Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-07-24

tween three and four hundred men stane
ing; all the rest were killed or wounded
. The other regiments of the division ais
suffered much, but not in the same prC
portion; but the wood was carried. TIL
q Austrian line was now driven in on bot
u banks, but its commander formed a ney
line of battle a little higher up the hill
round LISA, still holding the wood whicl
lies above Sadowa.
l. NEW AUSTRIAN POSITION.
Then the Prussisn artillery was sen
across the Bistritz, and began to fire upor
|. the new Austrian position. AT the same
time the smoke of General Herwarth's ad-
vance was gradually seen moving toward
T the Austrian left for he had at Neehanitz,
a village about seven miles lower down
the Bistritz than Sadowa, found a brig
ade of Saxon troops, with some Austrian
cavalry and was driving them towards
the position at Lipa, himself following in
such direction that it appeared he would
turn the Austrian left flank. But the
Austrian commander seemed determined
to hold his position, and heavy masses of
infantry and cavalry could be seen on the
upper part of the slope.
IN THE WOODS.
Tho Prussian infantry, which had taken
the villages of Sadowa and Dobelnitz,
was now sent against the wood which,
above these places, runs along the side of
he Ssdowa and Lipa road. They ad-
vaneed against it, but did not at first
make much impression, for, the Austrisns
being here again concealed, the fire of the
needle-gun did not tell, and whole bat
terry 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 the obstacles at the entrance, and
then rushed in. The fighting continued
| from tree to tree, and the Austrians made
many rush to recover the lost position
of the wood, but in this close fighting
their boyish troops went down like nine
| pins before the strong men of the Eighth
| division; but when the defenders drew
back little and their artillery played
into the trees, the Prussians suffered fear
fully, and about halfway up in the wood
the fight became stationary.
AT this time the Austrian artillery were
making splendid practice, and about l
o'clock the whole battle line of tho Prus-
SLAMS could gain no more ground, and
was obliged to fight hard to retain the po-
sition 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 Sixth divisions forward. They
laid down their helmets and knapsacks on |
the ground, and advanced to the river
The King was nOw,near to the Bistritz,and |
the troops eheered him loudly as they |
marched into the battle They went over |
the Sadowa bridge, disappeared into the |
wood and soon the increased noise of mus |
kerry told they had begun to fight; but |
the Austrian gunners sent salvo after sal. |
vo among them, and they did not push |
the battle forwards for more than a few |
hundred yards, for they fell back them |
selves, and they could not reach the enc
my. Not only did the fragments 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.
ADVANCE OF THE CROWN PRINCE.
Herwarth, toe, seemed checked upon the |
right. The smoke of his musketry and |
artillery, which had hitherto been push |
ing forward steadily, stood still for a time. |
Franskys men, cut to pieces could not |
be sont forward Ia attael, tha Sads'ra Weed |
for they would have exposed themselves |
to be taken in rear by the artillery on the |
right of the Austrian line formed in front |
of Lipa. All the artillery was engaged |
except eight batteries and 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, if not actually be- |
ing-Pushed back.
Then the Prussian commanders began |
to look anxiously to the left for the COM
ing of the Grown Prince. Some Austrian
guns near Lipa were seen to be firing to-
ward the Prussian left, and it was hoped |
they might be directed against the ad-
vanced guard of the Second Army, but at
three O clock there were no signs of Prus-
sian columns advancing against Lipa.
The generals became manifestly uneasy,
and they drew the infantry out OF the j
battle; cavalry was also formed up so
that it would be available either for the
pursuit of the Austrians, or for resisting
their pursuit and Gen. Won Rhetz him
self went off to look for the Second Army.
But he soon returned. and brought the
intelligence that the Crown Prince was
forming his attack on Lipa, and that the
guns on the Austrian right had been fir
ing against his troops.
h, 1, IL !,
The Sadowa wood was carried, and the
battery beyond it was stormed by the Ja-
gers. At half-past three the Crown
Princes columns were seen moving across
the slope against Lipa, for his artillery
mad silenced the Austrian guns, and Her
warth was again pressing forward against
the Austrian left. In y quarter of an
hour the Crown Princes infantry was en-
gagged at Lipa, and their quick volleys of
musketry rapidly advancing, told that
the Austrians were in full retreat The
First army pushed forward at once, the ar
tilIery limbered up and galloped up the
slope coming into action on every oppor-
tunity to send its shells against the re-
treating battallions, the infantry, emerg-
ing from the woods, formed and pressed
at the double. Prince Frederick Charles
put himself ut the head OF his regiment,
and dashed over the Sadowa bridge and
up the road, followed by all his light cav
airy.
THE ROUT.
On gaining the top of the Lipa slopes
the retreating battalioDs of the Austrions
were seen running across a hollow in the
ground which lies between Lipa and the
village of Streselitz, which lies about two
miles further south. The Prussian artil-
lery halted on the summit of the Lipa hill
and fred shells rapidly which burst with
terrible precision over the heads of the fu-
gitives. The cavalry few forward in pur-
suit, but the Prince, after leading a short
way, had to go to superintend the general
movement, for the Austrian batteries had
taken post in Streselitz and were fir
ing heavily against the pursuing Prus-