Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-07-14


M. Raymond, editor q lhe New YorEIimeF,
and "MaiakoIf the special correspondent of
that paper who ia an intelligent Ohio gentle
man, were on the bloody battle field Of scltefi-
no, as spectators Judge Forsyth, Of Troy, and
two English Journalists, were also Witnesses Of
the terrific struggle The Times Of the 18th
contains some eight columns Of letters from Mr..
Raymond aud MalakoiT descriptive Of the battle
and the scenes before and after The letters
put down the numbers engaged at 4oO'OOO, aud
the dead and disabled French alone at 10000.
Probably not less than 80 GOO meniu Che aggre-
gate were hors du combat. .......... d
The telegraph yesterday gave Mr.. Raymond's
account the battle, and we add from the Times
his description Of the wounded and prisoners.
His letter is dated Castiglione The night Of June
24th, aud Mr. r is confident that not less than
10 600 wounded we're brought into that village
alone during the day. Mr. pushed forward
from Montechiaro though told ho could not reach
Castiglione because the roads were completely
occupied by artillery held in reserve We
quote
We went on, however continuing to meet
carriages and carts laden with wounded, and
passing the French camps OF The previous night,
came to a psint, at about half mile from the
! town. where park uf artillery wagons was de-
| filing from their camp into tha road. Watching
our chance, we drove in between two OF the
wagons and so entered the town under cover OF
! the enormous cloud Of dust which they raised.
| The main street was densely crowded with
carts, carriages, horses, dOnkeys, oxen, soldiers,
| suffers and persons and animals OF every de-
! scription We pushed our way, without hin.
drtuce directly past the house marked as the
! Quarter Generale or head qua'ters Of the Em-
fperor, and were thus within the camp. Wei
| gone but short distance when we came to
where the great procession Of the wounded was
turning down cross street to a church which
had been taken for a hospital. ltwss certainly
the most dreadful sight | ever saw. Every con-
ceivable kind of wound which can be inflicted
upon men was here exhibited All who were
| able to do so, were obliged to walk--ths wagons
and animals at command icing Ill required for
those who could not otherwise be moved
Some walked along, their faces completely GOV
| cred with blood from sabre cuts upon their
leads MANY had their arms shattered, hun
dreds had their arms tied up,---and some carried
most ghastly wounds upon their faces. Some
had tied up their wounds and others had strip
ped away the clothing which chaled and made
them worse. | saw one man walking along
with firm step and resoute air,--naked to his
waist, and having a bullet wound upon his side,
an ugly cash along his cheek, and deep bayo.
net thrust, received from behind, in his shoul-
der Most of those who were walking wore a
serious look, converting but little with one
another though they walked two and two,--and
few of them carried upon their iaces any con
siderable expression Of pain
tnfitfn nagar
upon donkeys or in carts snd few were car.
ried upon mattresses on mems shoulders. But
these were mostly officers, and nearly all saw
| carried i'm that way were badly wounded
that their recovery is scarcely fpossble. One
hal both his legs crushed by cannon ball.
Another had received ball in his thigh, ant
was evidently suffering the most intense agony
Many of those whose wounds were IN thel
legs were seated in chairs swung across a don
key, one being upon each side. Several who
we're thus carried and we're supported by sol
diers walking by their side, were apparently
! unconscious, and seemed 10 be dying Then
would come carts, large and small, carrying
three, five, and some Of them ten fifteen
each. steady stream Of there ghastly vic.
tins Of the battle Of the day poured through
the town | stood ia the crowd by the side OF
them as the sad procession passed along and
watched " NJ tNia uoiHt for over an hour 1t
and then by a crowd of prisoners and ~ con
tinued thus from about 10 in the morning
when it began to flow until | left the street
long after dark Every church, every large
hall, every private house ia the town has been
taken for the service Of the wounded. Those
whose injuries are slight, after having them
dressed, pass at once into the ranks and min
: gle with their comrades. ! locked into th,
I church as J passed by. All the seats, railings
4 L. 4
been spread upon the floor, and were complete
ly filled with wounded men, in every stage o
suffering and of peril, lying side by side The
surgeons were dressing their wounds; s;-Sisters
OF Charity aud other women were giving them
wine and otherwise ministering to their com.
iort;-but morning, am sure, will dawn up
on u large proportion of them relieved forever
from their pain If anything can be more hor-
rible than a soldiers life, it certainly is a SOL
dier's death
Six or eight times while | stood upon the
street watching the wounded, there came along
squads of prisoners taken at various stages of
the action Sometimes there would be only
three or four,-then twenty, fifty, or hundred,
and in one company over four hundred. They
walked closely together six or eight deep,-thc
officers being generally IN the middle, e,-and
were guarded by a single file Of troops walking
on each side Asa general thing they we're not
bad looking men. Very many Of them were
very yOung-not over lS certainly--and only
now and then you would see particularly bru-
tai and stupid countenance There was nothing
like anger or shame on their faces; they seemed
generally wholly Indifferent to their position,
but looked about with good deal of curiosity
upon the crowd which surrounded them They
were generally silent though now and then they
would talk and laugh with each other as they
passed along The officers were, with scarcely
an exception, handsome, manly and intelligent
fellows. All were without arms. The uniform
of the men was very coarse brown stuff, made
Of flax, very plain, and with scarcely any at
tempt at ornament Towards night carts be
gan to come in laden with wounded Austrans,
hundreds of whom passed along while stood
there; and were taken directly to the hospitals,
where they received precisely the same treat
ment as the French Most of them seemed ca
be very badly hurt Among the number, both
of wounded and prisoners, were many Hunga.
rians
The town to night, as might be expected, il
simply a camp. The streets which are narrow
are erammed with artillery and provision wag-
ons trying, almost in vain, to make their way
through the town;-biyouac fires light up the
orchards and fields all around the Willage;-
two streams OF troops pour out on the two roads
leading to the field Of battle, extending AK far
as the eye can reach suffers, fruit peddlers,
and small dealers Of every kind circulate among
the soldiers who crowd the streets; Ian i'm
mense train Of Pied montese artillery are
brought 10 stand in the street while trying to
make their way through the town TO their place
o oncampment; ;-and thousands OF French in.
lantry, desparing OF reaching their tents, have
seated themselves upon the narrow sidewalks
| and with the house walls for a back and their