Chapter VII

"Native hills and plains are ringing,
With the sounds of joy once more;
Charming echos send the music,
From Alps to far Sicilla's shore."—
_Banks of Dora._

ACCOUNTS OF THE EXPEDITION FOR SICILY—VOYAGE—TOUCH AT
TALAMONE, IN TUSCANY—PROCEED TO MARSALA—LANDING—MARCH
—OCCURRENCES ON THE WAY TO PALERMO.

For the following interesting accounts of Garibaldi's expedition to Sicily, its arrival and operations, we copy from some letters published in English papers. Being written on the spot, by intelligent eye-witnesses, they are well adapted to our use:

DEPARTURE OF THE EXPEDITION.

"Garibaldi left the neighborhood of Genoa on the night
of the 5th of May. His intention had been to leave the
day before, but owing to the non-arrival of one of the
steamers singled out for the expedition, he had to defer
it to the next day. It is useless to say that the thorny
part of the transaction had been arranged beforehand
with the owners of the steamers, and that Garibaldi
merely consented to take upon himself the responsibility
of carrying off the steamers. The captain, engineers and
crew had received notice to leave them, the gallant
general being himself a good sailor, and having plenty
of men of his own to sail and handle the ships. On the
7th a landing took place on the coast of Tuscany, at
Talamone, and on the 8th, another, at Orbitello, which
detained the expedition the next day. On the evening of
the 9th, the expedition set out for the coast of Sicily
direct. The Neapolitan government was perfectly well
informed, and the fleet was cruising about in all
directions except the right one. Little squadrons of two
or more steamers had been concentrated in the chief
seaport towns of the island, and tried by cruising to
keep a _cordon_ round the island. The south and
southwesterly coasts were, above all, a point of their
attention, for some of their ships reported having seen
the expedition going toward Tunis. Two steamers, the
Capri and Stromboli, were lying at Marsala, and not two
hours before the arrival of the expedition, had gone out
for a cruise."

THE LANDING.

"The place for landing had not been fixed beforehand; an
inspiration of the moment induced Garibaldi to choose
the most frequented part of that side of the island, and
his star led him there just in the interval which
occurred between the going out and returning of the
steamers. Had it not been for this the landing might
have failed. One of the steamers struck on a rock just
at the entrance of the port, while the other went in as
close as possible. The information received, was that
there was a garrison of 600 men at Marsala, and the
orders had already been given to land a small party and
dislodge them from the barracks, when the boats from the
shore came off with the news that no one was there. This
made the landing easy enough; large barges were brought
alongside, and took everything ashore; but when
everything was landed, the Neapolitans made their
appearance, and began firing to their hearts' content,
without doing more than wounding slightly two men.

"The first thing was to cut the telegraph wire, but it
was too late to prevent it from transmitting the news of
the landing to Palermo. The last two messages were: 'Two
steamers in sight making for the port; suspicious, as
they carry no flag;' and then: 'The two steamers having
hoisted the Sardinian flag, have come in and are landing
their men.'"

Another eye-witness, writing from Marsala, May 12th, thus describes the landing:

"The extraordinary event which happened here yesterday
which still looks more like a dream than a reality
namely, the landing in this harbor of Garibaldi with a
band of about 1,500 as fine looking fellows as you
can well imagine, from two Sardinian steamers. The
landing was effected in gallant style, and with most
extraordinary celerity and order, and part of the time
under the guns of a Neapolitan frigate and two steamers.
One of the Sardinian vessels was run aground and
scuttled by themselves in the harbor, and the other was
taken outside by the Neapolitans; but after the landing
had been fully effected. I believe the brave adventurers
did not lose a man—only two or three wounded. We were
all in a state of alarm during the firing, as the shot
and shell from the frigate went flying about in a most
awkward manner—some into the town, some into Woodhouse's
stores, some into Wood's _baglio_ (factory), and one
actually over our heads here on the _baglio_ terrace,
which fell into the sea beyond the Salinella.

"Our Vice-Consul, with the captains of the Intrepid and
Argus (both here fortunately for us at the time), went
on board the frigate during the firing to inquire into
the meaning of their missiles, so capriciously injuring
our factories, on each of which the English flag was
flying, and to inculcate more caution and accuracy in
their operations. The Neapolitan commanders, wisely
considering that it was their duty to expend a certain
quantity of powder and shot on such an important
occasion, gave the town the benefit of the residuary
dose, after the enemy was snug within the walls, and
laughing at this exhibition of impotent rage. It was,
however, no laughing matter to the poor inhabitants,
who, not accustomed to such phenomena, took to flight in
all directions to avoid the effects of the shell, which
did considerable damage about the Porta di Mare and the
Grazzia Vecchia, but fortunately without loss of life,
as many families were in the country for their spring
trip. A considerable number, high and low, flocked under
the protection of our flag here, and the old _baglio_ is
as crowded as Noah's Ark, only the animals are all
human."

MARCH INTO THE INTERIOR.

"In the morning the whole of Garibaldi's party set off
for Salemi, reinforced by a good many Marsalese
volunteers, and well provided with horses for the
officers, carts for their spare arms and ammunition, and
mules for the few field-pieces they brought with them.
Everything was managed with admirable order, and
apparently to the satisfaction of General Garibaldi;
though under the effect of the bombardment from the
Neapolitan vessels the poor Marsalese did not show an
enthusiastic welcome to their unexpected visitors.

"MAY 14.—At Salemi they were received with open arms,
after having been joined on their march by several
large armed bands under Coppola, of the Monte, Baron
Sant Anna, of Alcamo, etc. Other two bands of armed
countrymen have set off from this place to join the
brave general, and with the reinforcements expected
from Castelvetrano, Santa Ninfa, and other neighboring
towns, they will soon muster a very formidable force.
Even their artillery is increasing, as some light
brass field-pieces, buried since 1849, have been
brought out, and found in good condition. Several
Franciscan monks have put themselves at the head, with
the cross in one hand and the sword in the other."

FIRST EFFECTS OF THE ARRIVAL OF GARIBALDI.

"The arrival of Garibaldi changed the nature of the
insurrection in Sicily completely. Until then the
different _squadre_ (bands) of _picciotti_ (youngsters)
had carried on a kind of desultory guerrilla warfare
without much connection between them. The landowner, if
influential enough, or else some popular man more
energetic than the rest, collected for this purpose
whoever wanted to come and had some sort or other of
arms. Their tactics were to appear and disappear in
different parts of the country, and harass from safe
places the royal troops passing through the interior,
but as for concerting a plan or meeting the royalists in
the open field, no one would ever have dreamed of it.
The mountainous country, and the want of roads, greatly
facilitated this kind of warfare, while the absence of
danger and fatigue was sufficient inducement even for
those who were not driven there by their hatred against
the Neapolitans. The country between Palermo, Trapani,
Marsala, and Corleone was the chief seat of these
_squadre_, not a few of which were collected at the time
in the mountain chain above Palermo.

"Garibaldi's name and prestige, and the succors which he
brought, became a link between these different squadre,
which placed themselves under his orders. Scarce had the
news of his landing spread, when the bands from Trapani,
Corleone, and one or two other places joined. It was to
meet this force, which was every day swelling, that
Brigadier-General Landi was sent in the direction of
Marsala and Trapani. The road to these places is the
same as far as Calata Fimi, situated on the top of an
elevated plateau; from thence it separates. A force,
therefore, stationed at the intersection, shuts off all
communication by regular roads from Palermo to Trapani
and Marsala. It was on the lower slopes of the plateau
that General Landi had taken his position, with four
battalions, one of them riflemen, and four mountain
guns. The road from Marsala, after passing Salemi,
descends one of those long terraced plateaus which are a
characteristic feature of this part of Sicily, and after
crossing a little valley, rises up to the other plateau,
where Calata Fimi is situate. The position was,
therefore, one of the most difficult to carry. Like all
soldiers of the same kind, the Neapolitans, whose
muskets are excellent, rely altogether on their fire,
especially if it can be carried on from afar. The
reception, therefore, of Garibaldi and his troops was so
hot that the _squadre_ soon sought shelter where they
could, leaving all the work to the troops Garibaldi had
brought with him. The Cacciatori delle Alpi justified
their renown, and in spite of the heat of the day,
the advantage of position and numbers, drove the
Neapolitans, at the point of the bayonet, from one
position to another, taking one of the mountain guns.
One of the students from Pavia, a youth certainly not
more than eighteen, was the first to lay hands on it. In
less than two hours, the Neapolitans were driven from
all their positions and flying back toward Palermo. A
letter, written by General Landi, was found in the
village. In it he writes to the commander of Palermo to
send him reinforcements, as he could not hold the place.
He excuses at the same time the loss of the gun, by
saying that the mule which carried it was shot—a
falsehood, for the gun carriage was taken with it, as
well as the two mules, which are in perfect health.

"The retreat of the brigade, which had lost
considerably, was not molested at first, and they passed
Alcamo without being attacked, but at Partenico, where
they had sacked, burned, and murdered promiscuously,
throwing women and children into the fire, the people
were up and had occupied the houses, from which they
fired on the troops, converting their flight into a
regular rout, the eleventh regiment losing its colors.
Garibaldi is not the man to lose much time, but still
the necessity of concerting a common action with the
bands in the neighborhood of Palermo, prevented him from
taking the position of Monreale by surprise."

PALERMO.

"In order to understand the importance of this position,
as well as the rest of the operations, I must say
something about the topography of the basin of Palermo.
Long before you arrive at Palermo by sea, you have
before you a bold limestone mountain, standing there
isolated, and resembling somewhat the rock of Gibraltar,
but not so lofty. This rock forms the northern limit of
the Bay of Palermo and of the Conca d'Oro (Gold Shell),
the fertile plain in which the town lies. The plain
stretches out in a northwesterly and southeasterly
direction, which is likewise followed in a circular
sweep by the mountain chain.

"The plain may be about twelve miles in its greatest
length, and from four to five in its greatest width.
Between the isolated Monte Pellegrino and the rest of
the chain the plain runs up to La Favorita, over which a
carriage road goes to Carini; on the opposite side of
the plain, skirting the sea-shore runs the highroad to
Messina, passing through Bazaria, and close to the ruins
of Solento. These are the two easiest outlets of the
plain. Everywhere else a continued chain of mountains
seems to close all outlet. Nearest to La Favorita a bad
mountain road leads in a straight line by San Martino to
Carini. To the left of this road rises a rugged,
magnificent mountain, looking like the worn side of an
extinct crater; it protrudes somewhat into the plain,
and throws out a high spur in the same direction as the
main chain. This spur is Monreale, and you can see the
famous convent and church, as well as the greatest part
of the village. Over this plateau passes the high road
to Trapani. Behind the spur and plateau of Monreale, the
mountain forms a kind of amphitheatre on a colossal
scale, the terraced cultivation helping to keep up the
illusion. Where it ends, and the mountain begins again
to protrude into the plain, you can see on the slopes
two white villages; they are Parco and Madonna delle
Grazie, over which a carriage road leads to the Piana
del Greci and Corleone, two old Albanian colonies,
established, like a good number in this part of Sicily
by emigration after the death of Skandorbeg. Another
spur runs out into the plain, and forms another
amphitheatre, more rugged and picturesque than that of
Monreale, and dominated by the Gebel Rosso. In the dip a
rugged horse-path ascends, called the Passo della
Mezzagna, leading down to the village of Misilmeri,
situate on the only highroad into the interior and to
Catania. The Gebel Rosso toward the sea and Cape
Zaffarano, and in the lower depression is the highroad
from Palermo to Catania. It runs almost parallel to the
road on the sea-shore as far as Abate, and then cuts
across to the south. From this description you will see
that the Neapolitans, possessing the command of the sea,
had all the advantages of a concentric position,
especially with an enemy who was weak in artillery, and
who was chiefly formidable in the mountains. A general
concentration of their forces in the plain was clearly
indicated, with the single exception of the plateau of
Monreale, which is a position in itself, and commands
the road from the interior for some distance. The
disadvantage of him who attacked was considerably
increased by the difficult nature of the mountains,
which makes all lateral communication between the roads
almost impossible, so that any change of the attack
implied a great circuit. The Neapolitans, who had
studied the thing for years, were fully aware of these
advantages, and concentrated their forces in the plain,
merely occupying the plateau of Monreale.

"Garibaldi could not unite his forces in time to arrive
at Monreale before the Neapolitans had occupied it in
great force, and when he arrived in the neighborhood of
the position, four days after the victory of Calata
Fimi, he saw that the taking of Monreale could only be
effected with great loss. He therefore determined to
change his plans. The first thing was to surround and
watch all the outlets, and for this purpose the
different _squadri_ of the insurgents took up positions
all round the chain of mountains which inclose the bay.
It was one of the finest sights you could see when their
fires blazed up at night, and mingled their red glare
with the pale light of the moon. They were watched by
the inhabitants like the holy fire by the Parsee, and
the sole occupation during the last eight days or so
seemed to be to observe and comment on their meaning.
Now they seemed stronger on one peak, now more spread
and continuous on the slope of another mountain, and on
the hope kindled by these fires the uninitiated lived.
Palermo was in a state of excitement and ferment
impossible to describe, and strong enough to brave the
state of siege which had been proclaimed. The Secret
Committee, which had maintained itself in spite of the
vigilance and suspicion of the police, always found
means to communicate with Garibaldi, in spite of the
military authorities. The committee was known to exist,
and it circulated printed bulletins almost daily, but it
was so organized that the police, although aware of its
existence, could never discover the members. It was
a kind of freemasonry, with different degrees of
initiation. No one not a member knew more than one
member. The houses where the meetings were held were
continually changed, and all obeyed blindly.

"The committee informed Garibaldi that Palermo was ready
to rise, but it imposed the condition that he should
appear before the gates of the town. He accepted this
condition, and made his plans accordingly. Seeing that
he had come too late for Monreale, he left a party of
the native insurgents to keep up the fires and engage
the Neapolitans, while he took off the mass of the
force, and, by an almost incredible march along the
mountain chain, where the guns had to be carried by the
men, he appeared all at once at Parco, on the road to
Piana, on the 23d. As soon as the Neapolitans saw their
mistake, they sent up in hot haste toward Parco
whatever they could muster of forces without exposing
their position in the town. They did not think them
sufficient; for, after some skirmishing on that day,
they withdrew again to their position on two lower
plateaus, the Piana Borazzo and Santa Theresa. The next
day, 24th, they got up some of the troops from Monreale,
and thus strengthened, made another attack—the same I
witnessed from on board ship. The purpose was gained;
they had got another change. Garibaldi withdrew, leaving
just a few of the bands behind. These latter did not
wait long to follow, and the 'Regii,' as the soldiers
are called, entered both Madonna delle Grazie and Parco
the same afternoon, and pillaged and burned the place,
according to time-honored custom, killing a number of
the peaceful inhabitants, and publishing as usual next
day, a splendid bulletin, announcing the defeat of
the bands of Garibaldi, and promising their speedy
subjection. Although Neapolitan bulletins are not much
believed, yet there were many in the town whose hearts
sank when they saw Garibaldi retire a second time.

"They little knew the man with whom they had to do, nor
did the Neapolitans either—although they ought to have
remembered Velletri. It was _reculer pour mieux sauter_.
In order the better to deceive the Neapolitans, he went
back to Piana, and sent his artillery even farther back,
while he himself, with his chosen band, made his way
over the mountains again, and, while the Neapolitans
followed his track to Piana, he had arrived yesterday
morning at Misilmeri, on the highroad to Catania, where
he had given rendezvous to all the chieftains or
captains on that side of the mountain chain.

"I was sick of uncertain rumors, which alone were to be
got at in town, and which would leave your readers in
darkness about the true state of things. Besides knowing
a little of the gallant general's tactics, I had a
strong suspicion that something was impending which
could be better seen from without than from inside the
town, so I determined to see whether I could not get
there. Some English and American officers had been out
in that direction, and had seen one of the captains, a
popular man of this place, called La Maza, so I
determined likewise to have a trial. Some friends in the
town indicated the way, and I set off in the carriage of
one of them. The road to Messina, starting from the
Marina and the Villa Giulia at the end of it, skirts the
sea as far as Abate, where it unites with the highroad
to Misilmeri and Catania. I was advised to take this
last, as the least infested by soldiers. What with their
confidence in their navy, and what with the stratagem of
Garibaldi, the Neapolitans had paid little attention to
this road and the southeasterly side in general. Two
sentries before the corner of the Villa Giulia, and a
post of a score of men a little further, in the _octroi_
building, were all that were in the neighborhood of the
town. Straggling houses continue for some distance up to
a bridge leading over a little stream or torrent called
Orveto, which flows into the sea about a quarter of a
mile further on. All along these houses there is a chain
of sentries, and in the vicinity of the bridge a post of
perhaps eighty men who furnish these sentries.

"I passed them without an inquiry, and was free. There
had been the Neapolitan steamers cruising about every
day all along this coast; no necessity was therefore
felt for any further precaution. I rolled along fast
enough with my two Calabrese horses, and passed some
American officers, probably bound for Solento. At the
very gates of the town the people had joined the
insurrection, but there was a kind of neutral ground
between the two, which ended in a village beyond Abate,
the name of which I cannot recollect. If the Regii were
careless, the insurgents were not, and at the entrance
of the village one of their armed men asked me for
permission to be my guide, a thing which exactly suited
me. As we drove through the village the people rushed
forward, and trying to kiss my hands, asked me for arms.
They were all ready to join, but had no arms, which did
not prevent their raising shouts for Italy, Victor
Emanuel, and Garibaldi. We had to gallop off in order
not to be stopped at every step. A drive of half an hour
or more in a gentle descent, with a lovely valley
beneath, and beautiful mountain scenery in front,
brought me to the town of Misilmeri, a wretched little
place, altogether wanting in character. In the little
square held out on one side the committee, which forms a
kind of provisional government, and on the other, up
some wooden steps fixed outside, was enthroned the chief
of the staff of Garibaldi's expedition in primitive
simplicity. Colonel Sirtori was just giving a pass to
two young American officers from the United State's
steamship Iroquois, without which no one was allowed to
enter the camp. As he had likewise given them an officer
as guide, I joined them, and up we sauntered toward the
heights leading to the Gebel Rosso and the pass the
Mezzagna. We had soon left behind us the few remaining
houses, and the ruins of the feudal castle to the left,
the white limestone walls of which had something in them
which reminded you of a skeleton. The ground all about
is planted with olive-trees, vines, and different sorts
of grain, which all grow luxuriantly in spite of the
stony nature of the place. The general had pitched his
camp on a tolerably extensive plateau just above the
ruins, looking down on one side toward the plain and the
range which ends at Cape Zaffarana, while on the other
the peaks of the Gebel Rosso and the pass of Mezzagna
were visible across a depression in the ground, looking
very much like an extinct crater, and now partially
filled with water, owing to the copious rains which had
fallen during the last few days. It was one of those
panoramas which suggest naturally your pitching your
tent there—that is, if you have one. The word tent is
erased from the military dictionary of Garibaldi.
However, a popular general has to yield at times to his
soldiers, and so he could not prevent them from sticking
into the ground four of the lances with which the
squadron, who have no muskets, are armed, and from
throwing over them a blanket. Under the tent you could
see the guacha saddle arranged as a pillow, and the
black sheepskin covering as a bed. As for every one
else, there were the olive-trees affording shade, plenty
of stones for pillows, and perhaps for every tenth man a
cloak or blanket. All around were picketed the horses,
most of them entire, and behaving accordingly. The
general himself was not there when we arrived; he had
taken one of his morning strolls, but in front of his
tent there were all his trusty followers—Colonel Turr,
the Hungarian, although still suffering from the shot in
his arm, received in last year's campaign, yet always
ready where there is danger; Colonel Bixio, another
trusty follower and well-known officer of the Cacciatori
delle Alpi; Colonel Carini, the bravest of Sicilians,
likewise an officer of that corps, besides a number of
others, all brave like him, among them Garibaldi's young
son, with a shot wound in his wrist, received at Calata
Fimi, and the son of Daniel Manin, wounded in the thigh.
There was the ex-priest Guzmaroli, a Romagnole, who has
vowed the most enthusiastic worship to his hero, and
follows him like his shadow, providing for his comforts,
and watching his person in the moment of danger. There
was a small cluster of guides, most of them of good
Lombard families, meant to serve on horseback, but now
on foot, and the foremost in the battle. Not the least
remarkable among all these figures was the Sicilian
monk, Frate Pantaleone—jolly, like the picture of a monk
of the middle ages, but full of fire and patriotism, and
as brave as any of the others. He had joined the force
at Salemi, and did his best to encourage and comfort
them. Several among the leading men from Palermo and its
vicinity were likewise present among them, with several
priests and monks, who are among the most sincere and
energetic promoters of the movement. They were a strange
sight, indeed, in this by no means very Catholic army;
but I assure you their behavior has been such that the
wildest among these youths honor and respect them, and
in them their order.

"Well, all this motley crowd, increased now by the two
young American naval men, and soon after joined by three
British naval officers, was collected around a common
nucleus—a smoking kettle, with the larger part of a calf
in it, and a liberal allowance of onions, a basket with
heaps of fresh bread, and a barrel containing Marsala.
Every one helped himself in the most communistic manner,
using fingers and knife, and drinking out of the
solitary tin pot. It is only in this irregular warfare
that you see these scenes in their greatest perfection.
The long marches and countermarches, rains, fights, and
sleeping on the ground, had made almost every one worthy
to figure in a picture by Murillo, with all those grand
Sicilian mountains, not unlike those of Greece, forming
a background such as no picture can reproduce."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

GARIBALDI IN COUNCIL.

"Soon after my arrival, Garibaldi made his appearance,
and received his foreign visitors with that charming,
quiet simplicity which characterizes him, lending
himself with great complaisance to the invariably
recurring demands of autographs, and answering the
numerous questions which were naturally put to him. It
was only after the departure of his guests that the
general resumed business. The question debated was
nothing more nor less than to venture on a _coup de
main_ on Palermo the same night. There was no doubt, all
the information went to show, that the Neapolitans had
taken the bait thrown out for them—that they had taken
a feigned retreat for a defeat, and the sending
back of the guns toward the interior as a sign of
discouragement. As to the flank movement to Misilmeri,
they seemed to have no idea of it, for men come from
Piani stated that they were in force in that place.
Another considerable body of men was at Parco, and on
the road beyond it. In Monreale, the reports spoke
likewise of several thousand. In fact, the approaches to
these two last-named places, called the Piana di Borazzo
and the Theresa, both of which are close to the Palazzo
Reale, in the southwest part of the town, were the
points of concentration, while the outlets from the
southerly and the southeasterly parts of the town were
comparatively undefended. Former events had forced the
Neapolitans to pay attention to the topography of the
town, so as to remain masters of it in case of a popular
rising. This was not very easy in such a town as
Palermo, which, like a true southern town, forms a
labyrinth of small and tortuous streets, flanked by
high houses all provided with balconies. This was a
serious drawback for the troops in a street fight. The
Neapolitans did their best to repair the disadvantage.
There are two streets, evidently of Spanish origin,
which form the main arteries of the town. The first,
called Via di Toledo, starting from the Marina at Porta
Felice, traverses the town in a straight line from
northeast to southwest, passing close to the Cathedral
of Santa Rosalia, and ending at the Piazza Reale, the
largest square of Palermo, on the opposite side of the
town from which the roads start to Monreale and Parco.
Besides the royal palace, supposed to be on the site of
the old palace of the Emirs of Sicily, there are several
large public buildings which line the square, the
Archivescovado forming one corner, and the large convent
of St. Elizabetha the other. The ground rises gently
toward this part, which commands the whole town. At
right angles to the Via di Toledo runs another street
equally straight, the Strada Moquerada, which, starting
from the Porto San Antonino, and traversing the whole
town, leads out the road to La Favorita and to the Mole.
The two intersect each other right in the centre of the
town, where the octagonal place is called the Piazzi
Bologni. The lower half of the town, from the sea to
this place, had been almost abandoned, or rather
committed to the tender care of the shipping and the
Castello, which occupies a projecting height on the
seashore, near the northeasterly corner of the town. A
few posts at the gates of the town on this side, rather
points of observation than of action, and a company or
so in the building of the Finanze, situated in this part
of the town, were all that remained of troops on that
side.

"In order to establish and keep up the communication
between the upper half of the town, the real point of
defence, and the sea-shore, two large _stradoni_ have
been opened outside of the town, both of them starting
from the neighborhood of the royal palace, and running
down to the sea, near to the Villa Giulia, a large
public garden adjoining the Marina, and the other
passing through the Quartiere dei Quatri Venti, to the
Mole. This latter _stradone_ has always been considered
as the line of retreat to the place of embarkation, and
is flanked by large buildings, the political prison,
some barracks, the criminal prison, and finally the
works on the Mole itself.

"The plan which Garibaldi conceived from these
dispositions, was to surprise the posts in the lower and
comparatively ill-defended part of the town, to throw
himself into the town, and then gradually work his way
from street to street. The two roads leading to this
part of the town run almost parallel, and not far from
each other. That close to the sea-shore was the least
guarded, containing merely a company or so, altogether
cut off from all communication. The task would have been
easier from this side, had it not been for the fear of
the march of a long column being discovered, and thus an
alarm given. The second, the highroad from the interior,
was therefore chosen as the line of operations. It
crosses, about half a mile from the town, the route Del
Ammiraglio, leads through a large open street to the
_stradone_ on this side of the town, and enters the town
at the Porta di Termini. At this gate the Neapolitans
had made a sandbag barricade, which was occupied by two
companies. The _stradone_ before it was enfiladed by a
couple of mountain guns, placed at the gate of Sant'
Antonino. Beyond the _stradone_ small forts extended all
along the road up to the bridge, and the outposts were
just on the other side of the bridge.

"With that just _coup d'œil_ which Garibaldi certainly
possesses, he had singled out this point as the most
practicable. Having, with the exception of the troops
he had brought with him, but rough, undisciplined
guerrillas at his disposal, he saw that the best
chance was to concentrate all his forces, and surprise
or break through by main force. The operation was to
be assisted by a general rise of the people in the
town.

"Having sketched out his plan, he convoked the different
guerrilla chiefs and informed them of his intention. He
told them that it was not his custom to have councils of
war, but he thought it for once good to consult them, as
upon the resolution taken must depend the fate of
Sicily, and perhaps of Italy. There were only two things
to be done—either to try and get possession of Palermo
by a _coup de main_, or else to withdraw and begin a
regular organization in the interior, and form an army.
He, for his part, was for a _coup de main_, which would
at once settle the fate of the island. He told them to
be brief in their remarks, and not deliberate long. Most
were utterly astonished at the boldness of this plan,
and some made remarks about the want of ammunition for
their men. They were told for the hundredth time, that
it was not long shots which imposed on the well-armed
Neapolitans, but a determined rush in advance—that they
ought not to waste their ammunition and fire off their
guns for sport, and were promised whatever could be
spared. This objection being waived, all expressed more
or less loudly their approbation of the plan, and were
dismissed with the injunction to animate their people
and keep up their courage."

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