As I am not far from Borgoforte, I am able to learn more than the mere
cannon's voice can tell me, and so will give you some details of the
action against the tete-de-pont, which began, as I told you in one of my
former letters, on the 4th. In Gorgoforte there were about 1500
Austrians, and, on the night from the 5th to the 6th, they kept up from
their four fortified works a sufficiently well-sustained fire, the object
of which was to prevent the enemy from posting his guns. This fire,
however, did not cause any damage, and the Italians were able to plant
their batteries. Early on the 6th, the firing began all along the line,
the Italian 16-pounders having been the first to open fire. The Italian
right was commanded by Colonel Mattei, the left by Colonel Bangoni, who
did excellent work, while the other wing was not so successful. The
heaviest guns had not yet arrived owing to one of those incidents always
sure to happen when least expected, so that the 40-pounders could not be
brought to bear against the forts until later in the day. The damage
done to the works was not great for the moment, but still the advantage
had been gained of feeling the strength of the enemy's positions and
finding the right way to attack them. The artillerymen worked with great
vigour, and were only obliged to desist by an unexpected order which
arrived about two p.m. from General Cialdini. The attack was, however,
resumed on the following day, and the condition of the Monteggiana and
Rochetta forts may be pronounced precarious. As a sign of the times,
and more especially of the just impatience which prevails in Italy about
the general direction of the army movements, it may not be without
importance to notice that the Italian press has begun to cry out against
the darkness in which everything is enveloped, while the time already
passed since the 24th June tells plainly of inaction. It is remarked
that the bitter gift made by Austria of the Venetian provinces, and the
suspicious offer of mediation by France, ought to have found Italy in
greatly different condition, both as regards her political and military
position. Italy is, on the contrary, in exactly the same state as when
the Archduke Albert telegraphed to Vienna that a great success had been
obtained over the Italian army. These are facts, and, however strong and
worthy of respect may be the reasons, there is no doubt that an
extraordinary delay in the resumption of hostilities has occurred, and
that at the present moment operations projected are perfectly mysterious.
Something is let out from time to time which only serves to make the
subsequent absence of news more and more puzzling. For the present the
first official relation of the unhappy fight of the 24th June is
published, and is accordingly anxiously scanned and closely studied.
It is a matter of general remark that no great military knowledge is
required to perceive that too great a reliance was placed upon supposed
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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