The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-06-20
The Great Battle st nsgents- Advance Of
the All = la ts,snDaISiy.

Oh her way to Quebec, and reached the latter
place yesterds u,orniug. The highly important
intelligence from the seat Of war, as it came to
us in brief despatch from Farh,r Point, we
laid before our readers yesterday, srd we are
now able t. give some further details of the
heavy action between the Allies and the Aus
ir ans AZ Magenta, which we have since received
from Quebec.
Previous advices by the Europa represented
tn Austrians as in III retreat across e Ticino
into Lombsrdy, ard from the acco int OF the
great battle at Magenta it appears that the Allies
pres sed on with theic whole mOveaole force AT
Two points on that river, drove the enemy across
into their own territory, and brough them to an
acton a. Magenta, city only twelve miles dis
lance from Milan, the L mbard capital In the
meg nitude of the numbers engaged, in the heavy
loss on both SIDES and in the destrucu III Of gene
ral flee and Others of high rank, this battle
was one Of the greatest of modern times. There
were engaged in the field not much less than
300, 900 men; from hundred to hundred and
thirty thousand of the Allies; and from hundred
and fifty to a hundred and eighty Thousand Aus
TRANS. On the side Of the Allies from nine to
twelve thousand were killed and wounded,
including the French General Espinasse, who
was killed, ard Marshal Canrobert, who fell
morally wounded. The Austrians, it is said,
lost twenty thousand, of whom over twelve
thousand were killed and wounded, and seven
thousand taken prisoners. Their own accounts
admit they had four Generals and five staff
officers wounded. The French captured three
cannon and two standards from the enemy and
the AustIians took one cannon from the Allies.
Louis Napoleon took part in the action, probably
supported by the King of Sardinia; but from the
fact that General Mcmahon was rewarded with
a Marshal's baton and The title of Duke Of
Magenta on the field, it would seem tha' the
hottest part Of tie battle was conducted by him,
he probably having taken command when Canro-
bert fell. Field Marshal Baron Hess commanded
the Austrians, Francis Joseph not having then
reached hat point. The defeat at Magenta,
which resulted to the Austrians after two days
terrible fighting, was followed by an immediate
instruction in Milan, which proclaimed for the
cause of Sardinia and Italy. The Austrian gar
to what point they withdrew is not stated. The
probability is however, that their whole force
has retired in the direction of the Mincio.
At the latest accounts the French had not
taken possession of Milan but according to the
dispatches of Louis Napoleon, they had taken
muskets, which the Austrians had left behind
them in that capital. The entry of Victor
Emanuel into the city was announced to take
place on the 7th of June
Such, in brief, are the points of the action
at Magenta, commenced on the 18th of June and
continued to the night of the 9Th. The French
Emperor claims it as a decisive victory, but on
the other hand the Austrian accounts speak of it
as series of battles with varied successes and
heavy losses on both sides There is no doubt that
it was a running fight, and though called the
battle d Magenta, was really fought at three
different points: Buf1alora Turbigo, and Magenta;
and when we consider that the Allies captured
only three cannon, one Of which was counter
balanced by the fact of the enemy taking one
also, it cannot be esteemed rout or even a
very serious defeat.
In general rout the first thing the beaten
army does is to abandon its artillery and bag
gage. The Austrians have not done 80 in thi
case. That they abandoned Milan was a strateg-
ical necessity, because it became untenable in
the midst Of an insuIectionary population, and
in front Of foreign enemy in force and,
moreover, it is not very strongly fortified.
At the battle Of Castiglione, in 1896, the first
Napoleon took seventy field pieces and all the
caisons of the enemy; and when we remember
that at the fight at Palestro, which occurred a
few days previous to this affair at Magenta, the
Allies took nine guns, the capture of three can
mons and two standards was rather small affair.
In this view we are disposed to look upon the
battle of Magenta rather in the light of drawn
battle than decisive victory, admitting ofcourse
the advantage gained by the Allies in securing a
position on the left bank Of the Ticno.
The conflict commenced by the Allies crossing
the Ticino at Buffalora and Turbigo The for.
mer town stands on the Austrian side of the
river, is situated about twenty-five miles north
west of Pavia, has population of 200, and il
celebrated for its magnificent bridge of twelve
arches of solid masonry which spans the river
! thus uniting Lombardy with Piedmont. Tur
bigo occupies point on the river little to the
north of Buffalora, about thirteen miles from
Milan and eighteen from Cuggiono. Magenta is
small town Of about five thousand inhabitants
lying nearly midway between Milan and the
Ticino. The Ticino Itself has course Of some
hundred and twenty five miles. rising on the
southern declivity of Mount ST. Gothard, in
Switzerland, traversing Lake Maggiore and en-
tering Piedmont at the southern point of the
lake, near Laveno, and running southeasterly
joins the Pc three and half miles southeast Of
Pavia, thus forming the boundary between LON
hardy and the Sandman territory. II is naviga-
bic above Lake Maggiore and at its lower point
forms many islands, and supplies the canal Of
Naviglio Grande.