The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1859-07-23

] HF'fHN lWNf lNHN.. - NNiiff NNllf tlNhA hl
/ smoke, directly ups Hfds, ia lidtH perfectly
upright and vel defined, and spreading OUT
sard, BON, waJs Al the t1p, like sn enormous
sheaf Of wheat
| The sun was making . glnrlous. setting in
/ the Wetl and 40 hi5 ligW Gradually departed,
/ the 'llil flashes a. raft Discharge Of the can
non CLEANED through lhe smoke like fharp
lightning through the breast Of 81 enormous
bloud' hunell'nts only u Finble hash would
Doc seen, lbcu two oJ three ~ once and sunr-
times half dozen Sould break firth 10 ir-
,l'Gl flreetsion' II was beginning % bo
dark when ] turned o. descend tie hin, and
! all Ihr way down stil hearil iht rpu Of ihg
cannon and thy slgIle'igb gf Iht gupS ol the
infantry. Bat M AaTitabs we're, clearly
falling back and could fcnrrrlS have failed tn
sustain total route, It u, bowjbe beY
may be in condition 90 tlHhefBhe mOfS Girug,
gle ~ the morning, bat judglnB from NJ
own observation II crrihinlyis not trobsblc,
They have sustained an overwhelming defeat
and u seems 90 me not unlikely that the Em-
peror may nov be induced by The 1epresen-
talions Of the neutral powers, 10 accept the
peace which Napoleon will be ,ery likely 90
tender him,
Just before nkhtmll tremendous cannon
anng Was distinctly visible In the djnttlml
OF Mlniua, aud II was supposed hy one. or
lNo French officers that Prince Napoleon
"as assaplting that fortress pa, pert Of The
general plan Of the days operations, while
the Emperor was engaging the enemy IN tho
open held' Hut see no reason 20 suppose
that this is true, as Prince NapolrpH. enula
scarcely have reached MantuS by fh}s time,
~ he was IN Florence only q week ngo.
have thus given you very general out
line Of this great battle as Il came under my
own observation. have mentioned no
names ofsubordinate officers because have
had no opportunity to learn The Apeeiin part
which individuals took in the engagement.
All that must leave for subsequent letters,
or reirr you for II to the official reports which
We here shall not see for three or four days
after they are published In Paris, I
AN afraid 10 venture upon any eonjec-
ture as 10 the number Of Killed and wounded
in this battle but from the nature OF the case
Il Is enormous ] am confident that not lrsa
than ten thousand wounded have been
brought into this village alone during the
day-to say nothing Of those that were left
on the field or taken iu other places. The
first inthuutlnn We received Of au engage
mcnt having taken place Was from meeting
three OF four carts drawn by oxen md filed
with wounded before VIZ reached Montcchia-
70, on the road TO lirescia. As. we had
heard OF no battle, Nc naturally supposed
that these wounds had been recsilrd in
ea
horse carriage, in which was laid at iull
length an officer Of rank whose face wore 40
ghaslly a look as TO make il evident that he
was dying. On reaching Monttchniro, and
stopping for n momfpt 10 rest our horses,
We Were told that great battle was then 90
ing on in the plain before Castigione, and
going at oucp 20 the summit Of some old for
which once defended the town, We
could Acc with our glasscs the smoke Of the
engagement We lost 10 time in pushing
forward, although We were told that we could
not reach Ca,tigliouo because the roads we're
occupied 10y artillery held in re-
serve We went on, however, continuing to
meet carriages and carts laden with wound
ed, and passing the French camps Of the
previous night came 10 n point al about
half mile from the town where a park a.
artillery wagons was dcfling from their camp
into the road Watching our ehrhse We
drove ~, Rr'HIfR dNarq' tbvr uf the enors
nous cloud OF dust which they ruised. The
main street was denScly crowded with carts,
horses. doukeys, oxen, soldiers,
suffers, and soldiers and animals Of every
drsrriuttuu, w -UuFhpd our way without
directly past the house marked as
the QuGIticr Generate, or head quarters uf
ihc Emperor, ard we're thus within the ratnp.
We had gone but short distance when We
tame 10 where the great procession of the
wounded was turning down cross street To
a church which had been taken for a hospi.
tai. II was eertpinly the most dreadful sigbL
ever saw. Every conceivable Kind ~.
wound VI hich can be inflicted upon man was
here exhibited. All who were able TO do so
were obliged to wnlk--the wagons and ami
mails at command being all required for those
" ho could not otherwise be moved. Some
walked along, their faces being completely
covered with blood from sabre cuts upon
their heads. Many had ther arms shattered
had their hands tied up-and
some carried most ghaStly wounds upon
their faces. Some bad tied up their wounds
land others had stripped away the clothing
which chaled and nade them worse. | saw
one man walking along with firm step Hnd
a resQlutc ar--npked to his waist and hav-
ing a bullet wound Vpop his side, an ugly
cash along his check, and n deep bayonct
thrust received from behind in his shoulder
Most Of those who were walking wore a sst
rious look--conversng but little with one
another, though they walked two and two
and few Of them carried upon their faces any
considerable expression of pain.
Those who were more severely injured rode
upon Gonkeys or in cHrts-nnd a few were
carried upon mattresses on mems shoulders.
But these were lpoSly officers, and nearlynlk
saw carried in that way were so badly
thnt their recovery is scarcely possi-
BILE One had both his legs crushed by
cannon ball. Another bad received ball in
his thigh. and was evidently suffering ithe
most intense agony. Many q those, whose
wounds were in their legs we're seated in
chairs swung across a donkey-one, being
upon each side. Several who were thus car.
ried, and were supported by soldiers walking
by their side, were apparently unconscious,
and seemed to be dying. Then would eou,G
carts large and small, carrying three, FIVE,
and some of them ten. or fifteen each. a
steady stream of these ghastly victims Of the
battle OF he day poured through the town
| stoe>s IN the crowd by the side Of them az
the sad procession passed along, and watch
ed it ~, this point for orer an hour, II was