Italy. August 1, 1848
Italy.
* Milan, July 25. The following bulletin extract has just been published:
“Villafranca, July 24. Midnight. (Piedmontese headquarters.) Victory is ours! Tomorrow at 3 in the morning we hope to gather the fruits. The enemy has been driven from all his positions, and the Duke of Genoa is encamped at Somma Campagna, from where he has cut off the enemy, who is now being driven towards the Mincio, from retreating to Verona. Some assert that a part has actually crossed that river. If that is the case, it will be easy for the Lombard battalions (Milanese students) to seize the fugitives. The main thing of the day is that the enemy corps, which, according to some prisoners, is commanded by Radetzky and Nugent, is now cut off from Verona, etc. Tomorrow it will have to fight a second battle, and will be beaten and captured. The losses are not exactly known; if they are considerable for the Austrians, they are also not small for us.”
The Austrians, namely, attacked our troops with strong force at the heights of Rivoli and at Bosco between Somma Campagna and Villafranca. Our men, after a three-hour engagement, had to yield the field to the Austrians, who were infinitely superior in numbers. On the other hand, the Pignerolles brigade held its ground at Bosco and even repulsed the enemy. When this became known at Marmirolo (at headquarters), Charles Albert immediately set out with the whole army towards Villafranca; for the blockade of Mantua he left only a few Piedmontese corps and the Lombards behind. The Austrians, 25,000 strong, held the environs of Somma Campagna on the morning of the 24th; their outposts er-