(From the Some News.)

Colonist, Volume IX, Issue 939, 25 September 1866, Page 3

(From the Some News.)

<^H The army which General Benedck had to dcfe^^H ' his position consisted of at least 225,000 men, buf^^| '. large deduction must be made for the baggqr^H : guards, the vai'ious escorts, the garrisons of Josep^^| stadt and Koniggratz, the sick, and those tired 4^H marching, and the killed, wounded, and prisoners'^H recent actions—so that, probably, he had not nio^H than 190,000 or 195,000 achnilly in hand. H^H ground he had to cover from right to left was abo^H nine miles in length. On his extreme left in his flr^H line, near the rear of Ncchan'itz, and towards tl^^| Prague road, he put the Saxons. Then the lOf^H Army Corps, under Field-Marshal Lieutenant Gal^! lenz, the 3rd Corps d'Armee, under Field-Marsli^M Lieutenant Count Thun, the 4th Army Corps, und^H Field-Marshal Lieutenant Festetics (who wounded early in the day), and the'2nd Arn^H Corps, under Field-Marshal Lieutenant Avcliduj^M Ernest, were placed from left to right on the slope o^H the second range or ridge. His second line and hi^H reserves consisted of the 18th Corps d'Armee unde^H Field-Marshal Lieutenant the Archduke Lcopoldl^M the Ist Army Corps was under Cavalry Genen^H Count Clam-Gallas, and the 6th Army Corps undfj^B Field-Marshal Lieutenant Ramming. He had at h'^H disposal a grand army of cavalry: it was composcft^H of the Ist Light Cavalry Divison, under Major^M General Edelsheira ; the 2nd Light Cavalry Division^B under Count Taxis; the Ist Heavy Cavalry Divisional under the Prince of Holstein; the 2nd neavj^M Cavalry Dirison, under General Major Fail Seek ; and^B the 3rd Heavy Cavalry Division, under Genera^^H Miijor Count Coudenhove. His artillery consistei^M of about 540 guns. The horse, under Feldzcug^H meister Benedek's orders, seemed to the correspond^! ent " the very finest cavalry by many dcgi'ces that^^H ever saw, as it certainly was in point of numbers th^^B largest display on one battle-field in recent days. ]^| cannot think that the Austrian Commander-in-Chie«^B had much less than 20,000 sabres under his com-^H mand." The centre in front of Klum and Lipa was^B strongly held by ihe 3rd and 4th Corps somewha'^B thrown back, with the Ist Corps in reserve, and tht^B 6th Corps was in reserve on the right, towarde^B Smiralitz. The Saxons also held a considerable por-^B lion of their force in reserve, in addition to the Stli^B Corps, on the left. ' On Monday, the 2nd of July, Prince Ercdericlc^B Charles halted with the first army, consisting o*^B 150,000 men, at Kommenitz, and having eonimuniji^B eated with the Crown Prince, it was arranged tx|| fight the Austrians on the following day. The i:nnii;^H body of the army was at Milowitz, a village on th&^H road from Horzitz to Koniggratz; the 7ih divisionj^B under General Fransky, was at Cesokwilz on the leff.^B and the 4th and sth divisions nt the villages atj^B Bristoau and Psanch on the right, while Gene.ra|^B Yon Bitterfield, with the Bth and part ofthe7tb|M Corps d'Armee, was sent to the town of Neubid«^B shaw, on the extreme right, ten miles from Milowifezl^B The military correspondent with the Prus-jM sian army says :— |H The fii'st shot was fired about half-past severij^H o'clock. The Prussian horse artillery, close dowttji^B to the river, replied to the Austrian guns, but nei-J^H ther side fired heavily, and for half an hour the can- j^H nonade consisted of but little more than single shots.lßß At about a quarter before eight o'clock, the King ofjflß Prussia arrived on the field, and very soon after tho'Hß horse artillery were reinforced by oilier field bat-|H teries, and the Prussian gunners began firing theii^Bß shells quickly into the Austrian position. But asl^B soon as the Prussian fire actively commenced A.us-|^B trian guns seemed to disappear, a3 if by magic, ialiH every point of the position ; from every road, fxorafM every village, from the orchard of Mokrowens, oiijjH the Prussian right, to the orchard of Ecnatek, oniH I their left, came Hashes of fire and whizzing rifle'ij^B shells, which, bursting with a. sharp crack, sentliH their splinters rattling among the guns, gunners, car-f BB riages and horses, often killing a man or horse, IJ sometimes dismounting a gun, but always ploughing jjH up the earth and scattering the mud in the men's i|^B faces. But the Austrians did not confine themselves H to firing on the artillery alone, for they threw. jj^H their shells up the slope opposite to them towards H Dub, and one shell came into a squadron of Uhlans, who were close beside the King ; burying itself with" H a heavy thud in the ground, it blew up columns of-H mud some twenty feet in the air, and bursting at H moment after, reduced the squadron by four files.; H As soon as the canonade in front became serious, t H the gxxns of the 7th division bpgan to bombard the' H village of Benatek, on the Austrian right. The'B Aiistrians returned shot for shot, and neither sido <H either gained or lost ground. In the centre, too, s H the battle was very even; the Prussians pushed" H battery after battery into the action, and kept up a! H tremendous fire on the Austrian guns, but these re- H turned it, and sometimes with interest, for the Aus- fl trian artillery officers, knew their ground, and every' fl shell fell true ; many oflicers and men fell, and many H horses were killed or wounded. More Kranken-tragerd H were sent down to the batteries, and always returned H carrying on stretchers men whose wounds had been H hastily bound up under fire, but who seemed to bo I too much stunned to suffer much from pain. Gradu- fl ally the Prussian cannonade appeared to get stronger, H and the Austrian batteries between Dohelnitz and H Dolialicha retired higher up the hill, but the Moke- ' B rowens still stood fast, and the Prussians had not yet ' I crossed the Bistritz; but many guns wei'e now . B turned on Mokrowens, and nt ten o'clock the battery [ there was also obliged to retire a little. While this cannonade had been going on, some of the infantry had been moved down towards the river, whore they ' took shelter from the fire under a convenient undu- \ Intion of ground. The Bth division came down on i the left hand side of the causeway, and, under cover :■ of the rising in the ground, formed its columns for >, the attack on the village of Sadowa; while the 3rd , and 4th divisions on the right hand side of the road I' prepai'ed to storm Dohelnitz and Mokrowens. But '-, a little before their preparations were complete the village of Benatek, on the Austrian right, caughfc fire, and the 7th division made a dash to secure it, but '. the Austrians were not driven out by the flames, and here for the first time in the battle was there hand- H to-hand fighting. The 27th Eegiment led the attack, B and rushed into the orchards of the village; the fl burning houses separated the combatants; they fl poured volley after volley at each other through tho B (lames; but the Prussians found means to get round « the burning houses, and, taking the defenders in fl reverse, forced them to retire, with the loss of many 'I prisoners. fl

It was ten o clock when Prince Frederick Charles sent General Stuhnapl to order the attack on Sa- , dowa, Dohelnitz, and Mokrowens. The columns ' advanced covered by skirmishers, and reached the river bank without much loss, but from there they had to fight every inch of their way. The Austrian ■• infantry held the bridges and villages in force, and ' fired fast upon them as they approached. ThePrussians could advance but slowly alonsj the nar- ] row ways and against the defences of the houses, j and the volleys sweeping through the ranks seemed to tear the soldiers down. The Prussians fired much more quickly than their opponents, but they could not see to take their aim; the nouses, trees, and smoke, from the Austrian discharges shrouded the villages. Sheltered by this, the Austrian .Tugers fired blindly where they could' tell, by hearing, that f the attacking columns were, and the shots told tremendously on the Prussians in their close forma- « tions; but the latter improved their positions, | although slowly and by dint of sheer courage and \ perseverance, for they lost men at every yard of; . j their advance, and in some places almost paved the^, \ way with wounded. Then, to help the infantry, the '' Prussian artillery turned its fire, regardless of the . enemy's batteries, on the villages, and made tre- j mendous havock among the houses. Mokrow;ens and j Dohelnitz both caught fire, and the shells fell'guiijjdy } and with fearful effect among the dcfenders^fclt'hert; flaming hamlets; the Austrian guns also played? upon the attacking infantry, but at this time thesej were sheltered from their fire by the houses and trees between. In and around the villages th» fighting continued for nearly aa hour; then tb«

Austrian infantry, who had been thence driven out by a rush of the Prussians, retired, but only a little way up the slope into a line with their batteries. The wood above Sadowa was strongly held, and that between Sadowa and Benatek, teeming with riflemen, stood to bar the way of the 7th division. But General Franksby, who commanded this division, was not to bo easily stopped, and he sent his infantry at the wood, and turned his artillery on the Austrian batteries. The 7th division began firing into, tho trees, but found they could not make any impression, for the defenders were concealed, and musketry fire was useless against them. Then Franskby let, them go, and they dashed in with the bayonet. The Auestrians would not retire, but waited for the struggle, and in the wood above Benatek was fought out one of the fiercest combats which the war has seen. Tho 27th Prussian Regiment went in nearly 8,000 strong, with 90 officers, and came out on the further side with only two officers and between 300 and 400 men standing : all tlio rest were tilled or wounded. Tho other regiments of the division also suffered much, but not in the same proportion ; but the wood was carried. Tho Austrian line was now driven in on both flanks, but its commander formed a new lino of battle a little higher up tho hill, round Lipa, still holding tho wood which lies above Sadowa.

Then the Prussian artillery was sent across the Bistritz, and began to fire upon the new Austrian position. At the same time, tho smoke of General Herrwarth's advance was gradually seen moving towards tho Austrian left; for he had at Nechanitz, a Tillage about seven miles lower down tho Bistrity, than Sedowa, found a brigade of Saxon troops, with some Austrian cavalry, and was driving them towards the position of Lipa, himself following in such a direction that it appeai'ed he would turn tbe Austrian left Hank. But the Austrian commander seemed determined to hold his position, and heavy masses of infantry and cavalry could be seen on the ■upper part of the slope. The Prussian infantry, which had taken the village of Sadowa and Doholnitz, was now sent against the wood, which, above these places, runs along the side of the Sadowa and Lipa road. They advanced against it, but did not at first make much impression, for the Austrians being here again concealed, the fire of the needle gun did not tell, and a whole battery placed at the far end of (he wood fired through the trees, and told on the Prussian ranks with awful effect. But the assaii:i!-is fought on, at last broke down the obstacles ill; the entrance, and then dashed in. The fighting continued from tree to tree, and the Austrians made many a rush to recover the lost position of tli!) wood, but in this close fighting their boyish troops went down like nine-pins before the Btrong men of the Bth division ; but when the defenders drew back a little, and their artillery played into the trees, ihe Prussians suffered fearfully, and about half-way up in the wood the fight became stationary. At this time the Austrian artillery were making splendid practice, and about one o'clock the whole battle line of the Prussians could gain no more ground, and was obliged to fight hard to retain the position it had won. At one time it seemed a3 if it would be lost, for guns had been dismounted by the Austrian fire, and in the wooded ground tho needlegun had no fair field, and the infantry fight was very equal. Then Prince Frederick Charles sent the stli ftiut Svh divisions forward. They laid down their helmets and knapsacks on the ground, and advanced to the river. The King was now near to Bistritz, and tho troops cheered him loudly as they marched into the battle. They went over the Sadowa bridge, disappeared info the wood, and soon the increased noise oi' musketry told they had begun to fight; but the Austrian gunners sent salvo after salvo among them, and they did not push the battle forward more than a few hundred yards, for they fell back themselves, and they could not reach the enemy. Not only did the fragments of the shells fly about them El-uttering death and awful gashes among their ranks, but the portions of the trees, torn by the artillery fire flew thickly about—.huge ragged splinters, that caused even more frightful wounds. Ecrrwarth, too, seemed checked upon the right. The smoke of his musketry and artillery, which had hitherto been pushing forward steadily, stood still for a time. Fransky's men, cut to pieces, could not be sent forward to attack the Sadowa wood, for they would have exposed themselves to be taken in rear by the artillery on the right of the Au-Irian lino formed in front of Lipa. All tho artillery w:is engaged except eight batteries, and these had to be retained in case of a reverse, for at one time the firing in the Sadowa wood and of the Pru?:-.iii.:i artillery on the slope seemed almost as if clrawir.-: hack towards Bistritz, The first army cortuiiily shocked in its advance, if not actually being pn-ilied back. Then the Prussian coinina:<do!'f; began to look anxiously to the left for tho Crown Prince. Some Austrian guns near Lipa were seen io be firing towards tho Prussian left, and it •was hoped they might be directed against the advanced guard of the second army, but at. three o'clock there were no sis-ns of Prussian columns advancing against Lipa. The Generals became manifestly uneasy and they drew the infantry out of the battle ; cavalry were also formed up, so that it would bo available cither for the pursuit of the Austrians or i'o? retarding their pursuit, mid General Yon Rhefcz himself went off to look for the second army. But he soon returned, and brought tho intelligence that the Crown Prince was forming his attack upon Lipa, and that, the guns on the Austrian right had been firing against his troops. Then the first army took heart a:;ain. The Sadowa wood vras carried, and iho battery beyond it was stormed by the Jagers. .A! half-past throe the Crown Prince's columns were j-iV'i moving across the slope against Lipa, for his

iiL'i-y had silenced the Austrian guns, and Ilerr

■\v-irili was again pressing forward against the Aus-t;-i;'ui left. In a quarter of an hour the Crown P'.-hu'e's infantry wrt3 engaged at Lipa; and their ({'.iirk voiloj'3 of musketry, rapidly advancing, told that tho Austrians. were in full retreat. The first army pushed forward at once, the artillery limbered up and galloped up the slope, coming into action on every opportunity to send its shells against the retreating battalions; the infantry, emerging from tho woods, formed and pressed at the double. Prince 'Frederick Charles put himself at the head of his regiment, and dashed over the Sadowa bridge and up the road, followed by all his

lit; at in fan Ivy. On gaining the top of the Lipa slopes, the retreating battalions of the Austrians were seen running across a hollow in the ground which lies between Lipa and the village of Strcsclitz, which lies about, two miles farther south. The Prussian artillery halted on the summit of the Lipa hill, and fired shells rapidly, which burst with terrible precision over the heads of the fugitives. The cavalry lltnv forward in pursuit; but the Prince, after leading a short way, had lo go to superintend the general movement, for the Austrian batteries had taken post in the Streselitz ridge, and were firing heavily against the pursuing Prussians. Then Hie cavalry got out of hand, and by small detachments rushed on the Austrian battalions; but these, though 'retreating fast, were not routed, and in many instances beat off the cavalry, who also suffered much from the Austrian artillery, for the shells burst repeatedly among the squadrons, and killed many men and horses. But tho Austrian guns were driven off the ridge by the heavier flee of the more numerous Prussian ftattoi'ii.'s, and then the pursuit was renewed. Some of the retreating Austrians made for the fortress of Konniggratz, others for Pardubitz, and troops were sent in pursuit along both roads. The wounded who were lying on the ground shrieked with fear when they saw the cavalry galloping down towards them, but Prince Frederick Charles took care that they should be avoided, and at one time checked the purEUtt, in order to move his squadrons round, and not go through a patch of standing corn, where several wounded Austrians had taken refuge. These, when 'they saw the lancers coming, thought they Tverc going to be massacred, and cried piteously, waving white handkerchiefs as a sign of truce; but they had no cause to fear. Large numbers of prisoners were taken, for the pursuit was continued to tho Elbe, and it was not till 9 o'clock that all firing had ceased ; but the main body of the army halted about 7. The wounded lay in immense numbers on the field; the dead, too, lay thick. Every cottago in the neighbourhood that has not been burned is full of wounded. Aiietrians and Prussians lay side by sjde, but tiie Kranken-trager are still out, and all will not be collected till late to-morrow (July 4) morning.

The battle of Sadowa lias been a great victory for the Prussian army. The troops fought with the most determined courage; they stood for hours under a terrible fire, for there are supposed to have been nearly 1,500 guns in the action, of which 750 ■were Prussian. The immediate came of the victory

was the Crown Prince's attack on the Austrian left

flank, which turned the position, but the attack in

front had a great effect on the issue, as, unless it had been steadily maintained, the Austrians might have repulsed tho attack in flank. It is the opinion of the Prussian generals that tho Austrian retreat; was

most skilful, and that their artillery was excellently handled. Tho number of troops engaged on the Prussian side was about 250,000. The Austrians are supposed to have had almost an equal number.