Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

A. D.

1688.

ment of Lorrain, in the quarter near the water. The affailants entered the ditch with much bravery, through fhowers of bullets; and made themselves mafters of the breach. From the top hereof they were dismayed with the fight of another more difficult ditch, well pallifadoed on the further fide, as well as with the lofs of their leader count Schaffenberg: alfo the counts Emanuel of Fuftinberg, and Henrik of Starem- in four berg; with many others who were flain at the beginning of places. the danger. In effect, the Germans began to give ground a little; and the advantage must have been loft, had not the brave elector expofed himself on the breach, and threatened death to any who offered to retire. The foldiers awed, and animated by the example of their general, defcend the second ditch, and mount to the pallifades with fuch furprizing boldnefs, that the Turks fled; and, crowding into the caftle feparated from the town only by a bridge, hung out a white flag: but fome of the most defperate, affailants got-in after them, and put all to the fword.

THEY entered with the like fuccefs in the other quarters; The city though in that of Commercy one hundred dragoons were cut taken. off; and general Heufler had his thumb carried away with a mufket ball: for all this, he boldly with his foldiers, in fpite of the enemy's fire, fcaled the walls, and made himself mafter of an iron gate, by which they got into the town; where the Germans were infatiable in their flaughter, putting all to the fword without diftinction. They had also spilt the blood of the Pâlbâ, the Aga of the Fanizaries, and other officers, retired into a small trench behind the caftle, if the elector's clemency had not interpofed ".

AFTER Belgrade was reduced, the Turkish ambassadors Success in arrive in the imperial camp; and declare, that they came to Bofnia. fettle a peace, as well as to notify the election of Soltán Soleymân but the elector told them, he was fent only to conquer Servia and Bulgaria (F); and that, if they had any thing to propofe to the emperor, they must proceed to Vienna.

THE prince of Baden had no lefs fuccefs in Bofnia: for, having defeated a confiderable body of Turks, who opposed his paffage of the river Unna, he pursued them fo brifkly, that they abandoned Gradiska and Koftaniza. After this, on the 10th of Zio'lkaadeh (or Auguft 15) he was met at the

m RICAUT ubi fupr.

(F) According to Ricaut, Zulfikar, the ambaffador, was in vited to the camp by the elector, in order to hear his proposals;

and alfo to a great feast made
the 8th of September, on occa-
fion of his fuccefs,

little city of Brod by the Pâfha of that province, with the 1688. whole army, whom he routed and flew with five thousand of his men ".

The Pashâ defeated.

The Rafcians fub

mit.

THERE is but a very imperfect account of the affairs of Bofnia, as related by the Chriftian hiftorians. According to them, prince Lewis, fetting out from Poffega (where we left him) paffed the Save, September the 3d; and marched, upon a falfe information of the numbers of the enemy, to attack Topal, Pafba of Bosnia, who was encamped with fifteen thoufand men under Tervat, or Terwent, near the river Okraina about fix miles from Prout. Although the prince had not above three thoufand horfe, and three hundred Kroats, yet they repulfed the enemy three times; and then coming fo clofe, that, having time to recharge their fire-arms, they fell on with their fwords. On this occafion they performed fuch wonders, that, forcing the horse to abandon the foot, they flew five thousand on the spot, among whom was the Pasha, two Agas, and his Kyehaya, befides two hundred drowned: the reft fubmitted. In this furprizing action, the imperialists loft no more than one hundred and fifty men.

THUS ended the campaign in Hungary; after which the elector of Bavaria was recalled to defend his own territories threatened by the king of France: who was incensed at the choice made of prince Jofeph Clement of Bavaria, to be elector of Cologn, in prejudice of cardinal Furftemberg, whose interest he refolved to fupport by force of arms. The command of the imperial army by this means devolved on marefchal Caprara, who marched from Belgrade, and took poffeffion of Semandria, the capital of Servia (G), and Pokarowert, a fmall town; both abandoned by the Turks. These fucceffes induced the Rafcians to fubmit to the emperor; and, having made up a body of twenty thousand men, they furprised Waolva and Zolkolova, both on the Drina; killed a thousand Turks, and routed the reft. Mean time twelve thousand of the enemy, moft of them rabble, wafte and plunder the country about the Morava: but were foon difperfed by general Heufler; while the inhabitants of thofe parts, provoked by their infolence, took up arms, and feizing on the city of Uziga, killed five hundred Turks, and made two thousand prifoners.

n CANT. P. 359.

(G) The Turks fay, the elector, being informed the Othmans had abandoned that capital, fent 1000 men during the

fiege, to take poffeffion. But, in this cafe, the Chriftian writers may be prefumed to know beft.

BY

17 By this time, prince Lewis of Baden, having fortified A. D. Prout and Gradifka, marched towards Bertzka, the only 1688. place unfubdued in Bofnia; on whofe approach the Turks abandoned the town. Prince Lewis, having in about nine weeks reduced that whole province, was called home to refift the French; and left Picolomini to oppofe the Pafbá of Bofnia, who was raising forces in those parts.

Bosnia

fubdued.

ABOUT this time Tekeli, reinforced with a party of Turks Tekeli re and Tatars, ravaged the borders of Walakhia and Tranfilva- treats. nia: but on the approach of four thousand Rascians haftily retreated; and endeavoured by letter to draw over the Tranfilvanians, telling them, they must by that time have experienced the infolence of the Germans; and that now was the juncture to redeem themselves and posterity from the barbarous slavery they lay under ".

MEAN time, the Venetians carry on the war in other parts Venetian with more variable fortune. In the Morea, the Serafkier is fucceffes. before them in the field; and obliges the garrison of Athens to abandon the city with great lofs. Their army foon after march to Egribuz (or Negropont); and, paffing the narrow fea which divides the island from the continent, lay close fiege to the city but are obliged, by the difagreement of their own officers, and bravery of the besieged, to retreat with lofs. On which, the valiant general count Koningsmark, to whom the Venetians owe almost all the victories gained in the Morea, fell fick and died P.

pont be

BUT neither of these affertions is fact, if we may depend Negroon the Chriftian hiftorians; who are very particular in their account of this unfortunate fiege. According to them, the Sieged. captain general Francisco Morofini, newly elected Doge of Venice, refolving to befiege Negropont (H), fet fail with the fleet; and the 14th of July landed eight thousand foot and

[blocks in formation]

A. D.

1688.

The Turks defeated.

five hundred horfe. The city was garrifoned by fix thoufand men; and its walls, lined with earth, well fortified on all fides with baftions, forts, mines, and cannon; on the right hand of the bridge the Turks had raised a battery, and pitched their tents along the fide of the aqueducts; and, on the left hand, had formed a line of communication between the fuburbs and a hill, which had a battery commanding the fea, where Mostafa Pashâ, one of the governors, was posted; the other, called Ibrahim Pafka, defended the outworks. There were befides, divers other trenches in different forms, ftrengthened with pallifades, and a deep ditch thirty paces long, reaching to the gate of the city, and covered with a hornwork. Below the mills, was another battery of three pieces of great cannon, which commanded the fhore. Every work had fome foldiers to defend it, especially French, who were fkilled in throwing bombs and other fireworks. As a farther ftrengthening, the Serafkier of the Morea lay fix miles off with four thousand men.

THE Venetians made their approaches with little obftruction from the befieged; and, on the 30th, began to batter the town. One of the bombs fell into the Pafba's palace, and put things there into great confufion; while the exceffive heats, producing malignant fevers in the camp, killed many of the officers as well as foldiers, and made others retire to the fleet; among whom was the brave general Koningsmark, who died the 15th of September following.

THE Turks, finding the Venetians to be in these bad circumftances, incommoded them with fallies. On the 16th of August, they attacked the Maltese trenches, but were repulfed; and had the fort near the mills taken from them : yet recovered it next day. This made the Doge, on the 20th, attack the enemies trenches, which extended three miles from the hill to the fea, and effectually covered the foldiers. The marquis of Corbon, with his cavalry, was the first who broke in upon the enemy, and opened a way for the foot to come to handy-blows; where for two hours the event was doubtful; for the Venetians were repulfed twice or thrice in fome places. But, at length, the enemies horfe retired in great confufion, leaving their infantry to the mercy of the besiegers, who purfued them to the very gates of Negropont, with great slaughter; and mastered the fuburbs. In this action a thoufand Turks were killed, and as many wounded, among whom were the Serafkier's fon, and Mostafa Pafhâ. On the Venetian fide, two hundred were flain; and among others, the prince of Wirtemberg mortally wounded. SEPTEMBER

A. D.

1688.

A bold at

SEPTEMBER the 5th, five hundred Turks, fallying on the quarter of the Slavonians, beat them out of their trenches; but they recovered them again: and a breach being made in the tower, on the fea-fide at the end of the ditch, engineer Romagnat offered with fifty men to mount tempt. the fame, although but narrow, and void of any cover from the enemy's fhot. The Doge landed to be a fpectator of this enterprize; which on the 8th was executed, with so much valour, that they gained the breach: but being very narrow, as well as without cover, and the defcent into the town very 1teep, they were forced to quit it again with the lofs of fix or eight men. About the fame time, count Waldek and colonel Piltz, advancing with their regiments, one to the brink of the ditch, the other to the foot of the tower, were both cut off, with feven captains and two hundred men.

taken.

HOWEVER the Venetians, nothing difcouraged, raifed A bonnet new batteries beyond the water; from whence they made breach in the other tower, and battered the curtain between the two. But the season being now far fpent, and the ficknefs increafing, there feemed to be little hopes this year of taking the city; which was continually fupplied from the camp with men and provifions. For all this, the Doge would not give up the enterprize; and, leaving no means untried to reduce the place, ordered a traverse to be made over the ditch which was thirty paces wide, to convey the forces under the wall. But this design proved more difficult than was expected, by the violent current of the water; and the labourers being greatly expofed to the fmall fhot of the enemy, who now raifed a work in the falfe bray to obftruct the progrefs of the traverfe. However they were driven out of this work by the besiegers, who took a small bonnet by the way. Yet the Turks recovered it, though they foon loft it again to the Venetians, who fortified and fecured it by a new battery and line of communication.

FOR all this, the Venetian forces daily diminished by dif- General eafes and the fword, the gallies of Malta and Tuscany now affault. left them alío; yet, far from abandoning the fiege, they refolved on a general affault, which was deemed practicable; and, on the 12th of October, began it about ten in the morning, with eight thousand men in four feveral places: but the befieged poured fuch vollies of small shot upon the troops appointed to ftorm the breach; that, after many officers and foldiers were killed, they founded a retreat, not being fupported by those who were to have affifted them. No better fuccefs attended the other attacks. In one place, they found the entrance into the town obftructed by a very steep descent ;

« AnteriorContinuar »