The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-07-09
The Italian Question.
"Ah me what perils d, environ
The man that meddlss with cold iron :"

"Ah me what perls d, environ
The man that meddlss with cold IRON"
This is undoubtedly everyday expert
ence with the actors in the great drama
/ before us; and as shot and shell whistle
around them, and buyonet and sabre rise
| and fall, thrust and CLEAN on every side,
they realize in its iullness and severity
what We but family conceive as pOetical
/ and imaginative.
The last of our series brought us truly
| into the front and midst Of the field and
! the conflict Of the contending armies,
where blows fell thick and fast and now,
as action is the keen edge that cuts the
foe in sunder the forward march to the
! tap OF the drum. and the advance at the
bugle sound, let us follow the myriad host
as 1t plans and reforms, advances and re-
coils, wheeling into rank and column of
battle, anon executing the evolution that
crushes the zoe, ensures the triumphant
retreat and utters the cry If hopeless de-
feat. Far as we are from the scene Of con.
tiict, we can almost see
"The cannon mouthinss loud.
Eeave in wide wreaths the battle shreud.'
And as we now follow the columns, with
their amy banners TO the breeze, their
g,caniAg steel g!itterng in the sun beams.
their ga!ly caparisoned horsomen proudly
pranclng II dense masses, and their long
! trails Of cannon, caissons, and ambulances
In constant readiness for battle, we cannot
but feel anxious, deeply anxious, in view
OF what Is 10 come. Future events cast
their shadows before. and so we may con-
clude, that bloody and more sangunary
deeds are vet to be Witnessed than any
that hav.transpircd. Over coatinents and
intervening seas we have heard the key
notes Of Montebcllo and Palcstro, Turbi.o
and Eutiaioria, and the deeper diapasons
! OF Magenta But list did We not hear it?
Yes, ere we can resolve the sound, Mclo-
gtlano Is iUuglt-the evacuation Of Milan
Is cornplete-Pava and Piacenza are aban-
doued-,he bridge OF Lodi is crossed by
I the inpetuOus allies. and the Austrians
/ are III a full and ingloriou9 retreat beyond
the ALda, aud Fastening ~ their supposed
inviGciblc quadrangu!ar ioltresses Of Pes
curisa, Perona, Mantua and Vienna be-
yond the O4l:o and Nincio Ia this re-
! treat arms, ammunition, provisions, IN I'M
nense quantities, cannon, and very large
war materials of all kinds have been
thrown away aud destroyed by the Aus.!i-
ans. They have also partially DESTROYED
and blown up the c.tadels at Pavia, Pa
cenza, Cemoua, and Pitzinghettone Thc
loud alarm on every side-victory 20 the
allies and defeat to the Austrians, ccho;ng
, from every glen. from mountain side and
off the plain with stroke following stroke.
the i,eople uprising and threatening revO-
luton IL every hamlet, apace the Austri-
ans flew from fire 10 foe. from present and
inevitable dangers TO a Temporary safer
{ field But the retreat was disglaceful -
A. Magenta the Austrians with 10000
men and ! choice Of a very strongly
iiauked position. suffered defea, at the
hands Of 5000 allies. They then hurried
over the AddI, and though, ere they had
reached the tzlo, numbering by the cor
:r.butlons of the garrisons taken up on the
retreat :iorn Pav!a, P.acenza, &c, with the
reinforcement o: 5000 ,nen under the
General Count Clam Cailas, full 100000
men OF al arms, still they hurried on and
at last accounts were boI-~1 ~ i--->
named r.ver without battle And this,
too, was the finest armed force say the Vi
eEra papers, ever sent into the field by
Austria. IL has been stated that Count
Gyulai is held responsible for this strange
campaign; bat it certainly will be borne
n mind that General Baron Hess waz in
the field with him from aud after the bat
tie of PalestIo, and that the Emperor
Francis Joseph was at or near Magenta,
and If not there, very shortly a!rer joined
his army and has been with Il ever since
il crossed the Adda. But we anticipate.
Al preparations being ready, the cost
fully counted. tie spriags of action well
SCI, we find ;,lat Napoleon III cautiously
and pruden;ly, after two hours Withdrew
his l"gions from the cover of A.es-andria
first towards Nerceil!;, then to Novara and
with the Imperial Guard and the iuflexible
and ever reliable Zouavcs under General
de Aurely and Marshal CanrObert steadily
and impregnably moved forward 10 the Il
cino and crossed it in spite of the vigilance
OF his foe. On the 4th and 9TH days OF
June he reconstructed bridges where they
had been previously destroyed, or partially
destroyed bv the Austrians and novel
over his columns. These movements
We're Of course opposed but the opposition
was OF no avail and quickly dispers ed both
IT Turbigo and Butialoria Thus the way
was opened 10 Milan instead OF Pavia and
after gracefully opening the road into Loin-
hardy by crossing the Ticino. Napoleon
pressed on for the prize OF Milan, and ere
night on the 9TH encountered the Austri-
ans in strong force On the 9th he fought
the battle of Magenta about ) miles from
the Ticino and II miles from Milan
Here Napoleon III opened the gates of
thai city. and though the battle was san
culinary and bioody-dearly fouylIt-yetit
was won TO the allies most gloriou~ly, the
Emperor commanding in person, seconded
10y the King Of Sardinia, while the Au,tri-
ans were led on by Count Gyulai and
Baron Hess. The particulars of this battle
are doubtless, ere this. familiar to all the
readers Of newspapers in this couatry.-
Suffice it to say the Austrians were again
defeated with loss Of 10000 men killed
and wounded, besides 1000 prisoners, Il
pieces Of cannon and 3 standards; and of
the allies of 1900 killed and wounded,
and two pieces of cannon We also notice
that nearly all the distinguished Marsbals
and Generals of the French army in the
field were more or less engaged in this
memorable action and that all, officers and
men, performed gallant deeds The char
ges Of General McMahon are described as
equal Is that Of De- saix' 5 at Marengo, also
those of Generals Espaensin. Mel, and lie
Clerc the first and latter Of whom were
killed on the field Of course, therefore,
the Austrians fought fercely, long, and
| well. For intrepidity and valor in battle,
General Mcmahon was Immediately crea-
! ted by the Emperor Marechal de France"
and Duke OF Magenta and thus Lannes,
! Massena, and Murat were equalled by the
brave and impetuous General McMahon.
The desperateness Of the battle at times,
was fierce and dreadful The Austrians
fought like men who were selling their
lives at the dearest rate. while the fury and
| impetuolity of the Zouaves and the lmpe-
rial Guard could not be withstood. The
! seven charges. taking and re-taking OF the
village and b 'idge of Magenta, was almost
| parallel to the eleven charges of the Inn
| nerial Guard at Waterloo and reminds
one of it. On this occasion the Grenadiers
of the Imperial Guard sustained the seve-
raj shocks from the terrible Croats but
\ ii mid 4iac 4laA aa1aixt Of