midnight
In fifteen minutes each of the ten captured aerostats had sent two others to the earth , and then , completely masters of the position , those in charge of them began their assault on the helpless masses below them . This was kept up until the Federation troops appeared . Then they retired to the rear of the French and Italian columns , and devoted themselves to burning their stores and blowing up their ammunition trains with fire-shell . Assailed thus in front and rear , and demoralised by the defection of the thousands who , as soon as the battle became general , showed the red ribbon and echoed the fierce battle-cry of the Federation , the splendid force sent out by General le Gallifet was practically annihilated by midnight , and by daybreak the Federationists , after fifteen hours of almost continuous fighting , had stormed all the outer positions held by the French and Italians to the south of London , the batteries of which had already been destroyed by the air-ships . Thus , when the _ Ithuriel _ passed over London on the morning of the 7th the position of affairs was as follows : The two armies which had been detached by the Tsar and General le Gallifet to stop the advance of the Federationists had been destroyed almost to a man . Of the two fleets of war-balloons there remained twenty-two aerostats in the hands of the Terrorists , while the twenty-five sent by the Tsar against the air-ships had retired at nightfall to the depot at Muswell Hill to replenish their stock of fuel and explosives . Their ammunition-tenders , slow and unwieldy machines , adapted only for carrying large cargoes of shells , had been rammed and destroyed with ease by the air-ships during the running , or rather flying , fight of the previous afternoon .