Page 117 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE 1849 CAMPAIGN 115

tage of being reached by a road that bordered the Marecchia River and was
protected, on its right side, by the S. Marino Republic, a neutral territory.
Unfortunately, while the Austrian troops (about 17 battalions in total,
with 2 batteries and 3 squadrons) that had clashed with Garibaldi’s soldiers
in Sant’Angelo in Vado launched again to trace their footsteps, another large
body (6 battalions) led by General Hahne, moved from Bologna, to reach
Sant’Arcangelo di Romagna and Verucchio.
th
On the 30 , at dawn, while Garibaldi’s column was marching from
Macerata Feltria to Carpegna, the presence of Austrian troops was reported
on the road from Carpegna to Pietrarubbia: it was Holzer’s battalion.
Determined to fight, Garibaldi deployed his men on either side of the road;
but his opponent did not want to fight, and, believing to have less soldiers
than Garibaldi’s, preferred to wait for more troops, who by then would have
been marching towards them. Seeing the hesitation of his enemy, the gener-
al ordered a false attack, and in the meantime, protected by the rain and the
fog, he escaped his opponents once more, reaching the Pietrarubbia
monastery, where he stopped, which because of its well-protected and high
position was a sort of citadel. Here Migliazzo, sent to scout, reported to
Garibaldi that the Austrians had occupied Verrucchio in large numbers; also
Stadion’s columns were advancing from the south. The circle was about to be
closed; the only possibility left was to enter San Marino’s territory, whose
towers had already appeared on the horizone.
And the general, already in the territory of the Republic, where Ugo Bassi
had preceded him, was negotiating with its Regents, when, on the morning
st
of the 31 , a squadron of Hussars attacked with their sabres unsheathed the
main body of his column stopped at the bottom of the Casa Vecchia gorge,
at the foot of Mount Titanus; the presence of the enemy generated an inde-
scribable panic among those tired and discouraged people, and in vain the
best, among the first of which was Anita Garibaldi, who did not hesitate to
raise her whip on the fugitives, tried to face them. The column was almost
completely scattered, and most of them ran in disorder towards San Marino;
only a few valiant soldiers, joined later by Garibaldi, stood on the narrow
road leading to the city and stopped the enemy.
That same day, General d’Aspre wrote to Oudinot: “ at this moment
Garibaldi is almost encircled by our battalions coming from Bologna,
Ancona and Florence. It is therefore possible that he may escape us again as
a result of his shrewdness and fastness of movements...”.