palestro, battle of.—fought, 29th may, 1859, between the austrians and the french.
“on the 29th may, was fought the battle of palestro. the austrian avant-garde, 1500 strong, occupied the villages of palestro and vinzaglio. they were carried by the allies at the point of the bayonet, and two cannons, the first captured since the opening of the war, were taken. the next morning the austrians advanced to retake palestro. having cannonaded the village, a body of austrians advanced to cut off the communication between the piedmontese troops and the river. perceiving this, the zouaves, who had arrived during the night, threw themselves, in spite of a murderous fire, on the austrians, take eight guns and put the austrians to flight. during this engagement the king of sardinia headed an attack on a battery. the emperor of the french, a few days[228] afterwards, complimenting him on his bravery, told him that if he wished to be king of italy, he must take rather more care of his august person. this engagement inspired the austrians with a great dread of the zouaves, whom they call the quei terribili zuai.”
pampeluna, battle of.—taken by the french on their invasion of spain; invested by the british; hence very bloody engagements, july 27th and 29th, 1813. it surrendered to the british same year.
parma, battles of.—the confederates, england, france and spain, fought against the emperor of austria, june 29th, 1734. both sides claimed the victory. a second battle, called the great battle of parma, in which the french, under marshal mcdonald, were defeated by the celebrated suwarrow, with the loss of 20,000 men and four generals, july 12th, 1799.
patay, battle of.—this battle was fought, june 10th, 1429. joan of arc was present in this battle. the french signally defeated the english; the consequence of which was that charles vii of france entered rheims in triumph, and was crowned july 17th, same year—joan of arc assisting in the ceremony in full armour and holding the sword of state.
pavia, battle of.—fought, february 24th, 1525, between the french and imperialists, when the former were defeated and their king, francis i, after fighting with heroic bravery and killing seven men with his own hand, was obliged to surrender himself a prisoner of war. he wrote to his mother a letter acquainting her with the melancholy news in these expressive words—“tout est perdu, madame, hors l’honneur.”
peaffendorf, battle of.—fought, august 15th, 1760, between the imperialists and prussians; the austrians were totally defeated by the king of prussia, who, by this victory, prevented the austrian army from forming a junction with the russians.
phalanx.—this word originally signified a battalion or squadron. the greek phalanx consisted of 8000 men, in a square battalion, with shields joined and spears crossing each other. the celebrated phalanx of epaminondas, or the theban phalanx, was wedge shaped, and by it he[229] achieved his two great victories. the modern square is based on the grecian phalanx, which was itself, as well as the roman orb, taken from the theban. the renowned macedonian phalanx of alexander the great’s father, philip, was instituted b.c. 360. this consisted of 16,000 picked men divided into four equal parts of 4000 each. they performed their evolutions upon the enomoty or single file, whether it were required to extend or deepen the line, and there was an interval between every two sections for the convenience of man?uvring.
pharsalia, battle of.—fought, may 12th, 48 b.c., between julius c?sar and pompey.
“the battle commenced about daybreak, and before noon the army of pompey was utterly defeated. pompey himself, early in the battle, seemed entirely to have lost his presence of mind, and fled in despair to his tent, there to await the result. c?sar, determined to make the most of his advantage, notwithstanding the weariness of his troops, did not permit the pursuit to slacken till the army of pompey was entirely scattered. a considerable body of them had taken refuge in an adjacent mountain. by cutting off all hope of succor, c?sar induced them to surrender. he received their submission with the greatest gentleness, and forbade his soldiers from offering violence to their vanquished countrymen. this was the most complete victory c?sar ever obtained. his loss did not exceed 200, while that of pompey was 10,000, and 24,000 surrendered themselves prisoners of war. on passing over the battle field, so thickly strewn with romans, c?sar is said to have been affected even to tears, while he exclaimed to one near him, “they would have it so.”
philippi, battle of.—fought, october, 42 b.c., between octavius c?sar and marc antony, on the one side, and brutus and cassius on the other.
“in the meantime, brutus and cassius, the principal conspirators against c?sar, having retired into greece, persuaded the roman students at athens to declare for the cause of freedom. in syria and macedonia they succeeded in raising large armies, and soon found themselves in a condition to support a contest on which the empire of the world depended. while at sardis, brutus and cassius are said to have had a serious misunderstanding, the effect of a jealousy which had been industriously raised between them. but no bad consequences arose from it, for immediately joining their armies, they hastened to oppose antony and octavius, who[230] were rapidly advancing to meet them. once more the empire of the world was about to be decided by a single battle. it was a time of fearful suspense. should the arms of brutus be successful, the roman people might again form a free republic. on the other hand, should octavius triumph, they had to fear a worse tyranny than ever had been exercised by julius c?sar. brutus and cassius took their station each on a little hill near the city of philippi. behind them was the sea, by which they might obtain supplies, and between them and the plain on which the triumviri had encamped their army, was an impassable morass. in this favorable position, it was their policy to delay a battle as long as possible. on the contrary, the triumviri, not being able to obtain supplies by sea, and conscious that their army could not long be sustained by the resources of the surrounding country, were eager immediately to engage. a road was constructed by them through the morass which separated the armies. the tall reeds of the morass having concealed the soldiers while making the road, brutus and cassius were in some measure taken by surprise when the enemy advanced over it, and the impatience of their own soldiers prevented a longer delay.
a battle therefore ensued. antony led his forces against that part of the army commanded by cassius, and in a short time put his cavalry to flight. cassius did all that the courage of a single man could do to rally his troops, but in vain. supposing the battle to be entirely lost, and determined not to fall into the hands of the enemy, he returned into his tent and killed himself. brutus still kept possession of the camp, and did all in his power to encourage his men. still he determined for the present to avoid seeking another battle. his design was to starve the enemy, whom he know to be in great want of provisions. after a respite of twenty days, he was, however, forced to give in to the impatience of his men, and try the fate of a battle. in the engagement that followed, wherever brutus commanded in person, he had the advantage. but the troops of cassius being seized with a panic, communicated their terror to the rest, and soon the whole army gave way. in the midst of his bravest officers brutus fought with undaunted courage. the son of cato, and the brother of cassius, fell fighting at his side. at last, however, yielding to the necessity of the case, brutus fled. octavius and antony, secure of the victory, thought only of getting brutus into their power. he was on the point of being overtaken, when lucilius, his friend, determined to save his life by the sacrifice of his own. giving himself up to a band of thracians,[231] he told them he was brutus, and requested to be conducted into the presence of their general. antony seeing the thracians approach, and being informed of the prisoner’s capture, prepared himself for an interview with his enemy. but lucilius, advancing with a cheerful air, said, “it is not brutus that is taken. fortune has not yet had the power to commit so great an outrage upon virtue. as for my life, it is well lost in preserving his honor. take it, for i have deceived you.” antony, struck with such fidelity, pardoned him, and gave him his friendship. meanwhile brutus, with a few friends had escaped over a rivulet, and night coming on, they concealed themselves under a rock. an officer whom brutus had sent out to ascertain the extent of their defeat, did not return, and he rightly judged that he had fallen into the hands of the enemy. before the first battle, brutus had told cassius that if he was defeated, he would not fall alive into the power of octavius, and he now prepared to end his misfortunes with his life. after calling to mind with great tenderness many of his friends, who had fallen in the battle, he bade farewell to all present, one by one, saying aloud, that he was happy in never having been betrayed by any one whom he had trusted as a friend. soon after, falling upon his sword, he expired in the forty-third year of his age.”
pigeon hill.—famous as the scene of a skirmish between the british regulars and volunteers and the fenian bandits, who attempted to invade canada during the past summer. the following gives honor to whom honor is due, and is written by a gentleman who can be relied on:
“if any evidence were required, more than we possess, of the essentially weak and contemptible character of the fenian organization, the circumstances attending the operations of her majesty’s forces and our own volunteers on saturday, june 9th, in the neighborhood of pigeon hill, would furnish it. as one who accompanied that expedition, and had an opportunity of observing all that passed, i shall be happy to furnish you with a few details. i arrived at st. armand’s station between 11 and 12 o’clock, just at the moment that two waggons from pigeon hill arrived, bringing five fenian prisoners, who had been taken that morning by different parties, whose names i need not mention, as i cannot give all with accuracy. i must confess that my astonishment was great when i saw them. three were little scamps—such as one sees about the streets of all great cities, as news-boys, &c. one was a tolerably stout, resolute looking-fellow, the other a mild-looking young man, much better dressed,[232] who, i am sorry to say, stated himself to have been born in yorkshire, though hailing from montpelier, vt. shortly after they were lodged in the guard-house, another prisoner, an able-bodied hard-looking customer, about 28 or 30 years of age, was brought in. he had a tremendous black eye, which he told me he received in a brawl with his own companions the night previous. leaving these in the custody of the st. armand volunteers, the column of attack started for pigeon hill about 2 p.m. the granby and waterloo volunteers, commanded by captain millar, formed the advance guard, being followed by two 12-pounder armstrong guns of captain balfour’s battery, with their complements of artillerymen, commanded by captain phipps, r.a. these were followed by two companies of the rifle brigade, under major nixon, who, i understand, commanded the whole column, and two companies of the 25th regiment—another company of that regiment forming the rear guard. between the main body and the rear guard, the supply waggon and a farmer’s waggon, carrying the surgeon’s apparatus and medical comforts, were placed.
the officers and men were in the highest spirits, only fearing lest the redoubtable fenians should seek shelter too promptly in uncle sam’s dominions, the line being only half a mile from their camp. the day was very fine, a bright sun, tempered by a cool breeze, having dried up the roads, and made marching pleasant. and i may here remark a circumstance creditable to the pluck and training of our volunteers, that, although several soldiers of the line and rifles were knocked up, and obliged to fall out, the volunteers, though forming the advance guard and obliged to keep in advance of the powerful artillery horses, had not a man who manifested the least fatigue. at holt’s corner a short halt took place, and a prisoner was brought up from the south road, leading to highgate, by a farmer i understood, of the name of reynolds, who with his son and hired man, had just captured him while reconnoitering. he was mounted upon a handsome horse, and had rather a gentlemanly and refined appearance. he was speedily dismounted, being succeeded in his saddle by captain hallowes of the 25th regiment, and conducted to the rear in charge of a guard from that regiment. another prisoner was met squatted in a single waggon between the feet of two farmers of stanbridge who had captured him—a very low and unintellectual type of humanity. just before the column reached pigeon hill there was a cry, “incline to the right,” and that splendid body of horsemen, the guides, under captain d. l. macdougall, dashed past in single file, and took their place in front. they had no opportunity that day, more is the pity, to “flesh their maiden swords”[233] upon any considerable body of the fenians. but they rode round by the cook’s corner road, and thus, at a later period of the day, cut off the retreat of some who would have escaped, and took two of the scoundrels prisoners. if the fenians had a good sight of them, they must have felt inclined to keep out of their way. in turning to the right at the tavern at pigeon hill, the whole column descended the hill on the road leading directly to the line—the artillery taking the lead. the guns were placed in position on a high point overlooking the whole valley, and about half-a-mile within the line. one company of the 25th remained with the guns, and the remainder of the infantry, in two lines, with the rifles thrown out in front as skirmishers, descended into the valley in the direction of the woods, which were about three-fourths of a mile distant. the last red coat disappeared among the trees, and we remained in anxious expectation awaiting the result. meantime the farmer’s family before whose door the guns were placed, and who had suffered sore annoyance for several days from the constant demand of the ragamuffins for food, gladly brought to their deliverers such simple refreshment as could be hastily prepared. presently a single rifle shot was heard, echoing loudly through the woods—two more followed, then a dropping fire of twenty-five or thirty shots and all was silent.
at the first report the whole party sprang to their feet, the gunners placed themselves by their pieces, and the officers of artillery prepared to point them upon any body of the enemy that might break cover. and much were all disappointed when the firing ceased.
presently the red coats emerged from the woods, marched across a small clearing and disappeared in the woods beyond. after waiting some time longer and the sun beginning to approach the horizon, the horses were put to the guns and waggons and preparations were made for returning to st. armand. one company of the 25th regained their comrades on the hill. the rest of the force made their way by the cook’s corner road back to pigeon hill, with the exception of one company of the rifles, which was detached towards frelighsburg. the rest of the force reached st. armand’s station between 9 and 10 o’clock at night.
the result of this expedition was unsatisfactory, though all concerned did their duty with the utmost alacrity and zeal. but when there was really no enemy to fight, no great victory could be achieved.
it was generally supposed that 2 fenians only were killed and 16 captured, but i have been since informed that 4 bodies were found in the woods on sunday.
[234]
thus ended most ingloriously to those concerned in it this base attempt to desecrate, by unlawful invasion, the soil of canada, and to detach from their allegiance to their rightful sovereign a contented, happy and loyal people. i may add, in conclusion, that the inhabitants were most active in searching for and arresting straggling fenians and bringing them into head-quarters.”
pinkey, battle of.—fought, september 10th, 1547, between the english, under the earl of hertford protector, and the scots, when the latter were totally defeated. few victories have been achieved with less loss to the victors; the english loss was no more than 200, whilst the scots lost the enormous number of 20,000.
pistol.—the smallest sort of fire arms. first used by the english cavalry, a.d. 1544.
plains of abraham.—see quebec.
plassy, battle of.—fought, june 23rd, 1757, between the british, under lord clive, and the native hindoos, under surajah dowlah. the hindoo army consisted of 70,000 men, whilst the british did not exceed 3000, yet the surajah was signally defeated. this battle laid the foundation of the british power in india.
plat?a, battle of.—fought, september 22nd, b.c. 479, between mardonius, general of the persians, and the laced?monians and athenians under pausanias. the persian army consisted of 300,000 men, 3000 of which only remained alive after the battle. the grecians lost only 91 spartans, 52 athenians, and 16 tegeans. pausanias received one-tenth of all the immense plunder for his uncommon valour, and the rest were rewarded each according to his respective merit.
plattsburg, expedition to.—the british squadron against plattsburg, on lake champlain, was designed under general sir george prevost, but it was abandoned, after a severe defeat of the naval squadron of england on the lake, september 11th, 1814.
podultz, battle of.—fought, june 28th, 1866, between the austrians and the prussians. the prussians everywhere were victorious. the needle gun of their army was decidedly superior to any other weapon used. the following is the times account:
“on the northern side of gitschin and on the turnau road the austrians[235] had taken up a position to cover the town against the prussians, advancing from the direction of turnau. as the prussians advanced they saw the village of podultz close to the road, and on their right, standing at the top of the gentle ascent by which the road rises to the top of the lower spur, on the other side of the road and about 300 yards from it, nearer to the advancing division by 200 yards than podultz, the village of diletz, lying in the plain, while high on their right they could see the chimneys of brada above the thick fir wood which, lying on the hill side, in front of that village, runs down nearly to podultz, and traced by the different colours of the foliage the ground occupied by its orchards. the three villages and the fir wood were held by austrian and saxon troops, supported by seven battalions of artillery, which were placed both on the spur and on the brada hill, while behind the spur were hidden three of austria’s finest cavalry regiments—the hussars of radetzky, of lichtenstein, and of the austrian regiment the king of prussia. as soon as the prussians came within range the austrian batteries opened upon them; the prussian guns replied, and, under cover of their artillery, the columns advanced to the attack of the position. the 8th and 48th regiments advanced against the village of diletz, which was garrisoned by the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th saxon battalions, and where, as the prisoners report, the king of saxony himself took part in the fight. the 12th and 18th regiments advanced against the village of podultz. both attacking columns were exposed to a very hot fire, but after a severe struggle both villages were carried, though that of podultz, set on fire by a shell, was burning when the prussians occupied it. general edelsheim, who commanded the austrian cavalry, with a desperate valour, attacked the burning village, but the horses would not face the flames, and the prussian infantry, from behind the blazing houses, fired on the disordered squadrons and killed many troopers. after taking podultz, the 12th and 18th regiments pushed past brada, leaving it to their right, and made for the lochow road, in order to cut off the retreat of the austrians, who were retiring from lochow on gitschin. the austrian cavalry charged the advancing prussians, but the latter received them without forming square, and the horsemen recoiled, broken by their steady fire. the austrian troops in brada, and the saxons and austrians in diletz were quite separated by the capture of the village of podultz, and the former were almost entirely taken; the latter were cut off from retreat in large numbers, for von werder was pressing towards gitschin, the roads were crowded, and the little river formed on the right of the[236] broken allies a wide extent of marshy ground, which it was almost impossible to cross. the loss of the saxons between diletz and gitschin was tremendous; they fell thickly, and the ground was covered with corpses. the prussians suffered much, but they fought most bravely, and, with only four regiments, and half as many guns as their opponents, carried a very strong position held by a much superior force; for the prussians had in the field but 16,000 men, and the allied strength is estimated at 30,000. under a crushing fire they advanced to the attack of podultz and diletz, and the vacancies in the muster-roll show how fearfully they suffered; but every man who fell on the prussian side was trebly avenged, and a long broad track of fallen enemies marks the line of march of the four regiments who so well fought and won diletz.
the field of diletz is almost more thickly strewn with killed and wounded. here the prussians lie more thickly than at lochow, for the more numerous artillery of the defenders ploughed with terrible effect through the dense columns of the assailants as they advanced to the attack. but between diletz and gitschin the ground is covered with broken arms, knapsacks, shakos, and fallen men, who are mostly either saxons or austrians, for here the needle-gun was more used than artillery.
the prussians took 7000 prisoners in the two combats, and many officers: and the austrian loss in killed and wounded is estimated at 3000, so that yesterday evening has withdrawn 10,000 soldiers from under the austrian colours.”
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 “the black prince,” now in the prime of his early manhood, regarding his country as at war with france, sallied forth from the gascon province in the summer of 1356, on a ravaging expedition, to do his enemy all the damage in his power. he left bourdeaux with about 12,000 men; ascended the garonne as far as agen, and then, turning to the left, entered central france, and overran the fertile provinces of limousin, querci, auvergne, and berri. it was harvest-time, and everywhere the harvest was seized, the towns plundered, and all captives able to pay a ransom were carried to bourdeaux. one account states that the english army sent off no fewer than 5000 cartloads of plunder to bourdeaux. this employment doubtless had its attractions for the army; but its commander seems to have forgotten that he was invading and exasperating a powerful[237] kingdom, whose people and sovereign might be expected to take vengeance for such an inroad as this.
philip of valois was now dead, and john, his son, a high-spirited but indiscreet prince, had succeeded him. hearing of young edward’s performances in limousin and berri, “he instantly declared with an oath,” says froissart, “that he would forthwith set out after him, and would fight him whenever he could find him. he therefore issued forth a general summons to all his nobles and vassals of every kind, that they should set forth to meet him on the borders of touraine and blois, for he was determined to fight the english.”
he soon marched from paris, having with him a considerable body of troops, and went to chartres to be nearer the enemy, and to gain quicker intelligence of his proceedings. here he rested some days, and “great crowds of knights and men at arms daily joined him, from auvergne, berri, burgundy, lorraine, hainault, picardy, and other provinces.” but as yet neither of these two princes seems to have been well informed of the other’s movements.
“the prince,” says froissart, “having with him 2000 men-at-arms and 6000 archers, rode on at his ease, having all things at his command. they found auvergne, which they were now overrunning, very rich and teeming with abundance; and when they entered any town, they rested there for some days to refresh themselves, consuming what they pleased, and destroying the rest, whether of corn, wine, or other provisions.” “they kept advancing, and found plenty everywhere, for the provinces of berri, poiteau, touraine and maine,” says froissart, “were very rich, and full of provisions for an army.”
at bourges they were stopped by the strength of the place; having no means of besieging a fortified town, they passed on, and came to another town, the name of which froissart does not give, but which, he says, had great plenty of wines and provisions. this they carried by storm, and here they remained three days.
and now tidings were brought to the prince that the king of france was at chartres with a large army, and that all the passes and towns on the north of the loire were manned and well defended. he therefore held a council of war, in which it was resolved to return at once to bourdeaux, doing the enemy what damage was possible on the road. but the castle of romorontin delayed their retreat, the prince making it a point of honour not to be foiled by so small a place, and wasting therefore three days before it. this delay enabled the french army to reach him.[238] the king of france, having now a large force, had set forward from chartres, had crossed the loire at blois, and was rapidly marching on the city of poictiers. both of the chiefs seem to have been in the dark as to the exact position of the other—john, imagining the english to be far before him, and edward similarly deeming the french to be in his rear. at last, at chauvigny, on the vienne, the two armies came in sight of each other, or rather, learned each other’s proximity by an encounter of outposts. a party of french knights falling in with two of edward’s captains and a party of sixty men, pursued them until they came to the main body of the english, and here, not retreating, the greater part of the assailants were either slain or captured. from the prisoners, the prince learned that the king of france was close by with his army, and that he could not retreat without fighting him. he called in immediately all foragers; and ordered every man to keep under his standard. four experienced captains, with 200 horse, were sent out to reconnoitre the french positions. they were not long before they fell in with it, and captured some stragglers. they soon perceived the whole plain to be covered with troops. their approach alarmed the french, who, instead of entering poictiers, turned towards the english army, and as it was late encamped for the night in the open fields. the english detachment returned to the prince, and told him that the french “were in immense numbers.” the prince replied, “god help us! we must begin to consider how we can best receive them.”
the next day was sunday. the french king ordered a solemn mass in his pavilion, and he and his four sons communicated. there then assembled around him the great lords, the duke of orleans, the duke of bourbon, the earl of ponthieu, the constable of france, the marshal of france, and a great body of lords and famous knights. they were long debating; at last it was resolved “that each lord should display his banner, advance into the plain, and push forward in the name of god and st. denis.” it is already tolerably clear, that this great army had no general.
“then might be seen all the nobility of france, richly dressed out in shining armour, with banners and pennons gallantly displayed; for all the flower of the french nobility was there.” by the advice of the constable and marshals, the army was divided into three battalions, each consisting of 16,000 men-at-arms. nearly 50,000 spears then, a large proportion doubtless mounted, were arrayed against 2000 english lances, and 4,000 archers, with a few irregulars. michelet says: “there were[239] the king’s four sons, 26 dukes or counts, and 140 knights-bannerets—a magnificent spectacle; but the army was none the better for all that.”
the king sent forward three knights to reconnoitre the english army. they returned, and sir eustace ribeaumont said, “sir, we have examined the english closely; they amount, according to our estimate, to about 2000 men-at-arms, 4000 archers, and 1500 footmen. they are posted very strongly; and have fortified their position as well as they can. they are on a hill, which is only approachable by one road or lane; so narrow that only four men can ride abreast.”
the french were now on the point of moving forward to the attack, when the cardinal de perigord came up at a full gallop, and making a low reverence, entreated the king to listen to him a moment. “you have here,” he said, “all the flower of your kingdom against a mere handful of english; you may have them on other terms than by a battle. let me go to the prince, and remonstrate with him on the dangerous situation he is in.” the king said, “it is very agreeable to us; but make haste back again.”
the cardinal set off at full speed; and was admitted to the prince, whom he found on foot in the midst of his army. he said, “fair son, if you have well considered the great army of the king of france, you will allow me to make up matters between you, if i possibly can.” the prince said, “sir, save my own honour, and that of my army, and i will agree to any reasonable terms.” the cardinal then returned to the french camp, and saw the king; and all that day he rode from one army to the other, trying to bring about an agreement. many proposals were made, the prince offered to give up all the towns and castles which he had taken; to release all his prisoners without ransom; and to engage not to take up arms against the king of france for the next seven years. but john refused the offer; demanding that edward, with an hundred of his knights, should surrender themselves prisoners. “the prince and his army,” says froissart, “disdained to accept any such conditions.” another account says, that edward exclaimed, “england shall never have to pay a ransom for me!”
thus sunday was spent; and the battle was necessarily deferred till the morrow. the english, however, had well employed their time in still further strengthening their positions. but they were short of provisions; and could the french have stooped to defer the attack, and to be content with cutting off all supplies, edward and his whole force must have submitted themselves before the termination of another week.[240] but such a course would have been humbling to the pride of france. a certain triumph seemed in the power of the french commanders, and they could brook no delay.
edward, therefore, made up his mind for a struggle for life or liberty on the monday morning. he remained on the defensive; except that he detached a body of 300 men-at-arms, and as many archers, with orders to make a circuit, and get into the flank and rear of the duke of normandy’s battalion; the position of which he could survey from his hill.
“and now,” says froissart, “the whole army of the prince, including every one, did not amount to more than 8000; while the french had upwards of 60,000 combatants, among whom were more than 3000 knights. the prince, seeing all hope of an accommodation at an end, addressed his captains and men, saying:—
“now, my gallant follows! what though we be but a small body when compared with our enemies; let us not be cast down on that account; for victory is not always with the greater numbers, but god gives it to whom he pleases. if the day shall be ours, great will be the honour of it: if not, i have a father, and you all have friends, who will be sure to avenge our deaths. stand fast, therefore, and fight like men; and if it please god, you shall see me play the part of a true knight.”
and now came on the french, and soon it was seen that here, as in many other battles of the time, the english bow was a most formidable weapon. the battalion of the french marshals entered the lane by which the english position must be approached; and now the archers began to ply their weapons “in such sort that the horses, smarting under the pain of their wounds, would not advance, but turned about, threw their masters, and created a general confusion. and if a few of the french struggled through and came in sight of the prince’s battalion, a small party or two of english knights, who waited for them, instantly attacked them and slew them, or made them prisoners.
thus, in a short time, this battalion of the marshals was defeated. the front line was driven back in confusion on the division immediately behind it. this, unable to advance, began to give ground, impelled by the crowd of fugitives pressing back upon it. but in retreating, this battalion fell back upon the duke of normandy’s and soon confusion and terror spread through the whole army. the detachment which the prince had placed over-night on the flank and rear of the duke of normandy’s battalion, now came forth from their ambuscade, and fell vehemently[241] upon the already disordered ranks of the french; “and, in truth,” says froissart, “the english archers shot so thickly and so well, that the french did not know which way to turn themselves to avoid the arrows.” and now, this battalion, which was broad enough in the front, grew thin and scanty in the rear, for the news of the repulse of the marshals had spread, and the men began to escape in crowds. meanwhile the english on the hill, perceiving that the first battalion was beaten, and that the duke of normandy’s was in great disorder, gave the word, and the knights and men-at-arms were in a moment in their saddles.
“the day is ours,” said sir john chandos, and, giving a shout, the 2000 horse pushed down the hill, charging with vehemence the disordered battalion.
“let us make for the king himself,” said sir john to the prince, “for i know that he will not fly, and we shall have him—if it please god.”
and now the battle grew hot; the french were so numerous, and in such disorder, that it was an arduous task that still remained. edward charged the division of the duke of athens, broke it, and drove it before him;—then the battalion of germans, under the count of salzburg, which was soon overthrown and put to flight. meanwhile “the english archers, advancing with the cavalry, shot so well that none dared to stay within their reach.”
and now three of the king’s sons, the duke of normandy, the earl of poictiers, and the earl of touraine, with 800 lances which had never put spear in rest, took flight and rode off the field.
the king himself stood firm. “if one-fourth of his soldiers,” says froissart, “had behaved as well as he did, the day would have been his own.” again he says, “king john himself did wonders, he fought with a battle-axe, with which he defended himself bravely.” the english knew the value of such a prize, and they directed their chief efforts to his capture. the earl of tancarville was made prisoner close to him, as were the earl of ponthieu, and the earl of eu. a little further on, the lord charles d’artois and many other knights were captured by the flank attack. “the english and gascons poured so fast upon the king’s division that they broke all its ranks,” and now the last show of order was lost, and the whole field was one confused mass. every one was pressing forwards, eager to seize the king; at last a young french knight, who had been banished and had entered the english service, entreated the king to surrender or he would lose his life. “to whom[242] am i to surrender?” said john, “where is my cousin the prince of wales? who are you?” “i am denis de morbeque, knight of artois,” said the frenchman, “surrender yourself to me and i will lead you to the prince.” “well,” said the king, giving him his glove, “i surrender myself to you.”
sir john chandos, who had remained by the prince’s side all the day, had now advised him to raise his banner on an elevated point, and to pitch his tent, for there was no longer any french army in sight. accordingly, the banner was raised, a small pavilion was pitched, wine was brought, the prince took off his helmet, and the trumpets began to sound. but now the prince addressed the earl of warwick and lord cobham, saying. “i pray you to mount your horses, and ride over the field, that i may know, if possible, what has become of the king.” these two lords immediately rode forth, and they soon perceived a great crowd of knights and men-at-arms, all striving with a great noise. more than ten knights were loudly claiming the honour of having taken the king. “the two lords then pushed through the crowd by main force, and ordered all to stand aside. they commanded, in the prince’s name, all to keep their distance, on pain of death. they then, dismounting, approached the king with profound reverence, and conducted him peaceably to the prince of wales.” edward received the king with a low obeisance, and comforted him as well as he was able, ordering wines and refreshments to be brought, which he presented to the king with his own hand. “in the evening a supper was spread in the prince’s pavilion; and the king, his son philip, with bourbon, artois, the earl of tancarville, estampes, granville, and others, were seated at an elevated table, while the prince served the king with his own hands. the french princes, struck with edward’s courtesy, declared that he would be one of the most gallant knights in christendom, if it please god to grant him life.”
meanwhile, the english horse continued its pursuit of the fugitives, up to the very gates of poictiers. “there was such an horrible spectacle of men slaughtered and trampled down, as it is wonderful to think of. the frightened french, in crowds, surrendered the moment they caught sight of an englishman.”
the report now given in to the prince, showed that the king and one of his sons, and 17 earls, besides a great number of barons and knights, were prisoners; and that from five to six thousand lay dead on[243] the field.[1] but the victors were troubled what to do with the crowds of captives of all ranks, who were twice as numerous as themselves. they concluded, at last, to ransom them on the spot, and even to take the pledges of those who had no money. as for the booty, it was immense; “there being quantities of gold and silver plate, rich jewels, and trunks full of gold and silver ornaments. as to fine armour, that was in such abundance as to be little regarded.”
the prince and his little army, now undisturbed, continued their march, and in a few days passed the garonne, and arrived safely at bourdeaux. “great was the dismay at paris, when the fugitives brought word that there was no longer a king nor barons in france, but all were killed or taken.”
england, very naturally, rejoiced through all her coasts. the prince, after a short stay, embarked for england with his illustrious prisoner, to whom, for greater ease and comfort, he assigned a separate vessel. he entered london with knightly courtesy, riding a small black horse, while the king of france, royally mounted on a white charger, rode by his side. the palace of the savoy was made the residence of the captive monarch, and there king edward and his queen frequently visited him. john, however, was long detained in england, the enormous sum of 3,000,000 of gold crowns being demanded from france for his ransom. he finally consented to those hard terms; but on returning to his own kingdom, he found so much difficulty in persuading his people to raise this great ransom, that he finally resolved to return to his prison in westminster. as true as he was brave, he nobly answered his council, who tried to persuade him to be guilty of a breach of his engagement, that “if honour were banished from every other abode, it ought at least to find a home in the breast of kings.” he returned to his home in the savoy; where, a few months after, he died. edward iii ordered his obsequies to be performed with royal magnificence, and sent his[244] corpse, with a splendid retinue to france, where it found a place in the burial-place of the kings, in the abbey-church of st. denis.”
polotsk, battle of.—fought, july 30th, 1812, between the french marshal, oudinot, and the russians under wittgenstein. the russians were defeated with great loss.
pondicherry.—india.—settled by the french in 1674; taken by the dutch in 1693; besieged by the british in 1748, and taken by our forces in january, 1761, but restored in 1763. again taken in october, 1778, and restored in 1783. again captured by the british, august 23rd, 1793, and finally in 1803.
portobello.—south america.—taken from the spaniards by admiral vernon, november 22nd, 1739. again taken by the british, who destroyed the fortifications, in 1742.
praga, battles of.—fought, october 10th, 1794, between the poles and russians; 30,000 poles were butchered in this battle by the merciless suwarrow. a second battle, fought march 31st, 1831, between the same countries, resulted with defeat of the russians who lost 4000 killed and wounded, and 6000 prisoners and 12 pieces of cannon.
prescott, battle of.—upper canada.—fought, november 27th, 1838, between the canadian rebels and the british, under major young, and on the following day by lieut.-colonel dundas, who, after a desperate resistance, succeeded in dispersing the insurgents, several of whom were killed and many taken prisoners; the troops also suffered considerably. after the attack the remainder of the rebels surrendered. in these engagements the rebels were aided by the americans, who invaded the canadian territory in great numbers.
preston, battle of.—fought, november 12th, 1715, between the scotch insurgents, under forster, and the british, under general willis. the first attack was successful, on the side of the jacobites, but the royal forces being augmented by the arrival of general carpenter, preston was invested on every side, and the scots at length laid down their arms, and their nobles and leaders were secured. some were shot as deserters, and others sent off to london, pinioned and bound together, to frighten their party.
[245]
preston-pans, battle of.—fought, september 21st, 1745, between prince charles the pretender and the royal forces.
“in the meantime sir john cope, who had pursued the rebels through the highlands, but had declined meeting them in their descent, being now reinforced by two regiments of dragoons, resolved to march towards edinburgh and give the enemy battle. the young adventurer, whose forces were rather superior, though undisciplined, attacked him near preston-pans, about twelve miles from the capital, and in a few minutes put him and his troops to flight. this victory, by which the king lost 500 men, gave the rebels great influence; and had the pretender taken advantage of the general consternation, and marched directly for england, the consequence might have been fatal to freedom. but he was amused by the promise of succours which never came; and thus induced to remain at edinburgh, to enjoy the triumphs of an important victory, and to be treated as a monarch.”
pultowa, battle of.—fought, july 8th, 1709, between charles xii of sweden and peter the great of russia. in this celebrated battle the czar entirely defeated the hero of sweden, and forced him to flee to turkey. this battle was lost on account of charles having been wounded just before, being obliged to issue his orders from a litter, his soldiers thus having no opportunity of seeing their loved commander.
pultusk, battles of.—one between the saxons and swedes, in which the former were defeated, 1703; and the other between the french, under napoleon, and the russian and prussian armies. both sides claimed the victory, but it inclined in favour of the french.
pyramids, battle of the.—fought between the french and turks, 1798. “the sight of the pyramids, and the anxious nature of the moment, inspired the french general with even more than usual ardour; the sun glittered on those immense masses, which seemed to arise in height every step the soldiers advanced, and the army, sharing his enthusiasm, gazed, as they marched, on the everlasting monuments. “remember,” said he, “that from the summit of those pyramids forty centuries contemplate your actions.”
with his usual sagacity, the general had taken extraordinary precautions to ensure success against the formidable cavalry of the desert. the divisions were all drawn up as before, in hollow squares six deep, the artillery at the angles, the general and baggage in the centre. when[246] they were in mass, the two sides advanced in column, those in front and rear moved forward in their ranks, but the moment they were charged, the whole were to halt, and face outward on every side. when they were themselves to charge, the three front ranks were to break off and form the column of attack, those in the rear remaining behind, still in square, but three deep only, to constitute the reserve. napoleon had no fears for the result, if the infantry were steady; his only apprehension was, that his soldiers, accustomed to charge, would yield to their impetuosity too soon, and would not be brought to the immovable firmness which this species of warfare required.
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 while in the act of completing it. an extraordinary movement was immediately observed in the mameluke line, and speedily 7000 horsemen detached themselves from the remainder of the army, and bore down upon the french columns. it was a terrible sight, capable of daunting the bravest troops, when this immense body of cavalry approached at full gallop the squares of infantry. the horsemen, admirably mounted and magnificently dressed, rent the air with their cries. the glitter of spears and cimeters dazzled the sight, while the earth groaned under the repeated and increasing thunder of their feet. the soldiers, impressed, but not panic-struck, by the sight, stood firm, and anxiously waited, with their pieces ready, the order to fire. desaix’s division being entangled in a wood of palm-trees, was not completely formed when the swiftest of the mamelukes came upon them; they were, in consequence, partially broken, and thirty or forty of the bravest of the assailants penetrated, and died in the midst of the square, at the feet of the officers: but before the mass arrived the movement was completed, and a rapid fire of musketry and grape drove them from the front round the sides of the column. with matchless intrepidity, they pierced through the interval between desaix’s and regnier’s divisions, and riding round both squares, strove to find an entrance; but an incessant fire from every front mowed them down as fast as they poured in at the opening. furious at the unexpected resistance, they dashed their horses against the rampart of bayonets, and threw their pistols at the heads of the grenadiers, while many who had lost their steeds crept along the ground and cut at the legs of the front rank with their cimetars. in vain thousands succeeded, and galloped round the flaming walls of steel; multitudes perished under the rolling fire which, without intermission,[247] issued from the ranks, and at length the survivors, in despair, fled towards the camp from whence they had issued. here, however, they were charged in flank by napoleon at the head of dugua’s division, while those of vial and bon, on the extreme left, stormed the intrenchments. the most horrible confusion now reigned in the camp; the horsemen, driven in disorder, trampled under foot the infantry, who, panic-struck at the rout of the mamelukes, on whom all their hopes were placed, abandoned their ranks, and rushed in crowds towards the boats to escape to the other side of the nile. numbers saved themselves by swimming, but a great proportion perished in the attempt. the mamelukes, rendered desperate, seeing no possibility of escape in that direction, fell upon the columns who were approaching from the right, with their wings extended in order of attack; but they, forming square again with inconceivable rapidity, repulsed them with great slaughter, and drove them finally off in the direction of the pyramids. the intrenched camp with all its artillery, stores, and baggage fell into the hands of the victors. several thousands of the mamelukes were drowned or killed; and of the formidable array which had appeared in such splendour in the morning, not more than 2500 escaped with mourad bey into upper egypt. the victors hardly lost 200 men in the action; and several days were occupied after it was over in stripping the slain of their magnificent appointments, or fishing up the rich spoils which encumbered the banks of the nile.”
pyrenees, battle of the.—fought, july 28th, 1813, between the british army, commanded by wellington, and the french, commanded by marshal soult. the french were defeated, with great slaughter. after the battle of vittoria, fought, june 21st, napoleon sent soult to supersede jourdan, with instructions to drive the british across the ebro; a duty which he could not accomplish; for he was obliged to retreat into france, which was entered by the british, and he lost 20,000 men, in a series of engagements in the pyrenees, which separate france from spain, from july 25th to august 2nd, same year.
