Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-07-15
Tho Great Battle of solfsrino.


The papers dwell upon the leading points
in the fight of the oath ult., and especially
on the fact that the Austrian forces engaged
at Solferino under the immediate eye of the
Emperor Francis Joseph, constituted the
flower of the Imperial troops. Besides the
Field Marshal Hess, the young Emperor WAS
supported in this first real ordeal of battle 10y
Marshal Count Wimpffen, commanding the
first corps ddrmee; by his uncle, the Arch
duke Albert, Ex-Governor General of Hun
gary; by the General of Cavalry, Count
Schlick, the successor of the disgruced Gyu.
hi; by Zobel and Stadion. and Benedeck; hy
the Prince dc Lichtenstein and the Baron
Reischach. All the most loyal and the most
accomplished lieutenants of the Empire were
gathered around their young sovereign; the
oldest in war, the most gifted, the most re-
nowned of the Austrian Generals, were lead
ing on the best equipped, best disciplined.
most resolute troops Of the Imperial army
Says the n Y. Times: Here, if ever she
was to look for them, Austria might have OK
pected to find the elements ct victory. From
all his broad and ill-assorted empire, Francis
Joseph knew, on the morning of the 24th of
June, that he could never hope to raise and
bring together more efficient or more gal
liant host than Was mustered then before HIM.
1t would seem, from circumstance related
by one of the correspondents, that the vii
layers in at least one hamlet among the hills.
were positively friendly to the Austrian
troops, aud gave them such succor during the
battle a. the Royal force in our own Revolu-
tionary war sometimes received from scattered
Tory populations Moreover, the Austrians
although the spirit OF the troops must have
been somewhat damped by their dreary ex-
perience of retreat, and by the apparently IN
consistent nature Of their movements be
tween the Dist and the 23d of June. had in
that interval been encouraged by near III
spection of their strong lines on the Mlnclo,
and by the addresses and presence OF their
newly arrived Emperor.
For sixteen long hours this vast army, act
ing under all these Influences and sustained
by all these motives, To the most heroic exer-
ton, endeay0red to hurl back the masses OF
the Allies upon the river CHEESE, and to main
tain the position it had taken up. At9 o.
clock in the evening of that desperate day.
the Emperor of the French WAS writing his
bulletin Of victory to the Empress in the very
chamber from which the Emperor of Austria
had issued in the morning to command the
tight!
The AUSTRIAN OFFICIAL DEsPATCH.--The
official Journal at Vienna Of June 2G, publsh-
ed the following official despatch from the
} seat of war;
VERONA, June 25.-On the 23d instant the
Imperial Royal army crossed at four places
to the right bank of the Mimcio. The right
wing Of the army occupied Pozzolengo, Sol
ferino, and Cavrians. The left wing march
ed on the oath instant to Guidizzolo and
Caste- Goffredo. and repulsed the advancing
enemy on all sides. As the Imperial Royal
: army continued its advance towards the
CHEESE, the enpmy-who had also assumed
the offensive with his whole force-pnshed
, forward such large bodies of troops that
there was general engagement between
the two armies at ten o'clock, Or thereabouts
on the morning of the oath instant.
The right wing, which was formed 10y the
second army, under the general OF cavalry,
Count Sehlick, maintained possession OF the
place which it had originally occupied IN the
t first line of battle until two o'clock in the
D.. afternoon, and the first army, 1.-THE LETT wing, J
, under the general of artillery Count Wimp-
fen, continually gained ground in the dlrec-
ton of the Chiese. Towards three o'clock
, the enemy made vehement attack on Sol
ferino. and after several hours hard fight
! ing obtained possession of the place, which
: had been heroically defended by the nth
corps de armec An attack was then made
: On Cayriana, which place was couraseously
=. defended until the evening, by the first and
n seventh corps de armee, but was eventually
. left in the hands of the enemy.
While the struggle for Solferlno and
Cayrisna was going on, the eighth corps de
: arniee, which was on the outer flank OF the
right wing, advanced and repulsed the Sar-
" dinian troops opposed to it, but this advan-
h tage did not enable the Imperial Royal army
= to recover the positions that had been lost in
the centre. The third and ninth corps,
which were supported by the eleventh corps
: were engaged on the left wing, and the re-
e serve cavalry attached to this wing made
e several brilliant attacks. Unusually heavy
: losses and the fact that the left wing OF the
! first army was unable to make progress on
the right flank of the enemy, who directed
= his main force in the centre against Volta
O led to the retreat of the Imperial Royal army
Il began late in the evening, during very
= violent storm. Yesterday evening Pnzzoen
occupied by our troops.
FRENCH OFFICIAL ACCOUNTING NOM
teur also contains the following official bulle
q tin of the battle Of Solferino:
y The force of the army of the enemy amount
n ell to from two hundred and fifty thousand t.
two hundred and seventy thousand. The
, new artillery produced terrible effect; its dis
y charges reached the enemy at u distance
g whence their heaviest guns could not reply
and covered the plain with the dead.
}. The loss sustained by the French Is I'D OF
= 6cers placed hors de combat, l2O of whom
were killed, and 10000 privates killed and
- wounded. Among the killed are colonies
y and 6 lieutenant colonels Among those
:. wounded are generals.
CsrlcstuIes Of Paris.
t A correspondent of the Express says
Nh. Austrian army. officers and soldiers