Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-06-03
THE MOVEMENTS THE ARMIES
Tho London Times of tho 5th inst remarLs

on the slow movements Of the Austrians.
All Europe thought that Turin was Aus
tria's object; that bold in her great prepon-
derance of force, she would with a strong
army mask the fortresses of Alesandria and
Cassale, and ali that southern mountain dis
trict which they command, and that she
would with the remainder of the force rush
straight forward, never stopping till she
reached Royal Palace at Turin. There would
he some prestige of arms in occupying the
enemis capital at the outset of the war, and
there would be obviously some strategic ad-
vantage in being in a position to destroy the
| network of railways which now puts the
French who land at Genoa in direct and i'm
mediate railway communication with the
French who cross Mont Gems and attain the
Piedmontese side of the Alps at Susa. Mas
ter of Turin and of tho railways that centre
at Turin, the Austrian General would have
divided the two French armies, and would
have been in secure possession Of all Sardinia,
except only that mountainous Monteferrat re-
gion which we have supposed him to survey,
as lying on his left, while medtating his ad-
vance across the Ticino.
This raid upon Turin was thought to be
an object so material to the successful OPEN
ing of the game before her that Austria was
believed to have acted wisely even in incurr-
ing some moral odium while securing so i'm
portant physical advantage. But, for some
reason or other, which is probably q very
good military reason, but which lessons our
idea Of the necessity of her diplomatic pre-
cipitancy, Austria has taken no advantage
Ut her priority in point Of time, or of her SUI
periority in point Of force. She moved her
army forward in two main divisions. One
foot upon that alluvial plain that fat bay
OF land which lay before them. Gradually.
and with much deliberaton, TIL division
occupied the two little towns Of Novara and
Mortan-one on the right wing, and the
left, and then advanced few miles further
TO Vercelli, where they halted, surveyed, and
reconnoitered while every hour was bringing
laden transports into the harbor of Genoa
and long lines of French infantry were
swarming over the Cents. Perhaps the rains
that fell swellod tributaries and damaged the
| roads; perhaps the revolutions in Parma,
Modena, and Tuscany counseled caution or
created irresolution; perhaps the Austrians
were impressed with the conviction that il
would be less troublesome to let the French
| come over the sea and over the Alps, and
assemble in their full strength; that it would
be easier to meet them on this hither side,
| as in cockpit from which there was no es-
cape. We are not in condition to dvine
motives or to criticise strategy, for the tele-
grams are not very explanatory, and the
knowledged vouohsafed to US by the military
authorities is not very perfect; but we Gao
see that after being seven days on the Sardin.
ian soil the invaders have not yet advanced
more than 3S miles from tho frontier river
OF the division which crossed the Ticino.
and which appeared to be intended to march
up the level upon Turin, we can trace the
movements with some certainty. They have
diverged rather southwards of their direct
route; that 10 to say, they are tending towards
the foot Of the Montferratrange, rather than
towards the foot of the Alpine hills. In This
advance they find one Of the windings of the
Po in their path, and on Wednesday evening
they crossed the river at Cambio. The point