As we approached the western coast of Sicily we began to discover
sailing-vessels and steamers. On the roadstead of Marsala two men-of-war
were anchored, which turned out to be English. Having decided on landing
at Marsala, we approached that port, and reached it about noon. On
entering the harbor we found it full of merchant-vessels of different
nations. Fortune had indeed favored us and so guided our expedition that
we could not have arrived at a more propitious moment. The Bourbon
cruisers had left the harbor of Marsala that morning, sailing eastward,
while we were arriving from the west; indeed, they were still in sight
toward Cape San Marco as we entered, so that by the time they came
within cannon-shot we had already landed all the men out of the Piemonte
and were beginning to debark those on board the Lombardo.
The presence of the two English men-of-war in some degree influenced the
determination of the Bourbon commanders, who were naturally impatient to
open fire on us, and this circumstance gave us time to get our whole
force on shore. The noble English flag once more helped to prevent
bloodshed, and I, the Benjamin of these lords of the ocean, was for the
hundredth time protected by them. The assertion, however, made by our
enemies, that the English had directly favored and assisted our landing
at Marsala, was inaccurate. The British colors, flying from the two
men-of-war and the English consulate, made the Bourbon mercenaries
hesitate, and, I might even say, impressed them with a sense of shame at
pouring the fire of their imposing batteries into a handful of men armed
only with the kind of muskets usually supplied by the Government to
Italian volunteers.
Notwithstanding this, three-fourths of the volunteers were still on the
quay when the Bourbons began firing on them with shells and
grape-shot--happily, without injury to anyone. The Piemonte, abandoned
by us, was carried off by the enemy, who left the Lombardo, which had
grounded on a sand-bank.
The population of Marsala, thunderstruck at this unexpected event,
received us pretty well, all things considered. The common people,
indeed, were delighted; the magnates welcomed us under protest. I
thought all this very natural. Those who are accustomed to calculate
everything at so much per cent, are not likely to be reassured by the
sight of a few desperadoes, who wish to ameliorate a corrupt society by
eradicating from it the cancer of privilege and falsehood, especially
when these desperadoes, few as they are, and with neither
three-hundred-pounders nor ironclads, fling themselves against a power
believed to be gigantic, like that of the Bourbon.
Men of high rank--that is, the privileged class--before risking anything
in an enterprise wish to assure themselves which way the wind of fortune
blows and where the large battalions are; and then the victorious force
may be certain of finding them compliant, cordial, and even enthusiastic
if need be. Is not this the history of human selfishness in every
country? The poor people, on the other hand, welcomed us with applause
and with unmistakable tokens of affection. They thought of nothing but
the sacredness of the sacrifice, the difficult and noble task undertaken
by that handful of gallant young fellows, who had come from such a
distance to the succor of their brethren.
We passed the remainder of the day and the following night at Marsala,
where I began to profit by the services of Crispi, an honest and capable
Sicilian, who was of the greatest use to me in government business, and
in making all necessary arrangements which my want of local knowledge
prevented my doing myself. A dictatorship was spoken of, and I accepted
it without hesitation, having always believed it the plank of safety in
urgent cases, amid the breakers in which nations often find themselves.
On the morning of the 12th the "Thousand" [Footnote: Garibaldi landed
with a force of one thousand volunteers.--Ed.] left for Salemi, but, the
distance being too great for one _étape_, we stopped at the farm of
Mistretta, where we passed the night. We did not find the proprietor at
home, but a young man, his brother, did the honors with kindly and
liberal hospitality. At Mistretta we formed a new company under
Griziotti. On the 13th we marched to Salemi, where we were well received
by the people and were joined by the companies of Sant' Anna d'Alcamo
and some other volunteers of the island.
On the 14th we occupied Vita, or San Vito, and on the 15th came in sight
of the enemy, who, occupying Calatafimi and knowing of our approach in
that direction, had spread out the great part of their forces on the
heights called _Il Pianto dei Romani_.
The dawn of May 15th found us in good order on the heights of Vita; and
a little later the enemy, whom I knew to be at Calatafimi, left the city
in column, marching toward us. The hills of Vita are confronted by the
heights of the Pianto dei Romani, where the enemy deployed his columns.
On the Calatafimi side these heights have a gentle slope, easily
ascended by the enemy, who covered all the highest points, while on the
Vita side they are steep and precipitous.
Occupying the opposite and southern heights, I had been able to perceive
exactly all the positions held by the Bourbonists, while the latter
could scarcely see the line of sharpshooters formed by the Genoese
carbineers under Mosto, who covered our front, all the other companies
being drawn up _en échelon_ behind them. Our scanty artillery was
stationed on our left, on the highroad, under Orsini, who succeeded, in
spite of the poverty of his resources, in making a few good shots. In
this way both we and the enemy occupied strong positions, fronting each
other, and separated by a wide space of undulating ground, broken by a
few farmsteadings. Our advantage therefore clearly lay in awaiting the
enemy in our own position. The Bourbon forces, to the number of about
two thousand, with some cannon, discovering a few of our men without
distinguishing uniform and mingled with peasants, boldly advanced a few
lines of bersaglieri, with sufficient support and two guns. Arrived
within firing distance, they opened with carbines and cannon while
advancing on us.
The order given to the Thousand was to wait without firing for the enemy
to come up, though the gallant Ligurians already had one man killed and
several wounded. The blare of the bugles, sounding an American
_reveille_, brought the enemy to a halt as if by magic. They understood
that it was not the Picciotti alone they had to deal with, and their
lines, with the artillery, gave the signal for a retrograde movement.
This was the first time that the soldiers of despotism had quailed
before the filibusters--for such was the title with which our enemies
honored us.
The Thousand then sounded a charge--the Genoese carbineers in the van,
followed by a chosen band of youths impatient to come to close quarters.
The intention of the charge was to put to flight the enemy's vanguard
and get possession of the two guns--a manoeuvre that was executed with a
spirit worthy of the champions of Italian liberty; but I had no
intention of a front attack on a formidable position occupied by a
strong force of Bourbon troops. But who could stop those fiery and
impetuous volunteers in their rush on the foe? In vain the trumpets
sounded a halt; our men did not hear, or imitated Nelson's conduct at
the Battle of Copenhagen. They turned a deaf ear to the order to halt
sounded by the trumpets, and with their bayonets drove the enemy's van
back on their main body.
There was not a moment to be lost, or that gallant handful would have
perished. Immediately a general charge was sounded, and the entire corps
of the Thousand, accompanied by some courageous Sicilians and Calabrese,
marched at a quick pace to the rescue.
The enemy had abandoned the plain, but, falling back on the heights
where their reserve was, held firm and defended their position with a
dogged valor worthy of a better cause. The most dangerous part of the
ground we had to cross was the level valley separating us from the
enemy, where we had to face a storm of cannon- and musket-balls which
wounded a good many of our men. Arrived at the foot of Monte Romano, we
were almost sheltered from attack; and at this point the Thousand,
somewhat diminished in number, closed up to the vanguard.
The situation was supreme; we were bound to win. In this determination
we began to ascend the first ledge of the mountain, under a hail of
bullets. I do not remember how many, but there were certainly several
terraces to be gained before reaching the crest of the heights, and
every time we climbed from one terrace to the next--during which
operation we were totally unprotected--we were under a tremendous fire.
The orders given to our men to fire but few shots were well adapted to
the wretched weapons presented to us by the Sardinian Government, which
nearly always missed fire. On this occasion, too, great service was
rendered by the gallant Genoese, who, being excellent shots and armed
with good carbines, sustained the honor of our cause. This ought to be
an encouragement to all young Italians to exercise themselves in the use
of arms, in the conviction that valor alone is not enough on modern
battlefields; great dexterity in the use of weapons is also necessary.
Calatafimi! The survivor of a hundred battles, if in my last moments my
friends see me smile once more with pride, it will be at the
recollection of that fight--for I remember none more glorious. The
Thousand, attired just as at home, worthy representatives of their
people, attacked--with heroic coolness, fighting their way from one
formidable position to another--the soldiers of tyranny, brilliant in
gaudily trimmed uniforms, gold lace, and epaulettes, and completely
routed them. How can I forget that knot of youths who, fearing to see me
wounded, surrounded me, pressing themselves closely together and
sheltering me with their bodies? If, while I write, I am deeply touched
at the recollection, I have good reason. Is it not my duty at least to
remind Italy of those brave sons of hers who fell there?--Montanari,
Schiaffino, Sertorio, Nullo, Vigo, Tukery, Taddei, and many more whose
names I grieve to say I cannot remember.
As I have already said, the southern slope of Monte Romano, which we had
to ascend, was formed of those ledges or narrow terraces used by the
cultivators of the soil in mountainous countries. We made all possible
haste to reach the bank of each terrace, driving the enemy before us,
and then halting under cover of the bank to take breath and prepare for
the attack. Proceeding thus, we gained one ledge after another, till we
reached the top, where the Bourbon troops made a last effort, defending
their position with great intrepidity; many of their chasseurs, who had
come to the end of their ammunition, even throwing down stones on us. At
last we gave the final charge. The bravest of the Thousand, massed
together under the last bank, after taking breath and measuring with
their eye the space yet to be traversed before crossing swords with the
enemy, rushed on like lions, confident of victory and trusting in their
sacred cause. The Bourbon force could not resist the terrible onset of
men fighting for freedom; they fled, and never stopped till they reached
the town of Calatafimi, several miles from the battlefield. We ceased
our pursuit a short distance from the entrance to the town, which is
very strongly situated. If one gives battle, one ought to be sure of
victory; this axiom is very true under all circumstances, but especially
at the beginning of a campaign.
The victory of Calatafimi, though of slight importance as regards
acquisitions--for we took only one cannon, a few rifles, and a few
prisoners--had an immeasurable moral result in encouraging the
population and demoralizing the hostile army. The handful of
filibusters, without gold lace or epaulettes, who were spoken of with
such solemn contempt, had routed several thousand of the Bourbon's best
troops, artillery and all, commanded by one of those generals who, like
Lucullus, are ready to spend the revenue of a province on one night's
supper. One corps of citizens--not to say filibusters--animated by love
of their country, can therefore gain a victory unaided by all this
needless splendor.
The first important result was the enemy's retreat from Calatafimi,
which town we occupied on the following morning, May 16, 1860. The
second result, and one abundantly noteworthy, was the attack made by the
population of Partinicio, Borgetto, Montelepre, and other places, on the
retreating army. In every place volunteer companies were formed which
speedily joined us, and the enthusiasm in the surrounding villages
reached its height. The disbanded troops of the enemy did not stop till
they reached Palermo, where they brought terror to the Bourbon party and
confidence to the patriots. Our wounded, and those of the enemy, were
brought in to Vita and Calatafimi. Among ours were some men who could
ill be spared.
Montanari, my comrade at Rome and in Lombardy, was dangerously wounded
and died a few days after. He was one of those whom doctrinaires call
demagogues, because they are impatient of servitude, love their country,
and refuse to bow the knee to the caprices and vices of the great.
Montanari was a Modenese. Schiaffino, a young Ligurian from Camogli, who
had also served in the Cacciatori delle Alpi and in the Guides, was
among the first to fall on the field, bereaving Italy of one of her
bravest soldiers. He worked hard on the night of our start from Genoa,
and greatly assisted Bixio in that delicate undertaking. De Amici, also
of the Cacciatori and Guides, was another who fell at the beginning of
the battle. Not a few of the chosen band of the Thousand fell at
Calatafimi as our Roman forefathers fell--rushing on the enemy with cold
steel, cut down in front without a complaint, without a cry, except that
of _"Viva L'Italia!"_ I may have seen battles more desperate and more
obstinately contested, but in none have I seen finer soldiers than my
citizen filibusters of Calatafimi.
The victory of Calatafimi was indisputably the decisive battle in the
brilliant campaign of 1860. It was absolutely necessary to begin the
expedition with some striking engagement such as this, which so
demoralized the enemy that their fervent southern imaginations even
exaggerated the valor of the Thousand. There were some among them who
declared they had seen the bullets of their carbines rebound from the
breasts of the soldiers of liberty as if from a plate of bronze. Far
more men were killed and wounded at Palermo, Milazzo, and the Volturno,
but still I believe Calatafimi to have been the decisive battle. After a
fight like that, our men knew they were bound to win; and the gallant
Sicilians, whose courage had been previously shaken by the imposing
numbers and superior equipment of the Bourbon force, were encouraged.
When a battle begins with such prestige, with omens drawn from such a
precedent, victory is sure.