The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-07-27
RECEIVING THE SHOCK.

tackled the position almost simultane-
ously from left to right, for no sooner
had the action developed itself on the
center than it rolled back on Nechan-
itz, on the left, and before half past
nine the whole range of hills, and val
leys and slopes for nine miles or more
was as if the earth had been turned
into snow wreaths, agitated by wintry
gale, Before ten o'clock thicker
and darker gale rose from the trees
and village on the right. Imilovitz
is in flames!" exclaimed the guardian
of the tower The officers said ia
sol" and ".hem!'' and uttered various
other sounds of varied import, pos
sibly, smoked their cigars and looked
on. Imilovitz, indeed, blazed up furi-
ously for a time, and in about quar-
ter of an hour more the Austrian bat
teries which had gone down the slopes
tOiled up again, numbered and fred
from the brow, and then other bat
teries came up near the big tree, and
/ could see men dotting the slope of
the hill, coming toward the railway,
amid those who could never move of
their own accord again. These in
creased In number.
Puffs of smoke high in the air, or
rising from the ground, showed where
the Prussian fire was plying the Aus
TRANS on the right; but their guns re-
piled vigorously, and all through that
day, though sometimes ill-placed, the
Austrian artillery behaved most gal
lantly. 1t was difficult to ascertain
why the Austrian corps on the right
were so unsteady, and why sc many
men were leaving the ranks of regi-
ments still invisible; bat after time
another sponge ike rain cloud wiped
away everything, and left it ali like
clean slate, from behind which there
issued a rolling fire of cannon as close
as the Yolleys of a fen de joie. When
the shower passed away the cannon
2de on the right near the tree had
sensibly diminished, and the Austri-
ans seemed to have the advantage all
along the front, judging by the ad-
vance of their guns and infantry, ex-
cept near the left center and the right
of their line.
G sADoWA IN FLAMES.
On the extreme left another black
cloud now rose up, licked by flames at
the base. Sadowa burns. And so it
, was. The pleasant little village, snug
church, hOspitable mill-alI were
burning. 1t was with surer divination
of the coming woe than we had that
the poor people fed in tears, or re-
manned in hopeless sorrow in their
homes. The heat of this great battle
burned up whatever it touched, and
sent forth the lava which destroyed as
it flowed on all sides. Between the
big tree and Klum, in the center and
far away toward the second ridge, the
fight was raging with extraordinary
fury from ten o'clock till half-past
ten, and that half hour seemed an age.
But still the Austrians advanced One.
gray mass of men followed another
into the smoke and was lost there.
Toward Sadowa and Nechanitz on the
left they were also gaining ground.
and before eleven O'Clock their col
umns had gone out of sight into the
valley of fluctuations, and the Prus-
SLAMS could be seen by their fire to
have fallen back on the opposing slope
of the second range of hills. ia ,a
n Between 11.:30, and 12
o'clock the Austrians we're to all in
tents successful on the center and on
its TANKS, although the fury, of the
cannonade and the incessant rattle of
musketry all along the front, from the
front of Mechanic to the plateau be-
yond Kuhn, attested The severity of
the struggle and the obstinate resist
ance of the Prussians. Probbis, an
other pretty village, was now in flames;
three villages burning at once, farm
houses adding their contingents to the
fire and smoke, caissons blowing up,
shells bursting, and the slopes and
hill-tops covered with gray and blue
spects, each a man in agony or in
death. Again the cavalry moved on
ward. This time one division, In
three bodies, crowned the ridge and
the church, on the left of Klum, in
the center and left of the position,
and there they waited once more.
But now on the right the action awoke
again, and, to our surprise, very
heavy fire of musketry, comparatively
close at hand, came from the direc-
ton of Smirlintz; the Austrians on
the crest of the ridge moved uneasily,
while many more stragglers than one
cared to see passed down toward the
railroad Whatever the cause of the
agitation, the Prussians on the center
and left pressed their attack with re-
newed vigor, and the contest which
ensued was of exceeding fierceness;
but still the enemy did not prevail
the Austrians not only held their
ground, but repulsed the enemy, ad-
vanced against them, took their
ground, and made prisoners. From
the left of Klum to the Prague road,
and beyond it, all was fire and smoke.
TERRIBLE ARTILLERY FIRE.
The tumult of voices was. dreadful