the enemy was reduced to Chalmers' division, my escort and two batteries.
The enemy attacked Colonel Forrest at eight o'clock, and after a fight of two hours, were repulsed with considerable loss.
The hastily improvised breastworks of rails and logs, thrown up by Colonel Forrest, greatly protected his men, and our casualties during this fight were seven men wounded.
As the enemy withdrew, I followed them with my escort and a portion of Faulkner's regiment mounted; also with a section of Morton's battery, supported by a regiment from McCulloch's brigade on foot.
Our advance at first was necessarily slow and cautious.
I soon ascertained, after a few well directed shots from our artillery, that the enemy had begun a rapid and systematic retreat, and dashed on after them — sending back orders to General Chalmers to send forward to me, as rapidly as possible, two thousand of his best mounted men and Hoole's battery of Mountain howitzers.
I soon came on their rear guard, charged it w
alifax, England, into Scotland, about 1550, by the Regent Morton, who seems to have been enamored of the maiden's business capacity.
He was beheaded thereby in 1581, — though he was not the first victim, as has been sometimes stated.
The murderers of Rizzio were beheaded by it in 1566; and among its last victims was the Earl of Argyle, 1681.
It is laid up as a memorial in the Museum of the Scotch Society of Antiquaries, Edinburgh.
Of the Halifax machine we know but little except that Morton imported the maiden thence.
Pursuing the back track, we find that the Due de Montmorenci (blue blood) was executed by a falling axe at Toulouse, 1632; that the Dutch used it in executing slaves in their colonies, and that its use was comparatively common in Germany during the Middle Ages.
The Mannaiu of Italy, by which Conradin of Swabia was executed, 1268, at Naples, and Beatrice Cenci at Rome, in 1605, was of the same construction substantially.
The guillotine as mentioned in Germ
