Page 158 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

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156 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

to their leaders and not to them.
The greatest weakness, in fact, was in the cadres. Officers were mostly old
and had grown sluggish. Generals were not held in high repute. Some of
them were former members of the Carbonari secret society and former con-
stitutionalists of 1820; artillery officers, engineers, officers and Staff officers
were very talented from a professional point of view, but very liberal; the offi-
cers of the line were more reliable but uneducated, poor and not always care-
ful in upholding their prestige.
st
In the letter addressed by Francis II to Lanza on May 20 th and 21 , there
are some judgements on Staff generals and officers that it is interesting to
note: «Send back to Naples Brigadiers Primerano and Fiorenza, whom I want
to replace immediately with Brigadier Colonna and Colonel Bartolomeo
Marra, both officers with a well known bravery and of such capabilities that
the current times do not hinder their reasoning, and I am afraid that not all
those officers that you have there can boast these qualities.
«I conclude this letter by advising you to trust only your judgement and
your experience, and not to ask anyone for advice, since you can certainly
decide what is better, and none of your subordinates can give you useful sugges-
tions ».
«...Should any general, Staff officer or anyone else, with their idle talk or
incompetence, become useless and detrimental, you have full authority to
put him on a steamboat and send him here».
However, it is only right to say that also among the officers there were very
capable men, some of whom later acquired a good renown in the national
army.
In May, the Army Corps of Sicily was formed as follows:
Commander-in-chief, Lieutenant General Paolo Ruffo, prince of
Castelcicala;
st
1 Division, Marshal Ferdinando Lanza:
Flores (Pasquale) brigade: 4 light infantrymen battalions. 1 battery, 1
artillery company, 1 pioneer;
Cataldo brigade: 2 line regiments, 1 light cavalry regiment, 1 battery.
2 nd Division, Field Marshal Zola:
Salzano brigade: 2 regiments of the line, 1 battery;
Afan de Rivera brigade: 1 line regiment, 1 foreign regiment, and 2 batteries.
3 rd Division, Field Marshal Colonna: