The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-06-19


ta'y Floyd, Fixed fact, will be found to justify
his ard his predecessors favorable anticipations
IL regard to its effect On the Academy. The oo-
jecion frequently urged against West Point, that
Is was an arissocratic institution, must certainly
tall 10 The ground now that the extra year gives
all an equal chance to secure its honors.
The Great Bassle In ltaiy-Defeat or the
AusssSsHs ana EvacuatiO. OF s1slnn.
On yesterday the anniversary of the battle Of
Waterloo, on which field jest forty -four years
ago the star of the first Napoleon set amid
bloody rout-tbe news reached us of the first
great battle Of the present campaign, between
the Austrans and the allied armies of France
and Sardinia, in Italy, in which his successor
Napoleon the third, fought. On the 4th of this
month the allied armies, commanded in part by
Louis Napoleon. drove the Austrians across the
TcinO, and came into conflict with them at
Magenta, only twelve miles from Milan, the
capital of Lombsrdy, and the precise point
where the AustIiaDs first effected passage over
the Ticipo into Piedmont on the 29th of April
The battle must have been terrible, if we
creoit the French accounts, which state that from
nine TO twelve thousand of their own troops were
killed aud wounded, aud twenty thousand Of the
Austrians There were engaged ia this decisive
action hundred thousand French aud from one
hundred and sixty to q hundred aud eighty thou,
snrd Austriaus-exactly the number of the latter
reported to have been at the immediate seat of
var; so that nearly the whole movable force of
both armies were in the conflict. The number
of men engaged on both sides equalled that on
the field of Waterloo. Louis Napoleon it is said,
partially commanded the Allies; but it would
seem that Gen. Mcmahon did the best Of the
fighting, for we learn that be received the Mar
shal's baton from the Emperor on the spot, aud
was created Duke of Magenta; while Marshal
D'IIillers was superseded in his command by
Gen. Forey. The Austrians were commanded
by Field Marshal Baron Hess.
The loss of superior officers was fearful and
indicates that the fight must have been
bravely carried on, and the victory
closely contested. On the side of the
Allies the French general Espinasse was killed,
and Field Marshal General Canrobert MORALLY
wounded; while the Austrians admit that four
generals and five staff officers were wounded in
their ranks
The battle seems to have lasted two entire
days, for the Austrian accounts state that a
series Of engagements occurred from the 4th to
the night Of the 9th, with varied successes aud
great losses on both sides. The longest battle
fought by the first Napoleon was that of Cas-
tgliona in 1896, which lasted five days, from the
I'd to the 9Th of July inclusive.
The moral effect of the Austrian defeat at
which compelled the Austrians to evaeuate it,
though at latest accounts the French had not
entered the city.
The intelligence of this great action on the
read to Milan confirms what we stated in our
columns yesterday, when we said-"It is probable
that we ehall soon hear OF a battle having been
fought, and We should not be surprised if it came
off at Novara, or between that point and Milan
But in any event the result Of that contest may
be merely to decide whether the struggle is to
be carried on towards Turin or towards Milan
with the assault of either city as the object"
The news of this first important battle in Italy
has not yet reached us in detail; but we have
enough to show that it was q bloody and hard
fought contest, resulting in terrible loss to both
armies, particularly in officers Of high rank, and
demonstrating that the campaign has fairly open
ed with vigor, and that the battle field has been
brought within the limits Of Austrian territory.
Not only that but it relieves Garibaldi, revolu-
tionizes all Lombardy, and drives the war into
the centre of the LOmbardo Venetian kingdom.
1t gives Garibaldi an opportunity of swooping
like an eagle upon the northern portions of Lom-
hardy and the Tyrol frontier, which he will
doubtless avail himself OF.