The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-06-11
The seat Of war-Opsrations Of Gar"
tbaldi.

As faithful journalists, We ieoi ooo"" "
keep our readers advised of the movem ents
going forward upon the theatre of war.
Let the reader spread the map of Italy
before him. He will see that the river A dda,
rising in the mountainous region of North
ern Italy. runs south least to point nearly
opposite Gravelona, where it spreads out
into the lake of Como. At Bellaggio, this
lake branches into two sheets of water, so
a. to form two sides of an acute angled
triangle, Bellaggio being the apex. At the
Southern point Of the western sheet is situ-
sted the city of Como, containing about
a5. 900 inhabitants. On the eastern sheet
nearly as far south as Como, lies Lecco.-.
To the north of the Lake Of Como lies the
mountainous region known as the Valteline.
Its chief towns are Sondrio, Chiavenna, Ii
rano and Bornio. 1t will be seen that the
AIDA runs through the entire breadth of
the Valteline. The region Of that name
forms the upper part Of Lombardy, and by
the treaty of Vienna belongs to Austria.
1t seems that Garibaldi, operating with
6. 900 men on the extreme left of The Allies,
has turned the extreme right ofthe Austrians,
has defeated detachment Of them at Como,
has taken Lecco, is in full possession of
Lake Como, and has revolutionised the en-
tire Valteline, the Austrians retreating be-
fore him southwark to Milan. The impor-
lance of this Operation, in stragetical
point of view, is prodigiously great, as we
shall proceed to show. If the reader will
follow the line of the AIDA, from GravedOna
10 its source, he will see railroad running
along il, and passing over the Stelvio.-
This is the famous StelVio Railroad, the
most gigantic work of the kind in the
world, constructed by Austria for military
purposes, over the Hottest mountains that
any railroad ever yet traversed, and reach
ing far back into the Tyrol, whence it COM
municates with other railroads penetrating
nearly every portion of the hereditary
States, and all of them terminating in
Vienna. When this railroad touches Lake
Como at Colico, il runs along its eastern
shore due SOUTH until it arrives at Campei-
no, where it turns east, and runs through
Bergamo to Brescia. A branch from Bres-
cia runs due south TO Cremona, on the lower
AIDA. Another from the same point runs
southwest to Lodi, while the main branch
observes an eastern course, and terminates
in the strong city of Verona on the Adige,
after passing through Peschiera Al the point
of Lake Garda. Going back to Lake Como,
two railroads connect Milan with the Stelvo
route. One of these leads from point op-
posite Lecco, and the other from the city of
Como itself-hence Garibaldi having the
whole Valteline in his possession, and the
entire command of Lake Como, can entire
" break up the Stelvio route to the Stelvio
Itself. He can break up the road leading
to Brescia, and thence to Verona, and both
those leading to Milan. Thus he will destroy
one means by which the Austrians might
pour troops into Italy entirely
Again, let the reader cast his eye on that
portion Of the map which lies between We
roma and Venice. He will see a railroad
connecting the two cities, and passing
through Vicenza and Padua Let him then
look at Leghorn, in Tuscany. 1t is said
that a force of 80, 900 men, under Prince
Napoleon, will march from that port by
Pontremoli to Parma, cross the Pc in that
Duchy. and marching upon Vicenza, de-
stroy the railroad connecting Verona with
Venice. At the same time, an expedition
to the Adriatic is spoken of, for the pur-
pose of destroying the railroad leading
from that city to Vienna. Should these
objects be effected, Austria will tLen have
but one railroad, either to receive reinforce
ments or 10 retreat by. In the meantime,
that portion of the Austrians which crossed
the Ticino, have fallen back behind that
river.
1t seems to us evident, by these opera
tons, that it is the design of Napoleon to
isolate the Austrians in Lombardy, BY cut
ting off their lines of communication, and
force them either to fight at great disad-
vantage, or to make difficult and disas-
trous retreat. 1t is hardly probable that
Garibaldi will confine his operations to the
country around the lake of Como. Should
he extend them to the East he may come
upon the line of the Adige, above Lake Gar
da, and destroy the railroad there. This
would leave the Austrians no route, except
the old passes 10 reach Italy with reinforce
ments. In the meantime, by the new in
surrections reported in Parma and Modena,
the French have it in their power to take
possession of the whole country south of
the Pc.