The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-06-21

The hattie - MensebeIle Described b
m Eye. Witness.
The following account Of the battle Of Mer
tebello bv an eye witness, is detailed 10 ii
Alessandria correspondence Of the New Yof
Times:
The best account have had Of the whol
matter is from an engineer officer who served !
the Crimea, and who ID in al respects fail
candid and competent authority. Il ID to th
following effect:
He declares that the action was, In ito ow
way, Q kind of second Inkerman on . sma
scale, with this difference, that there 10 NOR
excuse to be found for the negligence of tn
allied out-posts at Aontebelo, in the compare
tive insigni6cance of the position to be protected
than there was for the neglect Of the British I,
protect their vitality important lines at Inker-
man; but 10 the one case as in the other, there
vas surprise effected where no surprise ough
70 have been posslble-a victory won where nc
victory could reasonably have been looked for
The Sandman cavalry Of General De Somax
with Q squadron Of French Chasseurs, had been
securing the road beyond Casteggio towards
San Giulietta. throughout the night Of the l9th,
and was surprised about ten in the morning,
near the bank Of the little river San4ato, by q
firing from the heights on the right Of the road
in the direction Of AontreaIto. They took this
at first for reconnaissance, but we're soon un-
deceived BY the general advance Of formida-
Die body OF troops upon the river, in such mum.
6ers as made it necessary for the cavalry, num-
be:ing only sb0ut $50 men, TO fall back before
the columns Of the enemy. The alarm was at
once dispatched 70 the headquarters at Voghera,
and General F0rey's division vas pushed rapidly
forward.
In the meantime, however, the superiority Of
the attacking forces, IS well in point OF numbers
as of artillery, constantly incre ased, and BY the
time that General Forev, with three battallons,
LETT Voghera for the front. which was nearly l
o'clock. the cavalry, with their supports
along the road from Aontebello to Casteggio,
had been completely driven in. The Austrians
had occupied CssteRgio, taking up in the
heights which overlooked the main road from
the left, precisely the position held BY the Aus
trians Of Genlott on the 9th Of June, 1900, and
posting one battery there, had pushed on the
road to Montebello.
This village, built like most North Italian vii
lagos along one narrow street, they carried only
after very severe fighting, and indeed, all are
agreed that the Pedm0ntese and French rivaled
one another throughout the whole Of this se-
we're struggle in clash as well % in constancy.
The cavalry Of De Somaz rode down the huz-
Ears opposed to it four several times
Just TO the left Of Montebello and about q
mile further on the road to Voghera is Genes
uella. little village in the bills, aud of this
also the Austrians took possession, meaning to
throw themselves upon the left OF the French at
Voghera as well as to meet them on their ad
vance by Il main road.
The main body OF the French came within
artillery range before the Austrians expected
them, and the conflict extended itself along a
line of about mile and half from GenestrelIa
to the west OF Montebello, and across the French
front. This was the hardest field fighting of the
day, and it was 81 o'clock before the Austrians
were dislodged from Genestrella after consd-
able loss on the part of the French, especially
from the 84th regiment. Gen. Beuret was then
charged to re-take Montebello, where the
Austrians had well employed their time in throw.
ing up intrenchments, and in making the
houses SO many defences. Here il was that the
French bayonet came into play, while the rifled
cannon battered the heavy stone walls about the
heads Of cir defenders like pasteboard The
French could not make themselves masters OF |
the position till o'clock, and won it at last by
sheer superiority Of hand to hand skill in the |
oAonet. Montebelle, in fact, played in this /
battle the part which Casteggio played IN the |
action OF 1900, and the second indeed more |
properly deserves the name OF the battle OF |
bontebello, than the first.
II was nearly seven o'clock before Gen. Forey. |
'dng up the hill on the lett Of the Church of |
dontebeIlo, saw the Austrans defle from their |
trong position at Casteggio, and take the road |
Q the Po, by Casatisma. There was some little |
lighting at the place called Varea, short dis. |
ance on the left Of Casatisma, and about three
niles from Montebello, but the action really
nded with the expulsion of the Austrians from |
dOntebello
That the Austrian force was far more numer-
'us than there was any reason to anticipate a |
orce dispatched on such an expedition would |
'e, does not admit of doubt. IL the Austrians
we're really informed by their spies OF the true
condition OF Gen. Forey's division at Voghera,
hen their troops must have been dispatched
q sufficient numbers, not only to occupy the |
'laces Immediately attacked by Gen Stadion,
'ut also to drive the French out of Voghera,
md to threaten the whole line of the Imperial I
dvance from Alessandra.
To such work III. engineer officer, nv in
ormant, think thirty thousand men would not /
ave been more than equal; for, although /
mailer number might have driven Forey back,
rs division being quite inadequately provided
nth artillery and far from full in numbers, in
onsequence Of the suddenness with which it
'as ordered into the campaign, yet the imme-
late vicinity Of the tremendous French force
: Alessandria and along the line to Genoa,
IOnld have made the retreat of any hostile body
npOssible, unless it had been strong enough to
eep the road open behind it.
II again, on the other hand, the Austrian ma
Guvres was really intended as y ient to cover
ne retreat Of the Austrians into Lombardy-
nd that is the view of many Sandman and
rench officers here-it is quite unreasonable
Q suppose that they would have rsked the loss
prestige now really incurred, by sending .
mall body OF troops to accomplish it. These
considerations, coupled with the general impres-
ion Of all the Allies engaged, led me to think
bat the Austrians in action must have number
at least more than 10000. II is, on the 9TH
: hand, quite impossible that there should have
cen more than 5000 at the utmost, of the Al
es in the field during the day.
II was reported that the American Captain,
'onaparte, was in the action, and greatly dis
ngushed himself.
GARIBALDI's WIEE.-Some Of the most inter.
sting passages in Garibaldi's life relates to his
'ife. He married q lady OF extraordinary
uAiities, native OF one Of the States Of South
america. She was trained to horsemanship
nd the most athletic habits prevailed among
he females OF those countries. Though, like
i'm, noble hearted, afectionate and disinterest.
d, she also possesses q similar degree Of per-
Onal courage and fortitude which have sci.
ON been d splayed, and still more rarely de-
lcted, by any authentic pen. After her mar.
'age, ahe accompanied him in his battles, by
ca and land; and, although usually unarmed,
nd keeping at his side only as his companion.
he q metimes aided in his most desperate con
lets by dealing out powder, loading guns and
ven firing them at the enemy. The sufferings
'hich she endured among the mountains, ia
ines OF adversely and seasons OF tempests,
tere severe and almost incredible. The short
ccount OF her escape from Bra lillian guard
iter capture in an engagement, and her journey
{ several days and nights, on horseback and
lone, through wild forests, swimming swollen
orrents, by holding to the name or the tail OF
er horse, Is exceeded only by the sad narrative
I her death, in l849, on the banks Of the Po,
'hen, after resolui@iy accompanying Garibaldi
n his retreat from Rome, she landed with him,
. one Of the boats, in which he was seeking /
. reach Venice, then the only place in Italy
,hich held out against the enemy.-[N. Y.
'ourier and Eng