Page 100 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

98 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

and not adequately supported by artillery, an attack had been duly organized
with the maximum available forces, the battery fire had prepared it, the
mutual help of the units had been assured, and the reserves had intervened,
the outcome would have probably been different. However, we cannot deny
the fact that the French were at least twice as numerous; that when Garibaldi
arrived at the Gianicolo they had already taken very favourable positions; that
Roselli, finally, the commander-in-chief, not only did not carry out any com-
mand action during the whole day but also hesitated a lot in letting his forces
go to Porta San Pancrazio, perhaps afraid that the French could simultane-
ously attack other parts of the city.
In fact, that same day, a French detachment, that the garrison formed by
Roman veterans and legionnaires in vain tried to block, came down from
Monte Mario and seized the Milvian Bridge by surprise. So, in addition to
the French domination from the Gianicolo, Rome was now threatened also
from the Via Flaminia and while the defence forces diminished those of the
enemy grew.

THE SIEGE

The defence of Rome could then just be carried out on the walls: the front
line, outside Porta San Pancrazio and based upon two core positions, the
Giacometti house and the Vascello, was of little or no military importance,
since it was dominated by the French positions, the ground work they had
built and their batteries, whereas the defendants could oppose them with
only a few improvised trenches, without shelters and stripped of artillery.
However, the function of that position, forward sentry outside the walls
of Rome, had a great importance; a position really of great responsibility and
honour, that Garibaldi entrusted to the legion of Giacomo Medici, a young
Lombard officer who after fighting bravely in Spain and in America, had
rushed to Rome from Tuscany with a large number of volunteers. To them
Garibaldi added some units of Lombard Bersaglieri, some companies of the
«Unione» regiment and some others of the Italian legion, with the task of
opposing and delaying the French advance as much as possible, especially
until some works of fortification planned in agreement with Garibaldi,
General Roselli, Minister Avezzana and the Engineer’s Commander, Colonel