Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1866-07-28
OLD SERIES, VOL. 26, NO. AZ.

breech-loading musket keeps his muzzle
down, and if in haste he fires it off without
raising the butt to his shoulder, his shot
still takes effect, though often low, and a
proof OF this is that very many of the Aus
trian prisoners are wounded in the legs.
! SCENES ON THE ROAD.
The road to Podol was this morning
crowded with hospital wagons and ambu-
lance cars bringing in the wounded; eyery
cottage In the way was converted into q
temporary hospital, and the little village of
Swierzin was entirely filled with stricken
men. The sick bearers, one of the most USE
full corps which any army possesses, were at
work from the very beginning of the action.
As the combatants passed on, these noble
minded men, regardless of the bullets and
careless of personal danger, removed with
| equal hand both friend and enemy who
were left writhing on the road and carried
| them carefully to the rear where the medi-
cal officers seemed to make no distinction
in their care for both Austrian and Prussian.
Not only was it those whose special duty is
the care of the wounded who alone were
doing the best to case the sufferings of those
who had suffered in the combat; soldiers
not on duty might be seen carrying water
for prisoners of both sides alike, anG gladly
| affording any comfort which it was in their
power to give to those who over night had
been firing against their own hearts. Nor
is this wonderful, for after the flash of the
battle is over, and the din of the musketry
has died away, the men of this army cannot
forget that one common language links
them to their adversaries, and that, after all,
it is probably German blood which, flowing
from an Austrian, trickles over the white
livery of the House of Hapsburg.
In the village the utmost disorder gave
evidence of the severity of the contest
Austrian knapsacks shakos, clothes, and
arms were scattered about in wild confusion
Dead horses lay in the bitches by the road
side. White coats and cloaks, which had
been thrown off in hurry of the fight, lay
scattered along the road; the trees which
had formed the Austrian barricade were still
on the side of the street, and held many
bullet. The cottages had been ransacked
of their furniture, and their beans and roof
trees had been torn down to form defenses
tor the doors and windows while along the
street and upon the banks of the river lay
objects which in the distance looked like
bundles of untidy uniform, but which on
nearer approach are seen to be the bodies of
slain soldiers Sometimes they lie in groups
OF twos or threes, twisted together as if they
had gripped one another in their mortal
agony, and sometimes single figures lie on
their backs, staring with livid countcnance
and hali-closed hazy eyes straight up against
the hot morning sun. The dark blue uni
form with red facings of Prussia and the
white with light-blue of Austria lie side by
side, but the numbers of the latter much
preponderate, and on one part of the rail
way three Prussian corpses opposite nine
teen Austrian form girlish trophy of the
! superiority of the needle gnn.
THE NEEDLE-GUN.
Close on five hundred unwounded Aus
trian prisoners have this morning been
marched up to head quarters and the Aus
trian loss in killed and wounded is very
considerable. The Prussians have lost two
officers dead and seven or eight wounded.
The medical officers have officially reported
that the proportion of wounded Austrians
to wounded Prussians is as five to one Thus
has the needlc-gun told both on the battle
field and in the hospital.
To-day headquarters have haulted here
There has been no sklrmishing. The Aus
trains appear to be in full retreat for while
| write white smoke curings up from be-
yond some far woods beside the Iser tells
that the bridge of Mohcinitz, about five
miles below PoGoll, which they have set
on fire to obstruct pursuit, is burning steadi-
ly.