The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1866-09-27

quick short commands of the officers.
and, from the sounds, he supposed that
the troops were retiring from the pass.
Until the morning he was undisturbed.
The Austrian commander feeling as
sured that the garrison had been inform
eel of his movements, and was prepared
to receive him, saw that he could not
surprize the post as he had hoped to do,
and deemed it prudent to wait till day
light before making his attack.
At sunrise he summoned the garrison
to surrender. A grenadier answered
the summons.
''Say to your commander" he said, in
reply to the messenger, "that this gar
rison will defend this pass to the last ex-
tremity."
The officer who had borne the flag of
truce retired, and in about ten minutes
a piece Of artillery was brought into the
pass and opened on the tower. But to
effect this, the piece had to be placed di-
rectly in front of the tower, and within
easy musket range of it. They had
scarcely got the gun in position, when a
rapid fire WAS opened Oh it from the
tower, and continued with such marked
effect that the piece was Withdrawn at
ter the second discharge, with loss of
five men.
lllo Ntto a. DttNl SO littll ttll
hour after the gun was withdrawn the
Austrian Colonel ordered an assault.
AS the troops entered the defile they
were received with rapid and accurate
fire, so that when they had passed over
half the distance they had to traverse,
they had lost fifteen men. Dishearten-
ed by this, they returned to the mouth
of the defle.
Three more assaults were repulsed in
this manner, and the enemy by sunset
had lost forty-five men, of whom ten
were killed.
The firing from the tower had been
rapid and accurate, but the Austrian
commander had noticed this popularity
about it, every shot seemed to come from
the same place. For while this per-
picked him, but at last he came to the
conclusion that there were a number of
loop-holes close together in the tower,
SO constructed as to command the ravine
perfectly.
At sunset the last assault was made
and repulsed, and at dark the Aus
TRAN commander sent second sum-
mons to the garrison.
This time the answer was favorable.
The garrison offered to surrender atsun-
rise the next morning if allowed to
march out with their arms and return
to the army unmOlested. After some
hesitation the terms were accepted.
Meantime La Tour d'Auvergne had
passed an anxious day in the tower.
He had opened the fight with an arma-
ment of thirty loaded muskets, but had
not been able to discharge them all.
He had fired with surprising rapidity,
but with surprising accuracy, for it is
we'll known in the army that he never
threw away shot. He had determin-
ed to stand to his post until he had ac-
complished his end, which was to hold
the place twenty-four hours, in order to
allow the French army time to complete
it's maneuvre. After that, he knew the
pass would be of no consequence to the
enemy.
When the demand for surrender
came to him after the last assault, he
consented to it on the conditions named.
The next day at sunrise the Austrian
troops lined the pass in two files, extend
ing from the mouth to the tower leav-
ing space between them for the garri-
son to pass out.
The heavy door of the tower opened
slowly, and in a few minutes a bronzed
and Scared grenadier, literally loaded
ed down the line of troops. He walked
with difficulty under his load.
To the surprize of the Austrians, no
one followed him from the tower.
In establishment the Austrian Colonel
rode up to him, and asked in French,
why the garrison did not come out.
81 am the garrison, Colonel" said the
soldier proudly.
"What!" exclaimed the Colonel, edo
you mean to tell me that you alone have
held that tower against me?"
II have had that honor Colonel was
the reply.
"What possessed you to make such an
attempt, grenadier:"
''The honor of France was at stake"
The Colonel gazed at him for a mo-
ment with undisguised admiration
Then raising his hat he said warmly:
"Grenadier, | salute you. You have
proved yourselfthe bravest Of the brave"
The officer caused all the arms which
La Tour d'Auvergne could not carry to
be collected, and sent them all with the
grenadier, into the French lines, togeth-
er with note relating the whole affair.
When the knowledge OF it came to the
ears OF Napoleon he offered to promote