Year: 1866

disturbed. The Austrian commander,
feeling assured that the garrison had been
informed of his movements, and was pre-.
pared to receive him, saw that he could
not surprise the post as he had hoped to
do, and deemed it prudent to wait till day
Hight 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, 'thatt his garrison
will defend this pass to the last extre-
nifty"


| The officer who had borne the flag o.
truce retired, and in about ten minutes 6
piece of artillery was brought into the pass
and opened on the tower. But to effect
this, the piece had to be placed directly il
front of the tower, and within easy musket
range oft. They had scarcely got the gur
in position, when rapid fire opened upor
it from the tower, and continued with such
marked effect that the piece was withdrawn
after the second discharge with the loss o.
FIVE men.


This was bad beginning, so half an
hour after the gun was Withdrawn, the
Austrian Colonel ordered an assault.
As the troops entered the defle, they
were received with rapid and accurate
fire, SO that when they had passed ovei
half the distance they had to traverse, they
had lost fifteen men. Disheartened by
this they returned to the mouth of the de-
file.


Three more assaults were repulsed in
this manner, and the enemy at sunset had
lost forty-fve men, of whom ten were kill,
ed.


The firing from the tower had been
rapid and accurate, but the Austrian com
mander had noticed this peculiarly about
it-every shot seemed to come from the
same place, For a while this perplexed
him, but at last he came to the conclusion
that there were number of loopholes close
together in the tower, 30 constructed as tc
command the ravine perfectly.


At sunset the last assault was made and
repulsed, and at dusk the Austrian COM
mander sent a second summons to the gar
rison.


This time the answer was favorable
The garrison offered to surrender at sun
rise the next morning, if allowed to march
out with with their arms and return to the
army nnmolested. After some hesitntior
the terms were accepted.


Meantime La Tour d. Auvergne had
passed an anxious day in the tower He
had opened the fight with an armament Of
thirty loaded muskets, but had not beer
able to discharge them all He had fired
with surprising rapidity, but with surpris
ing accuracy, for it was well known in the
army that he never threw away shot. HI
had determined to stand to his post unit
he had accomplished his end, which wa
to hold the place twenty-four hours, in or
der to allow the French army time tx
complete its manuyer. After that ht
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 upon the conditions named.


The next day at sunrise, the Austrian
troops lined the pass in two files extending
from the mouth to the tower, leaving
space between them for the garrison t.
pass out.


The heavy door of the tower opened
slowly, and in few minutes a bronzeC
and SCARED grenadier, literally loaded
down with muskets, came out and passed
down the line of troops. He walked will
heavy load.


To the surprise of the Austrians, no one
followed him from the tower.


In astonishment the Austrian Colone
rode up to him, and asked in French why
the garrison did not come out.


81 am the garrison Colonel said th'
soldier proudly.


! What" exclaimed the Colonel, "you
do not mean to tell me thrt you alone
have held that tower against me9"


81 have that honor, Colonel" was tht
reply.


''What possessed you to make such al
attempt, grenadierl"


"The honor of France was at stake"


The Colonel gazed at him for momen
in undisguised admiration. Then, raising
his cap he said, warmly;


"Grenadier, | salute you. You hav,
proved yourself the bravest of the brave


The officer caused all the arms which
La Tour d. Auvergne could not carry t
be collected, and sent them all, with tn,
grenadier, into the French lines, togethe
with note, relating the whole affair.


When the knowledge of it came to the
ears of Napoleon, he offered to promot'
La Tour d Auyergne, but the latter de
clined to accept the promotion, saying tha
he preferred to remain where he was.


The brave soldier met his death in al
action at Aberhausen, in June, 1900, anc
the simple and impressive scene at roll-cal
in his regiment, was commenced and con
tinued by the express command of tn,