Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-05-18
The seat of War nnI scenes of the Great
STRUGGLE.
LFrOm the London Times, May 81

than to furnish our readers with some preimi' |
nary knowledge of the extent and features OF
the scene-a proceeding which will be all the
more acceptable it admits of being made
both simple and precise Whether the war cam
indeed, be confined to those territories, is very
different question, but rs long as it is limited by
the boundaries now assigned to it there can be
no reason why tine exact import of every tee'
graphic despatch should not be Immediately
COmprehended.
The kingdom of Sardinia, composed of Pied.
months principal mass the centre, the
ancient province of ooSavoy in the northwest,
and the maritime territory of Genoa in. the
southeast, is not above one hundred miles IN
breadth from its western to its eastern frontier
On the former of these frontiers it is contermi-
nous along its entire length with France, its
ally; but on the latter it is only partly confer
minous with Austria, its enemy. In the north
a portion of the Swiss territory, and in the
south the Duchy of Parma, supply the border
| line leaving only central portlon-perhaps
about half the entire length, to be formed by
the territories of Austrian Lombardy. The line
in question: as everybody is now aware, is con-
Stituted by the rivier Ticinu and by the Lago
| Maggiore through which that river tlows as
the Rhone does through the Lake Of Geneva
On the French side the border is formed by the
| Alps, so that the seat Of war may be regarded
| in general aspect as n broad piece of territory
between chain of mountains and a river. The
| French had to cross the mountains, the Austri-
ans the stream, and the distance between them,
as we have said, was about 100 miles.
! The features of Piedmont ITSELF however,
deserve particular attention, as they are regu-
lating the present distribution Of the contending
armies. Piedmont is traversed in its breadth
| by the windngs of the river Po and the divis-
ion Of the country thus effected corresponds
very nearly with the division of the Eastern
| frontier between LoIRbardy and Parma; SO that
| to the South of the stream Piedmont borders on
| pnrm n Is "a
ritory of Lombardy. These two divisions OF
the Sandman kingdom differ totally in their
natural characters. To the north Of the river
the district Immediately exposed to the Aus
trians-all is level plain up to the foot OF the
Swiss Alps, whereas on the southern side all is
mountainous. and the whole space is filled with
the shoots or spurs of the Ligurian Apennines
sloping away from Genoa. In this division OF
the kingdom lie the strong holds of the Sardl-
nans-AlcSSandria, CaSale and Tortona-and
on its western edge stands Turin itself, the
capital eff the State. Within or around these
fOrtresses the Sardinians have collected the bulk
! Of their army, perhaps some $4,000 men, leav-
ing the plains Of the north comparatively open
to the incursiOns Of the enemy.
Before the actual commencement OF hostile
ties the AustrianS at Milan stood just about as
far from the river as the French at Braincon did
| from the mountains; and line drawn from one
| of these points to the other would pass through
! the common mark of both armies-the royal
city of Turin. Turin, however, is about as far
again from BulfaIora, where the Austrians
crossed the river, as it is from Susa, where the
French halt on crossing the Alps, the distance
being about seventy miles in the former case
against thirty three in the latter. But this IN
equality more than compensated by the
relative difficulties of the two roads, for, where.
| as the AustrianS have plain country to ira
verse, the French can only reach Susa by
passing the the Alps. In reality, the advantage
of ground SO far was the side of the Aus
| trians but their operations have been influenced
by further considerations, arising from the posi-
ton OF the Sandman army before described
| The French, they descend upon Susa and
push forward to Turin, directly confronting
| the AuStrianS on their march towards the same
point from Milan; and if this all, and there
were no SardinianS except in the capital, the
shock Of battle could be anticipated with great
! facility. Sooner or later-in fact, very soon
indeed-the belligerentS would meet, and an
engagement on large scale would ensue 1t
will be observed however, from what we have
said, that the AuStrians, in their advance across
| Piedmont from east to west, would have on
their left flank the whole concentrated strength
of the Sardnian army, resting on its finest
fOrtresses. What the chain of the TyrOl, in
deed, is to Austria in the plains Of Lombardy,
the chain of the Ligurian Apcnnnes is to Sar-
DINA in the plains Of Piedmont and the parallel
can Ge carried still further for exactly as Ger
many lies in reserve behind the Tyrol, so does
the Apennines. On the seabOard Of these
mountains stands Genoa, which, as France
commands the sea, can be reached from Toulon
with the greatest facility. The Sardinians there
fore, while they cluster in force about their
citadcs to the south of the Pc, have in their
rear the support of powerful French army
within fifty miles distance.
| The Austrians arc thus opposed by two bod
les of the encmy-one directly facing them at
Turin, and drawing reinforcements from the
passes Of the Alps; and another at Casae and
Alessandria tlanking their march aad receiving
Succors from distinct base of operations at
Genoa. BY crossing their frontier at its North
ern extremity, as they have done, they might
occupy the Northern districts of Sardinia; or,
if they descended thence upon the Pc, they
might get the Sardinian army in front OF them,
but they would then have the army of the Alps
upon their right They must in short, advance
in any case against lines of foes posted at right
angles TO each other; and, for simplicity's sake,
we may consider these lines to be represented
bp the river Cora Baltea. running FROM north to
south by Ivrea, and the Po running from west
to east by Casale-Turn being pretty nearly at
the angle.
All the places named, be it understood, lie
within comparatively small compass. From