Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1866-08-04
MISCELLANEOUS.
THE GREAT BATTLE OF sA.
DOWA.
The Terrible Overthrow of the
Austrians.
Half Million of Men and 1900 Gums in the
Field

The military correspondent of the London
Times, at the Prussan head quarters, gives
the fullest and clearest account of the battle
of Sadowa that has yet been published. 1t
appears in the Times of the 10th ult. We
copy the following passages:
The first shot was fred about half-past Z.
The Prussian horse artillery. close down to
the river, replied to the Austrian guns. but
neither side fired heavily, ard for half an
hour the cannonade consisted of but little
more than single shots. At quarter before
8, the King of Prussia arrived on the field,
and very soon after the horse artillery were
reinforced by other field batteries, and the
Prussian gunners began firing their shells
quickly into the Austrian position. But as
soon as the Prussian fire actively commenced,
Austrian guns seemed to appear as if by
magic in every point of the position from
every road, from every village, from the Or
chard of Mokrowcns on the Prussian right
to the orchard of the Benatek, on their left
came flashes of fire and whizzing rife shells
But the Austriars did not confine themselves
to firing on the artillery alone, for they
threw their shells up the slope opposite to
them, towards Dub, and one shell came slap
into a squadron of Uhlans, who were close
beside the King burying itself with heavy
thud in the ground, it blew up columns of
mud some 20 feet in the air, and, bursting a
moment after, reduced the squadron by four
files.
AS soon as the cannonade in front became
serious, the guns of the Seventh division be-
gan to lombard the village Of Bena.ek, on
the Austrian right. The Austrians returned
shot for shot, and neither side either gained
or los. ground. In the centre, too, the bat
tie was very even; the Prussians pushed
battery after battery into action, and kept
up tremendous fire on the Austrian guns,
but these returned it, and sometimes with
interest, for the Austrian artillery officers
knew their ground, and every shell fell true;
many officers and men fell, and many horses
were killed or wounded. More Krankentra-
gers were sent down to the batteries, and
always returned carrying on stretchers men
whose wounds had been hastily bound up
under fire, but who seemed to be too much
stunned to suffer from such pain.
Gradually the Prussian cannonade ap-
peared to get stronger, and tho Austrian
batteries between Dohalnitz and Dohalicha
retired higher up the hill, but the guns at
Mokrowena still stood fast, and the Prus-
SLAMS had not yet crossed the Bistritz but
many guns now turned on Mokrowens, and
at 10 o'clock the battery there was also
obliged to retire little.
While this cannonade had been going on,
some of the infantry had been moved down
towards the river, where they took shelter
from the fire under a convenient undulation
of ground The Eighth division came down
on the left hand si6e of the causeway, and
under cover of the rising in the ground,
formed its columns for the attack on the
village of Sadowa; while the 3D. and 4th
divisions, on the right hand side of the road,
prepared to storm Dohelnitz and Moaro-
wens. But little before their preparations
were complete the village of Benatek, on
the Austrans' right, caught fire, and the
Seventh division made dash to secure it,
but the Austrians were not driven out by
the flames, and here for the first time In the
battle was there ehand-to-hand fighting. The
9th regiment led the attack, and rushed in.
to the orchard of the village; the burning
houses separated the combatants, they pour
ed volley after yolley at each other through
the flames but the Prussians found means
to get round the burning houses, and taking
the defenders in reverse, forced them to re-
tire with the loss of many prisoners.
II was 10 o'clock when Prince Frederick
Charles sent General Stuhnapl to order the
attack on Sadowa, Dohelnitz and Mokro-
wens. The columns advanced, covered by
skirmishers, and reached the river bank
without much loss, bnt from there they had
to fight every inch of their way.
The Austrian infantry held the bridges and
villages in force, and fired fast upon them as
they approached. The Prussians. could ad.
vance .but slowly along the narrow ways and
against the detences of the houses, and the
voleys sweeping through the ranks seemed
to-tear the soldiers down. The Prussians
fred much more quickly than their oppo'
nents, but they could not see tostake theii
aim the houses, trees and smoke from the
Austrian discharges shrouded the village
Sheltered by this the Austrian Jagers fired
blindly where they could tell, BY hearing
whcro tho attacking columns were, and the
shots told tremendously on the Prussisnsi In
their close formations; but ths istter improsed
their positions, although slowly, and by
dint of sheer courage and perseverance,, fol