The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-04-04
Military sieges-A Review of shcnpass.

Military Sieges-A Review OF shcHPast.
AS everybody is on. the qai rirs to hear
of the fall of Sebastopsl. but as that is q
matter Of some uncertainty at present We
append a review of some Of the most nota-
bic sieges in ancient and modern history.
which, while they will enable our readers to
compare the valor of the present time with
the achievements Of the past, will also bear
reading, from the fact that it is good to
keep your hand in" awaiting the dea0ue.
went OF the siege of Sebastopol:
In 1910 the French Marshal Masscna cap
tured Ciudad Rodrigo, but it took hin SIX
weeks to accomplish the task. His force was
in the neghborhOOl OF $1,000 men, whiie that
OF the garrison is said not to have been more
tnan 4,O00. Sebastopol. be it remembered,
has been invested some six weeks only, and the
attacking force there is not near so strong as
Massenas was, while that of the Russians is
at least ten times as good as was that of the
Spaniards.
Subsequently-tha is to say, on the 10th of
June, 1872 the place was stormed and retak-
en- by the British forces, under the Duke OF
Wellington. he Duke, however, it should he
added. had made a previous attack upon the
fortress, which ended in what is gently called
an orderly retreat" from his position that
is, he tried to take it, but did not succeed.
The siege of Badajoz, an important barrier
fortress in Spain, had surrendered to the French
on the 18th of March, 1872. 1t was stormed
and taken on the 9th of April following after
desperate fight and great loss Of life On both
sides. The loss or the British is estimated at
$500 men,-a number nearly equal to that OF
the survivors found within the citadel when it
capitulated. An attempt had previously been
to take the place after months sege, but it
did not succeed.
The sege Of st. Sebastian, it will be remem-
bered, was one OF the bloodiest episodes of the
Peninsular War. In 1913 it was beseiged by
the Allies, under General (now lord) Graham,
and capituiated after mouths operations -
The force employed against it was 10000 men.
The garrison numbered about 5000 men. The
loss of the allies was estimated at $500 killed.
In 1901 Mons held Out for nearly Z sceeks
against the French,--Limerick held out six
weeks against William OF Orange.
The Citadel Of lille, in l708, resisted for
six weeks the attempts Of the fiery Marlbor
ough to reduce it. When he did take it, it
cost him about 10000.
| The memorable siege Of Belgrade, under
Prince Eugene, was undertaken III May, TIT.
After three months operations against it, and
the fighting of desperate battle, in which the
Turks lost, good historical authorities say,
nearly 100000 men, the place surrendered.
| All these are comparatively modern under
takings. Ancient history is full of seiges, each
more or less distinguished for its deeds of valor
and heroic incidents. The dreadful seige OF
Saguntum, PIG B. CIVIL readily occur TO ALL
The heroic citizens, after resisting to the death
! for period Of 8 months, chose to be buried in
the ruins Of their city rather than surrender to
the Carthagenian, Hannibal. They burnt
| themselves, with their houses and their effects,
aud the conQueror became master Of a pile OF!
ashes ard dead.
We read that the famous city Of Tyre was
beseiged by the Assyrians, iCc space OF i've
years, 7l3 B. G. Alexander the Great also
laiG siege to it, (nearly 200 years afterwards
but only after beleaguerment Of seven months
was it taken. The siege Of Jerusalem by the
Romans is one OF the most notable events OF
the kind in history. 1t occur ed A. D. 20.
The siege Of Troy, so famous in Grecian
mythology, the story is, lasted 10 years; but
every reader of the Iliad knows oil about that
Fleets, as well as armies, were engaged in it.,
aud. if Old Homer is to be believed, 50 were
the gods and goddesses:
ire va. the clang, and dreadful from af.r,
vi armed battaions rushing 10 the
Each NO., [ now joins, and each god nspiies-
Those Mars iIc'lea. end the G Minerva fires.
] ale Fight around and dreadful terror reign,
And Discord raging oathes the purple plain,
Nov shield with shield, with helmet Lel.net closed
To armor arnor, lance to lance opposed.
Host against host, with shadovy squadrons drew,
lie sounding darts in iron tenn ests hex.
The Trojans, like The Russians, however,
were obstinate fellows. The Menscn kol OF
that day was one Hector, a tolerable good gen
eral in his way. AgamcmnOn was tie Lord
Raglan OF the beslcgers. We are not sure
that the Allies have an Achilles or an Ajax in
General Canrobert or Prince Napoleon. Time
will show. Troy, however, we are told never
surrendered. It was taken by stratagem,
the stratagem of the wooden horse.
1t will probably take something more than
a wooden horse to conquer the Crimea.