MOSKWA

BATTLE OF.—Also called the battle of Borodino , which see. MUSKET.—First used at the siege of Anasitti, 1414. Introduced generally into the British army, and bows and arrows laid aside, 1521. MUNCHENGRATZ AND GITSCHIN, BATTLES OF.—Fought, 28th June, 1866, between the Austrians and the Pru ians. The Times’ correspondent, with the Pru ian army, gives the following account of these battles: “The Pru ian leader calculated that if he made a demonstration of a carele march towards Munchengratz by the highroad and railway, the Austrians, who might be on the Mushey Berg, would lie there quiet till the heads of his columns had pa ed their position in order that their artillery might take the marching troops in reverse, and that he might himself in the meantime turn their position. By the same bait he also hoped to hold his adversaries on the Kaczowberg until their retreat was cut off. To effect this double object, the seventh division was to move from Turnau by a road on the south side of the Iser, whereby the village of Wschew cro es the road from Podoll to Sobotka, at Zdiar. It was then to take the Austrians on the Mushey Berg in rear—for this hill slopes gently on its reverse side towards a rivulet which forms the little lake of Zdiar. The division was afterwards to push on over the hill and strike the road from Munchengratz to Furstenbruck, between the village of Bo in and the former place. On the right bank of the river General Herwarth was to advance from Huhnerwa er on Munchengratz, cro the Iser, and occupy the town, throwing out at the same time a division to his left, which by Mohelnitz should take in reverse the defenders of the Kaczowberg. The divisions of Horne and Manstein were to push down the main road from Podoll, while strong reserves closed down to Podoll. A division of infantry was to cro at Huberlow and attack the Kaczowberg in front, while a division of cavalry kept the communications open between the divisions on the right bank of the river. A strong division of cavalry was also sent from Turnau to scour the country to Jicin in the direction of Josephstadt. About eight o’clock this morning, Prince Charles, with General Von Voigts-Retz, his chief of the staff, and General Stuhltnahl, his Quarter-master-General, came down to the bridge of Podoll, and almost immediately the Jagers, who formed the advanced guard of Horne’s division, cro ed the bridge, but not before an opening cannonade in the direction of Munchengratz told that Bittenfeld was already engaged. On a hill upon the northern bank there was a convenient spot from which to see the whole theatre of the combat, and here the Pru ian staff went to watch the course of the action. Attention was called towards Munchengratz, where the progre of Bittenfeld’s attack could be traced by the puffs of white smoke which rose from the discharges of the artillery. The Pru ian cannonade was seen to be slowly advancing, and that of the Austrian to be retiring, while a heavy cloud of black smoke rising close beside the town showed that the Austrians had retired from the right bank of the river and had burned the bridge. For a short time the fight was stationary, but in about a quarter of an hour a bright flash of flame and a much heavier smoke rising from the Austrian line told that an ammunition waggon had exploded. Their battery then ceased firing and rapidly retired, while a quick advance of the Pru ian cannonade showed that Bittenfeld’s pioneers had quickly thrown their bridge, and that his corps was acro the Iser. But the Austrians did not go far, for in a short time they were again in action in the direction of the Jung Bunzlau Road, and one battery was drawing off towards Furstenbruck. It then seemed that Bittenfeld had halted; the cannonade ceased in this direction. The heads of the Pru ian columns were some way past the hill, and were pushing steadily towards Munchengratz, when the well-known puff of smoke rising from the dark firs on the Mushey Berg plateau showed that the Austrians had opened fire upon them. The battery on the hill did not appear to be more than four guns, and at first they fired slowly, nor did they do much execution. Their shells, projected from so great a height, went straight into the ground, and did not ricochet among the troops; but they were well aimed, and in most cases burst at the proper moment, and every now and then a man went down. A squadron of Uhlans was directed to pa close along the foot of the Mushey Berg, so that the guns on the plateau could not be depre ed sufficiently to hurt them, and were to gain a steep path which leads to the summit between the highest point and Bo in, while an infantry brigade was to support the movement; but before this plan could be carried into execution the Seventh Division was heard engaged on the reverse side, and the Austrian battery quickly limbered up and retired. The guns were not intercepted by the Seventh Division; but here General Franscky made 600 prisoners from the infantry which was on the hill to support the battery. While the Seventh Division was still engaged behind the Mushey Berg, four Austrian guns appeared on the summit of the hill, between Bo in and We ely, and opened fire against the Pru ian columns, who were now again advancing over the plain. But Franscky was pushing towards them, and his artillery threatened to enfilade them, so that they soon had to retire. The Seventh Division then struck the road between Munchengratz and Bo in, and attacked the latter village. Bittenfeld had already pushed towards it from Munchengratz, and supported this attack. The first round of Franscky’s artillery set fire to a house, which began to burn fiercely, and the flames were soon communicated to the next, for most of the cottages in this country are built of wood, which, dried in the hot summer sun, readily takes fire. After a sharp skirmish, the Austrians were driven from the village and retired in the direction of Furstenbruck, and they left here 200 prisoners; and General Herwarth von Bittenfeld had already captured 200. With the occupation of the village of Bo in ended the combat of Munchengratz, in which, by a series of strategic movements, with little fighting, and slight lo —for the Pru ian killed, wounded, and mi ing do not number 100—Prince Frederick Charles has gained about twelve miles of country, and has taken 1000 prisoners, has turned the strong position of the Kaczowberg, and has effected his secure junction with the corps of General Bittenfeld. The corps of General von Schmitt marched yesterday from the neighbourhood of Podoll to Sobotka, and there, striking the road from Munchengratz to Gitschin, General von Schmitt changed the direction of his march to the left, and advanced towards Gitschin. He moved with his two divisions at some distance apart—that of General von Werder, or the Third Division, as it is named in the muster-roll of the army, led the way. Von Werder’s advanced guard consisted of the 2nd battalion of Jagers, and the 3rd battalion of the 42nd Regiment. In rear of these followed the three battalions of the regiment of the late King of Pru ia, the two remaining battalions of the 42nd, and one battalion of the 14th Regiment, with one six-pounder and two four-pounder field-batteries. A strong Austrian force held the wood behind the first ravine, with its sharpshooters hidden behind the trunks of the fir-trees, with the view of compensating for the inferiority of their rifle to the Pru ian needle-gun. Behind each marksman two soldiers were placed, whose only duty was to load their rifles and hand them to the picked men to whom the firing was intrusted. The Austrian artillery was placed behind the wood, so that it could bring a cro fire on the opening in the front through which the chau ée pa es, and strike heavily on the Sobotka bank of the ravine and the open country beyond. As the Pru ian advanced guard approached the ravine, the Austrian batteries opened fire upon them, and the marksmen from behind the trees also soon commenced a biting fire. The Jagers and the men of the 42nd quickly spread out as skirmishers, and, regardle of the withering fire to which they themselves were exposed, showered bullets from their quickly loaded arms against the defenders of the wood, while some of their artillery quickly brought into action tried to silence the Austrian guns. But the fight was unequal, the sharpshooters behind the trees could rarely be seen, and the fire of the Pru ians did not tell much upon their concealed enemies, nor were their guns in sufficient force to engage succe fully the more numerous Austrian pieces. The Jagers from among the trees were aiming well; the men of the 42nd were falling fast, and it seemed that the defenders would be able to hold the wood. But the rest of the Pru ian division was coming up; more artillery was already in action; and the Austrian gunners began to fire with le effect. The regiment of the King of Pru ia soon arrived. The Pru ian soldiers, unable to make much impre ion with their fire on the riflemen in the trees, were already anxious to come to close quarters, and then General von Werder sent his men forward to take the woods with the bayonet. They were carried, but not without lo , for the Austrians retired from tree to tree, and only when pre ed beyond the last skirt of the wood retired under cover of their guns and reserves to take up a position on the further brow of the next ravine. The musketry fire recommenced. The opponents stood on either bank of the hollow, and poured volley after volley into each other’s ranks, while the artillery, from positions on the flanks of both lines, sent their shells truly among their adversaries’ infantry. But here the needle-gun had more succe , for the Austrians stood up clear against the sky, and soon the white uniforms began to go down quickly. No troops so ill-armed could have stood before the murderous fire which the Pru ians directed against the opposite line. The Austrians did all that men could do; but, after losing fearfully, were obliged to fall back and take up their third position in the village of Lochow. It was now about seven o’clock in the evening; the combat had already lasted almost two hours, but here it was renewed more fiercely than ever. The Pru ians, encouraged by their succe —brave soldiers and bravely led—eagerly came to the attack. With hearts as big and with officers as devoted, the Austrians stood with a desperate calmne to receive them. On both sides the fighting was hard; but at any distance the Austrian rifle had no chance against the needle-gun; and at close quarters the boyish soldiers of the Kaiser could not cope with the broad-shouldered men of Pomerania, who form the corps d’armée , one division of which was here engaged. Yet for three-quarters of an hour the little village of Lochow was held, and the continuous rattle of the rifles and the heavy cannonade of the guns remaining almost stationary told the determination of the a ault and the stoutne of the defence. But the Austrians were slowly forced from house to house and from orchard to orchard, and had to retreat to their last vantage ground on the top of the Gitschin bank of the fourth ravine. And here both sides re-engaged in the fight with the utmost fury. The defenders felt that this was their last standing-point, and on its maintenance depended the po e ion of Gitschin; the a ailants knew that succe here would almost certainly bring them to the object of all their exertions. The Pru ian line soon formed on the top of the opposite bank to that held by the Austrians, and then began to fire rapidly against the brow where the Austrians stood. The latter returned the fire, but from nece ity more slowly; still their guns smote the Pru ian troops heavily, and the shells, bursting in front of the a ailants’ line, caused many casualties. But the Pomeranians were highly excited, and it is said that a heavy ma of the Pru ians dashed down the road and rushed up the opposite slope with their rifles at the charge. There a fierce struggle ensued. The strong men of Pomerania pre ed hard against their lighter opponents, and pushed them beyond the brow of the slope on to the level plain; yet the lithe and active Austrians fought hard, and strove to drive their bayonets into the faces of their taller antagonists; but strength and weight told, for their more powerful adversaries urged them back foot by foot till a gap was clearly opened in the defenders’ line. The musketry bullets had also told sharply on the Austrians, and they were obliged to retire. They drew off acro the plain towards Gitschin, but not in rout. Slowly and sullenly they drew back, suffering awful lo in the open plain where the needle-gun had a fair range; but they fought for every yard of ground, ever turning to send among the advancing Pru ians shots which were often truly aimed, but which formed no sufficient return for the showers of bullets which were rained upon themselves. For long the plain was the scene of the advancing combat, and it was not till near midnight that General von Werder occupied Gitschin. In the town the Austrians did not stand; they held some houses at the entrance for a short time, but these were carried, and then they retired rapidly towards the south. In their haste they left their hospitals; and here, as well as in Lochow, Von Werder’s division took a large number of prisoners.” MUTINY:—A memorable mutiny in the British fleet, | for an advance of wages | April 15th, 1797; | | Of the Nore | June, 1797; | | Of Admiral Mitchell’s fleet at Bantry Bay | December, 1801; | | Great Indian mutiny, begun | March 27th, 1857. |