The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-07-21

Correspondence of the New York Times. y
CAsr1GLIoNE, Friday, june 18th.
Francis Joseph has commanded and
lost to-day his first battle. His army,
concentrated at leisure within the last
fortnight, was the most formidable in
number of modern times. 1t was sta
toned at a point chosen by himself,
where he had the advantage Of the su- 5
perior position, and yet he was beaten
completely from the field by the French
army. ~ insI 4 eIf5.d 3f3 .at9fr
We were fortunate enough to arrive
on the ground in the early part of the
fight, and during portion Of the time
were stationed on hill, at the very spot
occupied by the Emperor Napoleon
during the first few hours of the day.
From this point we could take in with
the eye the whole field, and notwith-
standing the extent of the ground
fought over, were able to comprehend
the ensemble of the battle. t-f.s
The two armies had been gradually
approaching each otherfor several days,
and it was generally understood, as
well in army as in the country near the
scene of the great conflict, that field
battle was imminent. The army of
the Emperor of Austria, which had
gradually retreated from the fatal field
of Magenta, halted, demoralized, at the
Mincio. The Emperor, who had been
collecting reinforcements-one might
call it new army-at Verona, advan-
ced week ago with this force, and,
joining with the army which had fallen
back from Magenta, moved to the en-
counter of the French, to seek revenge
for the defeat of, Gyulai. The French
were only too well pleased to meet their
enemy thus, and the encounter on the
plain of Castiglione was as if by mutu-
al agreement.
The Emperor's headquarters on the
22d were at Montechiare. A part of
the army, however, camped the same
night at Castiglione, and on the 22d
the whole army was encampcd, q por-
ton at the father border Of the town
of Castiglione, and the balance along
the road to Montechiaro. A body of
four hundred and fifty Austrians had
been captured on the 22d on the road
to Castiglione, and the advanced posts
of each army were constantly in the
neighborhood Of one another.
Castiglione, compact town of per-
haps two thousand inhabitants, and al
most two thousand years old, is built
upon slight elevation, which is actu-
ally the termination at that place of
the Lombardian Alps. To the south
and west of the town extends as far as
the eye can reach, the level and highly
cultivated country for which this part
of Italy is SO celebrated. To the east
of the town there extends a series of
hills, three or four hundred feet high,
in circular form, presenting their con-
cavity to the south, and terminating at
a distance from the town of perhaps
six miles. Around this tongue of hill
the plain extends to the north, where
it terminates at the strongly fortified
town Of Peschiera. fA sfi
On the night of the 23d the whole
4 Austrian army moved up to the vicini.
ty of Castiglione, within mile of the
advanced camp of the French army.
4 They came up SO noiselessly that the
French supposed it to be their intention
to sweep around and encircle the town.
No such attempt, however, was made,
! and at o'clock this morning the bat
tie commenced, but by which army the
first gun was fred no one thus far has
been able to inform me. 1t was an
understood thing, no doubt, in both
) armies, that the moment had arrived
for the decisive trial of strength, and
it mattered little who fred the first
gnn. Both armies were eager to be-
gin the struggle, and only awaited the
) signal of attack. ssisea = 1f'lss
The Austrian centre was on and to-
! ward the extremity Of the long tongue
of hills to which / have referred; their
right on the same range of hills, close
up to the town of Castiglione, and their
left extending directly out across the
|, plain to the south of the termination
. of the tongue of hills. On these hills
there were two villages occupied by
the Austrians, and high old tower
overlooking the plain and the whole
8 country around. The Austrian posi-
ton was in a crescent (as at Magenta
t about eight miles long and was ex-
ceedingly strong in every point of
view, since the French were obliged to
8 attack from the plain, in full view, and
in concentrated form. o es''
During the first hours of the battle
the French were twice driven back by
the superior numbers and the impetu-
1 esity of the Austrians. But this retro