Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-08-08
THE BATTLE OF sADOwA.

THE BATTLE OF SADOWA.
The Fight Described from the Austrian
Lines.
The London Times correspondent with
the Austrian army, dated Hohenm auth,
July 4th, describes the battle of Sadowa
THE AUSTRIAN ARMY.
The army which Gen. Benedek had to
defend his position consisted of at least
225, 900 men but large deduction must
be made for the baggage guards, the
various escorts, the garrison of Joseph.
stadt and Koniggratz, the sick and those
tired by marching, and the killed, woun.
ded and prisoners in recent actions-so
that probably, he had not more than
100, 900 or 195, 900 actually in hand.
The ground he had to cover from
right to left was about three miles in
length. On his extreme left in his first
line, near the rear of Nechanitz, and
toward the Prague road he put the Sax
ons. Then the tenth army Corps, under
Field Marshal Lieutenant Gablenz; the
the Sd Corps PArmee, under Field Mar
shall Lieutenant Count Thun, the 4th
Army Corps, under Field Marshal
Lieutenant Count Festetics, (who was
wounded early in the day,) and the
I'd Army Corps, under Field Marshal
Lieutenant Archduke Ernest, were placed
from left to right on the slope of the
second range or ridge.
His second line and his reserves con-
sisted of the 8th Corps PATmee, under
Field Marshal Lieutenant the Archduke
Leopold; the 1st Army Corps was under
cavalry General Clam-Gallas, and the 9th
Army Corps under Field Marshal Lieut..
Ramming.
He had at his disposal grand army of
cavalry. 1t was composed of the 1st
Light Cavalry Division, under General
Major Edelsheim; the I'd light cavalry
division under Count Taxis; the 1st heavy
cavalry division, under the prince of Hol-
stein; the I'd heavy cavalry division, un-
der General Major Faitseck; and the Sd
heavy cavalry division, under Gen. Major
Count Coudenhove. His artillery con-
sisted Of about $40 guns. The horse, un-
der Feidzeugmeister Benedek's orders,
seemed to me the very finest cavalry by
many degrees that ever saw, as it GER
tainly was in point of numbers the larg-
est displayed on one battlefield in recent
days. l cannot think that the Austrian
Commander-in-Chief had much less than
1000 sabres under his command yester-
day.
IN POSITION.
The center in front of Klum and of
Lipa was strongly held by the Sd and
4th Corps somewhat thrown back, with
the lst Corps in reserve, and the 9th
Corps were in reserve on the right, to-
II Il -
considerable portion of their force in re-
serve, in addition to the 8th Corps, on
the left. 1t was not possible for any one
but the General himself to describe the
exact situation and position of the whole
Of his host at the outset of the battle,
nor could the very best glass command
the whole of the field, though its extrem-
tiles were not more than four miles from
my actual point of observation. Once
the engagement had fairly begun, and
.he troops had begun to change their po-
Iitions, even Gen. Benedek himself could
not tell where they were, and his staff
we're, of course still more ignorant. Not
the violent wind which
the artillery and musketry
ire clung In the valleys and undulations,
md mingling with the fogs and rain
clouds at times quite obscured the field. |
The Austrians have an excellent system |
# field telegraph; but it could not be
.dapted to the exegencies of the battle, |
md like most human appliances and in
'entions, it was found wanting at the
'ritical moment. l can only des-
ribe what saw, and as that was neces-
arily not all, there may be many mis-
axes and errors in the account, which |
'etter information will rectify. The gen
raj formation of the Austrian line was in |
laving masses of columns checkerwise, |
lanked by powerful divisions of artillery, |
md his cavalry was kept in the low
grounds near the Prague road behind
2lum, in the rear of his center, where it |
vas disposed to act against the enemy as
Don as he showed symptoms of unstead-
ness.
The Austrians seemed for the most
,art, to be posted on high ground. The
,nly disadvantage to which they were
so far as l could see, was that
he Prussians were covered on their
proper left by good deal of wood. The
course of the roads ran rather in their
avor. Here and there the Prussians
/ knoll, hillock, or village, but on the
whole, in my judgement, such as it is,
hey had to assault an enemy better
placed for defense than they were for at
Jack. At the time when 1 reached the
lower the firing was not very heavy, and
It was principally carried on by three
Austrian batteries posted in front of the
solitary tree l have mentioned toward
The right. There was several Austrian
othcers IN the tower, and they were of
opinion that the Prussians had only been
making demonstration to try our right,
and finding it too strong would probably
retire.
RECEIVING THE SHOCK.
1t looked as if the Prussians had at
lacked the position almost simultaneous
Iy from left to right, for no sooner had
the action developed itself on the center
than il rolled back from Nechanitz, on
.he left, and before half-past nine the
whole range of hills, and valleys and
Ilopes for nine miles and more was as if
.he earth had been turned into snow
agitated in wintry gale. Be-
lore ten o'clock a thicker and darker
gale rose from the trees and village on
he right. "Imilovitz is in flames !" ex-
claimed the guardian of the tower. The
,ffcers said "Ja so % and "HemW and
Uttered various other sounds of varied
possibly smoked their cigars and
ooked on. ImiloYitz, indeed blazed up
uriously after a time, and in about a |
Iuarter of an hour more the Austrian
which had gone down the slope