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

THE WAR IN DENMARK.

(Fr•om the Times AS'peeial Correspondent at the Danish.
Head-quarters.)

IT oRuP-1-1-Av, April 22.

This is the last ?eller dated " Danish Head-
quarters" that will reach you from any spot in the
Isle of Alsen. The officers of the Staff aro to
follow General Gerlach to the Island of Funen to-
day or to morrow. Only ono divisio❑ is to be left
behind for the defence of Ala, under the orders of
General Steinman. The Danes have here no more
than 24 pieces of field artillery left, besides such
cannon as is stiil standing on the shattered bat-
teries along the Sound. The Church Battery at
Sonderborg is almnst untouched; not so the one
near the south windmill, nor any of those on
the right of the town, at Surleekke, Baadsager,
Ronhave, &c. New works have, however, been
hastily constructed both in the town of Sonderborg
and on the sea-shore to the north of it, where sunk
batteries have been 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. There is not one officer of any rank
who flatters hi nself 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
Prues'ans have it in their power to sweep the
eastern shore from their vantage ground of Broager -
land, from Dybboll hill, from the tete-de-pont, and
from Rugebol, for one or two miles inland, whe❑
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.

Oa 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 watch-towers crowding the opposite shore,
down to the very water eoge,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 rt 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 complete. 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 IN bich 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 Danmark is a melancholy spectacle for a
neutral to witness.

The war that is momentarily languishing hero
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 islend of Fancn, 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 Alsen—if fall it must.
The body of General Da Plat, together with those
of several other officers, was conveyed across the
strait yesterday, in a second batch, 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, taking the lead of a few of his men, was show-
ing a bold front to the enemy, when he was struck
by several rifle balls, and borne to the ground. His
followers were instantly at his side, and endeavoured
to lift him up; bu, he declined all assistance, saying
he was a dead man, and begging his friends to hold
out as long es it was possible against the over-
whelming Germans. His wishes ware 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 Da Piat's corpse wore two laurel wreathe
round;its head when it came into his friends' hands,
and these, 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 iu what
estimation they held en enemy's valour. Pity the
General's gallantry did not entitle him to have his
boots restored to hum; 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 bask to us in their
socks.