The National Register.
London, England, 1808-04-18 00:00:00

riPr~~ i,~':.

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weeks, and battered for Fix days by fourteen pieces of heavy
ordnance, the little Castle of Scylla has fallen into his hands
But I have the heartfelt sittisfaction to add, tkat not one of th
gallant' garrison placed under my orders has become kis pri-
soner
In the latter end of December, the arrival of troops and
ordnance stores at Seminara left me no room to donbt the
enemy's intention of besieging Scylla, and parties of the pea•
santry were accordingly tent out to render he passes of Solana
impracticable, and to create ohstacles to MR advance, by nut'
across the various paths which lead kom the heights of Al ilia
(loon to Scylla. This work, as well as the levelling of f. noes,
&r. proceeded rapidly and effectually wider the direction of
Captain N icholas, Assistant Quarter-Master-(:enteral ; whet.,
upon the Slst of December, the advanced workmen and the
out-posts of the masse were driven in by thre'e French battalion•
and a detachment of cavalry, under Gen. Millet, which tool,
post upon the heights above us ; and on th' following dos
Kegnier brought up two more battalions, end spreading hi-
nut-postrto Lavezzina, Bagnara, completed the investmen
of the town. At this time the gareison of the Castle consistee
of about tvt o !outlived British, and from four to live htmdr. d
mass(' occnpied the town.
The eneniv'S troops were now incessantly employed in form
in; the roads necessary for bringing his heavy ordnance Iron
Semitetra, whilst we laboured to render the approach to Scyll:i
Oittienit, and harrassed the French by eonFtaiit attacks on hi•
out-posts et ith parties of the masse, and neeasiorally ss ith boats.
In some of there partial actions the enemy suffered severe]; :
particularly in a iti:tht attack at flagnara, r. here the Voltigent,
of the `23d l.i, ht Infantry were cut to pieeeel.
On nig to these cheeks the French were retarded - the
tith of February, when titer descended the heights in force, arid
came within a distant range of our pins; awl from this da,
they honoured our little castle with all the detailed precaution,
of a regular ,ie2,e, in covering his approaches and cooneouni-
cations. The ikirmishes hefts ern the enemy and the masse
became very serious : the latter displayed great gallantry; and
etooving the support of the Castle guns, obliged the French to
purehno• their ad1:111Ce with heavy loss ; but no the 9th, is en
obliged to v kid to the numbers of the enemy, who assailed the
town on all sides: our guns, howeser, covered their retreat :
and I had the satisftctian of sending off thew brave peasants C.
Me—iaa isithout leaving a than in the roem‘'s hands.
The force tv hide General Bernier had brow-ht to besiege
Se• con,i-tees of a hods of cavalry, the `?id light infante.% .
tit l.r. et-t 1 and 101st of the lair, in all about si s thous: 1 int :
t cm -four-poianders, lice eighteens, and four our
tars, be,ider tield-pieces.

11:: the ta.irclice_ of the 1 lth, he opened his batteries, cliree!iiii
efl'orts to the destruetion of our upper yrorks, and the cli•-
:shrin_ of our into ; tt bile wider cater of this tire he laboured
eciabli•li two brearlsiog batteries, at three and four hundred
distance. It %Vas; not, loineser, till the 11th, that our
Patapc; were reedered totally uselesS• ; nor till the!' die
lie slaughter abate to ulttich their partie, employed on the
11-,•;iyht.e; batteries st er,. exposed from our grape anti .hell.
From this. lime our defence %%tic confined to notsket ry, as our
guns lay hurled under the rains of the parapet, and the chose
lire from hveht went% -foist pounders became inces•sarit. In the
mean tince we Ili-covered hint attempting- to mine the right bas-
T''"• "Poo v. :iirh tic continued at nork for three nights, butt 1
hyad %%is hoist the ex peeled success. •
Its tic,. night of the 15th, the French pushed round the foot of
the cur k, with Cite intention of destroying the Sea staircase, bus
we hc,ppily clisesses•recl them, and heat theta nlf tt ith the slaugh-
ter to ti hid! their 11;.s perate i ituatiun ex posed them.
The tiro front the breaching batteries had been variously di-
p..cl till the evening of the 16th, w lieu they bent their -
Vi (It'd Ey urology the left bastion with such SII(Tet.", that t
I.rc;sc'ii WOUld probably have been practicable by the follow lug
evvc,ing, it was under these circumstances that by
received your
orders to evacuate the Castle, and lia.ve the great satisf..ctioss
repor.ing, that tie accomplished this yesterday morning, iu fill:
i:•%% of the cuesny, and without leaving an individual behind.
'file approach of the !coats irons Faro gave the L'reneli full lull
111;oinci of our design, but the tempestuous state of the wrathy'
uldiged us to seize the short opportunity of an limit's
I•rery battery pocircd its utniciit fire upon the ('astle, and sub-
upon the boats; übile infantry %Ws ilcid-pieces tried
the breach on either side
Thc• garrison was drawn oil' in succession, and the etnbarka-
no.s .de • ctid wit!s the grcaLest order, uutwithstaudinc the tre-