Читать книгу The Battles of the World or, cyclopedia of battles, sieges, and important military events онлайн

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CARRICKFERGUS.—This town surrendered to the Duke of Schomberg, August 28th, 1689. William III landed here June 14th, 1690, to reduce the adherents of James II. This place is memorable for the expedition of the French Admiral Thurot, when its castle surrendered to his force of 1000 men, in 1760.

CARTHAGE.—Founded by Dido. Taken by the Roman General Scipio, and burnt to the ground B.C. 146. The flames of the burning city raged for 17 days, and thousands of the inhabitants perished in them rather than survive the calamities of their country. Afterwards it was rebuilt, but razed by the Saracens, and now no trace of the city appears.

CARTHAGENA.—In Columbia.—Was taken by Sir Francis Drake in 1584. It was pillaged by the French of £1,200,000 in 1697. It was bombarded by Admiral Vernon in 1740–1.

“When the forces were landed at Carthagena, the commanders erected a battery, with which they made a breach in the principal fort, while Vernon, who commanded the fleet, sent a number of ships into the harbor to divide the fire of the enemy, and to co-operate with the army on shore. The breach being deemed practicable, a body of troops were commanded to storm; but the Spaniards deserted the forts, which, if possessed of courage, they might have defended with success. The troops, upon gaining this advantage, were advanced a good deal nearer the city; but there they met a much greater opposition than they had expected. It was found, or at least asserted, that the fleet could not lie near enough to batter the town, and that nothing remained but to attempt one of the forts by scaling. The leaders of the fleet and the army began mutually to accuse each other, each asserting the probability of what the other denied. At length, Wentworth, stimulated by the admiral’s reproach, resolved to try the dangerous experiment, and ordered that fort St. Lazare should be attempted by scalade. Nothing could be more unfortunate than this undertaking; the forces marching up to the attack, the guides were slain, and they mistook their way. Instead of attempting the weakest part of the fort, they advanced to where it was the strongest, and where they were exposed to the fire of the town. Colonel Grant, who commanded the grenadiers, was killed in the beginning. Soon after it was found that their scaling ladders were too short; the officers were perplexed for want of orders, and the troops stood exposed to the whole fire of the enemy, without knowing how to proceed. After bearing a dreadful fire for some hours with great intrepidity, they at length retreated, leaving 600 men dead on the spot. The terrors of the climate soon began to be more dreadful than those of war; the rainy season came on with such violence, that it was impossible for the troops to continue encamped; and the mortality of the season now began to attack them in all its frightful varieties. To these calamities, sufficient to quell any enterprise, was added the dissension between the land and sea commanders, who blamed each other for every failure, and became frantic with mutual recrimination. They only, therefore, at last, could be brought to agree in one mortifying measure, which was to re-embark the troops, and withdraw them as quickly as possible from the scene of slaughter and contagion.”