Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-07-20
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THE GERMAN WAR

THEENGAGEMEHT AT TRAUTENAU--Al TERRI
l. IiG Do t BILE SURPRISE. 4 sug.il yfg
J, After part of the First. Army Corps had
rested at Liebau, and another part had
crossed the Bohemian frontier, a mile furth7
er on, and bivouacked for the night, the
combined regiments moved on the 9th
through the passes toward Trauteuau with
OutencOuntering resistance. Halt was Or
dered close to the town, and the quarter
masters sent in. They noticed nothing OF
Il suspicious character, and went on to the
ItbuTgomaster. After arranging for quar-
ters the burgomaster was asked whether
the enemy's troops were in the town or
heighborhood. The bnrgomaster, DR.. Roth,
declared that our people need not have the
slightest apprehension. Our troops con-
sequently moved in, two squadrons of the
First dragons leading, who went through
the town ut trOt; but they had scarcely
reached the suburbs, and our infantry had
hardly arrived at the market-place beforea
tremendous fire was opened upon them.
Bullets came from flatroofs, from windows,
from cellar gratings, and behind palisades.
! AFATAL REPLY. ... ...,.r,.
The answer our men returned may easily
be guessed. Numbers fell in the streets,
both soldiers and civilians. for the latter
took active part 10 the fight, partly with
firearms, and partly, it is aVerred, by pour
ing boiling oil and scalding water upon
the heads OF our men. While the fight was
going on in the streets other Infantry regi-
ments swept round the town and encoun-
tered an Austrian force upon the other side,
at least thirty-five thousand strong. The
main body of the enemy was strongly post
ed on a bill, about one thousand feet high,
called the Kapellenberg, and here despe-
rate contest began. Our brave East and
West Prussians marched TO the attack
through marshy ground and corn fields
with truly wonderful endurance and couT-
age. At last, in the afternoon (the engage
nlent began. at nine A. }, our men sue
ceeded in carrying the position. The town
was captured and the enemy driven back.
I"' pN- THE PRUss1AN RETREAT. ,.,
AT this moment General Won Gablenz
came up with reintorcemeDts, The fight
recommended, but our men were complete
ly exhausted, and too few to contend
against superior numbers with success.
A few companies were frequently opposed
to two or three entire Austrian regiments.
Prudence, therefore, ordered retreat, the
more so as our artillery was of hardly any
use in ground so favorable to the enemy.
The ammunition column arrived at Liebau
toward midnight, and fell back little be-
yond the town; toward morning the re-
mainder of our brave fellows came in, their
ranks much lessened, many regiments hav-
ing lostfeld officers, captains and lieuten-
ants. oI N"f" i..... u...rL.guf
The dragons, battalion of the First
and Forty third regiments, and the First
Jager battalion, especially suffered heav-
lily. ID ID. ... '..' .' 121
u su. VICTORY IN THE, END. rH,T liz.
But victory is still ours. Next morning
our guards came up to Trautenau, fought
as we expect Prussian Guards to fight, and
drove back the Austrian corps.
TreacherOus Trautenau Is at this moment
ruin. The inhabitants have fled; many
are taken prisoners, and others have fallen
In the murderous fight. Some one hun
bred and thirty captured Austrians passed
through Liebau yesterday, followed by sew
eral civilians, among whom were Dr. Roth,
gagged, and the hotel possessOr Stark. The
military had difficulty to protect these lat
ter from the inhabitants.
..,.t -..;.. THE LOSSES.
Some idea of the losses suffered in this en-
gagement may be formed from the fact that
thousands of Austrians fell. But very
many of our men also slept their last sleep
In the epemy's land. Liebau is like hos
pital. All the class-rooms of the Catholic
and Evangelical schools, nearly all the
dancing saloons and argeprivate houses
are crowded with Pfussian and Austrian
soldiers, mostly badly wounded. t.
Early on the 2Sth the Guards advanced
against the corps of General Won Gablenz,
fifty thousand strong, which had succeeded
in driving back the First Prussian army
corps the previous evening,near Trautenau.
The Guards rushed upon n the enemy
with a thirst for combat nothing could
possibly withstand. Owing, however, to
the length of the defiles through which the
corps had to hasten in that mountainous
country, it was unfortunately not ppssible,l
until late in the day, to bring the reserve
artillery into battle, so that twelve Prussian
guns had at first to withstand the fire OF
sixty-four Austrian cannon Thisinequal-
ity, however, though it increased the losses,
could not restrain the picked battalions OF
the army. A contest began such as has
rarely been chrUnicled in the history of a
war-a contest for life and death of u,
weaker force that kept constantly on the
advance against q far more powerful foe.
The Guards pressed forward in the scatter
ed woods upon the heights, along the ra-
vines that descend preolpitously toe the
plain, and the enemy was vanquishedI
wherever he would not retreat. ,,.rr.,
Tue results of this heroic combat at
Stahdenz and Trautenau were grand. The
Austrians lost eight thousand menin killed
and wounded and prisoners, four thousand
of whom were placed for safe custody in
the Trautenau churches. Unhappily this
brilliant victory cost us heavily. The
Second battAliOnyot. f.. the y Kaiser dFranz,
been much cptup, The First division OF
NJ " 10 II .n..l.aI -. :. !. =