New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-07-18
HEN 0rltans 9ailp Grssttnt.
THE GREAT BATTLE.

Ntn @rltans 9ailp Crescent.
THE GREAT BATTLE.
fFrom the London Times Of june III
The tremendous battle which ragged from sunrise 10
sunset Of Friday last had been looked for and s re.
guilt is not surprise The position OF the contendng
armies rendered the occurrence Of great engage
ment certain sequence to the last news and there
was silent expectation prevalent among all classes
sentiment which, although 1t was seldom spoken
amounted almost to conviction that the event must
be what the event has been. The certainty with
which the AustriaDs had been forced back made Us
reflect even while We admired. We had already re-
cognzed in the comparatively small affairs OF Monte
bello, Palestro and Magenta the knell Of the Aus.
TRAN system which was put before us as pattern to
Europe of what highly disciplined army ought TO
be, and which was adduced as an example Of how
vast and irresistible force great military monarchy
could produce in the field. This great machine had
been exhibited in perfect action and 1t had proved
Its capabilities it could endure slaughter With in
flexible discipline, it could retire with unbroken
ranks it was orderly in retreat, and it was calm in
disaster 1t was perfect for every purpose except
only for that which s alone the purpose of an army
It could not win battle against an enterprising an
tagonlst These were the conclusions which we had
all arrived a. from an attentive observation of the
Austrian power as welded against the force of its
great military rival The conviction has now received
iis connrma.lon IN vast and decisive trial. Since
ago, 80 great battle has never been fought in Eu
rope as that which only seventy hours since cum
bered the plains Of Lombardy with dead. Imaeina.
tion to- tolls in vain to realize the story Of than
the front Of which extended twelve miles.
The common incidents of battle, the plungipg can.
non shot, the devouring grape, the advance OF long
drawn columns, the resistance Of dense mssses the
furious charges Of cavalry, the sudden deploy into
lines engthenng In long vista, and meeting in stern
and furious collision, bayonet to bayonet are all in
such mighty battle a. this multiplied to indistnct.
ness. We seek in vsin to single out the details of
slaughter, and the mind hovers hopefully over mist
Of carnage. After sixteen hours Of laundering sounds
and dense smoke, and shrill death.shrieks and the
rush OF squadrons shaking the earth, and the
measured tramp Of many thousands marching to
element, the turmoil subsidies. and we are told that
upon one side alone $4,000 killed and wounded are
stretched upon the plain. No eye take it all in
for It extends beyond human vision no ear hear
chasm through the human mass at the wing is In.
audible at the center single groan is lost in such
chaos of butchery as this; we arrive at the point
where figures cease to have power to increase our
force Of Enumeration can go no further than to over
whelm US with feeling of the wickedness of ambi
ton and the horrors of war.
It is difficult to come down from the highly strained
emotions that are created by such event as that
which we announce today, and to measure it by the
ordinary rules Of strategy. It is not often that
have to consider the movements of such large armies
as those which met face to face on Thursday last
| and We have not many precedents for campaign 50
vast as that which on Friday last attained what must
be at present considered as its decisive determine
| ton. The Austrian army, when it arrived on the
eastern bank of the Minco retreatng from all points
gaining the enclosure Of its fortresses and coming
within the cooperation of its reserves, cannot be
tmated at less than l59 900. The French, increased
| by continuous stream Of reinforcements, rapidly
pushed up to the front, was probably not inferior in
numbers. In the course of the retreat and the pvr
suit, they had approached each other until the pur
having passed the Chiese and the retiring force
having passed the Minco only the latter river sepa
rated them. It was thought throughout Europe that
the Austrans had reached their chosen battle ground
and the Continental authorities best taught in the
strateges Of the seat Of wahad confidently predicted
that the line of the Minci0 the appointed spot OF
the decisive battle.
The Austrians, however, with that fatal weakness
of purpose which seems to actuate them in all their
late between precpitancy and tmidity, on Thursday
night retraced their steps, recrossed the Mincio in
four enormous divisions, doubled back upon their
pursuers, and, the Austrian account states came
| upon superior body Of the enemy on the Chiese.
II this be true, nothing could be more suicidal in
strategy than for inferior force to cross great
river in order to seek out superior enemy, and to
engage him with that river in the rear. This inc
quality in FORCE however, was probably only momen-
| tary and this superior force Of the enemy, which
turned ont to be the main body of the French army
was quickly confronted by the whole force Of the
Austrians in Lombardy, with the Emperor Francis
morning, but at 10 o'clock, allowing thus six hour
for concentration the collision of the two entire ar
mics took place. The left wing seems to have com
menced the attack, and to have advanced nearly az
far as the CHEESE thus, as the Austrian account ra
ther nsnuates than ASSERTS forcing back the French
| right.
It is claimed also that the Austrian right wing had
an early success against the Sardinians. who were
But unfortunately for the Ausrians it happened thai
while their two wings were thus victorious their
center was broken. The French Emperor directed
his early efforts against this part Of bis enemys line
the sa ASs n Be gsay G Ss of
the battle seems to have been lost. 1t was matter
Of course that when the center was broken powerful
masses should be directed against the wing which
had pressed hardest upon the French, and was still
successful against the force opposed to it. II was 10
under this PRESSURE the losses should be extraordins
riy heavy, that the main body should advance, and
that the army whose center had been broken and
wings driven back should retreat. The retreat began
late in the evening The Austrans LETT behind them
in killed, wounded and prisoners some $4,000 men
according to the French account, which we must oil
course receive with certain amount Of margin, and
which the last statement in the Monieur moderates
in the item of prisoners but accept it for the mo
ment in the absence of any counter statement the
| Austrian side. They recrossed the Minci0, which
they had so unaccountably passed upon this dis
astrous Grand, and Napoleon III slept in the room
which had been occupied. by his brother Emperor OF
the morning of the battle.
From the London Times, June 2s.]
The Emperor of the French has named his new
victory The village of Soferno is to be identified
with the tremendous battle of the Gath of June. The
action is not of unmitigated triumph to the con
querers of utter defeat to the vanquished II
sembles rather Wagram than Austerlitz. 1t u.s. al
usual where Austrian troops fight and Austrian gen
erals command just an inclination of the balance il
favor of the enemy. 1t is an example of stubborn
discipline contendng at once against an enterprisint
and intelligent enemy, and against the evils Of di
vided command
The recent battle has been properly named. TIL,
Ausrians write of it as the battle Of the Minco, bu
this is incorrect. The conflict took place on the mar
row district which is bounded by the course of tn
Chiese on the west and by that of the Mincio tn
east All the places mentioned in the kilograms vii
be found about midway between these two rivers
Great as was the force assembled and enormous q
was the amount Of ground covered the battle did
reach down to the neighborhood of Mantua, nor ex
tend southwark beyond half the distance betwee
that fortress and Reschiera The tide of the battl
did not roll parallel with the course of either rive
In this campaign, which is fought in network q
waters great rivers do not appear to play their
important part; they are passed and repassed, the
are brdged and forded, they are fortified and abat
doned, but they are never seriously defended. Th
Tcine and the Sesia submitted to the passage of th
invader, and even the Pc was crossed and recrosse
several times with impunity. When In their turn th
French and Sardinians wished to pass the Tcino th
feCc dep0nt at Bualora was discovered to be untent