Page 20 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

18 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

the exceptional seafaring abilities of the hero from Nice, but most of all, his
fearless courage and his magnificent generous disposition.
A commander energetic and resolute in his actions and able to demand
and obtain superhuman efforts from his men even the sacrifice of their life,
yet, he belonged to that lucky group of commanders for whom the role of
commander was intended most of all as supreme joy, because it was glad-
dened by the reciprocal affection that went up and down along the hierar-
chical ladder. He was immune from the sceptical pride, not a rare thing even
in famous commanders, for whom the men are an arithmetic quantity to be
used according to needs: or puppets to be disposed of after they have played
their part in the comedy. He loved and adored his dependants and brothers
in arms and when, as in the terrible shipwreck we mentioned, he saw some-
one in danger, he did not hesitate to put his own life in danger to save him
and he was disheartened when a cruel destiny prevented him carrying out
this magnanimous action, because as the perfect psychologist he was, and a
commander with a big heart, he knew that any follower, trained by him, rep-
resented for him an irreplaceable resource, an unlimited and heroic devo-
tion.
Sixteen people died in that disaster, among whom most of the Italian
crew. The heroism of Garibaldi, who, putting his life at great risk, jumped
in vain into the water to rescue Luigi Carniglia and Edoardo Mutru, his
dearest collaborators, was an act of such sublime selflessness that one feels
enthralled, particularly when reading the moving description of the event
made by Alexander Dumas in his brilliant tale of the life of the Hero.

A month later, the city of Laguna, taken by surprise by the expedition of
the Rio Grande people, surrendered, and the imperial army, when retreat-
ing, left in the port two small war vessels that were immediately used to
restore and increase Garibaldi’s fleet. Among these were the schooner
Itaparica with 7 guns which Garibaldi took immediately command of. It
was in this period of rest, in the autumn of 1839, that the idyll between
Garibaldi and Anita blossomed, and she stayed at his side from then on
bravely sharing with him the harsh war events that followed.
For the rest of the year 1839, the people of the Rio Grande, having based
their operations in the important city of Laguna, continued with notable
success their fight against the imperials. General Canabarro (very well sup-