The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-02-13

anu sOlulerS nau l0mllleS TO sup
port out of the pittance received
from the victualing office. A soldier and
his wife and three children would inevi-
tably have been starved to death had
not the generous contribution of his
corps relieved his family. One woman
actually died through want, and many
were so enfeebled that it was not with.
out great attention they recovered,
Thistles, dandelions and wild leeks were
for some time the daily nourishment of
numbers. Meat or provisions of any
kind brought fabulous prices.
The ordinary means of sustenance were
almost exhausted and roots and weeds,
with thistles and wild onions, were
greedily sought after and devoured by
the famished inhabitants. Bread was
becoming so scarce that the daily rations
were served out under protection of
guard, and the weak, the aged and the
infirm, who could not struggle against
the hungry, impetuous crowd that
thronged the doors of the bakeries, often
returned TO their homes robbed of their
share.
At last, after a year of misery, the
English feet sailed into the bay and
landed provisions, but soon left, and 1T
was not long before the brave little gar
rison was on starvation rations again.
But after the lapse of another twelve
months the Hritsh feet once more came
to its aid, but only saved the garrison
from starvation to plunge it into the ter
rors of a bombardment for the besieg-
ers had determined that the Rock should
be captured at the cannon's mouth.
Enormous batteries, mounting 10
guns and so mortars, had been planted
along the shore, and now (before the
English ships could lie unladen of their
stores) was opened all around the bay a
feu d'eufer, which was kept up
for six weeks. Only two hours
out of the twenty-four was there
any cessation, aad that for a sim
gular reason. National customs must
rule in war as in peace. The Spaniards
began their fire at daybreak and con-
tinued it without in;ermission till noon.
Then suddenly it ceased and the camp
of the besiegers relapsed into silence,
for that the officers, if not the men, were
asleep. What Spanish gentleman, the
writer remarks, could be deprived of his
siestal At o'clock precisely they woke
up and went to fighting again. At
lilC OdhlOu CtdSGNls bub NhJ
mortars (which did not need to be
med with precision, and, therefore,
could be fred in darkness as well as in
daylight opened their larger throats,
and kept up the roar till day
break. Thus, excepting only the
time of the siesta, there was not
an hour of day or night that the
Rock did not echo with tremendous
reverberations. The town was soon set
on fire aud completely destroyed. There
was no safety anywhere, not even in the
classmates. If bombproof withstood a
falling shell, it would sometimes explode
at the open door, wounding those within.
Men were killed sleeping in their beds
The scene at night was more terrible
than by day, as the shells were more
clearly seen in their deadly track.
But in the midst of a | the horrors of
the situation General Elliott was calm,
and by his wonderful personality kept
courage in the breasts of his men. He
even went so far as to make daring mid
night sortie upon the enemies works
and, catching them by surprise, burned
in few hours what represented millions
of money and the labors of months.
And now it was that the besiegers
decided upon bold plan of attack
/ which it was calculated would capture
/ the Rock in short order. A feet of es-
/ pecially constructed vessels was equipped
at much pains and expense and anchored
within half mile of the garrison. A
soon as the steady rain of solid shot
should break an opening in the wall a
corps of French Grenadiers would scale
/ the Notifications and drive the garrison
into the sea. The decisive day had come,
and from sunrise until well past night
fall the guns of the feet poured ter
riic fire into the fortress, while the
cannon on the Rock rained a ceaseless
shower upon the fleet. At last the red
hot shot from Eliott's guns set the
French Admiraps flagship on fire, and
/ soon half dozen vessels were blazing
fiercely. Panic seized the fleet and the
sailors leaped into the sea. AT this
moment the brave English soldiers who
had stood at their guns all day put off
from the Rock in rowboats, and at the
peril of their lives from the exploding
ships, picked up their terrified and
drowning enemies. That day demon
stIated the impossibility of capturing
Gibraltar while Elliott was in charge of
the garrison, and it was not long before
England, France and Spain signed a
treaty of peace and the great gates of
the fortress once more swung open for
the first time in those terrible four
years.