public cause, so far as they went. The third parallel was gained; but in an attempt to do more, by an attack on the second trench, he lost some standards. However, before he retreated, his men succeeded in spiking four of the enemy’s guns.
On the arrival, therefore, of Kleber’s division, its original destination, to mount the breach, was changed to the business of recovering these works; which, after a furious contest of three hours, was accomplished. The advantage was, however, still on the side of the besieged; it was, in fact, decisive; for it so damped the zeal of the French troops, that they could not again be brought to the breach.
The general character of Buonaparte’s conduct during the siege of Acre by the French army,and on its retreat, is thus stated by Sir W. Sidney Smith, officially:–
“After this failure, the French grenadiers absolutely refused to mount the breach any more over the putrid bodies of their tinburied companions, sacrificed in former attacks, by Buonaparte’s impatience and precipitation, which led him to commit such palpable errors as even seamen could take advantage of. He seemed to have no principle of action but that of pressing forward; and appeared to stick at nothing to obtain the object of his ambition, although it must be evident to every body else, that even if he had succeeded in taking the town, the fire of the shipping must drive him out of it again in a short time; however, the knowledge the garrison had of the inhuman massacre at Jaffa, rendered them desperate in their personal defence. Two attempts to assassinate me in the town having failed, recourse was had to a most flagrant breach of every law of honor and of war. A flag of truce was sent into the town by the hand of an Arab Dervise, with a letter to the Pasha, proposing a cessation of arms for the purpose of burying the dead bodies, the stench from which became intolerable, and threatened the existence of every one of us on both sides, many having died delirious within a few hours after being seized with the first symptoms of infection. It was natural that we should gladly listen to this proposition, and that we should consequently be off our guard during the conference. While the answer was under consideration, a volley of shot and shells on a sudden announced an assault, which, however, the garrison was ready to receive, and the assailants only contributed to increase the number of the dead bodies in question, to the eternal disgrace of the General, who thus disloyally sacrificed them. I saved the life of the Arab from the effect of the indignation of the Turks, and took him off to the Tigre with me, from whence I sent him back to the General with a message, which made the French army ashamed of having been exposed to such a merited reproof. Subordination was now at an end; and all hopes of success having vanished, the enemy had no alternative left but a preci-
