FAINT HEART NEVER WON FORTRESS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIV, Issue XXIII, 9 June 1900, Page 1087

FAINT HEART NEVER WON FORTRESS.

At the battle of Inkermann, during the Crimean war, Lieutenant Acton, of the 2nd Middlesex Regiment, was ordered to advance up what is known as Shell Hill, and take the nearest Russian battery with his own company and two other companies. Mr Acton elected to make the front attack with his men, and told the officers of the other companies to advance by the flank. They declined to attempt the task, however, with so few men, and Acton's men, influenced by the decision of the other officers, also refused to move. Lieutenant Acton therefore walked on. saying, “Then I'll go by mvself!” He was at this juncture joined by Private Tyrrell, and then the whole of the men of the company followed. The advance was made, but the Russian battery escaped by retiring Another similar incident occurred when Napoleon was taking the town of Ratisbon in 1809. Marshal Lannes was entrusted with the assault, and on calling for fifty volunteers to lead the assaulting party with scaling-ladders, hundreds volunteered. No sooner had they started to advance, however, than they were all killed. Another fifty was called for. and they, too. were swept away by the deadly fire. 'Then a third call was made, but no one stepped forward for a duty which clearly seemed certain death. Tim marshal himself then jumped to the front, and shouted: “1 will show you that before 1 became a marshal I was a grenadier!" Seizing a ladder, he started for tin* ramparts, but the aides-de-camp tried to prevent him. For some moments a struggle ensued between the officers and the general, which excited the soldiers so much that they now claimed the honour of making the third attempt! Rut the officers insisted on doing it themselves, which they did, and by one of those strange freaks of war the party reached the wall with hardly the loss of a man.