Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1862-01-16
penetrated, every nook and corner of the

penetrated. every nook and corner of the
building.
Seizing thirty thousand muskets, and six
pieces of light artillery. they rushed to assail
that mountain of rock, frowning with the
heaviest guns which not many years before,
an army, under the great Conde, had be-
sieged in vain for three and twenty days.
De Launey from one of the towers heard
the roar of the insurgent city, and saw the
agitated mass of countless thousands ap-
preaching through all the streets. The
cannon, loaded with grape. were thrust from
the port-holes, and cart-loads of paving
stones, cannon-balls and old iron had been
conveyed to the top of the towers, to hurl
down upon the assailants.
The people, who had organized rude
sort of government at the Hotel de Vile,
sent flag oftruce, summoning the COVER
nor to surrender, ''in the name of the peo-
pie, of honor, and of our native land
De Launey declined to surrender, but
replied that he was ready to declare upon
oath that he would not fire upon the people
unless assailed. The flag had hardly emerg-
ed from the massive portals and crossed the
draw bridge of the moat, which was imme-
diately raised. ere the attack was commenced.
The walls. forty feet thick at the base, and
ten feet thick at the top Of the towers, could
laugh at cannon balls. The garrison,
through loop-holes of double and triple
gratings, were secure from danger, while
every shot they sent might make sure of its
mark. Against these walls, one hundred
feet high, more than one hundred thousand
men, hour after hour, harmlessly fattened
their bullets.
Fortunately for the people, the garrison
in the fortress were generally in such
strong sympathy with them, that they
were careful to do as little harm as pos
sible. The Swiss mercenaries, however,
in blind obedience to orders, fired with un-
erring aim The whole population of Paris
seemed to be combined against this great
bulwark of despotism. There were not a
few mobiles and priests who espoused the
popular cause, and they were seen fighting
side by side with the gaunt and ragged VIC
tins of famine.
As the impotent assault continued hour
after hour, producing not the slightest i'm
preston, few thousand royal troops, called
the French Guards. broke from their off,
GERS, and led by subaltern, Joined the peo-
pie. bringing with them two pieces of artil-
lery. They were received with shouts,
which rose loud and long above even the
lthunders Of the battle. They opened their
battery, but the balls rebounded harmless
from the impregnable rock.
The afternoon was now wearing away
But one individual within the fortress had
been injured by chance shot. One hum
dred and seventy-one of the assailants had
been either killed or wounded. The garri-
son consisted Of eighty French, and thirty
Swiss soldiers. The French soldiers were
in sympathy with their brethren in the
streets and at length openly revolted, drag
ging down the Bourbon flag, and raising
upon their bayonets hankerchiefs and towels
in token of surrender. Gradually these
white flags were discerned throug gh the
clouds of smoke that enveloped the prison,
and the cry was echoed through the thronged
streets, 1.-The Bastile surrenders.''
De Launey conscious that he could expect
no mercy from the people, whose blood he
had been shedding SO profusely, seized a
match and rushed towards the magazine
There were one hundred and thirty-fve
barrels of gunpowder in the vaults. The
explosion would have buried one hundred
thousand people beneath the ruins of the
Bastile, and have demolished one-third OF
Paris Two soldiers seized the frantic gov
ernor and bound him.
Tho nort.lc uora tbro,rn Oman ,nJ +bo
throng rushed in. They clambered the
towers, penetrated the cells, and with Ian
terms CROPPED through the glooms of dungeons
and oubliettes With awe-stricken spirits
they gazed upon the instruments of torture
with which the victims had been torn and
broken
The moderation Of the people, in this hour
of frenzy and yet of triumph, seems marvel
Gus. Instead Of devoting the Swiss, who
had shot down nearly two hundre of their
number, to ndiscriminate massacre, but one
of them was injured Selling the governor
and the Swiss troops, and carefully endea.
voriny to protect them from violence, in a
tumultuous throng, which could not be coun.
ted they were endeavoring to conduct their
i prisoners to the Hotel de Vile for trial
There were few in this vast throng burn.
ing for vengeance. They at length sue,
ceeded in overpowering the guard of De
Launey, struck him to the ground, cut of
his head, and raised the ghastly trophy into
the air upon pike. Two Of the Swiss
guard were also hung upon lamp post
! But the French guard who had been co-ope.
rating with the people marched promptly to
the rescue. They took the whole garrison
French and Swiss, under their protection
and marched them to their barracks. Thus
terminated this ever memorable day in the
annals of France 1t was the 18th of July,
1885,
The fall of the Bastile caused shout OF
ckultation to roll over the whole domain of
France. The working clergy were with the
people, and thanks were returned to God in
| all the churches Notre Dame was crowded
to its utmost capacity on the occasion The
| Able Fauchet preached a sermon of such
surprising eloquence, that its echoes still