THE CHASSEPOT RIFLES.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 60, 24 February 1868, Page 51

THE CHASSEPOT RIFLES.

A correspondent- of the fall Mall Gazette, writing from Rome on the sth Nov;, writes of the Battle of Mentana: —Garibaldi no ■ sooner perceived; the enemy than.he descended the hills with a large part of his force, and rushed at the Pontificals, attacking them with the bayonet before they could bring up their artillery;;; The shock was terrible. Again-and again the Pontificals reformed, but only again to be disorganised by the Garibaldians, who rushed upon them with the same cries of “VivalTtalia! Viva Garibaldi!” The Zouaves fought bravely, resisting till the ground was heaped with their dead, but they were everywhere giving way when they were succoured by the french, who poured on the field in a mass. For the first time the French brought into action the Chassepat rifles, and the execution was dreadful. From this moment there could be little doubt of the result; but the Garibaldians fought desperately. For a time there was a hand-to-hand struggle over the whole field, interrupted only by the French fire. The contest endured, from first to last, for five hours, when Garibaldi availed himself of nightfall to retreat to Monte Rotondo, and fell back in good order, carrying off some prisoners, but leaving 200 of his men in the hands of the allies, and the ground covered with his, dead and wounded. General de Pollies, however, did not venture on a pursuit, but sent to Rome for reinforcements, and General Dumont, who had started with 3,000 men for Tivoli, to cut of the retreat off Garibaldi, received orders to make a forced march on Monte Rotondo. This position was attacked on the following day, and feebly defended .by 1,200 Garibaldians, who were left to cover the retreat of the main body. But their short stand enabled Garibaldi to reach Tivoli, and he has since crossed the frontier. The Italians, though defeated, may be said to have effaced the disgrace of - Custozza and Lissa by the battle of Mentana, which, having regard to the numbers engaged, was amongst the most sanguinary of the age, the killed amounting to 2,000, and the wounded exceeding that number. The Garibaldiansiwere literally mown down by the French Chassepots, and their want of discipline and organisation rendered them no match for the French, who carried Monte Rotondo with the bayonet, and took the whole of the defended prisoners. Yesterday the entire city went out of Porta Pia, in carriages and on foot, to greet these captives, and were met by a long train of the wounded, whose hurts permitted of their being brought to Rome. I counted forty carriages thus freighted, though all the seriously wounded remained at Monte Rotondo. Red shirts and uniforms were mixed up with mountaineers in pointed hats, and many of the poor fellows were horribly disfigured. Some had been subjected to amputation, and the air resounded with their moans. This melancholy procession was watched by 40,000 spectators, whose presence alarmed the authorities, and troops were drawn up at the Quirinal, in anticipation of a disturbance. But the vast crowd preserved an unbroken silence, only uncovering to the Garibaldians. The prisoners were not brought in to-day, but are to arrive to-morrow, when the Pontifical troops will make a triumphal entry into Rome with the prisoners in their charge. The Pope is very gloomy and and has not paid his customary visit to the church of San Carlo in the Corso.