Page 383 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE FRENCH CAMPAIGN 1870 - 1871 365

posts formed by the mobile troops from Saòne-et-Loire, while the Batteries
bombarded the town. In support of the above mentioned mobile troops,
from Saint-Apollinaire advanced the legions of the Isère and of the Jura. And
then von Kettler, to avoid being threatened on his flank, ordered 6 compa-
nies and a squadron to occupy the ferme d’Epirey; every advance of the
legions was stopped and they had to go back again to Saint-Apollinaire.
The vanguard battalion of the central column, in the meantime, attacked
the park and castle of Pouilly, defended by the mobile troops from Saône-et-
Loire who, at first, opposed a good resistance, but then, abandoned the park
soon afterward and in panic flew to Dijon.
Ricciotti’s brigade rushed in aid via Langres, gathered on the way part of
the mobilisés and reorganised them and then positioned them east of the road;
the Brigade deployed westward supported by a factory; on the road two 12-
punder pieced were put in Battery.
These pieces, however, under the fire of the Prussian Batteries, were forced
soon afterward to withdraw; two new mountain Batteries had rushed in aid
and took up position east of the road. The Prussian Infantry, in the mean-
time, attacked the front of the Ricciotti’s brigade, but welcomed by a strong
concentric fire from Fontaine and Fillotte, from the houses of the factory and
from Mont Chepet, had to stop at 500 metres from the Garibaldian line.
Kettler, facing this unexpected resistance, ordered two Battalions to join the
line: one between the factory and the Suzon, the other near St. Martin, across
the stream. The fire of the Garibaldians not only put a sharp stop to this new
attempt, but Ricciotti launched a counterattack with three companies along
the Suzon and inflicted relevant losses to the Prussians. A last effort against
the factory had the same outcome of the previous ones: the Prussian
Company that made it was completely destroyed and left there, under a heap
of Corpses, the flag of the 61st Infantry that was collected around 4pm by
Victor Curtat, a hunter from Mount Blanc serving in Ricciotti’s Brigade.
Garibaldi in that moment sent Canzio’s detachment, a detachment that
for a short time was called 5 th Brigade, to strengthen Ricciotti together with
a legion from the Jura that took up positions on the right flank of the 4 th
Brigade. With the arrival of these fresh forces, Ricciotti moved to counterat-
tack, along the road of Langres, and his manoeuvre forced Kettler to stop the
fighting under the very strong fire of the Garibaldians.
Finally, the Prussian Brigade gathered south of Pouilly, overcoming serious
difficulties, and one of its battalion was even surrounded by the Garibaldians