Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1866-08-04
hey lost men at every yard of their advance.

with wounded. Then, to help the infantry
the Prussian artillery turned its fire, regard
less Of the enemy's batteries on the villages
and made tremendous havoc among the
houses. Mokrowens and Dohelnitz both
caught fire, and shells fell quickly and with
fearful effect among the defenders of the
flaming hamlets the Austrian guns also
played upon the attacking infantry, but at
this time these were sheltered from their
fire by the houses and trees between.
In and around the villages the fighting
continued for nearly an hour; then the
Austrian infantry, who had been there
driven out by a rush of the Prussians, re-
tired, but only little way up the slope in
to a line with their batteries The wood
above Sadowa was strongly held, and that
between Sadowa and Benatek, teeming with
ri1emen, stood to bar the way of the Seventh
division. But General Fransky, who COM
mands this division, was not to be easily
stopped, and he sent his infantry at the
wood, and turned his artillery on the Aus
trian batteries. The Seventh division began
| firing into the trees, but found they could
not make any impression, for the defenders
were concealed, and musketry fire was use-
less against them. Then Fransky let them
go, and they dashed in with the bayonet.
The Austrians would not retire, but waited
for the struggle, and in the wood above
Benatek was fought out one of the fiercest
combats which the war has seen.
The 9th Prussiar regiment went in near
| ly 5000 strong, with ninety officers, and
came out on the farther side with only two
officers, and between 800 and 400 men stand
ing all the rest being killed or wounded
The other regiments of the division also
suffered much, but not in the same proper
tion but the wood was carried The Aus
trian line was now driven in on botE flanks
but its commander formed a new line of
battle little higher up the hill, round Lissa,
| still holding the wood which lies above Sa-
dowa.
Then the Prussan artillery was sent across
the Bistritz, and began to fire upon the new
Austrian position, At the same time the
smoke of Gen. Herwarth's advance was
gradually seen moving towards the Austrian
left for he had at Nechanitz. village seven
miles lower down the Bistrits than Sadowa,
found brigade of Saxon troops, with some
Austrian cavalry, and was driving them
toward Lissa, himself following in such a
direction that it appeared he would turn the
Austrian left flank. But the Austrian COM
mander seemed determined to hold his posi-
tion, and heavy masses of infantry and cav
airy could be seen on the upper part of the
slope
The Prussian infantry, which had taken
the village of Sadowa and Dobenitz, was
now sent against the wood, which, above
these places, runs along the side of the Sa-
dowa and Lissa road. They advanced
against it, but did not at first make much
impression, for, the Austrians being here
again concealed, the fire of the needle gun
did not tell, and whole battery placed at
the far end of the wood fred through the
trees, and told on the Prussian ranks with
awful effect. But the assailants fought on,
at last broke down :hc obstacles at the en-
trance and then dashed in. The fighting
continued from tree to tree, and the Aus
trians made many a rush to recover the lost
position of the wood, but in this close fight
ing their boyish troops went down like nine
pins before the strong men of the Eight di-
vision but when the defenders drew back
a little and their artillery played into the
trees, the Prussians suffered fearfully, and
about half way up IN the wood the fight be-
come stationary.
At this time the Austrian artillery were
making splendid practice, and about 1
o'clock the whole battle line of the PrussiaDs
could gain no more ground, and was obliged
to fight hard to retain the position it had
won. At one time it seemed as If it would
be lost, for guns had been dismounted by
the Austrian fire, and in the wooded
ground the needle gun had no fair field, and
the infantry fight was very equal.
Then Prince Frederick Charles sent the
Fifth and Six divisions forward. They laid
down their helmets and llnapsacks on the
ground and advanced to the river. The
King was now near to Bistritz, and the
troops cheered him loudly as they marched
into the battle. They went over the Sadowa
bridge, disappeared into the wood, and
soon the increased noise of musketry told
they had begun to fight; but the Austrian
gunners sent salvo after salvo among them,
and they did not push the battle forward
more than few hundred yards, for they
fell back themselves, and they could not
reach the enemy. Not only did the frag-
ments of the shells fly about among them,
scattering death and awful gashes among
their ranks, but the portions of the trees,
torn by the artillery fire, flew thickly about
huge, ragged splinters, that caused even
more frightful wounds.
Herwarth too, seemed checked upon the
right The smoke of the musketry and ar
tillery, which had hitherto been pushing for
ward steadily, stood still for a time. Fransky's
men, cut to pieces, could not be sent for
WdIu W dttdCh tlC DdNtO"a NOoi, ipl thS1
would have exposed themselves to be taken
in the rear by artillery on the right of the
Austrian line formed in front of Lissa. All
the artillery was engaged except eight
batteries, aud these had to be retained in
case of a reverse, for at one time the firing
in the Sadowa wood, and of the Prussian
artillery on the slope, seemed almost as If
drawing back towards Bistritz. The first
army was certainly checked in its advance,
il not actually being pushed back.
The Prussian commanders began to look
anxiously to the left for the coming of the
Crown Prince Some Austrian guns near
Lissa were seen to be firing toward the
Prussian left, and it was hoped they might
be directed against the advanced guard of
! the Second army, but at three o'clock there
were no signs of Prussian columns advan-
cling against Lissa. The generals became
manifestly uneasy, and they drew the in
fantry out of the battle; cavalry was also
formed up, SO that it would be available
either for the pursuit of the Austrians or for
retarding their pursuit, and General Won
Rhetz himself went off to look for the Sc
( con6 army. But he soon returned, and
brought the intelligence that the Grown
Prince was forming his attack on Lissa, and
| that the guns on the Austrian right had