Page 132 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

130 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

times: too many shots dirty the guns, empty the cartridge-pouch, discourage
our men, who never see an enemy fall, encourage the enemy, harden him
against our useless shots and leave us, me first of all, ashamed to have our
companions scorned…Let’s remember that the bayonet is what always
decides the outcome of battles”.
These principles maintain all their freshness even with modern weapons.
If the Imperials were able to escape, with undeniable ability, the bold pur-
suit of Garibaldi’s men, electrified by the presence of the general and led by
men of the fibre of Cosenz, Medici and Bixio, it is important to remember
that here as later, they were conquered most of all by the fear and terror –
totally unjustified – they felt at the name of Garibaldi, around which circu-
lated also some very strange legends, as if he was possessed.
The next morning, losing no time so as to not give the enemy any respite,
Garibaldi marched with the troops on the road to Como. Six kilometres later,
arrived in Malnate, he was informed that the imperials had outposts on the
stream Lura, past Olgiate, 13 kilometres from Como, with the mass of it in
Civello. Field marshal Urban, on the other hand, reinforced by joining other
troops in Como, had placed outposts more behind, with the right on the
hillocks of San Fermo, four kilometres west of Como, the left against the
main road, towards Civello, and the reserve in Lucino. In this way, Garibaldi
was able to continue the march until Solbiate, for another 10 kilometres. And
st
then stopped the mass of it, while the 1 regiment that was in vanguard,
placed the march’s outposts opposite the cemetery of Olgiate. After mess, the
mass reached, soon after midday, the outpost of Olgiate.
To continue on the main road, with the treacherous high grounds on the
left and the covered flat land on the right, would have meant playing into the
hands of the enemy, who was expecting an attack from this position, and
therefore, Garibaldi, as usual, did some manoeuvring. While lieutenant
colonel Cosenz very skilfully retreated the outposts, the other two regiments,
without the enemy suspecting anything, marched unobserved to the left,
among the hills, and through Gironico and Parè arrived in Cavallesca soon
after 3pm, on the road coming down from San Fermo to Como.
In this way, the general now in a position to attack Como from above, also
aimed at getting closer to the west bank of the lake, were 800 young men,
who had taken refuge on the lake steamers, could reach him trough the
mountains.