Page 185 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE 1860 CAMPAIGN IN SICILY 183

Fieravecchia, for a total of 15,000 men and about thirty pieces. Bonanno
was still in Monreale, where his presence was unnecessary, Mechel e Bosco
were on the road to Corleone. The fleet protected the coast..
Garibaldi who had envisaged coming down from Gibilrossa, to launch a
sudden attack against the outposts, turned up unexpectedly on Porta Termini
and from there entered the city. The operation had to start on the evening of
th
the 26 . “We were in solemn wait. Cheerfulness had been replaced by
silence; a spirit of immensity seemed to blow over us” (Abba).
Garibaldi formed two echelons: the first, led by La Masa, was formed by
poorly equipped squads, with only a few rifles of different types, sabres, swords,
spears and iron bars. Thirty Crack Carabinieri led by Tüköry preceded it and
five or six Sicilian scouts among which was Narciso Cozzo. The two battalions
of Bixio and Carini and the other squads, who had remained with Garibaldi’s
soldiers after the fight of Parco, formed the second echelon with Garibaldi. In
total, about 3.300 men, 750 of which belonged to the Mille. The two echelons,
however, marched as a single column, without vanguard, because they believed
that such a formation could contribute to a surprise attack.
To deceive the enemies, fires were lighted on Mount Mastro, Mount
Nardo and Mount Grifone, and the column set off to march at 9pm. Orders
were given to advance in the utmost silence, in the hope that the enemy’s out-
posts could be taken by surprise and be engaged in bayonet fighting.
The assailants proceeded along a very difficult pathway (the so-called
stairs of Gibilrossa, then renamed the stairs of the Descent of the Mille) and
in the dark they came down crag after crag, height after height, now circling
a boulder, now edging a ravine. A running horse caused some disorder in the
column, and then they went on, crossing S. Zita (now Giuli), Giardina and
Croce Verde in the Ciaculli district and Villa Favarella and arrived in Piazza
Favara. There they stopped, and a regrettable argument started between Bixio
and La Masa that Sirtori stopped; Garibaldi arrived and reorganised his
troops. The march continued along Via Balate, leading to the Villabate-
Palermo carriageway.
Perhaps a surprise would have been possible, but the Sicilians, once they
saw the first houses of the district, started to cry: Palermo! Palermo! Long live
Italy! Long live Garibaldi! And they started to shoot. The royal troops, posi-
tioned at the Scaffa Mills, welcomed the assailants with a volley; more than
one of them died, among which doctor Rocco La Russa from Erice. The royal
troops also offered a good resistance at the Admiral’s Bridge. The first eche-