Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-07-16
EXTRACTS FROM FOREIGN PA
PERS.
BATTLE GROUNDS ALONG THE MINcIo.


BATTLE GROUNDS ALONG THE MINcIo.
The second grand quadrangle between Pes
chiera, Verona, Legnano and Mantua, Il
/ bounded on the west by the 'smooth sliding
Mincio, q narrow hut rapid river, not ovel
] thirty-ive miles long, navigable for boats o
twenty tons burthen. From Peschiera TO Va
leggio, eight TO ten miles, and comparatiyel!
! speaking, even to Volta, the banks are eleva
7 ted and highly cultivated, and the stream il
! said to flow through the hills. 1t is great
mistake to consider Peschiera (situated upoT
a point formed by the issuing of the MinciG
from the Lago di Garda) as an insignificant
fortress. II is an important place, and has
formidable works on both sides OF the river,
as well as upon the surrounding elevations
Between 1s4s and 1859 the Notifications hay,
been so extended that they even include n
( this time the heights which the King of Sar
DINA and his staff occupied while engaged il
its Investment in ls4s, and now embrace tn,
very locations occupied by the Sandman sieg,
batteries. Peschicra was taken by the French
in 1896, Austro-Russians in 1893, French il
1901. and after sixteen days siege. by the Sar
dinians in 1S4s.
From Valeggio to Massmbona, (say five
miles) the Mincio glides through Nat and
undulating country covered with groves and
LnlthtlA. lututt ~ hhllh dhhuN AHf HhAitt
distance and below TO Mantua IL miles il
flows through marshes whose breadth varie.
from mile to a mile and quarter Around
Mantua IL forms the morasses and shallow
lakes which constitute the natural strength Of
that fortress. Below Fort Pietole the ancient
Andes, and birthplace Of Wright has high
clay banks. II the Austrians have made a
stand on the high grounds between peschicr0
and Volta and have been defeated their loss
es must have been frghtful, inasmuch
as the positions assumed by them and won
by the French, command the roads which cross
the Mnco and would enable them to retreat
upon Peschiera, Verona and Mantua The
Mincio, although passable in times of great
drought by wading can scarcely be considered
fordable river, since below NJ Peschiera, II
is nowhere less than s to 6 feet in depth. and
in many places exceeds It, while the width
Of the stream proper varies from lao to 24O
feet which is increased in rainy weather to
upwards of 400. Consequently the Austrians
were subject TO a plunging and concentrated
fire, if they attempted to fall back by the
bridge at Peschiera, Monzambant, and (here
there are two) Valleggio. II they threw
themselves into the Mincio, their awful catas-
trophe at Austerlitz may nave been repeated,
and thousands have been drowned. Below
Pozzolo, the right or eastern shore, which
was hitherto commanded by the left or ives
tern-(except at the re-enterius angles OF
Monzambant where there is a bridge) and Mo-
lini-assumes a superiority, commands the
western bank, and affords admirable positions
to cover the retreat of an army falling back
across the river upon Mantua. The command
ing points upon the left or western bank are
the hills at Palazzuolo, Soma, Somma Campag-
ma, Custoza and Valeggio. Soma and Somma
- IA
Charles Albert and Radetslxy, and at Castiza
the veteran Austrian finally triumphed, and
ended the successful advance Of the Sardin-
ians in 1s4s. The district between Pesehiera
and Pozzolo offers the most desirable military
positions both for offensive and defensive
measures.
II is needless to dwell upon Mantua, further
than to say that, since it was taken by the
lmperialists in $780, its position has almost
conferred that Of Northern Italy, and add
that il is almost impregnablc except by u
blockade. 1t is situated upon an island, or
rather two islands, in lake formed by the
Mincio, divided into four lakes by the cause
ways which connect the town proper with the
Citadel and San Georgia on the east shore, and
the Pradella and the suburbs of Cerese on
the west shore. The north lalselet is styled
the Upper, the southern the Lower, the cas-
tern the Middle, and the western Payolo.-
Mantua contains two enormous arsenals, thir-
teen barracks, extensive magazines, two mill
itary and one civic hospital.
In the spring of 1929, Ferdinand II launched
10000 veterans, under the famous generals
Altringcr, Colalto and Gallas, through the
Grisons and Vateline into Italy, and 18th
July, 1880, they took Mantua by storm, reali-
zing booty valued at from eight to sixteen
million dollars. This conquest may be said
To have established the Austrians in Lom-
hardy, not but that they lost it more than
once afterwards, but thenceforward they came
back each time with stronger force and a
stronger determination TO rcnder their posses
sion a permanency. In 1902 Prince Eugene
blockaded it during eight months, but was
forced to relinquish the Investment by the
French under the Marshal Duke de Vendome.
The famous victory of Turin in 1906, occa-
stoned its restoration to the lmperialists. Bo-
naparte besicged it without avail, from the
18th June to the LIST August 1896 from that
time it was blockaded until the Dist February
1897, when il surrendered on the Both July,
1897. Kray retook il from the French after a
lively bombardment in 1900 il was again sur
rendered to the French from whom, upon the
fall of Napoleon, it returned to the Austrians,
Charles Albert observed rather than invested
il in ls4S, as if hoping almost against the hope
Of conquering such an acquisition. There are
few more touching scenes in the career of tina.
monarch than that to which the Duke of Dino
refers in his War of Lombardy. The Sardn-
ian troops were drawn up in sight of the dis
tant majestic dome of Mantua, to listen to the
order of the day, which announced the cap
ture Of Goyernolo. This order concluded with
the assurance that the vigorous arms of the
Sandman troops had infallibly secured the
future independence of Italy. A hearty
Long live the King" responded to the pro-
clamation, and then momentary silence en-
sued broken by the report of a gun from the
neighborng citadel Of Man'ua whose thunder
seemed to utter protest against the assertion
of the Piedmontese heir-apparent and growl
forth sudden denial. II seemed to the Duke
de Dino when he heard that menacing sound,
and reflected upon the sinister portion of the
army in which he was serving that he had
heard the last shout Of triumph for Italy,
What fate is reserved for Mantua now, and
will Italy shout in 1859 over its conquest
ANXIETY OF KING LEOPOLD.
[From the London Times, June 49,
King Leopold is on a visit to our Court, and
it is likely enough that this experienced soyer.