More on the Magyars

Hungary. 25 February 1849
Hungary.
No. 231, 25 February 1849
The *Allgemeine Oder-Zeitung* reports, among other things, the following from the communications of a Hungarian who had left Pesth on the 17th:

When the Magyar army withdrew from Pesth behind the Theiss, the consternation of the inhabitants of both towns was extraordinary, especially on the part of the Magyars, who saw their last hope of freedom going to ruin and lamented that the army, by giving up the capital, was covering itself with shame before the whole of Europe. Nevertheless, the policy of the Hungarian government was well calculated, since it knew perfectly well that the inhabitants of both towns, in their eagerness to save their landed property, would have lent the enemy a helping hand. Later, of course, when it turned out that the Austrian government spared no party, these people too realised that they were dealing with an irreconcilable enemy. The infamies perpetrated by the Austrian troops in the environs of Buda-Pesth exceeded all measure. The Croats distinguished themselves above all others in this. What they could not consume, they destroyed. Two days after the Hungarians’ retreat over the Theiss, an army corps of 20,000 men under Ottinger established itself in Szolnok, with the rearguard in Abony. In this position, the Austrians were attacked by a Hungarian corps, about 12,000 strong, under Perczel, and would have been completely annihilated had not a Hungarian army division under Brigadier Kasinsky been delayed on the march. Nevertheless, the Austrians found themselves compelled to flee, for which they used the cover of night, and were only able to rally again at Czegled. It was remarkable to behold the terror that had seized them, particularly the cavalry and the officers, and how they kept shouting: “Forward! forward! The butcher’s dogs (as they call the Hungarian hussars) are at our heels!”

On the 21st, the Hungarians arrived at Abony, this time 22,000 strong. General Dembinski was present, though he was not yet in command at that time. On the morning after the battle of Szolnok, an Austrian cuirassier division advanced as far as St. Marton, where the Hungarian outposts were stationed, and here the incredible happened: they were attacked by six Hungarian hussars, who killed some twenty of their men and took several prisoner.

At daybreak on the 23rd, the Hungarians arrived before Czegled, where the Austrians had taken up a very advantageous position. The Hungarians attacked, beat the Austrians, and pursued them through the town as far as the vineyards of Alberty. There they learned that a considerable Austrian army corps was marching via Erlau on Debreczin, and this news forced them to abandon the pursuit; General Dembinski, however, expressed his displeasure at the whole execution of this attack, which, in his assertion, ought to have led to the complete annihilation of the Austrian corps.

The news of the defeat of Ottinger’s corps was, incidentally, immediately known in Pesth, and the inhabitants once again took out their red feathers, but their hopes were deceived. The Hungarians crossed the Theiss and burned the bridge at Szolnok. The Austrians take this as an occasion to boast of victories, and fear of their brutality prevented any contradiction. Sad was the lot of the inhabitants of the localities which had already hoped to see themselves freed from the Austrian yoke. The Austrians came in greater numbers and with still harsher requisitions than before. There were houses that had to billet 30 to 40 soldiers, and the officers were cruel enough to chase even old men from their beds and lie down in them themselves, saying: you Hungarians can sleep on the ground. That is good enough for dogs like you.

These reports will be continued.

The *Schlesische Zeitung*, a reactionary paper, every bit as much as the *Breslauer Zeitung*, for its part gives the following account of the state of affairs in Hungary:

Pesth, 12 February. The war is dragging on more than was believed, which is chiefly due to the Magyars having found a powerful ally in the mild winter. The overflowing of the rivers, as well as the almost completely impassable roads, present the Austrian army with obstacles that are scarcely to be overcome. The Theiss is now the dividing line between the hostile armies.

Hungary. 25 February 1849
From Tokaj down to Szegedin, over a distance of more than forty miles, fighting takes place now at one point, now at another. The centre of this line is Szolnok. There has already been fierce fighting at this point, but the Magyars are still masters of it. It is of importance because it lies in the middle of the theatre of war.

On the upper Theiss, that is, in the region of Tokaj, the Magyars are rising en masse, because the population has been driven to despair by the horrors of the war. It is roused to the highest pitch in and around Miskolz, as well as in the whole county of Borsod. The advantages which the Austrians gain here are always immediately wrested from them again. From Szolnok downwards, and also a long stretch above it, the land on both sides of the Theiss is now so flooded that in many places it stands a mile wide on both sides under water, which usually lasts until April. On this terrain, only the natives know their way. If a foreign body of troops gets there, it may easily be driven by them into the swamps and the floods.

Further down, near Csongrad and Szentes, the roads are at present utterly impassable for an army corps, for the artillery would sink into the swampy roads. This is the road to Szegedin and Arad. The Austrian army, in particular the Croat one, attempted to advance here, but convinced itself of the impossibility. There is a rumour that Prince Windischgrätz has fallen out with Jellachich on this account. The latter got as far as the steppes near Keczkemet, but was driven back again. In this region live the Kumanians and Jazyges, an extremely robust race of men, every one of whom is a nobleman and recognises only the Palatine of the realm as their Lord Lieutenant. They are exalted Magyars.

Between the Theiss and the border of Transylvania, the localities lie far apart, it is true, but they are exceedingly populous. Thus, for example, the market town of Csaba has 24,000 and Gyula close to 18,000 inhabitants. All are enthusiastic Magyars.

Further down, in the Banat, the Serbs are indeed advancing, but the Hungarians nevertheless still hold a great deal of ground.

If General Bem succeeds in the plan he now appears to have, of getting from Hermannstadt (in Transylvania) via Szaszvaros and Deva through the mountain passes into Hungary and uniting with the Magyars here, their cause will take a favourable turn. And there are no very great obstacles standing in his way. For Transylvania is as good as overpowered, and the Wallachians were already defeated when Bem turned against the Saxons. Of these

many are said to have joined him in the region of Kronstadt, no doubt only because no other way out remained to them. The only fortress of Karlsburg (between Klausenburg and Mühlenbach) could still have offered some resistance, but it is said to be already in the hands of the Hungarians.

On the right bank of the Danube, as well as in the Carpathians, the struggle is mostly confined to skirmishes. Along the whole stretch of road from the frontiers of Styria to the Danube, flying corps have formed, which keep the Austrian army under General Nugent in breath. In several of them, distinguished Hungarians stand at the head. The sorties occasionally made from Komorn serve these guerrillas as cover. This virgin fortress, too, would have fallen if the winter had lasted another month, for then it would have been possible to approach it on the frozen rivers. On one side, the Danube flows in two arms; on the other side, the Waag and the Neutra do the same. The fortress itself rises scarcely 50 feet above the plains, but from these it can nowhere be approached. The mortar shells can hardly reach over, whereas the besieged can do great damage to the besiegers. When Napoleon, in the war with Austria, not long before the Peace of Pressburg, sent Marshal Duroc to reconnoitre towards Komorn, he returned with the laconic report: “Sire! Imprenable.”

In the Carpathians, the Magyars also still have supporters, and there, too, there is no lack of flying corps, especially in the counties of Trentschin, Hont, and Abaujwar.

From all this it is evident that the war is still far from its end and that Austria will still have to summon up great military forces before it will overpower the enemy, whose courage is now rising from day to day, and who, thanks in part to French and Polish officers, is now better led than at the beginning.