Page 189 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE 1860 CAMPAIGN IN SICILY 187

And Garibaldi, on his part, republished the decree issued in Salemi about
the organization of a “National Army” and a National Guard; he established
a defence committee, gave orders to create watch points in the streets, and
appointed Türr as supervisor of all armed forces.
After re-establishing the city council of Palermo, he appointed the duke of
Verdura as magistrate, and in an ordinance stated “all crimes of robbery, mur-
der, looting of any sort will be punished with the death sentence”. This was
a consequence of the fact that many prisoners had broken out of jail.

May 29 th - The two foreign battalions arrived the previous day were
ordered to disembark in Castellammare and were sent to the royal palace
through some by-roads.
Some columns of royal troops resumed the offensive; Colonna reconquered
the Benedictine and Annunziata monasteries: Lieutenant Colonel de Grenet
reconquered Porta di Castro; General Sury went out of the Papireto and
reconquered the Cathedral, reaching the Sett’Angeli monastery. But these
offensive attacks were not supported and strengthened and came to nothing,
therefore increasing demoralization among the troops. On the evening, the
royal forces counted 355 injured, and there was no place to put them.
But the insurgents too have suffered serious casualties. At the barricade in
Via Protonotaro, the two brothers Salvatore and Pasquale Di Benedetto fell
over each other. At Porta Castro and Piazzetta Tedeschi, there was a great killing
of people. Under the bombardment, the beautiful monastery of St. Catherine,
very close to the City Hall, caught fire and was destroyed, as well as many
building of the Cassero district. Opposite to the Cathedral, the princely palaces
of Cutò, Carini, Artale and some statues in the enclosure surrounding the
Cathedral were seriously damaged. Also the Cancelliere monastery suffered
serious damage. The deaths were already 300 with 500 injured. But despite all
this, amazingly, while bombs and fires destroyed vast areas of the city, while
15,000 royal troops were crowded just around the corner, in the square in front
of the royal Palace and the fleet could always bring more reinforcements, bands
of musicians walked in the streets and played patriotic hymns, swarms of young
people sang and shouted threatening words to the Neapolitans, women
applauded and made signs of joy and groups of priests and friars proceeded in
procession holding the crucifix and encouraging the population.
All this could but complete the disintegration of the troops begun by their
very own generals. A superstitious terror seized them at the sight of the red