Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-07-13

SIX miles east OF Castlgllone. An nour
work dislodged them from this place, and
then, at five O'Clock, violent raln-storm
coming up, attended with lightning and thun-
der, the retreat of the Austrans commenced.
During this storm, which lasted nearly an
hour, we took refuge in one of the division
headquarters of the town, and there assisted
in dressing the wounded as they were brought
in. The storm, which was but burst, ana
which seemed TO have been sent expressly 10
cool the hot air and to lay the dust, hau no
sooner ceased than the thunder of the artillery
was again heard but this time around and TO
the north of the point Of hills IN the dlrec'loi
of Peschiera. The battle had been rehe"eu,
or perhaps to us at the village, only drowned
by the storm. We fastened to high nh nan
a mile east of the town. to point near where
the Austrian right rested at daylight in the
morning, and at the very place on which Ma
poleon had stood during the first hours OF tne
battle, and from this point we could see us
tinctly what was going on. Away 10 the
northeast, towards Peschera, which was clear
ly in view, and apparently near the borders OF
the lake of Garda, the battle was raging with
renewed fury. The Piedmontese, ftty thou
sand strong, commanded by the hIng, VINO
had stopped the night of the I'D III advance
of Senate, and who had come to the neld OF
action in. the rear of the Austrian morning po-
as they retreated. We could see each dis
charge of the cannon as they vomlted forth IN
rapid succession their death-dealing missiles,
for when we shaded our ears behind the crown
of the hill on which we stood, could hear dis
tinctly not only the discharges OF the cannon,
but the sharp, rapid cracking of the rltled mus
kets of the infantry
The scene at this moment was one long to be
remembered. Ten miles north OF us, and on
the eastern and western shores OF the lake, the
Alps reared their snowcovered tops above the
clouds. The storm has cleared away, and the
sunset was never more beautiful in this coun-
try of lovely skies. Nearer to us, on the south
side of the lake, where the shore is nearly lev
ell, the battle was raging, and the movements
of the batteries from point to point could be
perceived. The rays Of the setting sun illumi-
mating the snow.clad tops of the mountains,
rendered their sides dark and sombre, and
threw shade upon the water beyond the con-
tending armies which brought these into strong
relief The Austrians could be seen steadily
receding the batteries of artillery on both
sides were constantly shifting from one little
hillock to another, and as soon as placed in po-
sition a regular rolling discharge could be
heard and line of fire seen like confagra-
ton. The scene was alike picturesque and
terrible.
We were unable to arrive even at an ap-
Proclamation of the casualties of the day. All
the officers who might have been able to fur
nish us correct information continued in the
pursuit of the enemy and we were obliged
to rely upon what we saw with our own eyes
and could obtain from the wounded them
selves. From these data we feel warranted
in saying that the French must have had 25-
600 men hOrs de combat We certainly saw
ourselves 10000 wounded men come from the
field, on carts, wagons, mules and filters. The
procession of the wounded was continuous
during twelve hours that we remained specta-
tors of the scene, and now, in the morning
hours, the stream is pouring on, seeking a
resting-place in the churches of the surround
ing villages and hamlets towards Brescia, all
of which have been seized by the surgeons for
hospital purposes.
In and about Castiglione, there were twenty
thousand soldiers in charge of the enormous
train of the army, while in the rear of the town
there remained a reserve of twenty thousand
men, to support the army in case Of disaster.
Add to this 10000 or $4,000 wounded men in
Castigione, and several hundred thousand
men scattered over the plain in conflict, and
dead on the ground, and you have q scene en-
comprised in space of eight miles diameter,
such, perhaps, as this land of great battle
scenes never saw before. From the high
peaked bluff from which we watched the last
hours of the BATTLE all this scene could be tax
en- in and comprehended at one glance. twas
great battle, and surely ought to decide, once
tor all, the vast superiority of French over
Austrian arms.
Sight-seers in Europe are not like to have
many such opportunities as that with which
"Malakotf'' and Mr.. Raymond were favored
Mr.. Raymond describes the battle as follows
Lo55.-=r came nom " Fly ;o'.;;' - -
ing, and arrived just III ftii8eH to witness the
last half of what have very little doubt will
turn out to have been the greatest battle the
modern world has seen. / cannot describe il
with any precision as yet-for it has lasted all
day, and extended over circuit of not less
than fifteen miles the noise of the cannon
AIDE, and even OF the musketry, moreover, is
still III my ears, and none of those engaged in
1t, except the wounded, have returned to give
us any distinct and connected report But
not less than 100000 men have been engaged
in 1t /; and of these not less than 30,00O-dead
or disabled-lie, on this bright, starry night,
upon the bloody field.
The battle commenced at little before five
O'Clock IN the morning-not far from sunrise.
just back of Castiglione rises a high range of
hills-which projects mile or Whereabouts in
left into wide expanse of smaller hills, and so
INTO the rolling surface which makes that Dor
ton OF the plain The Austrians had taken
position upon these hills-planting cannon up
on those nearest to Castiglione which they
could approach, as the French army was in
full force in and around that little vilage-and
had stationed their immense array all over the
surrounding plain. AS nearly as we can now
learn the Emperor Francis Joseph had collect
ed here not less than 225, 900 troops, and com
manded themin person. His evident purpose
was to make a stand here and risk the fortunes
of the war upon the hazards of the day. Ma
poleon promptly accepted the challenge, and
commenced the attack as soon as it was light
this morning, by placing cannon upon the hills
still nearer to Castgione than those held bv
the AuStrians, and opening fire upon them on
the heights beyond. He took his own stand
upon the highest of these-a steep, sharp-back-
ed ridge, which commands magnificent view
of the entire circuit of the plain, and from that
point directed the entire movements of his ar.
my during the early portion of the day. The
French very soon drove the enemy out of the
posts they held nearest to the town, and fol-
lowed them into the small villages of the plain
below. The first of these was SoIferno where
they had sharp and protracted engagement
The Austrian disputed every inch of the
ground, and fought here, as they did through
out the day, with the utmost desperation
They were three times driven ont of the town.
before they would stay out. When they found
it impossible to hold their ground any longer
they fell back, slowly and steadily, until they
reached the village of Volta, which, as you
will see by the map, lies directly southeast
from Castiglione, and is only about mile
from the river Minco, from which, however,
it is separated by a range of hills. Upon these