The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-06 00:00:00

depended the possession of Gitschin ; the assailants
knew that success here would almost certainly bring
them to the object of all their exertions. 'The
Prussian line soon formed on the top of the oppo-
site bank to that held by the Austrians, and then
began to fire rapidly against the brow where the
Austrians stood. The latter returned the fire, but
from necessity more slowly ; still their guns smote
the Prussian troops heavily, and the shells, burst-
ing in front of the assailants' line, caused many
casualties. But the Pomeranians were highly ex-
cited, and it is said that a heavy mass of the Prus-
sians dashed down the road and rushed up the
opposite slope with their rifles at the charge.
There a fierce struggle ensued. The strong men
of Pomerania pressed hard against their lighter op-
ponents, and pushed them beyond the brow of the
slope on to the level plain, yet the lithe and ac-
tive Austrians fought hard, and strove to drive their
bayonets into the faces of their taller antagonists ;
but strength and weight told, for their more
powerful adversaries urged them back foot by
foot till a gap was clearly opened in the defenders'
line. The musketry bullets had also told sharply
on the Austrians, and they were obliged to retire.
They drew off across the plain towards Gitschin, but
not in rout ; slowly and sullenly they drew back,
suffering awful loss in the open plain, where the
needle-gun had a fair range; but they fought for
every yard of ground, ever turning to send among
the advancing Prussians shots which were often truly
aimed, but which formed no sufficient return for the
showers of bullets which were rained upon themselves.
For long the plain was the scene of the advancing
combat, and it was not till near midnight that Gen.
von Werder occupied Gitschin. In the town the
Austrians did not stand ; they held some houses at
the entrance for a short time, but these were carried,
and then they retired rapidly towards the south.
In their haste they left their hospitals, and here, as
well as in Lochow, von Werder's division took alarge
number of prisoners.
But this was not the only combat last evening.
On the northern side of Gitschin and on the Turnau
road the Austrian. s have also taken up a position to
eover the town against the Prussians advancing from
the direction of Turnau. The range of hills which
runs round the north-western side of Gitschin drops
with a steep slope down t: sends outtheTurn a much Turnau road, near
the village of Brada, anlower
prolongation of the range which runs at right angles
to the direction of the road, and beyond it, as far as
the river that passes by Gitschin and joins the Iser
near Miriam'. Over this lower spur the road runs,
and on its summit lies the Prussian right of the
road, and close to it the village of Podultz ; while
further to the right and on the top of the high hills
in the village of Brada, standing about 300 yards
further south than Podultz.
The fifth division under General Tumpling was
on the 28th moved from Turnau to Rowensko and
Kotwa, which lie on the road leading from Turnau
to Gitschin, about midway between the two towns.
Yesterday afternoon General Tumpling advanced
from Bowensko, and about half-past 4 o'cloJk came
within 2,000 yards of the village of Podultz. His
division consisted of the Bth, 12th, 18th, and 48th
Regiments, with four batteries of artillery. As the
Prussians advanced they saw the village of Podultz
close to the road, and on their right, standing
at the top of the gentle ascent by which the road

rises to the top of the lower spur, on the other side
of the road, and about 300 yards from it, nearer
to the advancing division by 200 yards than
Podultz, the village of Diletz lying in the plain,
while high on their right they could see the
chimneys of Brada above the thick fir wood which,
lying on the hill side, in front of that village, runs
down nearly to Podultz, and trace by the different
colour of the foliage the ground occupied by its
orchards. The three villages and the fir wood were
held by Austrian and Saxon troops, supported by
seven battalions of artillery, which were placed both
on the spur and on the Brada hill, while behind the
spur were hidden three of Austria's finest cavalry
regiments—the Hussars of Radetzsky, of Lichten-
stein, and of the Austrian Regiment the King of
Prussia. In front of the village of Brada and of the
fir wood an abattis was constructed which ran down
the steep slope nearly as far as Podultz. As soon as
the Prussians came within range the Austrian bat-
teries opened upon them; the Prussian guns replied,
and under the cover of their artillery the columns
advanced to the attack of the position. The Bth and
48th Regiments advanced against the village of
Diletz, which was garrisoned by the Ist, 2d, 3d, and
4th Saxon battalions, and where, as the prisoners
report, the King of Saxony himself took part in the
fight. The 12th and 18th Regiments advanced
against the village of Podultz. Both attacking
columns were exposed to a very hot fire, but after
a severe struggle both villages were carried, though
that of Podultz, set on fire by a shell, was burning
when the Prussians occupied it. Then General
Edelsheim, who commanded the Austrian cavalry,
with a desperate valour attacked the burning
village, but the horses would not face the flames,
and the Prussian infantry from behind the blazing
houses fired on the disordered squadrons and killed
many troopers. After taking Podultz the 12th
and 18th Regiments pushed past Brada, leaving it
to their right, and made for the Lochow road, in
order to cut off the retreat of the Austrians, who
were retiring from Lochow on Gitschin. The Aus-
trian cavalry charged the advancing Prussians, but
the latter received them without forming square,
and the horsemen recoiled broken by their steady
fire. The Austrian troops in Brada and the Saxons
and Austrians in Diletz were quite separated by the
capture of the village of Podultz, and the former
were almost entirely taken ; the latter were cut off
from retreat in large numbers, for von Werder was
pressing towards Gitschin, the roads were crowded,
and the little river formed on the right of the broken
allies a wide extent of marshy ground, which it was
almost impossible to:cross. The loss of the Saxons
between Diletz and Gitschin was tremendous ; they
fell thickly, and the ground was covered with corpses.
The Prussians suffered much, but they fought most
bravely, and, with only four regiments and half as
many guns as their opponents, carried a very strong
position held by a much superior force ; for the
Prussians had in the field but 16,000 men, and the
allied strength is estimated at 30,000. Under a
crushing fire they advanced to the attack of
Podultz and Diletz, and the vacancies in the muster
roll show how fearfully they suffered ; but every
man who fell on the Prussian side was trebly
avenged, and a long broad track of fallen enemies
marks the line of march of the four regiments who
so well fought and won Diletz. But though the
Austrian position was strong, it was badly occupied.
The troops on the hill of Brada seem to have been
so enclosed in their defensive works that they could
make no counter attack on the Prussian columns
engaged at Podultz, nor could they attack in flank
the 12th and 18th Regiment as they passed. Many
officers and men have fallen on both sides. Gen.
Tumpling, who commanded the Prussian division,
has been wounded, fortunately not severely.
The field of Diletz is almost more thickly strewn
with killed and wounded. Here the Prussians lie
more thickly than at Lochow, for the more numer-
ous artillery of the defenders ploughed with terrible
effect through the dense columns of the assailants
as they advanced to the attack.i But between Diletz
t
and Gitschin the ground s covered with broken
arms, knapsacks, shakos, and fallen m
nern ,
herewho are e
h
tAustrians,han artillery.
mneoesdtlley-geninthwe rasSma Saxons or
soerd
aboutce rsa
n7d, Otohoe prisoners
in he e tiw3roucsosimanbsaths,avmeantaykoeffin
that loss iyne
rl edda
ya
end ve
nwi on ug nhdaesdwi t
he
ds triamwant eldo a:0 3,0 0 00 s
soldierso
from under the Austrian colours.
Head-quarters were moved here this morning.
The town has been almost entirely deserted by the
inhabitants, the streets are filled with military car-
riages
and marching troops, while a Prussian garri-
son
riesubnidvo:ihae marketplace.ckeduundniecrat Prussian
theall
io colonnade which runs
This afternoon the strategic object of the late
ma
cohNi-eevmeedr: t
fsorofcotnamhe two ssihaanvearhmeeiens
ehpaesnebd in
Bohemia between Prince Frederick Charles and the
Crown Prince. A regiment of Dragoons sent from
here to-day to feel for the Second Army has found
the advanced troops of the Crown Prince at Arnau,
and has sent back intelligence that he has mewed