Page 193 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE 1860 CAMPAIGN IN SICILY 191

Bandi in his book “Mille” narrated as follows the exodus of the Bourbons
from Palermo: “The morning in which the Bourbons finally left Palermo was
really one of those morning that announce a solemn day ... At the first light
of dawn, all Palermo was awake, and all wanted to see the departure of the
thugs, the abhorred rulers...
“The royal troops, leaving their barracks at the foot of Mount Pellegrino,
began to appear at the harbour at about 5am; many Neapolitan warships and
also many passenger ships had to embark them.
“Nino Bixio, with three or four hundred volunteers was present at their
departure. The Neapolitan regiments marched past him in good order, nei-
ther happy nor sad; only some officers….gave a surly look to him and his
men whose uniforms were in rags.
“But when the foreign regiments arrived, the situation changed. At their
head there was Colonel von Mechel, an old and fierce Swiss soldier who
swore in Italian and in German, and complained that because of a spineless
government and some generals who would better fit in an anteroom than on
a battlefield, he, an old and loyal soldier, had to turn his back in front of a
few boys in rags and a despicable mob.
«This insolent mercenary, who would have liked to see the city destroyed
by the bombs, could not resign himself, and once arrived in front of Bixio,
exclaimed: “We shall see each other again”. And Bixio replied, lifting his fin-
ger: “I shall se you in Naples!”. The soldiers echoed the challenge of the brave
Genovese with a roar; the volunteers shouted all together: “Long live Italy!”.
“All of a sudden, the bells, that had remained silent for so many days,
started to ring again, as when they announce Christ’s resurrection, and with
joyful tones announced that the Bourbon soldiers were leaving and putting
out to sea. On the roofs, on the tower bells, people waved their handkerchiefs
and shouted without rest. Then, from the bottom of Via Toledo, a crowd
began to move slowly; hundred thousand and more mouths shouted and the
crowd was growing at every step…. Soon afterward, Piazza Pretoria was full
of people, and they shouted Garibaldi’s name.
“The hero of the liberation appeared on the balcony: “People of Palermo,
- he shouted – people of the barricades, with whom I have shared hopes, dan-
gers, glory!... You, who let your houses be rather destroyed then bowing your
heads to the ignominious proposals of tyrants, now you are free!...”.
th
On the 19 , the Medici expedition, openly organized under the support
of the Sardinian government and escorted by warships for its entire journey,