Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-07-15
,..oa !. to be their intention to sweep around

bccu able t. inform me. II was an understood
.hinr no doubt. in both armies, that the mo-
mem, had arrived for the decisive trial of
strength. and it mattcrcd little who fired the
first run. Both parties were eager 10 begin
the struggle. and only awaited TIE sigma! o.!
attack.
The Austrian centre was on and toward the
extremity of the long tongue oI hills to which
7 have rcfcrrcd-thcir right on the same range
of hills close up 10 the town OF Ca>tigiione.
and their left extending directly out across the
plain to the south OF the termination o! the
tongue Of hills. On these hills there were tw"
villages occupied by the .Nustrian>. and a hish
old tower overlooking the plain and al the
,.,untrv around. The Austrian position was
in a crescent. (aS at Magenta about cl.nt
miles long. and was exceedingly strong IN
every point Of view, since the French were
Obliged to attack from tine PLAIN in iul! view
and in 4 concentrated iOria.
nuring the first hours OF the battle, The
French were twice driven back By the superior
numbers and the impctunsity Of the AusirianS.
But; this rctrogradc movcncn, was not Il re-
uul,r. and the ground lost was Immediately re-
raiucl. II was the first regiment oi IouaTe>
that suffered most at this moiucitt. Vt =!
: o'clock saw two cart-lOa,i> o; wouncc'i men
nj this regiment a they came III the llcld. on
their way to the hospital at Cast;.IIonc. AMI
they toll ne that nj that moment not 4 single
commissioned officer Of their regiment was on
his feet. Their brave Colonel, who had been
promoted ouly three days before. in place OF
their Colonel killed at Magenta. had received
three wounds, and saw him carried from
the field soon afterwards OH Il litter, covered
with blood and ,i,>i. and apparently S'ii'cr
In: deeply from his w"and>.
TIL, two villages on the line of hills held by
the .Nns,rians offered the greatest resistance to
The advance Of the Frcnci.. one of these. Sol
ic.ino. was taken and rc-takcn three times hy
ranrohcri's divisions: and it is said that at this
point the dead bodies actually concealed the
GROUND from view.
Another village nearer to 'aS!lsliol". III
which, strange 10 relate. both the men and the
women of the town fired upon the French, was
totally burnt down by Marshal Canrol'crt>
orders. who WIS naturally indignant al such
conduct. had this detail from different per-
son. engaged in the battle; but the burning
r took place earl; oh the day before we arrived
Nh the ground. and we did not, therefore, see
this incident.
The .inStrian> were gradually driven bacl,
;. OYER the plain. and from their >trnn" position
ON the Hill sides. till Il: / o'clock they made
th.ir last obstinate stand ut the town OF Volta.
six miles east Of C.t>tigiionc. An hour work
diS,ol.cd them from t!!:; place. and then, at :
o'clock a violent rain-Stugm coming ,p. attend
cd with lightning and ;hunic", the rcirca. 81
/. the AuStriauS commenced.
During thu ,;orrn. winch lasted nearly IN
hour. we took rciigr in oac 0l IL" DIVISION
=. hcaduuarter, of the town. and there assisted
in dressing the wounded ~ they were brought
in. The storm. which was but Il burst. Which
! seemed To- have been sent expressly 10 cool the
!, hot air and 10 lay the dust. had no sooner
, ceased thar, the thunder OF the artillery was
acain heard, Int this time around aud To the
north of the point of hills i'll tic direction OF
:, pcschi.ra. The battle had been renewed, or
pcrhaps to ms at the village, only drowned 10y
The Storm. We FASTENED 10 a high hill half a
mile cas-, Of the town. 10 a point near where
:. the Austrian rich; rested At daylight in the
. morning. and nj the very place on winch Ma
polcon had stood during the first hours Of tine
battle. and from this point We could see dis
: linctlv what Was CONG on. -hway 10 the
1 northeast, towards Pc>cllicra. which was clear
a IL IN yicw. and apparently near the horierS o!
Tie lake of Cardu. The battle was raging with
renewed fury. The Piclmontc>c, fifteen thou-
sand strong. commanded h. the King. vino
had Stopncd the night Of the Did in advance
=. of SOnaio, and who had come To the Held oil
l. action in the rear Gf the Austrian morning po-
,ition. had attacked the .lli>trianS III the flank
=, - they rctrcntcd. We could see each discharge
:. of the cannon as they vom!trd forth. III rapid
succession. their dclth-dcaiing missiles. ana
when wc shaded orr ears behind the crown OF
i the hill on which We stood. could hear dis
i tinctly not only the discharges of the cannon.
.a. a- tlA. -Flln
= muSkcts Of the infantry.
V The scene at this moment was one long TO be
i remembered. Ten miles north of us, and on
the eastern and western shores OF the lake, the
ilps reared their Snnw-rolorcd tops above tie
c clouds. The storm had cleared away, and the
g ssiqHn$sst T II nfy s' r I"%'.- H." ~So-. ! n"orIt. I"".
{ the battle was raging, and the movement Of
{ the batteries from point to point could bc per-
J. ccived. The rays of the scttin. sun iilumiua.
t ting the saow-clad tops Of the mountains.
t rendering their sides lark and Soml,rc, and
+ threw Il shade upon the water beyond the con
. tending armies which brought these into strong
relief The .AustrianS could be seen steadily
: r~ccedin:; the batteries Of artillery on both
; sides were constantly shifting from one little
1 hillock - another. and soon IL placed in Il po-
Sition Il regular rolling discharge could be heard
: and a line Of tire seen like n cpniiagrat;on. The
: scene was alike picturesque and terrible.
r The .Austrians continued to rcccdc towards
; the Nincio al PcSchicra, and il waS reported
} in the French army that the bridge in that
! place had been cut, some said, by tiarihaldi,
l some hy the people. and that the Austrian re-
treat being thus cut of, they would he all sur
| rounded. Others pretended that Garibalii
, ...- -, a.. ,,l... I'll, r. 81, IoI. ,ur:,.,. H..
.AuStrianS in their retreat; bu; all these state
mcntS may have been mere SurmiScS. Vt :"
: o'clock. we left our lookout To hunt up Il cor
ncr in which to write You these details. and
rs we descended the ravinc on the side of the
town, We still heard, although we could no
: longer see. the discharges of the guns. and
knew that the work Of death was going on
We are naturally anxious To learn the result
Of this closing scene III the Ion. and bloody
days work,
TIRE PRISONERS.
We saw about 5000 Austrian prisoners
trough; in. How many were taken during the
day could rot he aSccrtaincd. | saw one crowd
Of COO. another Of 80, and many smaller
squads. The AUSTRIAN wounded were piled
into the carts sometimes Unfortunately with
the French. The largest gang saw were
brought in by the TurcoS. They were Obliged
to stop on account; Of the crowdins at the point
where stood, and thus had an occasion TO
take 4 good look ut them. \ considerable pro-
portion Of these were Lombarl~, a fact which
a large and strengthening 1urco of the escort
evidently did not know, for he explained to US
in riuliculing them, that they fired hut once and
then laid down their guns. Poor fellows. they
we're. no doubt. clad 10 remain on their own
soil. even as prisoners, and one only wonders
at the blind ~cgotisin Of the AUSTRIAN rulers in
placing reliance upon men who have no love
Tor them, and "ho are compelled TO fight
against their brethren and their own iircSidcS.
+ J',, II,nr,ri,ps ,Iso wore i, c,,-i.i.roI,l, rI,,n-