Page 171 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE 1860 CAMPAIGN IN SICILY 169

and Corleone and then from there either reach the hinterland or march on
Palermo after a large detour. In the meantime, he had sent patrols of scouts on
the road to Calatafimi and he had in some way assured the defence of Salemi
for the night, when, suddenly, very late in the afternoon, two section leaders,
Nino Colombo and Pietro Adamo, arrived from Calatafimi and brought
detailed information on the positions of the royal troops. Garibaldi called a
Staff meeting to be held that very night: the idea of marching on Corleone was
discarded and a decision was taken to march on the road to Calatafimi and
meet the enemy.

th
May 15 - Battle of Calatafimi – The Salento plain, that in the north is very
green and full of gardens because of the presence of plenty of water from the
Canalotti, is followed by the Vita plain, with its vast cultivated fields and some
fruit trees.
This clay soil planted with different crops is surmounted by a sort of moun-
tain chain formed by the Pelato, Bernardo, Rocche di Domingo, Calemici,
Pietralunga, Baronia, Tempone, and Tre Croci Mountains. This chain is crossed
by hollow, wide and open gorges occupied by the roads leading to Palermo. Its
topographic centre is marked by the Piante di Romano height.
Calatafimi, from the Arabic Kalat-Alfìni, which means Euphemus’ castle,
dominates the Caldo and Freddo rivers. Good positions against people coming
from the Salemi-Vita road are Baronia - Pietralunga - Mount Calemici, and
also Piante di Romano, from whose large, plain and open top it is possible to
dominate and block the steep gorge in which the road is located. Sforza placed
his outposts on the Piante di Romano height (422 metres); not too far from
them, on the consular road, there was the battalion of the 10 th cavalry regi-
ment and, further down, at one and half kilometres away from the town, the
Carabinieri battalion and two pieces as reserves.
Garibaldi’s column (about 2,000 men) left Salemi at 5am, to cheers from
the population, and reached Vita at 6.30am. At 7am they left again for
Calatafimi in the following marching formation: the vanguard with the scouts
, th
th
th
now on horseback; then the Carini Battalion (9 th 8th 7 , 6 , 5 ); the
Artillery and the Engineers Corps; the company of Sailor Gunners (Castiglia);
th rd nd st
Bixio’s Battalion (4 , 3 , 2 , 1 ). The flag, a standard donated to Garibaldi
by the Italians of Valparaiso in ’55, was borne by Giuseppe Campo, a
Palermitan, and was given to the 7 th Company. The Genoese Carabinieri were
the rearguard. The Coppola and S. Anna squads marched on the two flanks of