Page 31 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE AMERICAN CAMPAIGNS 1836 - 1848 29

attack, with his men, the extremely protected fort, that was heroically seized,
but later lost, because the undisciplined republican troops went on the ram-
page and become an easy prey to a vigorous enemy counter attack from the
nearby fort of Rio Grande.
In July, August and September of the same year 1840, we find Garibaldi
camping in San Simón, on the northeast bank of the Los Patos lagoon, busy
building canoes to establish supply ferrying on the lagoon. Since there were
large numbers of foals abandoned by the owners when escaping from the war,
Garibaldi seized the opportunity and had them captured, tamed and used by
his sailors on horses to form a squadron of cavalry when needed.
In September, a great event for him: the birth of his first son, to whom he
gave the name of Menotti, in memory of the great martyr from Modena of
1831. But only 12 days after the birth, while Garibaldi left the camp in
search of clothes for his family who lacked everything, an enemy cavalry
attacked the camp by surprise. The heroic Anita had just about time to jump
on a horse with her newborn close to her chest and run to the woods,
through streams, managing to escape the chase and find her husband who,
having been warned, desperately ran to the rescue.

Meanwhile though, the affairs of the Republic fell into ruin. There were
no supply; there were defections, disagreements and disease; the circle of the
imperial armies was closing in. The only desperate solution left was once
again to assemble in the mountain and woodland districts of the centre and
north of the region, in order to heroically prolong the resistance.
The general retreat to the mountain, after gathering all the small detach-
ments, started about mid 1841, and lasted through hardship, danger and dif-
ficulties of all kinds for most of that year until the first few months of 1842.
Garibaldi’s description of this period in his “Memoirs” is of a tragic vivid-
ness that, in its stark sincerity, reveals the heroic part he had in the frequent
and hard trials through which that memorable operation took place; a true
and significant prelude to the famous and legendary retreat the Hero had to
make seven years later, through the Apennines, following the fall of the glo-
rious Roman Republic of ’49.
Particularly terrible was the crossing of the big forest of Las Antas. Having
arrived again on the Cima da Serra in the district of Vacaria, the bedraggled
remains of the Rio Grande’s army were subjected to continuous attacks by the