Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-08-23
A Battle Scene.

The correspondent of French journal
gives the following graphic narrative of
what he saw at Custozza:
found behind q hedge two dead bodies,
which at first sight migot have seemed in
each others embrace; they we're merely
laying close to one another; they we're officers
who had fought as in duel; the Austrian
had passed his sword through the abdomen
of the italian, and he had plunged his
through the body Of the Austrian as far as
the bilt, and both had fallen face to face.
We began to experience some difficulty
in walking, for the ground was furrowed by
cannon balls and shells. Not tree had
been left standing, or intact, and not one
trace of the rich vegetation of corn Or fax,
or grape vine remained. We fell back 10
another direction, carving our way among
empty knapsacks, Kepptes and muskets,
which were strewing the ground all over
There cluster of grenadiers overthrown
by a charge of laucers; farther on company
of Creates moved down by grape and can
lister; Oh our left dozen 'tbessaglieri,"
with one half of their bodies carried away /;
on our right few Jagers disembowelled
With bayouets. The cavalry rushed on and
cut to pieces the Hohenlohe Infantry regi.
ment, says my travelling companion. Not
one Italian dead soldier left with his silver
medal hanging on his breast, and all the
oorpses shoeless, carcases of dead horses
laying upon or near the dead bodies of
their riders. About thirty Italian and Aus
trian dead soldiers fallen pe!l.mell upon
one another, struck our sight; we drew
near-sswater, WATER" cries voice. We
raised the dying soldier, while the Count
applied to bis parohed lips a bottle con.
taiuing a mixture of brandy, coffee and wa.
ter; the wounded soldier swallowed
draught with intense avidity, then fell back
dead. % opening his coat we discover.
ed that musket ball had pierced his breast.
We had scarcely gone fifty steps when We
came to lake of blood, looking like an i'm
meuse slaughter pen. Great God, what
has taken place here? The dead bodies by
hundreds concealed the ground to our view.
1t was a square upon the top of hill, a.
round house demolished by cannon balls; ;
over first stratum of dead bodies maugled
BY the cavalry there laid second stratum
crushed by the artillery which had run over
them, then other layers, and then again
more. All was silent confusion and horror /!
There they had fought With all arms
Fragments of human bodies scattered all
around, spoke of the fearful work of grape
and shells horrible gashes iu the face, on
the neck, on the shoulders, told too elo
queutly that the cavalry had there dealt
blows with frantic rage; and shattered
skulls gave evidence of the share revolVers
fired point blank had had in the mighty
butchery. The open chests, the torn bel
lies showed the terrible hand to hand, face
to face, fight by bayouets, swords and
Iauces. Dead men, dead horses, nuskets,
revolvers, cannons, swords, caissons, shahos,
rifles, cartridge boxes, knapsscks, cavalry,
infantry and artillery, all mingled in appai-
ing confusion; the soldier upon the officer,
the caisson upon the horse, streams Of
blood trickling on all sides along the flank
Of the hill. We were about to lea7e, when
vivid flash illumines, on sudden, the
opposite hill strewed with corpses We
walked to it through path covered With
the dead bodies of hundreds of bersaglieri.
On one side we behold a heap of bodies
which once belonged to the Alessandria
cavalry; on the top We found number Of
Austrian artillerymen cut to pieces. Tue
battery placed on that hill had been silen-
ced by cavalry charge, and the men butch
cred to the very last. The Italian soldiers
are cut 10 the face, on the head the Aus
trians sabered, run through with the bayon
ct. Horses without number lay with their
limbs in the air; four or five gun carriages
lay scattered in pieces Here, too, another
evidence of life stops our career We list,
en-; voice groans from under a pile OF
leaves and stocks "Help, help for Gods
sake" 1t is bersaglieri from the South
ern provinces, who is dying, and calls for a
priest; he asks me if be is exoommunicated.
I addressed bin 10 bis own dialect; he
seemed soothed and consoled, for be believes
me. Wounded 10 the face and in the chest
by the explosion of shell, he cannot live;