Page 61 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE 1848 CAMPAIGN 59

if Garibaldi’s warlike character could be admired, only a few believed in his
military abilities.
He was considered a brave and bold soldier only able to perform limited
and impulsive war-like acts, and this was the definition he was given by
Ranalli in his “Istorie italiane” (Italian Histories) published in 1851, after the
glorious days of Rome; in this way he was defined by Castellani, a deputy of
the Roman Constituent, in one of his letters to Gabussi and in that same year
even Bixio, his future and dearest lieutenant, wrote what follows about a con-
troversy between Garibaldi and Pisacane: «Which are the facts that they want
to show us so that we may adore a genius of common things? Are we still in
the age of idols? Facts we need, not gossip. Garibaldi may have some good
qualities, but certainly not those of a general. Those who love their country
must think twice before contributing to the increase of some people’s reputa-
tions that history will remember only for the evils that ensued from them».
This being the situation, are we still surprised about the mistrust of the
King and the Piedmontese government?
After his unproductive visit to Carlo Alberto and his fruitless pilgrimage
th
to Turin, Garibaldi, offended and disillusioned, on July 14 , went to Milan.
In Turin he had met Medici who was angry with him for what he considered
Garibaldi’s defection from the republican partly, but their reconciliation, rec-
ommended to Medici a few days before by the dying Anziani, took place
immediately and both went to Milan.
There the provisional government appointed Garibaldi as major general, but
still expressed some perplexities in using him. The idea of using him to replace
general Giacomo Durando, whose troops camped at the Tirol mountain passes
had given clear signs of collective indiscipline, was opposed by the old General
Lechi, who was the chief, at least by name if not in practice, of the Lombard
troops, who said that Garibaldi had up to that moment commanded only small
corps, and the troops commanded by Durando were such as not to be easily
brought back to discipline. Finally he was tasked with the organisation of the
new volunteer corps being or to be established, but he did not receive any final
destination, nor was he consulted about the military provisioning of that time.
On the contrary, he was left inactive, almost forgotten, with a task as troop
organiser that did not suit at all his dynamic and active temperament, and he
was left to this task just when his presence in any place of the front would have
upheld the good reputation of the troops, if not avoided their defeat.
On July 25 and 26, in fact, the Sardinian army was defeated at Custoza; on