Page 83 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE 1849 CAMPAIGN 81

and fully aware that she has not provoked this invasion by foreign forces,
invasion that, not preceded by any notice from the French government, gives
rise to anarchy in a peaceful and well disciplined Country whose existence is
based upon the awareness of its rights and the agreement of its citizens, vio-
lates at the same time the people’s right, the obligations undertaken by the
French nation in its constitution and the ties of brotherhood that should nat-
urally link the two Republics, protests in the name of God and of its people
against the unexpected invasion, declares its firm resolution to hold out, and
blames France for all its consequences».
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On the 25 , the news that the Neapolitan troops were marching on the
Roman States reached Rome, and the Assembly, by general consent, renewed
its firmest resolution to hold out against this other opponent, which the peo-
ple also enthusiastically supported.

In the meantime, General Oudinot had declared that no hostile action
would be carried out against the Republic, «since the French expedition has
been organized only to carry out a defence against the dangers of Austria,
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Spain and Naples»; but, on the 26 , the delegates he had sent to Rome threw
down their masks and openly declared that General Oudinot wanted to
restore the Papal Government and wanted to do it as soon as possible; imme-
diately afterward, Captain Fabar went to Rome to ask the Assembly either to
welcome the French or to force them to take the city by force.
Such an order deserved a definite reply. When Aurelio Saffi informed the
Assembly of the French message, this aroused everyone’s indignation, and the
resolution to resist to the death was confirmed by proclamation. And then
the weapons started to speak for themselves. However, behaving with gener-
ous gallantry, the government of the Roman Republic declared that all the
French residing in Rome were to be placed under its protection.
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On April 28 , Oudinot decided to march on Rome, and, having left
about one thousand men in Civitavecchia, set off with the other six thou-
sands for Palo and Castel di Guido, where he stopped for the night on the
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evening of the 29 .
In Rome, preparations for the defence were in full swing. On which forces
could this defence rely?
First of all, there were the regular Papal troops that now were on the
republican side either out of the soldiers’ personal conviction or because of a