcements outside the garrison fell upon the rear of the retreating Russians, and completed the rout their compatriots had so gloriously initiated. Beaten on every hand, the enemy dashed pell-mell across the river, in confused retreat towards Foktchani. The siege was raised. More than 30,000 Russian soldiers had perished in the attempt to take Silistria, and the broken remnant was now in full flight, owing its safety solely to the limited number of the victorious Turks, which forbade pursuit.

“With the exception of the small force which still lingered in the plague-stricken plains of the Dobrudscha, not a Russian remained to the south of the Danube. The mighty legions, precipitated so recklessly across the Danube, were dead upon the Turkish bank, or flying ignominiously from the scene. The despised Turks were the triumphant conquerors, and the great Czar had received another and a greater blow from the “sick man.”

SLAUGHTER OR MASSACRE.--Under this head both Ancient and Modern History abound with events which can be so called. The following are among the most remarkable, as recorded by various authors:

The Carthagenians in Sicily who were totally slaughtered, 397 B.C.

2000 Tyrians crucified and 8000 put to the sword by Alexander the Great. 331 B.C.

The Romans throughout Asia, women and children not exempted, cruelly butchered in one day, by order of Mithridates, King of Pontus, 88 B.C.

The massacre of Roman Senators, &c., 86 B.C.

That of Octavianus Cæsar to the Manes of Julius Cæsar, 41 B.C.

Jerusalem, 1,100,000 Jews cruelly put to the sword, A.D. 70.

Cassius slaughtered 400,000 of the inhabitants of Selucia, A.D. 167.

Eighty Christian Fathers by order of the Emperor Gratian were put into a ship which was set on fire and then driven out to sea, A.D. 370.

Belisarius massacred 30,000 citizens of Constantinople, A.D. 552.

That of the Albigenses and Waldenses, A.D. 1209.

The Sicilian Vespers--all the French in Sicily butchered without distinction of age or sex, the first bell for vespers being the signal, A.D. 1282.

That of St. Bartholomew’s day throughout France, August 24th, 1572.

Ismael, 30,000 of the inhabitants old and young slain, December, 1790. _See Ismael._

Of all the whites in the Island of St. Domingo, March 29th, 1804.

Massacre of the Mamelukes in Egypt, March 1st, 1811. _See account appended to this list._

Sinopé during the Crimean war, 1854.

MASSACRES IN ENGLISH HISTORY.

Of 300 nobles on Salisbury Plain, A.D. 474.

The Danes in England, November 13th, 1002.

The Jews in England, A.D. 1189.

The unoffending McDonalds of Glencoe, 1692. _See account appended to this list._

Massacres of Cawnpore, Delhi, and other places during the Great Indian Mutiny, 1857. _See Cawnpore and Delhi._

SLAUGHTER or MASSACRE OF GLENCOE.--This barbarous and diabolical massacre, which, at the time of its commission, excited universal and heartfelt indignation, took place in February, 1692. About the middle of 1691, “as the Highlanders were not yet totally subdued, the Earl of Breadalbane undertook to bring them over by distributing sums of money among their chiefs; and £15,000 were accordingly remitted from England for that purpose. The clans being informed of this, suspected that the Earl’s design was to appropriate to himself the best part of the money; and when he began to treat with them, they made such extravagant demands, that he found his scheme impracticable. He had therefore to refund the sum he had received; and resolved to wreak his vengeance on those who had frustrated his intention. He who chiefly thwarted him was McDonald of Glencoe, whose opposition rose from a private circumstance, which ought to have had no effect on a treaty that regarded the public weal. McDonald had plundered the lands of Breadalbane during the course of hostilities; and the Earl insisted upon being indemnified for his losses, from the other’s share of the money which he was employed to distribute. The Highlander, however, not only refused to acquiesce in these terms, but, by his influence among the clans, defeated the whole scheme, and, in revenge, Breadalbane devoted him to destruction. King William had, by proclamation, offered an indemnity to all those who had been in arms against him, provided they would submit and take the oaths by a certain day; and this was prolonged to the close of 1691, with a denunciation of military execution against those who should hold out after the end of December. McDonald, intimidated by this declaration, repaired, on the very last day of the month, to Fort William, and desired that the oaths might be tendered to him by Colonel Hill, governor of that fortress. As this officer was not vested with the power of a civil magistrate, he refused to administer them; and McDonald set out immediately for Inverary, the county-town of Argyle. Though the ground was covered with snow, and the weather intensely cold, he travelled with such diligence, that the term prescribed by the proclamation was but one day elapsed when he reached the place, and addressed himself to Sir John Campbell, sheriff of the county, who, in consideration of his disappointment at Fort William, was prevailed upon to administer the oaths to him and his adherents. Then they returned to their own habitations in the valley of Glencoe, in full confidence of being protected by the government, to which they had so solemnly submitted.

Breadalbane had represented McDonald at court as an incorrigible rebel, as a ruffian inured to bloodshed and rapine, who would never be obedient to the laws of his country, nor live peaceably under any sovereign. He observed, that he had paid no regard to the proclamation, and proposed that the government should sacrifice him to the quiet of the kingdom, in extirpating him, with his family and dependants, by military execution. His advice was supported by the suggestions of the other Scottish ministers; and the King, whose chief virtue was not humanity, signed a warrant for the destruction of those unhappy people, though it does not appear that he knew of McDonald’s submission. An order for this barbarous execution, signed and counter-signed by his majesty’s own hand, being transmitted to the master of Stair, secretary for Scotland, this minister sent particular directions to Livingstone, who commanded the troops in that kingdom, to put the inhabitants of Glencoe to the sword, charging him to take no prisoners, that the scene might be more terrible. In the month of February, captain Campbell of Glenlyon, by virtue of an order from major Duncanson, marched into the valley of Glencoe with a company of soldiers belonging to Argyle’s regiment, on pretence of levying the arrears of the land-tax and hearth-money. When McDonald demanded whether they came as friends or enemies, he answered as friends, and promised, upon his honour, that neither he nor his people should sustain the least injury. In consequence of this declaration, he and his men were received with the most cordial hospitality, and lived fifteen days with the men of the valley in all the appearance of the most unreserved friendship. At length the fatal period approached. McDonald and Campbell having passed the day together, parted about seven in the evening, with mutual professions of the warmest affection. As soon as Campbell had retired, he received the following letter from major Duncanson, quartered at Ballachalis, a place some distance from Glencoe. It is dated the 12th of February, 1692, and runs thus:--

“SIR,--You are hereby ordered to fall upon the rebels, the McDonalds of Glencoe, and put all to the sword under seventy years of age. You are to have especial care that the old fox and his sons do upon no account escape. This you are to put into execution at five o’clock in the morning (Saturday, the 13th) precisely; and by that time I will strive to be with you, with a stronger party. If I do not come to you at five, you are not to tarry for me, but to fall on. Secure all the avenues, that not a man may escape. _This is by the King’s especial command_, for the good of the country, that these miscreants may be cut off, root and branch.”

This was instantly communicated to the officers and men under his command, and immediate preparations made for carrying the inhuman massacre into effect.

The younger McDonald, perceiving the guards doubled, began to suspect some treachery, and communicated his suspicion to his brother; but neither he nor the father would harbour the least doubt of Campbell’s sincerity; nevertheless, the two young men went forth privately, to make farther observations. They overheard the common soldiers say they liked not the work; that though they would willingly have fought the McDonalds of the glen fairly in the field, they held it base to murder them in cold blood; but that their officers were answerable for the treachery. When the youths hasted back to apprise their father of the impending danger, they saw the house already surrounded; they heard the discharge of muskets, the shrieks of women and children; and, being destitute of arms, secured their own lives by immediate flight. The savage ministers of vengeance had entered the old man’s chamber, and shot him through the head. He fell down dead in the arms of his wife, who died next day, distracted by the horror of her husband’s fate. The laird of Auchintrincken, McDonald’s guest, who had, three months before this period, submitted to the government, and at this very time had a protection in his pocket, was put to death without question. A boy of eight years, who fell at Campbell’s feet, imploring mercy, and offering to serve him for life, was stabbed to the heart by one Drummond, a subaltern officer. Eight and thirty persons suffered in this manner, the greater part of whom where surprised in their beds, and hurried into eternity before they had time to implore the divine mercy. The design to butcher all the males under seventy years of ago that lived in the valley, the number of whom amounted to 200, was defeated by Duncanson not arriving in time to secure the passes, so that one young man and woman had nearly succeeded in escaping, and were climbing the last rugged height of their native place, when they were discovered, and shots immediately sent after them. Struck by one of them the unfortunate young man made a convulsive spring, and fell headlong into the valley below. His companion, alarmed by the report, lost her hold, and tumbled after him. They were both killed by the fall.

Campbell, having perpetrated this brutal massacre, ordered all the houses to be burned, made a prey of all the cattle and effects that were found in the valley, and left the helpless women and children, whose husbands and fathers he had murdered, naked and forlorn, without covering, food, or shelter, in the midst of the snow that covered the whole face of the country, at the distance of six long miles from any inhabited place. Distracted with grief and horror, surrounded with the shades of night, shivering with cold, and appalled with the apprehension of immediate death from the swords of those who had sacrificed their friends and kinsmen, they could not endure such a complication of calamities, but generally perished in the waste, before they could receive the least comfort or assistance. This barbarous massacre, performed under the sanction of King William’s authority, answered the immediate purpose of the court, by striking terror into the hearts of the jacobite Highlanders; but at the same time excited the horror of all those who had not renounced every sentiment of humanity, and produced such an aversion to the government, as all the arts of a ministry could never totally surmount. A detail of the particulars was published at Paris, with many exaggerations, and the jacobites did not fail to expatiate upon every circumstance, in domestic libels and private conversation. The King, alarmed at the outcry which was raised on this occasion, ordered an inquiry to be set on foot, and dismissed the master of Stair from his employment of secretary; he likewise pretended that he had subscribed the order amidst a heap of other papers, without knowing the purport, of it; but as he did not severely punish those who made his authority subservient to their own cruel revenge, the imputation stuck fast to his character; and the Highlanders, though terrified into silence and submission, were inspired with the most implacable resentment against his person and administration.”

SLAUGHTER or MASSACRE OF THE MAMELUKES, March 1st, 1811.--“It has been related, that one of the chief means employed by Mahomet Ali in civilizing Egypt, or in improving the state of the country, was the destruction of the Mamelukes--a class of hired foreign soldiers, who, as usual in such cases, were opposed to all changes in the government. It was only by resorting to a barbarous stratagem in one of his campaigns, that the sanguinary blow was struck. The following is an account of this sanguinary affair: