The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-10-04
The Siege os Toulon.


Tn the year 1913, the city Of Toulon re-
vOlted from the revolutionary government
Of Frshce. The rebellion originated ia aa
attempt TO resist the French Revolution,
by the inhabitants Of the cities Of ToulOn,
Lyons, Marseilles and the adjacent Coun.
try.
The city Of Toulon is situated in the
southeast Of France, on the Mediterra-
mean; and besides being the arsenal Of
France, it contained at that time immense
naval stores, besides feet of seventeen
sail Of the line, ready for sea, and thirteen
or fourteen more which could be easily
fitted out; all Of which we're held by the
enemies Of the French government.
But great as the rebellion was it was
determined by the convention taycsQsh jts
and, accordingly, after the fall Of Lyons,
,he FE1gV% +.-;;"s, '-'es ordered to ns0Ee %
the Investment Of Toulon. Lord Mulgrave,
who commanded the forces within the city,
began the defense Of I ,,,iun with spirit.
Soon after Cartanx arrived and advanced
on the west TOulOn, while Lanope block
AIDED the city on the west with part of
the army Of Italy.
On the east side the town was covered
by the strong fort of La Malgue, and on
the west by a smaller one, called Malbos.
quet. In order to support Malbosquet,
the English had fortified an eminence
called Hauteur de Grasse, the hight of
which bent into a sort Of bay, the two
promOnt0lies Of which were secured by
redoubts, which communicated with and
supported the new fortifcation which the
English had termed Fort Mulgrave.
Although there was little union between
the commanders within Toul0D, yet they
were so far successful that the French be-
gan to be alarmed at the slow progress of
the siege; and even Barras wrote to the
convention, advising that the siege should
be raised and the army withdrawn be-
yond the Durancc. But while ordinary
minds were despairing, a young man was
coming forward, who was to join his name
with that of Toulon.
When Napoleon Bonaparte arrived at
Toulon, he advised that INSTEAD Of bcsicg.
ing the city the attention OF the army
should be directed to obtain possession
OF iIauteur dc Grassr. by lriviag the be.
eicged from the suoHg works of Fort Mul-
grave and MAhosquet, in consequence of
which the English would bc compelled to
rvscuate Toulon instantly, or be obliged
i0 surrender eventually, through famine,
/ il they remained in the iarbur.
At council Of war" this plan was
/ adopted, and soon after Napoleon assem-
BLEED against Tonl0n, over two hundred
cannon, by which he greatly annoyed the
English shipping lying in the harbor. In
i the meantime CarlanX had been superse-
ded by Doppet, who himself was shortly
succeeded by an old veteran, Dugommier.
/ When Napoleon saw Dugomlnier, he i,
said to have remarked that he had nc
doubt of the final conquesslOf Toulon.
Napoleon, with the greatest vigilance
and secrecy, was constructing a large
masked battery against Malbosqnet, which
with the ones he had constructed against
Mulgrave, he hoped to confound the enc
my by opening the assault upon them 81.
| multancously. But Frcron and Robes.
pierre, while visiting the works, came
across this battery, and at once ordered il
to be opened on Malbosquet. AlthoUgt
the battery. was not completed, yet the
fire from it was SO effective aud unexpect.
ed, that the English general determined at
once to take it from the French Placing
himsclfa at the head Of three thousand men
he advanced upon the French. At first
he was successful in driving them from
the battery, but upon pursuing the French
too lar, they were reinforced by Bona
parte, when sharp skirmieh ensued, il
which the English were driven back and
their general wounded aud taken prisoner
Napoleon himself was Slightly wounded
in the thigh by bayo g.
But, bark ! Five of Napoleen's grea
batteries are opened upon Fort Mulgrave
Death, terror aud destruction reign su
preme over Touton. The earth tremb.el
by the incesSant roar Of the cannon; 6
vast smoke rolls up over the city, anu OBJ
scures the light Of the sun. Deadly bombs
cannon ball and iron hail are flying ovel
Toulon, dealing death and destruction al
around. The awful fire is continued with
out intcrmisSioh all night, and is watched
with the utmost anxiety 10y the trembling
RoyalistS. Toward morning heavy col
umns of French troops, with Napoleon
and Dungommicr at their head, are seeI
advancing upon Mulgrave. They narcf
TO the attack with the greatest bravery
but were driven back in confusion. 81
renewed and extraordinary efforts tn
French succeeded in driving the Spanist
artillerists from their guns, and very short
ly afterwards the French flag waved owe
the walls of Mulgrave.
Great was the CONSERVATION of the Al
lies when they beheld the important for
trcss Of Mulgrave in the hands Of tn
French. They instantly resolved to evac
uate Toulon and were accompanied By
about fourteen thousand Royaiists, VIII,
preferred to leave their homes rather thai
by remaining to ;rtitnstand the vengeanc
Of the victorious Republicans.
But the English and Spanish undertool
to burn and sink the French shipping
which they were unable to take with them
~ ~ Ssl,:.,,:sc, through .::apH::;; -
ness, set fire to two large ships which con
tained many hundred barrels of gunpow
der. The light of the burning vessel
shed lurid glare over the heavens, re
vca'ing to the retiring English large bod
les Of Republicans forcing their way int
the town. The guns Of MalboSquet ar
turned upon the suburbs of the town
which, together with the Shrcks Of tn
flying Royalists, and the yc!ls of the vic
torious JacobinS, form horrible uproar
Suddenly an awful explosion Of the tw
burning He-,..eIs- Is As.44l, stalking thc cit
to its very centre, and lighting up tn
heavens with a lurid blaza. Then all wa
still III the Egyptian darkness which fol
lowed When 10! the Star of Napoleon
is seen to be rising in the East, over Tou
Ion, and is gittering all over France.
SAFETY OF SILENCE.--I beg you TO tax
to heart one maxim, which for myself