Page 115 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE 1849 CAMPAIGN 113

rearguard, who had bravely attacked them; although the Austrians were more
numerous, and had forced Garibaldi’s troops to withdraw, for reasons that
have remained unknown, instead of continuing towards Arezzo, they had
withdrawn to Perugia.
On the evening of the 22 nd , Garibaldi, wanting to continue through the
Arno valley and at the same time to force the Austrians to withdraw their gar-
risons from the Tiber valley where he wanted to go back again through the
Scopetone hill, and also wanting to get supplies for his troops in a large town
before taking the road to the mountains, ordered to resume their march on
Arezzo, that they reached on that same night.
The reactionary party, who had the majority in the city, closed the city
gates, and, with the few troops at its disposal, organized a defence that, with-
out Garibaldi’s good sense, who held his men from committing needless vio-
lence, would have been nothing more than a heroic-comic episode. The gen-
eral just set camp on the hills of Santa Maria, and asked the municipal
Congregation for necessary supplies. Promptly obtaining them, and having
heard that the Austrians were marching from Castiglione and Foiano, in the
afternoon of the 23 rd he struck camp and they set off without delay for the
th
Apennine pass. At the early hours of the 24 , the column went down the
Tiber valley, while, under Arezzo’s walls, militia sing fought in the dark against
the Austrians, as both believed to be fighting against Garibaldi’s troops.
After a short stop in Citerna, in the Cerfone valley, Garibaldi directed
towards the bridge of Sansepolcro, crossed the Tiber there and went down
along the left bank of the river as far as San Giustino, at the foot of the slope
on the hill of Bocca Trabaria; patrols, sent to different directions, reported
that Austrian columns were marching on Sansepolcro, Città di Castello and
Pistrino. Probably their enemies believed that by occupying Sansepolcro and
Città di Castello they would block Garibaldi between the Tiber and the
Apennine range that from the Alpe Della Luna spread steep and high as far
as Mount Fumo. Garibaldi immediately directed towards this range, regard-
less of the situation of the roads –goat tracks in reality– and the tiredness of
his men; on the 27 th at 5pm he was on top of the hill and started without
delay to go down to the Metauro Valley. His column stopped only at 10pm
th
on the 28 , in Mercatello; at Count Marsili’s, the Prior of the city, who had
gone to greet him, Garibaldi said, while departing: «In ten years, we will meet
again!” And he kept his word.