The Express.
London, England, 1866-07-06 00:00:00

THE FIGHT FOR LOCHoW AND GITSCHIN.

The woods were c 'ivied, but not without loss, for the
Austrians retired from tree to tre a, and orly when pre-sed
beyond the last skirt of the wool retired under cover of
t'leir guns and reserves to take up a position on the
f irther brow of the next ravine. Tne musketry fire
r ,commenced. The opponents stood on either b..nk
of the hollow, and poured valley after volley into
each other's ranks, while the artillery, from posi-
tions on the flanks of both lines, sent their
shells truly among their adversiries' infantry. But
here the needle-gun had more success, for the Austrians
stood up clear against the sky, and soon the white uniforms
began to go down quickly. No troops so ill-armed could
have stood before the murderous fire which the Prussians
directed against the opposite line. The Austrians did all
that men could do ; but, after losing fearfully, were
obliged to fall back and take up their third position in the
♦.llage of Lochow. It was now about 7 o'clock in the
e:ening ; the combat had alr sidy lasted almost two hours,
b it here it was renewed more fiercely than ever. The
Prussians, encouraged by their success—brave soldiers and
bravely led—eagerly came to the attack. With hearts as
big and with officers as devoted, the Austrians stood with
a desperate calmness to receive them. On both sides the
fighting was hard ; but at any distance the Austrian rifle
had no chance against the needle-gun, and at close
quarters the boyish soldiers of the Kaiser could not
cope with the broad-shouldered men of Pomerania,
who form the corps d'armie, one division of which
war here engaged. Yet for three quarters of an
hour the little village of Lochow was held, and the
continuous rattle of the rifles and the heavy cannonade of
the guns remaining almost stationary told the determina-
tion of the assault and the stoutness of the defence. But
the Austrians were slowly forced from house to house and
from orchard to orchard, and had to retreat to their last
vantage ground on the top of the Gitachin bank of the
fourth ravine. And here both sides re-engaged in the fight
with the utmost fury. The defenders felt th it this was
their last standing point, and on its maintenance
depended the possession of Gitschin ; the assailants
knew that success here would almost certainly bring them
to the object of all their exertions. The Prussian line soon
formed on the top of the opposite bank to that held by
the Austrians, and then began to fire rapidly against the
brow where the Austrians stood. The latter returned the
fire, but from necessity more slowly ; still their guns smote
the Prussian troops heavily, and the shells, bursting in front
of the assailants line, caused many casualties. But the Pome-
ranians were highly excited, and it is said that s heavy mass
of the Prussians dashed down the road and rushed up the
opposite slope with their rifles at the charge. There a
fierce struggle ensued. The strong mei. of Pomerania
pressed hard against their lighter opponents, and pushed
them beyond the brow of the slope on to the level plain,
yet the lithe and active Austrians fought hard, and strove
to drive their bayonets into the faces of their taller
antagonists ; but strength and weight told, for their
more powerful adversaries urged them back foot by
foot till a gap was clearly opened in the defenders' line.
The musketry bullets had also told sharply on the
Austrians, and they were obliged to retire. They drew off
across the plain towards Gitschin, but not in rout ; slowly
and sullenly they drew back, suffering awful loss in
the open plain where the needle-gun had a fair range ;
but they fought for every yard of ground, ever turning
to send among the advancing Prussians shots which were
often truly aimed, but which formed no sufficient return
for the showers of bullets which were rained upon them-
selves. For long the plain was the scene of the advancing
combat, and it was not till near midnight that General
von Werder occupied Gitachin. In the town the Aug.
trians did not stand ; they held some houses at the

entrance fora short time, but these were carried, and then
they retired rapidly towards the south.

But this was not the only combat on the 29th.
The Prtunians, advancing from the direction of
Turnau, on Gitachin, had a fight at the villages of
Podultz and Diletz, which were held by Austrian
and Saxon troops, supported by artillery and three
of Austria's finest cavalry regiments. According to
the report of the prisoners, the King of Saxony
himself took part in the fight. After a severe
struggle both villages were carried, and the Prussians
made for the Lochow-road, in order to cut off the
retreat of the Austrians, who were retiring from
Lochow on Gitachin. The Austrian cavalry
charged the advancing Prussians, but the latter re-
ceived them without forming square, and the horse-
men recoiled broken by their steady fire. The
Austrian troops in Brads and the Saxons and Aus-
trians in Diletz were quite separated by
the capture of the village of Podultz, and
the former were almost entirely taken ; the
latter were cut off from retreat in large numbers.
The loss of the Saxons between Diletz and Gitachin
was tremendous ; they fell thickly, and the ground
was covered with corpses. The Prussians suffered
much, but they fought most bravely, and, with
only four regiments and half as many guns as their
opponents, carried a very strong position held by
a much superior force ; for the Prussians had in
the field but 16,000 men, and the allied strength is
estimated at 30,000.
At Diletz the Prussians lie more thickly than at
Lochow, for the more numerous artillery of the
defenders ploughed with terrible effect through the
dense columns of the assailants as they advanced to
the attack. But between Diletz and Gitachin the
ground is covered with broken arms, knapsacks,
shakos, and fallen men, who are mostly either
Saxons or Austrians, for here the needle-gun was
more used than artillery.
The Prussians took about '7,000 prisoners in the
two combats, and the Austrian loss in killed and
wounded was estimated at 2,000.
On the 29th the Prussian headquarters were
moved to Sobotka, and the army took up a peti-
tion in front of Gitachin, prepared for battle. In
the afternoon the strategic object of the movements
of the two Prussian armies was achieved, and com-
munications were opened in Bohemia between
Prince Frederick Charles and the Crown Prince.

The correspondent of whose communication we
have availed ourselves says that the Austrian com-
missariat is as miserably corrupt as it was in the
Italian campaign. The prisoners report that they
have had nothing to eat for two days, and beg for
a morsel of bread. Nor are the Austrian hospital
arrangements such as they ought to be :

Twenty-air wounded men were found here (Munchen-
arias) when the Prussians marched in, lying in a cottage
on a floor covered with blood, untended, with their
wounds undressed, and saying that they had bad
no nourishment for 48 hours ; no surgeon had
remained with them, nor was their condition re.
ported to the Prussian commander ; fortunately
they were discovered accidentally by • Prussian
staff officer. Hospital necessaries aro scarce, but
Prussian medical men were sent to attend to
them, and application was made to the magis-
tracy of bliinchengratx to supply linen with which to
dress their wounds. They are reported to have refused to
assist in alleviating the sufferings of their fellow-country-
men, who were shot!down in defending the very passage to
their own town, tiU Count &Arlberg, • Prussian officer cf
Cuirassiers, roused by their barbarity, drew his sword c n
the Burgomaster, and threatened him with death
unless the wants of the wounded were attended to,
when the necessary materials came forth. The Prussian
troops are very weary. They have marched and
fought to-day over a long distance and in a heavy country.
There was little water running from the river, and the
soldiers have suffered much from thirst ; but they have
marched nobly. Few stragglers were ever seen, except
those who had fallen fainting out of the ranks, and were
lying half stupefied by the roadside ; but none lay long
without succour, for the krankentrdger, or sick-bearers,
hover with their water-bottles round the flanks and in
rear of the marching as well as of the fighting battalions,
and give a willing aid to all that need it.

(REI'TER'S TELEGRAMS.)
THE PRUSSIAN VICTORY.

CONGRATULATIONS OF THE EMPERORS
OF FRANCE AND RUSSIA.
BERLIN, JULY 6.

The King of Prussia has received telegrams from
the Emperors of Franco and Russia, and from
other sovereigns, congratulating him upon his late
victory.