Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. III.djvu/151

125 ARMIES ON THE GARIGLIANO. 125 6th of November the army advanced upon the chapter bridge, supported bj such a lively cannonade from. !_ the batteries along the shore, as made all resistance on the part of the Spaniards ineffectual. The im- petuosity with which the French rushed forward was such, as to drive back the advanced guard of their enemy, which, giving way in disorder, retreated on the main body. Before the confusion could ex- tend further, Gonsalvo, mounted a la gineta, in the manner of the light cavalry, rode through the broken ranks, and rallying the fugitives, quickly brought them to order. Navarro and Andrada, at the same time, led up the Spanish infantry, and the whole column charging furiously against the French, com- pelled them to falter, and at length to fall back on the bridge. The struggle now became desperate, officers and Desperate ~o r ' resistance. soldiers, horse and foot, mingling together, and fighting hand to hand, with all the ferocity kindled by close personal combat. Some were trodden un- der the feet of the cavalry, many more were forced from the bridge, and the waters of the Garigliano were covered with men and horses, borne down by the current, and struggling in vain to gain the shore. It was a contest of mere bodily strength and cour- age, in which skill and superior tactics were of little avail. Among those who most distinguished them- selves, the name of the noble Italian, Fabrizio Colon- na, is particularly mentioned. An heroic action is recorded also of a person of inferior rank, a Spanish alferez, or standard-bearer, named Illescas. The right hand of this man was shot away by a cannon-