The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-26 00:00:00

THE FALL OF DYBBOL,

(From the Times Special Correspondent at the Danish
Head-quarters.)
ULKEBOL, April 19.
I was early in the saddle this morning, as I had
devised, and used my best diligence to learn all par-
ticulars respecting that fall of Dybbol about which
I gave a hasty and somewhat crude report in my
last night's letter. I was able to ascertain that the
taking of the bastions on the left was effected almost
without fighting. Gen. Gerlach bas long been ailing,
and the officers of the Staff, harassed by incessant
duty et outposte, were so utterly worn out as to be
d 'meat altogether unable to take the responeilities
of the supreme command upon themselves. The
little Danish army, engaged in so arduous and des
perate a task, laboured under the further disadvan-
tege of being without a head. lam very reluctant
to believe what I hear, but I am assured that
while the forts had fallen into the enemy's hands
soon after ten, the news of the disaster only reached
headquarters at half-past twelve. Possibly some
of the aides-de-camp were shot down on their
way from the Dybbol heights to the bridges. PO3-
sibly, also, Major Siernholm, who has known no
rest for many a weary
night, was overcome by a
sleep which his attendants were unwilling to dis-
turb. .I‘l,jor Rosen, the second in command at the
Staff, was out at Dybbol, whence his dead body was
only sent back this afternoon. The fire of the Prus-
sian cannon vets so very violent, that the men on
the bastions hardly ventured to be on the look out.
The Prussians came up, aed, the Danes withdrew.
Tnat is the whole history of the fall of Dyhbol,
Somewhat longer resistance, I am told, was made
at the tete.de-pont. But the Prussian artillery was
turned against it from the captured bill-crests, and
nothing was left but to cut off all communication
between Sonderved and Als by the destruction of
the bridges. The battalions of Danish infantry,
enveloped by large German masses, shattered by a
perfect whirlwind of shells, ern off from all retreat,
had but little chance of resistance. One general, 6
colonels or lieutenant-colonels, and 33 officers of
lower rank, fell dead. The loss among the men
cannot yet be ascertained. We may judge of it by
the laws of proportion. The number of men left
on the other side of the bridges is somewhat vaguely
stated at 2,000, 4,000, and even 7,000 or 8,000.
These are the dead, wounded, or missing on a
field where there hardly was any action.
There was not a man in his senses who was not for
a long time prepared for some such dreadful
catastrophe. That Dybbol should be abandoned
and the attempt made to remove its defenders by
stealth in the night, was the opinion firmly enter-
tained by all officers mature in the art of war.
That opinion was fully and unreservedly shared by
the men at headquarters. Even on the eve of the
disaster, leave to act upon that suggestion was asked
by telegram from Capenhagen. The telegram

transpired, and, as you are aware, most people were
convinced that the troops would before morning be
withdrawn. The answer of M Monrad was
" Dybbol should be held at any price."

Between 1 and 2 o'clock I stood on the summit
of one of those earth mounds which give the land-
acape in this country a peculiar character, and
whence I obtained a very extensive view of the
opposite Dybbol heights. At Bastions Nos. 3,4,
10, and others, large bodies of Prussian troops
were seen massed together, as in battle array. Pre-
sently, long columns of infantry began to advance
from the Dybbol road, the Sattrup road, and all
the other avenues converging on the tete de•
pont. Down they came, leisurely, their colours
flying in the air, perfectly heedless of the batteries
on the Alse❑ side, several of which, truly, were
merely a heap of ruins, but one of which, at least,
the Church Battery, armed with 16 large guns, was
in good fighting condition, could sweep at pleasure
the whole extent of the open fields opposite, and
might have crushed those descending Prussian bat-
talions by hundreds. I was perfectly thunderstruck
at the inaction of the Danes on this occasion, and

inquired of all I met a 3 to tag elute, but either met
with fiat disbelief of my asaertions, or thn only ex-
planation I had was, that '' there was no one about
to give orders, and the cannons could not go off of

themselves."
It may be, however, that the Danes were held in
check by the appearance of a parleinentaire who
was marching in the van of all these columns; but,
at the time, the Prussian batteries were still firing
lustily from Ragebol, and at all events it seemed to
me rather strange that the advance of whole divi-
sions should take place during the negotiations for
a truce. The armistice, however (waffen-ruhe), was
agreed upon bet teen the parties, and was to last till
7 o'clock in the evening. I profited by the respite,
rode round and into Sonderborg, and by standing
on the arbour in th 3 garden, among the northern
windmills, which, as I often said, is my best obser-
vatory on this side of the Sound, I saw that the
Prussian column) were broken up, and all that mass
of men was swarming freely over the slope of the
hill, down to the waterside, till close to the spot
where the bridges so lately stood, is. 120 to 150
yards from the castle and piers and Sonderborg.
That mere ditch of sea water is all that now sepa-
rates the Dane from the invading enemy.
A bustle in the crowd attracted me to the landing
place on our side, where a melancholy sight awaited
me. A boat, bearing Prussian colours, had rowed
across, bearer of 36 bodies of Danish officers killed
nwhich the enemy gave up
robbed
into thetheir
affaircomrades
for
ersi fu
all that was sent back of
thoseeir
p coats, which were
lowrieorne almostslyfalien
warrora. Not only were
h
out, but the buttons of
theirar
e
deemed to be silver, but
were only German silver ttca egloriously-fallen
pockets turned ineide
‘Pos.ibly current as silver
g Germans),
torn or cut off, and all
them o
corpses
their boots. That
there should be marauders about the Prussian tents
should be no wonder, for the Danish army is unique
as
s had been
had
been
of
in the perfect security rei—
gning in its whereabouts ;
but surely the Prussian authorities, if they meant to
play a courteous and generous part towards a fallen
foe, ought to have set a guard of honour round those
remains, and not suffered them to be desecrated by
the ruffians prowling about th •
ear camp.

April 20, Morning.
The truce expired lest evening at 7 o'clock, and
thet
soon
instantly recommenced.
I towards sunset, and
however,
nothing of importance occurred during the night.
languished,
Iris rather early at the present juncture to calcu•
late the chances of the Germans coming across the
water and terminating their enterprise by the con-
quest of the Isle of Ala. It may greatly depend on
their own inclination to attempt the passage, and
on the disposition of the Danes to dispute it. Yes-
terday there was hardly a man in the whole Danish
army who was not half dead with fatigue, and who
did not seem to have grown 20 years older in one
day with chagrin and humiliation; But a night's
rest has done wonders among them, and, were they
only well led, the island might be no easy prey
even to an enemy gushed with his recent too easy

victors.o eue
;al Gerlach moved his quarters last evening
from the Ulkebol to the Horup Prestagaard ; he
will presently embark to Funen. His successor in
command will probably be Steinman.
Poor Major Rosen ! A braver or en abler officer
was !tat to ba found in the whole Danish army.
His promotion to his present rank dates from a
week back, and was granted in remuneration of
signal services. I met his btother, my friend,
Farmer Rosen, of Ronhave, last evening, at Horup.
The sorrow on his countenance made a deeper im-
pression on my soul than all the ghastly wounds
with which the last two months have made me
familiar. I darn not address him, This day the
body of his brother was laid baforo him. Only
yesterday his sweet home at Ronhave and all his
substance were a prey to the flames. Himself and
family have no other shelter than what the hospi- 1
tality of friends tenders them. There let them live
down their sorrows and repair their les3es as they
can ! let these Rosens are Holsteiners, born and
bred ; but the Crown of Denmark has nowhe e
more loyal or valiant Fuljects. Their devotion to
their country's
of causeose sad episodes of war cost them dear. Bto which
ut these
are only some th
no phapter of history is dedicated,

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF LORDS--Last Evening,
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.