Page 248 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

246 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

chariot of triumph is not always gained by the worthiest. And then the dif-
ferent provenance of the volunteers, the unrestrained ambitions of the last to
arrive, the bitterness of the old ones, the veterans, in front of the arrogant pre-
sumptuousness of the youth, the uncertainty of the future that raised worries
and greediness, all this contributed in diminishing their moral cohesion. We
have already mentioned the serious political difficulties that grieved the
Dictator since the very day in which he made his solemn entrance in Naples
and worried him until November 2 nd , the day of the surrender of the fortress
of Capua. Garibaldi, and also many of his men, satisfied with their success,
could not rest on their laurels.
The political and military situation remained serious, since a well-trained
enemy was always to be feared and was still evident, the counter-revolution-
ary reaction was gaining ground, whereas the patriots, the petty politicians
and his own collaborators continued their useless polemics of doctrine and
opinions: there were those who supported the immediate annexation of the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to Piedmont, others wanted the establishment
of a Constituent Assembly; the separatists were still raging, as well as those
who pretended, before anything else, to march on Rome.
And while the Dictator, among those many and opposite tendencies, had
with his authority to control the inflamed, to disillusion the dreamers, to
respect the sectarians, to satisfy the petitioners and the friends who had
rushed to Naples from everywhere, he also had to carry out all those neces-
sary activities to establish a new order instead of the centuries-old one that
had been destroyed. If, therefore, his politics were not free from mistakes,
these must be attributed to his vice-dictators and ministers.
In the period of time elapsed between the plebiscite, by which Southern
Italy decided its future – the following formula was voted for: “The people
want a united and indivisible Italy under the crown of the House of Savoy »
- and the arrival of Cialdini’s army in Abruzzo, the Bourbon forces did not
give signs of activity.
The reaction, on the contrary, requested military measures. Since the
insurrection in the Sannio region was becoming serious, Garibaldi decided to
send a column of volunteers led by Nullo. When he arrived, he saw that the
situation was more serious than anticipated and very soon he had very hard
evidence of this. Deceived by the information of the population, who report-
ed Isernia free from Bourbon troops, he was suddenly attacked by a large
number of Bourbon regular troops near that city. Defeated, after a short