Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-08-08

| came up near the Dig tree, anu l. COulu
see men dotting the slope of the hill,
coming toward the railway, amid those
who could never move of their own &C.
cord again. These increased in number.
Puffs of smoke high in the air, or rising
from the ground, showed where the
Prussian fire was plying the Austrians on
the right; but their guns replied vigor-
ously, and all through that day, though
sometimes i'll placed, the Austrian artil-
lery behaved most gallsntly. 1t was diff
ficult to ascertain why the Austrian
Corps on the right were so unsteady, and
why so many men were leaving the ranks
of regiments still invisible; but after a
time another sponge-like raincloud wiped
away everything and left it all like a
clean slate, from behind which there
issued a rolling Ere of cannon as close as
the volleys of .feL de .jOie. When the
shower passed away the cannonade on
the right near the tree had sensibly di-
minished, and the Austrians seemed to
have the advantage of all along the front,
Judging by the advance of their guns and
infantry, except near the left center and
right of their line.
sADoWA IN FLAMES.
On the extreme left another black
cloud now rose up, licked by flames at
the base. Sadowa burns. And so it was.
The pleasant little village, snug church,
hospitable mill-all were burning. 1t
was with surer divination of the coming
woe than we had that the poor people
fed in tears, or remained in hopeless sor-
row in their houses. The heat of this
great battle burned up whatever it
touched, and sent forth the lava which
destroyed as it flowed on all sides. Be-
tween the big tree and Klum, in the CEN
ter and far away toward the second ridge,
the fight was raging with extraordinary
fury from ten o'clock till half-past ten,
and that half hour seemed an age. But
still the Austrisns advanced. One gray
mass of men followed another into the
smoke and was lost there. Toward Sa-
dowa and Nechanitz on the left they were
also gaining ground, and before eleven
o'clock their columns had gone out of
sight in the valley or undulations, and
the Prussians could be seen by their fire
to have fallen back on the opposing slope
of the second range of hills.
Between 1l:30 and y o'clock
the Austrians were to all intents success
full on the center and on its hanks, al
though the fury of the cannonade and
the incessant rattle of musketry all along
the front, from the front of Nechanitz
to the plateau between Klum,
attested the severity of the struggle and
the obstinate resistance of the Prussians.
Probbis, another pretty village, was now
in flames; three villages burning at once,
farm houses adding their contingents to
the fire and smoke, caissons blowing up,
shells bursting, and the slopes aud hill
tops covered with gray and blue specks,
each man in agony or in death. Again
the cavalry moved onward. This time
one division in two bodies, crowned the
ridge and formed near the front line, un-
der the church on the left of Klum, in
the center and left of the position, and
there they waited once more. But now
on the right the action awoke again, and
to our surprise, very heavy fire of mus
kerry comparatively close at hand, came
from the direction of Smirlintz; the Aus
trians on the crest of the ridge moved
uneasily, while many more stragglers
than one cared to see pressed down
toward the railroad. Whatever the cause
of the agitation, the Prussians on the
center and left pressed their attack with
renewed vigor, and the contest whic hen
sued was of exceeding ferceness; but
still the enemy did not prevail-the Aus
trians not only held their ground, but
repulsed the enemy, advanced against
them, took their ground and made pris-
oners. From the left of Klum to the
Prague road, and beyond it all was fire
and smoke.
TERRIBLE ARTILLERY FIRE.
The tumult of voices was dreadful, and
such as is never to be heard save in some
such awful agony of battle. The Austri-
ans again advanced a little nearer the
big tree, and two batteries of reserve ar
tillery could be seen driving fast to the
left to strengthen the attack. But the
Prussian reserves were once more called
upon, and from 2:30 till near l o'clock
there was an artillery fire from center to
left for six miles or more, which could
not well have been exceeded in any ac-
ton of which history makes mention.-I
That ammunition was becoming needed
in the advance position was evident from
the motion of the trains of supply and re-
serve, and we watched the cavalry with
intense interest, as it seemed to be time
for them to make an impression. The
Prussians were wavering. At l o'clock
the Prussians, however, recovered some
of the ground on the right near the big
tree. The Austrian artillery began to
fall back over the brow of the hill, and
again battalions of infantry e.. came in
sight and moved away obliquely toward |
the center. Still, no Prussians appear
ed in that direction, but they were Ger
tainly forcing the Austrians back on the |
.,o64 7 ,,,1xhA horvo Ioo,, til 4I,o4
the reserves to the right would have been
sent up to hold the top of the slope, but /
could not see it was so.
While the center advanced slowly but |
surely, space seemed to be left between |
The ground they had occupied and theleft
Of the Austrians, who were continually
retiring there. The houses burning fierce
y in Klum emitted volumes of smoke,
which were swept away toward the right.
Another village, lying apparently to the
eft of Prague road, named Gros Biaritz,
DR. Hiaritz, as well as 1 could catch the
name, was now in flames. More tum-
brils blew up in that direction; so that
there were now six or seven villages or
hamlets on fire from left to right. The
battle was assuming a more awful and /
aspect, and the faint rays of |
sunshine which shot at intervals through |
the lifting clouds only gave the scene
greater terror. Horses without riders ca
reered among the wounded, who were
all over the plain, dismounted.
Dragons dragged themselves to the rear,
and men came crawling along in such |
that they appeared like broad
fringe to the edges of the battle. But |
where they most swarmed was over the
plain, near the big tree. The rolling of
the musketry in the hollows beyond, |
smothered the voice of the cannon.
CRITICAL SITUATION FOR THE PRUss1ANs |
At this time the Austrian artillery |
were making splended practice, and |
about one o'clock the whole battle line |
of the Prussians 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 Aus |
trian fire, and in the wooded ground the
needle gun had no fair field, and the in
fantry fight was very equal.
Then Prince Frederick Charles sent the