Page 77 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

AMEDEO TOSTI *

THE 1849 CAMPAIGN

TO ROME

In the late afternoon of November 9, 1848, an old stagecoach coming
from Florence stopped in front of “Le Filigare” Inn located some hundred
metres away from the bridge marking the border between Tuscany and the
Papal State, beyond the Futa pass. Giuseppe Garibaldi quickly got out of the
coach, followed by two of his officers, and entered the house. There he was
immediately informed that on the other side of the bridge, at «Cà confine
toscano», the residence of a papal political inspector, a strong detachment of
Swiss soldiers was camped (four or five hundred men, led by Major Glutz),
who had been sent there by the Bologna special commissioner, General
Zucchi, with the order of blocking the way to Garibaldi and his legionnaires.
Clearly, the old and brave General of Napoleon was afraid that Garibaldi’s
presence could cause popular uprising and create problems to that moderate

* Amedeo Tosti (Pietracupa nel Molise, 1888 - Roma, 1965, reserve artillery Second Lieutenant at the
beginning of WWI, became a regular officer for war merits and advanced in his career up to the rank of
Captain, commanding artillery units or bomber units fighting in the front line. Immediately after the end
of the war, he was assigned to the Historical Office of the General Staff Headquarters where he served for
about ten years. In this period he was highly active as an historian and free-lance journalist that was to
see the production of more than 30 books and an enormous number of articles for newspapers and mag-
azines. The following titles stand out among the volumes published: La Guerra italo-austriaca (The
Austro-Italian War), Milan, 1925; Come ci vide l'Austria imperiale (How Imperial Austria saw us), Milan,
1930; Cronologia della guerrra mondiale (A Chronology of the World War), Rome, 1932; La Guerra sot-
terranea (The Underground War), Milan, 1935; Condottieri dei nostril tempi (Commanders of our Times),
Milan, 1939; Storia dell'Esercito italiano (History of the Italian Army), Milan, 1942; Storia della seconda
Guerra mondiale (History of WWII), Milan, 1948; Pietro Badoglio, Milan 1956. Assigned to the reserve
upon his request, he achieved the rank of Brigadier General, had a prestigious career as officer of the
Ministry of Popular Culture first and then as President of the Council of Ministers, and concluded his
career as head of the Copyright Office for literary, scientific and artistic works.