The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-07-14

'rst gun. Both parties were eager to hegin
the strnggle, and only awaited the signal OF
at,nck
The Austrian centre was on aad toward the
extremity Of the long tongue Of hills to which
nave Fefsrrei-their right on the same ran ge
of hitls close mp 10 The town of CastigItone
aud their left extendiag directly out across rfle
plain 10 the south OF the termination of the
tongue Of hills, On these hills there were two
villages occupied by the AuStrfans and a hIph
old tower overlooking the plain and ali the
country around. The Austrian position was
an u crescent. {1s at MageniaA ahout eight
miles long. and was exceedingly strong in
every point Of view. since the French were
obliged TO attack from the plain in fun view
and in 4 concentrated form
During the first hours Of The haftla the
FrPnch were twice driven back ty the superi-
or numbers and the irpetuosity Of the Aus
trI1EIs, Bat this retrogra4ie movement was
not r~palse, and the ground lost was irnrns-
d!at.Iy reGained. IL was the First Regiment
Of Iouayes that suffered most at tn moment
At o'ciock | saw two carloads of wounded
men of mis- regiment they came off the
Held, on thesr way 70 the hospital al Casti-
glionr, and they told me that that moment
not single commissioned officer of their re-
giment was on his feet Their brave Colonel
who had been promoted onfy three days be-
fore, in piaer Of their Colonel killed at Naepn
"A, had received three w0unds and in effect I
saw him carried from the field soon arteryy rrIs
on a litter. covered with blood and dust and
APPARENTLY suffering deeply from his wounds.
tAr hustrians offered the greatest resistance
20 the advance of the French One of these
Solferino, vas taken and re-faken three times
by taurohert's division, and it is said that at
lhls point me dead bodies actually concealed
The ground from view.
Another village nearer To Cagtiglione In
which. strange To ~1iate, both the men and the
women of the town fred upon the French
wa totally burnt down by Marshal Canro-
berts orders, who was naturally indignant at
.uch eonduct. | had this detail from different
persons engaged in the Ia tie hut the burning
TOOK place early ON the day before we arriv-
ed on the ground, and we did not, therefore
s'this incident.
The Austrians were gradnallg driven back
over he plain, and from their strong position
on the hill sides, till NJ 1 O'Clock they made
their last obstinate stand at The town of Volta,
SIX miles east Of Castigiione. An hours work
dislodKed them from this place and then, at 8
O'Clock, Il violent rain-Storm coming up. At
tended with ligh Ining and thunder. the retreat
of the AustFIans commenced.
During this storm, which lasted nearly an
hour, We took refuge in one of the division
neadq UaTters of the town, and there AS listed
IN dressing the wounded rs they were brought
IN. The stOrm. which was bAt a burst which
seemed to have been sent 0oressIy to cool
the hot air and 10 lay the dust had no sooner
ceased than the thunder of the artillery was
again heard, but this time around and to the
north of the point of hills in the direction OF
Pes1Hlera. The battle had been renewed, or
perhaps to- as at The village, only drowned by
the storm. We ha3tenrd 10 a high hill half IL
mile east % The town to point near where
the Austrian right rested At daylight in the
morning, and At the very place which Ma
pUleOn had stood during the frat hours of the
battle, and from this point we could see dis
unctly what was going on. a way to the
northeast, towards Pcschiera. which was
clearly ia view and apparently near the hor-
deTs of the lake of Tarda, the battle was rag
ing with renewed fury. The PtsdInon tese If
ly thousand strong commanded by the King,
NH. tGnlf I affsf4fl "a he in
vanct~of Souato and who had come to the
field of action In the rear of the Aust morn
ing position. had attacked the Austrlsns in
the flank AZ they retreated. We cOuld see
each discharge Of the cannon rs they voInit ted
forth in rapid succession, their dea III -dea ling
missiles, and when We shaded our ears behind
the crown of the hill on which Restood, could
hear distinctly not only the discharges of the
cannon, bat the sharp rapid cracking Of the
rified mustets Of the infantry.
The scene at this moment was one long to b.
remembered. Ten miles north Of us, aud on
thr eastern and western shores Of the lake. the
Alps reared their snow !Ored tops above the
clouds. The storm had cleared away, and the
sunset was never more beautiful IN this Cuun-
Try of lovely skies. Nearer ~ ua, on the outh
side of the lake, where the shore is nearly level
the battle was raging and the movement OF
rhe batteries from point to point could be per
.piycd. The rays of the setting sun ilIumina-
ing The snoW-ciad tops Of th. mountains,
rendering their sides dark and som brp. and
.hreW q shade upon the water beyond the con-
lending armies which brought these in to strong
relief The AusTIans could be seen steadily
receding; the batteries of artillery on both
sides Wrr" constantly shifting from one little
hlllOck 10 another, and soon As placed in a DO
sItion regular rolling discharge could he heard
and line of 1lrr seen Ikea cOntiagratiJn. The
scene was alike picturesque and terrible
The Austrlans continued to recedr towards
the MInCio at PeSchlera, and il was reported
IN the French army that the bridge in that
place had been cut some sald by GaribaIdi,
some hy the people. and that the Austrian re-
tTeat being thus cut OF, they wouId he all sur
rounded. Others pretended that CfarihaIdi
was on the other side Of the lake awaiting the
AHstrilns in their retreat; but ali these state
meniH may have been mere surmiscs. At
o'clock, We left our look -out to hunt up n cor
ner in which to write you these details and
rs ~ descended the rayine on the side Of the
town, we still heard, although We could no
longer see the discharges Of the guns and
knew thai the work OF death was going on
We are naturally anxious TO learn the result
Of this closing scene in the long and bloody
days work.
THE PRISONERS
We saw abJut 3,Ou0 Austrian prisoners
brought in. How many were taken during the
day could not be- ascertaintd. / saw one crowd
Of GOO, another of So, and many smaller
squads. The Austrian wounded were piled
into the carts sometimes sindiscrimnately with
the French. The largest gang / saw were
brought in by the Turcos. They were obliged
tO stop on account OF the crowding Mt the point
where stood, and thus had an occasion to
take good look at them. A considerable pro-
portion Of these were Lombards, n fact which
a large and savage looking Turco of the escort
evidently did not know for he ex planned to us
IN rldiculing them, that they fired bat once and
then laid down their guns- Poor fellows, they
were, no donbt, glad to remain on their own
SOIL. even AS prisoners, AMI one only wonders
at tn" blind egotiSm of the Austrian rulers in
placing reliance upon men who have no love
for them. and who are compelled 10 fight
against their brethren and their own iircsides.
The Hungarians also were in considerable
hunters. and some of thc%e were largo and
m1gn flcent physical men. But they We're not
quick enough nor powerful enough for our
Iurcos and ZouaFes. who, while rendering
justice 10 the goodwill and obstinacV with
Which they fought, merely talked Of their IN
terorfty As q matter OF course, and of their
own success as equally sure thing.
In and about Castiglionc, there were 2n,O00
soldiers in charge of the enormous train Of the
army, while IN the rear Of the town there re-
manned reserve of 20,000 men, to support the
army in casa Of disaster. Add to this 10000 or
{ 5000 wounded men IN Castiglione, and several
hundred thousand men scattered over the
plain in conflict, and dead on the ground, and
you have scene encompassed In Il space of
eight miles diameter, such, perhaps, as this
land of great battie-scenes never saw before
From the high peaked bluff from which we
watched the last hours of the battle all this
scene could be taken and comprehended at one
glance. Ii was great battle, and surely ought
70 decide, once for all, the vast superiority of
french over Austrian arms.
THE WOUNDED.
am confident that not less than ten thous-
and wounded have been brought into this viii
lage alone during the day, 10 say nothing of
those that We're left on the field or taken TO
other places. The first intimation we received
Of an engagement having taken place, was
from meeting three or four carts drawn by
oxen, and filled with wounded-before we
reached Mon .echiaro, on the road from Bres-
cia. As we had heard of no battle, we natu-
rally supposed that these wounds had been re-
cei we'd In some skirmish. Soon after, we met
4 one-horse carriage, in which was laid OUT, at