During the rest of the day, the enemy showed no signs of resuming the
assault. During the night they could be heard hard at work, and
although a brisk fire was kept up to hinder them, Charlie found that
they had pushed trenches, from the batteries, a considerable distance
round each corner of the town.
For four days the besiegers worked vigorously, harassed as they were
by the guns of the fort, and by those of the battery high up on the
hillside, which were now able to take in flank the works across the
upper angle of the town. At the end of that time, they had erected and
armed two batteries, which at daylight opened upon the walls which
formed the flanks of the clear space behind the breach. Although
suffering heavily from the fire of the besieged, and losing many men,
these batteries kept up their fire unceasingly, night and day, until
great gaps had been made in the walls, and Charlie was obliged to
withdraw his troops from them, behind the line of barricades.
During this time the fire of the batteries in front had been
unceasing, and had destroyed most of the houses which formed the
connecting line between the barricades. Each night, however, the
besieged worked to repair damages, and to fill up the gaps thus formed
with piles of stones and beams, so that, by the end of the fourth day
after the repulse of the first assault, a line of barricades stretched
across the line of defence.
Pages:
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259