Page 377 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE FRENCH CAMPAIGN 1870 - 1871 359

his attempt of outflanking his own right wing. The failure of these three days
of fight, together with the alarming news reporting the approaching of
Manteuffel’s Army, decided Bourbaki for the withdrawal that he started on
the morning of the 18 th and of which Manteuffel was informed, as we said,
on the evening of that same day.

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The defence of Dijon. – On the 14 , Garibaldi received by Freycinet the
following telegram: «Though I fervently desire that you bring your headquar-
ters more to the north, I beg you not to leave Dijon before we agree via
telegram about the new position to occupy», a telegram, this, of great impor-
tance because it held the Army of the Vosges in Dijon and excluded, at least
for the time being, any action in the open.
Another telegram by de Serres precised that the task of the Army of the
Vosges was to stop and drive back the Prussian columns that should head for
Dijon via Vitteaux and Flavigny.
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Freycinet’s telegram of the 14 , it must be kept in mind, was never
quashed, and therefore Garibaldi could correctly consider it as the incontro-
vertible order to limit his activities to the defence of the city. We therefore
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understand how, on the 16 , to the request of sending troops to Gray to
defend that city, made by Bombonnels, Garibaldi replied: «If I have to defend
Dijon, I cannot send troops to Gray».
As a consequence of his new task, on January 16, Garibaldi deployed his
forces as follows:
- 1 st Brigade in Fontaine-le-Dijon with forward detachments to Val-
Suzon, Pasques, Prenois, Darois and Hauteville;
- 3 rd Brigade in Talant, with detachments in Flavigny, Velars, Sombernon,
Plombières;
- all other troops inside the stronghold.
The 4 th Brigade, Ricciotti’s, had just returned to Dijon and needed to get
reorganised, in those days other six groups of snipers and a company of
machine-guns were added to it.
The observation line set up by Garibaldi complied with the task entrust-
ed to him, that was the material defence of Dijon; the news that he received
from it were clear and precise and did not leave any doubt on the seriousness
of the situation: at a dozen kilometres, many and strong enemy columns of
the three armies advanced, scattered north and west of the stronghold; a total
of about 50-60.000 men, who, as a shower, advanced eastward.