The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-02 00:00:00

THE BATTLES IN BOHEMIA.

[NEUTER'S EXPRESS.]

" BERLIN, June 30.
The following despatch has been received here
from his Royal Highness the Crown Prince

" REINERZ, June 27.
" I have most respectfully to report to your
Majesty as follows upon the events of to-day :
"On the afternoon of the 26th General Von
Steinmetz had pushed forward his vanguard under
Major-General Von Lowenfeldt towards Nachod.
After a short engagement the latter got possession
of the pass, which was abandoned by the Austrians
with a loss of 18 killed. The vanguard threw out
skirmishers in the direction of Skalitz.

"At half-past 9 this morning the vanguard was
sharply attacked by two brigades of the 6th Aus-
trian Corps, well provided with artillery, and fol-
lowed by a third brigade as support. The Prince
Holstein heavy cavalry division at the same time
appeared upon the field. By the efforts of the van-
guard, which withdrew slowly skirmishing, time was
gained for the main body of the corps to emerge
from the pass and reach the heights immediately in
front. At this moment I came up in good time from
Braunau. As the troops arrived they were imme-
diately thrown forward to hold the nearest heights,
the Kirchbach division to the right and the Lowen-
felt division to the left. The entire artillery, 90 guns,
was brought up into the line of battle, to meet which
the enemy was reinforced by the last brigade of
the 6th Corps and its reserve artillery. The advance
of the enemy was soon checked, and as soon as
our corps—strengthened by an infantry regiment
and reserve—had taken up its position, we were
enabled energetically to assume the offensive. The
hostile Prince John's Cuirassier Brigade was de-
feated by a brilliant charge of the Ist Uhlans and
Bth Dragoons, under General von Wnuck, after a
most desperate hand-to-hand combat. Each regi-
ment captured a hostile standard. General von
Wnuz,k, Colonel von Treskow, and Lieutenant-
Colonel von Wichmann, the commanders of both
regiments, received honourable wounds.
" The infantry, whose fire had been of admirable
effect, attacked at various points with the bayonet,
and took possession of the advanced woodland and
surrounding ground. In these operations the flag
of the 3d Deutschsmeister Battalion fell into our
hands.

" Towards 3 p.m. all the enemy's troops were in
retreat, followed up by the fire of our artillery. One
detachment of the Ist Uhlans succeeded in capturing
two guns ; three others were abandoned in the hasty
retreat. The cavalry, supported by some of the
infantry, engaged in temporary pursuit, while the
brigade of the 6th Corps, that came up towards
evening, undertook the vanguard. I returned to
Nachod about six o'clock, after I had seen almost
all the troops that had been engaged upon the field,
and had thanked them in your Majesty's name.
" The battle of to-day is an honour to General
von Steinmetz and the sth Army Corps. I cannot
sufficiently praise the extraordinary coolness of the
young troops. All arms have vied most gloriously
it; the discharge of their duty. The needle-gun
effected considerable slaughter, and caused the
failure of all the enemy's attacks, which were
undertaken with great intrepidity. The artillery
-disitisayed - rare powers of '-enchitubee *stack: of
the hostile power, at first greatly superior, and
the cavalry showed itself more than a match

for the much vaunted Austrian horse. Upon
the Austrian side '2B battalions were under fire, from
all of which prisoners have fallen into our hands.
The sth Corps, on the other hand, had only 22
battalions to oppose to this force, and of these the
troops kept in reserve only came under the fire of
grenades. The brilliant success of the day has been
purchased with comparatively slight loss. From all
I have seen I estimate it at from 500 to 600 men,
among whom are a very considerable number of our
brave officers. In addition to those already men-
tioned among the superior grades, I have to report
Major von Natzmer, of the Bth Dragoons, killed,
Major-General von 011ech and Colonel von Walther,
commander of the 46th regiment, wounded. The
enemy's loss is, on the other hand, very large. Over
2,000 prisoners are in our hands. His dead lay in
many places in heaps, so that I estimate his total
loss at over 4,000 men.

" The trophies taken were the above-mentioned
five guns, one flag, and two standards. I shall not
fail to forward to your Majesty as soon as possible
further details and a special list of losses, together
with the names of those who had the opportunity
of especially distinguishing themselves.
" FREDERICK WILLIAM, Crown Prince,
General of Infantry, and Commander-in-Chief
of the Second Army."
The following official despatch refers briefly to
the events of the ensuing day :

" BRESLAU, June 29.
" I have to announce to your Majesty a second
victory upon the 28th, more hotly contested and
more sanguinary than upon the 27th. Great loss in
officers and men, though that of the enemy decidedly
greater. Some trophies have been again taken, but
the number is still uncertain. Numerous prisoners
have been made. Skalitz is in my hands. An order
of Benedek's shows that I was opposed to-day by
the Archduke Leopold, with 6th and Bth Corps. Af-
ter two battles my troops are full of courage and
enthusiasm, breaking out into loud cheers.
" STEINMITZ."
King William delivered the following speech to
the people, who brought him an address yesterday
evening :
"I know your patriotism comes from the heart,
and it is, therefore, grateful to mine. God has
given our valiant armies the victory, but this is only
the beginning. A difficult task remains still to be
accomplished. As victory has always attended our
banners, with God's help the future will be ours
also. With this hope Igo to the army to-morrow.
Up, then, with God for King and Fatherland !"
His Majesty uttered the last sentence in a loud
voice, standing with bared head and holding his
helmet in his uplifted right hand.

La France of yesterday's date says :
"Some telegraphic despatches, proceeding from
an excellent source, arrived yesterday, and explained
the causes of the check suffered by a corps of the
Austrian army ; but this check, notwithstanding
the lamentable losses which Accompanied it, does
not appear to have in any way compromised the
plan of the campaign drawn upby Marshal Benedek.
The Austrian General-in-Chief, having for his base
of operations the line from Josephstadt to Theresien-
stadt, wished to avoid giving battle until the two
Prussian armies should be completely engaged in
Bohemia. At the same time he placed as an ad-
vanced guard the corps of General Gablenz (the
10th Corps), charged with Zile duty of preventing,
at any cost, the junction of the two armies of Saxony
and of Silesia. The Prince Royal of Prussia, on the
other hand, manoeuvred to obtain that important ob-
ject. These facts explain the three days of obstinate
fighting, during which the Prussians, far superior in
numbers, have sought to force the positions defended
by General Gablenz. The latter, comprehending the
importance of the mission intrusted to him, decided
unhesitatingly upon an heroic sacrifice. His corps
d'arnac'e must, at any risk, insure the plans of the
Commander-in-chief, and preserve to him the free

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control of the railway. This railway, secured Co the
Commander-in-chief, has enabled the latter, during
the three days of combat, to concentrate the corps
of his army, and to complete the preparations for a
decisive battle. It has been under these conditions
that General Gablenz has sustained an unequal
struggle with a corps of 25,000 men already tried
by the last actions, and with which he has, with a
valorous self-denial, resisted all the efforts of an
enemy who bad at his disposal fresh troops which he
could renew almost to any extent. At the last
moment the Prussians received the succour of 30,000
of the Guard, their best troops. It was before these
formidable forces that the 10th Corps for a long
time maintained its position, allowing itself to be
crushed and falling at its post in order to assure in
any event the execution of the orders of the Com-
mander-in-chief. This noble sacrifice insures now
the position of Marshal Benedek, who remains with
his forces skilfully grouped, ready to carry out the
plan which has long since been prepared. The con-
fidence which the old General inspires to all his
army is such, and discipline is so severely enforced,
that secrecy is religiously observed as to all military
operations ; and the officers of the Army of the
North abstain from all correspondence upon the
subject, even with their families."