Page 128 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

126 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

Austrian boats procured by the “brave and intelligent” Simonetta, a native of
the place who had preceded the column with his few guides, soon revealing
the skill of an experienced cavalry officer. About forty Austrian gendarmes
and tax officers were completely taken by surprise and taken prisoner in Sesto
Calende. Once the revolving bridge removed by the Imperials had been
restored, the entire brigade – about 3.200 rifles and 50 horses – crossed over
the Lombard bank, to which many of those volunteers, veterans from ’48,
returned with intense emotion.
The point from which the Lombard territory was to be invaded was a
good choice. Since the lake was dominated by Austrian steamers and Laveno
was strongly guarded, Sesto was the best approach to Varese; being on the
way to Corno and not far from Switzerland, Garibaldi decided that it would
be the first to see an uprising, in accordance with the password of Cavour
who, wanting to demonstrate, particularly to the French, the part that the
population had in the national war –had sent him a wire that read: “general
and immediate revolt”
In order to have a clear idea of the calm audacity of the leader of the volun-
teers, at this point left to himself, it is necessary to take into consideration the
fact that his courageous troops crossed the Sesia on May 21, while the
th
rd
Sardinian Army only managed this on the 30 , and the Ticino on the 23 ,
while the allies crossed it in force only on June 4. And one should note the abil-
ity with which he predisposed everything so that the enemy would be deceived
as to the place of his crossing into Lombard territory and most of all the secre-
cy with which the undertaking was carried out, to the point that nothing was
said even to Carrano, his Chief of Staff, so that the surprise was a total success.
rd
The afternoon of the same day, the 23 , the Brigade marched, through
the secondary road of Corgeno, Varano and Bodio, to Varese where it arrived
during the night, under a heavy rain, welcomed by the delirious enthusiasm
of the population. Garibaldi was surrounded and almost carried in triumph,
as the people from Varese still remembered his almost miraculous deeds of
’48 in that area.
The De Cristoforis’ company had been left on duty at the pass of Sesto
Calende, major Ceroni and a few latecomers were on duty at Castelletto,
while the Bixio battalion of the 3 rd regiment had to reconnoitre the hilly ter-
rain, on the left of the column, towards Lake Maggiore, through Lentate and
Brebbia, up to S. Andrea, between Laveno and Gavirate. One company of
this battalion was supposed to go to Angera on the lake and try to take pos-