Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1866-07-28
MISCELLANEOUS.
THE WAR IN GERMANY.
The Battle at POdOl Isridge.-Gra.
plhic Account OF the Slaughter on
the First bay. .
(from the military correspondence of the London
..... Times


(From the military correspondence of the London
... Times.)
HEADQUARTERS OF FIRST PRUssIAN AR
MY, SCHLoss OF SICHRow, June 27.-The
railway and high-road which lead down the
valley of the lser from Turnau to Munchen-
gratz, run for distance of about five miles
from the former town on the north side of
the river, but on reaching the village of
Podoll cross to the south bank by .wo
bridges, which are about two hundred Yards
distant from each other, that of the railway
being on the right, and that by which the
road crosses on the left, of person looking
! towards Munchengratz. The railway bridge
Is constructed OF iron; that which carries
the road across the stream is made of wood,
and lies on a level with the causeway winch
is raised on an embankment about ten feet
above the fat meadows lying along side of it..
The lser at Podoll is nearly one hundred
yards wide, and runs with a deep but fast
stream between steep banks, which only rise
| about four feet above the level of the water.
BY the side of the road and on the banks of
the stream grow large willow trees, planted
at equal distances from each other, and
about ten yards apart Three roads lead
from the plateau of Sichrow to the high
road that runs down the valley of the Iser.
That on the east country road which leaves
the plateau near the Schloss of Sichrow and
joins the highway near the village of
Swierzln, almost at an equal distance be-
| tween Turnau and PoGoll; in the centre the
chaussee from Liebenau strikes into the
high road half way between Swierzin and
Turnau, and the road from Gentschowitz on
the west joins it close to this town.
| Last evening Prince Frederick Charles
| threw a light pontoon bridge over the river
| a little below the broken bridge of Turnau,
and occupied the town with small force
without opposition.
Horne's division marched at the same time
! 10y the country road on the east, occupied
the village of Swierzln, and pushed its adj
vanced guard towards Podoll The troops
directed on this point consisted of two com
panies of the fourth jaeger battalion, the
second and fusileer battalions of the thirty
first regiment, and one battalion of the
seventy-tirst. The Jagers, who were leading,
got to within three-q quarters of mile of
Podoll bridge before they came into collision
with Austrian outposts, but here they found
the enemy, and a sharp action ensued, for
the Austrians had six battallons in the viii
lage, and meant to hold the place and cover
the passage of the river
OPENING FIRE. ..
1t was about eight o'clock, and the dusk
of the evening was rapidly closing in, when
the Jagers first felt their enemy. On the
right hand side of the road, about half
mile before the bridge, stands the first house
of the village, 1t is large square farm
house, with windows without glass, but with
heavy gratings The Aust-ians had occu-
pied it in force, and their outlying pickets,
as they retired before the advancing Prus-
slams, formed line across the road beside
it. AS soon as the Jagers came within sight,
| the garrison of the farmhouse and the
| formed-up pickets opened bitter fire upon
| them. From the grated windows and from
| the line of soldiers in the road there came
one rapid volley, which told severely on the
Prussian rifemen, but these went quickly to
work, and fired about three times before the
Austrians, armed only with muzzle-loading
rifles, were able to reply. chen the noise of
musketry rose high, occasionally swelling
into heavy roar, but sometimes falling off
so that the ear could distinguish the sepa-
rate reports But this did not last long,
Major Won Hagen, commanding the second
battalion of the thirty first, which was fol-
lowing the Jagers, ON the first sound of the
firing had put his troops in double-quick
time, and was soon up to reinforce the rifle
men. 1t was now nearly dark, and the
flashes of the rifles, the reports of the shots,
and the shouts of the oombatants were al
most the only indications of the positions OF
the troops; yet it could be seen that the
rapid firing of the needle-gun was telling on