bt
of Fort Mulgrave, known also by the French as Little Gibraltar, on the
tongue of land separating, to the westward, the inner from the outer
bay. That post on the promontory styled the Eguillette by the natives
must be taken. From the very moment of his arrival this simple but
clever conception had been urged on the council of war by Buonaparte.
But Carteaux could not and would not see its importance: it was not
until a skilled commander took charge that Buonaparte's insight was
justified and his plan adopted. At the same time it was determined
that operations should also be directed against two other strong
outposts, one to the north, the other to the northeast, of the town.
There was to be a genuine effort to capture Mt. Faron on the north and
a demonstration merely against the third point. But the concentration
of force was to be against the Eguillette.

Finally, on December seventeenth, after careful preparation, a
concerted attack was made at all three points. Officers and men were
daring and efficient everywhere. Buonaparte, assuming responsibility
for the batteries, was ubiquitous and reckless. The movement on which
he had set his heart was successful in every portion; the enemy was
not only driven within the interior works, but by the fall of Little
Gibraltar his communication with the sea was endangered. The whole
peninsula, the fort itself, the point and the neighboring heights were
captured. Victor, Muiron, Buonaparte, and Dugommier led the storming
columns. The Allies were utterly demoralized by the fierce and bloody
struggle. Since, therefore, the supporting fleets could no longer
remain in a situation so precarious, the besieged at once made ready
for departure, embarking with precipitate haste the troops and many of
the inhabitants. The Spaniards fired two frigates loaded with powder
and the explosion of the magazines shook the city and its suburbs like
an earthquake. In that moment the young Sidney Smith landed from the
British ships and laid the trains which kindled an awful
conflagration. The captured French fleet lying at anchor, the
magazines and shops of the arsenal, all its enclosures burst into
flames, and one explosion followed another in an awe-inspiring
volcanic eruption. The besiegers were stupefied as they gazed, and
stopped their ears. In a few hours the city was completely evacuated,
and the foreign war vessels sailed away from the offing. The news of
this decisive victory was despatched