GEBMAF-ITAIIAN WAR. 



the Prussians, in union with the troops of Saxe- 

 Cobnrg-Gotha, were here opposed to the Hano- 

 verians. New negotiations between Hanover 

 and Prussia failed (June 24), and the Hanove- 

 rians now made an attempt to break through 

 the Prussian line somewhere between Gotha 

 and Eisenach. The Prussians were rapidly re- 

 enforced both from the east and the west, and 

 on the 27th General Fliess, at the head of about 

 7,000 men, attacked the Hanoverians at Lan- 

 gensalza. Before the larger number of the 

 Hanoverian army, which fought with the ut- 

 most bravery, the Prussians had to fall back 

 with a loss of 321 men in killed and wounded. 

 As, however, the Bavarians did not come to 

 the relief of the Hanoverians, and the latter 

 convinced themselves that the Prussians had 

 amassed a vastly superior force south of them, 

 a capitulation was concluded on the 29th of 

 June, in virtue of which all the war material 

 and ammunition were surrendered to the Prus- 

 sians. The men were disarmed and sent home ; 

 the officers retained their swords, and pledged 

 themselves not to use them in this war against 

 Prussia. King George and the crown prince 

 were left at liberty to go where they pleased. 



Opening of the Austrian-Italian War The 

 Battle of Custoza Garibaldi on the Fron- 

 tier of /Southern Tyrol The Italian Fleet at 

 Ancona. The formal declaration of war by Italy 

 against Austria took place on the 20th of June. 

 The Italians opposed to the Austrians four army 

 corps. The 1st, consisting of 4 divisions, under 

 General Durando, who had his headquarters at 

 Lodi, was to operate against the Garda Lake and 

 the Tipper Mincio ; the 2d (3 divisions), under 

 Cuchiari, had its headquarters at Cremona, and 

 was to advance upon Mantua and the Lower 

 Mincio ; the 3d (4 divisions), under Delia Eocca, 

 was placed behind the two preceding ones, and 

 had its headquarters at Piacenza; the 4th (5 

 divisions), under Cialdini, had its headquarters 

 at Bologna, and was intended to operate against 

 the Lower Po and the Lower Adige. The 

 Austrians, in their turn, had three army corps 

 (the 5th, 7th, and 9th), under the chief command 

 of Archduke Albrecht, who had distinguished 

 himself at Novara ; two occupied strong posi- 

 tions on the Mincio and the Adige, in the cele- 

 brated Quadrilateral, while one held possession 

 of Eastern Yenetia and Istria. The 3d army 

 corps, under Archduke Ernest, with its head- 

 quarters at Laybach, first formed a general re- 

 serve, but was soon moved northward to re- 

 enforce the army in Germany. The Italian 

 declaration of war was signed by General 

 La Marmora, and addressed to Archduke Al- 

 brecht. It announced the beginning of hostil- 

 'ties within three days. On the 23d of June the 

 preparations of the Italians for an attack were 

 completed. Having erroneously inferred, from 

 the information received by them, that the Aus- 

 trians did not intend to defend the country be- 

 tween the Mincio and the Adige, but would 

 await the Italians behind the Adige, the Ital- 

 ians resolved to pass the Mincio and secure a 



fortified position between the fortresses of Pes- 

 chiera and Yerona, by occupying, upon the 

 heights south of the Lake of Garda, the triangle 

 formed by Yaleggio, Castelnovo, and Somma 

 Campagna. The troops which were to be em- 

 ployed for these movements were the 1st, 

 2d, and 8d army corps, which, together with 

 some reserve troops, numbered about 146,000 

 men, and had 228 pieces of ordnance. Of these, 

 about 117,000 men with 192 pieces of ordnance 

 were immediately available in case of battle. 

 The Austrians, to meet the attack, had about 

 73,000 men and 272 pieces of ordnance avail- 

 able. 



On the 24th of June the 1st army corps was 

 ordered to advance upon Castelnovo, where it 

 was to establish its headquarters. The division 

 Cerale was to advance directly upon this place, 

 the divisions Sirtori and Brignore were to march 

 upon S. Giustina and Sona; the division Pia- 

 nelli to remain on the right bank of the Mincio. 

 The Third army corps was to seize Somma Cam- 

 pagna and Yillafranca, and the reserve cavalry 

 to occupy Quaderni and Mozzecane. South 

 the latter position, two divisions of the 2d 

 army corps were stationed as a reserve at Eo- 

 verbella and Marmirolo. The commander-in- 

 chief of the Austrians, Archduke Albrecht, was 

 under the impression that the Italians intended 

 to march directly through the valley between 

 the Mincio and the Adige, to secure a passage 

 of the latter river, and then to effect a junction 

 with Cialdini. He resolved to direct the main 

 attack upon the left flank of the advancing Ital- 

 ians ; and in the evening of the 23d ordered 

 that his troops, on the morning of the 24th, 

 should form a line running from Sandra over 

 S. Giustina, Sona to Somma Campagna, then 

 immediately advance so as to form the line of 

 Castelnovo, S. Giorgio, and Somma Campagna. 

 On the 24th of June, at 3 o'clock in the morn- 

 ing, the 9th Austrian army corps advanced . 

 from S. Lucia (near Yerona) upon Sornma Cam- 

 pagna ; the Fifth army corps, which on the 23d 

 had occupied Sona, advanced upon S. Giorgio, 

 the reserve division, which had been stationed 

 at Sandra, upon Castelnovo. The cavalry bri- 

 gades, to the left of the 9th army corps, de- 



NOTE. On the map on page 861, the following letters and 

 figures have been used to explain the position and move- 

 ments of the two armies : 



AUSTRIANS. 



A. Sortie of troops from the fortress of Peschiera. 



B. Reserve division of infantry. 



0. Fifth army corps. 



D. Brigade Scudier of Seventh army corps. 



E. Bulk of Seventh army corps. 



F. Ifinth army corps. 

 G-. Keserve cavalry. 



ITALIANS. 



1. Army corps (Dnrando). 



1. Divisions Cerale of First army corps. 



2. 

 S. 

 5. 

 8. 

 0. 

 7. 

 10. 



Pianelli 



Brignpne " " " 



Sirtori " " " 



Cugiu of Third army corps. 



Govone. 



Bixio. 



Grown prince. 



II. Beserve troops of Second army corps. 



