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

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ALFORD.—This battle was fought, July 2nd, 1645, between a large body of Covenanters, under General Bailie, and the troops under the Marquis of Montrose. There was discovered some years since, in one of the mosses near this place, a man in armour, on horseback, supposed to have been drowned in attempting to escape from this battle.

ALGESIRAS, OR OLD GIBRALTAR.—By this city the Moors entered Spain A.D. 713, and it was not recovered from them till 1344. An engagement was fought here between a British squadron, under Sir James Saumurez, and several French and Spanish ships of war, which closed in the destruction of two Spanish ships, each of 112 guns, and the capture of the St. Antonio, of 74 guns, July 12th, 1801.

ALGIERS.—The British fleet, under Lord Exmouth, anchoring off Algiers, bombarded the town, which returned the fire; but all the fortifications and houses towards the sea were soon reduced to ashes, and the fleet in the harbour entirely destroyed, August 27th, 1816. The Dey was compelled to conclude a treaty by which he set the Christian captives free, and engaged to cease, in future, from reducing Christians to slaves—a stipulation which, however, he did not afterwards strictly observe; so that the French took possession of the country and made it a colony with a governor, bearing the title of Regent of Algeria. This country is famous for the celebrated French soldiers, the Zouaves, of the late wars.