Year: 1859




reached the top raised up his bearskn, and hur-


rah OF EiUe EmpereurP was the answer from his


comrades, who followed close upon his steps and


mad IN moment possession of the place. The enc


my was lying across the iron bridge which leads


over the canal, and the Grenadiers so close after


MIN that the man who was to have put the match


to the mine under the bridge wa bayoneted. Will


some !nrew water ON the powder in the chamber of


the mine the others rushed forward to secure the


archway through which the railway comes out on


the heights on the other side. As soon "a this was


done two battalions were sent, to the right the


other to the left, to protect the hanks, while the


third kept within the position gained. This sue


cess forced the enemy likewise to abandon the


heights in front of the high road against which the


Zouaves advanced. He had time to blow


up the bridge, and withdrew to a cluster of
! houses beyond it, where formerly the Aus


trian customhouse and police-otice were and Occu-
pied the vine yards which skirt both roads from
that point. The vines had been cleverly entwined


and thus splendid shelter formed for the rifeman,
while the roads themselves were swept by his ar


tillery, which had taken position further behind,


toward Magenta. The position was highly critical;
| the two regiments, had, indeed, a position almost


as strong as the Austrans had held BEFORE but they
were without any support, and the enemy began to
show masses of troops from all sides. Columns from


Robecco advanced and tried take the position in


Its left flank and rear where likewise some artillery


were placed to NOW down the continually thinning
ranks OF the grenaders. In front. greater and
greater masses began to show themselves while to


the left hail ofbullets fired from the cluster of


houses made the position in that direction more and
| more dliheult 70 get rid at any rate of this an
| noyance, the Zouaves were ordered to take tbe


houses, three companies being sent to the support


OF the GrenadIers and to take the houses in rear:


the rest advanced at the point ofhe bayonet drove


out the defenders, and not only established them


selves in the houses but cleared the ground in front


and penetrated to a farmhouse which lies a little
| to the right front of the position


TWAS o'clock almost, and yet the gallant lit
Tic oand was without support from anywhere The
enemy mas sufficient force to oppose to Gen. McMa-
hpSidn w tbo


tarded his march too much to enable his diversion
to have the desired effect. The columns aoainst


bulfaiora found the bridge over the canal broken


up and the troops ordered as support from the rear
had not yet had time to arrive In the meantime


tne enemy prepared to take the offensive on his
SIDE, and to regain the lost position New and new


s Drought up by the railway, the whistle
OF winch was heard began to advance t, the attack


OF the position. To abandon the positions so dearly


bought would not only have been to acknowledge a
aeieat but likewise to make the reganing of It in
front almost impossible. The enemy w0uId have
had time to blow up the bridge and thus make the
position almost impregnable, and the time thus al
lowed would have enabled him to bring up large
part OF his army to defend this position


"Everything then bade to two regiments which
at the beginning had numbered not more nerbans
than l,oOO to 500 defenders each, to hold ont as
long as man remained. And they did it, too like
men, against al the masses the enemy could bring
against them On they came, but useesslv for their
ranks being thinned by the rifles of the Zouayes
ana Grenadiers they were attacked at the point of
the 6ayonet and driven back, leaving hundreds on
the HELD The vineyards in front of the houses and
the two roads, the farm-yard to the RIGHT of tben
were even to-day, after masses have been buried
fuil oil their cOrpses. In vain were all their atamnts
not only did the two regiments succeed in keeping
thelr POSITION but they advanced several times
IN pursuit. and in Order to encounter the new mass
es: on one OF these occasions the Zouaves to the
left, and Grenadiers to the right advanced toward
the Villages the skirmishers in front who were to
nave been iOO yards or so apart from each other
The ground covered with trees made il dificuIt tn
keep the distance exactly, and when two Guns were
advanced to keep back new Austrian column,
TINS latter had time to carry off these two puns
One of them was retaken afterward in the VILLAGE
OF Magenta, but the other remains a loss In re-
turn, the Grenadlers, in spite of their small num-
eers succeeded IN taking one gun and one howitzer
from the enemy before any succor arrived


'This state of things lasted until p NJ, but the
time was drawing near when, in spite of their he
r0Ic efforts, the little band would scarcely have
oeen aoe to go on much longer. 1t had had terrif-
hc losses, their ammunition was beginning to fail
and their strength too after two hours of gigantic
lght against ever increasing odds. At this mo-
ment cloud of dust behind on the road showed
the advance OF the long looked for help and the
brigade Piscard of the division RenauTt was seen
advancing. As soon as they had arrived the Sth
Chasseurs were sent toward the village of Robecco
TO the right the 23d OF the line to the centre of the
position, while the Goth kept in hand to be used
according to circumstances A bout the same time
the corps of Gen. McMahon had overcome the diff
hculties of the ground and was attacking Magenta
battalion
and several divisions sent to the rpht to sur-
round and crush the enemy. These forces carried
every ythlng before them, and forced the Austrans
TO so precipltate retreat that above 5000 priso-
ners, among them 73 officers remained in the hands
OF the Allies. Beside the two guns taken by the
Grenadlers, and which have seen a GOOD many
others are said to have been taken some say as
many as 80. have not seen them, and so cannot
say, put even II not, the day glorious day for
the Allies Of the prisoners have seen a batch of
at least % officers myself and mass of 200 9th
er prisoners, besides several smaller batches


The losses on either side are supposed to be about
1000 hOrs du combat without the prisoners of u-a
from the number OF dead and wounded | saw |
don thlnk that there is much exaggeration in this
VI course, the two regiments to whom belong in
the first instance the honor of the day suffered most
severely. The Grenaders alone had officers killed
and ii wounded don't know about the Zouaves
after them the regiments which first up to the
rescue, and the corps of General Mcmahon engaged
on the other side Two generals are among the
dead-General Claire and General Espinasse The
former met his fate in front of the position while
the latter, when bringing up his division, advanced
to reconnoitre a cO"nfeld from which shots were
fired, and was killed by rife bullet at the same
moment as his aidde-camp, who was riding near
him. These are the details of the brilliant battle
or engagement at Ponte di Magenta You may rely
upon them as true on all essential points
. "But my letter has already outgrown itself, and
must conclude, so good by.


JUNE 6, ii A. M.-After the attack of the day
before yesterday, of the forces which had come
up were pushed to the front 10 occupy the posi-
tions which had been taken. On this occasion the
Division Trochu came yesterday morning on the
rear guard of the enemy, and had sharp encoun-
ter with it beyond Magenta The enemy did not
hold out long, and must have shown pretty clearly
his intention to withdraw, and not to accept bat
tie before giving up the road to Milan for in the
afternoon the third corps, provided with everything
necessary for several days was pushed forward on
the high road to Milan, while the left column ad-
vanced from Turbigo into the neighborhood of Mi
Ian; To-day the news arrived that the Manese
had risen, and that the Allies had entered Mlan.-
This has been already stated several times but it is
probably true today.


CATER the defeat, which must have conside rabIv
thinned and good deal disorganizcd the two corDS
enemy can scarcely think himself able to follow
any other plan but that of retiring for the moment
somewhere or other to concentrate his forces. 1t
is now beyond doubt, from the dispositions of the
prisoners that he had taken the bait, and concen-
trated all his forces to watch the Pc from Gambia
and Placenza, and knew only of the rapid move
ment of the Allies to the left when they had already
turned his right flank. All the troops he had at
From there they arrived hungry and fatigued-
some of the soldiers declaring that they had not
eaten for "a hours which is strange contradiction
with the large requisiton made; nor did they even
arrive together, but one after another, until Just a
sufficient number of them collected to swell the
number of prisoners taken bv the Allies. Both
Gyula and Hess said to have been at the attack
and defeat The losses in some of the regiments
which were there from the beginning were fearful;
the officers who seemed to have done all in their
power, were above all cut up. Scarcely less
were the men; they, too, fought bravely, but, ia
tigued as they and exhausted after their
march and bad feeling, they could do little against
the Allies, whose troops are in frst-rate condition.


"Besdes this the leaders seem not to have known
how to take advantage of their numerical superb
Ority in the beginning until it too late and the
masses of the Allies which arrived on the field of
battle deprived them of every chance. Indeed
they may thank their stars that they had not more
troops on the field, for they would probably have
met the same fate.


''What the Austrians will do next remains to be
es or else concentrate their forces to the south,
take up position on the right flank of the Allies,
and accept battle. This may, indeed, perhaps
force the Allies to turn against them, and they
wish for nothing else, but ii defeated the Austrian
army may lose its line of retreat, which is already
little compromised by the taking of Milan. Now
that Field Marshal Hess is arrived, it may be sup
posed that they will follow the plan which is atri-
buted to him tn at is, to retire to their positions.
They have left their strongholds with weak garri-
sons and have to fear likewise for their rear, from
the Tuscan army. / begin to think that the first
act the campaign of Gen Gyua is over and that
the campaign of Field-Marsha Hess is about to
commence.


81 forgot to tell you that the Emperor himself
was present at the fight of Ponte di Magenta, and
directed the whole operations from San Martino
where he slept that night


'There may be chance of going up to Milan to-
day, if the evacuation should prove true. so con-
clude in haste"