The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-23 00:00:00

-THE AUSTRIAN ARMY IN ITALY.

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(From the Special Correspondent of the Times.)
VERONA, JULY 17.
I had some curiosity to visit once more the
battlefield of Solferino, and yesterday I satisfied
that curiosity to the fullest extent. Leaving
Verona and passing through Dossobuono, where
the outposts of the Ausrian army still stand, I
proceeded to Villafranca, and thence by the direct
road to Valeggio. Between Dossobuono and Va-
leggio the country seemed to be considered neu-
tral by both French and Austrians. The pea-
santry were at work in the fields repairing
their hedges, moulding their maize, and in
general restoring their crops as far as possi-
ble, after the damage they had undergone from
the numerous troops that had overrun them.
About a mile from Valeggio I saw the first traces
of the encampments of the allies, some red-legged
French soldiers were washing in the Chione, and in
the plain were traces of recent encampments, huts
of boughs and planks and remains of well-picked
dinners. A small post of Zouaves and Turcos oc-
cupied the roads close to Valeggio. The only ques-
tion asked was put by a Turco. It was one word
only, " Piemontais 9" meaning " Are you a Pied-
montese ?" to which, on my reply in the negative,
I was motioned to proceed in the most good-
humoured manner. Valeggio was crowded with
Frenchmen in every possible uniform—Artillery,
Engineers, Chasseurs, Guardsmen, Guides,Chasseurs
d'Afrique ; the streets were encumbered with native
carts of every kind. Marshal Niel occupied the
palace which but a few weeks before was inhabited
by Count Schlick and the Emperor of Austria. The
Piedmontese flag was to be seen everywhere, on
the tops of trees, in the windows of houses, and
even on .the castle tower of Valeggio, which no
Austrian had attempted to climb, -because of its
height and the difficulty of ascending bare walls,
for tho tQWer is high and stainless ins*. Atoxr
ghetto several bridges had been tiirnwn over the
stream of the Mind°. A park of artillery lay in the
meadows OW by. TillnibPrq of Frenchmen were
bathing. Otbers,gifted apparently with indomitable
patience, were fishing in the quiet eddies, and catch-
ing nothing, The roads were more dusty and much
worse for wear than they had been a fortnight be-
fore, but still it was an easy drive to Volta. Thence
to. Cavriana, there was little to attract attention,
except here and there a little earthen mound sur-
mounted by a cross, indicating the last resting place
ofsome wounded man, who had probably lain down
there and died, In Cavriana, where I expected
to and traces of the battle, everything appeared,
in the greatest order. The inhabitants were at
their daily labours, the village politicians holding
forth in the café. The blood-stained hospital where
I bad seen so many wounded men taken in was a
cordwainer's shop. The houses showed no trace of
cannon shot or shell, no signs of musket halls.
The Piedmontese flag floated from the windows, the
arms of Piedmont were nailed up on the doors, and
proclamations innumerable adorned the walls. The
people about the streets all wore the patriotic
colours, white, red, and green, in their hats or
button-holes. One or two French soldiers lounged
in the streets. Little blood, in truth, was shed
in Cavriana; .the last stand of the Austrians
having been made outside the town on the hills of
Madonna della Pieve. All the wounded were taken
out of the hospital, all the carts were driven out
towards Volta before the French came in. Field-
Marshal Nugent was the last man to leave that
place ; and I have from a French officer the follow-
ing anecdote respecting him :—As the Austrians
were seen crowning the heights south-east of
Cavriana, preparatory to their final retreat.
Louis Napoleon inquired of his staff whether any
one had certain knowledge that Cavriana was
evacuated. The reply was that it must still be
occupied, because an old and weather-beaten
officer, in a'giazed cocked hat and military cloak,
had just been seen in the streets riding about
on a pony, and accompanied by an aide-de-
camp. At the Emperor's request an officer
with an escort went forward to report upon
the state of Cavriana. He returned a quarter of an
hour after and informed the Emperor that the old
General in the cocked hat was still in the streets of
Cavriana, but that no one else "was visible. The
truth is that Marshal Nugent was at that moment
perfectly alone in the streets of the N illage.
Climbing up the Roccolo hill, which overhangs
the village of Cavriana on the left, I saw once more
the spot where the Emperor of Austria stood for so
many hours. I saw in the hollow on my right the
now peaceful village, with the old stone castle
frowning on the heights in front of it, and the bold
square tower which rises above the mouldering walls.
I saw the plains of Medole, Guiddizolo, San Vigilio,
and Castiglione, San Cassiano, and the Spiad'ltalia.
The day was far clearer than that of the 24th, and
objects were more distinctly visible. The distance
seemed greater, possibly because they were not
now alive with men as they had so recently. been.
It seemed quite a long way to Solferino. It has
been asked since the battle why the Einperor of
Austria advanced no nearer to the battle-field than
the Roccolo. The truth is that had Francis Joseph
been master of his own movements he would have
been not only in closer proximity to the enemy, but
he would probably have gone into action, whence it
is possible that lie might never have returned.
When he served under Radetzky, it was often the
duty of the stern old Marshal to curb his future
Emperor's martial propensities, and Field-Mar-
shal Hess had. to use the authority of his
age and experience to keep the ardour of
the youthful Emperor in check. It was not
till the sharp buzz of musket balls over the
Roccolo and the cracking of French shrapnel be-
came more and more dangerous that the Emperor
was induced to leave Cavriana, and at a later period
of the day Gen. Schlick had to use the utmost per-
suasion to force his Sovereign from Madopna della
Pieve, which at last became the object upon which
the whole French fire was concentrated.
From Cavriana the road to Solferino runs to
San Cassiano on an easy slope, the hills becoming
lower as they approach the latter village, which is
almost on a level with the plain of Medole. From
San Cassiano the highway turns a little to the east-
ward, running pretty level to Solferino, and below
heights which overlook it on both sides. But the
heights on the west are low and isolated from each
other by depressions, so that few of them are use-
ful for defence against an enemy advancing from
the north-west, their flank being always open to
attack, and artillery placed, upon them constantly
liable' tobe turned and taken in rear. This I found
to be the case with the high hill of Solferino itself,
the southern face of which is sufficiently abrupt,
while its south-western face is a gentle slope from
the plain. The village of Solferino is divided into
two distinct parts, one of which lies to the south-
east at the very base of the hill on which stands
the Spia. The tower is reached thence by a steep
and winding road, almost impracticable to artillery.
At about two-thirds of the ascent I came to a point
whence I could see all the landscape to the
north and east. The Lake of Garda and
the Alps lay mapped out before me, with
the tongue of Sermione jutting boldly into the
water. The green mounds and white walls of
Peschiera, and the square towers of countless old
fortresses lay embosomed in trees, and surrounded
by white houses, villas, and steeples of every form
and description ; but what struck me most was the
peculiar formation of the range north and west of
Solferino tower. To the north lay a long spit, on
which stood a high stone edifice cut out into
squares, separated from each other by high walls,
and communicating through each other by arched
gateways. This is the church and Palazzo Corn-
munale of Solferino. Through these gateways
runs a road which, following the top of the spit,
turns with it to the westward. This spit runs at
irregular heights from the west to the south, and
forms as it were the crest of a crater, into which
the eye plunges with delight, for at the bottom lies
a snug little clump of buildings surrounded by trees
of every kind. The main road from Castiglione
runs round the base of the crater to the north and
east. The Austrians occupied Solferino on its
southern slope, along an undulating line of about
200 yards, their faces being turnei south-west to
repel the attacks made on them from that quarter
by the French advancing up the gentle ascent.
Here, at the foot of a line of cypress trees, was one
Austrian gun. The ground is covered with rem-
nants of cartridges, the cypress trees-are riddled
with bullets , a cannon ball has gone right through
one trunk, two other balls have carried off the upper
part of the boughs, which now lie withered on the
ground. The Austrians also held the buildings on
the spit, from which there is no descent except by
jumping down the precipices into what I have called
the crater, or those which' frown on its outer sides
or down the winding road which I have already
described. They had also troops further west,
facing to the north, and there looking down on the
enemy. Solferino village below they also held, but
it is necessary to remember that the village here
lies in rear, that is, south of the 'Leights.
This minuteness of detail is necessary in order to
explain why the position was a bad one for defence.
The French turning round it from the north and
fighting for the possession of the streets were already
on one flank of the troops on the heights. 'The
French advancing from the plt.in on the south-
west, were on the flank and rear of the defenders
of the heights, and -the French attacking the
hills on the north front, placed the Austrians in
the buildings on the spit, already mentioned,
in the position of men surrounded on three
sides. The safety of Solferino heights was
furthei dependent on the safety of San Cassiano
and Solferino villages. Once those were carried,
the heights were untenable. It is quite a wonder,
under these circumstances, that the Regiment

Reishack own so long 011 t aeights. They
only retired when they were decimated. One
Lieutenant-Colonel, whose retreat was cut off, threw
himself down the precipice in the vain hope of
escaping, but in his fall he broke his leg. The build-
ings on the spit are still filled with Austrian shakos.
These are the only traces I could discover, with
the exception of the mounds under which the
dead lay buried, that a deadly encounter took place
quite lately. There is not a cannon ball, not a
splinter of a shell to be found. With great diffi-
culty and after diligent search, I found five rifle
balls on the hill. Even the houses bear no marks
of cannon. There is one hole in the dome of the
building on the spit. In Solferino nothing remains
to indicate that a battle of hours was fought there.
The stone houses carry no traces of the fight. In
San Cassiano, where the Austrians stood for hours,
the houses are all entire. .

,id its

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Field-Marshal Hess (the promotion is recent) is
still arranging the final movements of the Austrian
troops. The First Army, under Wimpffen, is under
orders to repass the Alps, and will begin to move
immediately. The second army will remain in
Italy under the orders of Count Degenfeldt.
As far as I am able to gather the opinions of the
Italians, they, look upon the peace with feelings
akin to despair. The popular idol of a few 'lays
back, the Emperor of the French, is thrown down
from his high place. The idea of a new Italian
Confederation is derided. People inquire sarcasti-
cally, is it to be an Italian Confederation like the
German Bund, which shall maintain Princes by the
bapnet I' They laugh at the notion o the Pope
being at the head of the new Confederation. They
look into the future with the gloomiest foreboding,
and many are already regretting the Austrian rule,
which, at any rate, was mild to the peasant, and
looking with distrust and dismay upon the uncer-
tainties of thc coming time.