Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-07-16

Tie OF t0e A4bn vi June. lne hCtlOn Is one
Of unmitgated triumph to the conquerors,
nor Of utter defeat to the vanquished II
resembles rather Wagram than Austerlitz.
1t is, as usual where Austrian troops fight,
and Austrian generals command, Just an in
clination of the balance in favor of the en-
emy. 1t ism example Of stubborn discipline
against an enterprising and intelligent enc
my, aud against the evils Of divided CON-
msnd While the Zouaves were being borne
back by the Austrians in position at Buffa-
lors, and Napoleon himself was engaged in
an unequal contest, four Austrian generals
we're quarrelling as to the manner in which
supports should be sent up, and quarrelled
till the victory was torn from them. Let
us apply the lesson as the facts march for
ward before our eyes, changing as they go
the rank and precedence of nations.
The recent battle has been properly
named. The Austrians write of it as the
battle of the Mincio, but this is incorrect.
The conflict took place on the narrow dis
trict which is bounded by the course of the
Chiese on the west and by that of the
Miucio on the east. All the places mention.
ed in the kilograms will be found about
midway between these two rivers, Great
as was the force assembled, and enormous
as was the amount of ground covered, the
battle did not reach down to the neighbor-
hood of Mantua, nor extend southwards
beyond half the distance between that for
treSs and Peschiera. The tide of the bat
tie did not roll parallel with the course of
either river. In this campaign, which is
fought in network Of waters, great rivers
do not appear to play the usual important
part they are passed and repassed, they
are bridged and forded, they are fortified
and abandoned, but they are never serious
ly defended. The Ticino and Sesia SUBJ
mitted to the passage Of the invader, and
even the Po was crossed and and recrossed
several times with impuuity. When in
their turn the French and Sardinians wished
to pass the Ticino, the tete-depont at Buffa-
lora was discovered to the untenable, and
the invaders of Lombardy marched over
almost as unresisted as the invaders of
Piedmont. After the battle of Magenta
the Dambro was not an obstacle the AIDA
was reached only TO find broken bridges
and dismantled fortreSSes, but no enemy
such as once before had defended that
passed by both hosts, and the Chiese, which
had been so often and fercely defended,
was swarmed over by the Zouaves as though
it had been a river Of France. This is a
novelty in tactics. Perhaps it has been
discovered that the old masters of the art
of war were wrong, and that the passage
of great rivers is not an operation during
which an enemy may be taken at advant-
age. Perhaps this is the new principle of
those strategic considerations" which have
been developed with such marvellous results
in this capaign. However this may be, it
certainly is not the battle of the Mincio or
the battle of the Chiese which was fought
on Friday last, and the Emperor Of the
French has full title to name the victory
after the centre of the Austrian position,
and, if it shall so please him, to create his
Marshal Duke of Solferino
1t is singular that we are Indebted to the
vanquished for all our reliable information
as to the circumstances of this great battle
Not only is the Austrian bulletin the most
candid acknowledgment of defeat ever
given to the world, but it is also the most
satifactory history of q battle ever put in
to the same number of words. BY the
light of these seventeen lines of print and a
tolerable map one can almost see the situa-
ton of the combatments the great features
of the engagement. The ground upon
which this battle was fought differs much
from the spongy plain through which the
Austrians had been so long retreating and
the French had been so long advancing
The southern end of the Lago di Garda
consists of hills and broken uplands, which
have always been considered as favorable
to defensive operations. When the Aus
triau Emperor changed bis tactics so sud
| denly that the command to recross the
Mincio appeared rather the result of a ca
price than deiberated judgment it was
into these uplands that he led his army
The village of Pozzolengo, which he de-
scribes as having been occupied by his right
wing, is about six miles to the southwest
of Peschiera Solferino, which played so i'm,
portant part in the battle, is little village
about six miles to the southwest of Pozzo-
lengo, and is situated at the foot of the
uplands, aud just at the point where they
descend into the plain. Away to the left
across the plain, another six miles distant,
is that Castel Goffredo which we are told
was occupied by the Austrian left wing
Here we have the line of battle. The three
places are nearly equi-distant, and form a
straight front, in a southwesterIy direction
from the Garda Lake. Moreover, the line
is as nearly as possible of the length which
the French Emperor mentioned in the mes
sage to the Empress. It's right extend:
over the highlands from Pozzolengo to Sol
ferino. It's left passes along the plain from
Solferino to Castel Goffredo. Solferino il
the centre and the key Of the position
Behind these three points lies second line
of posts marked in the despatch and impor
tant in the events Of the. Guidezolo snC
Covriana are the villages that afford this
second line Of stations and Volta, also
mentioned in the telegram, is town sbout
four miles in the rear of that second linz
Of posts, and within very short distancC
of the western bank of the Mincio. W.
have the Austrian order of battle and dis
tribution of force perfectly indicated.
What the French positions may have
been we can only conjecture. They prob
ably formed line which would have Gas
tiglione for its centre. AS the Austrian
say that their left wing advanced beyonC
CaStal Goffrado and nearly reached thi