The Express.
London, England, 1866-07-10 00:00:00

THE BATTLE OF SADOWA,

The military correspondent of the Times with
the Prussian army describes with much exactness
in a letter printed this morning, the main incidents
of the great battle which was fought at Sadowa
this day week. On the night of the 2nd, Prince
Frederick Charles, in command of the Ist Prussian
Army, sent an aide-dc-camp with a letter to the
Crown Prince, asking him to push forward in
the morning from Miletin and attack the right
flank of the Austrians, while he himself en-
gaged them in front. The messenger suc-
ceeded in his dangerous journey and rejoined
Prince Frederick Charles at 4 the next morning,
bringing to the leader of the first army an assur-
ance of the co-operation of the second. Long be-
fore midnight the Prussian troops were all in
motion, and at daybreak in a drizzling rain the
soldiers, who were short of both sleep and food,
had taken up their positions to attack the Aus-
trians. The first shot was fired about half-past 7,
when the Austrian guns opened upon the
Prussians from a battery placed in a field
near the village of Sadowa. At a quarter before
8 the King of Prussia arrived on the field. As
soon as the Prussian tiring actively commenced
Austrian guns seemed to appear as if by magic in
every point of the position. One shell came slap
into a squadron of I:hlans, who were close beside
the King ; burying itself with a heavy thud in
the ground, it blew up columns of mud some 20
feet in the air, and bursting a moment after,
reduced the squadron by four tiles.
Gradually the Prussian cannonade appeared to
got stronger. The village of Benatek on the
Austrians' right catching fire, the Prussians
made a dash to secure it, and here, for
the first time in the battle, there was
hand-to-hand fighting in the orchards, the Prue.
sians forcing their enemy back. At 10 o'clock the
attack was ordered on Sadowa, Dohelnitz, and
Mokrowens, the Prussian columns fighting every
inch of the way, over bridges and through villages.

The Prussians fired much more quickly tl.an their oppo-
nents, but they could not see to take their aim ; the houses,
trees, and smoke from the Austrian discharges shrouded
the villages. Sheltered by this the Austrian Jagera
bred blindly where they could tell by hearing
that the attacking columns were, and the shots
told tremendously on the Prussians in their close
formations ; but the latter improved their positions,
although 'lowly, and by dint of sheer courage and perse-
verance, for they lost men at every yard of 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 tremendous havoc among the
houses. Mokrowens and Dohelnitr both caught fire, and
the shells fell quickly and with fearful effect among the
defenders of the flaming hamlets ; the Austrian guns also
played upon the attacking infantry, but at this time these
were sheltered from their fire by the houses and trees
between. In and around the villages the fighting con-
tinued for nearly an hour ; then the Austrian infantry,
who had been there, driven out by a rush of the Prus-
sians, 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 teemed with
riflemen, and in this wood was fought one of
the fiercest battles which the war has seen. The