Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1875 — LA TOUR D’AUVERGNE. [ARTICLE]

LA TOUR D’AUVERGNE.

Until the year 1814 there was a touching and beautiful custom to be witnessed in a certain regiment of French Grenadiers, which was meant to commemorate the heroism of a departed comrade. When the companies assembled for parade, and the rolls were called, there was one name to which its owner could not answer. It was that of La Tour d’ Auvergne. When it was called, the oldest Sergeant stepped a pace forward and, raising his hand to his cap, said proudly: “ Died oh the field of honor.” For fourteenyears this custom was continued, and only ceased when the restored Bourbons, to please their foreign masters, forbade everything that was can culated to preserve the spirit of the soldiers of France. La Tour d’ Auvergne was not unworthy in life the honor thus paid him after his death. He was educated for the army, entered in 1758, and in 1781 served under the Duke de Crillion at the siege of Port Mahon. He always served with distinction, but constantly refused promotion, saying that he was orily fit for the command of a company of Grenadiers; but finally, the various-grenadier companies being united, he found himself in command of a body of 8,000 men, while retaining only the rank of captain. But it is of one particular exploit of his, more than of his career in general, that I wish to write.

When he was over forty years old he went on a visit to a friend not far from that section of country that was soon to become the scene of a bloody campaign. While there he was busy acquainting himself with the features of the country, •thinking it not unlikely that this knowledge might be of use to him some day; and while there the brave grenadier was astonished to learn that the war had rapidly been shifted to this quarter, and that a regiment of Austrians were pushing on to occupy a narrow pass about ten miles from where he was staying, and the possession of which would give them an opportunity to prevent an important movement of the French which was then on foot. They hoped to surprise this post, and were moving so rapidly upon it that they were not more than two hours distant from the place where he was staying, and which they would have to pass in their march. „ It matters not how he heard the news. It is sufficient to say that he determined at once to act upon it. He had no idea of being captured by the enemy in their advance and he at once set off for the pass. He knew that the pass was defended by a stout tower and a garrison of thirty men, and he hoped to be able to warn the men of their danger. He hastened on and arriving there found the tower in perfect condition. It had just been vacated by the garjison, Who heard of the approach of the Austrians—and had been seized by If panic thereat and had fled, leaving even their arms, consisting of thirty excellent muskets. La Tour d’Auvergne gnashed his teeth with rage as he discovered this. Searching in the buifiling, he found several boxes of ammunition which the cowards had not destroyed. For a moment he was in despair, and then, with a grim smile, he began to fasten the main door and pile against it such articles as he could find. When he had done this he loaded all the guns he could find, and placed them, together with a good supply of ammunition, near the loopholes that commanded the road by which the enemy must advance. Theil he ate heartily of the pro: visions he had brought with him, and sat down to wait. He had absolutely formed the heroic resolution to defend the tower alone against the enemy. There were some things in his favor in such an undertaking. The pass was steep and narrow, and the enemy’s troops could enter it only in double files, and in doing this would be fplly exposed to the fire from the tower. The original garrison of thirty men could easily have held it against a division, and now one man was about to attempt to hold it against a regiment. It was dark when La Tour d’Auvergne

reached the tower, and he had to wait some time for the enemy. They were longer in coming than he had expected, and for a while he was tempted to believe that they had abandoned the expedition. About midnight, however, his practiced ear caught the distant tramp of feet. Every moment the sound came nearer, and at last he heard them enter the defile. Immediately he discharged a couple of muskets into the darkness to let them know that he knew of their presence and intentions, and he heard the quick commands of the officers, and front the sounds he supposed the troops werp retiring from the pass. Until the morning he was undisturbed. The Austrian commander, feeling sure that the garrison had been informed of his movements and was prepared to receive him, saw that he could not surprise the post, as he had hoped to do, and deemed it prudent to wait until daylight before making the attack. At sunrise he summoned the garrison to surrender. A grenadier answered the summons. “ Say to your commander,” he said in reply to the messenger, “ that the garrison will defend this post to the last extremity.” The officers who had borne the flag of truce retired, and in about ten minutes a piece of artillery was brought into the pass, and opened on the tower. But to effect this the piece had to be placed directly in front of the tower, and in easy musket range of it. They had scarcely got the gun in position when a rapid fire was opened on it from the.tower, and continued with such marked effect that the piece was withdrawn after the second discharge with a loss of five men. This was a bad beginning, so, half an hour after the gun was withdrawn, the Austibui Colonel ordered an assault. As the troops entered the defile they were received with a rapid and accurate fire, so that when ■ they had passed over half the distance they had to traverse they had lost fifteen men. Disheartened by this they returned to the mouth of the defile. Three more assaults were repulsed in this manner, and the enemy by sunset had lost forty-five men, of whom ten were killed.

The firing from tho tower had been rapid and accurate, but the Austrian commander had noticed this peculiarity about it—every shot seemed to come from the same place. For a while this perplexed him, but at last he came to tire conclusion that there were a number of loop-holes close together in the tower so constructed as to command the ravine perfectly. At sunset the last assault was made and repulsed, and at dark the Austrian commander sent a summons to the garrison. This time the answer was favorable. The garrison offered to surrender at sunrise the next morning if allowed to march out with their arms and returned to the army unmolested. After some hesitation tlie terms were accepted. Meanwhile La Torn- d’Auvergne had passed an anxious day in the tower. He had opened the fight with an armament of thirty loaded muskets, but had not been able to discharge them all. He had fired with amazing rapidity and with surprising accuracy, for it was well known in the army that he never threw away a shot. He had determined to stand at his post until he had accomplished his end, which was to hold the place twenty-four hours in order to give the French army time to complete the maneuver. After that he knew the pass would be of no consequence to the enemy. When the demand for a surrender came to him after the last assault "he consented to it upon the condition T have named. The next day, at sunrise, the Austrian troops lined the pass in two files, extending from the mouth to the tower, leaving a place between them for the garrison to pass out. The heavy door of tower opened slowly, and in a few' minutes a bronzed and scarred grenadier, literally loaded down with muskets, came out and passed down the lines of troops. He walked with difficulty under his heavy load, but there was a proud and satisfied look on his face. To the surprise of the Austrians no one followed him from the tower. In astonishment the Austrian Colonel rode up to him and asked in French why the garrison did not come. “ I am the garrison, Colonel,” said the soldier proudly. “What!” exclaimed the Colonel, “do you mean to tell me that you alone have held that tower against me?” “ I have had that honor. Colonel,” was the reply. “AVhat possessed you to make such an attempt, grenadier ?” “ The honor of France was at stake.” The Colonel gazed at him for a moment with undisguised admiration. Then, raising his cap, he said, warmly: “ Grenadier, I salute you. You have proved yourself to-day the bravest of the brave.” „ 1 The officer caused all the arms which La Tour d’Auvergne could not carry to be grenadier into the French lines, together with a note relating the whole affair. When the knowledge of it came to the ears of Napoleon he offered to promote La Tour d’Auvergne; but the latter declined to accept the promotion, saying that he preferred to remain where he was. The brave soldier met his death in an action at Ouerhausen, in Bavaria, in June, 1800, and the simple but expressive scene at roll-call in his regiment was commenced and continued by the express command of the Emperor himself. |- t)

—An old lady who has traveled much says that the employes on Western railroads are much more polite than those in the East. At the East conductors are usually the pets of some Director or officer of the road who recognize no obligation to the public. At the West are found men who have gained their position by actual merit and promotion. They don’t swell about with fine clothes and heavy jewelry but understand their business and consider courteous treatment due to all. —An old man in Georgia claims to have a pair of suspender-buckles which he has worn constantly for fifty years, Dis father having worn them for twenty-five yeart previous.