The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-07-06

AeAA A11AtI44/A'S " AIhAN ZoA|
Mcmahon said very little in his sulletin 10 explain
the nature of the ground on which the engage
ment took place.
tbs KILLED AND WOUNDED.
AS nothing has been inquired concerning the
number Of killed and wounded on both
sides, nobody knows anything about it, The
fact is, the French fought with their Ia.
bi,ual intrepedty, and the Austrians resisted
this Of the dreadful butchery which resulted from
the engagement of the two army corps fighting al
most hand TO hand during several hours, and then
the pursuit of one by the other over space of
about two kilometres TO the end Of the course.
MOVEMENTS FOR NEARING TIM opRPs
The day following, while General Mcmahon re-
organized his corps dd'rmSe according to the or
deis Of he Major General of the staff, the Sar
second point and the Imperial Guard, commanded
by General Espnasse, on the other hand. advanced
on the read leading from Novara to Milan up to
Trecate, where it mepaced the head Of the bridge
of Buiiaero With this division the Emperor
marched, surrounded by his staff
TIE AUsTRIANs CROSS THE BRIDGE.
The Austrians, who sill occupied the head of
the bridge, which they had constructed before Buff
ialero naturally fell back crossing the The stone Tone
pared to blow it up. Unfortunately, the
effect of the mines was insufficient and the two
arches which should have been destroyed by the
combination OF the Austrian engineers were only
detaced and shaken, but not destroyed. This
was miracle. The crossing was not even inter-
lupted.
orders were Immediately given to the corps
darmle Of General McMahon,. reinforced by
The division of Voltigeurs Of the Imperial
Guard, and followed by the whole army
of the King of Sardinia, to proceed to
Turbigo, above Bufalora and Magenta, while the
division of Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard re-
paired to tho head of the bridge of Butfalora on
the left, and the corps ddrn,ee of Marshal Canro-
bert advanced to the right on the banks of the
river to cross the bridge at the same point 1t was
then that orders having been given the division, Es-
pinasse vcntured into Lombardy to take the route
for Milan.
ORDERS MISUNDERSTOOD.
But it may be that the orders Of the staff
were misunderstood, or could not be executed so
promptly as Marshal Valiant calculated; or it
may be that false reports prematurely announced
the arrival of General Mcmahon, a fusiade against
the Austrians, who occupied the high ground bor-
deriDg on the Naviglio "a greatcanaD commenced,
and the French troops, with their habitua ardor,
threw the enemy out of their position, and went
beyond the village to the point where q junction
with the other corps should take place.
GREAT FEAT OF ARMS.
1t was there that the most considerable passage
of arms which, perhaps, has occurred in Italy since
the commencement of the war, took place, and this
explains why we remained for nearly two days
without receiving any news; it was because the
Imperial Guard had escaped being crushed and the
not arrive, Canrobert executed a difficult march
from Novara, and doubted if he could have arrived
in time at Buffalora, that no succor could be ex-
pected from him.
COUNT CLAM-aALLAs.
General Gyulai had given orders to Lieut.. Field
Marshal Count Clam-Gallas to hold the position of
Magenta, and to wait for the division Reischach of
the 9TH corps, which came from Corbetta by forced
marches, the division Sillia of Casteleta, the Sd
army corps of Abbiate Grasso the 8th corps of BIZ
nasco, and 9th corps, destined to act reserve,
which were at Pavia, and to which orders were
sent to march on to Magenta.
HERoIsM OF THE IMPERIAL GUARD.
All these corps and brigades advanced from all
directions, commencing straightway to cut off the
retreat Of the Imperial Guard while tho division
the COMMANDMENT Chief proceeded to Robecco in
order to advance the Third corps d'arm&e on the
right flank Of the enemy. In this moment the I'M
perial Guard saw itself assaed all sides; but it
must be said, In order to be impartial, they
resisted with courage and herOism above
all eulogy. They felt nothing except that the for
tune Of France was confded to them, and that the
concentrated manGuvre of the Austrians could not
have any other result but to close the war and
make the Emperor prisoner. From this moment,
the dead were not counted. The thunder of the
cannons and the lightning of the fusiIlade
broke every line (; the French brigades be-
came greatly disordered, the cavalry became
powerless; soon torrents of smoke enveoped
the battle field in manner that no man could tell
where he was, and that every one dreamed of
death, ont determined to dc is BOrlOuSly ~ pos
ribie.
NAPoLEoN's GOODNESS IN BATTLE.
1t is said that the Emperor Napoleon, who sud-
denly found himself for the first time engaged in a
GOODNESS in the midst of his Guards. He saw his
generals fall without dismay-heaps of dead
bodies were piled up around him without
his his shudderisng This, perhaps, would be ma "a:
his impassibility he had little stubbornness
This butchery endured for four hours, when
finally the brigade Picard, with Marshal Canrobert
at the head arrived on the battle eld at the same
time the division of General McMahOn appeared,
which had been delayed in its march in advancing
in two columns on Magenta and Bufalora.
cry of triumph was raised among the
French masses, and the enemy threw himself
before the reinfOrcements in order to prevent q
junction.
TERRIFIC NATURE OF THE CONTEST.
From that moment it is impossible to render an
account of the combat which ensued at every point
at once, with the same ardor, with the same cour-
age. Every position was taken and retaken five or
six times, and at nightfall Magenta was in the
power of Gen. Mcmahon, who deinitiyely seized
the vilIage-the key of the positicn-street by
street house by house stepping over heaps of dead
bodies in the midst of the fire and the hail of bull
lets.
M'MAEoN THE SAVIOUR OF NAPOLEON.
1t is now understood why General Mcmahon was
nominated Marshal Of France on the battle field
and created Due of Magenta, for the Emperor
probably owes him his life, and France one of its
greatest victories.
DEATH OF GENERAL KspINAssE.
It is curious enough to recall here that the same
day when General Mcmahon was thus covered with
glory, he who was the only French Senator who had
the courage to combat against the Law of Surety
and to vote against its adopton-GeneralE spinasse
who has presented and supported this law, met
his death on the battle Geld. 1t is just to add that
General Espinasse died bravely at the head of his
division and that he has paid early enough for the
greatest fault of his life, which will be forgotten
with him.
The following morning the infantry regiment
Due of Hesse again attacked the bridge of
Magenta to facilitate the retreat of the Aus
TRANS; but this was o powerless effort and the
unfortunate regiment lost one-third Of its
officers and soldiers either killed, wounded, or
made prisoners. Nevertheless it went through the
manGuvre to occupy the enemy in Magenta, 80 as
to cover the retreat eff the Austrian army to Pavia
and Lodi.
DEAD AND WOUNDED.
The number of dead and wounded on both sides
is, doubtless, exaggerated but to judge from the