Page 52 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

50 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

- Argentinians: 500 between dead and wounded (among the first, many
high ranking officers).
But it is certainly not by this cold statistic that characterises the numeric
strength of the fighters and their losses that one can get a fair idea of the
importance of that feat of arms. In reality, if one reads carefully and with a
critical-military spirit the colourful descriptions that remain (famous among
them those of that master of the pen Alexander Dumas) one ends up by con-
cluding in a clear-cut-way that:
- Garibaldi carried out in fact one of his usual bold raids outside the
citadel of Salto, intending this time, to go and meet the reinforcements that
Montevideo had indicated were on the way, led by general Medina, shortly
before nominated commander superior for the region;
- In any case, he had left the brave Anziani who was ill to guard the Salto,
but with very few men, placing his trust mainly on the fire of the battery
placed in excellent position near the town;
- Once arrived on the fields of San Antonio, he came into conflict, as
often happened, with rare groups of enemy’s cavalrymen, that started the
usual skirmishes to disrupt the march of Garibaldi’s army;
- At some point when least expected by Garibaldi (no doubt, in this case
the Uruguaian cavalry who were very different from the incomparable
matreros that had that day gone out to get food supplies thus failing to carry
out any exploratory activity), the enemy appeared, numerous, on foot and
on horseback and threatening beyond words;
- The force of the adversary was such that some of the officers of the
Legion and the not particularly determined commander of the Uruguaian
cavalry, chose to retreat and avoid the battle;
- That Garibaldi, arrived on horseback at that point, from a bold advanced
reconnaissance, immediately understood the impossibility of escaping the
enemy, and therefore the material and moral necessity to confront resolutely
the impact, determined to win or die preserving at least honour;
- His main command was to keep in hand a good reserve and order his
men to wait, fearlessly and without firing a shot, for the enemy to advance
to thirty steps, and then strike with unified and precise fire attacking vio-
lently with bayonets; this order was heroically and successfully carried out
by his very brave Italian legionnaires, while the scared oriental cavalrymen