cfass D p 9 3 5* Book /P*g^ - COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT THE HUNGARIAN REVOLUTION. OUTLINES OF THE PROMINENT CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM TOGETHER WITH BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES LEADING STATESMEN AND GENERALS WHO TOOK PART W IT. 'J BY JOHANN PRAGAY, COLONEL AND ADJUTANT-GENERAL IN THE HUNGARIAN ARMY UNDER KOSSUTH. NEW YORK: GEORGE P. PUTNAM, 155 BROADWAY. LONDON: 49 BOW-LANE, CHEAPSIDE. 1850. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1850, By GEORGE P. PUTNAM, In the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of New York. STEREOTYPED BY BILIIN & BROS. 10 N. WILLIAM-ST. F. C. GUTIERREZ, PRINTER, 51 John-st. corner of Dutch. r PKEFACE, The lively sympathy which. American freemen have manifested in the affairs of my betrayed, but not conquered country, as well as the circumstances that most of our statesmen generally are unknown or misapprehended abroad, has induced me, in an- ticipation of a more complete work, to publish this brief sketch of the prominent events of the Hunga- rian movements ; together with biographical notices, which are as accurate as possible. My official station in the Ministry of War under the administration of Kossuth, and of Adjutant-General in the army, to- gether with my active participation in all the impor- tant battles, enable me to give a faithful and reliable view of the whole course of the revolution. 4 PREFACE. In presenting the narrative to the noble-hearted citizens of the United States, I would again express my unbounded gratitude for the generous sympathy and hospitality which have been so promptly ex- tended by them to my countrymen and myself. J. P. CONTENTS, I. PAGE Origin and Commencement of the War 9 Gorgey's Promotion 20 Further Operations of this Army 21 The Winter Campaign of 1849 on the Upper Theiss 24 n. Victorious Advances of the Hungarian Army in March and April, 1849 SI in. Relief of Comorn 63 IV. The Bombardment of Pesth and Storming of Ofen 58 Operations in the Neighborhood of Comorn in the months of June and July, 1849 62 1# O CONTENTS. V. PAGE The Numbers and Situations of the Armies at the time of the Austro-Russian Invasion, after the Departure of Gorgey from Comorn , *74 Some Account of the Closing Operations of the Hungarian Ar- mies, and of the respective Dissolution of each in the order in which it took place 76 The Hungarian Army of the South under Vetter ib. The Army in Transylvania under Bern 19 VI. The Hungarian Main Army under Dembinsky 83 VII. The Army of Gorgey, and the Corps d'Armee of Stein, Count Vecsey, and Kazinczy 89 VIE. Comorn after the Departure of the Main Army under Gorgey . . 109 Capitulation of Comorn 125 IX. Biographical Sketches of the most prominent Statesmen and Generals 140 Louis Kossuth, Governor of Hungary ib. Count Louis Batthyany 145 Bartholomew Szemere 148 Ladislaus Csanyi 150 Baron Ladislaus Perenyi 153 CONTENTS. 7 PAGE Arthur Gbrgey 154 George Klapka 161 Maurice Perczel 164 John Damjanics 165 Louis Aulich 167 Joseph Bern 168 General Henry Dembinsky 171 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. ORIGIN AND COMMENCEMENT OP THE WAR. The Camarilla,* at whose head stood the notorious Arch- duchess Sophia, mother of the present (glorious) Emperor who reigns under her guidance, perceived at an early date that the Hungarians would not long rest content with the new order of things established in March, 1848. Besides that they had been constantly cheated by Austria for more than two hundred years, they were urged by their love of freedom and by the sentiment which they had as it were drawn in with their mother's milk, that what was really great and good could flourish only under a popular form of government, to continued progress, and finally to complete independence. The Camarilla accord- ingly made extraordinary efforts in order, with a favorable * See note A, 10 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. opportunity, not only to force back to its former position I a nation that had often been the mainstay of the empire and the salvation of its accursed dynasty, but also to weaken it by divisions, and so incorporate it with great and powerful Austria that the light of liberty might not go forth from its borders into all Europe. The fittest means to this end seemed to be to stir up the various national races against Hungary, on the pre- tence that this mother country was aiming to destroy their nationality, and thus distract and weaken its dreaded forces, till the moment arrived when sufficient troops could be openly sent into the country to bring it under the Austrian yoke. The individuals to whom the leading parts in this in- fernal drama were allotted, were — First, — The Arch-duke Stephen, Palatine. This ungrate- ful son of Hungary, in whom the nation once placed great hopes, for love of whom millions had been lavished, was about to requite these hopes and this love by preparing a second St. Bartholomew. Second, — The renowned master of flank-movements, Jo- seph, Baron Jellachich, Ban of Croatia, the worn-out, cast- off love of the Arch-duchess Sophia. ORIGIN AND COMMENCEMENT OF THE WAR. 11 Third, — Rajacsics, Metropolitan of Carlowitz, octogena- rian servant of darkness. Added to these prominent characters as supporters, were some understrappers, villains minorum gentium, — Urban, Hurban, Jank, Stratimirovics, Salm, Rott, Count Moritz Palffy, etc. First on the scene appeared Rajacsics. By a perverted use of his gifts of persuasion, this unworthy prelate was able to rouse his fanatical religious brethren so speedily against Hungary, that symptoms of the greatest excite- ment were developed among them as early as April. The insurrection broke out in July, and was conducted with a hate, bitterness, and cruelty such as rarely have disgraced barbarians. The misguided people attacked and burned German and Hungarian villages, murdering the inhabi- tants without distinction, from the child at the breast to the white-haired man of ninety. They bored out the eyes of men, cut off their flesh in strips, roasted them alive on spits, buried them up to their necks and so left them to be eaten by crows and swine. Still more horrible, cry- ing yet louder for Heaven's vengeance, — they ripped open women big with child, and trampled the fruit of the womb before the eyes of the dying mother. I affirm on my con- 12 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. science, and without exaggeration, that hundreds upon hundreds of examples in each kind of these barbarities occurred, and that all was the work of an unnatural woman and of a priest who weekly exhorted his hearers to love each other as brethren. This awful insurrection could not be entirely checked during the campaign ; for on the departure of our troops, it would break out with renewed fierceness. Important actions, in which the in- surgents were almost invariably defeated by our troops under Generals Meszaros, Vetter, Kiss, Damjanics, and Perczel, took place at Szoreg, Verbasz, Torokecse, Ernest- haza, Tomasovacz, Temerin, Perlasz, Foldvar, Kikinda, Turia, Tittel, and their famous intrenchments before St. Tomas. This latter place was taken by Perczel on the 1st of April, 1849, when six thousand Uaitzes lost their lives. In all these engagements, the insurgent ranks were partly filled with men from the military frontiers, and by Servian robbers, who were hired at a florin per day by Count Mayerhoffer, a base tool of the Camarilla, and the Aus- trian consul in Servia. The rising in the north under Hurban and that contemptible Hungarian magnate, Count Moritz Palfiy, did not turn out so well for the Camarilla. The Sclaves, naturally gifted with more common sense ORIGIN AND COMMENCEMENT OF THE WAR. 13 than the Raitzes, soon recognised the voices of their de- ceivers, and cast them off. Unhappily, such was not the case with the Wallachians of Transylvania. These wretch- ed beings, urged on hy their countrymen, Jank and Urban, and by the Saxon Salm and Rott, too readily followed nearly the same course as the Raitzes ; but I will not seek to excuse the Szeklers, who retaliated in kind. This in- surrection, too, though often put down by Bern, lasted through the campaign. Its leader, Jank, as a reward for having maltreated, flayed, and murdered so many human beings, was decorated by the Czar of all the Russias with the ribbon of the second class of the order of St. Anne. The Saxons of Transylvania, the greatest enemies of Hun- gary and of liberty, did not personally take an active part in the disturbances, for they are a most cowardly, pitiful, little people ; but furnished abundant supplies of arms and money for all movements against us. The Camarilla now felt itself strong enough while re- bellion was raging in this wise in Hungary, and bade Ferdinand the Stupid to put forth the famous manifesto* * The reader is probably aware that by a proclamation ante- cedent to the one here referred to, Jellachich had been removed 14 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. reinstating Jellachich in his former offices and dignities. The Ban of Croatia, who held in readiness a rabhle of from all his offices, and summoned to undergo an examination respecting his refractory conduct toward the Hungarian ministry. The Emperor of Austria composed his autographs and mani- festoes according to the state of his affairs in this or that quarter at the time of writing. He might, indeed, in this way break former oaths and faith, but he gave himself not the least uneasi- ness on that score. For instance, just at the period when Jella- chich was making his preparations in Croatia to act against Hun- gary, Italian affairs were in a very bad condition, and Vienna itself was becoming restless. The emperor dispatched General Hrabowsky with an autograph letter to the Ban to check his proceedings. Jellachich, who could not be previously advised from Vienna, was astonished, and showed General Hrabowsky nine autographs, in all of which he was encouraged to make these preparations. But what was most shameful of all, hard pressed in this conjuncture, he turned his forces against the Raitzes'whom he had himself encouraged to revolt, and in the first assault on St. Tomas caused nearly the total destruction of the brave regiment Alexander, that by its self-sacrifice at the battle of Wagram against the French saved almost the whole Austrian army. ORIGIN AND COMMENCEMENT OF THE WAR. 15 fifty or sixty thousand men which he had assembled mostly by force, and was only waiting for this signal, now entered Hungary near Letenye and marched in two columns di- rectly upon Pesth, wasting and robbing as he went. The Hungarian troops were posted in the neighborhood of Stuh- lueissenburg under Arch-duke Stephen, who left them on the approach of the enemy, in accordance with the instruc- tions of the Camarilla, and never returned. After this treacherous withdrawal of the Arch-duke, the command of the Hungarians, who had retired to Pakozd, was under- taken by Gen. Moga, an Austrian Lieutenant Field-Mar- shal, who gave battle to Jellachich at that place on the 29th of September, 1849. In this battle nearly all the inhabitants of Pesth took part. Jellachich was worsted, and the larger part of his cuirassiers driven into Lake Velencze. He then applied for an armistice of three days, which was granted by Moga the first night ; after its ratification he and his whole army decamped — and it may be with the knowledge of our commander.^ Although Jellachich' s * To give a pleasing instance of the noble Ban's way of thought, I will mention, that when honorable soldiers reproached him for this violation of the armistice, he replied : " I need keep 16 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. retreat was known next morning, immediate pursuit was delayed, and so this army, which could have been so easily taken, was suffered to escape. The fault was probably intentional with our general, who is believed to have had a full understanding with the Camarilla at that time, although he was afterwards condemned to a five years' arrest in a fortress for participating in the Hungarian revolution. "When Jellachich had been gone eight days, it was finally planned — in agreement with the Hungarian diet, but always within constitutional limits — that the main army should follow him, but no further than to the Aus- trian boundary. Perczel, with a small body under him, was to attack the other Croatian army under Generals Rott and Philippovics, who were approaching from Fiinf kirchen, and in case of a victory to follow them up and take a position on the Croatian frontier so as to prevent any fur- ther invasion. Perczel fulfilled his orders more brilliantly no faith with rebels ; my chief object was to make this flank movement toward Vienna." Hence comes his surname of master of flank movements, which is applied to him even by Austrian officers. ORIGIN AND COMMENCEMENT OF THE WAR. 17 than could be expected, with a force consisting of only three new battalions of Honveds and a few sections of national guards. He pressed the enemy, who had already advanced as far as Ozora, so closely, that on the 10th of October they yielded unconditionally, 9,000 strong, as prisoners of war. This able partisan then took his appointed station on the frontier. Besides the victories of Dombo and Letenye, he fought a brilliant battle at Friedau on the 25th of Novem- ber, 1848, where the Pesth volunteers won immortal glory, driving General Buric's force of 10,000 men, with a great loss in dead and prisoners, far into Styria. The main body, as was intimated above, marched to the Austrian boundary, and dispatched thence several couriers to the Austrian Diet which was then sitting at Vienna, desiring to be called by a resolve of the Diet to the aid of Vienna and the pursuit of Jellachich. But this Diet also wishing to confine itself within strictly legal limits, debated long on the proposition and decided nothing, and so the Hungarian army was obliged to remain on the frontier an idle spectator, and, at the distance of only twenty-eight miles, to see Windischgratz burn and cannonade the proud imperial city. At last, on the 28th of October, Kossuth himself joined 2* 18 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. the army. The twenty columns of fire that were seen that evening rising from Vienna seemed to call down from Heaven vengeance on the authors of all this ruin : they also proved the need of speedy aid, and Kossuth, without wait- ing for any thing further from the Diet, ordered the army to move toward the city — alas ! the watch- word of the day, " too late," was too applicable now. By means of railroads and steamboats, all the troops sta- tioned in Moravia, Styria, and Austria proper, had gathered about Vienna. The chief command was intrusted to Prince Windischgratz, an aristocrat who hates the people, who com- mences his classification of mankind with the species baron, and holds all of less rank as nothing but canaille. This army, which could have been so easily destroyed at the outset, was gradually increased, solely owing to the ob- stinacy of the Viennese Diet, to an enormous size. Its numbers on the 28th, including the forces of Jellachich and Auersberg, amounted to 85,000. The first success- ful attack upon Vienna was made this day. The two best defended suburbs, Landstrasse and Leopoldstadt, were taken, which may be said to have included the conquest of the rest, since they are all connected together, and preparations had been made only against attacks from ORIGIN AND COMMENCEMENT OF THE WAR. 19 without. Bern, general of the Garde Mobile, was wound- ed at this time while defending a barricade in the- Jaeger Zeile, and not wishing to fall into the hands of the Aus- trians in the event of a surrender, which already he fore- saw must take place, he left the city in the disguise of a coachman. The troops who had been under him disband- ed at his departure, and consequently the column was not formed that was to be raised from the Garde Mobile, and to fall upon the rear of the imperialists from the city side, in case the Hungarians should make an attack. If, how- ever, Bern had not retired, there would still have been great difficulties in the way, for the suburbs taken by the enemy were on the same side of the city as that on which the Hungarians had intended to operate. On the 30th of October the Hungarians, 21,000 strong, came up with the imperialists, and in Kossuth's presence attacked them fiercely, drove them out of Fischamend and Albern, carried Mannsworth by storm, and pressed on towards Vienna, where thousands of their brethren panting for liberty awaited — half in hope, half in despair — their coming to rescue them from the hands of their de- stroyers. 20 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. GORGEY S PROMOTION. Our army was still led by Gen. Moga, who, after the storming of Mannsworth, whether from ignorance, care- lessness, or treachery, chose a route which, if followed, would have resulted in our capture or utter destruction. Gorgey, who was there with a small command, saw the error, and directed Kossuth's attention to it and its conse- quences. A short halt and a brief reconnoissance clearly showed the correctness of Gorgey 's opinion and the immi- nence of the danger. The main part of the army was between the Danube and the so-called Scwharzen-Lacken, a sluggish arm of that river as broad and deep as the Dan- ube itself. At the head of this body of water, a park of sixty guns stood ready to receive us, and ten regiments had already been sent out to gain our rear and inclose us in this defile. If Gorgey had not observed the blunder, to call it by no harsher name, we should in another hour have been inevitably lost; as it was, we were able to withdraw from the trap. Kossuth, by virtue of a full power given by the Diet for this expedition, proclaimed Major Gorgey on the spot commanding general of the gorgey's promotion. 21 army he had saved. The escape from the defile was fol- lowed by a general retreat. It would have been hazard- ing too much to proceed against this enormous force, four times our own in number, and risk every thing on the first throw of the game, especially when, notwithstanding our near approach to the city, not the slightest demonstration was made from that quarter against the imperialists. The army reached the frontier unmolested, and then occupied the long line of posts from Odenburg to Holies, for it was generally supposed that the enemy would not com- mence further operations till the ensuing spring. FURTHER OPERATIONS OF THIS ARMY. JNo sooner, however, had Windischgratz sufficiently gra- tified himself with executions by the dozen, and guarded the bastions of Vienna with cannon, than he marched his disposable force, amounting to 72,000 men, upon Hun- gary. It was quite impossible to resist such a power in extended cantonments, and after several unimportant ac- tions, Gorgey ordered a general retreat to Raab in the middle of December. Here intrenehments were thrown up, on which the noblest ladies worked with their delicate 22 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. hands. Thanks ! the warmest thanks be theirs — sent them from this distant land, now our home ! The early part of the winter of 1848-49 was very mild, and from this cause G-orgey hoped to he able to maintain his ground behind the three rivers and his strong intrench- ments, and check the further progress of the enemy. It was not so written in the book of fate. On the 20th of December the weather suddenly became intensely cold. By the 25th, the ice was so thick that a body of Austrians crossed the little Danube, and took a position with their artillery below Raab. This made G-orgey' s re- treat necessary, which he conducted very slowly, that he might form a junction with Perczel's army, that had been meanwhile ordered up from the frontier, before reaching Pesth, and give a decisive battle. In the course of his retreat he fought the glorious battle of Babolna, where he engaged with three times his own numbers. Perczel had an unfortunate encounter, at first with Ottinger's brigade, and then with the main body of the Austrians at Moor on the 28th of December. Owing to his extremely bad dispositions on this occasion, he lost nine cannon and about three thousand dead, wounded, and missing, and would perhaps have been totally defeated, if a division of OPERATIONS OF GORGEY's ARMY. 23 Gorgey' s had not come to his succor just before the close of the engagement. All the evil consequences of this disastrous check are to be attributed solely to Perczel. He might have united with Gorgey much earlier, but placing an over-estimate upon his own merits after the defeat of Rott, he delayed as long as possible putting himself under the command of a younger general. The result was, that his best troops, the heroes of Friedau, were entirely dispersed, and the decisive battle rendered impossible. Nothing now remained for Gorgey but to receive the broken remnants of Perczel' s corps and slowly retire beyond the Danube. He crossed that stream at Pesth on the 5th of January, 1849, his rear-guard having fought with and again beaten the enemy's cavalry at Teth. Under the constant pursuit of the enemy, in the depth of winter, and through the most inhospitable districts of the country, Gorgey afterwards conducted that series of retreats to "Waitzen, Schemnicz, Neusohl, Leutshau, Eperges, and Kaschau, that made his name popular in Hungary, and in the course of which he gained decided advantages over his pursuers at Schemnicz, Iglo, and Braniczko. 24 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. THE WINTER CAMPAIGN OF 1849 ON THE UPPER THEISS. After the defeat of Perczel's army at Moor, the govern- ment had directed Gorgey not to expose Pesth to the rage of the enemy by giving battle before that city, but to retire beyond the Danube toward Waitzen. Partly for the sake of leading off the enemy from Debreczin, the new seat of gov- ernment, partly to give security to the mountain cities and the upper country, and, if possible, to destroy the army of Simonies, he was charged to move in that direction. The remnants of Perczel's army crossed the stream at Pesth on the 1st of January. Kossuth and the government left that city on the 3d. G-orgey pursued the route pre- scribed to him, while Perczel, reinforced by some battalions newly raised in Pesth, marched on the Theiss to protect the government and Diet. He at first established his head- quarters at Szolnok, afterwards at Torbk St. Miklos, and extended his posts to Czibakhaza to prevent the enemy from crossing the river in that quarter. This corps, num- bering between six and eight thousand, had several unim- portant combats with the Austrians, who followed close WINTER CAMPAIGN ON THE THEI3S. 25 upon them — sometimes beaten, sometimes beating. Gen- eral Repassy was at Ujvaros forming a new corps, which, together with the detachment at Tisza-Fiired, amounted to nearly five thousand men. General Meszaros commanded eight thousand men at Tokay, the remnants of his army, which had been defeated by Schlick on the 4th of January at Kashau.^ Klapka was ordered to take command of Gen. Meszaros' corps at Tokay, which he did on the 13th of January. Encouraged by his success, Schlick began to act on the offensive, and advanced with five thousand men against * Schlick had two meetings with our forces at Kashau, once under Colonel Pulsky and once under General Meszaros, in both of which we were the losers. Meszaros lost eleven cannons and drew off but 8,000 of his 16,000 men. It is right to say, how- ever, that this corps was composed almost entirely of national guards and recruits, of whom not more than* one in five had fire-arms, and that even the cannons were served by novices, and of course served badly. I should also mention, that the 8,000 missing were neither killed nor taken prisoners — for Schlick did not leave his defensive position to follow them — but dispersed to their homes. 3 26 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. our position. The battle of the 22d at Torczal, and of the 23d at Bodrogkeresztur, were in extremely cold weather. Schlick, in spite of all his military stratagems, was de- feated in both with a great loss in dead and wounded, and was forced back to Szanto.^ When he saw that he could effect nothing either by his strength or his tricks, he asked for a reinforcement, and obtained one of six thousand men under General Schulczig, who advanced from Miskolz on the 27th of January. Klapka, whose main business was to prevent a passage of the Theiss, retired behind that river to Rakamaz on Schluczig's approach. He then took such admirable measures, that when the hostile generals, with their combined forces, attempted a passage on the 31st, they were not only vigorously repulsed, but obliged to with- * We had Wiirtemberg Hussars in this corps. Schlick had formerly been colonel of their regiment. He therefore em- ployed various artifices to lead them away from us, and once even came among them in person ; but our hussars, influenced by their old feelings of respect, suffered him to retire in safety. At another time his men showed a white flag, as if they would come over to us ; but when our men approached to fraternize, opened upon them with a murderous fire. WINTER CAMPAIGN ON THE THEISS. 27 draw from that region altogether. ^ A few days after, Dembinsky arrived at Rakamaz, and took command of the corps of Klapka and of Kazinczy. Dembinsky was harsh and querulous from the very first. When reviewing the troops, he found fault with a new battalion because they could not present arms. " No, gen- eral, they cannot," replied their commander, a brave, straightforward soldier, " but they can level their bayonets and charge ; they proved they could do that day before yesterday." We were well informed that Grbrgey was marching to Kaschau, and that Schlick and Schulzig were hurrying as fast as possible in the same direction, in order to escape * I had an opportunity shortly after, of reading an intercepted dispatch from Schlick, in which he gave a report of this affair to his commander-in-chief. It says : " They had obtained large reinforcements — five or six battalions of regulars and several battalions of Honveds were in the fight." This is all false. We had only one very weak battalion of old regular soldiers in the corps, and it took no part in the engagement. Those who seemed to him so numerous, and by whom he was beaten, were barely two battalions of Honveds. See note B. 28 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. either to Szepsi or Jaszo. Klapka, upon his own urgent representations, was charged to follow this corps by forced marches. Dembinsky himself, with the remainder of the forces, proposed moving toward Putnok, to cut them off, if, as was probable, they should take that road. The first part of this arrangement was immediately put in execution. The rear-guard of Schlick was overtaken on the 8th of February at Hidas-Nemethi, where he had thrown up bar- ricades behind the Hernat. Notwithstanding the cold was so intense that our boots were frozen in the stirrups, and although we had been marching since early in the morn- ing, and the day was now far advanced, Klapka ordered an assault at four in the afternoon upon the enemy's very strong position. At six the burning bridge over the Hernat, and half an hour afterwards the barricades of Hidas-Ne- methi, were carried, and that too by raw volunteers. The enemy made such good thrift with the darkness, that we were unable to trace them that night. We discovered next day, to our great joy, that they had gone toward Szepsi, and so fallen into the snare. To prevent any escape, Klapka sent Colonel Dessewffy with a brigade to Enyiczke and Buzinka, while he proceeded to Kaschau and joined Gorgey on the 10th of the month. During the WINTER CAMPAIGN ON THE THEISS. 29 night of the 10th, a messenger came in from Dembinsky with orders for Klapka to leave the further pursuit of Schlick to Gen. Gorgey, and return as speedily as possible with his own troops to Miskolcz, where he would receive further directions. In pursuance of this order, we started on our backward march, and reached Miskolcz on the 14th, the very day on which Dembinsky, in consequence of his imperfect dispositions, had suffered Schlick after a short encounter to escape in the direction of Tornallya, and brought from the field, instead of the whole corps, only a few baggage-wagons as trophies of victory. As the Austrian main army had entered Hatvan, Klapka was commissioned to go forward on the Pesth road and await in Mezzokovesd accounts from the other corps oVarmee. At this place, meanwhile, Klapka learned that the enemy had halted, and that their advanced guard of several divisions of cuirassiers were taking their ease in the castle of Count Karoly at Kompolt. A surprise was immediately planned. Our cavalry came suddenly upon them in the night of the 18th, killed a portion of them, and took the rest prisoners. Because Klapka had man- aged this surprise without first obtaining Dembinsky' s ap*- proval ; because, in the course of a five day's residence 3* 30 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. at Mezzbkovesd, he had ridden into Miskolcz one afternoon to consult with his general upon future operations, and not finding him there, had left a brief statement of his views in writing ; finally and mainly, because on this occasion he held a long conversation with G-orgey, who was an old garde-comrade, Dembinsky, who could never rid himself of the mistrust that seems a second nature to almost all Poles, and who suspected in this conversation plots against him- self, became excessively irritated, and shortly after wrote him an official letter in the harshest style, wherein he threatened to send that officer to a court-martial at De- breczin to answer for having acted on his own authority, and left his station. In reference to the written state- ment, he added : " You are to have views upon nothing ; you have only to execute what is prescribed to you." Gorgey was at a later day honored with a similar missive. This may have been in part the cause that the necessary harmony was wanting in all the after operations, and that the battle of Kapolna did not fully answer previous ex- pectations. The chief cause, however, of the succeeding failures is to be looked for in Dembinsky' s absurd dis- positions, in his extreme forgetfulness and obstinacy, and in his wretched selection of a general staff. From Mezzo- WINTER CAMPAIGN ON THE THEISS. 31 kovesd, Klapka was ordered to Bakta, to close the pass there against Schlick, who was in Petervasar. On reaching there, he received from persons on whom he could rely accurate information of Schlick' s condition, and how he could be surprised and routed. He imme- diately took measures accordingly. Mariassy was com- missioned to go around Petervasar towards Mindszent ; but at the same time early notice of the arrangements was sent to the commander-in-chief at Erlau. Dembin- sky's answer was nearly in the manner of the letter referred to above. It strictly forbade Klapka to put his arrangements in execution. This prohibition came to hand at three o'clock in the night. Mariassy's column was already five hours on its way, and could not be countermanded before five in the morning, the hour fixed upon for the attack. There was nothing to be done but to advance towards Petervasar, and, if Mariassy had in our absence brought the entire force of the enemy on him- self, to furnish such aid as he might stand in need of, but otherwise not to co-operate actively. That officer, on his part, succeeded to his wishes, and was already at that place with his artillery before his presence was perceived. The confusion in the hostile ranks may be 32 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. imagined. But the affair was all on one side, for the enemy could retire at their pleasure. Mariassy, embar- rassed by the non-appearance of Klapka, contented him- self with spiking the guns in the market-place, and left the town, after killing a few of its defenders. Schlick was this time saved by Dembinsky's obstinacy, as he had formerly escaped through his blunders. The Austrian army was gradually drawing near, and Dembinsky resolved to hazard a decisive engagement. Klapka' s corps was accordingly brought into line .behind Tarna, one division under Klapka was transferred to Ver- pcleth, another under Mariassy to Kapolna, Schulz's brigade stood in reserve at Szolnok, Repassy's corps was ordered on the 27th to Kompolt, one division of G-orgey's army to Kapolna, two others to Felso-Dobro and Also-Dobro, to take their place in the line of battle. Two other di- visions were to form a reserve. The enemy, meanwhile, attacked Kapolna, at noon of the 26th, with a superior force. Mariassy held his ground bravely, and the battle, with changing fortune, lasted till late into the night. The Austrians twice carried the village, and were as often expelled, finally leaving it in our posses- sion. On the 27th Schlick forced his way through the pass of WINTER CAMPAIGN ON THE THEISS. 33 Sirok — driving back the detachment sent by Dembinsky to guard it, and fell upon our right flank, while others of the enemy were marching from Nanar and Vecs against our centre. Klapka's corps had to bear alone the brunt of the first assault, for the other corps had not then come into line, and was forced from its position before succor arrived. An unpardonable error had been committed ; let those who deserve it bear the blame. On a line of battle extending fifteen miles, while the enemy were acting with their entire strength, there were not at any one time more than three of our divisions engaged, the others never appeared till the first had been driven back. So matters went through the day, until the demonstrations of our reserve in the afternoon put a limit to the enemy's progress. There was hard fighting on both sides during the day and a half that this battle lasted, but had our troops been better directed the issue had assuredly been in our favor. Windischgratz's force amounted to about sixty thousand ; we numbered not quite forty thousand. Besides the al- most total destruction of a regiment of Uhlans and the Italian battalion Zanini, the enemy spiked and left behind in Kapolna eight cannon on the first day, and lost nearly four thousand in dead and wounded. Our loss in dead, 34 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. wounded, and missing was greater by some two hundred than theirs. At the close of the action we took position on the heights behind Kerecsend, but were mostly ordered back the same night to Mezzokovesd. The remaining troops followed the next day, and were no sooner come into line than the enemy renewed the attack with five large bodies of cavalry, but were met so warmly by our brave Wil- helm and Palatinal hussars that they were fain to go back leaving their guns to our care. The night passed quietly, and we were eagerly waiting, from hour to hour, for orders to advance. What, then, was our astonishment, when we received, at eight o'clock the next morning, commands to fall back to Poroszlo, and thence behind the Theiss, in the following order : — Klapka's corps and the division of Szeku- lic's to Egerfarmas ; the corps of Aulich — he having mean- time taken command of that of Gen. Repassy — to St. Istvan ; Gorgey's corps to Mezzo-Keresztes. The move- ment was to begin immediately. What was to be done ? We could only obey ; and accordingly broke up and set forward on our various routes. I went with Klapka to Egerfarmas. I should premise that the enemy were at Szijhalon and Szemere, which Dembinsky must have known as well as we. Now I wish to ask if a flank- WINTER CAMPAIGN ON THE THEISS. 35 march, rendered additionally difficult by the nature of the ground, should be executed in broad day and in close proximity to the enemy ? He will be somewhat troubled to give an answer. The consequences too soon demon- strated the hazardous character of a movement planned in defiance of all military rules. After overcoming great ob- stacles we reached Egerfarmas in the afternoon of the 3d of March. The troops were literally packed together on an open field behind the town, the only standing place that could be found for them. When the necessary guards had been set, the members of the staff — to which I had the honor of belonging — who, as well as the men, had scarcely eaten for three days, repaired to a noble proprietor of the district who, the quarter-master reported, was getting ready a splendid banquet for us. The worthy quarter-master was not deceived. "We were called to the table as soon as we had entered the mansion. But we had hardly seated ourselves and taken the first mouthful, when a twelve pound ball dropped into the courtyard, somewhat disturbing the silent but very agree- able operations of our noble staff. We hurried out, sprang to horse, and found that the enemy at Szemere, without the trouble of moving, had placed six batteries in a half 3G THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. circle, and turned their concentrating fire upon our way- worn, famished troops. Egerfarmas was so miry, and the neighborhood so marshy, that with eight horses to each, we were unable to bring any but three pounders into use, while the whole battery from Szemere was playing upon us. If the Austrians had only shown a little vigor, and sent a column towards Tarkany, with orders to attack immediately on gaining our rear, not one thousand of our eighteen thousand would have escaped — for there was no room for necessary evolutions — and as to our fifty- eight cannons — ! But they permitted us to march off very comfortably, and were even so courteous as to re- frain from pursuit. For this politeness I return thanks, in my own name, and for the batteries which I had drawn out one by one from the mud, two hours after midnight, under the simple escort of eight young hussars. We went to Tisza-Fiired on the 2d of March. On the 3d, a council of war was held, under the presidency of Gorgey, in which the assembled officers expressed their want of confidence in Dembinsky, who, in consequence, resigned the same day. On the 8th of the month Gorgey recrossed the Theiss, Klapka marched to Szolnok, and Aulich remained in Tisza-Fiired. VICTORIOUS ADVANCES OF THE HUNGARIAN ARMY. 37 II. VICTORIOUS ADVANCES OF THE HUNGARIAN ARMY IN MARCH AND APRIL, 1849. The surprise near Szolnok, conducted by Damjanics and Vecsey, with Klapka as a reserve, met with complete success. The enemy, uuder Generals Karger and Ottinger, were partly dispersed, partly driven into the river Zagyva. Besides nearly five hundred prisoners, we took most of their cannon, many military wagons, chests, etc. This surprise, the favorable result of which was mainly owing to Dam- janics' troops, who made the first charge upon the Aus- trians with the greatest bravery, and then the battle before the place itself, were the beginning of that brilliant series of victories by which, in battles and skirmishes fol- lowing each other in quick succession, the Austrians were totally routed, and forced to vacate the capital and most of the upper districts of the country. This day was also a day of knowledge, for there our young troops learned that, conscious of the sacredness of their cause, they were a match for the more skillful and. stronger forces of the 4 38 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. enemy. This knowledge inspired them with courage for the performance of deeds that shall never be forgotten in the history of Hungary — nor in the history of Europe. After this victory Kossuth came to the head-quarters, held a review, particularly of those battalions that had distin- guished themselves, thanked them, with glowing eloquence, in the name of their country, and summoned them to fur- ther deeds of like glory. It was now determined to resume the offensive, which had for a time, through Dembinsky's errors, been changed to the defensive. The plan was, that Gorgey, who had already crossed the Theiss, should move in the direction of Gyongyos, and that the army of 30,000, concentrated at Czibakhaza, near Szolnok, under Gen. Vetter, should pass Nagy-Koros, and operate upon Pesth. Accordingly, on the 22d of March, the latter army crossed the Theiss at Czi- bakhaza ; but when they learned that the enemy were gathered between 70 and 80,000 strong at Koros, they relinquished their design, and returned behind the Theiss. It was then resolved in a council of war, at which Kossuth was present, that the two armies should operate together towards a common centre. Vetter, whose corps was sent towards Tisza-Fiired, was at this time seized with a fever, VICTORIOUS ADVANCES OF THE HUNGARIAN ARMY. 39 and there being no hope of his speedy recovery, President Kossuth, who was still on the ground, named Gorgey pro- visional commander-in-chief. We once more passed the Theiss on the 27th of March, and on the 2d of April came abreast of Gorgey's division — now under Gen. Gaspar — advancing on the direct post-road to Pesth. The same day Gaspar fought with the Austrians for six hours, and drove them behind Hatvan ; except the taking of Hatvan, this battle had no important results. Kossuth was now permanently with the army. In a council of war, held on the 3d of April, Klapka proposed the plan — afterwards so successfully executed — of flanking Godollo, a position where a very small force could hold whole armies in check, and which was the very key of Pesth. In pursuance of this design, the corps under Klapka as the advance, Damjanics in the centre, and Aulich in the rear, marched on the 4th towards Tapiobicske. Our scouts all agreed in stating that Tapiobicske was defended by only two battalions and one battery. Klapka, in his ardor, and in the consciousness of his strength, neglected the necessary precautions, and ordered his whole army across the only bridge over the Tapio, a fenny, unfordable stream. Between the river and the village, situated at the 40 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. foot of a mountain, fifteen hundred paces distant, are noth- ing but quicksands. When he was come near enough to the place, he gave orders to storm without further examina- tion. But to our astonishment, every house was suddenly changed to a redoubt, and numberless batteries opened upon us from the mountain back of the village. "We had been sorely deceived. Jellachich's entire corps, to which was added Rastich's brigade, lay here in ambush. It was fortunate for us that they discovered themselves so quickly, otherwise our first battalions might have been utterly de- stroyed. As it was, they saved themselves with a trifling loss. Nevertheless, the sudden appearance of the enemy on all sides had so injurious an effect on our men, that after a short resistance, they began to retreat, and many bat- talions ran in confusion to the bridge. Klapka himself was cut off from the main body, and had, with a portion of his suite, ridden into a quagmire, where he stuck fast. His safety was owing to a cap and coarse cloak which he had taken with his own hands from a conquered Serbian, and worn throughout the winter campain. He was sup- posed from his dress to be one of the new recruits, rather than a general. When Damjanics' corps, especially the VICTORIOUS ADVANCES OF THE HUNGARIAN ARMY. 41 brave 3d and 9th battalions, came up, affairs took a dif- ferent turn. These two battalions at the head, broke their way through the fugitives, and amid the cross-fire of the enemy on the causeway, carried the bridge at one charge, and restored the fight. In less than half an hour, they not only recovered all advantages from the enemy, but forced them to retire from the village. The scattered troops of Klapka were rapidly collected, and aided effectively in driving the enemy from their very strong position on the mountain, where they made an obstinate resistance, and pursued them till nightfall. The loss in this action, which lasted nearly ten hours, was quite large, amounting on both sides to more than 1,000 killed and wounded. That they might have no rest, we followed close upon their tracks. On the 5th of April we learned that the en- tire Austrian army was concentrated near Isaszeg, under "Windischgratz. Dispositions for a general engagement were accordingly made. A column was sent out towards Petzel on the left, under General Dessewffy, to turn the hostile flank, which, however, owing to the difficulties of the ground, did not reach its destination till after the enemy were beaten. Windischgratz' s main body, with 120 cannon, occupied the heights behind Isaszeg — a position 4* 42 THE HUNGARIAN STE.UGGLE FOR FREEDOMS that might well be called the Gibraltar of the country — and also the village and forest in front. Klapka ap- proached by the road from Sap, Damjanics from Koka, Au- lich forming a reserve between the two towards the woods before Isaszeg. About noon began a murderous fire, and the charge upon the forest. Our troops fought heroically, and carried the woods three times, but were as often ex- pelled by the greatly superior force opposed to them. At last, reinforced by Aulich's corps, and the cavalry of Graspar who had come up from Tura, they bore down all resistance, not only clearing the woods at one charge, but entering the village which was now burning in at least ten different places. And now all the fierce horrors of the fight were displayed. Along the whole line of battle, for an extent of at least five miles, there was an incessant firing of artillery and small arms, and constant charges and attacks. "When our column came out from the woods, they became exposed to a destructive fire from the heights ; but careless of this, and with a singular contempt of death, they stormed the enemy's stronghold. Before nightfall, the tricolor was planted on the hostile works, and waved out gloriously in the last beams of the setting sun. The Austrians, who, trusting to what they believed an impreg- VICTORIOUS ADVANCES OF THE HUNGARIAN ARMY. 43 liable position, had perhaps fought better than on. any other occasion during the war, were beaten on all sides, and nothing but the coming darkness saved them from utter rout. Our troops, much exhausted by forced marches and by the fatigues of the day, were in great need of repose. They accordingly bivouacked. The pursuit was left to a few divisions of cavalry. The loss on both sides was several thousand in dead and wounded, but that of the enemy by far the largest. We had now become mas- ters of the railroad from Pesth to Szolnok. Early the next morning, we again hastened forward, both Hungarian armies directing their course to Grodollo, the last tenable position of the enemy between us and Pesth ; but as the loss of Isaszeg exposed their flank, they had forsaken it and retreated early in the day to Pesth, where they threw up strong intrenchments, and prepared for defence. We came just upon Kerepes' rear, which left us the field after a short encounter. Further pursuit was not in our plan ; besides that our men could hardly be said to have eaten or slept since leaving Tapiobicskc, and needed rest. All now was busy at our head-quarters in G-odollo. Kossuth was there with some of his ministry and deputies from the Diet, who were preparing to declare the Indepen- 44 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. dence of Hungary and the banishment of the Austrian Dynasty. Their purpose was made known to the army, who received its announcement with the greatest enthu- siasm. Kossuth and his associates immediately returned to Debreczin, in order to take proper measures in reference to this important subject. On the 14th of April, 1849, the representatives of the Hungarian nation met in the Prot- estant church at Debreczin. Kossuth, in an eloquent ad- dress, reported the late victories, presented the rights and claims of Hungary, the abuses and perfidy of Austria, and called upon the Diet and the assembled people, in the name of their country and of God, to shake off the fetters that had bound them for three centuries, and take their place among the independent nations. The following propositions were then unanimously adopted : — "1. Hungary with all its legal provinces and counties should be proclaimed as a free, independent, and self-sub- sistent state, whose integrity and unity can never be attacked. "2. The dynasty of Hapsburg-Lorrain, whose treachery and perfidiousness took up arms against the Hungarian nation, which tried to divide the country, to annihilate the holy constitution, to produce hatred between the different VICTORIOUS ADVANCES OF THE HUNGARIAN ARMY. 45 races, and which was even so shameless as to make use of a foreign power (Russia) to butcher a whole nation, which in this way has torn in pieces the Pragmatic sanc- tion, which has violated every mutual treaty, this faithless dynasty of Hapsburg-Lorrain, should be deposed forever as ruler in Hungary and all its legal provinces and countries, should be exiled and banished forever from all the terri- tories of Hungary, and should never be allowed the privilege of Hungarian citizenship. This banishment should be proclaimed in the name of the whole Hun- garian nation. "3. The Hungarian nation being, by a holy, unalien- able right, self-subsistent, free, and independent, may pro- claim its decided will to keep peace and friendship with all nations of the world, so long as its rights are not violated ; to keep particularly peace and friendship with those people who were before united with Hungary, under the same ruler ; also with the neighboring Turkish and Italian countries, and to make treaties and alliances with them founded on mutual interests. "4. The future system of government with its par- ticularities shall be deliberated and decided by the National Assembly. Until the new principles of government are 46 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. deliberated upon and accepted, a president, with respon- sible ministers, should be elected and invested with the executive power. " 5. A committee of three members should be author- ized to publish a manifest of this resolution and its prin- ciples." In order as soon as possible to relieve Comorn, which had been hardly pressed since December of the preceding year, and at the same time to hold in check and constantly harass the hostile army in Pesth and Ofen, our forces were disposed as follows : — The corps of Klapka, Damjanics, and Gaspar, under the lead of Gorgey, were to draw off to Comorn ; Aulich, with his own corps, and the division of Vimety and Asboth, was to keep watch of Pesth. Gorgey departed for Comorn on the 8th of April, while Aulich re- mained behind ; and, having defeated the Austrians in four different actions, obliged them to evacuate Pesth ; but they left a garrison of between 5 and 6,000 men, under Gen. Henzy, in the fortress of Ofen. On the 9th of April, Gorgey marched against Waitzen, with the full knowledge that the town was held by 12,000 Austrians, under generals, the Prince Jablonovsky, Gocz, and Fidler. They were also fully informed of our approach, VICTORIOUS ADVANCES OF THE HUNGARIAN ARMY. 47 and stood awaiting us drawn up behind a row of sand hills. Damjanics, who was then leading the advance, attacked them as soon as he came in sight, without waiting for the others to come up, and pushed them so hotly, in spite of a violent rain, that when Klapka appeared on the right wing they were already wavering, and soon after began their retreat. They were closely followed into the town, which was taken by storm. They again formed on the heights outside, but were routed, after a fight of two hours, and driven to Verocze. We took a number of cannons and military wagons, and about 500 prisoners. Gen. Gocz, and several hundred of less rank, lay dead on the field. Our loss, in killed and wounded, was not more than thirty at the utmost. On the 10th, we continued on our course towards Co- mpm, choosing the mountain road for greater security. This region was quite clear from the enemy. It was not till we were about crossing the Grran, at Levencz, that we observed their outposts on the opposite bank. They had partly carried and partly burned the bridges on this stream. We thought that we had now met with a most serious difficulty. The stream, naturally very rapid, was greatly swollen. There were no materials at hand for constructing 48 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. a bridge, and the river was commanded from an admirable position on the other side. Nevertheless, we, resolved to do our best, collected mills,* house-roofs, barrels, and timbers, and commenced our building at Obars and Levencz, at which latter place we completed a structure at the end of three days. The enemy let us work at our pleasure without the least disturbance, nay even marched away before our eyes during the building of the bridge. If Wohlgemuth did not enjoy the reputation of being one of the cleverest generals in Austria, I should say he was one of the stupidest in the world. I am to this day unable to understand how one can allow an opponent to throw a bridge over a stream, some fifty fathoms broad, and pass his troops over it on their way to relieve a closely-besieged fortress. Indeed, I shall feel under obligations to any one who will make me acquainted with the principles of tactics or strategy which the aforesaid general applied to the case in question. The corps of Klapka and Damjanics consumed the whole of the 18th in crossing the tottering bridge, which threatened * The small river or floating mills are of course here meant. VICTORIOUS ADVANCES OF THE HUNGARIAN ARMY. 49 every moment to give way, and we did not reach Lbk till late in the evening. Here we were universally assured that the enemy had gone down to the city of Gran, which we were the more ready to believe from having seen them start in that direction. We were pursuing our march on the 19th, with Klapka in advance, when the commander in front sent back an officer, with the astounding report, that a very large body of the enemy was drawn up in order of battle near Grosz- Sarlo. We galloped forward, and saw, with our own eyes, what we found it difficult to believe from the mouth of another — a strong army, with its right wing resting on the town, its left on the range of mountains, and its centre supported by a forest. We had made no dispositions for such an occurrence as this ; Gorgey was still behind at Levencz, Gaspar's corps had not yet even crossed the Gran. But, not stopping long to deliberate, we charged upon the much superior force thus suddenly opposed to us. In the beginning the battle swayed doubtful, now hither, now thither ; now we had no left wing, and now no centre ; but the bravery of our soldiers supplied all deficiencies, and 22,000 new recruits, without preparation, defeated 34,000 choice Austrian troops, fully provided with artillery, 5 50 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. and commanded by the ablest generals.^ The battle was first decided on our left answering to the hostile right wing. Damjanics went around the town, which was defended by four battalions, two rocket and four field batteries, while Kazinczy carried it by a masterly assault. The garrison defended themselves with desperation. Every room, every cellar and door-way, had to be stormed separately, but stormed they were, and the occupants either cut down or taken prisoners, — but few made their escape. When the enemy had lost this support, they threw themselves violently in strong columns upon our centre, striving their utmost to break it through and dis- perse our troops. A large flanking column of cavalry partly broke their left wing, that had already been shaken by the taking of the town, and was not yet perfectly restored, and flanked their centre. This, and the coming up of two of our batteries, at not more than three hundred paces distant from their main column, causing fearful destruction in its ranks, forced them to abandon their design and commence a retreat ; otherwise they could * Wohlgemuth and Benedek. VICTORIOUS ADVANCES OP THE HUNGARIAN ARMY. 51 have easily succeeded, for our centre was almost without artillery. They were hotly pursued. The commander of our extreme right neglected to keep close by the vineyards on his side. The error had nearly given a new turn to the fortunes of the day, for, when we least looked for such an event, we were assaulted in flank and rear by 8,000 men. There was at first a little confusion in this wing ; but it would yield in nothing of bravery to the rest, turned fiercely back on the assailants, and in less than an hour not only repulsed them but even cleared the wood whither they had retired after the first onset. The retreat now became general ; the pursuit was kept up till ten at night. This last mentioned body of 8,000 men, under Gren. Her- zinger, mostly grenadiers, arrived on the ground from the imperial head-quarters, at Olmiitz, just as the battle was decided.^ They were on the point of withdrawing, When they marked the oversight of our right wing, and hoped, * The embarrassment of the Austrian court may be imagined, when it found itself obliged to send a portion of the body- guard into the field. 52 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. by a rapid movement against flank and rear, to recover what was lost. The experiment proved an unhappy one. As we rode over the field with Gen. Klapka, we came ..upon a company of grenadiers who had all been dreadfully wounded in the feet by our guns. The general noticed their uniform, and asked who was their commander ; they answered, " Captain Klapka." He was the general's much-loved brother ! In tins unhappy war, there were thousands of such instances, where father strove against son, and brother against brother. The enemy lost, in this battle, besides some thousands killed, 3,000 prisoners and a number of cannon. Our loss, in killed and wounded, was not far from 800. The laurels of the day are mainly due to artillery. There were batteries of six cannons, in which, after five were dismounted, the sixth was still actively served. No further opposition was offered after this action, and we held on our course undisturbed to Comom, which was still undergoing a continuous bombardment. A few days before our arrival, Gen. Guyon, the newly- appointed commandant, attended by only one squadron of hussars, had broke his way through the whole besieging army, and made good his entrance into the fortress. RELIEF OF COMORN. 53 III. RELIEF OF COMORN. That portion of the besiegers who were on the left bank of the Danube withdrew at our approach. On the day of our arrival Gren. Guyon sallied out into the Schutt,^ and drove the enemy behind Aranyos. It only remained, therefore, to clear the right bank, where was the main body of the Austrians, and whence the bombs flew con- stantly into the city and fortress. The restoration of the bridge of boats over the Danube, that had formerly con- nected the fortress with the tete du pont, but had long since been shot away, was immediately taken in hand, and completed in three days, that is, on the 25th of April, in spite of an uninterrupted shower of bombs and balls. f * The Schiitt is a large island formed by the Danube and an arm of that river. f The design of the enemy was to destroy, if possible, our works upon the bridge, of which they commanded a view from 5* 54 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. The same evening eight picked battalions, led by Colonel Knezics, were ordered over the bridge. At two hours after midnight they stormed the hostile works opposite the fortress, which were already in the second parallel, cap- tured all their defenders, and seized all their guns. While the darkness continued, the same battalions stormed Old and New Szony, two places opposite the fortress, took many additional prisoners, and large supplies of war materiel. At four in the morning the armee-corps began to cross the bridge. At eight o'clock the battle commenced, in which the Austrian main army, including the besieging force, under the chief command of Lieutenant Field-Marshal Vel- den, who had been appointed in place of Windischgratz, engaged against the ca?ys cVarmee of Klapka and Dam- janics, and the troops of the garrison. Grorgey's dispositions were so imperfect, that our old choice troops, that is, those of his former corps, together with the best artillery and their elevated position. They accordingly discharged bombs and balls upon us day and night — the bombs with short matches, so that they all exploded over our heads, and killed and wounded some of our workmen. RELIEF OF COMORN. 55 cavalry were just passing the river at evening, when our general staff were returning to the city after the victory. Had they, especially the cavalry, co-operated in the action, the enemy might, perhaps, have this time been pursued to Vienna. — "Was Grdrgey already cherishing treacherous pur- poses ? The fight began on the high grounds before New Szony, and, notwithstanding the great superiority of those opposed to us, was there immediately decided in our favor ; but the further back the enemy were driven, the better and more elevated were the positions which they successively occupied, and obstinately defended. Their left wing finally entered the woods before Acs, with their centre turning towards Puszta-Herkaly, and their right wing to Nagy and Kis-Igmand. It was two in the afternoon, when General Kagy Sandor, commander of the cavalry, received orders to flank the enemy's right wing, and drive them over the Csonczo, which would have made a general retreat neces- sary. But this brave general, pushing forward with too much ardor, suddenly brought our cavalry into a formidable cross-fire. Its flank was at the same time turned by Schlick's corps. A retreat, in utter confusion, was the result. The presence of Gorgey's cavalry, at this juncture, had been of the utmost importance. 56 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. When the infantry had recovered the advantages lost by this disaster, the fighting ceased on both sides, on account of the extreme heat,- and each party encamped. During the engagement we captured a number of cannons, took many prisoners, and gained possession of two camps, with more than 3,000 tents, and the camp utensils. The enemy's loss, in dead and wounded, was over 4,000 ; ours not quite 1,000. During the night the Austrians crossed the river, and passed the frontier. How easily they might have been destroyed on this occasion — how easily we might have taken Vienna ! What advantages would have accrued from that event, not only to Hungary, but to Europe at large ! These things every honest man at that time saw. But Gorgey contented himself with sending Gaspar's corps to Eaab, and a division, under Kosztolanyi, to the Schiitt ; and, after remaining eight days longer be- fore Comorn, leisurely proceeded to the siege of Ofen. The government, meanwhile, had perceived that the credit of these important victories was not due to Gorgey, who had not made the dispositions, nor been personally present in most of the actions, but to the good management of the subordinate generals, and to the bravery of the sol- diers. They were also inclined to blame him for having, RELIEF OF COMORN. 57 in defiance of their urgent recommendation, omitted to follow up the enemy with vigor. The attempt was there- fore made to remove him, in a handsome manner, from the army, and he was appointed minister of war. He accepted the appointment, bat excused himself from immediately entering on its duties, on the ground that there were no generals in the army to whom he could safely intrust the chief command. He desired, meantime, to send Gen. Dam- janics as his substitute in the ministry of war. When this general, who was a great eye-sorrow to him, and whom he had misled by all sorts of deceptive representations to under- take the provisional administration of that office, broke his foot the very day before his intended departure, he pre- vailed upon Klapka to take his place, in order to remove .this genius also, of whose popularity with the army he was jealous. Klapka left for the seat of government the same day that the three armies set out on their march to Ofen. 58 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. IV. THE BOMBARDMENT OF PESTH AND STORMING OF OFEN. That they might not expose the fairest city in Hungary to a needless bombardment, our blockading army did not make their entrance into Pesth until the Austrians had left of their own accord. The commandant of the hostile fortress of Ofen, which stands on the opposite bank of the Danube, assured the inhabitants that he would not bom- bard their city so long as the first cause of provocation did not come from their side. Hence every thing was avoided on the part of the Hungarians that might bring ruin upon this beautiful place. For the purpose of connecting with Gorgey's army that had meantime appeared on the Ofen bank, and because the chain bridge was commanded by the enemy, and indeed partly taken away, a new bridge was built lower down the stream. Gorgey took command of all the blockading troops, distributed them on the heights about Ofen, and fixed his headquarters on the so- called Scwhabenberg. He then summoned the command- BOMBARDMENT OF PESTH AND STORMING OF OFEN. 59 ant of Ofen to surrender within forty-eight hours, and bade him beware of bombarding Pesth, as no operations would proceed from that quarter — threatening if the old arrangement in this respect were broken, to put the entire garrison to the sword when the fortress was taken. The commandant returned in answer that he should hold out to the last, but should not bombard the city so long as it gave him no occasion. But when did a mercenary tool of the Austrian Camarilla ever keep his plighted word ? Never when it was against his real or supposed interest. Here is one of many proofs. Henczy bombarded Pesth without the least provocation, and changed the elegant row of buildings on the river, and the finest streets and squares into heaps of ruins — for it, may he be accursed !* It was not till this answer was received that G-orgey sent to * Even after the first Hungarian banners were planted on the fortress, the Austrians, from a mere love of destruction, were preparing to blow up the still unfinished, elegant chain-bridge, and were only prevented by the engineer, Claire, who counter- mined them, and drenched their materials with water. This may serve to show the natural readiness of the Austrians for acts of Vandalism. 60 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. Comorn for the proper "besieging materials — an act of negli- gence that has much the air of guilt — for he could easily have brought what was necessary with him. When at last these arrived, the battering cannon were set up and a breach attempted. An attack upon the fortified aqueduct, and one upon the fortress itself, under the gallant Colonel Vimety, failed of success. But when the first breach was made our men could no longer be restrained. When they looked down on Pesth, which lay in ruins, they were mastered with such a fierce bitterness, and when they looked up at the rocky fortress, the sweet hope of vengeance beckoned them so fairly, that, in their hot impatience for the combat, the battalions actually quarreled with each other for the privilege of joining the first column that should storm. The dispute had finally to be settled by lot. At two o'clock, in the morning of the 21st of May, the assault began upon the breach, and by means of scaling ladders, on all sides of this fortress, perched upon a rock rising a thousand feet above the Danube. Two hundred and forty- seven cannons, and from 5 to 6,000 small arms, vomited out death and ruin upon the assailants — but nothing could damp the ardor of their vengeance. They clung, and crept, and sprang like squirrels from ladder to rock, from crag to BOMBARDMENT OF PESTH AND STORMING OF OFEN. 61 ladder. Here and there a ball would strike a ladder, with a man grasping every round, and hurl all into the abyss. In this way Colonel John Mariassy was thrice cast down ; though severely wounded, he climbed again, for the fourth time, and happily succeeded in gaining the fortress. At seven in the morning the first tricolor was floating from the battlements ; at eight the conquest was complete ; at nine there was only a search for those who had crawled into hiding-places. Instead of killing 6,000 men, we made 5,000 prisoners. Who shall prevent the feeling of revenge from being soon appeased — who shall check the rising pity, natural to every true man, at the sight of a conquered, kneeling enemy ? Henczy received a fatal wound, of which he died the same day. The self-sacrificing bravery of his defence was worthy of a better cause. Gorgey remained at Ofen several weeks, and then marched towards Comorn, to act against the enemy who were now collected there with reinforcements from all quarters. 6 62 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. OPERATIONS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF COMORN IN THE MONTHS OF JUNE AND JULY, 1849. When our government found that the Russian interven- tion was a settled matter, the ministerial council fixed upon the following system of defence : — Dembinsky should protect Upper Hungary against the Russian invasion, — the main army resting on Comorn ; the right should extend to the mountain cities, the left to the Bakony range ; the southern army, under Vetter, was to remain in Baksa on both sides of the Danube, until Bern, with a part of his forces from Transylvania, should be advanced on a line with the other armies, when he was to take the chief command and resume the offensive. It was additionally resolved to form an army of reserve, at Szolnok, and also arranged that 22,000 troops, under Klapka's command, should be disposed in a fortified camp at Comorn : if the main army were repulsed and pursued these were to operate in the rear. In pursuance of this design, Klapka left the ministry of war, and assumed command of the fortress and troops in and about Comorn. Besides several lesser combats, in which he was the winning party, he gained an important OPERATIONS NEAR COMORN. 63 victory on the 13 th of June near Comorn, when the enemy left some hundreds of dead upon the field — Gen. Wyss among the number.^ The army from Ofen at last joined him on the 10th of the month, followed a few days later by Gorgey himself, who had reposed long enough upon his laurels. This latter general at first transferred his head-quarters to Gran, and afterwards to Todis, whence, through his bureau of operations, after the style of the earlier military council of the Austrian court, he ordered the disposition of the troops at arm's length as follows : — The first corps was sent to Mocsonok and TJrmeny, the third to Nyitra, and the second to Ersekujvar ; the seventh and eighth remained in their old positions at Comorn and Raab. The defence of the mountain cities and the mint was committed, God knows why, to his brother Cornelius. All was now ready for action against the enemy, which * I must not here omit all mention of a fact quite remarkable in the history of wars, or of princes, that happened on this occa- sion. A heroic German prince was dragged, by the heels, out of an oven, whither he had retired from pure courage. Our hussars were much delighted with this little victory over the hostile foot. 64 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. was to be commenced between the Waag and the New- hausler-Danube. A bridge was thrown over the stream at Aszod, and two brigades of the second corps cl'armee, under Colonel Asboth, sent thither to reconnoitre^ just at the time when the first corps had made an unsuccessful assault upon Szered from Sempte, and lost four cannons. Colonel Asboth was equally unfortunate in his expedition. One of his best battalions was nearly destroyed in storming a hostile intrenchment. On the 20th of June, four days afterwards, when the reconnoitering had given the enemy sufficient warning to concentrate all their forces between the Waag and the Newhausler-Danube, the second and third corps entered this cul de sac, and attacked them at Kiralyrev, while Klapka, with a part of the eighth corps, endeavored to take Nyarasd, so as to get command if pos- sible of the passage over the Little Danube at Vasarut, and cut off their retreat into the Schiitt. But they were in large numbers at Nyarasd and its neighborhood, and, by several vigorous charges of their Uhlans and cuirassiers, proved * This was one of the most senseless dispositions, for, instead of misleading the enemy, and concealing the true point of attack, it only served to turn their attention directly upon it. OPERATIONS NEAR COMORN. 65 themselves an overmatch for the hussars of Karolyi, Lehel, and Hunyadi, who saw fire for the first time that day, and retreated, leaving their cannons behind. Gbrgey had better success, for he drove more than three times his own numbers behind Pered, and gained advantages that made good more than fourfold what Klapka had lost. The fight was renewed next morning, with increased violence, at Pered. Although the enemy had been joined, in the course of the night, by an important reinforcement of Russian troops, they were at first repulsed ; but, by their enormous superiority in numbers, they turned our flank, assailed the rear, and forced us to retire.^ The retreat was conducted in the greatest order, although we were cut off from the bridge, and the enemy had occupied Zsigard and Kiralyrev, two places through which our course lay, and which had to be carried by storm. The battle lasted till evening. When our men began to cross the bridge, the corps at Nyarasd, with which Klapka engaged the preceding day, advanced to Aszod, for the purpose of destroying it, but was this time vigorously repulsed by him. The united * We were 22,000 against 95,000 combined Austrians and Russians, under their new commander-in-chief, Haynau. 66 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. loss of these two days, on both sides, was nearly 5,000, in killed and wounded. In the courtyard of a farm-house, that had been defended and carried by assault, I counted the dead bodies of 127 Austrian grenadiers. Immediately after this battle, the enemy, as might have been fore- seen, transferred all their disposable force to the right bank of the Danube, in order to begin their offensive operations there. On the 27th of the month Raab was attacked by 40,000 men. The garrison, only 6,000 strong,^ held their position bravely from eight in the morning till three in the afternoon, when, without any considerable loss, they retreated to Comorn. The Austrian army — of which, meantime, the Emperor himself, encouraged by the results of the action at Pered, had taken command — soon followed. On the 2d of July, with a force of 40,000, we gained a victory over 70,000 Austrians and 25,000 Russians, which, had we but lost, * The division of Kmety, numbering 5,000, properly belonged to this garrison, but were cut off from the place by the enemy's sudden passage of the river Raab. They afterwards formed a junction with the army of the south, and never reunited with their former corps. OPERATIONS NEAR COMORN. 67 Hungary might be this day an independent nation. Early in the morning the intrenched camp before Comorn, whither the entire Hungarian army had retired, was assaulted on all sides. The Austrians turned their main strength, however, against the heights of Monostor, a position that commanded the entire Palatinal line, and from which the garrison itself could be annoyed by heavy ordnance. They carried the first four lines at the first charge. They then took the village of Oszony, into which we had neglected to throw troops, without difficulty. The centre manoeuvred on the right and left, but kept at a pretty distance, fearing the open jaws of the black eighteen- pounders that coquetted with them. Matters stood in this condition when the general staff appeared in the camp. Gbrgey took command of the right wing, committed that of the centre to Klapka, and of the left to Gen. Leiningen. The combat grew more violent as soon as these officers took their respective posts. Leiningen too soon prepared an unsuccessful cavalry charge, which cost us our bravest horse- battery.* The battle continued with various success till * This battery accompanied the cavalry to the attack, and, when the latter were suddenly repulsed, the battery also re- 68 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. long past noon, when one of Gorgey' s adjutants came to the centre, with orders to Gen. Klapka to send help if pos- sible to Gen. Leiningen, and to take Oszony at any price, for he, Gorgey, had already forced the enemy from the lines on the heights, and driven their right wing back to the wood of Acs. Klapka faithfully obeyed the order, and, in less than an hour, our troops, after two repulses, held Oszony in his possession. The flying enemy were pursued in the direction of Todis. Gorgey now came to the centre, took all the cavalry and six batteries, and charged upon the hostile centre, which he immediately broke and pursued till nightfall.^ treated at full speed, but, unhappily, in the direction of a ditch, which was not seen until it was too late to rein in, and one cannon after another pitched into it. The place was covered by a range of hills, and none of the enemy, except those engaged in the immediate pursuit, were witnesses of our disaster. " The can- noneers would not leave these war jewels committed to their care. On returning to the spot after the victory, we found all but three of them in one heap of dead ; about the same number of cuirassiers, lying near by, had attended them to their long rest. The enemy had carried off the guns. * His royal imperial Austrian majesty lost his title of the OPERATIONS NEAR COMORN. 69 The day was ours. The grand Austrian army, under the eyes of their Emperor, was obliged to yield before our troops — the juvenile monarch, who, in his nineteenth year, had already become great in murdering, with his raven mother, must needs take to his heels. We took twice as many cannons as we lost. Besides the many prisoners in our hands, the enemy left several thousand dead on the field. We also had to mourn 2,000 comrades, dead and wounded — among the latter Gen. Gorgey, who was grazed on the head by a grape-shot. When we were returning to the city at a late hour in the evening with Klapka, after setting the necessary guards, we were met by a staff-officer, who handed to the general an important message from the government. ■ Its purport was to the effect that Gorgey, who had refused, at the frequent and pressing request of government, to unite chevalier, for, with his Frau mama, who accompanied in male attire, he rode at the top of his speed to Raab, but was thrown from his horse several times on the way. He also lost all desire to remain longer commander-in-chief, and resigned his post the same day. 70 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. Avith Dembinsky, but persisted in uselessly remaining about Comorn, while the capital of the country, the seat of the government, and the Diet was abandoned to the enemy, should be removed from the chief command, and his place filled by Meszaros. Official letters of the same tenor were sent with this document for the commanders of the several corps, which Klapka was desired to deliver. The commanders of all the corps were assembled in the evening at Klapka's quarters. It was then concluded to say nothing to Gren. Grdrgey, but call a grand council of war the next day, at which this serious question should be discussed. The council met. At first there reigned a deep silence, which was soon followed by the passionate cry," "No, no! Gorgey must remain. We cannot now serve under Meszaros !" There was just at this time a most unfortunate conjunction of circumstances that after- wards brought our ruin in their train. First, — Grorgey had but the day before gained a brilliant victory over twice his own numbers, commanded by the Emperor himself. Secondly, — This victory was to be ascribed almost en- tirely to his bravery ; for he had conducted in person the charge upon the lines that the enemy had already taken. OPERATIONS NEAR COMORN. 7 J He led in person the great column of cavalry that broke the enemy's centre. Thirdly, — The hero had been wounded on the day of victory. Fourthly, — Gen. Meszaros, a most honest patriot, a very brave but very unfortunate soldier, had said, as we were told by the messenger, on hearing the cannonade before Comorn, as the steamboat came to Almas, " that he would not be taken to please any one," and handing the letters to the staff-officer, forthwith ordered the vessel to turn about. These combined circumstances operated so powerfully, that it was resolved to serve only under Gorgey, and to send him a vote of confidence, which was accordingly presented the same day. So was the grave dug for our country. " If Kossuth had come himself, — had some other than Meszaros been appointed to the chief command, — had the unlucky order arrived one day sooner, Gorgey' s fall had been cer- tain, and ours might now be one among the nations of the earth. From this time onward Gorgey paid no further attention j to the government, which still called him several times to the protection of Pesth. He no longer considered himself appointed by the government, but chosen by the officers. 72 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. None could doubt the reality of his patriotism, for by the execution of Count Zichy, he had at the very outset taken his stand on revolutionary ground. We believed that these little differences with the government would all be settled by one great victory. We were bitterly deceived. Before he recovered from his wound, Gorgey had devised a plan for breaking through the Austrian army, then to move towards Croatia, make requisitions of arms there, raise the seige of Peterwardein, and either unite with the army of the south or with the main army of Dembinsky, if that had been forced so far down. The first part of this plan was to be executed by Klapka. At eight in the morning of the 11th of July, the troops were drawn up in the camp. At nine, the 8th corps began their march upon the wood of Acs, the 7th upon Puszta-Herkaly, the 3d upon Csem, and the 1st upon Mocsa. The fighting, too, soon com- menced at all points, and raged without intermission till three in the afternoon, without apparent advantage on either side. At last the left, and immediately afterwards the right of our opponents gave way, and the artillery of the centre drew back, when the Russian division Paniutin flanked our 3d corps, which was just ready to storm Csem, and by a well-directed fire obliged it to retire. Hereupon OPERATIONS NEAR COMORN. 73 Klapka, perhaps mainly because he had not fully agreed with Gorgey in regard to this plan, ordered the two wings, which were well advanced, to retreat. The enemy followed us at a respectful distance to our camp, which we reached at nightfall. Taking into view the large amount of artillery employed in this long engage- ment, the loss was not great, numbering on both sides 2,000 men. The Austrian troops who fought on the 2d of the month took part in this action ; we were some 5 or 6,000 stronger than them. When Gorgey saw his design fail in its inception, he abandoned it, and on the 13th of July marched from Comorn down the right bank of the Danube towards Pesth. 74 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. THE NUMBERS AND SITUATIONS OF THE ARMIES AT THE TIME OF THE AUSTRO-RUSSIAN INVASION, AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF GORGEY FROM COMORN. Of hostile troops : — There were under Haynau on their march to the Theiss .-- 90,000 Paskiewics brought 140,000, which were divided as fol- lows: — Under his own command, between Kaschau and Pesth, there were 75,000 In Haynau's army - 25,000 Under Riidigers and Liiders in Transylvania- - 40,000 140,000 The Austrian army of the south, under Jellachich, on the Lower Danube ------------ 50,000 The garrison of Karlsburg -- 6,000 Under Clam in Transylvania --■'.- 14,000 Under Rukovina in Temesvar --------- 8,000 The Raitzes, in the Banat and Bacska, under Rajacsics and Stratimirovics 40,000 The Wallachians in Transylvania, and on the eastern bor- ders of Hungary, under Jank 30,000 Li Total 378,000 NUMBERS AND SITUATIONS OF THE ARMIES. 75 On the part of the Hungarians: — Klapka had 20,000 men in Comorn and in the intrenched camp before the city ; to these are to be added 7,000 recruits, assem- bled on occasion of the last attack made upon the besieging forces 27,000 There were under Colonel Paul Kiss in Peterwardein - 5,000 Colonel Kazinczy in Munkacs and its neighborhood - - 8,000 Damjanics in Arad ----- 4,000 The blockading army at Kalsburg, in Transylvania, un- der General Stein 5,000 The blockading army before Temesvar, under General Count Vecsey 7,000 Under Gorgey, on their march behind the Theiss - - - 26,000 Under Dembinsky, originally posted from Kata to Szol- nok- - - 30,000 Under Bern in Transylvania 20,000 Under Vetter, in position from Neusatz to Futak - - 25,000 Total 157,000 It must be observed of this number of our forces, that not more than one-third had fire-arms ; the rest were fur- nished only with pikes or scythes. 76 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE CLOSING OPERATIONS OF THE HUN- GARIAN ARMIES, AND OF THE RESPECTIVE DISSOLUTION OF EACH IN THE ORDER IN WHICH IT TOOK PLACE. The fate of the different garrisons has already been told, and I therefore directly proceed to relate that of the various armies. Let the intelligent reader decide in conclusion whether we have been conquered by the Czar and his vassals, or have rather fallen a sacrifice to ambition, pride, and finally to treachery. THE HUNGARIAN ARMY OF THE SOUTH UNDER VETTER. This army, composed for the most part of the youngest troops, fought in the months of March and April under Perc- zel, against the insurgent Raitzes. In the taking of G-oz- podincze, Pancsova, and especially St. Tomas, they gave abundant proof that they were not inferior to older sol- diers in zeal and bravery. Owing to the frequent colli- sions of Perczel with the officers, he had to be removed, and the command of this force was given to General Vet- CLOSING OPERATIONS. 77 ter, who, in the month of July, defeated the Austrian southern army under Jellachich, near Szegedin, almost an- nihilated his cavalry, and drove back his remaining troops at first to Tittel, then to Ruma in Slavonia, and finally to Mitrovicz in the military frontiers. This battle with Jellachich was one of the bloodiest of the whole war. He left seven thousand dead on the field. Ten cannons and several thousand prisoners fell into our hands. Our loss was two hundred and forty killed and wounded. The inventive Jellachich devised an excuse also for this failure, to satisfy his sweet mistress, the Archduchess Sophia. An honest old captain^ was charged with having betrayed his plan of operations, and hung — by virtue of * After the battle of Tapiobicskc and Isaszeg, a dispatch from Jellachich to the court was intercepted, in which he excused his retreat on the score of the unhealthiness of the region, which made it necessary to withdraw his men. It was the universal opinion that the poor victim, in the present instance, had never been in a condition that would enable him to betray the senseless plans of his general. 7# 78 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOE, FREEDOM. poetic license. The good understanding between the Ban and his mistress was thereupon restored. Shortly after this battle the army was joined by the divi- sion of Kmety, which was cut off from the seventh corps cfrarmee, by the occupation of Raab in June. Thus in- creased, they soon received orders from Dembinsky to unite with the main army, that had meantime marched quite down to Szegedin. They proceeded thither, but under General Guyoii's conduct. Vetter had disappeared. I myself asked hundreds of those who afterwards reached Comorn from the lower army, what had become of him. Every man lamented him, many a tear started at mention of his name, but none could tell, though all suspected, what had been his end. The Camarilla has sent few abler men to a better world.* * It is proper for me here to remark, that my statement that "the Austrian Camarilla holds no means too wicked or too base," rests upon facts. For example — On the 2d of September an assassin was sent to Romow, to hasten Gen. Klapka's passage to eternity. He was fortunately detected when on the point of executing the accursed deed, and was shot the same day. Before his execution he disclosed the fact that there was another hind THE ARMY IN TRANSYLVANIA. 79 THE ARMY IN TRANSYLVANIA UNDER BEM. Just at the time when the Hungarian government was developing its whole force and energies to present a firm resistance to the Austrian invasion, and to suppress the insurrection of the Raitzes and Serbs which had broken out into fearful excesses in the south, new difficulties arose. The military command, and the Saxons and "Wallachians of Transylvania, took their stand in opposition to the Hun- garian ministry ; the small number of Hungarian troops stationed there were driven out of the land by a superior force, and that whole country, with the exception of the small district of the Szeklers, who had but too soon to humble themselves, lost to Hungary. It was determined, however, not to give it up till the utmost efforts had been made for its recovery. The expelled troops, numbering between five and six thousand, were re-assembled. The for the same purpose, who would shortly make his appearance in the uniform of a hussar of Gorgey's army. Klapka escaped, for he was on his guard. Would that poor Vetter could also have been warned ! 80 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. command of these was conferred upon Gen. Bern, who had fled from "Vienna, and was now healed of the wound he had received there from a fellow-countryman. Bern soon restored this army, which was much demor- alized, to a condition that would inspire respect ; and at the end of three weeks had made it ready to begin offen- sive operations upon Transylvania, where there were at that time opposed to him from thirty to forty thousand Wallachians, and fourteen thousand Austrian regulars. In spite of this great superiority of opposing numbers, he very soon took the chief city. Partly by slight engage- ments, partly by the moral influence of his name, which was everywhere felt, and partly by his kind treatment of the people, he almost wholly suppressed the Wallachian insurrection. By means of several victorious actions, he also restored the communication with the Szeklers, who dwell quite in a different part of the country. With his force increased by recruits from this people and others to the number of 20,000, Bern marched at first against Gen- eral Gedeon, who stood with six thousand Austrians and those Wallachians who were not yet pacified, about Besz- tercze. This last named general, after suffering various losses, was driven out of Transylvania by the Burgo pass THE ARMY IN TRANSYLVANIA. 81 into Bukowina, and entirely cut off from the main body of the army. Puchner, who was in the Saxon district with eight thou- sand men, and who had undoubtedly received powers from the Austro-Russian government to this end, now called for aid upon the Russian general, Liiders, who was sta- tioned in Wallachia. For the sake of appearances, how- ever, he made the request ostensibly on his own responsi- bility. Liiders immediately dispatched ten thousand men under General Scariatin to his assistance. Nothing daunted by this circumstance, our Bern pushed forward, and after having beaten the combined Austro-Russian forces five several times, carried Hermanstadt by storm, and soon after Kronstadt, the two main supports of the reaction. In an incredibly brief period, he drove the army itself through the Temeser pass into Wallachia. With the exception of the garrison of Klausenburg, and a few thou- sands of Wallachians who had retired to the mountains in small divisions under the conduct of the partisan Jank, Transylvania was now entirely cleared of enemies, and held by an army twenty thousand strong, accustomed to victory and commanded by one of the ablest generals of the present day. H2 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. But, alas ! this army was not able to contend success- fully with the forty thousand Russians, the fourteen thou- sand Austrians, who approached on three different sides in the month of June, and the new insurrection of thirty thousand well-armed Wallachians. It became demoral- ized by the influence of Austrian and Russian gold, to which many of the Szeklers, our best soldiers, yielded, so that Bern lost four successive battles, together with his w r ar materiel. The army which but a short time previous had been the terror of Russians and Austrians, was utterly dispersed before the breaking up of that of Dem- binsky. After this unfortunate issue of the campaign, Bern, attended only by his adjutant, hastened to Hungary, to undertake the charge of new posts there committed to him by the government. HUNGARIAN ARMY UNDER DEMBINSKY. 83 VI. THE HUNGARIAN MAIN ARMY UNDER DEMBINSKY. This body was composed of troops newly raised in the months of April and May, 1849, and of the Polish legion, for the purpose of guarding against a new invasion from G-allicia. # It numbered, in the beginning, 12,000, and was commanded by Dembinsky, who, however, resigned at the end of May, because the government would not approve his plan of an irruption into G-allicia. His suc- cessor, Gen. Wisocky, was not long able to hold out against * The number of Poles who took part in our revolution is very generally estimated too high. I am the more desirous to correct this error, because many individuals, and even the Aus- trian and Russian governments themselves, excuse the Russian intervention on the ground that our struggle for independence was a Magyar-Polish revolution. The truth is, that there were at the most not more than between two and three thousand Poles in our service. They were divided as follows : 84 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. the Russians, and by the end of June was obliged to give up his position, and, constantly harassed by the Cossacks, to move down towards Pesth, in order if possible to protect the capital. On reaching Szolnok, he was joined by Perczel's reserve of 14,000 men, and, after the evacuation of Pesth in the middle of July, by the troops who had been in that city, to the number of 4,000. Notwithstanding the want of confidence generally ex- pressed by the corps of officers, during the campaign of the previous winter, Kossuth still rested /ris boldest hopes on Dembinsky, and committed the unpardonable error of re- storing the chief command of this army, now 30,000 strong, Infantry under Wisocky --------- 800 The same under Bulharym 400 Artillery under Major Rembowsky 120 Jagers under Prince Woroneczky ------ 300 Four squadrons of Uhlans under Thornitzky - - 600 Scattered through the armies, at the largest estimate 300 2,520 To these may be added such prisoners from the Austrian regi- ments as voluntarily took service in the Polish legion in prefer- ence to remaining prisoners of war. HUNGARIAN ARMY UNDER DEMBINSKY. 85 to that general. After having fought two unimportant battles with the Russians, in the neighborhood of Szolnok, on hearing that G-orgey was retreating on the mountain road, he marched down behind the Theiss to Szegedin, where, meanwhile, the government and Diet had established themselves.* The army was here further increased by 10,000 troops hastily raised ; the entire army of the South, numbering 25,000, as already mentioned, was there incor- porated with it. In a week the city itself was transformed, by the labors of 100,000 hands, into a strong, tenable po- sition. But, notwithstanding the fortifications, and although his front was covered by the Theiss, his right by the Marosch, his left flank guarded by Peterwardein, and his rear by the army, which he must have supposed in good condition, in Transylvania, as well as by the blockading forces of Temesvar, and although he had between 60 and 70,000 men at his disposal, Dembinsky declared himself * During the two successive days when Gorgey was fighting near Waitzen, Dembinsky was at Kolta and could easily have sent or been called upon for assistance. The dissensions and jealousies of these two leaders prevented either from asking or giving. 8 86 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. unable to hold his ground when Haynau approached, and, after a short engagement with artillery, gave up not only his immediate position, but the whole line of the Theiss and the Marosch. The large supplies of provisions and mu- nitions of war in the city, which the government, occupied in providing for its own safety, could take no speedy meas- ures for securing, fell into the hands of the enemy. Haynau made immediate use of the advantages that had been thrown into his hands, threw a bridge over the river at Szegedin, and pursued Dembinsky in all haste. A de- cisive battle was fought between the two parties before Te- mesvar. At first it inclined in our favor, the enemy were repulsed and driven in hot pursuit almost to G-reat Becs- kerek. But, meanwhile, our ammunition was all spent, so that when the Austrian cavalry under General Prince Lichtenstein, who had come around upon Dembinsky's left flank, appeared on the field, and the discharge of artillery began, no fire could be returned from the Hungarian side. Our army was now repulsed in turn and closely pursued, falling into such utter confusion, in the course of the rapid retreat, that order could not possibly be again restored. Owing to the loss of this battle, the siege of Temesvar, which fortress could have held out but two or three days HUNGARIAN ARMY UNDER DEMB1NSKY. 87 longer, had to be raised. The besieging force was quite too small to risk a battle with the Austrian army that was approaching to the relief of the garrison. Dembinsky's troops, who might have rallied at this place, fled by on the right and left. The smaller party went towards Orsova, and afterwards reached Turkey. The larger number pro- ceeded to Lugos. ! Here they soon learned of the treachery of G-orgey, the resignation of Kossuth, and the dissolution of the Diet and ministry. 1 Taking no further care of the bank-note press, the supplies of clothing and munitions of war, and the whole artillery, they dispersed entirely, each individual choosing what seemed to him his safest course. A few small bodies remained united under Gruyon and Kmety. "When Bern, who had been called by Kossuth to take command of the two armies of Grorgey and Dembinsky, arrived at Lugos, he found only the little divisions just mentioned in order. But their noble commanders declared that even these could not be relied upon, being totally demoralized by the treachery of G-orgey. Besides the hasty desertion of Szegedin, which bore the air almost of treason, and by which, in addition to all other disadvantages, the taking of Temesvar was frustrated, and 88 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. the criminal neglect to care for the ammunition, there are still stronger grounds for suspecting Dembinsky either of extreme stupidity or of bad intentions. They he in the circumstance that, instead of proceeding, as he had been distinctly ordered to do, towards Arad, which was in our hands, he retreated from Szegedin directly towards Temesvar, and so destroyed the possibility of a union of the two armies, which otherwise might, perhaps, have taken place, in spite of Grorgey's intentions. ARMY UNDER GORGEY, ETC. 89 VII. THE ARMY OF GORGEY, AND THE CORPS d'aRMEE OF STEIN, COUNT VECSEY, AND KAZINCZY. When G-orgey, after the battle of the 11th of July, became sufficiently convinced that the attempt, which he had designed simply for the sake of not uniting with Dembinsky, to break through the Austrian army on the right bank of the Danube could not be executed, he marched from Comorn down the left bank on the 13th of the. same month. His army numbered 26,000 men, divided into three corps oVarmee, under Generals Nagy- Sandor, Count Leiningen, and Poltenberg. They were the choicest troops of Hungary, the heroes of Szolnok, Tapio- bicske, Isaszeg, Nagy-Sarlo, Comorn, and Ofen ; they were provided with seven regiments of hussars, mostly veterans, and with 149 cannon excellently served. The resolution, bravery, and perseverance of these troops were so distin- guished, that an issue in their favor might be confidently looked for in an encounter with three times their number. 8* 90 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. The third corps, which, in thirty actions, had never once been defeated, was alone equal to a contest with all the Austrian armies. Gorgey had therefore only to keep in the lawful path of his duty, and maintain this glorious spirit in his troops ; so he might have stood invincible against the Colossus of the North. But a rumor was spread through the army by his creatures, acting under his orders, that they were not strong enough to hold out against the Russians. This circumstance, and the fact, which at last became generally known, that the general had refused obedience to his legitimate government, undermined by degrees the sound principles of this admirable army, and the demoralization now increased with astonishing ra- pidity. On the 15th of July, Gorgey, with two corps, arrived be- fore Waitzen, which was held by the Russian division of Kru- low. After the first attack, the Russians left the town, and marched out to the heights lying towards Pesth. The fight was there prolonged till evening, with no especial advan- tages on our side, except that the hostile centre and right wing were forced to yield some ground, and lost a part of their supplies of ammunition. On the 16th there was merely an engagement with artillery, without the least ARMY UNDER GORGE Y, ETC. 91 advantage to us. At evening Gorgey issued orders to begin the march during the night on the mountain road, in order to reach the line of the Theiss. In pursuance of these orders the troops moved at midnight in perfect silence ; but the great number of baggage-wagons hindered the march so much, that at four in the morning the rear-guard with many wagons, was still in Waitzen. The Russians observed the retreat of the main army, made an attack at the hour just mentioned, dispersed several divisions of the rear-guard, and seized all the baggage of the two corps, together with some dismounted cannons. When Gorgey heard of this he sent back several divisions to the assistance of the rear, who, at six o'clock, again expelled the Russians from the town, where they were begmning to commit fear- ful excesses.^ He then continued his course towards the * To give the public of this country some idea of the character of these Russians, I must introduce here an occurrence that took place on this occasion. The citizens had taken a very active part in the first expulsion of the Russians. When therefore the latter re-entered the city, they immediately began to plunder and destroy. Count Zichy, a canon of the cathedral at Waitzen, when he heard of their proceedings, put on his robes and his 92 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. mountains, past Retsag, Balassa-Gyarmath, Losoncz, Rima- Szombath, Rima-Szecs, Putnok, Zsolcza, Szerencs, and by Tokay over the Theiss. He was closely followed by the Russians, .and had a skirmish with their Cossacks at al- most every station. The first visible negotiator between them and himself appeared at Rima-Szombath in the person of a nephew of Gen. Riidiger, who brought him a present of Russian arms, and at the same time desired to conclude an armistice of twenty-four hours. G-orgey accepted the gift, and returned the courtesy with some articles of his own arms. He could not, however, at this time have decided on his treasonable course, for he refused to assent to the pro- golden cross, for the sake of imposing upon their superstitious natures. A large company of the invaders, with an officer among them, soon presented themselves at the canon's door. As they were rushing in, he met them with gravity and distributed his blessing, after the Catholic manner, in lavish abundance upon the unbidden guests. At first they were astounded, and then sank upon their knees. At the close of the ceremony they arose, respectfully kissed the priestly hands, and then — commenced their plundering, with which they were so thorough, that they did not leave the canon a change of linen. THE ARMY UNDER GORGE Y, ETC. 93 posed armistice, which had no other object than to give an advance of twenty-four hours to the main body of the Rus- sians, who were moving upon the direct road from Pesth to Miskolcz, so that they might the more certainly shut him up in the mountain-pass. But this vacillation in Grorgey's treasonable purposes was of short duration. At the next station he removed the chief of his general-staff, and substituted his own brother, Lieu- tenant-colonel Armin G-orgey, that he might the better work in secret. He intentionally and rapidly weakened the physical and moral soundness of his forces by extraordinary marches, by frequent parleys with the enemy, by discouraging re- ports, and by all kinds of deprivations. All discipline was soon destroyed. Hundreds were left to die on the road ; other hundreds were allowed to desert. The demoraliza- tion had gone so far, that at Putnok he ventured to speak openly and with impunity of a surrender to the Russians. At Zsolcza the troops became fully aware of his designs ; for while they were exposed to the enemy's fire through the day, he stayed in the village playing at makao with some of his creatures. When an adjutant came dashing in to ask for further commands, he was coolly answered that " the dispositions were already made." 94 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. Just at this time an aunt of Gorgey was apprehended at Szikszo, where the first corps oVarmee then was, who was carrying letters from him to Field-marshal Paskiewicz, of a tenor that left no further doubt as to his purpose of surren- der. General Nagy-Sandor sent these letters by special carriers in all haste to the government, and added a full account of the whole state of affairs. Thereupon Kossuth appointed a meeting for conference with Gorgey at Czibak- haza. The latter did not accept the invitation, but marched from Tokay in two columns — with the first corps towards Debreczin, with the third and seventh to Vamospercz and Gross-Wardein. The first corps was attacked about noon at Debreczin by the main Russian army and defeated.^ The action lasted * The Hungarian commander was that General Nagy-Sandor, who declared in a council of war at Comorn, when Gorgey would not obey the orders of the government, " that whoever aimed at a military dictatorship, would find in him a Brutus." This say- ing, and the fact that the first corps were mostly warm patriots and least fitted to his criminal purposes, made Gorgey so hostile to these brave troops, that he desired to bring about their entire destruction. And he nearly succeeded in effecting it. From THE ARMY UNDER GORGEY, ETC. 95 till evening. Meanwhile G-orgey was at Vamospercz with the other two corps, at the furthest a distance of not more than two hours march from the field of battle, but did not come to the assistance of the first corps, who owed their escape from total destruction only to the darkness.^ Not remaining at Gross- Wardein, where he added some new troops to his army, G-orgey proceeded to Arad. From here he made, pro forma, a reconnoissance towards Temes- var — but only pro forma ! Instead of destroying the Aus- trian army in the neighborhood of Yinga, which he could have easily done, he contented himself with firing a few being exposed to almost all the assaults attendant upon the re- treat, and being left to fight unaided at Debreczin, they were so reduced, that of the 9,600 men who marched from Comorn but 4,000 reached Gross- Wardein. * Gorgey was well aware that Nagy-Sandor would be attacked that day. He said to his staff the preceding evening : " To-mor- row Nagy-Sandor will get a dressing." And yet he took no measures to protect him from this " dressing." Such expressions were afterwards told by his inferior tools when they found that they also were betrayed. " Wicks," the expression used by Gor- gey, and here translated dressing, is a low word used by the vul- gar instead of " schlage ," blows, — Tr, / 96 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. cannon, and then without the least necessity, even leaving Ujarad to the enemy, crossed the Maros and returned to Old Arad. Soon after this, Kossuth, who measured others by the standard of his own honor, and in spite of what had happened still doubted Grorgey's villainy, attributing the steps he had taken simply to his ambition and fondness for the highest dignity, resigned in his favor the dictatorship conferred upon himself by twelve millions of his country- men. His hope was to satisfy Grorgey's ambition, and thus save the country. How dreadful was the error ! By this act, Arad, an eminently patriotic city, whose spirited in- habitants had never swerved from their faith while exposed for nearly a year to the storm of bombs and balls hurled among them from the hostile fortress in their midst, became, by the mockery of fate, the burial-place of Hungarian — per- haps of European freedom. In less than two months after Kossuth's resignation, thirteen of our generals, among the foremost champions of freedom, were murdered there by the butchers of Hapsburg. When G-orgey finally gained possession of the high of- fice he had so long desired to hold, he must have been thoroughly entangled in the nets of the enemy ; for even the attainment of his desire could no longer withhold him THE ARMY UNDER GORGE Y, ETC. 97 from sacrificing his country. He now rapidly approached the consummation of his treason. By means of his subser- vient tools he busily spread abroad the idea that he could not possibly hold out any longer, and that the Duke of Leuchtenberg, who had fully guaranteed the constitution of 1848, would be placed, by the help of the Russians, on the Hungarian throne. He dispatched orders to all the armies and garrisons to yield to the Russians on the same con- ditions as those which he accepted for himself. He then left Arad and maneuvered hither and thither until the 13th of August, when he surrendered to the Russians, whom he had daily apprized of his movements, that they might inclose his army, of which, in spite of its corrupted condition, he stood in fear. He had, on the 11th of the month, at Vilagos, obtained a promise from all the commanders under him to act with him, on a pretense that they should unite with the Russians against Austria. The actual surrender took place at Boros Jeno close by Yilagos.^ * The following account of Gorgey's surrender is here inserted, not only for its interest as a story of the catastrophe of the revo- lution, but because it corroborates some statements in the text 98 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. The remnants of Stein's corps — he himself made good his escape to Turkey — and the corps of Gen. Count Vecsey and regarding the kind treatment our men received at the hands of the Russians. The witness in the case is an Austrian officer, who furnished the facts to the AUgemeine Zeitung. The trans- lation below first appeared in the New York Tribune. "The hot sun of August 13th, shone with his piercing rays on the parched and silent ranks of the insurgents, whose army was drawn up in two solid columns, on each side of the Szollos road. Groups of officers stood before their battalions, gloomily talking with each other. Staff-officers in their splendid uniforms rode up and down, occasionally speaking a word of encouragement to the faint-hearted; for the usual noisy gayety so peculiar to the Ma- gyars had given place to the most painful depression. ' Must it be carried so far with us V was the despairing cry that arose on every side. Curses, such as no one can command but a Magyar in trouble, resounded from the closed ranks. Wherever the eye turned, there was lamentation and despair. It seemed like a vast field of death. " Here were seen the wild features of the ' Prince of Prussia' regiment, soldiers alike fearless in war and reckless in peace, the consolidated battalions called ' Alexander,' ' Schwarzen- berg,' ' Franz Carl,' ' Don Miguel,' ' Vasa." Few of those who THE ARMY UNDER GORGEY, ETC. 99 of Col. Kazinczy quickly followed Grorgey's example. These commanders received the report of co-operation with the had broken their oath to their Emperor were present to see the victory of the avenging double-headed Eagle. On the bloody battle-fields of Hungary, on the shores of the Danube and the Waag, most of them had found their graves. As the flower of Gorgey's army, they were chosen to meet the first shock, and to fight the hardest battle in all cases. Here, as in every hotly-con- tested battle, the two rivals in bravery, the ' bosom children' of Damjanics and Foldvarg, the third and ninth Honved battalions, stood close together. These, the so-called ' Redcaps,' formed the elite of the Honveds. They understood only one command — 'Elore,' forward, and their wild battle-cry, 'Eljen a Magyar,' which they cheerily sounded forth in the thick gunpowder smoke, often produced panic and confusion. ' Third and ninth battalion Elore !' — this cry was heard where the deeds of the most terrific danger were to be performed; a third part, perhaps one-half, fell ; but the point was carried. " The hussars, leaning on their jaded, skeleton-looking horses, seemed to exchange with them one last mute word, and to bid them a final farewell. ' I must leave you and go on foot like a dog,' they murmured in the ear of their trusty companions. The greater part regarded this as a misfortune to break their hearts. 100 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. Russians, and the express order of Gorgey to yield on the same conditions as had been granted to himself, with such They would prefer exposing themselves to the greatest dangers. They cast off their laced dolmans in which they took such pride, and bursting through the military shell, tore the saddles from their horses, and rushed off at full gallop, in order to become again what they were before, ' the wild Csikos (horse-tamer) of the boundless Puszta. Here was the brave regiment of the Fer- dinand Hussars, with the old war-wolf their Colonel at their head. It was he who at the council of war at Vilagos most strenuously opposed the surrender. When he was outvoted, in his rage he threw his heavy sabre rattling at the feet of Gorgey, so that the hall resounded with the noise. Within the gloomy walls of Arad he may well expect in sadness the fearful fate which he anticipated. " At a little on one side of the main road, a stone bridge leads over a small mountain-stream, which falling on the wheels of the neighboring mill, loses itself in the surrounding meadows. The large yard of this mill was at this moment crowded full with all sorts of vehicles. " There stood in promiscuous confusion the splendid four- horse chariot of the minister, and the worn-out, one-horse market- cart; the large, heavy baggage-wagon, with the light private THE ARMY UNDER GORGE Y, ETC. 101 blind heedless belief, that they even marched to meet the enemy, and lay down their arms before them, without once carriage of the officers in endless variety. From the tops which protected against the sun, looked out with eager curiosity, the fiery eyes of the fair occupants. In spite of the strict regula- tions, threats, and even punishments, an innumerable crowd of women of every description followed the Magyar army, con- tributing in.no small degree to the demoralization of the soldiers. As soon as it came to a retreat, what confusion did they not occasion 1 ? Then was there a panic, a shrieking, a flying about, as if the enemy had nothing to think of but their beautiful per- sons. Bern suffered so much from this grievance in Transyl- vania, that he would often cry out in comic despair, 'I have indeed commanded a larger army, bnt never so many women.' " After I had wound my way along, with a great deal of trouble, I reached a small straw-roofed building, the only inn in the place. " As soon as I entered I saw the Chief Commandant and Gor- gey, the Hungarian Dictator for the last 48 hours. He was dressed in his simple but romantic costume, which differed very much from that of the general-staff who stood round him. In a light-brown blouse, with a golden collar, riding-boots reaching far above the knee, a round black hat surmounted with a waving 9=* 102 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. inquiring into the nature of the pretended conditions of sur- render. Avenging Nemesis punished their incautious haste. white feather, he was joking with a pretty young girl, into whose ear he whispered flattering nonsense. I was astonished : a few minutes before the catastrophe effected by him which decided the fate of Hungary, surrounded by men whose dark visages wore the impression of the deepest despair, could this man, serenely smiling, be exchanging gallantries with a frivolous girl ! Was this a forced cheerfulness, or the repose of a pure conscience ? Who can decide 1 " The general-staff floated around him, their splendor and magnificence recalling the times of Hunyady and Zriny. Every one was dressed in his most elegant uniform as if for a festival. The sun-burnt, youthful, thin figures in short Attilas with heavy gold trimmings, hats with waving feathers on their heads, mounted on fiery horses, galloping to and fro, formed a group as warlike as the fancy of a painter could describe. " In the midst of this a general commotion took place. Gorgey had thrown himself on his horse, and after him his whole glitter- ing suite. It was the last act which was to conclude the grand drama of the Magyar war. The splendid cavalcade had placed itself in motion; the bridge, unaccustomed to such a burden, groaned under the hoofs of the proudly-prancing horses, while THE ARMY UNDER GORGEY, ETC. 103 Vecsey, although his father had saved the life of the Em- peror Francis, in the French campaign, and was at that the eye followed the historical procession with astonishment and dismay. " When Gorgey, after the transactions were closed at Vilagos, went into the midst of the army and declared, ' that he no longer felt it in his power to defend the army, but if any was found willing to assume the command he would gladly yield it to him,' there wa3 was hut one man ready for the proposal. This was a gray-haired captain of the Hussars, who sprang forward, and, the tears which he never knew before falling on his grizzled beard, cried out, ' It was his wish and that of his comrades to cut their way through, and this must be the feeling of the whole army.' Gorgey spoke to him privately and drily remarked, ' That it was no time to joke, and there were balls enough to crush any mu- tiny.' " Only a soldier's heart can comprehend the feeling with which a man is parted from his arms. Many seemed torn in pieces in helpless agony, others wept as they kissed the cold steel, while a great number shrieked out with rage to be led against the enemy, and not to be subjected to this disgrace. I saw how officers and men threw themselves into each other's arms, and, sobbing, bid each other farewell. But in other places they raved against the 104 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. time an Austrian general of cavalry and captain of the noble body-guard, was hung like a felon ; Kazinczy was shot. officers and accused them of selfishness. No pen can describe the woe, the despair, which prevailed among the Hussars. He, who felt so much at home on his horse, was now to be dis- mounted and creep along on foot like the meanest 'Baka.' Many shot their horses ; and they who would have lost a limb without a groan, sobbed like children. " During these scenes, Gorgey rode round, proud and immove- able as a marble statue of Mars, and it was only now and then that his ringing, metallic voice was heard exhorting them to make haste. " Meanwhile, the twilight shadows began to fall on the broad fields, and heightened the gloom of the transaction. The poor victims of the war had thrown themselves on the grass, now wet with evening dew ; near them were their arms piled in pyramids, the flag in the centre, as if it were the grisly skeleton of those battalions, whose ranks had shown so much courage and expe- rienced so many sacrifices. " But their rest was not of long duration. The Russian escort came galloping up, and, accompanied by them, the Magyars were obliged the same day to start one stage towards Zarand. This THE ARMY UNDER GORGEY, ETC. 105 After these deplorable acts of surrender on all sides, which some troops endeavored to stand out against, but vainly — for they were, so to speak, hermetically closed in is the ' guard of honor,' I heard called out in their ranks. The march, under the Russian escort, from Szollos to Sarkad lasted no less than eight days. Whoever during this time should have accidentally fallen upon the ruins of the Hungarian army, would have taken it for one of the motley caravans of the Arabian desert. The sun poured down his hottest rays on the sandy plains, over which moved an endless throng of carriages, horse- men, and foot-travelers, in the wildest confusion. Every mo- ment the procession stopped, when all began to quarrel, curse, scream, and, for a change, to fisticuff each other. If the roads had been wider, or if the adjacent fields had afforded a tolerably convenient path, the maddest spectacle that can be imagined would have been exhibited. Every one who was not assigned to some special post was obliged to get on the best way he could, and, a general race commencing, there was no lack of petty mis- eries and comic scenes. " I could not but be surprised at the imperturbable equanimity and quietness of the Russian escort. Nothing could extort from them a smile or the slightest emotion ; they moved on in as cold and measured a manner as if they had been on a parade at their 106 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. by the Russians — Gorgey remained at the head-quarters of Field-marshal Paskiewics, where he was treated with great honor, and received daily visits from the Duke himself. His officers had their side-arms restored to them, and so long as they were in the hands of the Russians, were honor- own wintry home. The flying Cossacks were an exception. They soon made friends with the few Hussars who were still on horseback, who made themselves very merry at their mode of riding, gave them good advice in regard to this, and took them under their fatherly care. "During the eight days' captivity, the Honved officers were treated as comrades and in the most friendly manner by the Russians. The higher officers eat at the same table, and small sums were paid out as traveling expenses. The effect of this was to inspire many with the highest hopes. But, as day after day passed, and they were neither summoned to enter into the Russian service, nor Prince Leuchtenberg or the High Prince Constantine was crowned as King of Hungary, by degrees, before the hard reality, burst the glittering soap-bubbles which floated before their imagination. In a few days the Magyar army was transported from Sarkad to Gyula, with the immense number of those compromised in the political movement, and there delivered over to the Imperial Austrian troops." THE ARMY UNDER GORGEY, ETC. 107 ably dealt with. They were, however, soon turned over to the barbarous Austrians, and learned the bitter lesson how an ignoble and inhuman enemy treats, as prisoners of war, those from whom they always fled in the field. * Men and officers were robbed of whatever they possessed. Their physical wants were unattended to. On the slightest prov- ocation they were beaten. Finally, without regard to their previous rank, they were forced to enter the Austrian ser- vice as privates. The wealthy, on the most shameless pre- texts, were either hung or shot, that the sunken state of Austrian finances might receive a temporary revival from the confiscation of their estates. f — But wait, House of * At the end of May, 1849, we had two generals, fourteen hundred superior and staff officers, and thirty thousand privates, Austrians, prisoners of war. They were distributed in the vari- ous cities of the land, their personal liberty was allowed them, and the same pay that was given to the Hungarian army in time of peace. We have had sufficient experience at the close of our struggle of how Austria requited this magnanimity. * The inhuman conduct of Austria roused the indignation even of the Russians to such a degree, that they everywhere furnished all the aid in their power to our unhappy countrymen. They furnished them with food ; they brought baggage-wagons full of 108 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. Hapsburg ! thou thyself hast taught us how to deal with thee. The hour may soon strike when thy accursed raven- brood, an insufficient sacrifice to the manes of the innocent men thou art now murdering, shall be cut off from the face of the earth which thou burdenest, the shame and abomi- nation of thy kind. Hungarian officers from Arad; to those who were fortunate enough to escape, they pointed out the road by which they would avoid falling into the hands of the Austrians. One of my com- rades now here, Major Fornet, was smuggled over the frontier by a Cossack officer. COMORN AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF GORGEY. 109 VIII. COMORN AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF THE MAIN ARMY UNDER GORGEY. After the departure of the main army, besides the former garrison, consisting of ten nearly complete battalions of infantry, three squadrons of cavalry, and three batteries, there remained in Comorn the entire second corps oVarmee, under the command of Colonel Kaszonyi, composed of ten other battalions of infantry and nine squadrons of Hussars. This last corps oVarmee was, however, so diminished by the frequent battles and skirmishes in the neighborhood of Co- morn, that it numbered scarcely 4,000 men ; and all its artillery was carried off by the main army. At the urgent demand, however, of Klapka, backed with a threat of re- signing his command of the garrison unless it were provided with sufficient artillery, Gorgey sent back from the station of Batorkeszi fifteen six-pounders, field-pieces without amu- nition wagons. Klapka now remaining commander-in-chief, both of the 10 110 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. troops in the garrison and in the intrenched camp, turned his chief attention to the further strengthening of the intrenched camp, to the organization and filling up of the various corps, and to the raising of as many batteries as possible. The construction of fortifications was therefore undertaken upon the right bank of the Danube, on the so-called " Monostor," the cannons found in the fortress were mount- ed on carriages, the ranks of the battalions filled up so far as possible from those of the sick and wounded, left behind by the main army, and the convalescent, numbering nearly 4,000, amounting to nearly 5,000, and two additional squadrons of Hussars newly formed ; so that on the 22d of the same month a well-disciplined force of 20,000 men and nine complete batteries were at the disposition of the com- mander-in-chief. Comorn was at this time besieged by the second Austrian corps d'armee under Lieutenant Field-marshal Csorich, who had his head-quarters in Acs ; Major-general Pott, who was posted on the left bank of the Danube ; Major-general Prince Collorredo and Baron Barko on the right bank, and by Major-general Fiedler on the Schutt. The Russians under Grrabbe, destined to cover the left bank, had not yet arrived. COMORN AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF GORGEY. Ill Thus stood matters in and about the fortress when it was observed that, owing to the long stay of the main army at Comorn, some of the provisions of the garrison began to fail. Klapka therefore resolved to sally out on the right bank to procure grain and especially wine from Todis and Almas. This plan was successfully executed by Colonel Kosztolanyi, with six battalions, four squadrons, and three batteries, on the 24th of July, who brought back, besides the desired supplies, several loaded baggage-wagons, an Austrian dili- gence with money, together with eleven officers and the entire detachment of infantry at Todis as prisoners. Just at this time reports came in from our spies, that the men of Gorgey's rear-guard, which had been partly dispersed, were collecting in the mountain of Maros, and that many of them had already approached as far as St. Peter, a small station of Comorn, on their way if possible to reach the fortress. To meet these new-comers and escort them in, a second expedition was undertaken early on the morning of the 30th of July, under the personal conduct of Klapka himself. The forces were divided into four columns of three battalions, one division of cavalry, and two batteries each. The first column operated in the Schiitt towards Aranyos, the second attacked Kurta-keszi, the 112 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. third Heteny, the fourth O-Gyalla at the same time. The enemy nowhere maintained their ground, and only offered a weak resistance for a quarter of an hour on the heights of St. Peter ; but they were very soon driven from there, and pursued till three o'clock in the afternoon beyond Ersek- Ujvar. The enemy lost, on this occasion, two full ammu- nition-wagons, about 200 killed and wounded, and 500 prisoners. Our loss, strange to tell, was one officer wound- ed, and one horse shot. These two successful sallies only increased Gren. Klapka's boldness, and he now determined to attack the besieging Austrian army with his whole force, and, if his plan were but half successful, to de- stroy it. The 3d of August was fixed for the execution of this design, for which the troops were disposed as follows : — Col. Asserman led a column of six battalions, three di- visions of hussars, and three foot-batteries, to flank the enemy, which broke up from the intrenched camp at mid- night, and about four o'clock in the morning stormed Almas. The garrison were partly cut down, partly put to flight. After a short rest, this column, having left a small garrison in Almas and Neszmely, marched against Todis, and, finding this place unoccupied, next against COMORN AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF GORGEY. 113 Komlod. At eight o'clock, another column of six battalions of infantry, one division of cavalry, and two batteries, ad- vanced directly to Mocsa. It appeared before this place when the flanking column became visible on the heights of Komlod, just behind Mocsa. The garrison of Mocsa, which had heard nothing of the action at Almas, fell into no small confusion at seeing itself surrounded, and surprised that Gen. Aulich was in their rear.* They retreated from the village after a short resistance, and endeavored to escape into the open country to the left, but, being al- ready flanked by Asserman's hussars, they laid down their arms. Both columns now proceeded on the course marked out for them. Asserman moved with his column towards JNagy-Igmand, then crossed the Csonczo, and took posses- sion, on his march thither, of forty loaded baggage- wagons, and 2,700 beef cattle, on their way to the Austro-Russian main army. Kosztolanyi advanced against the redoubt * The Austrians universally believed that Gen. Aulich was operating with a corps d'armee in the vicinity of the Platten See, although he was at this very time provisional minister of war, and we did not have any troops in that quarter. 10* 114 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. of the enemy between Csem and Herkaly, which was defended by nine eighte en-pounders. Meantime, the col- umn of Schultz, consisting of three battalions of infantry, one squadron of cavalry, and one battery, left our in- trenched camp, and approached the above-mentioned re- doubt in front, while Janik's column of three battalions, one howitzer, and one foot-battery, together with one division of hussars, manoeuvred. "When the great redoubt was turned by the battalions of Kosztolanyi's column, Schultz began his attack ; and, although it was defended by twenty-one cannons, nine of which were eighteen-pounders, and six battalions of infantry, it was taken in less than half an hour by two weak Honved battalions.^ The enemy, forced from their strong position, ran in the utmost disorder towards Acs, their last place of refuge. Wald, to the right of Acs, having also been stormed by Janik. The retreat of the enemy was universal. Flanked on the right and left, they were all obliged to crowd over the bridge of Acs, * The nearly equal loss of these two battalions is remarkable ; of each there were eight killed, and of one thirty-eight, of the other forty wounded. COMORN AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF GORGEY. 115 where the confusion was still further increased by the arrival, almost at the same time with the enemy, of our left flank, under my command. Had Asserman, with his flanking column, arrived but a quarter of an hour earlier in Acs, the whole army, with the head-quarters, would have fallen into our hands ; as it was, however, he only came upon their rear, with which he made fearful havoc. All such of the enemy as were unable to conceal themselves in the corn-fields and vineyards that extend for miles around, now hastened to the bridge over the Danube, which was guarded by twenty-two eighteen-pounders. The approaching darkness favored their flight. The fugitives broke down the bridge after them, thus delivering into our hands many of their belated comrades. At about eleven o'clock at night the roaring of cannon ceased, and our troops bivouacked. It was not till the next morning that we were enabled to comprehend the full extent of the great advantages that we had gained, with a very small loss on our side.^ Thousands of corpses strewed the field of battle ; we had made * Our loss, all told, was only one hundred and thirty dead and wounded. 116 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. about 3,000 prisoners, and captured twenty-seven cannons; an enormous supply of provisions intended for the Austro- Kussian main army, that formed the cargo of thirty-five large vessels on the right shore of the Danube, also fell into our possession. On the morning of the fourth, Klapka sent forward some troops to G-onyo, where they made many more prisoners, and seized all the reserved supplies of the Austro-Russian main army, which were the more valuable to us as we were wanting seven-pound grenades. Another detachment was ordered to the island of Schiitt, to prevent the assembling of the enemy there. They were, however, so possessed with their panic fear, that, at the bare sight of our column, they deserted their strong intrenchments, together with twenty-two eighteen-pounders, 40,000 bombs, and their bridge equipage, and fled in confusion to Presburg. The few Austrians who had taken refuge in Haab, on the same day, retired from that city, which was occupied by our troops on the 5th of August, without a single shot fired. Here, again, we found large stores of provisions, arms, and clothing, so that, not in- cluding the capture of forty-nine pannons, the value of Klapka' s booty on this glorious day amounted to nearly six millions of guilders, (about $3,000,000.) COMORN AFTER THE DEPARTURE OP GORGEY. 117 Klapka now issued the necessary orders for the security of the garrison of Comorn, sent out recruiting commissions into the neighboring counties, now wholly freed from the enemy, and marched towards Raab with twelve battalions of infantry, four divisions of hussars, and six batteries. He at the same time commanded four battalions of infantry, three squadrons of horse, and two batteries to advance as far as Grross-Somerein to cover his flank. His further plan of operations was to act with one column against Vienna- Neustadt, with the other against Haimburg, to get control of the railroads from "Neustadt and Brack, and so if possible take Vienna, which was defended by only twelve battalions of infantry. The dispositions of the march were made ac- cordingly. The advanced guards were to be pushed for- ward to Piispoki in the Schutt, the centre to come up to Wiselburg, and the left flank to pass Kapuvar. At ten o'clock in the evening of the 10th of August, the main division was to leave Raab. At noon of the same day an official person of high rank, then on his flight, brought the information that Dembinsky, almost without a blow, had surrendered Szegedin, the seat of government and of the Diet, with all the military supplies stored at that place, and that his army had been totally defeated a few 118 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. days after near Lugos ; furthermore, that Bern had lost four battles in succession, that Gorgey's rear-guard under Gen. Nagy-Sandor was routed near Debreczin, and that Gorgey himself had been for some time treating with the Russians. This news, and the reports from our scouts which reached us the same day, that the Austrian coiys d'armee of Nu- gent, the division of Buries, Lederer's brigade, and the Russian division under Grabbe,^ were rapidly approaching Comorn, forced Klapka to renounce his intended plan, and instead of advancing we now retreated to Comorn. Here the arrangement and organization of the 7,000 men that had been raised in this brief period were pursued with the ut- most energy. The Austrian army, which had re-assembled at the boundaries and was increased by several regiments, followed close upon our traces. So early as the 15th, its commander sent us a messenger with a flag of truce to request a cessation of hostilities for fourteen days, and at * The two first-mentioned bodies of the enemy's troops were intended to cover the Austrian army of the south on the bounda- ries of Croatia ; Lederer was posted at Sarvar, and Grabbe was returning from his pursuit of Gorgey, who had probably already concluded his negotiations with the Russians. COMORN AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF GORGEY. 119 the same time called upon us to imitate the example of Grorgey, who on the 11th of that month near Vilagos had surrendered at discretion. Although this news was not entirely unexpected by us, and although the adjutant of the Russian Czar who accompanied the flag of truce narrated to us the particulars of the whole procedure, we could not believe that Grorgey had in the infamous depths of his treachery failed to secure the fate of his comrades in arms, and had surrendered without any conditions ; for to yield at discretion to Austria or Russia is, as the result has painfully demonstrated, to deliver one's self up to the executioner. We now desired to know with deflniteness regarding this matter. It was accordingly resolved, in a council of war, to accept the proposed armistice, on condition that the Austrian minister of war, who was at that time with the besieging army, should furnish passes to two deputations, one of which we intended sending to Arad and Transyl- vania, the other to Peterwardein and Temesvar. These deputations were to inform themselves accurately of the situa- tion of affairs, and our further movements were in many respects to be guided by their reports. The condition was readily assented to on the part of the Austrians, and the two deputations, each accompanied by an Austrian 120 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. officer, were dispatched the very next day on their respec- tive missions. In addition to the fulfillment of their osten- sible duties, Klapka gave them secret instructions to this effect : if on finding that Gorgey had actually yielded, that the main army under Dembinsky was dispersed, and the government and Diet broken up, a successful continuance of the war should seem hopeless, they were to endeavor by all means to communicate with Colonel Kazinczy, who commanded about 8,000 troops in Marmaroser and Bere- gher, and with the commandants of the garrisons of Arad and Peterwardein, to urge upon those officers in no case to lay down their arms, unless some general concessions favor- able to the whole country were first obtained by all the re- maining troops and garrisons ; and to assure them that he on his part would contribute all his efforts to such an end, and, un- der any circumstances, rather hold out to the last man than surrender unconditionally. These deputations had scarcely left when individuals began to arrive in Comorn, at first from Gorgey' s army and afterward from that of Dembinsky, of Lazar, of Vecsey, even from Kazinczy, and finally strag- glers from the garrison of Arad, forcing upon us the mournful truth that all was lost. At last our deputations returned. One of them had been COMORN AFTER THE DEPARTURE OP GORGEY. 121 allowed to proceed no further than Arad, which fortress had fallen before their arrival ; and that too fell by G-orgey's miserable treachery. Persuaded of Damjanics' courage and endurance, he had transferred to that garrison only those Wallachian battalions that had deserted a hundred times, and, as it were, thus forced that heroic commandant to a surrender which he also enjoined upon him in his capacity as Dictator. This deputation had a conference with Gbrgey, who had confirmed the surrender, and was then living at his ease in the Russian head-quarters. It was on this oc- casion that, in reply to the reproach of the deputy Rutkay, " that he was considered a traitor to his country," Gorgey returned the answer worthy his infamous nature : "I care not what they consider me ; I am not really a Hungarian but a Sclave." The second deputation had been in Temes- var and spoken with Haynau. They brought a letter from that general, in which he advised Klapka, with idle threats in case of refusal, to an unconditional surrender of the for- tress of Comorn within forty-eight hours. They were not permitted to go to Transylvania and Peterwardein, which greatly encouraged us, for we were persuaded that this fortress was still safe, and that Bern's army was still opera- ting in Transylvania ; since otherwise the deputation would 11 122 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. have been suffered also to go there. But the fact that we no longer had a government or a Diet, together with the reports received at this time from our political agents abroad, which informed us that we were not to look for aid nor intervention from France or England, caused us to ponder seriously what still remained to be saved for our poor country. Believing that an army still existed in Transyl- vania, and that Peterwardein was still unconquered, we resolved in a council of war to propose to Austria, in com- mon with them, the following terms of capitulation, having in view our whole country : 1. A full amnesty for all political offences. 2. A general pardon for the surrendering army. 3. A sanctioning of the Hungarian paper-money. These conditions we presented to the Austrian general of the ordnance, Count Nugent, who had meantime arrived be- fore Comorn with the corps mentioned above, and assumed the command-in-chief of the collective troops, amounting to about 50,000 men. In reply, he declared that he was not empowered to enter into any such agreement, but would lay our demands before the Emperor, which he actually COMORN AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF GORGEY. 123 did. No answer was ever returned.* 1 Meanwhile the armistice had terminated, and hostilities were just com- mencing again, when the discouraging news arrived that the army in Transylvania, demoralized by the treason of Gorgey, was dispersing, and that Bern, Kossuth, and some other generals, with a small remnant of the Hungarian forces, had taken refuge in Turkish territory. A few days after accounts reached us of the fall of Peterwardein. The fate of this fortress was also owing to Gorgey, whose order to yield on the same conditions that had been extended to himself, caused a dissension in the garrison which resulted in its surrender.! Alone and without hope of relief, nothing now remained * The requests were afterwards presented to the emperor in the form of a petition, but still remained unanswered. f The unconditional surrender of nearly all the commandants is to be mainly ascribed to Gorgey's shameful pretense of exert- ing his authority over them in his character of military and civil Dictator, summoning them to yield on the same conditions that had been granted to himself. They very naturally supposed that he had obtained honorable terms, and had no suspicion of the deceit practiced upon them till precaution was too late. 124 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. for the garrison of Gomorn, but either to bury itself heroic- ally under the ruins of their fortress, or to save, by an honorable military capitulation what could yet be saved for those who were within the fortress. For after the fall of Peterwardein, the Austrian commander would not listen for a moment to any conditions that should have in view the country at large. After many debates, the council of war accordingly resolved upon the latter course for the following reasons : 1. To alleviate the fate of our captured brethren, and to put a stop to the frequent executions, for we were en- couraged to believe that all military persecutions (military trials) would cease upon the surrender of Comorn. 2. In order not to expose to utter ruin the city of Comorn, with its 20,000 inhabitants, who had already severely suf- fered by fire and by the bombardment of the previous winter that continued for five weeks. 3. To save a numerous body of men charged with polit- ical offences, who had taken refuge in Comorn. 4. To relieve the inhabitants of the surrounding country, already sufficiently impoverished, from the hardship of quartering Ruesian, and still worse, Austrian soldiers. Lastly : CAPITULATION OF COMORN. 125 5. To preserve 27,000 brave and zealous soldiers for their country and a more auspicious future. The terms now proposed to the commander of the be- sieging forces, in which, however, Nugent pretended not fully to concur, were, with slight modifications, the same as the articles of capitulation that follow. But as many of us still doubted of the actual fall of Peterwardein, and would assent to enter upon no definitive arrangement until they Were accurately informed upon that point, Nugent proposed that four of our number should proceed on an Austrian steamboat to that garrison, and the negotiations be sus- pended till their return. CAPITULATION OF COMORN. In the meantime Nugent was recalled, and Haynau took command in person of the besieging corps, of which change he informed us in a really handsome letter. In it he in- vited Klapka, together with those officers who were most prominent in opposing a surrender, to a meeting at such time and place as Klapka himself should designate, under the escort of a half squadron of cavalry ; and gave his word of honor that in this proposal, he had nothing in view 11* 126 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. but the best good of Hungary, and of the garrison of Co- morn. Upon the receipt of this missive, a council of war was held, in which it was determined to accept the invita- tion at ten o'clock on the following morning. Klapka, however, excused himself from attendance, under pretext of indisposition. On the 27th of September, those who afterwards signed the articles of capitulation, with an escort under the command of Colonel Asserman, proceeded to the place of meeting at the enemy's redoubt near Her- kaly. They found there a tent pitched, about which soldiers in great parade were keeping guard. Haynau ar- rived soon after, attended only by his adjutant Susan, and received us with so great attention, that we were no longer able to believe in the justness of the reputation that had preceded him. He bid us be seated with the utmost cour- tesy, took his place among us, and in a familiar friendly manner set forth to us : that our obstinate resistance could no longer benefit our cause, since there was no other Hun- garian force to co-operate with us ; that now, when peace was restored to all other parts of the monarchy, he could assemble before Comorn as many troops and materials for besieging as he chose ; that no fortress could hold out for a long time against a regular siege, and that, to use his own CAPITULATION OF COMORN. 127 words, he would not say in two, three, four, or six months, "but sooner or later he must take Comorn ; that in such case we should have to answer for the additional bloodshed — which, however, in his opinion was but a secondary matter, since God so willed it ; that by this resistance the already impoverished land would be still more heavily burdened, since Hungary alone should bear the expenses of the siege ; finally, that the punishments for political offences would not cease until the pacification of Hungary was complete, which could not be so long as Comorn remained unsub- dued. On this latter point he affirmed three several times, that the executions would be at an end immediately on our yielding. In conclusion, he encouraged us to rely upon the good nature and magnanimity of the youthful emperor, and to throw ourselves on his mercy. On our part we frankly acknowledged that there was reason in all he said, but so long as we had our arms in our hands, we did not need to depend on the magnanimity or benevolence of the em- peror ; furthermore, that the Austrian dynasty and govern- ment had by no means acted towards Hungary in a way to inspire confidence ; we would therefore never submit to an unconditional surrender, but insist upon the admission and fulfillment of our moderate demands. 128 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. He then inquired what our demands were, and we were not a little astonished to hear him meet each point, as it was brought forward, with the answer, " that is well, that can be granted," when his predecessor, Nugent, had re- fused assent to the same terms. He hesitated only in re- gard to three points : respecting the amnesty for all persons in Comorn, whether of a civil, military, or clerical charac- ter ; respecting the assuming the payment of the paper money issued by us ; and, lastly, respecting our demand of a written guarantee for the observance of the capitulations, subscribed by the Emperor of Austria and the Russian general Grabbe. The first difficulty was evaded by his own proposal to enroll as military all those compromised in Comorn, whether civilians or clergy. By this means they would be included in the capitulation. Considering the occupants of Comorn only as a garrison, he would treat with it only by military rules, with political and civil affairs generally he would not in the least intermeddle. As to cur paper money, he promised to pay us 500,000 guilders, instead of the 800,000 we had actually raised, and hoped that, in consideration of the loss always incurred from paper money, we would submit to a little discount. "With relation to the guarantee, he would have nothing to CAPITULATION OF COMORN, 129 do. He was, as he expressed himself, civil and mili- tary governor of Hungary, with full powers. What he guaranteed was sacred. His honor and reputation as a soldier were sufficient pledges to us for every thing. I will confess, for my own part, that I did depend on his word ; for he was the only Austrian general whose bulletins had been free from extravagant statements, and he had, so far as I knew, always remained faithful to his word. Nor do I believe that he would of himself have been guilty of such shameful violations of the capitulation as afterwards occurred, had he not been forced to commit them by the court, and especially by that blood-thirsty, unhumanized woman, the mother of the emperor. This opinion is sup- ported by the circumstance, that, shortly after the surren- der of Comorn, there was an attempt to remove him from Hungary, probably because he was unwilling to enter into the infernal designs of the empress mother. Haynau, the bastard of a crowned monster, is a cold, proud aristocrat, an unfeeling tyrant, a gross, uncultivated man, but yet a man who would not break his word of honor so long as he could in any other way preserve the favor of the court, the highest aim of every heartless aristocrat. Immediately after the discussion of the three points, Hay- 130 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. nau desired to proceed to the definite arrangement of the capitulation. But we were not empowered to make any alterations in the prescribed terms, and, after promising to send to him at Acs, on the same evening, the final resolu- tion of the council of war, we rode back to Comorn to make our report of the negotiations. After long debate, the council of war assented to the requisite alterations, and commissioned us to go to Acs and close the capitulation, subject to this condition, that the deputation we had sent to Peterwardein should confirm the announcement of the fall of that place. "We accordingly rode to the enemy's head-quarters, where we were greeted with music and huzzas, and then signed the following articles of capitu- lation : SURRENDER OF THE FORTRESS OF COMORN UNDER THE FOL- LOWING CONDITIONS. 1. The garrison are to be allowed freely to withdraw, without arms ; the swords of the officers to remain in their possession. Foreign passports shall be granted to those officers who have formerly served in the imperial army ; to those who do not ask CAPITULATION OP COMORN. 131 for passports to other countries, a free dismission to their homes — excepting such as voluntarily enter the imperial service. A free residence at their homes shall be granted to the Honved officers not previously in the imperial service, without restriction as to their future conduct and occupation. An amnesty is granted to the rank and file of the imperial regiments, and to those individuals who have been meantime promoted. They are to remain unmolested, and no legal prose- cution shall hereafter be conducted against them. 2. Passports abroad shall be furnished to all who apply for them within thirty days. 3. One month's pay to the officers, and ten day's wages to the rank and file, according to the rates of the Austrian service, shall be paid in Austrian national bank-notes. 4. For the settlement of the various obligations entered into by the garrison, as shown by their orders on the military chest, the sum of 500,000 guilders, convention's miinze, (about $250,000,) shall be paid in Austrian bank-notes. 5. The sick and wounded in Comorn, and in the hospitals, shall be properly cared for. 6. Private property, both real and personal, shall be generally retained by the owners. 7. The place, time, and manner of giving up the arms, shall be hereafter determined. 8. All hostilities shall immediately cease on both sides. A true copy of the original, Comorn, Sept. 29, 1849. Szillanyi, lieut.-colonel, chief of the general-staff. 132 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. 9. The fortress shall be given up according to the usages of war, after a mutual ratification of the conditions. ( Puszta-Herkaly, Sept. 21th, 1849. ( Haynau, M. P. Takats, captain. Gasparetz, captain Mednyansky, colonel. John Pragay, colonel. Stefan Rutkay, colonel. Count Otto Zichy, colonel. Count Paul Esterhazy, colonel. John Janik, colonel. Sigmund Szabo, colonel, commandant in the town. Joseph von Kaszonyi, colonel. Francis Asserman, colonel, commandant in the fortress. George Klapka, commander-in-chief of fortress and troops. The following day Haynau sent G-en. Nobili, a commis- sary, one officer of the engineer corps, and one of the artil- lery, to make the preliminary inventory. Several other officers came to the fortress, both Austrian and Russian. The latter often drank to Kossuth's health, and associated with our officers on the most friendly terms, but showed no respect for the Austrians, and even quarreled with them on CAPITULATION OF COMORN. 133 every possible occasion — a proof how even the Russians dis- approved and despised the arrogant and impudent conduct of the Austrians, whose greatest courage was displayed in scourging women of the highest families. On the 27th of September, our deputation arrived with a final confirmation of the surrender of Peterwardein, and the respective garrisons left and entered our works as follows : — the Austrians took possession of the intrenched camp on the right bank of the Danube on the 30th of September ; of the tete-du-pont and the fortress on the 1st of October ; of the Palatinal lines on the 2d ; and of Waag fort on the 3d. The retiring divisions as they withdrew were furnished with a safe-conduct, and marched under the command of their officers to their homes, where they were disbanded.* It was a heart-breaking scene, when our brave troops — many of them » SAFE-CONDUCT. For Mr. John Pragay, who may return unhindered to his place of residence, Aszonyfa, in the county of Raab. As a member of the garrison of Comorn, he participates in all the privileges granted to the same, regarding security of person and property. [l. s.] BAYERSFELD, Comorn, Oct. 1st, 1849. Im P erial army-commissioner. 12 134 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. victors in thirty or more battles — were obliged to give up their arms to an enemy who had always fled before them ; but the conntry demanded their preservation, and they yielded with bursting hearts, but with manly firmness, to their fate. But of the banners that had waved before them in so many glorious contests, each one would take with him a little shred — a talisman to keep the past ever fresh in memory, and to rouse to new deeds of heroism in the future — they were torn into as many parts as there were men who had fought under them. The sixth regiment of hussars, in the sally of the 3d of August, had thrice charged the hostile Uhlans through the masses of infantry, and thrice de- feated them. When Klapka, in accordance with the first article, and in presence of the whole staff of the enemy, asked if there were any in this regiment who would step forward in token of their wish to enter the Austrian service — he was met with the reply, " Nay, sir, we will serve our Hungarian fatherland, but Austria never." Tears of glad- ness started from Klapka' s eyes, and, paying no heed to the foreign generals, he galloped off with the bold, confident feeling of hope for a speedy and successful restoration of the good cause. I was one day in Comorn after all our troops had marched CAPITULATION OF COMORN. 135 out. There the conduct of the Austrians was in general handsome towards us, which was I think to be attributed, however, to the energetic interposition of the commandant, Lieutenant Field-Marshal Nobili, or perhaps, rather, to the circumstance that they were held in restraint by the Rus- sians ; but without the limits of the fortifications, it was very different. I myself saw Honveds, who had remained behind in the hospitals or transport-houses, and were going home in little bands of five or six, attacked immediately after crossing the bridge by Austrian soldiers, and robbed of their last heller* nay even of the better portions of their uniforms. These robberies took place in the immediate neighborhood of the officers, and, though I will not affirm that they encouraged their men to commit, I am sufficiently convinced that they silently permitted these disgraceful actions. Klapka is much to be censured for having opened the for- tifications to the enemy before the capitulation was fulfilled in all points. He must have known that with the Austrians nothing is sacred in heaven or earth. The consequences of this overhaste have been already severely felt by many of our * The smallest kind of coin. 136 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. unhappy comrades, and by Klapka himself in Berlin and DiisseldorfT. 260 of us, mostly officers, desired passports under the second article of the capitulation ; some to Turkey, some to other European states, and a portion of us to America. As adjutant-general of the army, it became my duty to draw up as rapidly as possible national and personal descriptions of these applicants, add their proposed destina- tions, and hand them to Gren. Nobili, so that the passports might be sent down from Vienna by the time of the surren- der. Meantime these were not waited for, but, on the assurance of Gen. Susan that they would certainly come to hand in a few days, the place was surrendered. And what was the result ? In my own case, for example — I had re- quested a passport to Germany, Belgium, France, and Eng- land, and received, instead, one of which the following is a literal copy. PASSPORT. For the duration of the journey designated below: for Mr. John Pragay. Character, a Hungarian emigrant. To America, by Oderberg, Breslau, and Hamburg. He is to travel on the direct route, without stopping or returning, (plme aufenihalt und ohne Riickkehr.) He is accompanied by his former servant, Paul Zwickl. N. B. He is provided with the necessary means of CAPITULATION OF COMORN. 137 traveling. [Here follows a particular description of the bearer's person, age, stature, etc.] It is desired that the bearer, on show- ing this passport, may be allowed to proceed without hinderance. From the royal imperial city government of Vienna, Oct. 5th, 1849. [l. s.] The royal imperial ministerial councilor and captain of the city, Razzer, M. P. Many of my companions who wished to go to Turkey re- ceived no passport at all, and now, in spite of the 1st and 2d articles, must endure the oppressive yoke of Austria, or perhaps starve in their wretchedness. How carefully the remaining articles, which Haynau had declared to be sacred, were observed, is clearly enough shown in the execution of Major Repeczky, the imprisonment of William Csapo, the sequestration of Zichy's estates, and of others who were all in Comorn up to the end, and the first of whom was seized and executed while on his road home. In conclusion, I have one urgent request to make to my honored readers. I would beg them to compare together the capitulation, the safe-conduct, and my traveling pass- port, and have the kindness to tell me how I came to receive- a passport restricted by the clause, " without stop- ping or returning," when a safe residence at my own home 12* 138 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. is guaranteed by two documents ? And that my honored readers may have still another bright example of the logical consistency that reigns throughout the actions of the Aus- trian government, I will introduce here a little story, which I can not refrain from telling, although the modest Klapka forbade its publication in his lifetime. The date of this story is the time when Comorn was be- leaguered by 50,000 Austrians and 26,000 Russians, under the command of Count Nugent ; and, on a certain after- noon, when two messengers with a flag of truce — the Austrian, Lieutenant-colonel Jungbauer, and one Kreipel, a captain of horse — brought into Comorn the report that Peterwardein had yielded. In addition to this information, these two gentlemen brought with them a little note, which contained nothing less than a notice that his royal imperial apostolic majesty had most graciously resolved to bestow upon the insurgent leader, Klapka, as a reward for his very humane treatment of the Austrian prisoners in Comorn, a large pension, which should be secured to him in any foreign country he would designate. If I rightly remember, Klapka hereupon answered, in a very decided manner, " that he had earned honor and fame with his comrades, and was ready to share with them their poverty and misfor- CAPITULATION OF COMORN. 139 tunes ; he therefore begged respectfully to decline the most gracious kindness of his royal imperial apostolical majesty, and would only humbly request his royal imperial apos- tolical majesty, Franz- Joseph, that, if this pension were really designed for him, it might be applied to the assist- ance of those families who had lost their all in the con- test for Hungarian freedom." The sequel and the moral of the story is, that Klapka, who was to enjoy a pension in any foreign country he chose to designate, received a pass- port to England or America " without stop or return." 140 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. IX. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE MOST PROMINENT STATES- MEN AND GENERALS. LOUIS KOSSUTH, GOVERNOR OF HUNGARY. Kossuth's ancestors, who were originally of a noble house in the county of Turoczer, had been for some gener- ations settled in the county of Zemplin, where he was born in 1806. His parents were of honorable station, and inde- pendent though not wealthy. His father was an advocate of reputation ; his mother, a woman of a fine mind, guided the education of her numerous family. Kossuth was taught in the schools at Ujhely, Patak, and Eperjes. At this early period, he already gave such proofs of his remarkable tal- ents that his teacher prophesied his future greatness. Like most cultivated men of his class in Hungary, he turned his attention to the law, and by his superior mental gifts, speedily rose to the first position among his brethren LOUIS KOSSUTH. 141 of the county of Zemplin. He began his political course in the same county, where by virtue of his extensive acquire- ments, and especially of his eloquence, he soon occupied a foremost place in the ranks of the opposition. He first took part in the affairs of the country at large in 1836. He was then sent to the Diet as the substitute of an absent magnate. In that capacity he held a seat in the Chamber of Deputies ; but the laws then gave no influence to this kind of substitute. He shortly after left this post. All the greater became his influence and authority by the publication of a periodical entitled, " Reports of the Diet." At that time the extremely strict Austrian censorship can- celed every free word. The proceedings of the Diet either did not appear before the public at all, or at best only in a mutilated form. The want of more accurate information in this respect was generally felt throughout Hungary, and by none more than by Kossuth, whose whole soul was already striving after freedom, and after all those means by which this holy treasure could be attained. He accord- ingly resolved to publish in manuscript, under the above title, all the speeches and proceedings of the Diet. For this purpose he learned stenography, and employed a number of short-hand writers. Although the expenses of writing 142 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. made his paper very costly, it received a large number of subscribers, and soon became fhe first and most powerful of the public agents in the field on the side of the country and its constitutional interests. He made an attempt to give his paper a wider circula- tion by having it lithographed, but /he met with hinderances on every hand. The press was at last arbitrarily confis- cated, and he was again restricted to its distribution in manuscript. After the close of the Diet, he continued in the same form " Debates of the County Assemblies," and removed with his family to Pesth, the central point of the country, where he also practiced his profession. The Austrian government was not long in perceiving that by the circulation of free thoughts, the most powerful means of oppression was torn from its, hands ; and, in ac- cordance with its wonted policy, did not hesitate a moment to resort to illegal measures. Kossuth was brought to trial on a charge of high trea- son. Although by the Hungarian law, no one shall be confined on this charge till a decision has been given, but shall be permitted to conduct their defence in freedom, Kossuth was torn from his quiet dwelling in Ofen and from LOUIS KOSSUTH. 143 the midst of his family, and led to prison. The trial was had before the highest court, whose judges are appointed by the government ; whose decisions are guided not by jus- tice, but by the will of that government. Kossuth was accordingly condemned to an imprisonment of three years. This violation of the constitution raised the greatest com- motion throughout Hungary. The excitement rose to such a pitch that at the next meeting of the Diet, the government found no other way of redeeming its mistake but, under the pretext of a request to that effect from the then pala- tine, to release Kossuth from the brief remainder of his confinement, and at the same time to give up the intended prosecution of several other members of the opposition for the same crime. Restored to freedom, Kossuth, edited an excellent news- paper in Pesth, and pursued his political career in the assemblies of the county of Pesth, which at that time stood at the head of the opposition. In spite of the utmost efforts of the government to defeat his election, he was chosen to represent this county in the Diet of T848, by an almost unanimous vote. In the Diet he played the first part, and was the almost uncontrolled leader of the opposition. At a late period of 144 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. the same year, he undertook the department of finance in the ministry united under Count Ludwig Batthyany. After Batthyany's resignation, he became president of the committee of public defense, and when the declaration of independence was proclaimed on the 14th of April, 1849, in the cathedral of Debreczin amid the huzzas of the assembled people, the Diet appointed him governor of Hun- gary. His wonderful activity and energy in the two last- named offices, were sufficiently attested by the glorious issue of the first campaign with Austria. In a country hedged in on every side by hostile nations, and with noth- ing in hand, he raised money, arms, and a military force, which drove the self-styled invincible Austrian army out of the land, with a loss of 74,000 men, dead or disabled. How complete and general was the confidence in the purity of his patriotism and in his irreproachable integrity, is sufficiently proved by the fact that there was nowhere the least opposition formed against him, not even among the magnates, who by the abolition of feudal service and tithes were deprived of half their revenues. His last public act showed in the clearest light his entire self-sacri- ficing love for his country. "When in the month of August he resigned in favor of Gorgey a position in which he had COUNT LOUIS KATTI1YANY. 145 been placed by the wishes of millions of his countrymen, he did so in the belief that the ambition of that general might be thus contented, and the country saved. How sorely was he to be disappointed ! After his abdication he retired into Transylvania, whence, upon learning the treachery of Gorgey, he took refuge in Turkey. He there remains, and is indeed at present held a prisoner by the Turkish government in the fortress of Schumla. COUNT LOUIS BATTHYAJSTY Was descended from an ancient Hungarian family, many of whose members were distinguished in former times, both in political and military life. Always taking an active part in the political affairs of his country, he soon became, by virtue of his superior mental gifts, of his wealth, which then contributed so largely to any man's political advance- ment, but above all by virtue of the firmness and energy which were leading traits in his character, one of the most influential members of the assembly of magnates. After the Diet of 1836, that is from the time that Austria began to pursue systematically an oppressive colonial policy to- 13 146 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. wards Hungary, a constitutional liberal opposition was organized in the country. A central committee was estab- lished at Buda-Pesth, whose business was to correspond with affiliated committees in other counties, to unite and develop the opinions and actions of those opposed to the attacks of Austria upon the constitutional independence of Hungary, and so break the force of those attacks. It also proposed another end, namely, to guide the national movement in accordance with the spirit of the age and the universal principles of freedom, and lay the foundation of a purely democratic constitution for the future. Louis Batthyany was placed at the head of this committee, and the corres- pondence with the other committees was carried on through him. When, therefore, in 1848, the time came for the princi- ples of the opposition to triumph over their conservative opponents, nothing was more natural than that he should be proposed as prime minister of the first independent Hungarian ministry. In March, the government, which then yielded every thing, appointed him to that office. When this ministry was dissolved in September of the same year, he was reappointed president of the new minis try, but his selection of colleagues not being ratified by the COUNT LOTUS BATTHYANY. 147 government, his functions were at an end. He was placed on the committee of public defense by the Diet. When in the latter part of December the Diet removed from Buda-Pesth to Debreczin, one more attempt was made to settle matters with Austria without further bloodshed. A deputation of five members was sent to Windischgratz, with Batthyany at their head. They repaired to the camp of Windischgratz near Ofen, under an escort of hussars. In defiance of laws that prevail even among barbarous nations, these ' purely peaceful deputies, together with their escort, were detained as prisoners. Windischgratz' s answer was ''Unconditional submission." The imprisoned dele- gates could make their report to the Diet at Debreczin only in writing. Four of them were afterwards graciously re- leased. Batthyany, who was unyielding, and — which was the main thing with Austria — the owner of estates worth seven millions of guilders, was dragged from prison to prison, and tormented with examinations. He had but one answer to the questions of his persecutors : " Let me," he said, " be confronted with the Archduke Stephen, the pala- tine of the kingdom who shamefully deserted his post. I have done nothing but to carry into practice those measures which he the palatine and fully-authorized agent of the 148 THE HUNGABIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. king, has constantly approved." And therefore, that there might be no living witness to testify the base treachery and falsehood of the palatine, and above all that Austria might clutch with her greedy hands the seven millions' worth of property, Batthyany was condemned — condemned by judges who were the ready tools of a wicked govern- ment. He was shot, according to sentence, early in Octo- ber, 1849. Batthyany was a man of stately bearing; he was about forty-five years of age. BARTHOLOMEW SZEMERE Was born in the county of Borsod, which is noted for the prevalence of liberal opinions amongst its people, and where he imbibed those principles almost with bis mother's milk. His early education was most carefully attended to. He was instructed in almost all the modern cultivated lan- guages, which were afterwards of much benefit to him in a journey through Europe, undertaken mainly for the pur- pose of examining institutions of punishment and correction. Upon his return home, he published an account of his BARTHOLOMEW SZEMERE. 149 travels, and also a work on. systems of punishment and correction. In his county, where he entered on his political career, he was first chosen a chief of the magistracy, then vice- governor of the county, and lastly a representative to the Diet. He afterward became a member of the Committee of Public Defense, and Government Commissioner of the Upper Districts. After the 14th of April, Kossuth appointed him President of the Ministry, with the special department of the Interior. In this character he brought before the Diet his republican programme, which was accepted with un- hesitating, warm approval. He was the most forward re- publican in the Hungarian ministry. When Gorgey's treachery became known, Szemere fol- lowed Kossuth into Turkey, from whence, however, on per- ceiving the intentions of the Turkish government, he happily escaped, and is now residing in Paris. Szemere is a man not far from thirty-six years old, of a strong frame and handsome exterior. 13* 150 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. LADISLAUS CSANYI Was a native of the county of Szala. He passed his youth in the military service of Austria as an officer of hussars, where he contracted a military manner which did not ill become his tall stature, and which he preserved through life. This manner, however, had nothing of the abject submissiveness, which ruled in the Austrian army when he was a young man more than now. His free, ac- tive spirit, revealed to him too clearly the faults and conse- quences of a slavish discipline, that would restrain not only free expressions, but free thoughts. He soon grew weary of a life that did not correspond with his disposition, and retired to his native county, where he soon became en- gaged in political affairs. At that period this county was at the head of those movements that were progressing in the spirit of the times. The famous Deak was not only then the leading spirit of the county, but the first man in the diet of 1836. "When a base party, composed of aristo- crats, reactionists, and bigots, and paid by the Austrian government, opposed Deak's re-election to the coming Diet, by disgraceful means, Csanyi took the part of his friend LADISLAUS CSANYI. 151 with the greatest energy. This was the origin of the close league between the two men. In the year 1848 he was chosen with Deak one of the popular representatives in the Diet at Buda-Pesth. Well known for his energetic charac- ter, he was selected by the ministry of the period as a leader of the national guards and popular movement, against the first attacks of the Croats on the provinces of the Drave, beyond the Danube. He did all that had been expected of him. When the Hungarian army was more organized, and most of the national guards were trans- formed into volunteer battalions, Csanyi was sent by the Diet to the camp, as a commissioner fully empowered to act on the part of the government, and associated with General Moga. He displayed much decision and foresight in performing the duties of this office. He remained for a time associated with Gorgey in the same capacity, when that general took the chief command of the army. Had he continued with Gorgey, it is not altogether improbable that the dignity of his character and his friendly persuasive power, had permanently exerted the influence that they at first acquired over the young man, and prevented the trea- son that arose from a wild ambition. But such men as Csanyi were needed elsewhere, and he was sent as first 152 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. commissioner into Transylvania, which was then almost lost to the patriots. He and Bern acted there so vigor- ously, that they soon cleared the country of the Russians and Austrians. He next hecame a member of the last independent ministry, in which he took the department of trade and communication. Trusting to the representations of the Russian generals, who assured him of safety in the closing scenes at Vilagos, he did not seek in flight the only means of escaping from the perfidy of Austria, hut re- mained to witness the foul shame that Grbrgey brought upon his country. Perhaps also his advanced age — he was sixty years old — and his feeble health, rendered him unable to endure the fatigues of a hasty flight. For the first few days he was treated with indulgence, but was soon thrown into prison, then dragged to Buda- Pesth, and then condemned to death on the gallows, the 10th of October, 1849. He had no family to join in the deep mourning of his country and of numberless friends. Tested by the rules of tyranny, the vengeance of Aus- tria in regard to this true man was not unjustified ; for it can not be denied that there were few men in Hungary, whose energetic patriotism had done so much injury to the House of Austria. BARON LADISLAUS PERENYI. 153 BARON LADISLAUS PERENYI Was likewise of an ancient Hungarian family, resident in the county of Ugocsa, in the Theiss district, which was always the stronghold of true Magyarism. The hatred to Austria was there irreconcilable, and there had been enacted the most important events of Rakoczi's revolution. Well known as a man of great legal attain- ments and of an upright character, he had been appointed by the Austrian government Vice-president of the highest court, and had long filled the office of Lord-lieutenant (Obergespann) of his native county. During the pro- ceedings, in the trials for high treason, against Kossuth and Baron Nicholas Weselenyi, and against several other members of the opposition, which ended with a sentence of three years' imprisonment for Kossuth, he distinguished himself among the few independent judges. When George Mailath, who was the Chief Justice, (Oberlandesrichter,) and, ex officio, also President of the Assembly of Magnates, (Magnatentafel,) either from cowardice or perfidy, deserted his post in December, 1848, the honest Perenyi considered it his duty to assume that office which belonged to him. 154 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. as Vice-president.- He presided over the deliberations of the Upper-house at Debreczin, and at other places where it afterwards assembled, in a manner that gave entire satisfaction, and inspired the fullest confidence. In De- breczin he signed the Declaration of Independence, in company with the President of the House of Deputies and the secretaries of both branches. This was a deadly sin in the eyes of Austria, which was atoned for by his ignominious death on the gallows in October, 1849. The utmost firmness, and a calmness of spirit such as belong only to those conscious of the righteousness of their cause, did not forsake him at the last moment. Perenyi was taken prisoner at the catastrophe of Gorgey's treachery at Vilagos. He was aged about sixty, and of venerable appearance. ARTHUR GORGEY Was born in the year 1817, of noble and tolerably wealthy parents, at Busocz in the county of Zips. Although the majority of the inhabitants of this county are Ger- mans or Sclaves, few surpassed it during the late revo- lution in patriotism and love of liberty. ARTHUR GORGEY. 155 After finishing his studies at the Gymnasium of Kesmark, he entered the Pioneer-school at Tuln as a cadet, and from there an Austrian regiment, whence he was soon after transferred to a lieutenancy in the nohle Hungarian body- guard. He already showed an eccentric character. He was the inseparable friend of his fellow-guardsman, Count Zsigray, who afterwards in a fit of hypochondria committed suicide. He greatly distinguished himself by his talents. He was a most diligent scholar and made rapid progress, especially in the mathematical sciences, so that at the end of his five years he became a first lieutenant in the Austrian army — the proof of his acquirements." He remained but a little time with his regiment. He fell in love with the governess of a noble family, and as neither of the parties were able to furnish the earnest- money — quite a large sum — required in case of marriage, he left the army and relinquished all claim to a future re- sumption of his title. His favorite study had always been chemistry, and after quitting the army he occupied himself exclusively with this branch of science. His acquirements in this department procured for him the position of Assistant in Chemistry in Prague University. This office he soon left, and repaired 156 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. to Bielitz in Grallicia, to make himself better acquainted with the cloth manufacture. While he was thus employed the revolution broke out. On the receipt of the news he immediately returned home. On arriving in Hungary, he was appointed a captain of Honveds, and soon after a major in the national guard. In this capacity he ordered Count Eugene Zichy, count palatine of Stuhlweissenburg, who had entered into an understanding with Jellachich, to be hung on the island of Csepel, which had been committed to his charge after the battle of Pakozd. On the 30th of October, Grorgey saved the army from the snare into which it was brought by Gren. Moga's error, and was promoted by Kossuth on the spot to be its provisional commander-in-chief. How he withdrew to Pesth, and thence conducted his famous retreat by the way of the mining towns to Kaschau, I have already narrated. I must mention here that in the course of this retreat he issued a proclamation to the troops hostile to the revolutionary government, in which he calls them the royal Hungarian army, and introduces the sugges- tion that they should raise him to the Dictatorship. This was almost the only body of troops in Hungary which was fully equipped, and in every way fit for service. This ARTHUR GORGEY. 157 proclamation resulted in nothing. The troops were more attached to Kossuth than to him. Many have accused Gorgey of being already in intelli- gence with Windischgratz at the time he was under Dem- binsky, and that therefore he came so late into the action of Kapolna. This charge is groundless, as is clearly proved by his later actions ; and although, setting aside the imperfect and wrong dispositions in this battle, he did not appear at the proper time on the battle-field, the cause of the tar- diness lay not in an understanding between him and Windischgratz, but in the dissensions between himself and Dembinsky. How, after Dembinsky' s resignation and Vetter's sick- ness, Gorgey took command of the army, and led it from victory to victory up to the relief of Comorn on the 26th of April ; how, after that battle, instead of pursuing the Aus- trians, he remained before that city, and after long delibera- tion, instead of marching against Vienna, proceeded to Ofen ; how, at the end of a siege of twenty-three days, he stormed that fortress on the 21st of May, and then made another longer sojourn there, thus giving full time to the Austrians to assemble, and to the Russians to unite with them and break into Hungary — all this has been previously 14 158 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. ^ related. Procrastination was his great failing. Bern very justly remarked : " Gorgey can defeat but not destroy an enemy." I have also already told how, during the months of June and July, he fought several battles in the neighbor- hood of Comorn with the Russians and Austrians, when and how he retired from that quarter, and finally, how the betrayed his country. It only remains to add a few facts illustrative of the character of this individual who has earned for himself the fame of a Herostratus. As I have already intimated, Gorgey' s character was marked with striking peculiarities. United with an im- moderate ambition was a great capacity of self-denial. After the taking of Ofen, the government promoted him to the rank of lieutenant field-marshal, and sent a deputation to offer him, at the same time with his commission, the grand cross of the Order of Military Merit. He refused both the rank and the token of honor, declaring that so long as there was a single enemy on Hungarian soil, he felt him- self unworthy of their acceptance. When he was in Bielitz, in very difficult circumstances, a friend offered him segars ; although he was passionately fond of smoking, he would not take them, saying that he would smoke no segars, even if given to him, till he was abundantly able to bny them. ARTHUR GORGEY. 159 After the action of Waitzen, he passed the whole night in a fast-falling rain, on an open wagon in a court-yard, whDe all his aids were comfortably lying in beds. Except for washing, he did not undress during the whole campaign. Till the month of June, 1849, he wore one seal-skin coat, which he had won from an officer at cards. It then sud- denly occurred to him to clothe himself quite brilliantly. He had a coat made of a light red color and ornamented with very broad bands of gold lace, and led all attacks and assaults in this uniform, which was well known to the enemy. Gorgey's chief excellencies as a general were ex- traordinary courage, coolness, and foresight, great energy so long as he was in the presence of the enemy, and a peculiar talent of haranguing his troops. He troubled himself very little about tactics and strategy. Gbrgey was the sternest revolutionist in the country. He would give sentence of death, and look upon its execution with the utmost calmness. Nothing could move him to change his decision. He ordered one of his former com- rades of the guard, his intimate friend Captain Udvamoky, to be shot on account of insubordination to his major. Nor would he listen to the victim's defense, or the entreaties of his friends in his favor. His passions of ambition and 160 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. vengeance were unrestrained. He betrayed his country not for paltry gold, but because he had not been able to obtain the highest office, and because he had been subordinated to another general. He had neither a good heart nor a right sense of honor ; otherwise he would not have committed Csanyi, who always treated him like a father, and the other members of the ministry and the Diet, who had confidently intrusted their fate to him, into the hands of a tyrannical government ; he would not have delivered his comrades and general-star^ who, unconsciously indeed but really, had promoted his criminal designs, and for whose safety he had pledged his word of honor, into the clutches of the executioner. He might perhaps in this respect have been deceived by Pas- kiewics ; but an honorable man in such circumstances could not look upon the evil fate that befell his companions, and still live. G-orgey is of a tall slender figure, and a penetrating eye. He is at present residing under surveillance at Klagenfurt in Styria. GEORGE KLAPKA. 161 GEORGE KLAPKA Is the son of a former burgomaster of Temesvar, where he was born in the year 1820. When he had completed his studies in his birthplace, he was received as a cadet in the artillery, from which, in 1842, he was transferred to the Hungarian body-guard. He here, like Gorgey, dis- tinguished himself by remarkable talents, and like him was made a first lieutenant in the Austrian army — a pro- motion conferred only on those of the first abilities. A desire for freedom and » independence soon caused him to give up this situation. He was in Pesth in May, 1848, just at the time when the first battalions of Honveds were organized to proceed against the Servians. He obtained a captaincy in the first battalion, and was in the campaign against that people until September. His extensive ac- quirements in military science were soon observed, and he was promoted to the general-staff, with a commission to undertake the direction of works upon some fortifications at Comorn. He was soon after one of those who induced the troops there to swear to the new constitution, and thus 14* 162 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. preserved for Hungary this garrison that was already half betrayed to Austria. After he had completed the business for which he was sent to Comorn, he was ordered to join the army on the frontier, with which he remained through several battles and the retreat to Pesth. After the check that Meszaros received at Kaschau, the command of the army of the upper Theiss was conferred upon Klapka with the rank of colonel. He entered upon his new duties on the 13th of January. He defended the line of the Theiss, with great ability, against a vastly superior force, who were trying every means to force a passage ; in the same month defeated the combined corps of Schlick and Schulzig, and saved the government and Diet, then in a very critical situation at Debreczin, from dissolution, or at least from another removal. The govern- ment expressed their thanks by a general's commission. Placed under the command of Dembinsky, Klapka led in the fight of Hidasnemeti, Mezzokovesd, in the surprise of Petervasar, and of Kompolt, in the battle of Egerfarmos, and the two days' action of Kapolna. He also took part in the i attack upon Szolnok, and, as chief of the general-staff and commander of the first corps d'armee, in all the victorious advances upon Comorn, in the course of which he displayed GEORGE KLAPKA. 163 his admirable foresight in devising the plan of flanking G6- dollo. In the latter part of April, he undertook the provisional administration of the ministry of war. He left this post a month later to take command of the seventh and eighth corps cVarmee. He was engaged in all the actions of June and July about Comorn, and in all displayed unmistakable proofs of his great military skill and acquirements. After Gbrgey retired from Comorn, he, Klapka, became com- mander-in-chief of all the troops in the fortress and about the city. How he conducted three successful attacks upon the be- siegers, how he rejected the base proposal of the Emperor of Austria, how he escaped assassination, and how, when all else was already lost, he saved the military honor of the Hungarian army by an honorable capitulation, I have re- lated in the foregoing pages. Of his noble, generous heart, by whose impulses he was sometimes indeed misled, I will not here speak, and will only add, that, high-spirited and honorable, he was, with the exception of Bern, the most cultivated in military science, and the first general in the Hungarian army. Klapka is of a tall, slender stature, and fine personal appearance. He is now in London. 164 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. MAURICE PERCZEL Belongs to a numerous family in the county of Tolna this side the Danube. He there commenced his political career, which he continued in the county of Comorn. He also frequently took part in the assemblies of the county of Pesth. He was then the opponent of Count Stephen Szecheny — a man whose liberal views were distorted by aristocratic prejudices. He filled an important post in the department of the interior under Szemere in the ministry of 1848. He was one of the thirty-six who voted against the policy of that department, which was not sufficiently decided to meet his approval, and thereupon gave up his situation. In Pesth he organized the Zrinyi bat- talion as the first battalion of Hungarian Honveds, and marched against Jellachich. His military operations on either side of the Danube, and on the Drave, which have been briefly touched upon, were generally attended with happy results. They show a union of boldness, courage, and firmness, rather than military science. Perczel is a man of forty years, of a fearless mien. He is with Kossuth in Schumla. JOHN DAMJANICS. 165 JOHN DAMJANICS Was born in the year 1805 at Stasa, in the military frontiers, and of course received a military education. He was at first a cadet in his own district, and after- wards an officer in the 61st regiment of infantry, where he rose to the rank of captain. When the Revolution broke out, he left his regiment, and became commander of a Honved battalion. He was in the campaign against the Servians from July, 1848, to March, 1849. Partly from his deeds of bravery during this period, and partly from the prudent management of his troops, he was gradually advanced to the rank of general. Early in March he was recalled from the south. He lead the assault upon Szolnok, and, as commander of the third corps, took an active part in the victorious advances of the army up to the relief of Comorn. When he had been persuaded by Gorgey to accept provisionally the charge of the war ministry, and was paying his farewell visits previous to departing for Debreczin, he seriously injured his foot by jumping from his carriage. While still suffering from this cause, in the closing catastrophe, he 166 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE TOR FREEDOM. took command of the fortress of Arad, which, at Gorgey's order, and especially because the garrison was made up of Wallachian troops, he soon after surrendered to the Russians. From more than thirty actions, Damjanics had always come out the victor. When he left the south, he issued a proclamation to the Servians exhorting them to quietness, which closed with these words : " If I come back, and find that you have again been burning, robbing, and murdering, I will put you all to the sword, and then, that there may not be one Servian left alive, shoot myself." His being disabled was the worst of misfortunes for Hungary ; for if he had remained in the army, Gorgey could never have consummated his treachery. He had already formed an opposition to that general's ambitious plans ; and, by his own popularity in the army, would have been sure to frustrate them. Damjanics was a stout, large man, of a martial appear- ance. He was hung on the 6th of October, at Arad. At the place of execution, where he was obliged, from six till half past ten o'clock in the morning, to look upon the murder of his comrades, he did not show the least agitation, but, turning to an Austrian officer, asked very quietly, " How LOUIS AULICH. 167 is it that I, who in battle used to be the first, am now the last ?" LOUIS ATJLICH Was born at Presburg in the year 1793. His parents were wealthy, and cherished liberal opinions. At the close of his studies he entered himself a cadet in the second regiment of infantry. Owing to his irreproachable conduct and extensive knowledge, he was promoted, step by step, to the rank of lieutenant-colonel of the same regiment. While he was in this post the Revolution broke out. He did not long hesitate to take sides with the cause of hu- manity and justice, and immediately placed himself and his regiment at the disposition of the Hungarian ministry. He became colonel, and distinguished himself at Scwe- chat, as afterwards whenever opportunity offered during the winter campaign which he made under Gorgey. After the battle of Kapolna he was made a general, and in that rank took part in various battles. The happy issue of the battle of Isaszeg is mainly due to the timely attack which he conducted. When the main army under Gorgey advanced upon Comorn, Aulich remained with his corps before Pesth. 168 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. The blockade was completed by the divisions of Asboth and Kmety, and soon caused the Austrian army that held possession to leave the city. After the taking of Ofen, Aulich left the army for the sake of restoring his health, which was much broken, and soon took the management of the war ministry. "When the dreadful catastrophe of Arad came, he was in Grorgey's head-quarters, and so fell into the hands of the enemy. He was one of the best and bravest among our generals, of the most distinguished among our patriots. He died on the gallows, at Arad, the 6 th of October. JOSEPH BEM Was a general in the last Polish insurrection against Russia, and is well known for his active participation in the affairs of Poland, and for his misfortunes. He was born at Tamow, in Gralicia, in 1795. He pursued his studies at Cracow, and at a later period in the military school at Warsaw. On their completion he entered the Polish artil- lery-service, in which he made the campaign of 1812 against Russia in Davoust's corps, and then in Macdonald's. After the peace he remained in the Polish army under the Rus- JOSEPH BEM. 169 sians, was made captain and adjutant of General Bontemps in 1819, and became an instructor in the artillery school at Warsaw, a position that ill-suited him, and which he de- sired to escape from. He was relieved from his office, but for unknown reasons recalled, tried by a court-martial, and sentenced to a confinement of two months. He now left the army, and from 1825 to the outbreak of the insurrection in November, 1830, mostly busied himself with studies in mathematics and mechanics. Among other things he gave much attention to the steam-engine, upon which he wrote a short treatise, as he had previously done in regard to the introduction of congreve-rockets. He greeted the insurrec- tion in Poland as the rising of a new day for his country. He hastened to Warsaw, where the government appointed him major and commander of a battery of flying-artillery. After the action of Iganie, in which he distinguished him- self, he was made lieutenant-colonel ; after the battle of Ostrolenka, a colonel ; and soon following this, promoted to the command-in-chief of the Polish artillery. At the deci-' sive battle of Warsaw, his genius as well as his fortunes seem to have forsaken him. All the military men and the patriots have accused him of negligence, and charged upon him the greatest share of the burden of blame for the mis- 15 170 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. fortunes of the day. He took refuge in the Prussian domin- ions, whence he conducted the emigration to France. At Paris, where he was on terms of friendship with Leluel, the former president of the Polish national committee, he pro- posed to lead to Don Pedro a Polish legion. But although the agreement was settled, the expedition failed. Bern was wounded by a pistol-shot from an unknown hand. He went alone to Portugal, and, after being thanked for the offer of his services, to Madrid, where he was met with a repulse. From that time he resided in Paris. The Polytechnic So- ciety which he founded there was dissolved after a year's existence, owing to the want of funds. He then occupied himself with special branches of mechanics. In October, 1848, Bern repaired to Vienna, and undertook the organiza- tion of the Garde Mobile, and the management of the mili- tary arrangements. His plan of making a sally from the city on the 23d of October, for the purpose of cutting off and destroying the Austrian army of observation that was between "Wahring and Nuszdorf. was frustrated by one of his adjutants. On the 27th of the same month, he con- ducted the defense of the suburb of the Jagerzeile, which, owing to the occupation of Landstrasse, fell, in spite of a desperate resistance, into the hands of the enemy. That GENERAL HENRY DEMBINSKY. 171 day Bern was wounded by a musket-shot. He foresaw, meanwhile, that Vienna must fall, and that he would be one of the first demanded by Windischgratz. He therefore left the city the same day, disguised as a coachman. He was fortunate enough to reach Hungary in safety. In Pesth he was again attacked by one of his countrymen in his own chamber, and slightly wounded by a pistol-shot. After his recovery he undertook the command of the Hun- garian army in Transylvania. His operations in that coun- try, which have already been briefly narrated, bear witness to his skill in strategy and tactics, and stamp him as a rare genius, and one of the first generals of the age. After the fall of G-orgey, Bern succeeded in making his escape to Turkey, where, merely from his thorough hatred of Russia, he became a Mohammedan, and is now a pasha and commandant of the Turkish artillery. GENERAL HENRY DEMBINSKY Was born in the Waiwodeschaft of Cracow in 1791. The ardent patriotism which has ever distinguished him, was mainly an inheritance from his father, Ignatius Dem- binsky, who was one of the most zealous patriots, and 172 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. a provincial deputy to the Diet of 1788, which formed the new constitution of the 3d of May, and had impressed upon his sons the importance of preserving and revising that work. He was carefully educated by his mother, a daughter of Count Maszinski, grand-master of the household at the court of Saxony. He early distinguished himself by his skill in bodily exercises, as well as progress in intellectual studies. In the year 1807, he came with two of his brothers to the Academy of Engineers, at Vienna. When, in 1809. the Austrian government offered the Polish students the post of officers in the army, he refused to accept, and returned to give his strength to his country. Before ac- cepting the rank of an officer, he wished to earn a claim to it on the field of battle, and entered the fifth regiment of jagers as a private. At the opening of the campaign against Rus- sia he was a lieutenant. At the battle of Smolensk, he had the gratification of being named captain by Napoleon him- self. During the war in Germany, he^ was under Gen. Sokolnicki, to whom he felt himself particularly indebted for his military education. In this war he lost three of his brothers. He afterwards studied the business of military organization under the minister of war, Wulohorsky, who then had his office, which Dembinsky entered, in Paris. GENERAL HENRY DEMBINSKY. 173 When Coiistantine was placed at the head of the Polish army, he retired to his estates in the province of Cracow. In 1825 he was chosen provincial deputy to the Diet. At the breaking out of the revolution, on the 29th of Novem- ber, 1830, he saw himself passed by, when the organizing of forces in his Waiwodeschaft was first undertaken. But the zeal, energy, and skill that he displayed, as chief of his district, in forming a guard of safety, drew upon him the eyes of all his fellow-citizens. In a few weeks he was placed at the head of the management for organizing the regular forces that the province of Cracow could send to the field, to consist of two regiments of cavalry and as many of infantry. He drove this business so actively and successfully, that, on the day of the battle at G-rochow, he entered Warsaw with a handsome regiment, and took his place in the line. Skrzynecki, the general-in-chief, placed him over a brigade of cavalry. With this brigade, numbering about 4,000 men, Dembinsky, in the fight at Kuflow, held at bay through the whole action the army of Field-Marshal Diebitsch, numbering 60,000. For this brilliant service he was appointed general-of-brigade. He again received com- mand of a corps of the same strength to make an attack 15* 174 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. upon the city of Ostrolenka on the left wing, while Skrzy- necki went against the guards. He afterwards united with the division of Gen. Gielgud. He was not able to take part in another battle at Ostrolenka, and, after that battle, shared the fate of Gen. Gielgud' s division. When the generals of this division resolved to pass the Prussian fron- tier, Dembinsky took the bold course of breaking his way through a country swarming with enemies, and reaching Warsaw. To execute his plan, it was necessary to make a circuit of 900 leagues, going up to the sources of the Nilia and the Niemen. At the close of July, 1831, he suddenly appeared, with his little band of heroes, before the gates of Warsaw, and was joyfully admitted by the sorely-pressed inhabitants. He was immediately named governor of the city, and commander-in-chief, which offices, however, he held but a few days. It was said that, on the day following the night of the 15th of August, he formed the design of raising himself to the dictatorship, that so, perhaps, he might save the independence of his country. But his violent character had caused dissension between -many of his countrymen and himself, and his plan was frustrated. He went with Rybinski's corps to Prussia, and thence to France. In the year 1833, he entered the service of GENERAL HENRY DEMBINSKY. 175 the Pasha of Egypt, who sent him to Syria to attend to the reorganization of the Egyptian army. He soon returned to Paris. In Jan., 1849, Dembinsky appeared in Hungary, where Kossuth at first intrusted him with the command of the army of the Upper Theiss, and afterwards with that of the main army. His harsh, suspicious nature but too soon made him. enemies of the other generals. This circum- stance was perhaps the cause that the battle of Kapolna, on the 26th and 27th of February, 1849, was not brilliantly won in our favor. But the escape of Schlick's corps on the 14th of February near Putnok, (Tornyalla,) and the check of Egerfarmos on the 1st of March were undoubtedly the results of his bad generalship. They led to a vote express- ing want of confidence passed by the corps of officers, in consequence of which he was obliged to resign. Towards the end of April, the government placed him at the head of the northern army. In May he threw up the command, be- cause permission was not granted him to make an attack upon Galicia. After the Russian invasion, he was enabled once more to gain the favor of the government, and was named commander-in-chief of the main army. How far he justi- fied the great confidence reposed in him by Kossuth, can be 176 THE HUNGARIAN STRUGGLE FOE. FREEDOM. judged from his giving up the line of the Theiss, and from the battle before Temesvar. Kossuth now acknowledged in one of his writings, in spite of his former unpardonable prejudice in his favor, what others saw before, that Dem- binsky "isa man weakened by age and of a failing mem- ory." As it seems to me, he has perhaps more to answer for in the unhappy issue of our affairs than even G-orgey himself, who became a traitor partly because of him. Dem- binsky is of middle stature, a stout frame, and iron-gray hair. He is at present with Kossuth in Schumla. NOTES, NOTE A. THE CAMARILLA. Spanish — a little chamber. A kind of secret cabinet not rec- ognized in the Constitution, and generally composed of the relations of the prince, priests, intriguing women, etc. In the present instance, the most prominent members of the Camarilla were Cibini, one of the ladies of the court, and the Archduchess Sophia. NOTE B. 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" Braving the dangers of a land where throat-cutting is a popular pastime, and earthquakes and fevers more or less yellow, and vermin more or less venomous are amongst the indigenous com- forts of the aoil, a German, of high reputation as a naturalist and man of letters, has devoted four years of a life valuable to science to a residence and travels in the most interesting districts of South America, the ancient empire of tbe Incas, the scene of the conquests and cruelties of Fran eisco Pizarro." g. p. Putnam's new publications. IN THE WEST. California and Oregon Trail, Being Sketches of Prairie and Rocky Mountain Life. BY FRANCIS PARKMAN, JR. With Illustrations by Darley. 12mo. cloth, $1 25. "Written with the genuine inspiration of untamed nature." — Tribune. "A lively and well written account of divers adventures on mountains and piains, deserts and rivers in the Indian Country."— Churchman. "A series of graphic and apparently reliable sketches."— Albion. 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" It is one of those rare works which belongs, by the value of its subject and the truthfulness of its details, to authentic history, and by its vivid descriptions, and exciting incidents to the more varied province of Romance."— Albany Atlas. "Loses nothing of its interest by the late discoveries, «fec, beyond the Rocky Mountains." — Recorder. " One of Irving's most valuable works. • * * gtm fresh, instructive and entertaining."— Holden's Magazine. A Tow on the Prairies; With Abbottsford and Newstead Abbey. BY WASHINGTON IRVING. 12mo. $1 25. 44 Its perusal leaves a positive sense of refreshment, which we should think would make th book invaluable to the thousands of mortals whose lives are bound up with ledgers and cash book* " Tribune. Delightful reading for a leisure hour." — Albany Atlas. Adventwres of Ca/pt Bonneville, U. S. A., In the Rocky Mountains and the Far West. BY WASHINGTON IRVING. ]2mo, with a valuable Map. $1 25. 44 Full of wild and exciting incidents of frontier and savage life."- Providence Journal. 8 g. p. Putnam's new publications. The Genius of Italy ; Being Sketches of Italian Life, Literature, and Religion. BY REV. ROBERT TURNBULL, Author of "The Genius of Scotland." Third edition. 1 vol. 12mo, $1 ; illustrated edition, cloth, gilt, $2. The edition with extra illustrations, handsomely bound, will be ready in the autumn. " Mr. Turnbull gives us the orange, groves, and the fountains, and the gondolas, ano iie frescoea and the ruins, with touches of personal adventure, and sketches of biography, and glimpses of tha life, literature, and religion of Modern Italy, seen with the quick, comprehensive glances of an American traveller, impulsive, inquisitive, and enthusiastic. His book is a pleasant record of a tourist's impressions, without the infliction of the tiresome minutiae of his everyday experience." — Literary World. " At a moment when Italy is about to be regenerated — when the lovig-slumbering spirit of tha Seople is about assuming its ancient vigor, a work of this kind is desirable. * * * The country, s people, and prominent features are given with much truth and force." — Democratic Review. Views A-Foot ; Or, Europe seen with Knapsack and Staff. BY BAYARD TAYLOR. New edition, with an additional Chapter of Practical Information for Pedes- trians in Europe, and a Sketch of the Author in Pedestrian Costume, from a Drawing by T. Buchanan Read. 12mo., cloth, $1 25. The same, fancy cloth, gilt extra, $1 75. "There is a freshness and force in the book altogether unusual in a book of travels. * « • As a text-book for travellers the work is essentially valuable; it tells how much can be accom- plished with very limited means, when energy, curiosity, and a love of adventure are the promp- ters ; sympathy in his success likewise, is another source of interest to the book. * The result of all this is, a wide-spread popularity as a writer, a very handsomely printed book, with a very handsome portrait of the author, and we congratulate him upon the attainment of this and future honors. ' '— Union Magazine. The Spa?iiardSj and their County. BY RICHARD FORD. l2mo, green cloth. $1 00. " The best English book, beyond comparison, that ever has appeared for the illustration, not merely of the general topography and local curiosities, but of the national character and manners of Spain. " — Quarterly Review. "This is a very clever and amusing work." — Louisville Exam. "The style is light, dashing, and agreeable."— AT. Y. Mirror. *.* Washington Irving commends this as the best modern popular account of Spain. Scenes and Thoughts in Europe. BY AN AMERICAN. (Geo. H. Calvert, Esq., Baltimore.) 12mo. 50 cts. M This book is a delightful instance of the transforming and recreative power of the mind upon every ihL?* ; \ touches. The most hackneyed ground of Europe, persons and objects that have been the theme ."C5 the last half dozen years of every literary remittance from abroad, appear to us clothed with new ciio-rnis and meanings, because examined with a finer penetration than they nave been by anv other English or American traveller."— Tribune. 9 O. P. PUTNAM'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. 3Kiiit0tq — SSiograptrq — dkngtapju]. The Life mid Voyages of Christopher Columbus. To which are added those of his Companions. BY WASHINGTON IRVING. New Edition, Revised and Corrected. Maps, Plates, and copious Index. 3 vols. l2mo, green cloth uniform with the new edition of living's Works, $4; half calf, $6 ; half morocco, top edge gilt, $6 75 ; full calf, gilt, $7 50. The Octavo Edition, in 3 vols., on superfine paper, uniform with Prescott's Ferdinand and Isabella, $6; half calf, $8 50; full calf, $ 10. " One of the most fascinating and intensely interesting books in the whole compass of English Literature. * * * It has all the interest conferred by the truth of history, and at the same time Ihe varied excitement of a well written romance."— Western Continent. " Perhaps the most truly valuable of the Author's writings." — Home Journal. " The History of Columbus is admirably executed ; and though a true and faithful history, it IS as interesting as a high wrought romance." The Conquest of Florida. BY THEODORE IRVING. Prof, of History and Belles Letters in the Free Academy. New and Revised Edition, Corrected, with Notes, and Illustrations from various recent sources. l2mo. The Monuments of Central and Western America; With Comparative Notices of those in Egypt, India, Assyria, &c. BY REV. F. L. HAWKS, D. D., LL. D. 1 vol. 8vo. " . This work is now in preparation, uniform with " Nineveh," and the " Monuments of Egypt." It will comprise a comprehensive, readable, and popular view of the whole subject of Ancient re« maifis on the American continent— with ample Illustrations. The Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. Comprising the Results of Extensive Original Surveys and Explorations. BY E. G. SQUIER, A. M., AND E. H. DAVIS, M. D. With numerous Illustrations. Royal 4to, $10. Ten Years of American History : 1840-49 — including a History of the Mexican War and of California, BY EMMA WILLARD. With a valuable Map. 12mo, $1. 10 a. p. Putnam's kew publications. CONTINUED. Italy ; Past and Present : Or General Views of its History, Religion, Politics, Literature and Art. BY L. MARIOTTI, Prof, of Italian Literature in London University. 2 vols., 8vo, cloth, $3 50. The Letters and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, With Elucidations. BY THOS. CARLYLE. The Fine Edition, in 2 vols., Octavo, with Portrait. Reduced to $2 50. Sorrow's Autobiography. — Lavengro : BY GEORGE BORROW, Author of " The Gipsies of Spain," " The Bible in Spain," $c. To be published simultaneously by John Murray, London, and G. P. Putnam, New- York. In one volume, 12mo. * * This will be a work of intense interest, including extraordinary adventures in various parti >f the world. Johnston's Universal Atlas. This splendid and important work — by far the most comprehensive, correct and useful Atlas now extant, was published recently in Edinburgh at the price of eight guineas, and the price in this country has been about $50. G. P. Putnam has made arrangements for an edition for the United States, rendered far more valuable by the addition of a COPIOUS and USEFUL INDEX of about 40,000 names ; but the maps being transferred in fac- simile on stone, the American publisher is enabled to supply it at the low price of $20— elegantly and substantially bound in half morocco, gilt edges. The maps are clearly and beautifully executed, and are practically fully equal to the original edition. The work contains 41 large and splendid maps. " Having examined many of the Maps of the National Atlas, 1 have no hesitation in saying, that they are as accurate in their geographical details as they are beautiful in their execution."— Sir David Brewster. Historical Studies. BY GEORGE WASHINGTON GREENE, ESQ., Late Consul of the U. S. at Rome. 1 vol. l2mo, cloth. The World" 1 s Progress ; Or, A Record of Remarkable Occurrences, Political, Literary, and Scientific, in the Annals of all Nations. In two Divisions. I. Contemporary Tables. II. Alphabetical Records. BY G. P. PUTNAM. New edition, revised and enlarged. 1 v»l. Bvo. 11 g. t. Putnam's itew piiblicatiows. THE LIBERTY OF ROME; A HISTORY. With an Historical account of the Liberty of ancient Nations. BY SAMUEL ELIOT? ESQ. 2 vols. 8vo, cloth, and illustrated with 12 Plates, $4 50. LIST OF PLATES. 1. Allegorical. 2. Homer singing on the Chian strand. 3. Bust of Socrates. 4. Imaginary View of Early Rome. 5. Bust of Pythagoras. 6. The Secession of the People to Mons IJacer. 7. The meeting of Camillus and Maif- lius after the retreat of the Gauta. 8. Bust of Marcus Tullius Cicero. 9. The Triumph of Quintus Fabius. 10. Caius Gracchus weeping before hia Father's Statue. 11. Cicero denouncing Catiline. 12. Bust of Lucius Junius Brutus. OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. " Mr. Eliot's aim is an important one- It is to indicate the kind and amount of liberty enjoyed by the ancient Romans. He has formed a just conception of what is meant by the word liberty, which is too often confounded with mere forms of government, at best but its guards and supports. * * * The scale of the work is so extensive, that details necessarily disappear in any abridged statement of its contents, nor is it possible by extracts to convey an idea of the value and interest of the book. To be appreciated it must be taken as a whole. There are few salient pas- sages. But its general impression is in the highest degree healthy, conducive to the expansion of the mind, and calculated to enrich it with new and important ideas. We are glad to receive from an American hand such a welcome contribution to our best order of Literature." — London Examiner. "A work of high character and distinguished merit. The author has brought to the performance of a task of such magnitude and difficulty, vast stores of erudition, a highly cultivated taste, a com- prehensive and penetrating intellect, and a grave and sober judgment ; qualities indispensable to one who would write such a history, and rarely to be found combined to the same extent in the same ndividual." — John Bull. " We have had histories of Rome written by the scholar, by the credulous, and lately a history of it by the great historic skeptic, Niebuhr. We had not yet one by a philosopher ; we thank Mr. Eliot for having undertaken, and we may add, succeeded in his task. This is a good and new book to the classic student and thinker." — Daily News. " This remarkable book presents us with a view of liberty in a different and truer light than has been laid before us by any writer. Extensive reading, a well balanced and philosophical mind, above all prejudice, could alone have fitted its author for producing a work which must take a high rank in American Literature, in its style as well as in its subject." — Providence Journal. " The present volumes exhibit the evidence of many qualities essential to so large an enterprise in their accomplished author. They are in the highest degree creditable to the conscientious fidelity of his researches, to his industry and power of persistent labor, to his acquaintance wilh the most au- thentic sources of ancient and modern learning, and to the extent and variety of his erudition, which js free from any tincture of pedantry or ostentation. — New- York Tribune. 12 a. p. Putnam's new publications. CONTINUED. Maliomet and Ms Successors. BY WASHINGTON IRVING. 2 vols. 12mo, cloth, Uniform with the new edition of " Irving's Works." $2 50. " The events and circumstances of Mahomet's life and course exceed m romantic interest the most ingenious creations of fiction. These events are related in the present work with the fasc lr naiing art and skill for which Mr. Irving is distinguished. * * * The present book is one of absorbing interest."— Washington Union. " It will be universally welcomed, and read with cordial interest. It is marked by the inimita- ble grace and richness of style characteristic of his works." — N. Y. Courier.' "An exceedingly interesting review of the history of the founder of the Islam faith, and his times, faultless as a composition, blending happily criticism and discrimination with the romantic narrative. We doubt whether any of Mr. Irving's earlier volumes will equal the Life of Mahomet in permanent popularity."— N. Y. Com. Advertiser. " By far the most complete and most candid history of the great founder of a religion that still holds sway over a large fraction of the race." — N. Y. Evangelist. " To the general reader it will be found an excellent book, and it will be found useful even to those who are familiar with Gibbon and Ockley. "-^Boston Times. " The most complete and authentic Life of the great Arabian Prophet that has yet been given to the world." — -Evening Mirror.' " Abounds in events of thrilling interest, which its author has clothed in language as attractive as it is beautiful." — Nat. Intelligencer. " Our author sketches in a rapid manner and in a style scarcely matchable for beauty, the youthful habits and pursuits, and the manhood, projects, and public career of the founder and original propagator of Islamism, and ends with an appendix which embodies an outline of its doctrines, which is scarcely less entertaining than the narration, and is an essential and highly valuable accompaniment. Our author has interspered through the volume a sufficient number of legends (as incredible as the one already quoted), to show the peculiar characteristics of the Mos- lem mind, and to give variety and consequently additional interest to the story of the origin and progress of the Islam faith."— Western Literary Messenger. Oliver Goldsmith : a Biograjpliy. BY WASHINGTON IRVING, 1 vol. l2mo, cloth- UnnlT m with the new edition ° f " Irving ' S Works " $125. ... .. _ - . sjjjiarly adapted to the amiable, con- ■' A most agreeable work. The grace of Irving's style is pec^.. ^"r-ratio, Review. fiding nature of the wayward genius whose history he records."— JDe^Z LiM'vi ' f W k " It will supersede all former lives of the author of the Deserted Village and u^ field." — Christian Advocate. "With a general admiration of Goldsmith, with a cordial appreciation of the spirit of his writ- ings, and with many similar intellectual tendencies, he has portrayed the varied picture of his life with a grace and elegance that makes his narrative as charming a piece of composition as can be found in the whole range of his former works."— N. Y. Tribune. " He brings the man before his readers in all his aspects and sufferings, from his cradle to hia grave. The style is easy, the reflections just and flow naturally from the subject— the arrange- ment is that of a picture wherein the leading incidents are shown in foreground situations, and the minor and less attractive points are kept well in the background."— London Athaneum. George Washington : a Biograjpliy. BY WASHINGTON IRVING. With Illustrations. In Preparation. 13 a. p. putnam's new publications. 3®istnrq — 3SingrxipIrn — (fagntpjjtj* CONTINUED. Historical Studies. BY GEORGE WASHINGTON GREENE, Late United States Consul at Rome. 1 vol. 12mo, cloth, $ 1 25. "There is a vast deal of information compressed in this work. It is composed of twelve Essays, every one of which contains matter for a volume." — Albany Journal. ' : They are written in the spirit of true scholar-like cultivation, and embody the results of the author's studies while in the enjoyment of rare opportunities for indulging a passionate taste for •Italian Literature. His historical views are marked with great critical acuteness, often presenting original suggestions, and always stimulating the attention of the reader by the strength of their statements." — Tribune. " Bear the impress of intelligent observation and no little research." — Commercial Adv. " Deserves to be read by all." — Evening Post. " Exhibit /much critical acumen." — Buffalo Commercial Adv. Europe, Past and Present. A Comprehensive Manual of European Geography and History, derived from official and other authentic sources, and comprising not only an accurate Geographical and Statistical Description, but also a faithful and interesting History of all European States ; together with a carefully arranged Index, by which the reader is enabled to find readily whatever he wishes to know about any Geographical, Statistical, or Historical Fact concerning Europe. BY FRANCIS H. UNGEWITTER, LL. D. Author of " Popular Geography," " Universal Geography and History," " School Geogra- phy," &c, &c The Hungarian Revolution. Outlines of the Prominent Circumstances att^'f £e Hungarian Struggle for Freedom ; together with Brief -^grapmcal Sketches of the leading Statesmen and Generals ^ Mok P art m "■ BY JOHANN PRAGAY, nrfp--« aI *3 Adjutant-General in the Hungarian Army under Kossuth. 1 vol. 12mo, cloth. The Sclavic Nations. An Historical Sketch of the Language and Literature of the Sclavic Nations (Russia, Poland, Hungary, &c). BY TALVI. With an Introduction and Notes by Rev. E. Robinson, D. D., &c, Author of " Biblical Researches in Palestine," &c, &c. 1 vol. 8vo, cloth. 13a G. P. PUTNAM S NEW PUBLICATIONS. St«SritototL Hints on Public Architecture, Prepared, on behalf of the Building Committee of the Smithsonian Institution. BY ROBERT DALE OWEN. In large Quarto, elegantly printed, with 113 Illustrations in the best style of the Art. Price $6. " While the Committee offer the result of these researches, not so much to the profession as to the public, and to public bodies, (as VestrieSj Building Committees, and the like,) charged with the duties similar to their own, they indulge the hope thafthe Architect also may find subject for inquiry and material for thought. * * * " Money is expended even lavishly to obtain the rich, the showy, the commonplace. But this period of transition may be shortened. The progress of painting and sculpture, which, in other lands, has been the slow growth of centuries, has been hastened in our country, thanks to the genius of a few self-taught men, beyond all former precedent. To stimulate genius in a kindred branch of art; to supply suggestions which may call off from devious paths, and indicate to the student the true line of progress ; and thus to aid in abridging that season of experiment and of failure in which the glittering is preferred to the chaste, and the gaudy is mistaken for the beautiful, are objects of no light importance. In such con- siderations may be found the motive and the purpose of the follow- ing pages." — Extract from the Preface. " This work should be in the hands of every building committee, vestry, city corporation, or other similar body, having the selections of plans for building, and of every individual having in charge a similar duty. It is the only work with which we are acquainted especially prepared for their use. It should find its way to the shelves of every county library ; for by reference to its pages^/jj*^ of dollars may be saved in the selection of a prr style for court-houses, churches, and other public edifice? - . . ., .. "Nor, though not specially addressed &&*? profession, is it of Jess value to the architect. Therp * much m this volume which every member of the profe™**" would do well to study. " Of the numerous wood engravings which form the chief illus- trations of th i» volume, we cannot speak too highly. Till we ex- amined them, we were not aware to what perfection the art had been carried in our country. The effect of several of these (especially of the frontispiece by Roberts) is equal to that of the best steel engravings ; and the whole of the illustrations are exceedingly creditable to American 14 a. P. PUTNAM'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. SlrrjiitirtTO. ; CONTINUED. '•In point of mechanical execution we have rarely seen its equal."— N. Y. Mirror. " A very valuable book. * * * In point of typography and embellishment one of the vaiy Choicest volumes that ever issued from the American Press."— Albion. " Mr Owen is a clear thinker, and a man of great activity of mind, and these qualities have impressed themselves on his work, which is writ- ten with perspicuity and vivacity. The principles and sciences of architec- tural beauty are pointed out with much beauty of language and dexterity of illustration. " We understand that Mr. Putnam has expend- ed on this work many hundreds of dollars be- yond the amount speci- fied in his contract with the Smithsonian Institu- tion ; and as the copyright is his, we trust he will be amply remunerated for his liberality. "--iV. Y. Eve. Post. "The best work on Architecture ever pub- lished in the U. States. The illustrations are very beautiful." — Pennsylva- nia Inquirer. " The book is one which will be read with interest and pleasure even by those who have considered architecture 1 The work is exceedingly interesting 3 a dry study. _ while to public bodies it is one ot great value ; and we cannot say too much in commendation of the very superior style in which the publisher has pro- duced it."— N. Y. Com Adv. " The most compre- hensive and elegantly il- lustrated treatise on arch- itecture that has yet ap- peared in this country."— Boston Transcript. " A truly admirable work — and creditable a- like to the institution, to the editor, and to the publisher." — Pennsylva- nia Inquirer. " The subject of which it treats is one of vast importance to our peo- Ele, in its economical not ;ss than its ornamental relations ; and it is pre- sented here in such a way as cannot fail both to gratify and instruct."^ Philadelphia N. Ameri- can. 15 G. P. PUTNAM'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. Tmfomyi (larbning, A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening and Rwral Architecture, Adapted to North America. With a view to the Improvement of Country Residences — comprising Historical Notices, and General Principles of the Art ; Directions for laying out Grounds and arranging Plantations; the Description and Cultivation of Hardy Trees ; Decorative Accompaniments to the House and Grounds ; the Formation of Pieces of Artificial Water, Flower Gardens, &c ; with Remarks on Rural Architecture. BY A. J. DOWNING. Fourth Edition, Revised, Enlarged, and Newly Illustrated, volume, 8vo., cloth, $3 50. One haudsome "John Bull looks at Brother Jonathan with a strange compound of feelings. He dislikes him as a rival ; he loves him, and is proud of him, as being, after all, of his own flesh and blood. But whenever, in science, art, or literature, Jonathan treads rather sharply on the heels of John, the said John bellows out most lustily. Of all the arts of the universe which were likely to be the ground of competition between progenitor and descendant, Landscape Gardening would, in this case, seem to be the last. "And yet, our American brethren, so far from being behind us in skill, en- thusiasm, or execution, seem to be taking the lead most decidedly. * * * There is now lying before us a thick octavo volume of about 500 pages, entitled 'A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, adapted to North g. p. Putnam's new publications. Jiratanip dittoing, CONTINUED. America.' It is by A. J. Downing, author of 'Designs for Cottage Residences, &c.' * • • The volume itself is beautifully got up. It is full of admirably executed illustrations, represent in% very numerous landscape gardening and architectural effects. It has reached its second edition In 1844, although an expensive work ; a consummation which a similar treatise, published in England, by an English Landscape Gardener, could scarcely have hoped to reach. * * * So much for the present; details will come forth hereafter; and then, most excellent John Bull, you will see that this is no time to fold your arms, and loll in your chair, as if the race had been won and the prize already yours. You have not gained the victory, nor the prize."— London " Gardener's Chronicle," Edited by Prof. Lindley. " Mr. Downing has here produced a very delightful work, and has convinced us that sound criticism and refined taste, in matters of art, are not confined to this side of the Atlantic." — London Art Union Journal. "The principles he lays down are not only sound, but are developed on a uniform system which is not paralleled in any English work." — Prof. Lindley's Chronicle, London. " A masterly work."— Loudon. "There is no work extant which can be compared m ability to Downing's volume on this sub- ject. It is not overlaid with elaborate and learned disquisition, like the English works, but is truly practical." — Louisville Journal. "The standard work on this subject." — Silliman's Journal. 3StEOTllIgtJ* Demo's System of Mineralogy. A System of Mineralogy — Comprising the most recent discoveries ; with numerous wood-cuts and four copper-plates. BY JAMES D. DANA, Geologist of the U. S. Exploring Expedition. The third Edition of this valuable and important work, with essential additions and revisions, bringing the subject down to the present hour — is now in the Press, and will be published shortly. 8vo., {$3 50. "This work does great honor to America, and should make us blush for the neglect in England of an important and interesting science."— London Athenanum. 17 a. p. ptjtnam's new publications. iriratifu Wmkk United States Exploring Expeditions ; SCIENTIFIC SERIES. Geology of the United States Exploring Expedition. BY PROF. JAMES D. DANA. In a magnificent quarto volume, illustrated with Maps and Woodcuts, and a Folio Atlas of 21 Plates, $15. Zoophiles. BY JAMES D. DANA. In a magnificent 4to volume, $15 ; accompanied by a splendid folio Atlas of 61 Plates, colored in the most exquisite manner, half morocco, $30. The Races of Man. And their Geographical Distribution. BY CHARLES PICKERING. 1 vol. 4to, illustrated with Colored Plates, $10. Ethnography and Philology. BY HORATIO HALE. In a magnificent quarto volume, $10. North American Sylva ; Or, A Description of the Forest Trees of the United States, Canada, and No- va Scotia, considered particularly with respect to their use in the Arts and their introduction into Commerce ; to which is added a description of the most useful of the European Forest Trees. Translated from the French of F. ANDREW MICHAUX. New Edition, Revised and Improved. With Notes by .T. J. Smith. Handsomely printed on fine paper, and illus- trated by 156 Engravings, colored in the most exquisite style. 3 vols, royal 8vo, cloth, $24. North American Sylva: The Continuation, BY THOMAS NUTTALL. Illustrated by 122 Plates, finely colored. 3 vols. 8va 17a G. P. PUTNAM S NEW PUBLICATIONS. Important SBotatmal Wmk. The Genera of the Plants of the United States. Genera Florae Boreali-Orientali Illustrata : illustrated by Figures and Ana- lyses from Nature, by Isaac Sprague. Superintended, with descriptions, &c, by Prof. A. Gray. Vol. I, plates 1—100, 8vo, cloth, $6. Vol. II, plates, 8vo, cloth, $>6. •»" The Second volume will be ready in August. ' The design of this work is to illustrate the Botany of the United States by figures, with full analyses of one or more species of each genus, accompanied by descriptive generic characters and critical observations. The figures are in all cases drawn directly from nature."— Ext. Preface. *,* This is undoubtedly the most important botanical work ever published in the United States. The Illustrations are executed in a very superior style. G. P. Putnam is now the sole publisher of the work. Flora of North America ; Containing Descriptions of all the known Indigenous and Naturalized Plants growing north of Mexico ; according to the Natural System. By Prof. John Torrey and Prof. A. Gray. Vol. I, 8vo, cloth, $6. The same, Part I to VI, each % 1 50 : Part VII, $»1. ",* This elaborate and valuable work will form three volumes, octavo. The remainder will be issued as soon as practicable. Prof. Gray's Botanical Text Book, For Colleges and High Schools. New Edition, with about 1000 Engravings on Wood. Large l2mo, cloth, $1 75. Part I. — An Introduction to Structural and Physiological Botany. Part II. — The Principles of Systematic Botany ; with an Account of the Chief Natural Families of the Vegetable Kingdoms, &c. &c. *.* This is by far the most comprehensive, clear and correct text-book on Botany now in uae. It is introduced in the University of Edinburgh, and is used in Harvard and many other American Colleges. Prof. Gray's Manual of the B&tany of the Northern States. VZmo. $2. 18 g. p. putnam's new publications. ©Mirington % ramp 3#wka. AUTHOR'S REVISED EDITION. Elegantly printed in 15 vols, (including new works) and neatly bound in dark cloin. I. Knickerbocker's New- York - - 1 vol. $1 25. II. The Sketch Book 1 vol. 1 25. in. j IY. V Columbus and His Companions 3 vols. 4 00. VI. Bracebridge Hall VII. TWes q/" a Traveller VIII. Astoria, (pp. 510 with map) - IX. T/ze Crayon Miscellany - X. Cap£. Bonneville } s Adventures, map 1 vol. XI. Oliver Goldsmith, a Biography ^7-yjy' > Mahomet and his Successors *XIV. T%e Conquest of Granada - *XV. The Alhambra *XVI. [A new volume.] - - - * Those marked thus are not yet ready. \* Either volume, or complete sets may also be had substantially bound in half calf, 75 cts. extra ; half morocco $1 extra ; full calf, $1 25 extra. NOTICES OF THE NEW EDITION OF IRVING-. "The typography of this series is all that could be desired. Nothing superior to it has issued from the American press. Irving will be among American classics what Goldsmith is among those of the Fatherland. His works have not been crowded from our shelves by the hosts of new claimants for public favor, who have appeared since the Sketch Book was in every body's hands. We have often wondered in common with other readers, why there was no good American edition of his writings ; but his place in our literary affections remains as high as ever. The desideratum of which we speak, is now to be supplied by Mr. Putnam ; and we are now to have an elegant uniform edition of the works of our foremost writer in the belles-lettres department of literature." — Boston Evening Tt snscript. "The announcement that a new edition of the works of this admired author was in progress, has led us to revert with pleasure to the delight we enjoyed in our first acquaintance with him through his charming books. He was the first of American writers in the department of elegant literature who obtained a wide name and fame in the old world. Great Britain. France, Northern and Southern Europe, are alike familiar with his delightful and most healthful writings, and doubtless his own good standing abroad has done more than any other single cause to introduce the names and works of others of our countrymen. There is a charm aboufhis writings to which old and young, the educated and the simple, bear cheerful witness. * * * Several "new works have not yet'seen the light. Among these is announced a Life of Mohammed, and a Life of Washington As to the latter subjectTor a volume, we can only say, that if another Life of Wash- ington needs be written — which we doubt — we should prefer, of all men, to have Washington Irving undertake it. The other promised biography, the Life of Mohammed, is a grand, an unex hausted, and a most inviting theme. It has never yet been well treated, nor is it probable that there is a man on this Continent better qualified to treat it with discrimination and power, and with faithfulness to the truth, than Washington Irving. If our country can be covered with a large issue of his writings, it will make some amends for the flood of trumpery which the Press has poured over it." — Christian Register. "The most tasteful and elegant books which have ever issued from the American Press."— Trib, 19 - 1vol. 1 25. 1vol. 1 25. - 1 vol. 1 50. 1 vol. 1 25. lap 1 vol. 1 25. - 1 vol. 1 25. 2 vols. 2 50. - 1 vol. 1 25. 1vol. 1 25. - 1 vol. 1 25. a. p. ptjt^am's new publications. FENIMCRE COOPER'S EARLY WORKS. THE AUTHOR'S REVISED EDITION. The Spy : a Tale of the Neutral Ground. New Edition. Revised, &c, with Introduction and Notes, handsomely printed, uniform with the Sketch-Book, &c. 12mo, cloth, $1 25. The Pilot : a Tale of the Sea. 12mo, cloth, $1 25. The Hed Hover. 12mo, cloth, $1 25. The Water Witch. 12mo, cloth, $1 25. (In press.) The Two Admirals. 12mo, cloth, $1 25. (In press.) Wing and Wing. 12mo, cloth, $ 1 25. (In press.) MR. COOPER'S NEW WORK. The Ways of the Hour. 12mo, uniform with " The Spy." " The public will cordially welcome a new and complete edition of this author's admirable taleg, revised, corrected, and illustrated with notes by himself. This is No. 1 of the new series, and is got up in the style of Irving's works, which we have over and over again commended. As for the tale itself, there is no need to speak of it. It has a place on every shelf, and at once made tlie fame of its author. It is an absolute pleasure to the lover of books to find the ultra-cheap system going out of vogue." — N. Y. Albion. " We are happy to see Mr. Putnam bringing out these American classics, the works of Cooper and Irving, to refresh the present generation as they amused the last. We belong, as their two fine authors do, to both, if men of a buoyant temper and an unflagging spirit ever pass from one generation to another. We remember, as of yesterday, with what eagerness we drank in the tale of ' The Spy,' when it first saw the light; and how we admired the genius of its author, from the beauty of its production. We can enjoy it still ; and so will every American who has taste enough to appreciate an American narrative, told so well by an American writer." — Washington Union. •* ' The Spy ' is the most truly national fiction ever produced in America. * * * It is esteemed abroad even more than at home, for it has been translated into almost every European language, and the prejudiced critics of the North British Review have almost consented to give it rank with ' The Antiquary ' and ' Old Mortality.' " — Richmond Times. 20 g. p. putnam's new publications. 38*1Ui tttim—Mm Ms. CONTINUED. MISS SEDGWICK'S WORKS. THE AUTHOR'S REVISED EDITION. Elegantly printed, uniform with the new editions of Irving, Cooper, &c. Clarence ; or, Twenty Years Since. With Portrait and Vignette. I2mo, cloth, $1 25. Hedwood: a Tale. With a new Portrait of Miss Sedgwick, from a Drawing by Miss Bremer. l2mo, cloth, $1 25. A New England Tale. 1 vol. l2mo, cloth. (In press.) " It gives us great pleasure to announce that the works of Miss C. M. Sedgwick are now appear- ing in a dress worthy of their exalted worth. The author of" Redwood, Hope Leslie, Clarence, &c\, &c, is popular, not only in this country, but in Great Britain; and her works, wherever cir- culated, do essential service to the cause of American letters." " This series is designed to embrace the complete works of Miss Sedgwick, who has not been inaptly called ' the American Edgeworth.' Clarence possesses a very high degree of merit, and well deserves to be widely known and admired, as a picture of American life at a remote period of our national career." " It is now nearly twenty years since ' Clarence ' first made its appearance, and it was then re- ceived with great favor. Since that time the public taste has undergone a considerable change, and perhaps not for the better. The licentious novels of Geo. Sand, and others of the French school, with their sophistical philosophy, shallow philanthropy, and attractive vice, have imparted a morbid desire for excitement, that has more or less vitiated the public taste, and we fear, render- ed less attractive the American spirit, moral tone, and amiable philosophy, which distinguish the works of Miss Sedgwick, clothed though they are with a grace of style, the want of which, in some of the foreign works to which we allude, is supplied with rose-colored vice. We trust, however, that the picturesque delineations of New England manners will not, in our moral and sober-mind- ed community, be abandoned for the tinsel of British society, or the glare of Parisian vice." — Democratic Review. Biographia Liter aria ; Or, Biographical Sketches of my Literary Life and Opinions. BY SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE. From the Second London Edition, prepared for publication by the Hon. Henry Nelson Coleridge. 2 vols. l2mo. $2. "His mind contains an astonishing mass of all sorts of knowledge, while in his power and man- ner of putting it to use, he displays more of what we mean by the term genius than any mortal I ever saw, or ever expect to see."— John Foster. Hood^s Poems. Poems. BY THOMAS HOOD. 1 vol. 12mo, cloth, 75 cts. ; cloth gilt, $1. This is a companion volume to Hood's " Prose and Verse," comprising all the Poems not in, that volume. The two volumes together contain all Hood's Poems and the best of his Prose writings. 21 a. p. putnam's new publications. %iM tiWrn—lm itek CONTINUED. MISS BREMER'S WORKS. THE AUTHOR'S EDITION. The Neighbors : a Tale of Thery Day Life. A New and Revised Edition, with an Introduction written expressly for this Edition by Miss Bremer. 12mo, cloth. Uniform with Irving's, Cooper's, and Sedgwick's Works ; and Illustrated with Portrait, and View of the Author's Residence. $1. Home. 1 vol. 12mo, $1. (To be followed by other volumes at intervals.) "Miss Bremer's Works have found a home and a fireside welcome in the United States, above those of most any other author of late in the field of literature, and we are glad to see that Mr. Putnam is about to give them a more permanent form than that in which they were first presented to the public." " One of the very best domestic novels that we have ever read. A good library edition of Miss Bremer's works has long been wanted."— N. Y. Mirror. "The chief excellence and attraction of Miss Bremer's writings lies in the genial play of the domestic affections over their every page, which makes home a charmed spot — the centre of earthly joys. She pictures to the life the "simple, happy homes of her native country, and therein paints also what is common to the homes of affection and happiness every where. There is, too, diffused througn her pages a sympathy with the humbler classes of society, with the poor, the depressed, the wronged, which sometimes makes her simple tale a powerful plea for social reform. This fea- ture of her writings has attracted to Miss Bremer many hearts in this land of freedom and of do- mestic joy, and we doubt not that in her present visit to" America she will be welcomed to many a home which has been enlivened by her graceful and instructive stories of Swedish life, and will find that true homes and true hearts are in their essential features every where the same. It is a gratifying circumstance, in connection with this visit, that Mr. Putnam has commenced the publi- cation of a new and uniform edition of Miss Bremer's works, revised by herself, and has given her ' the privileges of a native author.' This act, at once just and generous, will doubtless be appre- ciated by the public." — Independent. GOLDSMITH'S WORKS. The Works of Oliver Goldsmith ; Including a Variety of Pieces now first collected. BY JAMES PRIOR. Complete in 4 vols. l2mo, elegantly printed, uniform in style with Irving, Cooper, &.c. With Vignettes engraved on steel. Cloth, $5. " The book will embrace quite a library in itself; and the polished style of the accomplished author should become a model to the careless scribblers of the present day. The typography of the work is beautiful." — N. Y. Mirror. " For commencing an American edition of Prior's Miscellaneous Works of Goldsmith, Mr. Put- nam will be thanked by many a man of letters throughout the country." — Boston Post. " Any thing and every thing written by the genial Goldsmith is not only worthy of preservation on our shelves, but valuable as a model of pure English and classic beauty."— Newark Daily Adv. " The Miscellaneous Works of Goldsmith is a reprint of the English edition of Dr. Prior, and the only complete collection of the writings of a man, to use the language of Dr. Johnson, ' of such variety of powers, and such felicity of performance, that he always seemed to do best that which he was doing : a man who had the art of being minute without tediousness, and general without confusion ; whose language was copious without exuberance, exact without constraint, and easy without weakness.' " " Both in prose and verse, no writer can be more fitly placed among the English classics, than Goldsmith. We are rejoiced, flooded as we are by so many worthless publications, to see so ex- cellent an edition of his collected works."— Christian Inquirer. 22 GL P. PUTNAM'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. %tllw tttlm—Mm Stork CONTINUED. Orations, and Occasional Discourses, BY REV. GEORGE W. BETHUNE, D.D. 1 vol. 12mo, cloth, $ 1 25. " Every admirer of true and fervid eloquence, devoted to practical and elevated purpose, will hail this volume with unqualified pleasure. * * * This elegant volume meets our want and general desire : and oftentimes will the intelligent youpg man, and the man of more mature expe- rience, take it from the library-shelf, and revive the heart at its perusal." — Comercial Adv. " Containing an illustration of American Literature, of which our countrymen may feel justly proud, and as furnishing rich intellectual repasts for leisure hours."— N. Y. Recorder. "We would wish that they might be read attentively by all in our country." — N. Y. Evangelist. " No affectation, no transcendentalism, but the most manly good sense expressed in a style a» pure and transparent as it is fresh and vigorous." — Methodist Quarterly Review, The Shakspeare Calendar ; Or, Wit and Wisdom for Every Day in the Year. EDITED BY W. C. RICHARDS. In a very neat volume, 32mo, cloth, 38 cts. ; cloth gilt, 63 cts. The Fathers of New England : An Oration before the New England Society, New- York, Dec. 21, 1849. BY REV. HORACE BUSHNELL, D.D. 12mo, paper, 12£ ; cloth limp, 25 cts. Auricular Confession in the Prot. Episcopal Church. A Series of Letters to a Friend in North Carolina. BY A PROTESTANT EPISCOPALIAN. l2mo, paper, 25 cts. ; cloth limp, 31 cts. The Iliad of Homer ; with Flaxmarfs Designs. Homer's Iliad. TRANSLATED BY WILLIAM COWPER. Edited by Robert Southey, LL.D. With Notes by M. A. Dwight. A splen- did edition on large paper. Illustrated with Twelve Engravings in Out- line, from Designs by Flaxman. Royal 8vo, cloth, $3 ; cloth gilt, $3 50 ; also a cheaper edition for schools, $1 25. Rural Sours : Aspects of Nature in the Four Seasons 12mo, cloth. 23 G. p. putnam's new publications. 38rUM ittixm—Mm Wuh. CONTINUED American Historical and Literary Curiosities ; Consisting of Fac-sirailes of original Documents relating to the Events of the Revolution, &c, &c. ; with a Variety of Reliques, Antiquities, and Modern Autographs. Collected and edited by John Jay Smith and John J. Wat- son. 1 vol. small folio, half morocco, gilt edges, $6. "This rare and curious book consists of a great variety of historical and literary curiosities, such as would delight the antiquary, collected with care and labor, and arranged with taste in a splendid volume." — Providence Journal. St. Leger ; or, The Threads of Life. SECOND edition. 1 vol. 12mo, cloth, $1. " We have read it with a more absorbed interest than has been awakened by any fiction that has come under our notice for a long time. * * It is a strange, wild narrative. * * The inci- dents strung together are bold, striking, and original. * * The most successful debut in fiction that has occurred in this country for many years." — Phila. Evening Bulletin. "The author is evidently well schooled in German metaphysics, but holds that the proper study of mankind is man : he is a thinker, and has not only the power to set others to thinking, but of uttering for others thoughts for which they have never found a tongue." — Boston Transcript. " It is a book of power. Its author has genius ; genius for description, for character, and dia- logue." — Boston Post. " Full of thought and sentiment, of a thoroughly original cast, and will make a permanent im- pression on the public mind." — Commercial Adv. " Abounding in the most thrilling interest in narrative and maxim." — Metropolis. " The book exhibits much power on the part of the author." — Boston Times. " Contains many beautiful thoughts, expressed in an agreeable manner." — Cambridge Chronicle. The King of t-he Hurons. By the Author of " The First of the Knickerbockers." l2mo, cloth, $1 ; paper, 75 cts. " The best strictly American novel we have read for a long while. As leaf after leaf of pleasing description, happy narrative, and quiet humor was turned backwards beneath our fingers, we yielded. to the fascinating interest of the tale, and soon found ourselves floating buoyantly and swiftly along on the wings of imagination, as, when twenty years younger, one of Cooper's best sto- ries seduced us from our gravest duties to wander with him over ocean~and prairie. So we read on and on, enjoying once more our youth's paradise, ' a sofa by the fireside and the last new novel,' until we reached that worst of all pages in it — the final one." — Literary World. " In every respect a clever and spirited book" — " destined to be read with pleasure wherever it finds admittance." — Boston Post. " It is a book which will be read with unflagging interest to the end, and will leave the impres- sion on the mind of the reader that the author is entitled to a high rank among the writers of ro- mantic fiction."— Baltimore Patriot. "Abounds in the most stirring events, described in the most graphic manner." — Prov. Journal. (by the same author.) The First of the Knickerbockers. Second edition. 12mo, 75 cts The Young jPafroon. 12mo, 50 cts. 24 g. p. putnam's new publications. Mlm IMot— Jtot KJnrk CONTINUED. EXTRAORDINARY AND ROMANTIC ADVENTURES. "Kaloolah will be the b>)ok." Kaloolah ; or, Jburneyings to the DjeJbel Kumri. An Autobiography of Jona. Romer. EDITED BY W. S. MAYO, M. D. 12mo, cloth, $1 25 ; also a cheap edition, double columns, paper covers, 50 cts. " The most singular and captivating narrative since Robinson Crusoe."— Home Journal. " ' Kaloolah will be ' The Book.' If it does not excite a sensation in the reading public we will be perfectly contented to distrust our judgment in such matters in future."— Merchant's Journal. " By far the most attractive and entertaining book we have read since the days we were fasci nated by the chef d'ceuvre of Defoe or the graceful inventions of the Arabian Nights. It is truly an American novel — not wholly American in scenery, but American in character and American ip sentiment " — U. S. Magazine and Democratic Review. •'We have never read a work of fiction with more interest, and we may add, profit — combining as it does, with the most exciting and romantic adventures, a great deal of information of various kinds. The heroine, Kaloolah, is about as charming and delicate a specimen of feminine nature, as we recollect in any work of imagination or fancy. We will answer for it that all readers will be perfectly delighted with her." — Journal of Education. • " We have met with no modern work of fiction that has so entranced us. The former part of Kaloolah carries the reader captive by the same irresistible charm that is found in the pages of Robinson Crusoe, than which imperishable work, however, it presents a wider and more varied field of adventure ; while the latter part expands into scenes of splendor, magnificence, and eo- chantment, unsurpassed by those of the Arabian Nights' Entertainment." — Com. Advertiser. Letters from the Alleghany Mountains. BY CHARLES LANMAN, Librarian of the War Department ; Author of " A Summer in the Wilderness" Sfc. 12mo, 75 cts. ** These letters are descriptive of one of the most interesting regions in the old states of tha Union, which has never before been described by any traveller, and they will be found to contain a great amount of valuable information, as well as many characteristic anecdotes and legends of the western parts of North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. The Turkish Evening Mitertainments : The Wonders of Memorials and the Rarities of Anecdotes. By Ahmed Bef Hempen, the Kiyaya. Translated from the Turkish. BY JOHN P. BROWN, ESQ., Dragoman of the Legation of the United States, at Constantinople. 12mo. cloth, $1. " It is by far the most interesting book that has been published at Constantinople for a long time. • * * The historical and amusing interest of the two hundred and seven curiosities, which I might call anecdotes, is so obvious," &c. — Von Hammer, the celebrated Orientalist, to the Translator. u This book is one of the most interesting and amusing which has appeared."— Jour. Asiatiqut. 25 g. p. putnam's imw publications. Buhver and Forbes on the Water Treatment Edited, with additional matter, by Roland S. Houghton, A. M., M. D. One volume, l2mo, cloth, 75 cts. ■'■• CONTENTS. I. Bulwer's " Confessions of a Water Patient." II. Dr. Forbes on Hydropathy. III. Remarks on Bathing and the Water Treatment, by Erasmus Wilson, M. D., F. R. S., author of ' ; Wilson's Anatomy," '-' Wilson on Healthy Skin," &c. IV. Medical Opinions, by Sir Charles Scudamore, Herbert Mayo, Drs. Cooke, Freeman, Heathcote, &c. V. Observations on Hygiene and the Water Treatment, by the Editor. The object of this work is to interest literary and professional men, and all other persons of se- dentary habits or pursuits in the subject of Hygiene and the Water Treatment, to attract their attention to the importance of acquiring a correct knowledge of Health, with a view to the rre- vention and cure of disease by Hygienic management, ard to define those leading general princi- ples which lie at the basis of genuine Water Cure. Essays and Orations. Br Rev. George W. Bethunf, D. D. One volume, l2mo. cloth, $1 25. This volume will comprise all the popular occasional Orations and Discourses of the distin- guished author ; and the variety and importance of the subjects discussed are such as to render the volume exceedingly interesting and attractive to the general reader. Coleridge's Liographia Literaria. Biographia Literaria ; or Biographical Sketches of my Literary Life and Opi- nions. By Samuel Taylor Coleridge. From the 2d London edition, pre- pared for publication by the late H. N. Coleridge*. 2 vols. l2mo. $2. "His mind contains an astonishing map of all sorts of knowledge, while in his power and man- ner of putting it to use, he displays more of what we mean by the term genius than any mortal I ever saw, or ever expect to see."— John Foster. A Lift for the Lazy ; Second edition, revised and enlarged, neatly printed in duodecimo, 75 cts. "They have been at a great feast of languages and stolen the scraps."— Shakspeart. u^\? h ™ I, !}"™ 3 ' P rinte ;3 in a novel style, comprises comprehensive and original materials for J able lalk '—such as literary anecdotes and statistics, origin of words, philological curiosities, quaint scraps from old authors, strange customs, odd sayings ; in short, as a commonplace book pi ar. extensive reader and shrewd observer it is a most acceptable "lift" for those who are too lazy or too busy to read whole libraries for themselves. The Fountain of Living Waters. BY A LAYMAN. In a neat and elegant presentation volume, with a Vignette. Neat 32mo, cloth gilt, 75 cts. " And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come ; And let him that heareth say, Come : And let him that is athirst, Come ; And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." Rev. 22: 17 26 o. p. Putnam's new publications. The Illustrated Knickerbocker ; The History of New-York, From the Beginning of the World to the end of the Dutch Dynasty: containing, among many surprising and curious matters, the Unutterable Ponderings of Walter the Doubter ; the Disastrous Projects of William the Testy, and the Chivalric Achievements of Peter the Headstrong— the Three Dutch Governors of New- Amsterdam : Being the only authentic History of tha Times that ever hath been or ever will be published. BY DIEDRICH KNICKERBOCKER. Illustrated with 15 superior engravings on wood, by the most eminent artists, from Designs by Darley, viz : Portrait of Diedrich Knickerbocker, from an Oloffe Van Kortland measuring the land with Tenbroeck' s breeches. Vision of Oloffe the Dreamer, of the future city of New- Amsterdam. The Peach War. Portrait of Wouter Van Twiller,from authen- tic sources. Kiddermeisten in his Coffin. Gen. Van Poffenburg, practicing war on the Battle at Fort Christina. Sunflowers. Knickerbocker raging at the crying children original painting lately discovered by the Expedition to Holland. The Dutch Exploring Expedition cast away at Hurlgate. Dutch Lover. Knickerbocker making his bow to the public. ~ And a larger illustration on stone, from a drawing by Heath, of London ; a humorous representation of Peter Stuyvesant's Army. Elegantly printed in Royal Octavo. Price in cloth, $3 50 ; extra dark cloth, gilt edges, $4 ; morocco extra, $6 ; morocco and calf, bevelled an- tique, $7. The Illustrated Sketch-Book. The Sketch-Book. BY WASHINGTON IRVING. Illustrated with a series of highly-finished Engravings on Wood, from Designs by Darley and others, Engraved in the best style by Childs, Herrick, &c. One volume, square octavo, cloth extra, $3 50 ; cloth gilt, $4 ; morocco extra, $6. " We confess that we know of none in this country so competent to the task of illustrating thia work as the young artist selected for the purpose, Felix Darley, some of whose designs we have had the pleasure of seeing. They are full of the quiet, Crayonish humor peculiar to the author, and drawn with the same elegant finish and freedom from blemish which distinguish all his works. Until we saw these designs we were incredulous as to the ability of any of our native artists to properly illustrate the humorous passages of Irving's writings."— Evening Min-or. The Illustrated Tales of a Traveller. Tales of a Traveller. BY WASHINGTON IRVING. Illustrated with 15 designs by Darley, engraved on wood in the first style by Childs, Herrick, Leslie, Bobbet, Edmonds, &c. One volume, Royal 8vo, same style and prices as the Knickerbocker. ,* It is intended that the engravings in this volume and in the Knickerbocker shall exceed in excellence any thing of the kind yet produced in this country. 27 G. P. PUTNAM^ MW PUBLICATIONS. CONTINUE!) The Illustrated Goldsmith. Oliver Goldsmith, a Biography. BY WASHINGTON IRVING. With about 40 Illustrations selected by the publisher from Forster's Life of Goldsmith, beautifully engraved on wood by W. Roberts. 8vo, cloth, $2 50 ; cloth, gilt, $3 ; morocco, $ 6. Family Pictures from the Bible. EDITED BY MRS. E. F. ELLETT. Comprising original articles by Rev. Dr. Bethune, Rev. H. Field, Rev. Mr. Burchard, and other Eminent Divines. 12mo, cloth, 75 cts. ; gilt extra, $1 25 Tlie Illustrated Monuments of Egypt. Egypt and Its Monuments. As Illustrative of Scripture History. BY REV. DR. HAWKS. With Architectural and other Views finely executed on stone, and numerous engravings on wood, from the works of Rossellini, Champollion, Wilkin- son, &c. Royal 8vo. half morocco, $4. The Illustrated Nineveh. Layard 1 s Nineveh and its Remains. With 103 Illustrations on wood and on stone. 2 vols, in one, handsomely bound in half morocco, gilt edges, $5 ; calf extra, antique style, $6. Tlie Illustrated Italy. The Genius of Italy, Or Sketches of Italian Life, Literature and Religion. BY REV. ROBERT TURNBULL. With views of Milan Cathedral, the Roman Forum, Pompeii, St. Peters, and the Lake of Como, beautifully engraved on wood, elegantly bound in extra cloth, gilt edges, $>2. 28 a. p. Putnam's new publications. (Cjjnto Sltaatabi %nh. CONTINU ED Tlie Illustrated Pilgrim! s Progress. New and beautiful edition of Pilgrim's Progress, (in an elegant volume, uni- form with Tilt's Illustrated Milton, &c.) To be published simultaneously by David Bogue, London, and Geo. P. Putnam, New- York, a new and beautifully Illustrated Edition of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress ; with a new, original Life of Bunyan, written expressly for this Edition, by Rev. George B. Cheever, D. D. The whole containing from 250 to 300 Illus- trations, exquisitely Engraved on Wood, by the best Engravers in London, from Original Drawings by an Eminent Artist, and Printed in the best Style of the Art. In one elegant volume. prospectus. In introducing to public notice a new edition of The Pilgrim's Progress — the most popular book In the English Language— it is unnecessary to expatiate on the merits so universally admitted aa those of the " Ingenious dreamer ! m whose well-told tale Sweet fiction and sweet truth alike prevail." The publisher, therefore, confines himself to a simple enumeration of the mam features by which the present edition will be distinguished. This distinction is threefold : 1st. In the Purity of the Text. It will be printed from the latest editions published in the author's lifetime, containing his last revisions and alterations. For this purpose the extremely rare edition of the first part, published in 1688, has been placed at the publisher's disposal by the diligent researches of George Offor, Esq. of Hackney, whose library contains, amongst other trea- sures, an unrivalled collection of early editions of Bunyan. Most of the ordinary editions of this divine allegory are very erroneous ; and printed as they have been from one another, without reference to the originals, show alterations and omissions altogether at variance with the Author's text.t 2d. In the absence of Notes. With very few exceptions, all the recent editions of the Pilgrim are encumbered with tedious doctrinal notes, overlaying the text, and distracting the attention of the reader from the original narrative. From these this edition will be altogether free. The work will be laid before the "reader as Bunyan left it; the only variations will consist in the correction and verification of the marginal references, which, from errors of the press, are in the early editions frequently inaccurate. 3d. In the Illustrations. In the present edition these are greatly more numerous and of a higher class, than have ever been given with the work. They will range from Two Hundred and Fifty to Three Hundred in number, engraved by the Brothers Dalziel, from Drawings by William Har- vey, the most graceful and imaginative of modern designers, and will consist of Head and Tail Pieces, Vignettes, and Border Illustrations, in all that variety of pictorial arrangement for which this artist is so celebrated. A beautifully engraved Portrait of the Author will also be given from the origi- nal drawing, by R. White, preserved in the British Museum ; from which was engraved the like- ness attached to the first edition of the Holy War (now extremely rare). This will be engraved on jteel, in the line manner, by Mr. H. Bourne, forming at once the finest and most authentic Portrait of Bunyan ever published. The Work will be printed in crown octavo, in the best manner, and will be published in Monthly Parts, price 25 cents each. Part I. will appear in a few days. Each Part will contain Forty pages of Letterpress, and from Twenty-five to Thirty Engravings on Wood. The Work will be complete in about Ten, but not exceeding Twelve, Parts. *.* A few Copies, printed on Large Paper (price 21. 2s. or $10), with the finest impressions of the Cuts ir. their best state. As these will be issued only in a complete form, persons desirous to possess them should at once forward their names to the publisher. t A few specimens of these inaccuracies are given in a separate Prospcetus, with a specimen of the work, which will be supplied (gratis) en application. N.B—TO THE T*?ADE.— The first number will be forwarded generally as a Specimen, on sale ; but no future number will be sent unless actually ordered. 29 o. p. Putnam's new publications. tftymr* Sitastatei %nh. CONTINUED. Lays of the Western World. Contents :— " Love's Requiem," by Charles Fenno Hoffman ; " The Mother of Moses," by Mrs. Osgood ; " The Land of Dreams," by Wm. C. Bryant ; " Lees in the Cur of Life," by Mrs. S. G. Howe ; " The Night Cometh," by Mrs. Embury ; " The Tournament at Acre," by H. W. Her- bert; "Greenwood," by Miss Pindar ; " Worship," by Miss Bayard ; "The Child's Mission," by Mrs. Embury. Small folio, illuminated in the most superb manner by Mapleson, with Borders and Vignettes — printed in Gold, Silver, and Colors — bound in morocco, in a massive style — forming the most elegant and recherche book of the kind ever produced in this country. $12. Oriental Life Illustrated ', Being a New Edition of " Eothen," or, Traces of Travel Brought Home from the East. Illustrated with fine Steel Engravings. l2mo, cloth, extra gilt, $1 50. Illustrated Grecian and Roman Mythology. BY M. A. DWIGHT. With Preface by Prof. Ta.yler Lewis, of the University of New-York. 17 Illustrations. 1 vol. 8vo, cloth extra, half morocco, top edge gilt, $3 75 ; cloth, gilt edges, $3 50 ; plain $3. Poems. BY ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH. Illustrated by Durand, Huntington, Darley, Dugan, Rothermel,