23rd Bulletin. From the Theatre of War

Hungary. 24 February 1849  
Hungary.  
No. 230, 24 February 1849  
* The 23rd army bulletin has appeared. It reads:  
“Simultaneously with the already known advantages which our brave army under Colonel Urban in the north of Transylvania, despite the cold and the heavy snowfall, has gained over the insurgents, we have had occasion to rejoice at a similar, no less brilliant success achieved by the troops of Lieutenant Field Marshal Gläser near Arad, who, in accordance with the order received, is charged with operating with his division, composed of detachments of the Thodorovich corps, in the Maros valley towards Transylvania.  
The insurgents attempted to cross with a strong column near Szadorlak, thereby threatening our left flank. Lieutenant Field Marshal Gläser thereupon had the first houses of Alt-Arad taken by two battalions of Peterwardein borderers, and ordered one battalion of Leiningen, then one battalion of Illyrian-Banat, to advance for the assault.  
After a stubborn, bloody struggle the enemy was thrown back, and all the batteries erected by the insurgents on the right bank of the Maros against the fortress were destroyed, and the cannon mounted in them, 23 in number, captured; of these, 11 of heavy calibre were conveyed into the fortress, 3 were sunk in the Maros, 3 were spiked, 2 were placed at the disposal of the Imperial-Royal Austrian-Serbian Army Corps, and 4 were dismantled by the brave Temesvár artillery; 3 enemy ammunition carts were captured, and, in addition, enemy munitions were blown up at several places.  
Alt-Arad was bombarded with grenades from the fortress on account of the inhabitants’ proven malevolence, set on fire in many places, and this fire was kept up all night. – In the engagement, 40 prisoners were also taken.  

According to a communication just received from the Master-General of the Ordnance, Count Nugent, from Essegg dated 13 February, the fortress of Essegg surrendered on the same day without awaiting any attack whatsoever. Three gates were immediately occupied by the blockading troops, and on the morning of the 14th the garrison laid down their arms on the glacis.  
From the column of General Götz, who, as we have already stated, had united with the brigade of General Prince Jablonovsky at Ternau and was pursuing the fleeing rebel corps under Görgey towards Leutschau, news has arrived dated the 13th from Bartosfalva, a few hours from Eperies.  
They show that the enemy column, which is indeed strong and is accompanied by a large train of guns and waggons, after forcing its way through the Zips, where it had destroyed all bridges and roads, has taken the road from Eperies towards Kaschau in order to seek a link with the other rebel hordes towards the Theiss.  
Lieutenant Field Marshal Count Schlick, with his three brigades, has taken up a position at Torna in the flank of this enemy column, which is moving laboriously and devastating everything, in order to attack it in the best possible way, and he would have established contact with General Götz’s column, which has now also been effected via Margithfalva, Einsiedl and Schmöllnitz.  
General Götz had an engagement with a raiding party of the rebels near Margithfalva, in which several hussars were captured who gave precise information about the enemy’s position and intentions.  
Since, at the same time, a large detachment under Lieutenant Field Marshal Schulzig has taken up position near Miskolcz, we shall shortly be in a position to render precise reports on the events in these areas.  
Vienna, 17 February 1849.”  

From this victory bulletin it is thus evident that Essegg has indeed capitulated and that Arad has been relieved by the Imperial troops; whether their success on the Maros is of the importance the bulletin would like to ascribe to it remains to be seen.  

On the other hand, things are very bad for the Imperial troops on the upper Theiss. The last bulletin had Schlick firing across the Theiss at Tokaj at the Hungarians positioned on the far side, and today we find him in a hasty retreat in a north-westerly direction, in order to escape the danger of being attacked in the rear by Görgey and caught between two fires.  

Hungary. 24 February 1849  

Görgei’s manoeuvre is truly brilliant. By penetrating through the Zips into Sáros County, occupying Eperies, and then moving down the Hernath river, taking precisely the same route Schlick had taken, he fell directly upon Schlick’s rear and forced him to retreat from Tokaj a distance of over twelve miles into Torna County, thus taking up a position between Götz (in the Zips) and Schulzig (near Miskolcz). As a result, Görgei is in a position to advance directly to the Theiss and, with his entire, “indeed strong column”, which, as the bulletin itself says, is well provided with artillery, to reinforce the main Magyar army. Perhaps he will exchange a few words with Schlick on the way.  

Further unofficial news from Hungary circulating in Vienna is as follows:  

Vienna, 18 February. According to the latest reports from Pesth of the 18th, decisive news from the Theiss region may be expected shortly. Following the arrival of the news that Szegedin had surrendered and sent a deputation to the advancing Serbs, the Ban of Croatia has established his headquarters at Szolnok, and everything is being prepared for a great blow. The inhabitants of Szegedin, who had offered to deliver cattle and provisions to the imperial army, have had a contribution of half a million gulden imposed upon them. As is well known, the Szegedin people have hitherto been the most zealous supporters of Kossuth. They had supplied his army with everything. – Reports from Debreczin, brought by refugees up to the 12th, have reached Pesth. Meßaros continues to head the War Ministry, and Kossuth is more fanatical than ever. The former has written to Prince Windischgrätz declaring that he and his men will defend themselves to the last man and rather perish than surrender. This language is very understandable in view of the very gloomy news from Transylvania, where Bem appears to be master. According to the war reports of the Kossuth faction in Debreczin, Kronstadt was captured by the Szeklers after street fighting, etc. Other rumours, however, claim that the Russians have come to the rescue and saved everything.  

The *Breslauer Zeitung* has a correspondence from the Hungarian frontier which is on the whole favourable to the Austrians, but is nevertheless obliged to admit that the Austrian war bulletins afford only a most imperfect picture of the fighting in Transylvania and on the far side of the Theiss, since they always stress only the advantages won by the Imperial-Royal troops but make absolutely no mention of the thorny path by which they were won; for all direct reports from the theatre of war agree that for some weeks the Magyars have been defending themselves like desperate men and are inflicting great damage on the Imperial-Royal army. The regiments under Schlick, Ottinger and Götz have already suffered considerable losses, and among the Croats, who are already longing for home and among whom a deep-rooted respect for the Hungarian cavalry still prevails, a mood is making itself felt which gives their Ban much food for thought. It is even said that individual detachments of the Croatian battalions have gone over to the Magyars, though I cannot vouch for this.  

The greatest difficulties for Prince Windischgrätz are presented by the extremely deplorable condition of the roads and tracks now that the thaw has set in, especially between the Danube and the Theiss, which makes the movement of the heavy field artillery actually impossible; only with the utmost exertion, and only on waggons with wheel-rims a shoe’s breadth wide, can 3- and 6-pounder guns be transported. Twelve-pounder batteries, in which the superiority of the Austrian artillery really lies, are completely untransportable, which naturally brings about a levelling of the means of combat on both sides that must necessarily prolong the struggle. Even if its end is not in doubt (!), many a day may yet pass before Windischgrätz can report to Olmütz: The country is quiet! In the end, the Magyar fighting force, which still numbers 60,000–70,000 men, is likely to concentrate in Transylvania, where Bem is completely master and where the nature of the country immensely favours a stubborn defence.  

The *Wiener Lloyd* also says that feverish preparations are under way in Pesth: Since yesterday (the 14th) reinforcements have been leaving continuously for the Theiss army. A decisive battle is expected to be fought there in the next few days. This new force pushed forward to the Theiss is estimated to amount to at least 11,000 men.  

The Austrian correspondent speaks of a victory of the Serbs over a far superior force of Magyars near Szanto. Unfortunately, the otherwise all-knowing bulletin knows nothing of it.  

So much is certain: for the time being, “the war in Hungary” is not yet “coming to an end”.