Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-07-25
The Battle of SadQWa.
DETAILS OF THE BATTLs-Irs DECISIVE CHARAC
TER AND PROBABLE RESULTS.

The Battle of SadQWa.
DETAILS OF THE BATTLs-Irs DECISIVE CHARAc-
TER AND PROBABLE RESULTS.
From London Times, July 5.
The decisive blow has been struck, and the
fortune of war has once more declared IN favor
of Prussia The bold conception and consum
mate execution of their far-sighted plan OF
campaign, and the results OF long series OF
bloody encounters, had, at the close OF last
week, enabled the Prussian Generals TO mass
their forces on the plain OF Bohemia, and 10
press close upon their enemy, who, after dis
putting the ground, inch by inch along every
avenue of that mountain-girI kingdom, had
fallen back foiied at all points, painting and
bleeding yet turning To bay ON his tact van
foreground on the Ebe, between his Two
strong holds of Josephstadt and koniggratz
pause of three days seems to have been
allowed TO the com bataots on both sides. FL
naIly. on Tuesday, the first Prussian army,
under Prince Frederick Charles, advancing
from Gitschn, Oh the road that by Chum
aud u0lziiz leads TO Sadowa, and the second
army, under the Crown Prince crossing the
Elbe Il meet them, drew up all their combined
forces under the immediate command oil their
king-an array, 1t Is said, of no less than
ei ghJ army corps-On some point near honig-
gratz between the right bank Ut the Eibe and
stream, which rons parallel to the main river
from Horzitz to it's confluence with 1t. Mar
shai Benedek, aware that the decisive moment
had arrived, issued forth from koniggratz,
apparently with only five army corps, but
or DOSING, as was natural with d man who
stood on his Own ground, most advantageous
POSITION The battle field Is described as being
near Koniggratz the hghtiug ragged probably
from one end TO the other OF this vast tract OF
country. The battle lasted IL hours. For
SIX hours the Austrian defended strong po-
sItiOu they had chosen behind the Bistritz,
but it Was taken by storm toward o o'clock,
and by Z clock in the evening the defeat OF
the ! ustrians was complete. The earliest
Prusslan bulletins OF the same evening, at
and IL clock, claim ed d victory, and spoke
of their army as close IN pursuit ot their
roul uled enemies.
By later accounts dated yesterday, We are
| told that three flags and 81 guns were taken
by three OF the victorious regiments, and no
less than 10000 Austrian prisoners had a.
ready been brought In. The trophies by
which other corps sgnallzed their victory, and
the total number OF their prisoners, had mol
yet been ascertained, but the 18th Prusslan
/ hussars are said to have broken two Austrian
squares. By their own admission, the Prus-
SLAMS purchased their triumph at a very heavy
pric- all their corps were brought into ac-
tion, and all suffered severely. Nothing.
I however, can exceed the extent OF the Aus
/ tran disaster As telegram after telegram
comes III, every fresh detail confirms us In cur
conviction lhat the Imperial Army already
/ exhausted bg L series of defeats IN which DO
! less than 20 900 prisoners had fallen into the
enehy's hands, dIspIrIted by the CONSCIOUSNESS
/ OF the fearful odds against which 1t had tC
contend, owing to that fatal needle-gun which
experience proved to be almost irresistible,
went INTO the field bent on q supreme efert,
not So much In defense Of the monarchy as In
support of Its ancient military renown, aud
fought, not SO much to conquer as TO sell the
victory at the highest possible rate. The most
! illustrious names in the empire are among he
dead and wounded.
Count Thun and Col. Binder, both high in
command, are among the former among the
! latter, three Archdukes and Gen. Festetics
Prince L,chtepstein and Prince Windischgrat
were taken prisoners. We have no accounts
on the Austrian slde-s melancholy proof that
they have no good tidings with which to mt
! igate the cruel intelligence, that the q dIsor-
der IN their camp Is too great tor them 60 think
of Geographic or written dlspatches-buO the
PrussIan bulletins assure Us that their enc nles
were falling back upon koniggratz in a com-
! plete rout, strewing their arms and baggage
far and wide along the road. The first IN
stincI of selt-preseryatlOn drove the tug tive
multitude 10 their fortress but either they did
not feel safe even at Kouiggratz, or Mar shal
Bene1ek, was actuated by strategic reasons to
a movement still further TO the rear, for We
are told that the AuslrIans were abandoning
their all-importanI position at the great rail
way junction at Pardubitz. Where this great
de6Gcte is TO terminate, what points Marshal
| Benedek may still consider detensible, where
he can hope to find breathing room for the re-
organisation of his scattered and dispirited
iorces, we hardly venture to inquire. The
suddeuness and the magnitude of this sad
Austrian calamity are 90 overpoweripg for
any man to speculate on Its pos-lble conse-
quences on the destinies of the Empire.
With the exception of few tortresses, OF
no more avail In modern warfare TO stay the
triumphant progress of q victorious army than
Josephstadt and koniggratz have proved TO
| be, Benedek has nothing in his rear but an
open country, nothing between him and the
capital but vast smooth battlefield, where
the cannon, the cavalry and the dread needle
gun of the Prussians will have free play The
/ Austriaus have done enough for the honor of
their arms !; they must now provide for the
safety of the State, and this can hardly be
done by prolonged resistance. 1t is not the
first instance in which Austria has lain pros
trate before an advancing enemy not the first
time 10 which an Emperor of the House of
Hansburg, stepping forward on the morrow
, of lost battle, has stood suddenly before the
conquerer, and, by the natural prestige of his
station, and the additional dignity which con-
sclousness of unmerited misfortune imparts to
an elevated character, has saved yet a few
| fragments of mis- battered Imperial mantle.
King William of Prussia is in the camp, and
the Emperor Francis Joseph is not very far
from Benedek's headquarters Let there be
at Pardubitz, or at Olmutz, such an interview
as there was after Austerlilz and after Softer
inO. Better terms than Austria may obtain
now will certainly not be granted to her after
| two or three months protracted struggle has
added to the evaporation of hostile passions
nor after many more thousands of Austria 3
noblest sons lie deep in their blood on the bat
tle-feld. On what conditions the two great
German powers could come to agreement at
the present moment it would be difficult to
say, and it would be unnecessary. All tina,
is required of Austria is that she should sue
for suspension of hostilities, which, there is
little doubt, would be readily granted. From
an armistice to a peace, the Emperor Francis
Joseph knows by experience, there Is but one
step IN tete-a-tete between two mOnarchs.
From the London Daily Nevs, JuIy6.
1t is difficult to exaggerate the efec, of the
Prussian victory, which is, indeed, nothing
less than great overthrow. For many days
1t must have been apparent to Marshal Bene
dek, or, al all events, TO the officers at Vienna,
that the grand struggle would take place in
the northeast of Bohemia. Every effort
therefore. must have been made to strengthen
the army IN those regions by hurrying up
quarters of the Empire. After the defeat of
fhe Itai Rat ilohlo