The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-17 00:00:00

PR1CE...... ...4d.
STAMPED:....Sd.

THE WAR II DENNARK.

(From the limes Special Correspondent with the Danish
Army.)

DAN/SII HEADQUARTERS, SONDERBORG,
March 9.
We begin at last to see some symptoms of acti-
vity on the part of the Prussians, I was out to-
day on horseback, and stood at the outposts on the
summit of the Avnbjerg, a hill rising on the left
of the road, at about E n English mile from the
bastions at Dybbol. Up to the present moment
the Danes are strongly posted on the Avnbjerg,
and will certainly not give it up without con-
test. Standing close to the Amish pickets on the
brow of this hill, I could distinctly see, across the
waters cf the Vemmingbund, all along the crest of
the Broager peninsula, swarms of Prussians, busy
throwing up the earth, apparently rearing trenches
previous to placing their batteries in position. Great
efforts are made by them at the same time to raise
earthworks at Ragebol, on the right of the Danish
position. They evidently aim at an attack on the
two wings of the Danish line, well knowing that
they could have no chance of success against the
formidable centre.
While, however, the Prussians are, after more
than a month, only making ready for action, the
Austrians in Jutland are doing their own share of
the work with that same briskness and willingness
which:they displayed in their operations at the Dan-
newerk. We have somewhat more minute parti-
lars of the skirmishes before Fredericia, to which I
alluded at the close of my last letter, and what we
hear to-day is not calculated altogether to allay the
fears which were yesterday entertained as to the
safety of that Jutland stronghold.
Fredericia lies at the mouth of that Sound which,
winding inland between the coast of Jutland and
that of the island of Funen, widen's as it advances
southward, and forms what is called the " Little
Belt," a branch of the sea parting the island of
Funen from the mainland of Schleswig and the Isle
of Alsen. After entering inland at Fredericia,
and winding from Erritso on the mainland on the
right to Middlefart on the Funen side on the left,
the Sound continues its meandering course between
the lands till it reaches the little islet of Fanoe,
where it throws a branch westward, forming an
inlet which bears the name of Bolding-fiord, and
which from its mouth near Fanoe up to the town
itself of Bolding constitutes the boundary line
between Jutland and Schleswig. The town of
Fredericia, which was built for the express pur-
pose of guarding the entrance of the Little Belt,
lies on the southern coast of a little peninsula,
bathed, on this aide, by the water of the Sound, on
the east by the broad sea, and on the north by the
Veils-fiord, and by a smaller inlet which is only a
branch of it, and bears the name of Rands-fiord,
or Little Strand. The town or fortress itself is
built upon a point, in a fanlike or triangular shape,
having a " kastol" or citadel at its apex on the sea,
and for a base inland a long circular continuous
line cf ten bastions, built close upon one another.
The two sides of the triangle on the coa are also
partly walled, and strengthened by stout bastions.
Immediately beyond the bastions, on the western
Bide, the town has low grounds which can be inun-
dated for a considerable distance, and formed in
1849 a ditch which bore the name of 0 versvoe

melso. This ditch runs inland for above an English
mile, considerably beyond the extent of the town,
with which it lies as it were at a tangent, protecting
it on the aide of Erritso and Stourstrup.
Be3ides the batteric3 at the I.astel at Fredericia,
so situated as to give the place a full com-
mand of the sound, the entrance to this narrow

strait is also protected on the IFunen aide by two
batteries at Strib, a point lying almost immediately
to the south of the Kastel, right opposite to it, at
less than an English mile's distance; and further
on, where the Sound becomes still narrower, and
whore it is crossed by a ferry between Middlefart and
Snoghoi, by a long row of batteries on the Middle-
fart or Funen side, so constructed as not only to
guard the Strait, but also to sweep the lands across
the ferry at Snoghoi.
The Austrians had hitherto taken up their posi-
tions at a considerable distance from Fredericia, and
the Danes, with that carelessness which seems to be
peculiar to them, and which has caused them some
rather important losses in prisoners at Dybbol, had
spread their outposts several miles outside the town
at Gudso,on the south, close to the Kolding•fiord, and
towards the Vide-fiord on the north, occupying that;
the neck of the whole peninsula. The Austrians
appeared in very large forces yesterday, diverting
their attacks on Voile on the north, and on the west,
through Bredatrup, and through a minor road,
which from Havreballegaard converges in the same
direction towards the villages of Stoustrup and
Erritso. The Danes perceived from the outset that
they had to deal with vastly superior forces, and
they fell back in the best order, skirmishing even
while they yielded groani. The Austrians pushed
forward as far as Stoustrup and Erritso, and there
established themselves at the distance of less than
two English miles from Fredericia. The desultory
fire at the outposts cost the Danes about 150 between
dead and wounded ; among the latter Gen. Wilster,
the Commander-in-Chief at Fredericia, Capt. Hoff-
man, the Chief of the Staff, and two officers of the
Staff. A shell fell close to where the General stood,
killed his horse, and stretched him on the ground
with two wounds, and prostrated also Capt. Hoff-
man with a wound in the leg, which will neces-
sitate amputation, and may, it is feared, cost the
brave officer his life. While the main force of
the third Danish division were thus effecting
their retreat, Capt. Tauc, who was with his com-
pany posted at Gudso, receiving no timely intima-
tion of the movements of the enemy, tarried on the
spot till, by the occupation of Stoutrup and Erritso,
the Austrians had cut off his retreat. Aware at last
of his critical position, he advanced on the high
road in the direction of Snoghoi, whence he might
hope to cross over to Middlefart, but was soon hem•
med in and overpowered by the enemy, to whom,
after a gallant resistance, ho had to surrender with
the whole of his company, about 200 men.
It is thus that the Danes, without as yet having
run the chances of a decisive encounter, have in
this unfortunate war suffered losses which their in-
feriority of numbers renders almost irreparable. It

is calculated that no less than 500 men were put
hors de combat at Missunde, Bustrup, and the other
combats at the Dannewerk ; about 1,000 were
among the killed, wounded, or missing in the re-
treat, and no less than 500 or 600 more have
either fallen or have been taken prisoners in the
defence of Dybbol and Fred sricia. On the whole, the
Danish army is certainly less strong by 2,000 com-
batants than it was at the opening of tho war, When
it mustered no more than 30,000. No doubt, the
with immense losses of the Austrians and Prussiansme have
,e been
throughout fully as severe, but they can better afford
it. Fresh masses of troops,
are coming up daily. The Germane, who have such
good grounds to feel sure of victory, spare
hnooppeaibnys
to make that assurance doubly sure, and
redoubling their efforts to come twice as soon to the
end of their enterprise.
According to the latest intelligence from Jutland,
it would seem that the Austrians, satisfied with their
success, have again fallen back from the position
they had taken up at Stoustrup and Erritso. Even
the affair at Fredericia may be looked upon as a
were reconnaissance is force.

MARCH 10.
The Official papers et Copenhagen contain a de-
tailed account of the losses suffered by the various
corps of tho army from the Ist to the 22d of Feb-
ruary. From this it wiil be seen that the statement
contained in my yesterday's letter was rather below
than above the mark. The losses above-mentioned
amount, according to the official authorities, to 43
officers and two army surgeons, dead or wounded;
and 1,930 rank and file dead, wounded or missing.
Of course, these numbers only extend to the 22d