The Project Gutenberg EBook of How The Redoubt Was Taken, by Prosper Merimee

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Title: How The Redoubt Was Taken
1896

Author: Prosper Merimee

Release Date: October 17, 2007 [EBook #23057]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOW THE REDOUBT WAS TAKEN ***

Produced by David Widger

HOW THE REDOUBT WAS TAKEN

By Prosper Merimee

Copyright, 1896, by The Current Literature Publishing Company

A friend of mine, a soldier, who died in Greece of fever some years
since, described to me one day his first engagement. His story so
impressed me that I wrote it down from memory. It was as follows:

I joined my regiment on September 4th. It was evening. I found the
colonel in the camp. He received me rather bruskly, but having read the
general's introductory letter he changed his manner and addressed me
courteously.

By him I was presented to my captain, who had just come in from
reconnoitring. This captain, whose acquaintance I had scarcely time to
make, was a tall, dark man, of harsh, repelling aspect. He had been a
private soldier, and had won his cross and epaulettes upon the field
of battle. His voice, which was hoarse and feeble, contrasted strangely
with his gigantic stature. This voice of his he owed, as I was told, to
a bullet which had passed completely through his body at the battle of
Jena.

On learning that I had just come from college at Fontainebleau, he
remarked, with a wry face: "My lieutenant died last night."

I understood what he implied, "It is for you to take his place, and you
are good for nothing."

A sharp retort was on my tongue, but I restrained it.

The moon was rising behind the redoubt of Cheverino, which stood two
cannon-shots from our encampment. The moon was large and red, as is
common at her rising; but that night she seemed to me of extraordinary
size. For an instant the redoubt stood out coal-black against the
glittering disk. It resembled the cone of a volcano at the moment of
eruption.

An old soldier, at whose side I found myself, observed the color of the
moon.

"She is very red," he said. "It is a sign that it will cost us dear to
win this w