106 DIARY OF PATRICK GORDON. [1678 He notes that, on the eleventh of July

Passages from the diary of General Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries : A.D. 1635-A.D. 1699"

106 DIARY OF PATRICK GORDON. [1678

He notes that, on the eleventh of July, there were eighteen men killed, and twenty-five

wounded, in the citadel ; and that 468 round shot, and 246 shells, were cast into thfc citadel and

town. On the next day, the number of killed was fifteen ; of wounded, twenty-four; and 542

balls and 183 shells were fired into the town. On the twenty-eighth, 844 balls and 225 shells

were thrown, and thirty-seven men were killed, and thirty-five wounded. On the second of

August, 1008 balls and 387 shells were shot into the place, killing thirty-four persons, and

wounding forty- two.

Neither among the officers nor among the men of the garrison did Gordon find much alacrity

in making sallies upon the besiegers ; and it was chiefly by assiduous repair of the works over

night, and by making retrenchments behind breaches, that the defence was made good so

long.

The governor was killed by the bursting of a bomb, on the eighth of August, when the

colonels and other officers came to Gordon and entreated him to take the command. On

the eleventh, after a furious cannonade, the enemy assaulted both the town and the citadel

on all sides. They had gained partial possession of the former, and the garrison was beginning

to run away, when Gordon, hastening fi'om the citadel, with a strong guard, occupied the gate

of the bridge which led from the town to the camp of the Muscovite army of relief. He thus

stopped the tide of flight, and was even able to turn back some of the troops to dispute the

narrow streets with the advancing enemy. But so great was the panic, that, if the Turks had

pressed onwards, they must have taken the gate, and so cut off all means of retreat. Fortunately

for the besieged, the town had been set on fire, and now the flames hindered the enemy from

making their way in any numbers in that direction. The sight of Turkish cavalry on the other

side of the river, between the town and the Russian camp, as it warned the garrison of the

danger of flight, encouraged them to a more resolute defence.

Again and again, Gordon sent urgent messages to the Boyar in command of the Russian

army. If six thousand men were sent him, he would even yet beat back the Turks ; and if no

help were given him, he could scarcely hope to hold the citadel itself. No answer was returned

to these representations. Nothing daunted, he at once resolved on the construction of a re-

trenchment which should secure the communication between the fortress and the gate of the

bridge. He was urging on this work, when one of the colonels told him that the Boyar in com-

mand of the camp had sent an adjutant with an order that the fortress should be evacuated.

Gordon refused to listen to such a message. He had been told, he said, rather to die than to

desert his post, or to allow others to do so, without a written order. He therefore commanded

each man to do his dutj'. But seeing how many of all ranks were making their escape, he

despatched a letter to the Boyar in the camp, describing the state of matters in the fortress,

and asking instructions as to what should be done. Meanwhile, he ordered supper, and in

order that it might be seen how far flight was from his thoughts, he desired that his silver

service should be used.

Late at night an answer arrived from the camp, having been brought to the gate by an

adjutant, who, refusing to proceed further, handed the despatch to a drummer, by whom it was

russian empire peter the great strelets патрик гордон general patrick gordon генерал восстание стрельцов российская империя россия strelets uprising peter i patrick gordon russia diary of general patrick gordon emperor of russia high resolution ultra high resolution

1635 - 1699

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