Page 97 - General Giuseppe GARIBALDI - english version

THE 1849 CAMPAIGN 95

humble billet in Via delle Carrozze. Major Daverio burst into his room and
informed him that Rome was being attacked by surprise. The general imme-
diately jumped out of bed and rushed to Porta Cavalleggeri, after sending
orders to his legion, garrisoned in St. Silvester’s monastery, to gather imme-
diately on St. Peter’s square. So much did the command trust the French
general’s word that most of the troops were scattered all over the town and in
places anything but close to the battlefield!
When Garibaldi arrived at Porta Cavalleggeri, the cannon was thundering
and bells were already ringing full peal. He thought at first to counter-attack
the French on their left flank, but when he was informed that by then the
two parks had fallen to French hands, worried about the fate of Vascello and
Porta San Pancrazio, directed his steps to the Gianicolo without delay.
At about 5.30am, the general was already on the ramparts, searching the
French positions. The latter securely occupied the so-called “Casino dei
Quattro Venti”, a square-shaped hunting lodge built by the Corsini family,
located high on top of the hill and dominating the villa and its surrounding
vineyards; an external two-flight staircase led to the second floor of the lodge;
on both sides of the staircase, a low wall of about one metre provided a very
good shelter for the occupants.
In front of the villa, the ground sloped steeply towards Porta San
Pancrazio, and therefore that stretch of about 500 metres was completely
under French control. To the left of the gate, wheat fields and vineyards
spread out; to its right, the building of villa Giraud named «il Vascello» for
its perhaps imaginary more than real resemblance with the bow of a ship.
After deploying a battery on the ramparts of the Merluzzo house, on the left
of the gate, the companies of the Italian legion were subsequently launched by
Garibaldi to retake Villa Corsini; running along the exposed slope under the
deadly fire of their enemies, the legionnaires flung up the two flights of stairs,
reached the small terrace and launched a bayonet attack against the French.
Time and again the lodge was taken back and lost; at 7.30am, Garibaldi could
even announce to the Triumvirate that the villa was entirely in his hands. Not
long after, however, the lodge had been lost again and many of the best men
had fallen, dead or wounded, on the tragic esplanade. Daverio had died; Bixio
was seriously injured, Masina was injured but had immediately resumed fight-
ing with his arm in a sling, to the applauses of his men. Garibaldi, fearless
among a hail of bullets, seemed as invincible as a God.
Finally, at about 8am, Manara’s Bersaglieri arrived, after having been left as