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

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A further inspection Of the field of bat
tie this morning shows how formidable
position the Austrians held, and also how
fearfullY they must have suffered Al
around the village of Lipa. where they
took up their position after being driver
from the villages on the banks of the Bis
trItz, were intrenchments and made bat
terles, the guns from which searched out
every inch of ground over which their as
sallants could advance The village itself
was surrounded BY barricades formed oil
eut-dOWn trees, the houses were loophol-
ed, and guns had been placed so as tC
sweep every approach. 1t seems perfect
ly astonishing how such position could
have been carried. 1t had evidently been
prepared some days ago, for all the IN
trenchments were regularly dug. and had
not been thrown up IN haste. Hundreds
lof guns must have fired against the ad
EVancing Prusslans, which were not ex-
tposed, but were placed IN batteries aud so
fshielded from the fire of the attacking
army, and we're also defended by lines of
infantry, themselves screened by earth
works.
On the Austrian right flank, against
which the troops of the Grown Prince ad-
vanced, the batteries we're so strong and
SO close together that the position more
resem bled a permanent fortress than a
mere field work. On the left and front
there was more open space, but the bat
teries were equally strong though they
we're distributed over a wide extent of
+ ground. No wonder that the soldiers of
i the First Army Corps at one time tarried
in their advance, for how troops could
/ have stood up against so many guns so
lskillfully placed and not have been ami
/ hilated seems a miracle. No one who has
! stood on the summit Of the hill Of Lipa
and looked upon the Austrian batteries,
/ which form a perfect screen around the
/ position, can fail to be convinced that the
/ troops which stood SO many hours under
I FIRE, finally to storm those works, are
/ formed of men of no mean courage and of
/ soldiers Of no little worth
/ When Prince Frederick Charles sent
| the night before the battle to request the
cooperation of the Grown Prince, the
latter sent back an answer that he would
be on the field at two 0 clock. More than
/ faithful to his promise, he was there with
/ two corps at 12k, and his artillery was en-
| gagged with the batteries on the Austrian
right at that hour. But the FIRE from the
Austrian batteries was so terrible that he
could not attack with his infantry till
something had been done towards silenc-
| ing the enemies guns The General dI-
/ reeting the front attack could see nothing
/ of the Grown Princes infantry, as they
were hidden In the undulations of the
ground to shelter them from the A US
/ trian Artillery fire.
/ The aide -de-camp dispatched from the
| Second Army Corps to tell the King that
/ the Grown Prince was engaged, had to
make a long JetOur, and did not reach the
generals directing front attack till late
/ in the afternoon. Hence arose great un-
| easiness in the front, for from the direc-
/ ton of the Austrian guns they might have
been firing against the Seventh division,
which formed the lefs of the front attack
and as nothing could be seen Of the
/ Crown Princes troops it began to be fear
| ed that he had been stopped by some ac-
cident As time went on anxiety incTeas-
/ ed, for it was felt that the Austrian posi-
| ton was too strong to be taken by front
attack alone. Glasses were anxiOusly di-
rected to the left, but the day being wet
/ there was no dust to show where the coll
umns marched, and nothing could be
seen to indicate the advance of the Sec
ond Army against the Austrian right.
The King himself gazed steadfastly
through his glass, looking In vain through
the misty air No glimpse could be
caught of PTussian rifemen on the slope
to the left of Lipa, and no battaliOns
could be seen the guns also were out of
sight for they were on the reverse side of
I kIa
position Of the Staff by the wood that
runs from the Benatek up the slope to-
ward .Lipa But this uneasiness was
groundless, for at l o'clock the Crown
Prince was on the field with two corps d.
9Tnsee, and his two others, less one brig
ade. which had been left to watch the
fortress of Josephstadt, were hurrylng up
behind him. his guns were steadily re-
plying to the Austrian batteries, and, on
2 J. Al IL IL g
of the first and fifth corps o. OTnIee we're
fighting hard to secure a village and wood
on the right rear of the Austrians. And
there a fierce battle took place, for the
Austrian commander knew that the
Grown Prince was striking at the head Of
his position, and he threw strong forces
against the Prussian attack.
But the men of the second army, fresh
| from three victories had a high courage
and gained ground, though slowly against
superior forces. Between Z and ) o'clock
| the two other corps of the Crown Prince
| came up and then holding one in reserve,
| he formed three for the final attack on
| the Austrian right His artillery had IN
| the meantime got the better of the Aus
| triau guns. and had set fire to several of
| the houses held by the Austrlans Att -
| o'clock the second army advanced. From
/ the front the attack of one corps only
I
/ ed upon the reverse Of the Lipa-hill.-
| First a swarm of black dots stealing
across the fields showed the advance Of
| the skirmishers, and the Austrian sharp
| shooters, who had been lying among the
corn, could be seen running before them
| 10 gain the shelter Of their own lines.
/ Close behind the skirmishers followed
| the heavy columns of infantry, looking
| like small black squares gliding along the
| side of the hill.
The Austrian guns played sharply on
them, but they pushed forward without
wavering till within short distance of
/ the batteries then a few rapid Yolleys of
musketry sent up a cloud OF smoke,
/ which, hanging heavily in the misty air,
shut out the view; but sudden silence OF
/ the Austrian guns told that the Prusslans
| had closed, and that the batteries had
| been stormed The ground leading up
/ to them, was steep, and the gunners sent
/ round after round into the stOrmlng col
umns, till the leading ranks were close to
| the muzsles of the guns; the rltlemen
/ who were ensconced in the lntrenchments
/ beside the batteries to defend them, sent
| biting volleys into them; but caring
| naught for the firing of the infantry, or
| the steepness of the ground, the Prusslans
| dashed straight at the guns, and both gun,
| ners and sharpshOOters had TO turn ana
! fly Then the deadly needle gun opened
( its fire on the fugitives, and with sueh
precision that the ground is covered win
/ dead AUstrians lying thick together In
one place 40 corpses lie on less than an
acre Of ground, and the wounded appear
ed to be to the dead as three to one.
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