The English had pierced their way through the
struggling mass at the head of the bridge, and pressed on the rear of the
mass of fugitives, literally hewing their way through them, and the
pressure became so great that the regiments crossing were carried back.
The head of the British column was pushed forward by those behind, and
could only advance by slaying those in front of them and throwing their
bodies over the bridge; for the mass were wedged so tightly that movement
had now become impossible, while the Irish, as they retreated, formed
ramparts of the slain and impeded the advance of the enemy.
While the struggle on the bridge was at its fiercest, the French officer
who commanded at the drawbridge across the arch nearest to the city,
fearing that the British would press in at the rear of the Irish, and
that he might not then be able to raise the drawbridge, ordered this to
be done at once--thereby cutting off the retreat of the soldiers still on
the bridge. These jumped over the parapet into the river, and strove to
reach the city wall by swimming. Some did so, but great numbers were
drowned. This incident greatly increased the standing feud between the
Irish and French, the former declaring that the latter not only never
fought themselves, but were ready, at the first alarm, to sacrifice their
allies in order to secure their own safety.
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