The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-07-26

potYBIU9 OF the most mouor0Obc staukhSA Va
entiqaity--a slaughter that certainly has
not had it, parallel in any coniiictof modern
Europe that we have ever read Of, and which
even in Asia, 90 far a. we know, never had 10
equal, save In the battle OF Ancyra, in which
TAMKRLAxK defeated BAJAEEr, and killed, ac-
cordtng TO some accounts, 3oo,ooo men ont OF
aoc.O0o--that is to say, 39-4oths OF his wnoie
army. Having been induced to look INTO ro-
LYniUs In order to get SOME insight ih'o INC
manner in which the battle OF CANINE was
fought. we were tempted TO search farther, ana
in pursuing our investigations. we came acloss
several curious THINGS one OF them so lhter-
estine. and so german TO the matter IN hano,
that we shall be excused for alluding to It,
Neither the great NAPOLEON, nor GeneraI
GYrLAt was by many centuries, 1t seems, the
first person that sent false bulletins to the
capital. when he had been worsted by the
enemy. The honor OF that invention, so far as
;s known. belongs to the Roman Consul THE
RUS SExpRoNrus. who, without takingouta
patent. gave II to the world rs long ago as 2i'
wears before the commencement of the Chris
tan era That ingenious leader of the Roman
forces, having been utterly defeated on the
Trebfa by HANNIBAL, with the loss OF TWO
thirds Of his army killed and taken-and being
extremely DESTROYS to conceal the extent OF MS
disaster from his masters at Rome-sent mes
sage to the Sepate, announcing battle 1ough''
and victory that ,conld haze been won pu' ioi
the in tense cold of the weather, precisely as
the Emperor FRANCIS JOSEPH sent to Nienh"
the other day that he should have gained IL
great victory ut Solferipo bat for the thuhaeF-
storm. The cases Uttered in this respect
however. The viennese did not believe
word the Emperor said; the Romans, on the
contrary, placed implicit confidence IN the
Cousul,s bulletin, for that species OF military
narrative did not at that time, enjoy the agree
able dis tinction of being considered little better
than another name for n lie with clrcumsian-
ces cut and dried for the OCCASION There were
no telegraphs then, no railroads, ana no steam
boats Truth, therefore, which is proverbially
slow even when accommodated with all these
conveniences for rapid travelling, did not find
its WAY to the city Of Rome for considerable
time during which all things went on as
usual the population living in the utmost Sc
curity. never dreaming that Roman Consul
would condescend to tell a harefaced lie. This
happy delusion. however even in those slow
DAYS. could not last forever. Truth was n long
time pulling on her boots, but she got them on
at last. Stragglers from the fight began to
II.
that told by the Consul. They said their
troops had been scattered all over the country,
and had taken refuge in the friendly towns,
whenever they could find their way to them.
The enemy, so far from having been discou-
ragged by the result of the battle, were in ex-
ceIlent plight full of activity and vigilance
The larger part of the Roman forces was shut
up in the town of Placenta, where they were
hn win inla T.
ing, Cisalpine Gaul, had gone over in body
to the enemy. The Romans in Placentia were
consequently unable TO procure provisions in
the country, and in order to keep themselves
from starving they were compelled to tran
sport all their necessaries from the sea up the
Pc. This did not look much like a Roman
victory 1t could hardly, in fact, be the result
of a drawn battle. Slowly and reluctantly,
Senate and people made up their minds to be-
lieve that even Consul might lie when it
shifted his interest or convenience and that
SEMrRoNIus had been badly beaten on the
Treba
As we have said, the people OF Vienna ana
not prove quite SO credulous as those OF Rome
but attempts equally barefaced were made to
impose upon them. If the history OF the
late campaign be read by the light OF the Aus
strange effects The Austrians conquered on
every field, yet on every field they acted like
men who were defeated. They gave up field
after field, fortress after fortress, town after
town, city after city, province after province.
Neither rivers could stop, nor walls defend
these victorious soldiers who Went on from
victory TO victory, until they ended by losing
the whole of Lombardy. Well may FRANCIS
h;,,l- hat faS viz Of ha
same sort will ruin him, and pray. if he ever
prays ALL for defeat, if it he tie reverse of
a triumph 1t is true. that In his own account
of the battle of Se!ierino, he acknowledges
heavy losses but when these losses are stated
in figures, they amount to but 1850 men kill
ed and wounded, out of $4,000 engaged Now.
this is plainly ridiculous under innate, a.
must be evident to every person who Will re-
fleet for one moment upon the matter. Two ar
mics, of 250000 and 100000 men, respectively
fight with the utmost fury for sixteen hours
employin all the means of destruction known
to modern military science One of them ac-
knowledges q defeat, and retreats in conse-
quence, as the commander says, of its heavy
losses When those losses come to be sum-
med up, they are found to be actually less, by
one-third, than the losses sustained by the
-
amount to not more than one man in twenty.
Is it possible to place any confidence in such
a return? II it be true, in what a despicable
light must we consider the Austrian army!
The English writers are accus toned to speak
with exultatiop of the desperate resistance
made by their army at Waterloo, and to prove
how desperate it was, they point TO the list of
killed and wounded, amounting to at least
bird of no bar
The number of casualties, indeed, is the only
proof of the courage with which an army re-
sists an attack, for there can be no other But
in this case, the army fights all day kills or
cripples one-tenth part of the enemy's force.
and loses but one-Iwentieth of its own and
yet we are called on to admire the yalor of the
troops. The tale does not bear telling: il is
not worth moments consideration. The
Austrians fought brayely and they were only
compelled to retreat by the enormous slaush. |
ter which their enemy made Of their men |
This is the fact of the case, deduced from the |
length Of time the battle lasted, and the i'm |
mense consequences resulting from the de- !
feat.
correspondent of the New York Time.
says: "a correspondent writing from head |
quarters says the Austrians lost over 10000 |
men at Solferno. The person i refer to had
been assured by the director of the railway
from Villa-Franca to Verona, that he had
sent thirty wagons, capable of holding A
thousand men each, filled with wounded SOL
diers from the battlefield of Solferino on to
Verona" Besides these, immense numbers
were left in the hands of the French. Mr..
RAYMOND, the editor of the n Y Times, him
self saw more than 1900 of them in one body,
who We're prisoners to the French, and he did