The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-21 00:00:00

THE BATTLE OF MALEGNANO.

Yesterday's Moniteur contains the followii 3g
official report of the battle of Malegnano, address• ed
by Marshal Baraguay d'Hilliers to the Emperor
Malegnano, June 10, 1859.
Sire,—Your Majesty gave me the order yesterduj
to proceed with the Ist corps along the Lodi road,
to drivel:the enemy out of San Juliano and Maleg-
nano, informing me that for this operation I should .
be joined by the second corps, commanded by Mar- •
shal MacMahon.
I immediately went to San Donato to arrange wit :1a
the Marshal, and we agreed that he should atta, ek
San Juliano with his Ist division ; that after ()ape 11-
ling the enemy he would make for Carpaniello
in
order to cross the Lombro, the approaches te whi .ch
are very difficult, and that thence from there he
would proceed to Mediglia.
The second division was to take at San Marti .110
the road which would conduct through Trivulzo
and Casanova to Bettola, and then it was to a&-
vance to the left of Mediglia, in such a manner as
to turn the position of Malegnano.
It was agreed that the Ist corps should advance
in full strength along the Malegnano high road,
and, at. the spot. marked " Betolma" on th e
map, should detach to the right the Ist divi-
sion, which, passing through Civesio and Vibol-
done, should go on to Mezzano, establish at this spot
a battery of 12 guns, to play first of all against Pe-
driano and afterwards against the cemetery of
Malegnano, where the enemy had entrenched him-
self and established strong batteries.
That the 2d division of the first corps, having
left San Juliano, should go to San Breta, and esta-
blish there also a battery of 12 guns, to play against
the cemetery and enfilade the road from Malegnano
to Lodi.
Lastly, that the 3d division of the same corps
should advance direct on Malegnano and carry the
al 13
town concurrently with the Ist and 2d divisions,
soon. as the fire of our artillery should have produced
disorder' there.
The Ist division, leaving Malegnano on its left,
had orders to bear on Cerra ; the 2d and 3d on '
Sordio, -where they were to expect the 2d corps also
proceeding thither through Dresano and Casal-
inajocco.
For these dispositions to have entire success, time
would be requisite for their completion, and in
commanding me to operate on the same day that I
left San' Pietro l'Olmo, your Majesty rendered my
task more difficult, for the head of the 3d division
of the Ist corps could not enter into line before half-
past three o'clock, so greatly was the road obstructed
by the convoys of the 2d and fourth corps. How-
ever, at half:past 2 o'clock I ordered Marshal Mac
Mahon to march on San Juliano. Not finding the
enemy there he forded the Lombro although a bridge
was marked on the map at Carpianello, and con-
tinued his movement on Mediglia. At half-past
five, the 3d division of the Ist corps arrived to
within tome 1,200 metres from Malegnano, occu-
pied by t'lle enemy, who had thrown up a barri-
cade about 500 metres in front across the road,
established batteries at the very entrance of the
town, behind a cutting as high as the first houses.
I ordered General Bazaine to draw up his division
for the attack ; a battalion of Zouaves was thrown
foiward and on the flanks, as sharpshooters. The
enemy received us with a cannonade that might have
become dangerous, as the balls raked the road we
had to take in column. Our artillery replied
successfully to that of the Austrians, and General For-
geot, with two batteries and the sharpshooters of
the Ist division at Mezzano, supported on our right
the attack we were about to commence. I ordered
the knapsacks to be thrown down, and the 2d bat-
talion of Zouaves, followed by the whole of the Ist
brigade, to charge at double quick pace. The Aus-
trians had lined with a cloud of sharpshooters the
first houses of the town, the cutting of the road and
the churchyard, and yet they could not resist our
onslaught, beat a retreat right and left, made a
vigorous resistance in the streets, at the castle, be-
hind the hedges and the walls of the gardens, and
were completely driven oat of the town by nine at