furtgit nut( Colonial. DENMAEX.—The renewed war in Denmark has already
given the King's forces a critical advantage, if not indeed a conclusive one. The Holstein army no longer occupies a single foot of the province in which the last accounts placed it strongly positioned and confident of a victory in the first general engagement. On the 24th July, occurred that preliminary affair of outposts which was last week mentioned on report. The opposing troops were the ad- vanced centres of the respective forces; and the object of the affair was doubtless, on the part of the Danish General Von Krogh, to feel the exact disposition of his adversaries' front. That disposition was in a crescent form, having its bulge in advance of the town of Idstedt; and resting its two extremities to the right on Eckenfiorde, and the fiord-broken country between that town and Schleswig, and to the left on the river Treen, which flows many miles due South about ten miles West of Schleswig, and is bordered by miles of impracticable wooded and marshy ground. In rear of the advanced centre, and forming a pivot for retreat or for new -combinations, stood the town of Schleswig, full of a sympathizing popu- lation, who had provided large means to tend the wounded of their pro- tectors. The knowledge gained by the Danes in the ontpost affair of the pre- vious day was turned to prompt account. A wdoded height about two
miles in advance of Idstedt had been taken by the Danes, and all efforts
to dislodge them had failed. From this point, on the 25th, notwithstand- ing a‘stubborn opposition-by the Germans, they extended their hold of the country till an open plain was. reached. On the Southern edge of this plain were the Holstein batteries; and on a long woody ridge in the rear of these batteries was advantageously posted the German centre. The graphic narrative of the "own reporter" to the Timm of what happened under his eye, though his field of view was necessarily narrow, affords the best idea of the progress and result of the struggle. "The Danes threw forward their guns, infantry, and chasseurs, from their position between Heligbeck and Bollingstedt in the direction of the chaussee; and after some skirmishing, opened a heavy fire from their field-pieces just at three o'clock; the Holstemers replied from their batteries, and for nearly two hours it was a battle of artillery alone, the balls sweeping the plain to the right and left of the high-road. The Danish infantry, as it advanced in heavy columns, suffered severely during this time, particularly from a well- served battery of twenty-four pounders, which, when they struck, ploughed completely through the ranks. The infantry retired to form again; and the Ere on both rides slackened on this point. By this time, five o'clock, the right of General William's position at lInter Stolk and Wedelspang was at- tacked ; but the Holstein chasseurs, who fought with the utmost determina- tion throughout the day, held their ground in the woods and enclosed _grounds against every attempt to dislodge them. They had not to contend with so-heavy a cannonade, and the men are generally good marksmen: thus they at times even followed the Danes as they retired, but were frequently obliged to fall back on their former position; if anything, they advanced du- ring-the action: later in the day it became apparent that the main attack of the Danes was not intended to be on that wing. To the extreme left, also the Danes were repulsed, and driven to a considerable distance Northward; and as the Holstein tirailleurs were evidently advancing, while the firing from the-Danish centre had abated, sanguine hopes were entertained of the result. But they were premature. The Danes advanced again, and the battle raged with more fury than ever, the artillery in the plain on all points firing in- - cessantly. "At seven o'clock the effect of the firing began to appear all over the field; scattered huts and farm-houses had been set on fire by the shells, and were .burning unheeded. In a Holstein battery placed to the left of the chaussee, a powder-waggon, struck by a shell, exploded, and killed four horses and two
men. I crossed a subaltern officer attached to this battery later in the day,
while he was describing to sonic comrades his furchtbar peeh, or terrific bad luck, at this point. He said he had had three guns dismounted, his horse shot from wider him, and a powder-waggon blown up, within a quarter of an hour. The battle went on still without apparent result; the Danes had not advanced either on the right or left, and it was becoming evident that the centre was the point on which all their strength would be directed. "To the left the jagers of each army had been engaged on the open ground towards Bollingstedt and Heligbeck ; but their fire was hardly noticed amid the thunder of the cannonade on the centre; but at seven o'clock straggling parties of Danish prisoners began to be brought to the rear, most of them wounded. In the latter case they were treated as well by their late opponents as any of their own comrades could have been. They were sent on to Schleswig as quickly as possible, and often side by side on the same bundle of straw with a German. In the midst of national hatred, displayed in its fiercest form, there was no trace of individual animosity to be discovered, nor did a word of insult or reproach pass between any of the hundreds of the rival races thus brought into contact. It seemed as if they both sub- mitted silently to some overwhelming destiny with which neither could con- tend. "The changes of the line of battle from eight o'clock fill between ten and eleven were scarcely perceptible. The Dame had again retired, and the con— diet was continuing on the right and left wings with the same result; the Holsteiners were holding their ground. But the hours that had elapsed since daybreak, and the exertions nutde in repelling the repeated attacks, had told on the physical strength of the Holsteiners." Evidences of "something wrong" me apparent even to the unprofessional eye. "The number of officers had always been too small, and now whole companies hkd with them only a few sergeants or corporals, who have not the influence °Mimi,- game.' ----":•;0 riors ; the Danish rifles had disposed of most of the latter. Strap,lpar thw ../ infantry battalions were mere recruits, young, and brought into "fira !et the " first time. They wavered and became unsteady. Large groupsof soldiers of different regiments were seen gathering in the rear, with no one to rally them ; others were straying away in the fields and woods, or going further to the rear; the staff were too few in number, and, like the troops, had been too hard worked; most of them had ridden down three or four horses each, and still the officers at d'stant points were heard complaining of the want of orders. The ammunition had begun to grow short; and though a supply was instantly sent up from Schleswig, the waggons got mixed up with the straw and forage-carts that covered the high-road, and were not extricated with sufficient celerity." A strong Danish rcserve was sent fresh and vigorous against the jaded Holsteiners. "The advance was covered by a larger number of guns than had yet been brought into action, and by a strong body of cavalry. The firing was now for an, hour heavier than ever, and at last the Holstein cen- tre gave way and retreated on Schleswig; the right wing bent back and retired towards the town; the left fell back through the open ground to the West. By a quarter past two the army was in full retreat, but not in dis- order; nor were they molested by the enemy in retiring." The train of troops.and war-engines poured through Schleswig from three o'clock till five; the inhabitants with mournful eagerness pressing wine and food on the worsted but undejected soldiers as they marched. The members of the Holstein Government who were in Schleswig fled immediately to Kiel, on hearing that the battle was lost; all the officials also left the town; the Post-office was shut, the doors locked, and all business suspended. The Danes entered Schleswig and Eckenfiordc that same night; the fortifications of the latter place having been destroyed, and its guns withdrawn, by the evacuating force. The loss sustained is stated with a very wide latitude, ranging from 10,000 to 4,000 on the two sides. The most credible statement is that General Willisen has lost from 2,500 to 3,000 troops placed hors de com- bat, including a very large and crippling proportion of officers. The Danish loss is assumed to be even greater, because they did not pursue the worsted army: but the face of the country, the character of the battle won, and the temper of the enemy, might well prevent the Danish com- mander from pressing too closely on a retreat for which good precautions had been taken, and which was admirably performed. Political consider- ations, too, may have checked the Danish General, and prevented a hasty crossing of the frontier of the German Confederation. The military result, according to the latest i accounts, that the Hol- stein army is driven away from its military pivot of the town of Schles- wig, and forced with great loss to retreat wholly into Holstein in front of Rendsburg. The Danes have the moral advantage of victory; but they have compressed all the opposing military elements into a focus in a part of their King's dominions inveterately hostile to his army. General Villisen issued a proclamation on the 27th, declaring that "in a few days the army will be more powerful than it was before the battle of Idstedt. The spirit of the army is unbroken. The decisive day is yet to come, and we await it with calm resolution." Letters from Copenhagen, of the 27th July, contain the first Danish information concerning the battle of Idstedt. The Danish General's brief version of the affair is couched in these terms—" After a two days' battle, the army has gained a decisive but sanguinary victory, and has approached town of Schleswig. We have
the taken five cannon and 1,000 prisoners.
Our loss is very great." Irrras.—The overland mail brings advices from Bombay to the 25th of June; which communicate but two facts of any importance or interest. Sir Charles Napier is about to leave India: he has sent in his resigna- tion, it has been accepted, and be will start for England in October. The cause of his return is characteristic. As Commander-in-chief, Sir Charles lately issued some orders, said to be very excellent ones, respecting the space for barracks at Lahore, without the previous reference to Govern- ment which is formally proper. He was advised of his informality, and thereupon wrote a hasty and disrespectful letter to the Governor-General; the recall of this letter, and the rescission of the informal order, were gently demanded, and flatly refused; and subsequently Sir Charles found it necessary to send in his resignation. It is rumoured that he will find warm defenders of his conduct in the House of Lords, and that a late In- dian Governor-General will bring the whole subject before that assembly. Much interest had been excited in Bengal by the reported discovery of some valuable lead and copper mines. AMERICA. —The American news, brought down by newspapers and tele- graph to the 17th of July, communicates very briefly the circumstances of General Taylor's funeral. The coffin was laid in state in the East Room of the White-house at Washington, on the 12th July; it rested on a "magnificent catafalque of black velvet trimmed with white satin and silver lace." The funeral took place on the 13th. A military escort, commanded by a veteran companion of the deceased, General Scott, was composed of volunteer militia companies from Baltimore and the district of Columbia. The day was observed throughout the Union as One of deep mourning and total suspension of business. An eidogium was pro- nounced on the character of the President by Mr. Webster, in the Senate, on the 10th; and Mr. Webster gave notice on the 16th of his intention to move that a national monument be raised to General Taylor's memory at Washington.
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