Page 178 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

176 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

to cross the Garrone Stream, Garibaldi had to set the example, dismount and
take the lead. Cannons and materials had to be carried on their shoulders
with huge difficulties, hanging from the poles taken from a barn found in the
countryside. However, darkness was useful to hide their movements, if noth-
ing else, and that was a great advantage.
The fight of that day was very prejudicial for the rebels. Their faith in
Garibaldi was rather shaken, as they thought they had been abandoned.
Garibaldi had run a serious danger of being surrounded; Buttà remarked this,
with reason. Luckily enough, the royal forces did not insist in their action;
what would have happened if they had come that day to Portella Bianca?

May 22 nd -23 rd - Garibaldi’s soldiers fortified their position on Cozzo
di Crasto (m. 600) (Calvario), dominating Parco, and dug trenches, and
using local limestone built a platform on which they positioned the cannons.
In the night, the insurgents lit fires everywhere. There was a continuous line
of lights going from Mastro Nardo through Grifone, Starrabba, Pizzo di Fico,
and Cozzo di Crasto, up to Pioppo. The sight had to be really impressive and
frightening. The Bourbons were forced to think that the insurgent totalled at
least 3,000 men and had to be frightened by that.
The position chosen was good, since from the Parco hills they could dom-
inate the roads from Villagrazia and Monreale. However, this position,
although good in itself, could not be defended with poor forces against a dou-
ble attack from Palermo-Villagrazia and Monreale. Moreover, it was easy to
take from behind, going through Portella del Pozzillo and the Femmina
Morta Valley in the west, or through the Fico Valley in the east.
rd
For the 23 , the Bourbon generals had decided a joint action against
Garibaldi and the insurgents with columns coming from Pioppo (Mechel),
Monreale (Bosco) and Palermo (Salzano). Due to their lack of unity and
coordination, on the 23 rd they attacked only the squads from Grazia and the
general action was postponed to the day after.

May 24 th - The advance of the royal army proceeded quite rapidly, dis-
turbed only by some volleys, fired by the squads positioned on the hills, and
Mechel arrived in Parco without any opposition, since Garibaldi avoided him
by quickly leaving Parco and moving to Piana.
“I, - he wrote, - would not have feared a frontal attack, although the
enemy outnumbered us, but their movements on the hills behind us domi-