Page 104 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

102 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

Nice, in the general’s paternal home.
That letter never reached Anita, since that heroic woman, almost feeling
in her soul a premonition that his beloved husband was about to face one of
the greatest crises of his life, wanted to run to him. On the morning of June
th
26 , she suddenly appeared on the threshold of Villa Spada, hurling herself
into his arms.
«Here is my Anita – said Garibaldi to his officers, choked with emotion
- we have one more soldier!».
Once again in those days Oudinot, perhaps also because he was impressed
by that resistance worthy of ancient heroes, called again on the Triumvirate
to surrender; but the sole reply he received was that «the Italian revolution is
not a farce».
Evidence of the French renewed indignation was the fury with which their
artillery took out their anger not only on the defence positions, but also on
the city, where many buildings – including Palazzo Farnese and the Quirinal
– were badly damaged. Some citizens were also killed in the streets.
But the most painful losses continued to be inflicted against the Vascello
and the walls; Colonel Lodovico Calandrella, who had been the soul of the
defence on that stretch of wall on the rampart n. 8, fell, struck by a shot of
artillery; Captain Minuto and Lieutenant Fedeli of the Italian Legion,
Lieutenant Tavolacci of the Engineers and Lenzi of the «Unione» regiment
met their glorious death among the steaming ruins of the Vascello, now
reduced to no more than the ground floor.
st
On the night between the 20 th and the 21 , an attack of French Zouaves
against Giacometti house was blocked and fought off at the point of bayonet,
but also that outpost, knocked down and scorched, appeared no longer ter-
rible. And that same day, villa Savorelli, still the seat of Garibaldi’s headquar-
ters, collapsed with a loud noise.
That was the agony of a desperate defence.
st
On the morning of the 21 , the French batteries started to bombard the
walls with bullets, with the clear intention of opening some breaches. In fact
they succeeded in opening three breaches in the central ramparts and in those
called Barberini, on the right of Porta San Pancrazio: six companies under the
lead of Colonel Niel, had the task of bursting through them, at nightfall,
whereas, to confuse the defenders, other attacks were launched as diversions
against San Paolo and Parioli.