Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1859-08-03
THE LATEST GRAND BATTLE IN ITALY.

THE LATEST GRAND BATTLE IN ITALY.
The Africa brings over an intensely interesting
letter from the editor of the New York Tunes, who
from very safe position and at considerable dis
lance from the scene, witnessed the battle. Under
date of Oastiglione, Monday, June 27th the writer
proceeds:
1.-THE day after the battle, instead Of going for
ward with the headquarters Of the army, remain
cd behind to see the wounded and to 60 over the
ground where the fight had been the most severe.
During the whole of Friday night and all through
Saturday and Sunday, the wounded of both armies
continued to be brought in. They were removed
from the field where they lay as rapidly as possible
and brought to some point where their wounds
could be dressed. All the churches and accessible
buildings of this town. public and private, were oc-
cupied-the officers being generally taken to private
houses so far as practicable. But for thousands no
shelter whatever could be found and they were from
necessity left in the open air. AS fast as thelf
wounds could be dressed they were removed to the
next town beyond,-which is Montechiaro, five
miles distant,-and from thence to Brescia, twelve
miles further that being the first town OF any con-
siderable size and at all adequate to the care OF such
an immense number of persons l was at Monte
chiaro when the great procession began to arrive
At the entrance of the town stands large building
used as a hospital, fronting upon asmali open space
and being placed at The angle of two divergng roads
AS the WOuliuet aTINcu, iiloSC VI 'LS" WV No"iA
90 no further were taken off the carts and left here,
while the rest moved on to Brescia. never saw so
heart-rendng sight as was presented in front OF
that hospital. The army seems not to be provided
with any means of removing the wounded, but re-
lies entirely upon the conveyanccs they can procure
from the surrounding peasantry. Everything Tor
miles around had been called into requsition For
the mostepart they consisted of the rude heavy on
carts of the farmers made 10 carry stone or other
VIII fhn tialIS
had fiat platform six or eight feet wide and twelve
or fifteen long. Some hay spread upon this,
and upon that the wounded soldiers were placed as
thickly as they could be laid-without shelter OF
any kind or pillows for their heads or blankets Tor
their limbs, except such as they might happen to
have upon them. The weather has been excessive
" warnl-thc storm on the day of the battle being
the last rain that has faen,-and yesterday and to-
day the sky has been perfectly clear and the air
heated with the warmest rays of an Italian sum-
The roads perfectly hard and dusty; and it was
utterly impossible for we'll persons to travel along
them with any comfort without protection OF some
kind from the heat You can judge then of the in
tense suffering which these thousands Of manned
and mutilated creatures must have endured during
that fearful journey of ten or fifteen mleS-perforn-
ed at the slowest pace of heavy oXen and compelled
constantly to stop by some interruption. 1t was
enough to melt the most obduratc heart to see the
state in which they arrived. The peasants who
drove them seemed not to have the slightest sense
of their condition. to take the least pains to ale
waits their agony. Some of the soldiers them
selves-whose wounds were least serious and per-
mtted them to move about had cut branches from
the willows and other trees that border the road,
and made of them slight shade for some of those
who could only lie OH their backs their faces turn
ed to the brazen and the burning sky. As far as
the eye could see dense cloud of white dust mark
cd the approach OF the advancing train. As the
carts came into the town, many of the poor wretcheS
stretched out their hands, peouSly crying for wa
ter. or for winc as they were pcrishing of thirst
The people of the village had prepared, so far as
possible for their reception Committees had been
appointed, quantity of soup had been prepared,
and the young women and men of the place went
to work to supply the most pressing necessities of
the poor creatures who wore suffering on their be-
half They went about from cart to cart asking
what each needed, and provided for them to the
best of their ability. AuStrians and French were
mingled indscrimnately and We're treated with pre-,
cisev the same Kindness and attention. As gen.
eral thing the Anstrians were very badly wounded
and seemed to suffer terribly. They were, so far as
had been convenient. placed upon the same carts,
and frequently six or eight carts would arrive with
none but Austrians upon them; but still more fire.
quently there would be three or four AuStranS up
on cart, with twice as many French-and in many
cases have French soldier assisting the Aus
trian who lay by his side into some easier position
or endeavoring to procure for him water or some
! thing else of which he seemed to be in need All
difference of nationality submerged in the in
tense and overmasterng agonies of their common
| fate. Upon cart which came up lay an Aus
| trian who had died on the road-and close by his
side was French soldier just able to raise himSel
! from his place and beg for water. AS he raised hi.
/ head he looked over at his companion and said,
! cnyying his lot-"Poor fellow he needs nothing
! now" The Austrian lay at full length upon thu
J cart-his hands crossed upon his breast, and hi.
face, which wa, turned directly upward to the sun
! wearing an expression of intense suffering. Five Of
! six Others less severely wounded, were sitting il
| front. Upon another cart lay poor fellow, entire
| ly naked above his waist, except broad bandag
! which had been passed around his body to protec
frightful wound received from musket ball in hi
| sde-the ball seemed to have passed cntirel,
through his bOdy-hiS face was pale and incXpreSSl
bly, sad-and he had just strength enough left t
lift himself up and beg for water. 1t was inmedi
atey brought, and as soon as his condition was per
ceived he was lifted off the cart in the blanket OF
which he was lying and placed in the hall of tn
hospital, but he lived only few minutes longer
AS they were lifting him out the blanket was draw
from under the feet of another poor fellow lying il
the same cart, and the motion cXtortcd from him
cry of anguish more intense than ever heard be
fore.
But it is utterly useless to multiply notices c
individual cases of suffering. Indeed, it would b
impossible to mention hundredth part of the ir
stances of dreadful agony which attracted my specia
attention at the time; and if each one of ther
could be described in writing, not even faint i'll
preston would be given Of the fearful horrors
the scene as it met the eye of spectator. If yo
can imagine the open area in front of the city ha
filled with carts, upon every of which lay frol
five to ten or fifteen men, in soldiers uniform, so ia
as they were dressed at all-nearly all bareheadet
their faces, clothes and hand clotted with BLOOD
grooming and wrthing in pain-and Their conceiv
Broadway, as far as the eye can sec, to be file
with unbroken procession of just such cart
laden in the same sad style-the cattle believing
the drivers shouting, and with the usual accompan
mento of a great ard halfregulated crowd, you ma
form some idea of the character and magnitude
this dreadful scene As general thing the woun
ed made but little noise Many of them were to
much exhausted-none of them cried aloud, and con
paratively few could be heard to eroan But thel