Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-06-15
The Battle of montebeIiO Described
by an Eyewitness.
BALTIMORE. June 10.

tue AiteSduuiid correspondence VI the A'S"
York Times:
The best account have had of the whole
matter is from an engineer officer who served
In the Crimea and who is in all respects a
fair, candid and competent authority. 1t Is
to the following effect:
He declares that the action was, in its own
way, a kind of second Inkerman on small
scale, with this difference: that there is more
excuse to he found for the negligence of the
allied out-posts at Montebello, in the COM
parative insignifcance of the position to be
protected, than there was for the neglect of
| the British TO protect their vitality important
lines at Inkerman; but in the one case as in
| the other, there was surprise effected where
no surprise ought to have been possible-a
| victory won where no victory could reasona-
| bly, have been looked for.
The Sandman cavalry of General De
| Sonnaz. with a squadron of French Chasseurs,
| had been securing the road beyond CasteggiO
| towards San Giulietta, throughout the night
| IF the 18th and were surprised about ten in
| the morning, near the bank of the little river
| Sanzato. by firing from the heights on the
| road in the direction of Monticello. They
| took this at first for a reconnaissance, but
were soon undeceived by the general advance
| Of formidable body of troops upon the river,
| in snch numbers as made it necessary for the
| cavalry, numbering only about $50 men, to
| fall back before the columns of the enemy.
The alarm was at once dispatched to the
head quarters at Voghera, and General
Foreys division was pushed rapidly forward.
In the meantime, however, the superiority
of the attacking forces, as well in point Of
numbers as of artillery, constantly increased,
and by the time that General Forey. with
three battaliOns. left Voghera for the front,
which was nearly o'clock, the cavalry, with
their supports along the road from Monte
bello to Casteggio, had been completely
driven in The Austrans had occupied Cas-
teggio, taking up in the heights which over
look the main road from the left, precisely
the position held by the Austrians Of GenlOtt
on the 9th of June, 1.S00, and posting one
battery there, had pushed on the road to
MontebellO.
This village, built like most North italian
villages along one narrow street, they carried
only after very severe fighting, and indeed.
all are agreed that the Picdmontese and
French rvaled one another throughout the
whole of this severe struggle in clash as well
as in constancy. The cavalry of De SonnaZ
rode down the hussars opposed TO it four
several times.
Just to the left of Montebello and about
mile further on the road to VOghera is
Genestrella, little village in the hills, and
OF this also the Austrians took possession,
the French at VOghera as well as to meet
them on their advance by the main road.
The main body of the French came within
artillery range before the AustrianS expected
them, and the conflict extended itself along
a line of about a mile and half from Genes
trella to the west of Montebello, and across
the French front. This was the hardest field
fighting of the day, and it was 81 O'Clock
before the Austrians were disloged from Gen
l., 10 tln art
ofthe French, especially from the eighty-fOurth
regiment General Beuret was then charged
to re-take Montebello. where the Austrians
had well employed their time in throwing up
intrenchments, and in making the houses so
many deienccs. Here it was that the French
bayOnet came into play, while the rifle can
non battered the heavy stone walls about the
heads of their defenders like pasteboard. The
French could not make themselves masters of
the position till o clock, and won it at last
by sheer superiority of hand to hand skill in
the use OF the bayOnet. Montebello, in fact,
played in this battle the part which Casteggio
played in the action of 1900, and the second
indeed more properly deserves the name of
the battle of Monticello, than the first.
1t was nearly seven o'clock before Gen.
Forey, riding up the hill on the left of the
Church of Montebello, saw the Austrians
defile from their strong position at CasteggiO
and take the road to the Pc, by Casatisma.
There was some little fighting at the place
called VarellO, short distance on the left of
Casatisma, and about three miles from Monte
bellO but the action really ended with tie
expulsion of the Austrians from Montebcllo.
That the Austrian force was far more nu-
merous than there was any reason to antici-
pate force dispatched on such an expedition
would be, does not admit of a doubt. If the
Austrians were really informed by their spies
of the true condition of Gen. FOrey's division
at Voghera, than their troops must have been
dispatched in numbers, not only to occupy
the places Immediately attacked by General
Stallion, but also to drive the French out of
VOghera, and to threaten the whole line Of
the Imperial advance from Alessandria.
To such a work the engineer officer my in
formant, thinks thirty thousand men would
not have been more than equal; for, although
a smaller number might have driven Forey
back, his division being quite inadequately
provided with artillery and far from full in
numbers. in consequence of the suddenncss
with which it was ordered into the campaign,
yet the immediate vicinity of the tremendous
French force at Alessandra and along the
line to Genoa, would have made the retreat
of any hostile body impossible. unless it had
been strong enough to keep the road open
behind il.
IL "E"i'l, VII tuc O'Hti hdud' 'HC Huotii TAU
man9uvre was really intended rs a teint to
cover the retreat of the Austrians into LON
bardy-aud that is the view of many Sardin-
ian and French officers hero--it Is quite un-
reasonable to suppose that they would have
risked the loss of prestige now really incur
red, by sending "a small body of troops to ac-
complish it. These considerations, coupled
with the general impression Of all the Allies
engaged led me to think that the AustrianS
in action must have numbered at least more
than 10000 men. 1t is ON the other hand
quite impossible, that there should have been
more than 5000 at the utmost, of the Allies
in the field during the day.
1t was reported that the American Cap
tain, BOnaparte, was in the action, and great
ly distinguished himself.