,000 men. From right to left they came on, with drums
beating and loud huzzas, and attempted to storm our works. We opened on
them with all our guns from one end of our works to the other. They
replied with their musketry, and it may well be supposed how terrific
appeared that blaze of fire extending throughout the whole length of
that wide-stretching line. It was a sight which, although many are the
battles I have seen, I shall never forget. Then there were the burning
houses, the bursting shells, the roar of the artillery, the rattle of
the musketry, the crashing of falling buildings, the blowing-up of
mines, the cries of the combatants, the shrieks of the wounded, the loud
clang of the martial bands, the wild huzzas of the stormers, the defiant
shouts of our gallant fellows,--all these must be thrown in, and yet
after all no adequate conception can be formed of that midnight scene of
slaughter and destruction. Our men fought fiercely and desperately;
soldiers and sailors vied with each other in their feats of gallantry.
Bravely they stood at the breaches in our crumbling works; the sick and
wounded rushed to the trenches. I heard a voice near me which I
recognised as that of Tom Rockets.

"I thought you had been in your bed, Tom," said I.

"So I was, sir," he answered; "but I couldn't stay there when this sort
of fun was going on, so as I'd yet one arm at liberty I thought as how
I'd come and use it alongside you, Mr Hurry; I knew you wasn't over
well to do either."

Tom had no jacket on, and his arm was bound up just as it had been when
he managed to make his escape from the hospital. Although in most
directions we drove the enemy back, they managed to carry two of our
flanking redoubts on the left, which had hitherto retarded their
approaches, when nearly all the poor fellows in them were, as is
generally the case when a post is taken by storm, put to the bayonet.

15th.--The enemy lost no time in throwing up a line of communication
between the two flanking redoubts, which they perfected before daylight.
The consequence of this to us was most disastrous, for they would now
rake the whole of our lines. Still we persevered and returned, though
it must be owned but feebly, the vigorous fire they kept up on us.

16th.--At half-past four in the morning, Lord Cornwallis directed a
sortie to be made in order to destroy or to spike the guns in one of the
enemy's batteries which was causing us most annoyance.