The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-27 00:00:00

THE WAR IN DENMARK.

(From the Times Special Correspondent at the Danish
Head-quarters.)
HoRUP-HAV, April 22.
This is the last letter dated " Danish Head-
quarters" that will reach you from any spot in the
Isle of Alsen. The officers of the Staff are to
follow General Gerlach to the Island of Fanen to-
day or tomorrow. Only one division is to be left
behind for the defence of Ala, under the orders of
General Steinman. The D.snes have here no more
than 24 pieces of field artillery left, besides such
cannon as is still standing on the shattered bat•
teries along the Sound. The Church Battery at
Sonderborg is alm)st untouched; not so the one
near the south windmill, nor any of those on
the right of the town, at Sur!cekke, Baadsager;
Ron have, 8.73. New works have, however, been
lustily constructed both in the town of Sonderborg
and on the sea-shore to the north of it, where sunk
bitteries have b: en substituted instead of those
flimsy bastions above the level of the ground,
among which the Prussian cannonade has made
such tremendous havoc. With such means of de-
fence the Danes cannot flatter themselves to hold
Alsen for days or even for hours against any earnest
assailant. Thero is not one officer of any rank
who flatters hiluself in the least about it; but they
have orders " to hold their ground as they best

can," and are ready to immolate themselves without
murmur. The very bridges before Sonderborg
have been but imperfectly blown up. Long lines
of pontoons still project, like piers, from the banks
on either side. It is impossible to doubt that the
Prussians have it in their power to sweep the
eastern shore from their vantage ground of B roager-
land, from Dybboll hill, from the tete-de-pont, and
from Ragebol, for one or two miles inland, when
the patching up of those broken bridges, and the
crossing over in large, irresistible masses, will be
the affair of a moment. I make no mystery of this,
because it must be as obvious to the Germans as it
is to the Danes themselves.
On the other hand, the Prussians go to work with
their wonted circumspection and tardiness. They
are making assurance doubly sure. We see them
from our v. atch-lowers crowding the opposite shore,
down to the very water edge, making themselves at
home in the tents and barracks the Danes left be-
hind them, removing the cannon from the Dybbol
bastions, rearing new batteries half way between
the crest and the lowest slopes of the hill, advanc-

ing their re doubted cannon within an easy stone-
throw of the Alsen coast. As yet, however, they
have hardly fired a shot. It was given out yester-
day that " there was to be an armistice from 4 to 8
in the afternoon," but before and after that period
of time the suspension of hostilities was just as
absolute and cornpfete. If the Prussians are at all
inclined to act, they take a good deal of time to
prepare about it. They are leisurely and delibe-
rately sharpening the knife 'which is to cut their
victim's throat, and this latter awaits its doom calm
and resigned, well aware that no exertion on its
part can either ward off or deprecate it. Truly the
sacrifice of Denmark is a melancholy spectacle for a
neutral to witness.

The war that is momentarily languishing here

seems to be about to be removed to a distant
quarter. 10,000 Prussians, we are assured, have been
matched to the north, and serious apprehensions
are entertained of a second bombardment of Frede-
ricia. It is, perhaps, for this reason that the Danish
head-quarters are being removed to some place, as
yet unnamed, in the island of Funen, where they
may be equally at hand to watch the progress of
operations at the entrance of the Little Belt and
on the Alssund. I may soon have to follow them
there, but, for the present, I am anxious to guess
what the designs and intentions of the Prussians
really are; and, in the event of their trying to
force their way across the water here, I wish to see
the last downfall of .Alien—if fall it must.

The body of General Du Plat, together with those
of several other cfficers, was conveyed across the
strait yesterday, in a second hatch, by the Prussians.
General Da Plat has been the real hero of the Dyb-
bol day. He was at the rear of his retreating columns,
and, tak:ng the lee d of a few of his men, was show-
ing a bold front to the enemy, when he was btrnek
by several rifle balls, and borne to the ground. His
followers were instantly at his side, and endeavoured
to lift him up; buy he declined all assistance, saying
he was a dead man, and begging his friends to hold
out as long as it was possible against the over-
whelming Germans. His wishes were obeyed, and
he sank back, to all appearance lifeless; but he
lifted himself up again by a last effort, and his voice
was still heard repeating, " Hold out, my friends!
Hold out for God and Denmark !" It was at this

moment that Major Rosen, informed of the Gene-
ral's fall, came up ; but he had hardly reached the
spot when he was stretched by the side of his dear
friend, mortally wounded.
General Du Plat's corpse wore two laurel wreaths
round:its head when it came into his friendie hands,
and they, the Prussian officer who came across with
it informed us, were laid on the brow of the dead
hero by no less illustrious hands than those of Prince
Frederick Charles and Marshal Wrangei,who wished
to show before the eyes of their whole army in what
estimation they held en enemy's valour. Pity the
General's gallantry did not entitle him to have his
boots restored to him; but the Germans are evi-
dently mad after Danish shoe-leather, and the
bodies of all, without exception, who fell on the
Dybbol heights were brought book to us in their
socks.