Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-10-17

Headquarters, Santa Engraeia-Cspitula-
ton"
The answer, instantly returned, was:
headquarters saEagossa-War to the knife
The next morning the eoaaict was renewed
The French had reached the G9so-the long.
broad street, slready deseribsd-war was Wagsd
sgainst them from every house, and the stsset
soon became sursWn with dead bodies. Ths am
nutrition Of the SpsHissds vas nearly exhaust
ed, sHt no Sne thought of suIrsndering As
Gen. PAlafOx rode through the stFes-s, the peo-
pie crowded around him, aad declared thas if
ammunition failed, they would resist the enemy
With their knives The murdeTogs eoutass lasted
eleven days. The ecTpses o. the slain, which
were left uubUried ia the streets became putrid,
sad the air wss tainted with pestilsntisl OdOfs
Nothing could exceed the courage and patriotic
virtues Of ths SarAgosssns during these fright
ful sesnes. Tney gradually beat bsck their op-
ponents, and in four or hva days Tegsined the
greater portion Of the city.
On the night of the I3!h Of August 3 most
destructive Ere was epons1 By the enemy from
81 their batteries, and many parts of the city set
on FIRE. The church Of Santa EnFraeia was
blown m; but az dAy-dsWn the heroic inhabit-
ants Of Sarag0ssa had ths delight Of seeing the
distant columns Of the enemy in full retreat
Tae nUderous night attack was but q wanton
and sanguinary stratsgem TO eovsr that retreat
OF course tbs iahsb;is0s were in a state Of
extreme sUf-Ting and exhaustion. Bat all
submitted to the loss Of their felstives, friends
and pfoporty without q mu-mur. Measures
were instantly taken to preserve the city from
infection By removing shs dead; and private saf-
ferings were nos permitted 10 disturb th9 g'Ory
Of the public triupph.
The heroic city, however, was destined St 10
8r,
iDgs, and eventually 10 suceumb
In the month Of December, in the sams year
Slragosss was again invested By the Fsoaeh
army commanded by Marshal n0ncsy. Bat
the former sufsrings Of the brave inhabitants
had only served to increase their hsroisn.
o. thu % b Of December the tronches were
opened against three points Of ths ci y; snd on
the 2d dsy of Jsnusry, 1909, Marshal Junot re-
placed II lrshsl Money in the cOmmaud Of the
besieging army Bombsrdmsnt of ths fsrcest
description, and evsIy species of saffering incl
dental to a siege, instead Of discouragiDg the
garrison and towns people, stimulated them to
deeds of high enterprise, and It the same time
produced that calm and passiVs fogtituds which
misfortune cannot destroy.
In the midst Of the destruction eccasioned by
the showers OF shot and shell thrown into the
place by the bssiegers, an infectious fsver broke
out Thus death IN every direction prsssatad
itself to th5 unshrinking SarsgOsssns II It's
most irightful form. Pfoieetiles containing
burning pitch were thrown into the city by the
en+my's mcrlars; the houses were set on 6Ts by
these mesns; and in the midst of this horrible
illumination the hollow sound Of the druns su-
nounees the approaching attack Mines eXplod-
Cd, tha burning odidess isll in with a tremendous
cTashr and in f." days tue third part Of Sara
gossa was in rains.
The population became concentrated in an
angle Of the city. The scarcity Of food ard
provisions OF every description increased the
contagious fsveT, which spread with fearful
rspiditY The vast and msgu hsaEt church Of
Et Pilsr vas csOwded with such Of the sick and
sounded ~ could crawl - that sLcE8i asylum
But hundreds died in she streets, and their
eorPses, niugisl with the the carcsses Of horses
AID other animals, remained in heaps, r-schiHg
in many instances TO the balconies of 5ha haases
Tie VspeT arising from the decomposition OF
thoss masses OF animal matter was fatal to all
wh0 iHbzlsd t. Between three and f9ur hue-
.dred perishe3 daily from lbs psslleace, il sddi.
lion 20 those wa0 were killed IN The batteries
sad in the numerous daring sOrfie5 frequently
tae bloaFsfy.at pBtrasCaut bodies, winch, as
just described, were piled in heaps in the streets,
we're strHck by tho eusmy's shells. and the
manned and ghsstly esressss lsy dispersed in
irightful confusion. But tbs gallant SaTagOs-
sans did not qlsil under this accumulation of
horrors.
Gsnsrsl Psafox, as in the former siege, was
the lifo and soul cf the belssgursd city Three
most q lant attempts we're made to Telsks the
CapuehiH convent, of which the enemy had Oh
tanned possession after desperate struggle; but
they allied.
Priests AMI womsR agsin assisted in their
operations The former carried ammunition,
and animated the soldiers BY thsir example and
sxhoTtations, whilst the latter bore refreshments
70 their relatives and connexions.
The contest lay between enthusiasm Of the
ncblest description and skill exsrtsd in peTps-
fIssing the most diszracsful outrAgss by which
the pages Of history are dsfacsd.
In spite of the heroic defense. the Frencf
gained ground, ard on the lst of February, by
springiug mines uudlr tae converts Of ST. Au
gustine and Santa Monica, they effected su su
trance. q deadly struggle took place in the
church of the latter. Every ehspsl, every column
every altar, became q point Of defense TIT
pavement was covered with blood, and ID,
sisss and nave were sfreHed with the slain
Tho roof, shattered by the bombs, fell in, an,
those who escaped renewed the conflict over th
| bodies Of ths dead and dying.
Uahappily Gsn. PalaFox was smitten with th,
contagious fever, and this admirable and bero,
| lesder, after being stretched on bad of suffer
| ing Tor month in 4 cellar, was obliged to re-
sign the command. He transferred bis s1thor
| ity to the Juats,@ who immediately dshbeFAteJ
on the condition of the city.
The report Of the military commanders was
| that OF the cavalry only sixty. two horses re-
msined, the rest having died Of hunger; of in
/ fantry, there were only two thousand eigh
/ hundred men 6t for serF es. The Ammunition
| Hss nearly exhausted. The forti6eati0ns wer,
almost entirely demolished nor were ghere any
| -soN -.
/ at this time under a frghtful excess Of brsiI
! fsvsr, and coHld not communicate any iBloTms
/ ton as TO the prospect Of external snecOr. Hi
| pspsrs were ex xaminsd, but they only increases
| the apprehension that 10 relief was to be eIpee
/ ted from without.
Twenty six of the Jauta voted for eapitula
| ton, eight sgsinst it. With noble and c6iyal
rous spirit, the Junsa adopted tbs opinion Of th
| minority.
Another soTtie was made to recover soma gun
which had been captured by tie enemy on th
preceding day. This fort failed, and fifty NOR
guns opened their Ere upon the city, twO.Ehird
! Of which were in ruins. Fire, famine, an,
slaughter, had done their fearful work, aud near
| ly four hundred persons were daily dying of tbs
Pestilencs.
Under these appalling circumstances tn
Jants declared that they bad fulfilled their CAL
| Of fidelity, and that saragossa was Destroyed.
A Tag OF trues was seat to the French hesd
qusTtsrs, followed BY a depatation of the Junts
to arrange the terms Of espiEHlsdon Il Va
agreed that the Spsnish troops should march ou
with the hODors of war that the gallant Gen
PAlafox should bs allowed to retire to any res
dence be might fix upon, snd that all person
not included in the garrison should be permitts
20 leave the city to avoid the contaeion.
On the 2lst of February the military posts
the city were delivered up to the French an
thus terminated one Of the most obstinate an
extraordinary struggles of which history bear
record
The siege lasted 6fsy-two days The French
I By their own account, throw above seven.ee
thousand shalls into the city. More than thirt
thousand men ard Eve hundred ofissrs perishs
in the defense, exclusive Of 8 vast number {
I women and children. The loss on the gar. Of th
besiegers was stodiously concealed, but it mu.
have been very great
Oaly two thouaapd f,nr ~, 9rad man 80 II