Page 46 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

44 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

after that day by the Argentinian troops in the provinces of the Uruguay were
such that they determined the intervention of the English and French fleets
to put a stop to the terrible conflict.
At that time, and after another glorious feat of arms at Cerro that appears
to have taken place on the 28 of March ’45, in which the very brilliant Italian
Legion took part, Garibaldi who, despite such valour, was more and more
convinced that it was necessary to get out of that siege as soon as possible, by
attacking the enemy in some vital external place, thought of a very daring
undertaking, that, if successful, could have stopped the war immediately. He
proposed to carry out a surprise attack by sea, no less than on the enemy cap-
ital of Buenos Ayres. That city watched over by the Argentinian fleet in con-
trol of the Plata estuary had little in terms of garrisons. Garibaldi conceived
the audacious project to take ship with his legion and, by night, avoiding the
cruising enemy’s ships with his light vessels, attempt a sudden attack on the
city and, if possible, take the hated tyrant Rosas as prisoner in his residence.
The government of Montevideo didn’t dare accept that proposal. But consid-
ering the man in question that we know quite well by now, it is not presump-
tuous to think that, if carried out, it would probably have worked.
This does not mean that Garibaldi’s heroic fleet remained idle: between a
feat of arms and the other of the Legion, the indefatigable leader became
again a seaman and pirate taking his ships on magnificent and rewarding
raids, since he often returned to the bay with cargo ships captured under the
eye of the enemy squadron who never managed to stop it. Other times, by
attracting all the forces of the block to his squadron, he would open the door,
with well thought manoeuvres, for the boats carrying supplies to the city
under siege.
One morning, having gone out with three ships, attacked with great
courage an enemy’s squadron of three vessels equipped with 44 guns, while
he only had 8 and of a small calibre. His intention was to board quickly and
ferociously once next to the enemy’s squadron. But the commander of the
Argentinian squadron, having soon guessed the intentions of the diabolical
adversary, managed to escape the battle by sailing off. This event took place
in full view of the population and the sailors crowding the terraces in
Montevideo and on the masts of the ships in the port. The small glorious
squadron of Garibaldi returned to its moorings to the enthusiastic applause
of the amazed spectators.