The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-07-13

Baltimore, NarYland
Not very long ago it was announced in the
Vienna papers that the Kaiser FRANCIS JOSEPH had
determined to take upon himself the chief COM
mand of the Austrian army in Italy; ana IL, on
his arrival at Verona he did not actually assume
the supreme direction of the war, there is every
reason to believe that good deal OF the lrresolu-
tion that has marked the Austrian plan of cam
nainn is attributable to the sudden and unex-
nected changes. which, under orders from the
Imperial headquarters, were made from time to
time, in the positions occupied by the respective
corns darnee. The disastrous losses incurred at
Nontebello, Palestro, and Magenta, have been
CHARGED bv the Vennese public, and by many OF
the subordinate officers of the army to the incom-
peency of General GYULAI but from the tenor of
the letters written by the Philo-Austrian CORE
spondent of the London Times, we infer that
GYULAI was never permitted to exercise anything
more than a merely nominal command and ina
the strategica blunders he is accused OF COM
hitting. more frequently arose from the ihterer-
ence of others than from any defect in his own
nlans. We are told also, that after the French
had crossed the Tfcino, and it became necessary,
in order to oppose them with any prospect OF sue
cess. TO push rapidly forward a large body Of
troops to Magenta, four precious ours were
wasted in an interview between Baron Hess and
Count GYULAI, during all of which time the
soldiers were halted in the vicinity. To this de-
lay The Times correspondent ascribes the loss OF
that battle and he intimates that it was not the
frst occasion in which the movements undertaken
hv GyULN had been INSTRUCTED, or modified, by
Others claiming superior authority. But even
after GYuLAI had been Invested of his command,
we find similar vacaton of purpose in the
movements of the Austrians. In the very act OF
retiring upon the Mincio, they occasionally appear
TO have determined npon risking another battle
before seeking the protection of their fortresses
and to have quite as suddenly and inexplicably
changed their mind. At one time they contem-
plated holding Brescia; but finally concluded to
evacuate that city, They ordered Bergamo to
be abandoned, and afterwards, when it was too
late, dispatched messenger instructing the for
mer garrison at that post to re-occupy it, and hold
it at all hazards They next fell back across the
Mncio, with the evident design of dlsputng the
passage of that river, and finally, they concluded
TO re-cross to the right bank ofthe Mncio, to take
position among the range of the hills TO the west
of it, fortify the passes, and, on ground with
which they were already familiar oppose the adj
vance of the Allies. The battle of Solierino was
the result, and although GYULAI had been dis
placed and the young Emperor of Austria com
manding in person brought the whole weight of his
immense army TO bear upon the Allied lines, the
~ ba ri
after hard fought battle strenuously contested for
sixteen hours. Whether, in this case also, null
titude of counsellors wrought confusion TO the
Austrians, as it has since been intimated in
some quarters or whether FRANCIS JOSEPH was
ambitious of testing alike his soldierly qualities
and the prestige Of his NAME are questions which
il is impossible for us TO determine. That, in
either case the Austrians were badly beaten, we
know from their own frank confession of the fact.
We know further, that the French subsequently
crossed the Mncio without opposition. 1t has
been stated also, though the report has been sub
sequently contradicted, that FRANCIS JOSEPH has
suddenly discovered that he has important business
which demands his presence at Vienna. That he
has turned over the chief command of the army,
and the defence of ''the Historic Square, to
Baron HISS, is certainly true. One remarka-
BILE feature of the Battle of Solferino is the perfect
candor with which the AuStrans admit their de-
feat, when contrasted with the terse announcement
of the Emperor NAPOLEON. Nearly all the details
we yet possess of this sanguinary conflict, are de
rived from the bulletins of the Austrans themselves
From these, we learn the positions respectively
occupied by the CONFERENCE.-The successive attacks
50 desperately made by the Sardinians upon
the right wing of the enemy the inn
portant flank movement, and, toward!
the close of the day, the decisive charge of the
French columns upon the Austrian cenre-al
of which incidents reach US, strange TO say, no
through Paris, but through Vienna. The reti
cence ofNAPoLEoN ILL.,, even in the hour of victory
is wonderful. He contents himself with the barr
statement, that after severe struggle he hat
gained another victory that he had taken all tn
Austrian positions, six thousand prisoners, thirty
cannons, and a number of standards. Here hi
kilograms stop. He has left to his enemy the mel
ancholy task of furnishing the necessary hints TO
completing the narrative; of becoming the earlies
chronicers of the disaster that has befallen them
and by the aid of good map, and their bulletins
"A tolerably clear idea Of the battle may be gath
cred. The hope which animated the latter il
recrossing the Mncio, was that of gaining vic
tory over the Allies, while they were at Sc
great distance from their base of operations, ant
before they were placed in a condition to make ar
assault upon the front and rear of the Austrian DO
ston by the arrival of reinforcements from Venice
and Tuscany. That hope has been disappointed
and it is now left to Baron HESS with diminished
forces either to hazard another battle in the centr
of the strategical square, or to throw portion o
his army into Peschiera, Mantua, and Legnano
and with the remainder fall back upon Verona anG
wait for reinforcements One hundred and seventy
five thousand picked men, constituting the Aus
trian reserve are now on their way to that point
but their countrymen in the field have already be
come SO lemorazed, by frequent defeats, that i
is scarcely probable that any addition to thei
numbers viii suffice either to restore their conf
dence in their own prowess or to compensate 70
the losses they have already sustained In tn
meanwhile, the Germanic Confederation is CROWN!
more lukewarm with regard to Austrian interest
in Italy. Prussia has suspended temporarily til
mobilization of her army, until she is prepared +
answer categorcally certain questions which hav
been propounded by Bavaria, and the belief is nov
gaining ground that France and Sardinia will b
permitted to continue, unmoested, their process c
expelling the Austrans from the Italian peninsula
SO long as they respect the rights of neutrals, an
the integrity of Germany proper. t q.
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