Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1866-08-10

the Austrian gunners had no time K
lin Der up, but were forced to deser
their pieces aud seek safety for themselve
aud their horses in flight. Most of thu
guns which had been placed in batteries
were taken, but those which acted a!
field artillery, admirably handled, wer,
quickly withdrawn, and were already fas
forming on a further ridge by Streselitl
to cover the retreat of the infantry.
The Prussiaus paused but a few mo
ments among the taken guns and then
rushed on In pursuit. The summit oi
the Lipa ridge was quickly gained and
there before them they saw the whole
hollow between them and Stresefitz filled
with running white uniforms. The vic
? torious battalliOns commenced a rapid
? fire upon them. and men dropped quickly
from the flying ranks, rolling over ami
over as they fell on the slOpiBg ground
The two corps which the Grown Prince
had directed more against the Austrian
rear caught the fugitives In flank and
/ raked the running ranks with their FIRE.
/ The Prussiau artillery was also quickly
up, unhmbered, and came iuto action on
the summit of the Lipa ridge, and sent
its shells among the heads of the flying
soldiers. And yet the Austrians kept
their formation, and never let their re-
/ treat become a rout. Such a retreat IN
| der such circumstances Is as credItaDle to
the valOr of the Austrian soldiers as a
battle won
! The Prussian cavalry, unable to leave
! the road till it got TO nearly the top of the
hill, on account of the woods by the side
| of the way, was not up till the Austrian
/ infantry had got half across the hollow
! which separated Lipa from the further
ridge of Streselitz, and there the Austrian
! batteries had taken up their position and
/ began to play upon the pursuing troops.
| Then, for few minutes, Prince freder
1 lex Charles who was leading the hussars
] and dragoOns had to leave them to make
I his general dispositions for attacking the
position taken up by the Austrian artillery
and the cavalry Immediately got out OF
hand. By single squadrous, by single
troops and even only in knots Of a few
horsemeu, they rushed with Wild lmpetu-
Osity at different points of the retreatlng
infantry; but the Austrian guns sent shells
rapidly among them, and the infantry,
though running, still kept its formation,
and turned when they came too close to
stand and delivered volleys which emptied
many a saddle Nor were the Austrian
cavalry off the field though they could
not face the tremendous ire of the Prus
sian guns to charge and cover the retreat
of the infantry but when attacked by the
enemy S cavalry, and when thus the guns
could not fire upon them, they fought
hard. aud sacrificed themselves to cover
the retreat. Then squadTons of the ID
Regiment Of Prussian Dragons rushed
forward, came upon the Austrian regI-
ment Of Cuirassiers, who turned and
charged. Big men on big horses, they
drove the Prussians back. aud, shifting
them heavily with their ponderous swords
nearly destroyed the Dragons but Ho-
henlohe's Prussian Uhlaus, seeing their
comrades Worsted, charged with their
laBee5 eOuohed against the AustTlaus
flank and compelled them to retire. Press
ed hard by the Lancers, they fell back,
fighting hard, but then Ziethen' S Hussars
charged them In the rear. A fierce com
bat ensued; the Cuirassiers struck strong
ly about them, fighting for their lives
but the Laneers drove their ianees into
their horses, while the Hussars, light and
active, closed In upon them, and only ten
Austrians are reported unwOuuded from
the melee But the Austrian artillery
was not long able to hold its new posi-
ton the fire of the Prussian guns and
the dispositions which were being made
to attack it compelled it to retire. 1t
then drew off slowly, but on every sue
.cessive ridge came into action and fired
against the pursuers to check them and
gain for its own infantry time to retreat
The Prussiau horse artillery and cavalry
AAa
pursuit went thundering toward the Elbe.
The Austrians retired partly to Pardu
bitz, partly to the Fortress of koniggratz, !
and it was anticipated that, huddled to-
gether in crossing the few bridges over
the river, they would be caught by the
Prussiau cavalry, and that their army
would be annihilated but they had ia
ken the wise precaution to throw seven or /
eight bridges across the river, and got
across the stream by night without Sc
we're loss.
The field of battle this morning shows
the severity of the fight. The wounded |!
have all been removed, but few of the /
dead are buried, for the number of the |
wounded was so great that every man who
could be spared from duty was required !.
to look after them. All night long the
"Kran kentrager" have been at work, and /
have been assisted by large number of
soldiers. Every village near the battle
field has its standing houses converted /
into hospitals, and all the surgeons In the
army have been busy all night long. In
the woods and in the broken ground the
bodies of Austrians and Prussians are
tolerably equal in number, generally ly
ing in groups of four or five of either
nation together, marking the spot where
a she'll has burst; but IN the open ground
and down the-reverse side OF the Llpa
slope the Austrians lie terribly thick, and
hardly a Prussian uniform is to be seen.
Wherever the Austrians fought unpro-
tected by cover, and wherever the Prus
sian rihemen, armed with needle guns,
could see their enc mics, the dIsprOportIOn
of the dead becomes Immediately appar-
ent. The corn is trOdden down over the
field as fiat as If it were straw laid on a
stable floor. and the ground is plowed up
and dug into holes with shells SO thickly
that it is hardly possible to ride IN a
straight direction for 20 yards.
On the top of Lipa ridge, and near the
village, stand a large number of the cap
tured guns, with all their wagons and car
riages beside them, and on the slope away
from Sadowa the rest are placed under
the charge of the corps of the Guard
which in the Grown Princes attack storm
ed the batteries. Everywhere about the
field fatigue parties are digging large
trenches Ia which the Austrian and
Prussian killed are being laid side by side
clothed In their uniforms. No other
tombstone is put up to mark each grave
than plain wooden cross, on which IS
written the number of each regiment that
lies below. The officers are placed in
single graves near beside the men. But
here and there few are seen silently car
rying some cOmrade to more retired
spot.
On one part Of the field a Prussian
General with his staff was burying his
son, who had fallen in the attack on the
Austrian right. Close by, the wife Of a
private soldier who had found her hus-
bands body on the field had it buried by
some soldiers. had hanged some oak
branches on the little wooden cross at the