Page 62 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

60 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

the 28, it withdrew behind the Oglio river, in the days that followed it with-
drew even more and took up positions behind the Adda river, until when, on
August 1, always with the Austrians very close behind, Carlo Alberto decided
to run to the urgent defence of Milan. There the provisional government had
given the political and military power to a public defence committee, and two
days afterwards, this committee ordered Garibaldi to go to Bergamo, com-
mand a general call-up, requisition whatever he needed; and then he had to
try and defend Brescia, together with Durando and Griffini, who was already
garrisoning the city with some thousand volunteers, and if the city could not
be defended, then the order was to fall back into the mountains and disrupt
the advance of the enemy on its flank or from behind.
In those days Garibaldi did not have clearly in mind the vastness of the
Piedmontese defeat. «Our army – he wrote to his friend Antonini – seems to
have met with a setback that I think is of little importance, despite the fact
that the lack of experience of many and the fear of too many have made it look
greater, and made everybody think that all hope was lost…. I am so confident
in the destiny of my country that I do not doubt our success, not even for a
moment, and we have nothing to fear, for the respect of our army and our
national spirit; but heaven only knows that I do not want the Italian name be
vilified. I have no fear for myself, I will for sure bury myself among the last
handful of people who will fight and I do not want to outlive the Italian
shame; but I only have one life, and the lives of the faithful and strengthened
soldiers who accompany me. In this moment I have received the order to
march on Bergamo with 1,500 men; if anyone desired to join me, make sure
that they have this possibility. Do your best in any possible way to prevent the
villagers being frightened; there is no reason for that; on the contrary, we must
summon our courage and steadfastness. Be you people of few words and of
many deeds. Avoid turbulent meetings, tell the people that, instead of shout-
ing, report for service with their arms, ready to march anywhere». This letter,
one of the first manifestations of Garibaldi’s military thinking in Italy, sheds
full light on the idealist full of energy who lived for his country and had no
doubt about its destiny. Perhaps he let himself be deceived about the scope of
the Piedmontese defeat. He tried to hearten the doubtful and the discouraged
and push them to action, but he wanted them to take action with strength of
purpose and not because of a short-lived and hasty decision.
With high, heroic, but simple words and with the awareness of his strength,
on the 27th he launched the same call to “the youth”, the first of a series of