The Express.
London, England, 1859-06-09 00:00:00

THE BATTLE OF MAGENTA.

(fox 0171 SPICIAL COI

XOVARA, SUNDAY, Juin 6, 3 O'CLOCK, P.M.

I bad just posted my yesterday'. letter when I
was informed that a great battle had been fought on
the other side of the Tessin, on that ground which
from Magenta, Abbiate-Grasso, &mate, and Bere-
guardo, extends along the course of the river in the
direction of Paris. I thought it was my duty to
go ea near as possible to the field of battle, and
after a great many difficulties I succeeded in reach-
ing Novara early this morning. I am therefore
writing at a distance of fourteen Italian miles from
the spot, which has witnessed one of the
greatest battles fought in our century. I shall now
endeavour to give you a sketch both of our own and
of the Austrian military operations daring the course
of that memorable day. lam not of course in a po-
sition to send you a fair description of the
battle, for I am but writing what I was able
together fromdifferent sources. Besides, I am writing
under the effect of the greatest emotion I ever felt in
my life. The numberless dead and wounded I saw
this morning have so much affected me that I am
scarcely able to gather my thoughts and send any-
thing which may be called a systematic narrative of
this terrible and glorious battle.
You mast not forget that since the end of May
General Gjulai, thinking the object of the allied
armies was that of leaning with their left wing on
the Po, near Torre Barretti, and with their right
flank on Bobbio and surrounding heights of the
Appennine defile, sent General Benedek to Lomello,
and a brigade of his 6th corps d'artnee to Bobbio,
to oppose equally the crossing of the Po and inter-
cept the road of Piacenza. The battle of
Montebello, and the subsequent reconnaissance

made by the enemy on our liner, had impressed
the Austrian General-in-Chief with the idea that
we intended to effect an offensive movement on
the I'o, crossing the river by the road of the Duchies.
The lines of the Sesia, of the TfifillS, and of the
Agogna, were, in the opinion of General Gyulai,
but secondary. On the 31st of May Marshal Can- !
robert, coming from Preset° and Paleetro, had sue-
ceeded in making his junction with our army. On the
following day General Niel, who, passing through
Momo and Olcggio, had marched on Novara, from
Borgomanero, had occupied that city. By these move-
ments we were the same day in full possession of
that tract of land which extends from Vercelli to
Novara. The right wing of the Austrians wee
therefore forced to retreat, and obliged to
fall back on its centre. Robbie and Mortara
were hastily evacuated by Zubel, Lichtenstein,
and Schwartenberg's corps &armee during the
night of Thursday last. Threatened by our
forces, these corps de armee were thus compelled
to lean on Vigevano, Bereguardo, and Pavia—that is
to say, on the nearest point from which they oould
succeed in crossing the Tessin. We know that on
the Ist of Jaw General Gyulai's headquarters were
still at Garlasco, but on the following Wednesday,
pressed by the allies, he was compelled to remove
them to Route, and finally to Abbiate Grasso early
yesterday morning. On Saturday we had succeeded
in crewing the Tessin at Buffalora, and our head-
quarters were established, after some fighting, at
Magenta, a large borough founded by the Emperor
Maximilian and destroyed by Barbarous. This
borough is situated at four miles north from Abbiate
Gruso and twelve miles from Milan. Whilst this able
movement was executed by our troops, a French
corps d'armee had succeeded in crossing the Tessin
at Turbigo, five Italian miles above Buffrlora.
• This crossing of the last-mentioned river by the
' allied armies renders it obvious that orate-
, getie science ought to have advised General Gyulai
, to fall back on Pavia, his natural base of opera-

tioss, from whence he would be in direct communica-
tion with Playgirl, and :Mantua. Instead of doing
this the Austrian commander-in-chief chose to go to
Abbiate Grasso, that is to say, in the most unfit
mead to oppose the bold march of our columns.
He had the Tessin on his left, the canal Naviglio
and the Ticinello on his right, and the most difficult
ground to move upon on his rear, for it is all cul-
tivated with rice and surrounded by water. The only
road on which he could easily march his troops is that
which from Abbiate Grasso leads to Pavia, a dia-
-1 tance of sixteen Italian mile.. At the first sight
General Gyulai's movement is justified by the desire
he perhaps had of covering Milan ; bat when one
considers that we werealreedy in pomemion of Turbigo
amid the village of Magenta one can hardly un-
derstand how the Anatrtan commander could