The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-06-07
THE DISPATCH.


Ax1a.>4~-.,,>es.-- ~
ru1spAY MORNING. ...~..e. JUNE J, IN
second Ba'tlc % Mswtebe'le.
French force seems to have a second
time beaten an Austrian force on the plains
of Monsebello. This time the Austrians
coming from Stradella, occopied the ground
which the French occupied on the former
occasion and the French occupied the po-
sit;on from which they drove the Aas'r'ans
in tbe FIRST battle. The first battle was
tonight on the 9th of June, 1900; the second
on the 2lst of May, 1859. On the former
occasion the French attacked; on the lat
ter the Austrians were the ASSISTANTS. The
battle of 1900 was fought by Lannes, and
when the First Consul became Emperor, be
made the successful general 'Duke OF Mon
tebeilo" in commemoration OF that glorious
day.
From the fact that the French advanced
CORPS was 50 far from Alessandria when it
WAS attacked, II is to be presumed that iii
,ha Intention of the Emperor to cross the
pa al least as low down as Placentia, Pia-
cenza. where the first Napoleon crossed it
In his memorable first campaign (l796)
and march directly upon Milan. Or, pro-
baby, as the Austriaps, contrary, as the
Sardinians allege, to treaty stipulations,
have made strong fortress of Piacenza, he
may think it will require too much time TO
take it. and may therefore cross somewhere
between it and Pavia, leaving a strong
force to mask them both, and prevent de-
tachments of their garrisons from intercept
ing his communications. The Austrians
seem TO have fallen back upon the Stradella,
which is a very strong position, where the
road is very narrow, having spur of the
Apprentices and marsh on one side, and
the river Pc on the other. Stradella, in
Italian, means narrow road or pass.
Monticello is not put down on the map
published By the Harpers in their Weekly,
which. by the bye, is very imperfect in ev-
ery respect. il ia, however, n very short
distance in front of the Stradella, on the
road to Alessandria, just where the pass
widens out into the plain. The reader will
see Casteggio On Harper's map, and he may
guess the neighborhood of Monticello from
the position of that town. In the first bat
tie, the right wing of the Austrians was
posted in CasteggiO, and the left in Monte
bello. The fighting, indeed, was as hard
in the one quarter rs the other; but the ma
n9uyre which decided the fate of the day
was executed upon Montebelo, and there
fore the battle was called after that village
The man@uvre in question consisted in
gaining the rear of the Austrian left wing,
and attacking it Unexpectedly from that
quarter, with two demi-brigades of French
infantry, which caused it to give way, and
carry the rest of the line with it. On that
occasion the Austrians out of $4,000 men
lost 1000, of whom q, 900 were taken pri-
soners.
The first battle of Monticello was the
prelude to the great battle of Marengo,
fought five days afterwards. 1t may be
that the second battle has also been the pre-
Jude to a general engagement In both
cases the affair was but an engagement OF
advanced posts. The position of Stradella
is an admirable position for small force
to contend with large one, ard upon this
position the Austrians have fallen back -
1t WAS chosen by the first Consul Bonaparte,
because the road to Piacenza, and thence
through Lombardy to the Tyrol passed
through it, and it was his object to bar the
passage with the smallest possible number OF
men, until he could secure his rear, should
the Austrians cross the Pc above Alessan.
dria, while be was on the Southern bank and
attack it, The back of it is rendered al.
most impossible to an army with artillery,
baggage and cavalry, by the mountainous
nature of the country, if an enemy follow in
hot pursuit; at least it was so then, and
most probably is so now. If the French
continue this movement therefore, it seems
probable that they will be compelled to at.
tack it in front, since it is so difficult to turn
it. If the Austrians are there in force, this
will be difficult job, and the execution oil
ii will cost an immense amount of blood.
shed.
Ifthe French should cross the Pc anywhere
below Pavia, the whole Austrian force will
be compelled to fall back behind the Ticino
or expose itself to the danger of being cut
off from its resources, and compelled to
fight at a disadvantage. The probability is
that they have already retreated. Once
across the Pc, there is no Disgusting the
great difficulty of the enterprise the French
Emperor has undertaken, provided the
A,s.rians collect all their forces, act in one
body, keep open their communications with
the Tyrol, and make the best use possible of
their fortresses. We believe the French
will win i; but they will have to fight hard
for it. If all accounts be true, Napoleon
expects to have trouble with these fortresses,
for be has collected at Lyons such guam
tity of siege guns and all other material of
war as was never before heard Of He re-
collects. probably, the high value his uncle
placed upon the services of fortresses in a
campaign, and the skilful use he made of
them in 1914
P. S.-From the detailed accounts of the
late battle, it appears that the Austrians
re-crossed the Pc after it was over. 1t is
not stated whether or not they left the pass
of Stradella open. If the French are march
ing upon Piacenza, that would appear to be
an important matter.