Page 166 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

164 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

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On the 11 , the Stromboli (whose captain was Acton), coming from
Sciacca, continued slowly for Trapani, where it had to load coal, but once it
arrived near Marsala, around 2pm, it saw that in the harbour there were two
merchant ships undergoing landing operations apart from two English ships
already anchored there. Acton understood that they were Garibaldi’s troops,
put his ship in fighting trim and sent messengers to ask the English ships
(The Intrepid, led by Captain Marryat, and Argus, led by Captain Ingram)
if they had some sailors ashore. He waited for the English officers to come
back on board, and then opened fire. In the meantime, all the people from
the Piemonte had disembarked, and so had part of those from the Lombardo.
The Capri ship arrived towing the Partenope, the latter even fired a volley.
The already late bombing of the ships was ineffective: only a dog was hit,
and a volunteer lightly injured. All their action was reduced to some cannon
shots against the stranded Lombardo and the seizure of the Piemonte. The
landing of the volunteers lasted at least two hours, from 1pm to 3pm. By
hook or by crook, they seized the boats anchored in the harbour and lowered
men and supplies from the two steamboats into them at top speed. A vol-
unteer (Pentasuglia) ran to the telegraph and interrupted the sending of a dis-
patch that had already reported the landing of the lieutenant, adding to it: «I
am mistaken, they are two of our steamboats», and then he broke the wire.
To the volunteers, the city welcome seemed very cold, but the city author-
ities immediately collaborated in a warm and effective way; Crispi ran to the
Town Hall and seized the public coffer; Garibaldi, who did not even possess
a map of Sicily, requested a cadastral map, received information on road com-
munications, gave his first speech to the Sicilians and inspected his troops. A
very strange army indeed! Those wearing a red shirt were not even 150;
Sirtori was dressed in black with a top hat; Nullo wore a large white cloak;
Türr was dressed in the Hungarian style; Bixio was dressed as a lieutenant
colonel of the Piedmontese army; Crispi wore a black uniform; Mrs.
Montmasson was dressed as a man; Garibaldi wore his famous poncho over
a red shirt and had a red cap on his head. In the night, Garibaldi protected
his troops by establishing outposts on the side of Trapani and Mazara, and
sent reconnaissance patrols to scout inland areas.
The royal troops did not move, but in the meantime the Decurionate of
Marsala, on Crispi’s suggestion, deliberated the fall of the Bourbon dynasty
from the Sicilian Throne and entrusted the dictatorship to Garibaldi on
behalf of Victor Emmanuel II, King of Italy.