Page 124 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

122 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

train to Turin and then Chivasso, from which they continued to Brusasco.
At the start of hostilities the Sardinian Army was divided into three
groups, one on the right, north of the narrow pass of Serravalle, to cover the
exit of French troops landed in Genoa, one in the centre, around Alessandria,
Valenza and Casale and one on the left on the Dora, as a direct defence of the
Capital: the Hunters of the Alps were part of this, placed provisionally under
the orders of general Cialdini, who was in command of the 4 th division of
the Sardinian Army, and placed on the right of the river Po in Brusasco and
Brozolo, with a forward post in Verrua.
The volunteers – among which there were a significant number of stu-
dents, professionals, artists, poets, patricians – even if poorly armed and
equipped, were well organised and superbly inspired. This was noted by
Garibaldi himself in an orderly book, in which, after recommending “the
strictest discipline and the total obedience to veteran officers from previous
battles”, added: “the sublime enthusiasm with which you responded to the
call of the illustrious Sovereign who heads the destinies of Italy is a guarantee
of your future behaviour”.
The Austrian Army, under the orders of general Gyulai, who had wasted
three precious days wandering between Mortara and Vercelli, getting no ben-
efits either from the French being far away nor the numeric inferiority of the
Sardinians, seemed determined to cross the Ticino in Pavia with the main
body of it, and therefore the Sardinians, leaving few troops at the flanks, on
the Dora and towards Voghera – Stradella, gathered in a central position, in
the stronghold position between the Po and the Tanaro ready for any event.
General Cialdini, who was supposed to go to Casale, sent ahead, on May
2, Garibaldi’s brigade that, strengthened by two battalions of Bersaglieri, had
the task of protecting the march of the Division from this place. On the
th
morning of the 4 , this was also invited to go to Casale, fearing that the
enemy would attack that side of the bridge.
th
On the 6 , Garibaldi, with a majority of his soldiers and a Sardinian bat-
talion, took part, together with the other troops of the Division, in a large
operation on the left of the Po. On that occasion, where the young soldiers
would have seen the enemy for the first time, their leader immediately
noticed their eager attitude, lacking the cold bloodedness in the small inci-
dents encountered in the course of the day, gave the following warning:
“Italian valour ascertained, what is lacking is that virile calm courage that
characterised Italians of older times”.