The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1859-06-22
The Battle Of PaleStrO, n Sandman Victory
81 and French Defeat.

III anu FTtnCH UclCul.
The meagre and disconnected accounts of
the battle of PaIestro, where the King of
Sardinia and his army SO nobly distinguish
ed themselves, are not calculated TO give
one very accurate and complete picture
OF that affair. After careful scrutiny and
analysis of the particulars that have been
communicated, we have arrived at the con-
cusion that there is, on the part of the
| French, more to conceal, than TO boast of,
concerning their exploits on the memorable
3lst of May, and that while the Sardinians
carried their points at Palestro, the main
force of the French, under the chief COM
mand of the Emperor, was actually worsted,
farther south, between Palestro and Valen-
"a. 1t is not 10 be supposed that it entered
at all into NAPoLEoN's plan to give prece-
dence.to the Sardinians on that occasion, or
10 make Palestro the prominent scene Of
the day. This happened by the force of
circumstances over which he had no con-
troi, and entirely against his calculations
Napoleon's plan of battle contemplated a
general and decisive, and no local action
with merely partial result. 1t was under.
stood in Paris, several days previous 10 the
engagement, that grand general battle was
10 be fought, along the entire line from No.
vara 10 the Pc, and on the 3lst, dispatches
arrived at ST. Cloud, where Prince JERoME
and the Ministers awaited the progress of
affairs, announcing that the fire had actual.
Iy been opened upon the whole line. Paris,
in fact, was in a state of extraordinary ex-
element and anxious expectation. Prepar-
atoms were actually making for grand il
Illumination in anticipation of victory.
The great bulk of the French army was
The plan ot the battle, obviously, was that
General MEL commanding the left wing of
the position of the allied forces, was to turn
the Austrians right and take possession of
Novara that the King OF Sardinia who oc-
cupied with his army the left centre, was
TO take Pales;fo and Morara, while the
right centre and the right wing, under the
Emperor and Marshal paraguay D'Hilliers,
| were 10 lOICt tIle CtSsid anu Tie TO. 11du
the plan succeeded, that is had the Austri.
ans really been beaten and thrown in con.
fusion across the Ticino, all approaches 10
Milan and pavia, and the passages across
the river would have been free and open 10
an unmolested advance upon these fortress
ses. But the battle did not succeed The
King of Sardinia alone accomplished his
object, while the French fell short of the
task allotted to them. Among the numer'
Gus dispatches sent TO Paris, on the Bis,
which was TO have been day of victory
for the French, is one announcing the cri
sis in the following terms which explain all
"Notre gauehe aurncs''-"Aotre d,oite reeute.'
"Our left advances"-' Our right retreats y
1t was the left centre formed by the Sardini-
ans that advanced, and the right centre and
right wing formed by the French that re-
treated. 1t was not till the morning of the
lst of June, that General MEL, command
ing The extreme left, entered Novara, which
was simply following up of the previous
day. By this movement the right wing o.
lne husTldHs Was tuIHeu, duu tHlS, u
course, necessitated the falling back of thei
entire line behind the Ticino, and also the
retreat of their advanced corps at Bobbio
which formed the extreme left Of their posi-
ton south Of the Pc, with Stradella and Paw
ia as its right. Owing 10 the failure of the
contemplated general battle, and the re-
pulse of the French centre, the Aus,rans
were enabled TO execute these movements
in perfect order, and TO take up quietly
their position on the other side of the Tici
no. This position, covered in front by the
river, the right leaning on Milan, the left on
Pavia, with a railroad in the rear, resembles
that OF the French behind the Scrivia, or
the Alessandria and Genoa road, and j:
much stronger than the one just abandoned
by the Austrians. Ii is here that the con
flict will be renewed, and that the battle
which was to have brought the allies before
Milan, but did not do it, will have to be
fought over again. 1t will be interesting
enough TO compare the French bulletins
with those of the Austrans -Pennsg ivaniGn