The Duke of Cumberland, who was at a short distance with hisaide-de-camp, Colonel Conway, planning and directing the operations,witnessed the attack, and instantly ordered Conway with a troop ofhorse to seize the daring assailants.
But the latter dashed off as hard as they could to the gate, andgained it just in time. All got in safely with the exception of theirleader, who was captured by Colonel Conway and led back to the duke.
CHAPTER III.
THE DUKE OF CUMBERLAND.
William, Duke of Cumberland, second surviving son of the reigningsovereign, was at this time a handsome young man of twenty-four.
Strongly built, but well proportioned, he had bluff and rather coarsebut striking features. Young as he was, the duke had gainedconsiderable military experience. He had fought with his father,George the Second, at the battle of Dettingen, in 1743, and in May,1745, he engaged Marshal Saxe at Fontenoy, and sustained a mostcrushing defeat--highly prejudicial to English renown.
Though thus defeated by the superior military skill of Marshal Saxe,the duke displayed so much gallantry and personal courage during theaction, that he did not lose his popularity in England, but was verywell received on his return; and on the outbreak of the rebellion inthe same year, followed by the defeat of General Cope at Preston Pans,the attack on Edinburgh, and the march of the young Chevalier at thehead of the Highland army into England, he assumed the command of theroyal forces, and prepared to drive the rebels out of the kingdom. Butinstead of doing this, to the general surprise, he allowed the Scotsto continue their advance as far as Derby, and it will always remaindoubtful whether, if the prince had marched on to London, his daringattempt would not have been crowned by success. A contemporaryhistorian unquestionably thought so, and emphatically declares: "Hadthe adventurer proceeded in his career with the expedition which hehad hitherto used, he might have made himself master of themetropolis, where he would have been certainly joined by aconsiderable number of his well-wishers, who waited impatiently forhis approach."[2] But when the prince commenced his retreat the dukeimmediately started in pursuit, though he made no real efforts toovertake him; and, as we have seen, he was repulsed by Lord GeorgeGordon at Clifton, near Penrith. Again, instead of pursuing the rebelsinto Scotland, he sat down to besiege Carlisle. The duke wassurrounded by his staff when Captain Legh was brought before him byColonel Conway.
[2] Smollett's History of England. Reign of George the Second.
"Who is this rash fellow, who seems anxious to throw away his life?"demanded the duke.
"I thought I knew him, for his features seem strangely familiar tome," replied Colonel Conway. "But I must be mistaken. He gives hisname as Atherton Legh, captain of the Manchester Regiment."
"Atherton Legh! ha!" cried the duke. Then fixing a stern look upon theyoung man, he said:
"You had better have remained faithful to the Government, sir. Now youwill die as a traitor and a rebel."
"I am prepared to meet my fate, whatever it may be," replied Atherton,firmly.
"I might order you for instant execution," pursued the duke. "But youshall have a fair trial with the rest of the garrison. It mustsurrender to-morrow."
"Your royal highness is mistaken--the garrison can hold out for aweek."
"'Tis you who are mistaken, Captain Legh," rejoined the duke,haughtily. "I have just received a letter from Colonel Hamilton,offering me terms of submission."
"I am indeed surprised to hear it," said Atherton. "Your royalhighness may credit me when I affirm that the citadel is in a verygood state of defence, has plenty of arms and ammunition, and ought tohold out for a month."
"That may be," rejoined the duke. "But I tell you I have received aletter from the governor, asking for terms. However, I will onlyaccept an unconditional surrender."
"Colonel Townley, the commander of the city garrison, will hold out tothe last," said Atherton.
"Colonel Townley is a brave man, and may die sword in hand; but holdthe town he cannot. His regiment does not number a hundred men. Yousee I am well informed, Captain Legh. To-morrow you will see yourcolonel again."
"I shall be glad to see him again--but not here," replied Atherton.
"Take the prisoner hence," said the duke to Colonel Conway. "Let himbe well treated--but carefully watched."
Colonel Conway bowed, and Atherton was removed by the guard.
CHAPTER IV.
SURRENDER OF CARLISLE TO THE DUKE OF CUMBERLAND.
Shortly after the incident just related, fire was opened from thebattery, but not much damage was done; it being the duke's intentionto alarm the garrison, rather than injure the town. A few shots weredirected against the castle, and struck the massive walls of the keep.The fire was answered by the besieged--but without any effect.
At this juncture it was with great difficulty that the inhabitantscould be kept in check, and, with the small force at his command, itbecame evident to Colonel Townley that he must surrender.
Calling his officers together, he thus addressed them:
"Our position is most critical. Outside the walls we are completelyblockaded, and inside the inhabitants are against us. One means ofescape has occurred to me; but it is so hazardous, that it oughtscarcely to be adopted. A sortie might be made by a small party ofhorse, and these might succeed in cutting their way through the enemy.If a couple of barges could be found, the rest might manage to floatdown the Eden."
"That plan has occurred to me, colonel," said Captain Dawson. "But itis impracticable, since all the barges and boats have been destroyed.Possibly a few men might escape by swimming down the river--but in noother way."
"No," said Colonel Townley; "we are so completely environed thatescape is impossible, unless we could cut our way through the enemy,and this cannot be done, since there are no horses for the men. I willnever abandon my gallant regiment. Since Colonel Hamilton has resolvedto surrender, it is impossible for me to hold out longer--though Iwould a thousand times rather die with arms in my hand than submit tothe mercy of the Duke of Cumberland."
Several plans were then proposed, but were rejected, as none seemedfeasible; and at last a muster was made of the regiment, and ColonelTownley's resolution being communicated to the men, was received bythem with the greatest sorrow.
Later on in the day, Colonel Townley repaired to the citadel, where hehad a conference with the governor, and endeavoured to induce him tochange his purpose, but in vain.
On the following morning the besieged town of Carlisle presented asingular spectacle. The inhabitants, who had hitherto been kept in aweby the garrison, assembled in the streets, and did not attempt to hidetheir exultation; while the Highlanders in the castle, and theofficers and men of the Manchester Regiment, looked deeply dejected,and stood listlessly at their posts. The cause of all these mingledfeelings of ill-concealed satisfaction on one side, and deep dejectionon the other, was, that the garrison had declared its intention tosurrender by hanging out the white flag. The men still stood to theirarms--the engineers and artillerymen remained upon the walls--thegates of the city were still guarded--but not a gun had been fired.All was terrible expectation.
Colonel Hamilton, Captain Abernethy, Colonel Townley, and some of theofficers of the Manchester Regiment, were assembled on the esplanadeof the castle, when Captain Vere, an officer of the English army,attended by an orderly, rode towards them. As the bearer of a despatchfor the governor, he had been allowed to enter the city.
Dismounting, Captain Vere marched up to the governor, and, with aformal salute, delivered a missive to him, saying, "This from hisroyal highness."
The governor took the letter, and, walking aside with Colonel Townley,read as follows:
"'All the terms his royal highness will or can grant to the rebelgarrison of Carlisle are, that they shall not be put to the sword, butbe reserved for the king's pleasure.'"
"The king's pleasure!" exclaimed Colonel Townley. "We have nothing butdeath to expect from the usurper. But go on."
"'If the
y consent to these conditions, the governor and the principalofficers are to deliver themselves up immediately; and the castle,citadel, and all the gates of the town are to be taken possession offorthwith by the king's troops."
"I cannot make up my mind to this," cried Colonel Townley.
"Unfortunately there is no help for it," observed Colonel Hamilton."But hear what follows: 'All the small arms are to be lodged in thetown guard-room, and the rest of the garrison are to retire to thecathedral, where a guard is to be placed over them. No damage is to bedone to the artillery, arms, or ammunition.' That is all."
"And enough too," rejoined Colonel Townley. "The conditions aresufficiently hard and humiliating."
"Gentlemen," said the governor, addressing the officers, "'tis properyou should hear the terms offered by the duke."
And he proceeded to read the letter to them.
Murmurs arose when he had done, and a voice--it was that of AdjutantSyddall--called out:
"Reject them!"
"Impossible," exclaimed Hamilton.
Thinking he had been kept waiting long enough, Captain Vere thenstepped forward and enquired, "What answer shall I take to his royalhighness?"
Colonel Townley and his officers were all eagerness to send a refusal;but the governor cried out, "Tell the duke that his terms areaccepted."
"In that case, gentlemen," said Captain Vere, "you will all prepare todeliver yourselves up. His royal highness will at once take possessionof the town."
With this, he mounted his horse, and rode off, attended by hisorderly.
About an hour afterwards, the gates being thrown open, Brigadier Blighentered the town with a troop of horse, and rode to the market-place,where, in front of the guard-room, he found Colonel Hamilton, CaptainAbernethy, Colonel Townley, and the officers of the ManchesterRegiment, a French officer, and half a dozen Irish officers.
They all yielded themselves up as prisoners, and the brigadier desiredthem to enter the guard-room, and when they had complied with theorder, placed a guard at the door.
The Highlanders, the non-commissioned officers and privates of theManchester Regiment, with a few French and Irish soldiers, who weredrawn up in the market-place, then piled their arms, and retired tothe cathedral, where a strong guard was set over them.
Crowded with these prisoners, the interior of the sacred buildingpresented a very singular picture. Most of the men looked sullen andangry, and their rage was increased when the sound of martial musicproclaimed the entrance of the Duke of Cumberland with his whole armyinto the town.
Attended by General Hawley, Colonel Conway, Colonel York, and a largestaff of officers, the duke was received with acclamations by thetownspeople who had come forth to meet him. Riding on to the citadel,he dismounted with his staff, and, entering a large room recentlyoccupied by the governor, ordered the prisoners to be brought beforehim. After charging them with rebellion and treason, he told them theywould be sent under a strong guard to London, there to take theirtrial.
When he had finished, Colonel Townley stepped forward, and said:
"I claim to be treated as a prisoner of war. For sixteen years I havebeen in the service of the King of France, and I now hold a commissionfrom his majesty, which I can lay before your royal highness if youwill deign to look at it."
"But you have received another commission from the son of thePretender, and have acted as colonel of the rebel regiment raised byyourself in Manchester," interposed General Hawley. "Your plea istherefore inadmissible."
"I have as much right to the cartel as any French officer taken by hisroyal highness at the battle of Fontenoy," rejoined Townley.
"As a liege subject of his majesty, you are not justified in serving aprince at war with him," said the Duke of Cumberland, sternly. "Icannot entertain your plea. You will be tried for rebellion andtreason with the rest of the prisoners."
Seeing it would be useless to urge anything further, Colonel Townleystepped back.
The only person allowed the cartel was the French officer.
The prisoners were then removed, and ordered to be kept in strictconfinement in the castle until they could be conveyed to London.
Some deserters from the king's army were then brought before the duke,who ordered them to be hanged, and the sentence was forthwith carriedout on a piece of ground at the back of the castle.
The prisoners passed the night in strict confinement in the castle,their gloom being heightened by the sound of the rejoicings that tookplace in the town at the Duke of Cumberland's success.
On the following morning, at an early hour, three large waggons, eachhaving a team of strong horses, were drawn up near the gates of thecastle. These were destined to convey the prisoners to London. Theforemost waggon was assigned to Colonel Townley, Captain Dawson,Captain Deacon, and Captain Legh. The rest of the officers of theManchester Regiment were similarly bestowed. A strong mounted guardaccompanied the conveyances, having orders to shoot any prisoner whomight attempt to escape.
As the waggons moved slowly through the streets towards the southgate, groans and execrations arose from the spectators, and missileswere hurled at the prisoners, who no doubt would have fared ill ifthey had not been protected.
The Duke of Cumberland remained for two days longer at Carlisle, whenhaving received a despatch from the king enjoining his immediatereturn, as an invasion from France was apprehended, he posted back toLondon, taking Colonel Conway with him, and leaving the command of thearmy to General Hawley, who started in pursuit of Prince Charles.
End of the Fourth Book.
BOOK V.
JEMMY DAWSON.
CHAPTER I.
THE ESCAPE AT WIGAN.
The prisoners were treated very considerately on their journey toLondon. Whenever the waggons stopped at an inn, their occupants wereallowed to alight and order what they pleased, and as they had plentyof money, they were served with the best the house could afford. Atnight they sometimes slept in the waggons, sometimes at an inn, ifsufficient accommodation could be found. In the latter case, ofcourse, a guard was placed at the doors.
Passed in this way, the journey might not have been disagreeable, ifit had not been for the indignities to which they were occasionallyexposed. None of the officers felt any great uneasiness as to theirfate. Despite what the Duke of Cumberland had said to Colonel Townley,they were led to expect that they would be treated as prisoners ofwar, and regularly exchanged.
Entertaining this conviction, they managed to keep up their spirits,and some of them led a very jovial life.
A great change, however, had taken place in Colonel Townley'sdeportment. He had become extremely reserved, and associated only withCaptain Deacon, Captain Dawson, and Atherton. The two latter wouldhave been far more cheerful if they had obtained any tidings of thoseto whom they were tenderly attached.
On the third day after leaving Carlisle, the prisoners arrived atLancaster, and on the following day they were taken to Preston. Herethe feeling of the inhabitants was so strong against them that theyhad to be protected by the guard.
At Wigan, where the next halt was made for the night, Athertonremarked that John Holgate, the host of the Bear's Paw, the inn atwhich they stopped, looked very hard at him. He thought he knew theman's face, and subsequently remembered him as a tradesman inManchester.
In the course of the evening Holgate found an opportunity of speakingto him privately, and told him not to go to bed, but to leave hiswindow slightly open--as something might happen. Having given himthese directions, Holgate hastily left him.
On entering his room, which was at the back of the house, Athertonfound it looked into the inn-yard, where the waggons were drawn up,and as some men were going in and out of the stables with lanterns, heperceived that several of the troopers were preparing to take theirnight's rest in the waggons.
Immediately beneath the window, which was at some height from theground, a sentinel was posted.
Having made the observations, Atherton withdrew, leaving the window
slightly open, as he had been enjoined, and put out the light.
In about an hour all became quiet in the yard--the troopers had gotinto the waggons, and no doubt were fast asleep, but he could hear themeasured tread of the sentinel as he paced to and fro.
Another hour elapsed, and the sentinel being still at his post,Atherton began to fear that Holgate might fail in his design. But hishopes revived when the footsteps could no longer be heard, and softlyapproaching the window he looked out.
The sentinel was gone. But in his place stood another person, whomAtherton had no doubt was the friendly landlord.
Having intimated his presence by a slight signal, Holgate retreated,and Atherton instantly prepared to join him. Emerging from the windowas noiselessly as he could, he let himself drop to the ground, andachieved the feat so cleverly, that he was only heard by Holgate, whoimmediately took him to the back of the yard, where they clamberedover a low wall, and gained a narrow lane, along which they hastened.
"I think you are now safe," said Holgate. "At any rate, you will be sowhen we reach our destination. I have brought you this way because itwould have been impossible to elude the vigilance of the sentinelplaced in front of the house. I have given the man who was stationedin the yard a pot of ale, and he has retired to the stable to drinkit."