Page 219 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

FROM THE STRAITS TO THE VOLTURNO 217

This plan, of course, could not meet the favour of the government of
Turin, that, in that difficult diplomatic situation, under the pressure of the
representatives of the Powers, had to do its best to stand up to foreign threats
and impositions.
The attack to the integrity of the Papal State could produce a deprecated
intervention and bring up also the pressing Sicilian issue. Moreover, the
Count of Cavour was already thinking of the occupation of the Marche and
Umbria regions, to connect the action of the regular army and that of the
volunteers, so that history would not report that the realization of the Italian
unification had been made only by revolutionary forces.
He therefore gave immediate and stringent orders that the formations of
Tuscany and Romagna were disbanded and the ships sent to Tripoli and
Monzanbano to cruise in the Papal waters.
Garibaldi, did not approve the planned diversions; he knew not only the
overwhelming success, but also the pain, the sacrifices, the disappointments
of that kind of undertaking; nor was he happy that the forces of the patriots
were disbanded and directed towards other goals, just when he was realising
how difficult it was to cross the straights and how many other difficulties he
would meet when starting to march on the Bourbon’s capital. He made
known very soon to Pinciani his opinion and his desire that the volunteers
could come and help him to cross over the continent and face the main body
of the enemy forces. But, having heard that the ships with the volunteers had
arrived in Golfo Aranci – where the commander of the R.N. Gulnara had
already ordered them to continue towards Sicily – in the night of August
th
12 ß he landed on the Sardinian coast. There he found Gandini’s and
Puppi’s Brigades and Pianciani himself, whereas Eberhardt’s brigade was sail-
ing towards Palermo.
Then he addressed that rowdy crowd, still reluctant to abandon the idea
of invading the Papal State, and with his words, but more with the irresistible
charm emanating from his person, very soon convinced them to follow him
th
first to Cagliari, then to Palermo, where he dropped anchor on August 17 .
He did not stay long in Palermo, but embarked immediately on the
Franklin, and, sailing round Sicily, reached Taormina on the afternoon of the
th
18 , where he met Bixio who had came from Bronte, and the Eberhardt’s
brigade, that had arrived on board of the Torino. In the meantime, Rüstow,
who had replaced the resigning Pianciani, reached Milazzo at the head of
three Brigades.