The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-01-30

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Great Britain, which recently assums
led q semblance Of reality by the raid
on the coast towns, has recalled to
iSeotchmen the old observance OF the
Festival of the bacont on the last
.lday OF January. For more than o cen.
Itur ythe youngsters Of a number Of
towns In the southern part OF Scot.
land have lighted bontiresf on the eva.
ming of the thirty:frst OF January, to
commemorate the patriotism of the
lScotehmen who sprang to arms 10 re.
pei supposed raid OF Napoleon's
army, II was. a false alarm which
sent the Scots marching away to fight
the fictitious Frenohmen, but It was
nevertheless a display OF enthusias.
tic patriotism which proved that the
Killed volunteers were not only ready
but eager to take part In the national
defense. 3 4 r =
Napoleon's plans for an invasion Of
England and Scotland aroused the
people to a high pitch. At Boulogne
the French had an army OF. 10000
veterans. who were constantly drilled
in the tactics OF embarkation. Mast.
lery of the channel. II only for afew
hours, would enable Napolean-then,
In 1904. about to assume the, imperial
tcrown-to make his Threatened raid
Ia reality. A great notilla OF aat-bot.
toned boats, sufficient In numbers to
transport the great "armyl OF England"
was in readiness. Fulton, the Ameri-
can inventor, offered to build for Ma.
lpoleon o feet OF steamboats,, but his
offer was refused.
The English realized that the fleet
upon which they placed their depend.
ence to prevent an invasion was by
no means impregnable. for, should a
storm drive the British ships away
for short time, or a calm render
them motionless, the Boulogne flo-
Itilla OF thirteen hundred boats would
have an opportunity to pour q great
army Of trained men upon English
soil.
In this crisis Britain did not de-
SPAR. Practically every able.bodied
man Joined militia Organization, and
the Yeomanry, or militia cavalry regi-
ments. which exist today, date from
this period, All England and all Scot
land took to arms in answer to the
clarion call:
No parleying now. In Britain is one
/ breath,
We are oil with you now, from shore
to shore.
tYe men of Kent, It's victory or death!
Students OF history disagree as to
whether Napoleon's project for an 1n-
vasion of England was undertaken in
sober earnest, or was only a military
feint. It is; certain that he made
the most elaborate preparations, and
all the world stood breathless await
\ ing for the blow to fall. After the
opportunity had passed Napoleon told
the privy council that the Boulogne
encampment was intended to keep
England occupied at home and to
hoodwink the continental neighbors
OF France. Admitting that the scheme
had entailed a vast expenditure, he
declared that 1t was justified, since
it enabled him to keep large bodies
OF troops in training and to perfect
his military system. 4,
1t; is probable that Napoleon was In
deadly earnest in his plan for an Eng
fish invasion. but Nelson's victory at
Trafalgar crushed all his hopes in
that direction: War on land was his
only course thereafter, and he was
compelled to abandon all thought Of
carrying the war to British soil.
During the period Of stress nearly
every man in Great Britain was a
prospective soldier. Men Of all class.
es, from wealthy mobiles to laborers,
spent all their spare time in military
training. Every village had its COM
pany Of defenders, who had orders to
report at certain central points in case
of an invasion, The lighting Of ben
cons was to be the signal for the, gain
ering Of the clans.
On the evening OF Jan. 81, 1904, the
beacon at Hume Castle, in Berwick.
shire, was lighted, owing to a false
report that the French had arrived.
One after another beacons famed
forth the call to arms. until all the
southern counties Of Scotland re-
sounded to the tramp of armed men
gathering at their respective places
Of rendezvous. Men from all over
Scotland had gathered there in order
to be on hand when the expected sig
nal came, and the wild. defiant skirl-
ling OF the bagpipes and other musical
aroused the Scots to a
fever. Of martial enthusiasm.
Sir Walter Scott has set down many
"details Of this gathering of the clans.
I"The selkirkshire yeomanry made q
remarkable march," he says; .'for al.
though some Of the individuals lived
at twenty-five and thirty miles dist.
ance from the place where they must
ered, they were nevertheless embed:
lied and In order in SO shore a period
THAT they were at Dalkeith, which was
their alarm.post, about one o'clock of
1.-THE day succeeding the first signal.
with men and horses in good order,
Though the roads were In q bad state,
and many. OF the troopers must have
ridden forty or fifty miles without
drawing bridle.r Sir Walter adds:
1.-THE different corps, on arriving at
their alarm.posts, announced them
selves by their music playing the tunes
peculiar to their own districts. many
Of which have been gathering-sig:
mails for centuries. Itswas particular
liz remembered that the Liddesdalel
men entered Kelso playing the lively.
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