Page 197 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE 1860 CAMPAIGN IN SICILY 195

sive was driven back. Medici kept his positions; Bosco, who was disappoint-
ed about Major Maring, relieved him of his command, but then resigned
himself to withdraw from that outpost and asked General Clary to send two
battalions as reinforcements but his note was intercepted by the squads.
Both parties suffered serious losses: about a hundred died among Garibaldi’s
ranks and about ninety among the Bourbons. A man named Giacomo Ilacqua
from Pozzo di Gotto, chaplain of Medici’s Division, armed with a musket and
a gun, distinguished himself by killing and wounding many enemies.
On the 18 th the vanguard of the Cosenz Division, the Dunne battalion
with about 600 Sicilian volunteers and Fabrizi’s columns with about 300
Sicilians, arrived. Medici occupied the town of Santa Lucia del Mela.
th
On the 19 , Garibaldi arrived, rushing to the battlefield after receiving
urgent telegrams from Medici and leaving Sirtori as deputy dictator in
Palermo. Having heard of the interception of Bosco’s note to Clary, he decid-
ed to attack before the arrival of the reinforcements. As usual, he went scout-
ing and, while studying with his field-glass the castle of Milazzo, exclaimed,
out of the blue: “That one, tomorrow, will be ours...”. That evening in the
orderly book he established the final formation of the operation corps:
“From now on, the Sicilian national army will be formed by 4 Infantry
Division, 1 artillery brigade and 1 cavalry brigade. The Divisions will take a
number following that of the 15 th Division led by General Türr, and from
now on our troops will take the name of Southern Army.
The 16 th Division was given to General Cosenz, but at that moment it
only had one brigade and two regiments (Fazioli, Borghesi), plus a company
of Genoese Carabinieri.
th
On the 20 , this Division joined the rest of Garibaldi’s forces, totalling 4,000
st
men, who, in anticipation of the attack, were deployed as follows: 1 echelon:
Medici’s Division: Malenchini’s column, 3 battalions and 3 companies towards S.
Marina; more to the right, Simonetta’s column, 3 battalions, 3 companies, the
Genovese Carabinieri and the scouts in front of S. Pietro; to the far right, Fabrizi:
2 Sicilian battalions and 3 companies at S. Lucia and towards the great carriage-
way to face troops coming from Messina. 2 nd echelon: Cosenz: 4 battalions in
Meri; garrison of Meri: Guerzoni, 3 companies to the right of Cosenz.
Bosco’s forces at the base of the small peninsula of Milazzo, between S.
st
Papino and Vicomuto were deployed as follows: 1 echelon: 1 regiment at
the entrance to the peninsula, 2 pieces on the right and 2 on the left, 1 light