Page 382 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

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364 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

cers, 430 soldiers and 340 prisoners; those who suffered the most were
Ricciotti’s units that lost more than 100 men.
Von Kettler, impressed by the resistance of the Garibaldians, tried to force
Garibaldi to give up the fight, and resorted to the childish means of intimi-
dation: having given a laissez-passer to a notary from Messigny, where he had
established his headquarters, sent him to Dijon to convince the Hero about
the uselessness of a resistance against a new attack of Kettler, who, having
received strong reinforcements, would launch his attack the subsequent day.
The notary was brought in Garibaldi’s presence, which was resting.
Garibaldi took the laissez-passer, cast his leonine glance on the incautious
messenger and exclaimed:
«Well, Sir, is this all you have to tell me?».
«Yes, General!».
«You can leave, not to fail you duty. Tell the person who gave you this lais-
sez-passer that I will await him, and that if he does not come; I myself will
go to look for him! ».
And, turning to Bordone, he added: «General, see that he is accompanied
to the outposts». And to the other officers present: «you can go to sleep!».
A reply worth of Garibaldi!
On the 22 nd von Kettler repeated his attack on Talant and Fontaine, but
judging that the enemy forces were overwhelming and therefore that it was
impossible to gain the upper hand over them, he suspended the fight, await-
ing to get a better knowledge of the deployment of the Garibaldians and, at
the same time, he moved his troops on their eastern flank, where he could
find better quarters in the villages and greater resources, as he was forced to
live almost exclusively on the country. The Army of the Vosges did not trou-
rd
ble Kettler’s manoeuvre. The day after, the 23 , Kettler’s Brigade marched
on Dijon and, at about 11 am, reached without difficulty the farmhouse of
Valmy, on the road to Ahuy and he took up positions there.
From the prisoners and the villagers, Kettler had known that from Dijon the
Army of the Vosges was already withdrawing to Auxonne and this news and the
inactivity of the enemy during the previous day confirmed his suspicion that the
withdrawal had really begun. And since he believed of the utmost importance
for the general outcome of the operation to prevent the Army of the Vosges to
escape his action, in the afternoon he decided to march on Dijon via Langres.
At 1,30 pm, a vanguard battalion advanced to the hills covered with vine-
yards dominating Pouilly from the north, drove away the Garibaldian out-