Page 84 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

82 GENERAL GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI

grudge against the papal government that held the Swiss – about 2500 men
- in high esteem and granted to them higher wages and better uniforms.
Garibaldi’s Italian legion, whose ranks had been swollen by many volun-
teers from the Roman provinces, now totalled about 1100 men, and during
the defence it reached 2000 men. This legion was accompanied by other vol-
unteer corps, such as: the Bolognese legion (550 men), Medici’s Tuscan
legion (300 men), the students’ legion (300 men), the Polish legion (200
men), the foreign legion (120 men), and several other groups of custom sol-
diers, veterans, municipal police of Rome and Umbria, etc..
A remarkable contribution was given also by the Roman citizens (stu-
dents, national guards, etc.) who mixed with the other units established by
the defence command: certainly not less than 1500 men.
th
Finally, on the morning of April 29 , the Lombard Bersaglieri (about 600
men) led by Luciano Manara - a young Milanese aristocrat who stood out in
the Five Days and then bravely led his volunteers in the campaign of 1848 -
arrived in Rome. Landed a few days before in Civitavecchia, to have his
way clear, Manara had been forced to give his word to Oudinot that his men
th
would not fight for the Republic until May 4 , a word that he however kept.
These troops had poor artillery available: in all, 47 field pieces. Some
other medium and large-calibre pieces could be taken from Castel
Sant’Angelo, so in total they had about a hundred guns, but more than one
third of them could not be used since gun carriages were either lacking or
defective. They were also short of ammunitions.
The cavalry included two regiments of Dragoons and Masina’s lancers,
increased to about 90.
It is not easy to assess the precise number and structure of the Republican
troops, since both varied continuously; however, the table below patiently
put together by Cesari seems to be the most reliable source, at least with
regard to the period of highest potentiality;