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Special pages :
Rumours of the Extermination of the Rebels
Written: by Engels about April 12, 1849;
First published: in Neue Rheinische Zeitung No. 271, April 13, 1849.
At last we perceive again an official royal imperial sign of life in the Vienna papers which came this morning. The following poster was displayed in Pest and Ofen:
âA brigade of the corps of His Excellency the Ban yesterday encountered an enemy detachment on the way from Jasz-Bereny. Although the enemy was numerically superior to our troops, he was at once attacked, dispersed and deprived of 17 guns. This is the beginning of operations which will end with the extermination of the rebels (!!).
Ofen, April 5, 1849
Count Lad. Wrbna,
Lieutenant-Field Marshal and Commander
of the 2nd Army Corpsâ
A commentary on this bulletin is provided by the Ost-Deutsche Post in a report from Pest, also dated April 5, where we read:
âYesterday an encounter took place. The air was pregnant with rumours. Commotion grew when about 7 p. m. the pontoons were brought back, followed by ammunition carts, empty gun-carriages and individual small detachments of soldiers. At the same time an order went out to the inhabitants of the houses on the fortified bank of the Danube next to the suspension bridge to keep themselves in readiness for the evacuation of their quarters. Today wagons full of wounded came in and the rumour spread that the Ban had suffered a reverse and the insurgents were closing in on the city from SzeglĂŠd. The soldiers coming in were from his corps.â
This looks more like a defeat than a victory, and it is well known that the Ost-Deutsche Post is by no means on the side of the Magyars.
This then is, in Herr Wrbnaâs words, âthe beginning of operations which will end with the extermination of the rebelsâ. We therefore have every prospect to learn of more serious fighting shortly. By the way, even the KĂślnische Zeitung no longer believes Herr Wrbnaâs tale of the âextermination of the rebelsâ.
It appears that the gentlemen of the Pest War Council are offended that their incompetence is to be alleviated by bringing in allegedly more capable officers from Italy. Ă tout prix they want to âexterminate the rebelsâ before the victors of Novara arrive.[1] Nous verrons.
- â On the battle at Novara between the Austrian and Piedmontese armies. The battle at Novara between Piedmontese and Austrian troops lasted the whole day of March 22 and ended at dawn on March 23, 1849, in the defeat and retreat of the Piedmontese army.