from surprise. As already said, the disadvantage of the whole position was that it admitted of no retreat. The ships were not ‘burnt,’ but they would be useless for the purpose of escape; in fact, Admiral Brin could only cut his way out of the basin through the enemy’s fleet. But the fact of being helped with heart and hand by a friendly population on shore makes a great material and moral difference to an invader.
This will appear the more vividly as we turn to see what the British Government was about. As soon as war with France was seen to be inevitable—or rather, as soon as the Bungling Coalition had decided upon it—General Lord Gurth Redhill was recalled in haste from Asia Minor, leaving Burnfingal and his ally Rhumbegar in the lurch. Nominally, they were ordered to entrench themselves well and hold their ground until aid could be spared, but they took these instructions cum grano, and commenced a prudent retreat. The Russians followed them up leisurely, and without harassing their rear. By this sorry expedient, the effective force for the defence of Ireland was raised to seventy-three thousand men, not more. With this insufficient army Lord Redhill marched by the most direct route from the Curragh toward Cork, while Admiral St George, with the main body of the Channel Fleet, steamed round to meet him at the harbour. The Admiral arrived first, and finding the allies already in possession of Roche’s Point and Fort Carlisle and the whole of that side of the entrance to the harbour, he stood out and lay in the offing to wait for joint action with the land forces in dislodging the invader.
He had to waste a day, for General Redhill had yet to learn how effective guerilla warfare can be. His rear was harassed by swarms of plundering camp followers of both sexes; bridges were broken down and rails taken up; and since none but false warning could be had, so many trains
