Page 338 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

320 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

Moreover, there were the Company of Genoese Hunters led by Ranzetto
with 100 men, destined for the service of the Headquarters and 150 snipers
from Dôle carrying out reconnaissance duties. A grand total of 3785 men.
With the arrival of other two groups of snipers, the Hunters of the Alps
and the Havre, the volunteers of Nicolai’s Battalion (the senior aide-de-camp
of this battalion was Nicolai’s wife dressed in man’s clothes!); the snipers of
the Dauphiné, the Vosges and the Doubs: about 700 men in total, the 4th
Brigade was formed, which Ricciotti Garibaldi soon organised in a solid way
arising among its members the highest military feelings and the most remark-
able fighting spirit able to transform that brigade into the most efficient unit
of the Army.
The arrival of the volunteers and of other different elements continued
during the months of November and December; but the efficiency of the
Army, as a consequence of the increase of its force, was just little increased,
since the armament problems and the weak moral and material basis of its
units remained and were very serious. It progressively reached the total of
10.100 men at the end of November, 18.000 at December 12 and 19.462 at
January 10, 1871. However, the real combatants on whom Garibaldi could
at first rely, were only 3500-4000 men at best, and, later on, 5-600.
This was the war tool with which Garibaldi was supposed to face the well-
trained and formidable Prussian Battalions beating the countryside a few
kilometres from Dôle. Yet our Hero thought he was ready to handle that tool
and believed in its success even before it was completely organised, if neces-
sary, as in fact it was the case.
For the entire duration of the campaign, the Army continued to be in a
chronical phase of organisation. In February 1871, a few weeks after the ceas-
ing of the hostilities, it was formed by 17 Battalions, 60 French Infantry
Corps, 6 Squadrons, 6 French mounted Corps, 14 Batteries, 3 Engineers
Companies; a total of about 24,000 men, of which only 8000 could be
deployed on an open field.
The fighting order of the Army on February 1 was as follows: