The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-07-12
The Progress of the Germ an War.
From the World.

The Progress of the Germ an War.
FROM the World.
Thanks to the eminently chaotic character
Of the kilograms which are sent to US from Eng
land and the continent concerning the positions
and the movements of the two great German
armies, two different engagements which oc-
CURED between the advanced posts OF the Prus-
SLAMS and the Austrians at points far apart the
one from the other, have been rolled into one;
and we are informed that the repulse of the
Italians from the Quadrilateral has been tol.
lowed by an important Austrian victory In Bo-
hem9.
The news by the City of London indicates
neither victory nor a battle OF importance.
1t does not even prove that the Prusslans were
really moving forward upon an invasion oil
Bohemia.
which is situated in the eastern part OF Bohemia
aud from which the lines OF railway run north
ward to Reicnenbach, westward to Prague. and
sOuthward to Vienna, We hear OF an artillery
duel between the PrussianS and Austrians.
This artillery duel is reported TO have occurred
between the towns oil Neustadt and Nacnod,
and to have ended with the retreat OF the
Prussians, the Austrian cavalry coming into
the action at the town OF SkalltZ. or these
towns, Neustadt and Nachod lie almost directly
upon the frontier of SllesIa, and SkahtZ is not
above twelve miles distant from the same from
tier. 1t is clear, therefore, that the reported
engagement must have resulted rather from a
Prussian reconnaissance in force than from
any serious advance OF the army OF Prussia
into Bohemia upon the western frontier of
Silesia. On the same day with this action, the
26th OF June, another and to all appearances,
a similar action is reported to nave occurred at
Paka, near Turnau, point more than fifty
miles to the northwest OF the scene of the en-
gaeenent at Skalitz. The telegraph contounds
these two affairs, and OF them both makes up
single "battle in Bohemia" At Turnau, we are
told that one division and one brigade being
nhrt,. ,Ntrn aNI, Nnllx Of thn
Prussian army, were engaged. and that three
Prussian officers tell the field. From the
simultaneousness of the two affairs, and from
the positions Of Skalitz and Turnau relatively
to each other, and to the Saxon and Silesian
frontiers now occupied by the Prussian troops,
| it is possible that the conflicts may have re-
suited from an attempt on the partot the Prus-
| slams to break up the Bohemian railway line be-
! tween Reichenbach and Pardubitz.
Another, and still more confused and absurdly
| stated telegram gives us hint of what may
| prove, perhaps, to be the most important light
| we have as yet had on the purposes and move.
ments of the Austrian army in Bohemia. The
| Prussians are stated in this telegram TO have
| destroyed 'the railway bridge between Werdau
and Gossnitz, at Altenburg." This is about as
| rational as a telegram would be announcing
| that the railway bridge had been destroyed
| between New York and Stamford, at Bridge
port! Altenburg is prosperous little Saxon
| city in the extreme west of SaXony, and
! Werdau and Gossni:z are small manu-
featuring towns, lying both of them several
miles to the south of Altenburg The signif-
| cance of the information thus inaccurately con-
| Veyed to u.s. consists in the fact that Altenburg,
| Gossnitz, and Werdau all lie on the railway
| line from Leipsic, in SaXony, to Nuremberg, in
| Bavaria. If the Prussians are destroying bridges
on this line, it would appear that they must
| anticipate an adVance'into SaXony of the Austro
| Bavarian army, from Bavaria into Saxony, upon
the extreme west and through the dehles OF
the Bohmer-Wald The headquarters of the
| Austrian Commander-in-chief being at the
latest adylces established at olmutz in
| 1Ioravia, far to the eastward of the Bavarau
frontier and OF the Bohmer-Wald, it is tolera
bly, plain, we think, that the Prussians have
been feeling the whole line of the Austrian
front, and that they are getting themselves
into readiness to effect a junction between
Charles and the army OF the Crown Prince
in order to meet an expected advance o
Benedek in force either into Silesia on the
extreme east, or into SaXony on the extreme
west. The withdrawal OF the Prussian troops
from the smaller States into which they haC
been pushed beyond and south Of the corne
at which Saxony abuts both upon Bavaria anC
Bohemla, would seem, when taken il
connection with this burning of bridges OF
the Leipsic and Nuremberg road, Il
show that the Austrians are looked TO
rather more positively on the west than OF
the east. An important Austrian victory in thi
a9 western region OF saxony would have the ,grea
moral eject OF precipitating the whole of Soutl
: Germany decisively and at once into the arm
OF the KAISER On the other hand, a PrussiaI
victory here would roll Austria decsively bacl
to the eastward, and lay Bavaria open to tn
Northern arms
The net result of the news we now have
, therefore, is simply TO show us that the antagC
mist powers are maneuvring for battlefield
while Prussia sui retains and is evidentl
making the most OF the great advantages whic
she won by her prompt and energetic actor
following Immediately upon the declaration 9
the war.