Page 169 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE 1860 CAMPAIGN IN SICILY 167

17 and 50 to rise up in arms.
st
He also reorganised his expeditionary corps: 1 Battalion to Bixio: compa-
nies Dezza, Forni, Stocco, Anfossi; 2 nd Battalion to Carini: companies
Sprovieri, Ciaccio, Cairoli, Bassini, Griziotti; company of the Genoese Cara-
binieri: Mosto; company of gunner sailors (crews from the Piemonte and the
Lombardo): Castiglia, artillery (five pieces): Orsini; engineers: Minutilli.
He wrote to Bertani in Genoa, so that he could gather weapons and money
and organise a second expedition as reinforcements; he also wrote to the
Committee for the rifle fund so that they could prepare and ship a large quan-
tity of ammunitions.
Orsini, with the help of Giuseppe Mustica and the Giuseppe and Achille
Campo brothers, organised a small arsenal and constructed gun carriages as
best they could. Ragusin organised a small laboratory to produce cartridges
and mould rifle bullets. They also manufactured pikes and lances, and couri-
ers went to neighbouring towns to find weapons, powder, lead and other
materials useful to the expedition.
The squads from Erici arrived with Giuseppe Coppola and the La Russa
brothers; in total, about 700 men, of which many on horseback. The enthu-
siasm continued, greatly intensified by the priests and friars of the town, and
that pushed Garibaldi to make a speech in praise of these good priests.
La Masa continued with growing success his rounds of revolutionary prop-
aganda in the western districts of the island; in Partanna and Castelvetrano,
provisional governments and revolutionary committees were established by
the notables of the town and new squads were organized to be sent as rein-
forcements to Garibaldi’s soldiers.
Palermo was in great turmoil and the committee sent letters to its Consuls,
warning them that the revolution was aiming at an annexation and that, once
the royal forces were driven out, the people would vote for Victor Emmanuel.
The committee also asked the people by public proclamations to wait for
Garibaldi’s orders. «Whoever disobeys will be considered a traitor of the
Country». The movement rapidly spread across the island, in particular, Termini
became a sort of headquarters and a centre from where troops where moved.
Lieutenant Castelcicala had telegraphed Naples asking for at least two bat-
th
talions to be sent to Marsala on the 12 , and in the meantime he had
ordered the 8 th Light Infantrymen Battalion (Major Sforza) to go from
Girgenti to Trapani and wait for reinforcements; he had also ordered Landi,
who was in Alcamo, to advance with his troops.