Attention was called towards Munchengratz, where the progress of Bittenfeld’s attack could be traced by the puffs of white smoke which rose from the discharges of the artillery. The Prussian cannonade was seen to be slowly advancing, and that of the Austrian to be retiring, while a heavy cloud of black smoke rising close beside the town showed that the Austrians had retired from the right bank of the river and had burned the bridge. For a short time the fight was stationary, but in about a quarter of an hour a bright flash of flame and a much heavier smoke rising from the Austrian line told that an ammunition waggon had exploded. Their battery then ceased firing and rapidly retired, while a quick advance of the Prussian cannonade showed that Bittenfeld’s pioneers had quickly thrown their bridge, and that his corps was across the Iser. But the Austrians did not go far, for in a short time they were again in action in the direction of the Jung Bunzlau Road, and one battery was drawing off towards Furstenbruck. It then seemed that Bittenfeld had halted; the cannonade ceased in this direction. The heads of the Prussian columns were some way past the hill, and were pushing steadily towards Munchengratz, when the well-known puff of smoke rising from the dark firs on the Mushey Berg plateau showed that the Austrians had opened fire upon them. The battery on the hill did not appear to be more than four guns, and at first they fired slowly, nor did they do much execution. Their shells, projected from so great a height, went straight into the ground, and did not ricochet among the troops; but they were well aimed, and in most cases burst at the proper moment, and every now and then a man went down. A squadron of Uhlans was directed to pass close along the foot of the Mushey Berg, so that the guns on the plateau could not be depressed sufficiently to hurt them, and were to gain a steep path which leads to the summit between the highest point and Bossin, while an infantry brigade was to support the movement; but before this plan could be carried into execution the Seventh Division was heard engaged on the reverse side, and the Austrian battery quickly limbered up and retired. The guns were not intercepted by the Seventh Division; but here General Franscky made 600 prisoners from the infantry which was on the hill to support the battery. While the Seventh Division was still engaged behind the Mushey Berg, four Austrian guns appeared on the summit of the hill, between Bossin and Wessely, and opened fire against the Prussian columns, who were now again advancing over the plain. But Franscky was pushing towards them, and his artillery threatened to enfilade them, so that they soon had to retire. The Seventh Division then struck the road between Munchengratz and Bossin, and attacked the latter village. Bittenfeld had already pushed towards it from Munchengratz, and supported this attack. The first round of Franscky’s artillery set fire to a house, which began to burn fiercely, and the flames were soon communicated to the next, for most of the cottages in this country are built of wood, which, dried in the hot summer sun, readily takes fire. After a sharp skirmish, the Austrians were driven from the village and retired in the direction of Furstenbruck, and they left here 200 prisoners; and General Herwarth von Bittenfeld had already captured 200.
With the occupation of the village of Bossin ended the combat of Munchengratz, in which, by a series of strategic movements, with little fighting, and slight loss—for the Prussian killed, wounded, and missing do not number 100—Prince Frederick Charles has gained about twelve miles of country, and has taken 1000 prisoners, has turned the strong position of the Kaczowberg, and has effected his secure junction with the corps of General Bittenfeld.
The corps of General von Schmitt marched yesterday from the neighbourhood of Podoll to Sobotka, and there, striking the road from Munchengratz to Gitschin, General von Schmitt changed the direction of his march to the left, and advanced towards Gitschin. He moved with his two divisions at some distance apart—that of General von Werder, or the Third Division, as it is named in the muster-roll of the army, led the way. Von Werder’s advanced guard consisted of the 2nd battalion of Jagers, and the 3rd battalion of the 42nd Regiment. In rear of these followed the three battalions of the regiment of the late King of Prussia, the two remaining battalions of the 42nd, and one battalion of the 14th Regiment, with one six-pounder and two four-pounder field-batteries.
A strong Austrian force held the wood behind the first ravine, with its sharpshooters hidden behind the trunks of the fir-trees, with the view of compensating for the inferiority of their rifle to the Prussian needle-gun. Behind each marksman two soldiers were placed, whose only duty was to load their rifles and hand them to the picked men to whom the firing was intrusted. The Austrian artillery was placed behind the wood, so that it could bring a cross fire on the opening in the front through which the chaussée passes, and strike heavily on the Sobotka bank of the ravine and the open country beyond. As the Prussian advanced guard approached the ravine, the Austrian batteries opened fire upon them, and the marksmen from behind the trees also soon commenced a biting fire. The Jagers and the men of the 42nd quickly spread out as skirmishers, and, regardless of the withering fire to which they themselves were exposed, showered bullets from their quickly loaded arms against the defenders of the wood, while some of their artillery quickly brought into action tried to silence the Austrian guns. But the fight was unequal, the sharpshooters behind the trees could rarely be seen, and the fire of the Prussians did not tell much upon their concealed enemies, nor were their guns in sufficient force to engage successfully the more numerous Austrian pieces. The Jagers from among the trees were aiming well; the men of the 42nd were falling fast, and it seemed that the defenders would be able to hold the wood. But the rest of the Prussian division was coming up; more artillery was already in action; and the Austrian gunners began to fire with less effect. The regiment of the King of Prussia soon arrived. The Prussian soldiers, unable to make much impression with their fire on the riflemen in the trees, were already anxious to come to close quarters, and then General von Werder sent his men forward to take the woods with the bayonet. They were carried, but not without loss, for the Austrians retired from tree to tree, and only when pressed beyond the last skirt of the wood retired under cover of their guns and reserves to take up a position on the further brow of the next ravine. The musketry fire recommenced. The opponents stood on either bank of the hollow, and poured volley after volley into each other’s ranks, while the artillery, from positions on the flanks of both lines, sent their shells truly among their adversaries’ infantry. But here the needle-gun had more success, for the Austrians stood up clear against the sky, and soon the white uniforms began to go down quickly. No troops so ill-armed could have stood before the murderous fire which the Prussians directed against the opposite line. The Austrians did all that men could do; but, after losing fearfully, were obliged to fall back and take up their third position in the village of Lochow.
It was now about seven o’clock in the evening; the combat had already lasted almost two hours, but here it was renewed more fiercely than ever. The Prussians, encouraged by their success—brave soldiers and bravely led—eagerly came to the attack. With hearts as big and with officers as devoted, the Austrians stood with a desperate calmness to receive them. On both sides the fighting was hard; but at any distance the Austrian rifle had no chance against the needle-gun; and at close quarters the boyish soldiers of the Kaiser could not cope with the broad-shouldered men of Pomerania, who form the corps d’armée, one division of which was here engaged. Yet for three-quarters of an hour the little village of Lochow was held, and the continuous rattle of the rifles and the heavy cannonade of the guns remaining almost stationary told the determination of the assault and the stoutness of the defence. But the Austrians were slowly forced from house to house and from orchard to orchard, and had to retreat to their last vantage ground on the top of the Gitschin bank of the fourth ravine.
And here both sides re-engaged in the fight with the utmost fury. The defenders felt that this was their last standing-point, and on its maintenance depended the possession of Gitschin; the assailants knew that success here would almost certainly bring them to the object of all their exertions. The Prussian line soon formed on the top of the opposite bank to that held by the Austrians, and then began to fire rapidly against the brow where the Austrians stood. The latter returned the fire, but from necessity more slowly; still their guns smote the Prussian troops heavily, and the shells, bursting in front of the assailants’ line, caused many casualties. But the Pomeranians were highly excited, and it is said that a heavy mass of the Prussians dashed down the road and rushed up the opposite slope with their rifles at the charge. There a fierce struggle ensued. The strong men of Pomerania pressed hard against their lighter opponents, and pushed them beyond the brow of the slope on to the level plain; yet the lithe and active Austrians fought hard, and strove to drive their bayonets into the faces of their taller antagonists; but strength and weight told, for their more powerful adversaries urged them back foot by foot till a gap was clearly opened in the defenders’ line. The musketry bullets had also told sharply on the Austrians, and they were obliged to retire. They drew off across the plain towards Gitschin, but not in rout. Slowly and sullenly they drew back, suffering awful loss in the open plain where the needle-gun had a fair range; but they fought for every yard of ground, ever turning to send among the advancing Prussians shots which were often truly aimed, but which formed no sufficient return for the showers of bullets which were rained upon themselves. For long the plain was the scene of the advancing combat, and it was not till near midnight that General von Werder occupied Gitschin. In the town the Austrians did not stand; they held some houses at the entrance for a short time, but these were carried, and then they retired rapidly towards the south. In their haste they left their hospitals; and here, as well as in Lochow, Von Werder’s division took a large number of prisoners.”
MUTINY:—A memorable mutiny in the British fleet,
| for an advance of wages | April 15th, 1797; |
| Of the Nore | June, 1797; |
| Of Admiral Mitchell’s fleet at Bantry Bay | December, 1801; |
| Great Indian mutiny, begun | March 27th, 1857. |
MYCALE, BATTLE OF.—Fought, September 22nd, 479 B.C., between the Greeks and Persians. The Persians consisted of about 100,000 men. They were completely defeated, many thousands of them killed, their camp burned, and the Greeks triumphantly embarked their troops, and sailed to Samos with an immense booty.