Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-12-20

s'HW sctulers had families to sup
port OH of the pittance received
from the SsSaling office. Asoldier euo
ms wife andshfSe children would inevi.
tally have been taryed to death had
not the generous contribution of his
corps relieved hi3 family: One woman
actually died thrdagh want, and many
were SO enieebledythat it was not with.
out great attention they recovered.
Thistles, dandelioSs and wild leeks were
for some time the daily nourishmcnt of
numbers. Meat or presisSons of any
kind brought fabulous prices.
Tho ordinary means OF sustenance were
almost exhausted. and roots aud weeds,
with thistles and wild onions, were
greedily sought after and dev6ured 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
lnhrin, 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 year of misery, tn.
| English fleet sailed into the bay and
landed provisions, but soon left, and II
was not long before the brave little gar
rison was on starvation rations again.
But after the lapse of another twelve
months the ritsh fleet once more came
to its aid, but only saved the garrison
from starvation to plunge it into the ter
rors OF bombardment, for the besieg-
ers had determined that the Rock should
be captured at the cannon's mouth.
Enormous batteries, mounting 40
guns and so mortars, had been planted
along the shore, and now (before the
English ships could lie uuladen Of their
stores was opened all around the bay a
fcu d'enfcr, which was kept up
Tor six weeks. Only two hours
out of the twenty-four was there
gular reason. National customs must
rule in war as in peace. The Spaniards
begun their fire ut daybreak and con-
tinucd it without in,crmission till noon.
Then suddenly it ceased and the camp
! of the besicgors rclapsed INTO silence.
for that the o.hccrs, if not the men, were
asleep! What Spanish gentleman, the
writer remarks, could be deprived Of his
siesta? At o'clock precisely they woke
up aud went to fighting again At
nightfall tho cannon ceased, but the
mortars (Which did not need to be
med with precision, and therefore,
could be fired in darkness as we'll rs in
daylight opened their larger Threats,
and kept up tho roar till day
break. Thus, excepting. only the
time of the sics,a, 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 and completely destroyed. There
was no safety anywhere, not even in the
casemates. If bombproof wilhstood u
lnlling shell, it would sometimes explode
ut the open door, wounding those within.
Men were killed sleeping in their beds.
/ The scene at night WIS more terrible
than by day. as the shells were more
clearly seen in their deadly track.
But in the midst of the horrors of
Z the situation General Elliott was calm,
and by his wonderful personality kept
/ courage in the breasts OF his men. He
/ even went so far rs to make n daring mid
night sortic upon the enemies works
and, catching them by surprise, burned
in a few hours what represented millions
of money and the labors of months
And now it was that the bcsiegers
decided upon bold plan of attack
which ii was calculated would capture
the Rock in short order. A fleet OF es-
| pecially constructed vessels was equipped
at much pains and expense and anchored
within half II mile of the garrison. AS
soon us the steady rain of solid shot
should break an opening in the wall
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
rifle fire into the fortress, while the
cannon on the Rock rained ceascless
shower upon the feet. At last the red
hot shot from Eliott's guns set the
French Admira's flagship on fire, and
soon half dozen vessels were blazing
fiercely. Panic seized the fleet and tho
sailors leaped into the sea. At this
moment the brave English soldiers who
had stood ut 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
treaty of peace and the great gates of
the fortress once more swung open for
the first time in those terrible four
years.