Page 221 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

FROM THE STRAITS TO THE VOLTURNO 219

However, those old vessels that had done their duty so well were of no
importance at that moment. A strong vanguard of Garibaldi’s soldiers had
landed in Calabria and the general resumed his victorious march.
Garibaldi, immediately after disembarking at Melito, fully understood
how important speed was to him – the essential condition for success in any
war operation – it became an indispensable element in exploiting the surprise
factor in order to act before the enemy could realise what was happening and
could gather its scattered forces. It was urgent to go north, along the coast,
and destroy the Bourbon military positions one after the other to allow the
rest of Garibaldi’s small army to cross the straits rapidly and safely. Garibaldi
immediately sent a message asking Musolino and Missori to join him. They
were already on their way to Melito, crossing escarpment after escarpment,
since they had heard the cannonades of the Bourbon frigate. The road to
Reggio, previously occupied by the Bourbon forces, was free. And then they
had to go on and take the city.
That city was defended by a good number of troops, led by General Gallotti:
all the 14 th line regiment of Colonel Dusmet, a battalion of light infantrymen
and a field battery. As soon as the news of the landing arrived, Dusmet went
south of the city, and took position on the Calopinace Stream. There, at mid-
th
day of the 20 , the first gunshots were exchanged with Garibaldi’s soldiers, but
the resistance did not continue for long, since the Neapolitans, outnumbered in
their flanks by Bixio’s men, were forced to retreat to the city, and leave the
national guards to watch over and defend the access roads.
At nightfall, the volunteers came close to the walls and burst into the city,
penetrating through many parts up to the heart of the city and soon they
gained the upper hand over the royal forces, demoralised by the death of their
valiant colonel, who had died in the arms of his son, a non commissioned
officer of that regiment. Then the Bourbon forces retreated into the castle
and the resistance could have been prolonged beyond all expectations – with
great disappointment to Garibaldi, who was not so much interested in join-
ing as soon as possible the rest of his troops but wanted to put the Reggio gar-
rison out of the running before the arrival of the troops of General Briganti
and General Melendez, when the appearance of Missori’s solders on the hills
surrounding the fortress and some of their well placed shots induced the ene-
st
mies to give up the defence. In the afternoon of the 21 , in fact, the white
flag was hoisted on the castle and Reggio surrendered with its 30 position
cannons, 8 field cannons and many rifles.