Compiled by London swaminathan

Date: 22 March 2017

Time uploaded in London:- 21-57

Post No. 3747

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Bull Run Battle

One day Chauncey Depew met a soldier who had been wounded in the face. He was a Union Man and Depew asked him in which battle he had been injured.

“In the last battle of Bull Run, sir”, he replied.

“But how could you get hit in the face of a Bull Run?”

“Well, sir”, said the man, “after I had run a mile or two I got careless and looked back.”

((Bull Run, Battle of definition. The first battle of the American Civil War, fought in Virginia near Washington, D.C. The surprising victory of the Confederate army humiliated the North and forced it to prepare for a long war. A year later the Confederacy won another victory near the same place.))

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George Washington

During the Revolutionary war, an Irish man in the American service having come by surprise on a small party of Hessians who were foraging, seized their arms which they had laid aside. He then presented his musket, and with threats drove them before him into the American camp where the singularity of the exploit occasioning some wonder, he was brought with his prisoners before General Washington who asked him how he had taken them.

By God, general, said he, I surrounded them.

((HESSIAN: a native or inhabitant of Hesse. a Hessian soldier in any of the mercenary units of the British Army in the War of American Independence or the Napoleonic Wars. (US) any German mercenary in the British Army during the War of American Independence.))

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Fire to Yourself

General Winfield Scott said that during the War of 1812, before an action began between the two opposing armies, it was customary for the respective army commanders to ride forward accompanied by their staff, and formally salute each other. Each then returned to his own lines, and the battle opened.

This custom is well illustrated by the anecdote told by Fournier,

Lord Hay at the Battle of Fontenay,1745, called out

“Gentleman of the French Guard, fire first”.

To which the Comte d’ Auteroches replied,

“Monsieur, we never fire first; please to fire yourselves”

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Duke of Wellington Statue Modelling

When Sir John Steel, the sculptor, had the Duke of Wellington sitting for a statue, he wanted to get him to look warlike. All his efforts were in vain, however, for Wellington seemed, judging by his face, never to have heard of Waterloo or Talvera.

At last Sir John lost patience, somewhat.

“As I am going to make the statue of Your Grace, he said, “can you not tell me what you were before, say, the Battle of Samamaca? Were you not galloping about the fields, cheering on your men to deeds of valor by word and action?”

“Bah!, said the Duke scornfully. “If you really want to model me as I was on the morning of Salamanca, then do me crawling along a ditch on my stomach, with a telescope in my hand.”

xxx SUBHAM xxx