Page 109 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE 1849 CAMPAIGN 107

rooms, surrounded by half demolished walls, invaded by smoke and already
full of wounded, Manara and his Bersaglieri prepared to sell their lives dear-
ly. For more than two hours, they fired on the assailants from the windows;
but their group diminished moment by moment. At last, Manara, who had
gone near a window to spy on the movements of a French battery changing
position, was struck by a rifle’s bullet that passed right through him. «I am
dead, - he said, falling, to Dandolo – I entrust my children to you». But a
long and excruciating death was destined for him, too; in fact, he died only
around noon, and his body was brought along the streets of Rome by his
Bersaglieri, under a shower of flowers, to the Church of San Lorenzo in
Lucina.
Once Manara died, the fate of Villa Spada was sealed. Garibaldi, who
until then had fought in the front line at Porta San Pancrazio and Savorelli
house, trying his best to give courage to his men and block the advance of the
French, when he saw that the events were coming to a head, sent orders to
Medici to abandon the Vascello and retreat to Porta San Pancrazio, to prevent
that it falling into the hands of their enemy; while he rushed to Villa Spada.
Sick at their hearts, the heroes of the legendary defence at the Vascello
obeyed the order to leave those walls, consecrated with the blood of so many
of their comrades; one last pain had to be endured by them: the mine they
had primed - so that it could explode and the enemy could not be allowed
to violate that ruin more splendid than any monument – did not explode
because the fuse was damp.
When he arrived at Villa Spada, Garibaldi gathered around himself few
of his legionnaires and part of Pasi’s regiment and led them to one last charge
against the French positions, succeeding in this way in widening the circle
surrounding the Villa.
At midday a short truce was agreed to gather the dead and the wounded.
In the meantime, Garibaldi was called to the Assembly, where the now
unavoidable surrender was being discussed.
The general climbed the Capitol on horseback, dismounted and entered
the room still covered with dust and blood, his forehead beaded with sweat,
his sabre twisted and half protruding from its sheath. At his appearance, all
stood up. With a clear voice, but revealing the signs of his innermost emo-
tion, he expressed the opinion that it was necessary to give up all resistance
to save, at least, the city from extreme ruin; the only possible way, worthy of