Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-06-23
THE FOREIGN NEWS.

letters, and editorials, on the war in Italy in
general, and the battle of Magenta in particu-
lar In this great and decisive battle, the
Austrians were under the direction of their
most famous general, Marshal Hess. Gyulai
has been appointed Ban of Croatia, and the
command he has held in Italy has been given
to Count Grunne, of whom we know nothing
save that he is tie "favOrte" of the Emperor
Francis Joseph. The French were under the
immediate direction of the Emperor, to whose
strategy military critics apply the word, 'mas-
terly." A Paris letter says 1.-The news that
Generals Espinasse and Clerc were killed at the
battle of Magenta is confirmed. The body of
General Espinasse has been embalmed and will
be brought home to France. Most of the
evening papers say that Marshal Canrobert
was wounded, but l have heard this afternoon
that the Empress has contradicted this news.
1t is confirmed that General Mcmahon was
wounded, and the Presse says that General
Melinet, commanding the first division of the
Guards was wounded seriously" The Mont
teur publishes the following:
On the 3lst of May, the army received the
order to march to the left and cross the Pc at
Cassale, the bridge of which had remained in
our possession. 1t Immediately took the Ver-
cell road, where the passage Of the Sesia was
effected to protect and cover our rapid march
on Noyara. The efforts of the army were
directed to the right ON Bobbio; and two COM
bats, glorious for the Sandman troops, fought
on this side, had also the effect of inducing the
enemy to believe that we were marching on
Mortara But, during this time, the French
army had proceeded towards Novara and had
taken up there position ON the same ground
where the King Charles Albert had fought ten
years before There it could make head
against the enemy, should he make his appear
ance.
On the I'd of June, a division of the Imperial
Guard was directed to Turbigo, on the Ticino,
and meeting with no resistance there, it threw
across three bridges. The Emperor, having
ollectedsnotices that agreed in showing him
that the enemy was retiring ON the left bank of
the river caused the Ticino to be passed at
this spot by the army corps of Gen. Mcmahon,
followed next day by division of the Sar-
dinian army. Hardly had our troops taken
possession on the Lombard bank, when they
were attacked by an Austrian corps sent from
Milan by the railway. They repulsed it VIC
toriously under the eyes of the Emperor.
On the same day, June2, the division of Es-
pinasse having advanced by the Novara road
towards Milan as far as Trecate, whence it
threatened the bridge-head of Buffalora, the
enemy evacuated precipitously the entrench-
ments he had thrown up on this point and fell
back on the left bank, after blowing up the
stone bridge crossing the river at this spot
Nevertheless, the effect ofhis miniDg-chambers
was not complete and the two arches lie had
intended to destroy merely subsidized without
falling to pieces, the thororoughfare was not
interrupted.
The day of the 4th has been fixed upon by
the Emperor for taking definitive possession
Of the left bank of the Ticino. The army
corps of Gen. Mcmahon, reinforced by the vol
tigeur division of the Imperial Guard, and fol-
lowed by the whole army of the King of Sar-
dina, was to proceed from Turbigo to Bufla-
lora and Magenta, whilst the grenadier divs.
ion of the Imperial Guard would seize the
bridge-head of Buffalora on the left bank, and
the army corps of Marshal Canlobert would
advance on the right bank to pass the Ticino
at the same point. The execution of this plan
of operations was disturbed by some of those
incidents that in warfare must be taken into
account. The Kings army was retarded in
Its passage OF the river, and only one of its di-
visions could follow at q distance the corps of
Gen. Mcmahon.
The march Of the Espinasse division also
met with delays and on the other hand, when
the corps of Marshal Canrobert left Novara to
reJom the Emperor, who had personally come
to the bridge-head of Buffalora, this corps
found the road SO encountered that it could
only reach the Ticino quite late
Such was the situation of things, and the
Emperor was waiting, not without anxiety, for
the SiGual n the arrival Of McA
corps at Buffaora, when, about two O'Clock, he
heard on this side very heavy firing of small
arms and artillery.
1t was the moment to sustain it by march
ing on Magenta The Emperor Immediately
dispatched Wimffen's brigade against the for
midable positions held by the Austrians in
front of the bridge; the brigade of Clerc fol-
lowed the movement. The heights bordering
the Nayiglio IA large canal) and the village of
Buffalora were promptly carried by the spirit
of our troops but they then found themselves
confronting considerable masses whom they
could not drive back, and who arrested their
progress.
In the meantime, Marshal Canroberts army
corps did not appear, and, on the other hand,
the cannonade and musketry fire that had sig
nailed the arrival of Gen. Mcmahon had COM
pletely ceased. Had the Generals column
been repulsed, and had the grenadier division
of the guard to sustain itself alone the entire
effort of the enemy
1t is here the proper time for explaining the
manGuvre effected by the Austrians. When
they learned on the night of June 2, that the
French army had surprised the passage of the
Ticino at Turbigo, they had rapidly sent
across that river, at Vigeno, three of the army
corps, which burnt the bridges behind them
On the morning of the 4th, they went before
the Emperor to the number Of 125,000 men,
and it was against these disproportionate forces
that the grenadier division of the guard with
whom was the Emperor had singly to con-
tend.
In these critical circumstances, General
Regnaud de Saint Jean d'Angely gave proof
of the utmost energy, as also did the generals
commanding under his orders. The General
of Division, Mellinct, had two horses killed
under him. General Clerc fell MORALLY wound.
ed. General Wimpffen was wounded in the
head the Commanders Desme and Maudhay,
of the Grenadiers, were killed the Zouaves
lost two hundred men, and the Grenadiers sus-
tanned a loss no less considerable.
At length, after a struggle of four hours,
during which Mellinet's division suffered with
out fnching the attacks of the enemy, Pic
ards brigade, with Canrobert at its head, ar
rived on the field of battle. Shortly after ap-
peared Vidoq's division, from General Niel's
corps, which the Emperor had sent for, and
finally Regnault's and Trocha's divisions of
Marshal Canrobert's corps
AT the same time General McMahon's can
non were again heard in the distance. The
Generals corps, retarded in its march and less
numerous than it should have been, had adj
yanced in two columns on Magenta and Bufia-
lora
The enemy having attempted to advance
between these two columns, for the purpose of
cutting them off, Gen. MacMahon had rallied
the right with the left towards Magenta and
this explains why the firing had ceased at the