New-York daily tribune., 1859-07-04
THE AUSTRIAN RETREAT.


Nesrfy ell the wounded Austrans to-day IN safety
behind the Mncio none but utterly hopeless cases ay-
ing been left behind. Poor feDows, they have had
dreadful week Of it, In excellent health and Oh horse
back have found the and dust the latter especial
lyl almost nsupportable; what must some Of them
have suffered dragged along ten or twelve hours r.
day on the spnDgless O1.carts OF the country i
mentioned 10 YOU before that the ambulance wagons
are Lumerous with THE army, much more 10 than u
ufual with any other European army, but they stal
fall far short Of the eIgencies OF snch retreat as
,his.
that il TO say two days march nearer the Mincio 80
the roads are now unencumbered; but at first total
lam seemed inevitable This will not surprise yoa
when you consider that this army with s trains OF ar
tllery pontoOns ambpldnces, baggage, &C., cannot
occuIy less than 40 miles Of road. The day we lett
Abbiate Grssso II took three hours TO reach Cas-
elletto village only two miles of, even on horse
back Ibavng missed the opportunity Of ndlng with The
General owing To Croat having gwen over the Brt-
sh Commissioner, Capt. Mdmay, to the hands Of the
Provost, Martial, suspicion Of being Piedmontese
He was liberated after some little trouble, but at
headquarters they positively ioibad hm to run the
risk Of riding back through the town to call for me-
a. had been agreed, 80 he rent messenger, who
arrived about an hour aterward, telling where TO
Join him. ] accordingly mounted and proceeded
eisuIely to the suburb, where the headquarters hah
been and where l expected still to find them. con-
fees felt exceedingly uncomfortable when discov-
cred that every Austrian was gone, and that my ap.
pearance caused suCh alarm 10 the Italians thar all
approached 10 1le way 10 lHtH IL was
not TIL they had CLOSED and locked their front gates
that dozen Of them ventured 10 appear at fstfoor
window To parley, but then we soon came 10 under
stand each other, as they all spoke at once.
From BnascO went, on the 9Th inst, by Pava,
to Belgiooso; this journey Of under twenty miles
requiring eleven bours, crowded the roads,
although the finest and brOadest in Europe. Had the
French been in q condition 10 follow confusion must
have ensued. That they did not follow proves beyond
the possibility of doubt that they understate their loss
at the battle Of Magenta if ii be true the telegraph
aDIouDces, that they pretend only 10 have had 800
killed there. IL their loss trAng why did they
pause four days On WedLceday the Sh, their ad-
vanced guard first came the Austrian rear guard,
Gen. Boers brigade, near Melegnano. In the fight
which ensued, Gen. Boer was killed. bet the next day,
yesterday Benedek moved out from Lodi, and drove
the French beyond the LambrO, whence they did not
venture to return to moest as they might have done,
the corps which to-day crossed the AIDA. The head
quarters remained two days at Codogno, whence they
Yesterday to Cavetgozz the direct road
to MaDtua and here to-day 10 be in the center OF the
army.
The army has retreated in three main columns the
rt second and third corps and part Of the seventh in
the center protected by the rest of the seventh and the
eighth on the rg flank, and by the fifth joined al Co
dogno by the ninth, on the leN flank Urban holds
Irevgho and Bergamo oil the extreme night. The
sixth corps is at Verona, the eleventh at Mantua;
80 the army is approaching its resources. by this
evening the whole will be across the Ada--the eighth
and part Of the seventh corps by Lodi, where there
was wooden bridge which is probably burned at the
Vinzasca and ForngaDa for other corps, and the fifth
and ninth and the garrisOBs of Piacenza and Pavia
at the fortress Of PZZghettone. The two former
places already destroyed and abandon ed the last
named and Lodi will be demolished tomorrow, or per-
hap. next day. Pavia was given up on the 9th, the
day was there, but reoccupied on the 8th Yester-
day tie place again abandoned. Piacenza Was
almost perfect intrenched camp for about 40 900
How they can have made up their minds to de-
sToy the result of so mgch skill and labor, know not
II strike all who have watched the events of the
last few weeks atentvey, that there have been fire.
quent changes Of purpose in the Austrian councils.
There the resolve to act entirely the dcfensive
then the threat TO overTun Piedmont after three days
then thai was not carried out at the request of Eng
land then defensive position was taken IN the Iom-
elliIa and abandoned almost without defense then
the troops crossed the 1icno scattered that it must
have been Intended either TO march straight back to
the MuciO, or else TO try some cOup-de-man the
left the next day battle accepted and the VIC
tory abandoned the day after. when nothing was
requisite TO it but te remain quiet, then came
the retreat then the day before yesterday Pavia
reOccupied, and BeLedek turned 80 feTcely on the
FreI lehman that his outposts no risk Of being dis
iufbed for some time 10 come then yesterday the
backward movement was resumed, and today here is
the army the east of the Adda / suppose you look
to me for come explanation of al this, bot only
guess what is wrorg 20 will not risk being unjust by
telling you what guess, but VIII mention some facts
which viii enable you 10 noge for yourself /. There
was la;ierly al electric telegraph direct from Vienna
10 the headquarters oi the operating army and met
sages used 10 arrlye sometimes every halt-hOur
during the night much TO the disturbance of the sups-
nor staff. 2. General Hess, Count Gyuais superior
iiiceT met him at Bereguard0 the morning Of the
30 inst, ct dsybreak. General Hess was present at
the battle OF Magenta next day.
Now, whether this retreat is q mastery movement
most weak one, think that il will be unfair con-
siderng these condolences 10 give ell the praise all
the blame 70 Count Gyuai. OF course, the whole
army furious; the Lapoers have torn the ags from
their lsnces the Jagers have thrown asde the flowers
they always carry in their hats during war; Inais-
Greet officers give vent to their feeling in words ne
discreet twirl their mustaches by the hour To-
sether but must in Justice ad that the general tone
that of stern determination to let the future atone
for the past.
The more see Of this huge army the more COW
WINGED sin becoming that, Whatever Power dt$oier
It's attention 10 the perfection Of the individual solde
viii secure al almost incalculabe advantage in war
fare by being able 70 fewer men, who Will be more
easily FED, and who can be brought 10 bear on any
one point with much greater facility. With the Aus
iran system Of recruiting is impossible 10 make
really efficient soldeu. A peasant boy is enlisted |
hounaiy Tor eight years, but, after two leave Of alb
senee gwen, aud he Is not called ag.in except in
case ct war. Ihreefoufths Of this army, then even
Of the artillery en-, OF less than two yesrs'
service. To such men the warfare of this couriry /
must be mos; trying The trees 80 numerous thst
,oey never see lheir enemy TIL within a couple Of 4
huudret yards AID they never their own SUPPORT
That an army 30 composed can have fought on e1usl
terms .0r 10 hours with superior force of picked
French troops proves that with good mans cement ,l,
lug the campaign the men can be depended on y,
yesr TO do anything which soldiers have ever done :
Like all allied a,mies, the French and Sardir A..
s1use each other. French prisoners say OF .h.i- I
friends "Ccs Ii ne " bdsfe.t pas :" ani as /
dinian gentleman, carried off by patrol the day b..
fore yesterday, says the French Guards never stopr
rurbsrg from Magenta TIL they reached VercrHi. ,
Two thousand Austrian soldiers were got toge or |
close 10 Milan, having straggled far that when |
their regiments were beaten back on the ith SS,rs /
of them were eeen irsiernizng with parties of Frent
who cid not know the country, and were walking OF
straight to Milan. The French having brandy in tser !