. Gibraltar and its sieges, with a description of its natural features . moke issued. These circumstances, with theprodigious cannonade which they maintained, gaveus reason to imagine that the attack would not beso soon decided as, from our success against their land-batteries, we had fondly expected. Even the artillerythemselves, at this period, had their doubts of the effectof the red-hot shot, which began to be used abouttwelve, but were not general till between one andtwo oclock. The ordnance portable furnaces forheating shot being too few to supply the demandsof the artillery when the bat
. Gibraltar and its sieges, with a description of its natural features . moke issued. These circumstances, with theprodigious cannonade which they maintained, gaveus reason to imagine that the attack would not beso soon decided as, from our success against their land-batteries, we had fondly expected. Even the artillerythemselves, at this period, had their doubts of the effectof the red-hot shot, which began to be used abouttwelve, but were not general till between one andtwo oclock. The ordnance portable furnaces forheating shot being too few to supply the demandsof the artillery when the battle reached its culmina-tion, huge fires of wood were kindled in the cornersof the nearest buildings, in which the shot werespeedily prepared for use. Our soldiers jocularlytermed these supplies roasted potatoes. At first the enemys cannon were too muchelevated, but about noon they obtained the range,and their firing was powerful, and skilfully casualties then became numerous, particularlyon those batteries north of the Kings Bastion, which £ > V >. ATTACK AND DEFENCE. 87 were exposed to a cross-fire from the Spanish land-fortifications. Our gunners, liowever, disregardedthis attack, and concentrated all their efforts on thebattering-ships, the steady opposition which theyoffered inciting the British to a boundless resent-ment. The fire of the garrison increased, if thatwere possible, in intensity. Every man served theguns as if he were aiming at some personal all quarters rained incessant showers of hotballs, carcasses, and shells of every description ; andas the masts of several of the ships went by theboard, and the rigging of all hung in shreds andtatters, the hopes of the garrison began to revive. For some hours, however, it was difficult to saywhether the attack or the defence would wonderful construction of the floating batteriesapparently defied the heaviest ordnance that thegarrison could bring to bear upon them. In theafterno
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookidgibraltarits, bookyear1879
