HOW THE REDOUBT WAS TAKEN By Prosper Mérimée Copyright, 1896, by The Current Literature Publishing Company A friend of mine, a soldier, who died in Greece of fever some yearssince, described to me one day his first engagement. His story soimpressed me that I wrote it down from memory. It was as follows: I joined my regiment on September 4th. It was evening. I found thecolonel in the camp. He received me rather bruskly, but having read thegeneral's introductory letter he changed his manner and addressed mecourteously. By him I was presented to my captain, who had just come in fromreconnoitring. This captain, whose acquaintance I had scarcely time tomake, was a tall, dark man, of harsh, repelling aspect. He had been aprivate soldier, and had won his cross and epaulettes upon the fieldof battle. His voice, which was hoarse and feeble, contrasted strangelywith his gigantic stature. This voice of his he owed, as I was told, toa bullet which had passed completely through his body at the battle ofJena. On learning that I had just come from college at Fontainebleau, heremarked, with a wry face: "My lieutenant died last night. " I understood what he implied, "It is for you to take his place, and youare good for nothing. " A sharp retort was on my tongue, but I restrained it. The moon was rising behind the redoubt of Cheverino, which stood twocannon-shots from our encampment. The moon was large and red, as iscommon at her rising; but that night she seemed to me of extraordinarysize. For an instant the redoubt stood out coal-black against theglittering disk. It resembled the cone of a volcano at the moment oferuption. An old soldier, at whose side I found myself, observed the color of themoon. "She is very red, " he said. "It is a sign that it will cost us dear towin this wonderful redoubt. " I was always superstitious, and this piece of augury, coming at thatmoment, troubled me. I sought my couch, but could not sleep. I rose, andwalked about a while, watching the long line of fires upon the heightsbeyond the village of Cheverino. When the sharp night air had thoroughly refreshed my blood I went backto the fire. I rolled my mantle round me, and I shut my eyes, trustingnot to open them till daybreak. But sleep refused to visit me. Insensibly my thoughts grew doleful. I told myself that I had not afriend among the hundred thousand men who filled that plain. If I werewounded, I should be placed in hospital, in the hands of ignorant andcareless surgeons. I called to mind what I had heard of operations. Myheart beat violently, and I mechanically arranged, as a kind ofrude cuirass, my handkerchief and pocketbook upon my breast. Then, overpowered with weariness, my eyes closed drowsily, only to open thenext instant with a start at some new thought of horror. Fatigue, however, at last gained the day. When the drums beat atdaybreak I was fast asleep. We were drawn up in ranks. The roll wascalled, then we stacked our arms, and everything announced that weshould pass another uneventful day. But about three o'clock an aide-de-camp arrived with orders. We werecommanded to take arms. Our sharpshooters marched into the plain, We followed slowly, and intwenty minutes we saw the outposts of the Russians falling back andentering the redoubt. We had a battery of artillery on our right, another on our left, but both some distance in advance of us. Theyopened a sharp fire upon the enemy, who returned it briskly, and theredoubt of Cheverino was soon concealed by volumes of thick smoke. Ourregiment was almost covered from the Russians' fire by a piece of risingground. Their bullets (which besides were rarely aimed at us, for theypreferred to fire upon our cannoneers) whistled over us, or at worstknocked up a shower of earth and stones. Just as the order to advance was given, the captain looked at meintently. I stroked my sprouting mustache with an air of unconcern; intruth, I was not frightened, and only dreaded lest I might bethought so. These passing bullets aided my heroic coolness, while myself-respect assured me that the danger was a real one, since I wasveritably under fire. I was delighted at my self-possession, and alreadylooked forward to the pleasure of describing in Parisian drawing-roomsthe capture of the redoubt of Cheverino. The colonel passed before our company. "Well, " he said to me, "you aregoing to see warm work in your first action. " I gave a martial smile, and brushed my cuff, on which a bullet, whichhad struck the earth at thirty paces distant, had cast a little dust. It appeared that the Russians had discovered that their bullets did noharm, for they replaced them by a fire of shells, which began to reachus in the hollows where we lay. One of these, in its explosion, knockedoff my shako and killed a man beside me. "I congratulate you, " said the captain, as I picked up my shako. "Youare safe now for the day. " I knew the military superstition which believes that the axiom "_nonbis in idem_" is as applicable to the battlefield as to the courts ofjustice, I replaced my shako with a swagger. "That's a rude way to make one raise one's hat, " I said, as lightly asI could. And this wretched piece of wit was, in the circumstances, received as excellent. "I compliment you, " said the captain. "You will command a companyto-night; for I shall not survive the day. Every time I have beenwounded the officer below me has been touched by some spent ball; and, "he added, in a lower tone, "all the names began with P. " I laughed skeptically; most people would have done the same; but mostwould also have been struck, as I was, by these prophetic words. But, conscript though I was, I felt that I could trust my thoughts to no one, and that it was my duty to seem always calm and bold. At the end of half an hour the Russian fire had sensibly diminished. Weleft our cover to advance on the redoubt. Our regiment was composed of three battalions. The second had to takethe enemy in flank; the two others formed a storming party. I was in thethird. On issuing from behind the cover, we were received by several volleys, which did but little harm. The whistling of the balls amazed me. "But after all, " I thought, "abattle is less terrible than I expected. " We advanced at a smart run, our musketeers in front. All at once the Russians uttered three hurrahs--three distincthurrahs--and then stood silent, without firing. "I don't like that silence, " said the captain. "It bodes no good. " I began to think our people were too eager. I could not help comparing, mentally, their shouts and clamor with the striking silence of theenemy. We quickly reached the foot of the redoubt. The palisades were brokenand the earthworks shattered by our balls. With a roar of "Vivel'Empereur, " our soldiers rushed across the ruins. I raised my eyes. Never shall I forget the sight which met my view. The smoke had mostly lifted, and remained suspended, like a canopy, attwenty feet above the redoubt. Through a bluish mist could be perceived, behind the shattered parapet, the Russian Grenadiers, with rifleslifted, as motionless as statues. I can see them still, --the left eye ofevery soldier glaring at us, the right hidden by his lifted gun. In anembrasure at a few feet distant, a man with a fuse stood by a cannon. I shuddered. I believed that my last hour had come. "Now for the dance to open, " cried the captain. These were the lastwords I heard him speak. There came from the redoubts a roll of drums. I saw the muzzles lowered. I shut my eyes; I heard a most appalling crash of sound, to whichsucceeded groans and cries. Then I looked up, amazed to find myselfstill living. The redoubt was once more wrapped in smoke. I wassurrounded by the dead and wounded. The captain was extended at my feet;a ball had carried off his head, and I was covered with his blood. Ofall the company, only six men, except myself, remained erect. This carnage was succeeded by a kind of stupor. The next instant thecolonel, with his hat on his sword's point, had scaled the parapetwith a cry of "Vive l'Empereur. " The survivors followed him. All thatsucceeded is to me a kind of dream. We rushed into the redoubt, I knownot how, we fought hand to hand in the midst of smoke so thick that noman could perceive his enemy. I found my sabre dripping blood; I hearda shout of "Victory"; and, in the clearing smoke, I saw the earthworkspiled with dead and dying. The cannons were covered with a heap ofcorpses. About two hundred men in the French uniform were standing, without order, loading their muskets or wiping their bayonets. ElevenRussian prisoners were with them. The colonel was lying, bathed inblood, upon a broken cannon. A group of soldiers crowded round him. Iapproached them. "Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant. The sergeant shrugged his shoulders most expressively. "Who is the oldest lieutenant?" "This gentleman, who came last night, " replied the sergeant calmly. The colonel smiled bitterly. "Come, sir, " he said to me, "you are now in chief command. Fortify thegorge of the redoubt at once with wagons, for the enemy is out in force. But General C------ is coming to support you. " "Colonel, " I asked him, "are you badly wounded?" "Pish, my dear fellow. The redoubt is taken. "