THE LAST FIGHT IN ARMOUR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXIX, Issue 98, 27 April 1895, Page 4

THE LAST FIGHT IN ARMOUR.

'The Last Fight in Armour,' Temple Bar calls a cnrious incident in the time of Napoleon ; though indeed it may not prove to have been the last; now that there is war in- Gorea. 'i ravellers in that odd country describe the Corean soldiers as weariug uniforms of the queerest construction. Some of (he men are stiJl attired in armour, and bear antique Bpears, their military costume being completed by a redtasselled black hat to which, when they are obliged to turn out in rainy weather, a pmall umbrella is conveniently attached. It is hardly probable, however, that thpse singular men-at-aiins -will prove very formidable opponents, still less that they will be able to achieve the destruction of a battery of artillery, as did the last of the mal-clad French.

The incident in question occurred in the town of Aquila, in 1799, The main body of the French having withdrawn, a body of some four hundred soldiers remained in the place, whose inhabitants were well disposed towards them. But the peasants of the surrounding region were bitterly hostile, and rising in revolt, penetrated the town and drove the Frenchman into the fortress, which was small and weak, yet powerfnl enough to hold the insurgents at bay with its cannon.

The insurgents numbered ten or twelve thousand. They barricaded the streets and loopholed the houses so that they were safe from attack ; but this did not satisfy them. 1 hey wished to take the fort, which, without artillery, waa manifestly impossible. Finally, some cunning brain devised a scheme which came near to being successful.

Between the fort and the nearest hou'ses there lay on the glacis, without carriages and resting upon pieces of wood, twelve guns -which the French had not had time to take into the fort with them. The position of the guns exposed them to fire from both sides, so it was not thought they would be interfered with, though by way of precaution two of the guns of the fortification were kept trained upon them.

One night the sentinel heard a noise. He fired, but the noise continued and did not immediataly cease after other shots, though it seemed to draw farther off. When daylight came it was seen thnt, under cover of darkness, the insurgents had reached the nearest gun, attached a rope to the breech, and then, fastening a rope to a capstan in the , nearest house, had attempted to haul the piece away. Had a military man tried the same trick ,he would have succeeded ; but the peasants did not know enough to thrust rollers under the gun before hauling, and consequently the breech dug a furrow into the soil, which soon became deep enough' to stop further progress.

Nevertheless the besieged were much exasperated, and determined to prevent all further attempts. They cannonaded the house from wh ich the rope issued, but when the walls fell they found Jthat the capstan was in the cellar, and consequently uninjured, although blocked for the time by debris. This did not content them.

Then it was that the commandant of the fort remembered having seen Btowed away in it somewhere a dozen suits of ancient armour, lie selected twelve of his coolest men, gunners and grenadiers, clothed them in this armour, and sent them out to Bpike the guns.

Covered with steel from head to foot and carrying spikes and hainm&rs, the men marched heavily and awkwardly out of the fort and moved in dead silence toward coveted guns, tb« white smoke curling about their mailed figures, and bullets pattering harmlessly against antique helm and corselet. Many of the peasants were horror-struck and believed the strange figures to be diabolical and invulnerable ; while after the first anxious moment was passed, their own oornrades, looking from tho walls, broke into, exultant roars of laughter.

The twelve gallant latter-day knights returned safely from their raid having spiked the guns and cut the rope. Though many times hit they had but one wound amongst them— a one received by a soldier who had wroDgly adjusted a 'brassart,' so that it fell off and left his arm exposed. Tho insurgents were discouraged, and though the blockade continued there was little more fighting, and the besieged wore soon relieved by their friends.