Page 217 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

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FROM THE STRAITS TO THE VOLTURNO 215

insurrection of Calabria – he was nevertheless worried about the serious
problem of how to cross the straights.
The coast was watched over by the Bourbon army. In reality, the
Neapolitan ships were interested in keeping good watch, perhaps because
their officers had been all won over to the national cause, or perhaps because
of their fear of the Sardinian fleet that cruised in the Sicilian waters. What is
certain is that they did not cause any damage to Garibaldi’s army at Punta del
Faro, and just limited themselves to shooting some cannonades from very far
away and disappearing immediately when Garibaldi landed in Calabria.
However, caution was necessary to take into account their possible inter-
vention, but, most of all, the danger of landing on a shore protected by bul-
warks and garrisoned, as rumours reported, by about 17,000 Bourbon sol-
diers with 32 pieces, divided into four brigades under the lead of General Vial
had to be seriously assessed.
Having excluded the possibility of a mass crossing, also due to the lack of
sailors, and a landing in force and to avoid the probable risk of immediate
failure that would have nipped the undertaking in the bud, Garibaldi chose
what in those situation seemed more expedient and suited more than any-
thing else his war instincts and his relying on luck: he waited for the right
moment and launched various surprise attacks at different points of the coast,
launching a few hundreds volunteers to establish, as we should say today,
small bridgeheads destined to protect the subsequent crossing of the entire
corps.
th
With this aim, on the evening of August 8 , Garibaldi called the
Calabrian Mugolino, ordered him to embark with 400 men (from the
Missori, Nullo and Salomone expedition), reach the Calabrian Coast and
take by surprise the Cavallo Fort.
Sailing rapidly and silently under cover of darkness, the small flotilla had
already left the Sicilian shore when it was seen by the Stella Fort and some
cannonades where shot against it.
Then, while some of the volunteers went back to Punta del Faro, some
other ships continued their course and 150 men could land near Cannitello.
But they were too few to try anything of importance that would escape the
watch of the enemy, now alarmed by the cannonades. And so Musolino
ordered them to split into groups and rush to the nearby mountains. In this
way, they could reach S. Angelo and, afterward, the impervious peaks of
Aspromonte, where the thick wood and the wild nature of the place protect-