Chapter XI

"All unfurl the same bright banner,
All one army rush to form,
Pious lips shout one hozanna,
With one fire all hearts are warm."
_The Banks of Dora._

MEDICI'S EXPEDITIONS FROM PIEDMONT TO AID GARIBALDI
—PREPARATIONS, DEPARTURE, VOYAGE, ARRIVAL, ETC.
—CAPITULATION OF MESSINA, ETC.—GARIBALDI AT MESSINA—HIS
RECEPTION, MANNERS, AND SIMPLE HABITS—DIFFICULTIES IN
ARRANGING HIS GOVERNMENT—LETTER FROM VICTOR EMANUEL
FORBIDDING HIM TO INVADE NAPLES—GARIBALDI'S REPLY.

Colonel Medici, who had been an officer of Garibaldi in South America, and afterward in Rome and Lombardy, raised and directed several corps of volunteers, who in June enthusiastically enlisted under the country's standard in Piedmont, and hastened to Sicily at different times. The following account of the expedition of the 8th of that month, is abridged from a private letter, written in the form of a journal, by one of the volunteers. It begins on "Thursday, the 14th of June, on board the ship Washington, lying off Cagliari," a small port of Piedmont a little east from Genoa:

"I little thought on Friday night, as I went to
Cornigliano to witness the departure of the 1,200
volunteers, in the clipper Charles and Jane, that on the
following night we ourselves should be _en route_ to
Sicily. Yet so it was. Our intention had been to wait
for the third expedition. On the 8th of June came
dispatches from Garibaldi, quite different from any
previous ones, asking for men; so at 3, P.M., on the
9th, A—— went to Medici, and was at once accepted. I
followed, and with the same success. Our rendezvous was
for 9, P.M., at Cornigliano. Toward evening we learned
from fresh dispatches that the Neapolitan troops had
evacuated Palermo; this made us hesitate, as for a
thousand and one reasons we should prefer the third
expedition: but calculating that if there should be
nothing to do in Sicily, we could return, we took a
carriage at midnight and drove off to Cornigliano. The
gardens of the Villa della Ponsona, where was the
rendezvous for the volunteers, were deserted, and we
could see the two steamers lying at anchor off Sestri. A
little fishing-boat was lying on the shore, so we coaxed
the men to push off, and entered; we found it ankle deep
in water, and in about ten minutes were climbing up the
vessel's side. Medici had furnished us with a letter to
the commander, who gave us a first-rate cabin, and told
us that we were the first on board. Some delay had been
occasioned by the little steamer Oregon jostling against
the Washington in coming out of the port of Genoa; but
with the exception of smashing the woodwork near the
paddle-box, and breaking away a portion of the rails of
the upper deck, no great damage was done. For a while we
sat on deck, watching the volunteers coming up. Genoa
looked more beautiful than ever, the moonlight flooding
her marble palaces and spires; and almost the only
constellation visible between the fleecy clouds was
Cassiopeia, Garibaldi's star, by whose light he wended
his way at night-time across the mountains that divide
Genoa from Nice, when condemned to death by Charles
Albert, in 1834.

"The expedition was composed of—ship Charles and Jane,
of Bath (U.S.), left Genoa at midnight, 8th June, in tow
of steamer L'Utile, with 1,200 men, under command of
Major Corti.

"Steamship Franklin, left Genoa at 10, P.M., 9th June,
for Leghorn, to receive on board 800 men, under command
of Colonel Malenchini.

"Steamer Oregon, left Genoa 10th June, 4, P.M., with 200
men, under command of Major Caldesi.

"Steamship Washington, of New York, flag ship, Captain
Wm. De Rohan, of Philadelphia, with 1,400 men, under
command of Lieutenant-Colonel Baldisseratto, an officer
of the Sardinian navy, left Genoa at half-past three,
A.M., 10th June.

"Total effective force of 3,600 men, well equipped and
armed, the whole under the command of Colonel Medici,
accompanied by a full staff.

"There was plenty of food on board, but no getting
at it. No one murmured; indeed the patience and
cheerfulness of the volunteers are beyond all praise.
Some of them, many of them, are from the first Italian
families, who have never known a hardship in their
lives; here they cannot even lie down to sleep, but
huddle together, rolled up like balls; many have to
stand all night. We had a long chat with twenty of the
famous Carabinieri of Genoa, who are going out to
reinforce their company, of whom, out of thirty-five in
one attack, six were killed and fifteen wounded. These
twenty seem to dream of naught save a like fate.

"'Chi per la patria muoja vissuto ha assai,'
("He who dies for his country has lived long enough,")

they sing. One's faith in humanity increases wonderfully
here.

"On the morning of the 11th, we passed Caprera,
Garibaldi's Island, coasted along Sardinia all the day,
and at 6, A.M., on the 12th, anchored off Cagliari.
Medici hired two brigs, and dividing the volunteers into
three portions, gave them breathing room. They looked
extremely well in their simple uniform, white trousers
and grey or blue blouse, faced with red. It is a
pity, considering the heat of Sicily, they have not
retained the regular Garibaldi hat, which would have
sheltered the face somewhat. By the way, we have the
famous Englishman, Captain Peard, on board; he missed
Garibaldi's expedition, and is now going to join him; he
is captain of the 2d Pavia brigade—a handsome man, with
long hair, beard tinged with grey; blue, English eyes,
and an honest English heart, much amused at the absurd
stories that have been told about him—a true military
man, and a worshipper of Garibaldi, intent on doing his
utmost for Italian independence.

"Captain De Rohan, too, is a character. I am not at
liberty to tell you how much we owe to him for his
exertions and pecuniary sacrifices in this expedition.
If the Neapolitans respect these 3,600 Sicilian exiles
going home, we may thank the stars and stripes under
which we sail.

"Medici would be in trouble, as he has positive orders
from Cavour not to go; and this is natural. Cavour could
not act otherwise since his advice was asked. Medici,
had he wanted to do it, should. Medici is a splendid
soldier and a good patriot.

"Before quitting Milazzo, I must tell you that I visited
the citadel, the field of battle, and other places of
interest, besides making the personal acquaintance of
Garibaldi, and all the persons of note and interest
staying here. Among others, none possess a larger share
of the latter, for our countrymen at least, than Captain
Peard, 'Garibaldi's Englishman,' a fine English
gentleman, and not the melo-dramatic hero that people at
home are fondly led to believe. I saw him for the first
time under circumstances highly contributing to enhance
the interest with which reputation and curiosity have
invested him. He had left the café where he had taken up
his quarters, and was walking quietly toward the shore,
accompanied by his friends, and a few other persons."

Captain Peard was frequently mentioned, as a volunteer in the corps of Garibaldi, or at least in his company, during his daring and perilous, but successful career in Lombardy in 1859. The public have never been informed whether he was actually an officer and soldier of the Cacciatori delle Alpi, or only accompanied that incomparable band.

Garibaldi's Englishman, Captain J. W. Peard, wrote as follows to a friend at Florence, from Palermo, June 22d:

"Here we are, all safe, although I hear the papers say the contrary. We left Genoa with three steamers, one of which ran on to Leghorn, to embark laborers for the Isthmus of Suez, and after a good passage, got into Cagliari. Not so the American clipper, wit a battalion on board, that sailed 24 hours before us. The Neapolitans fell in with her off Cape Corso, and captured her. She is now, with all her cargo, both alive and dead, at Naples. Yesterday the American man-of-war on the station sailed for that port to demand her peremptorily. She was taken on the high seas, not in Neapolitan waters—therefore her capture is an act of piracy by the law of nations. Notwithstanding that loss, we landed 2,500 men and large supplies of Enfield rifles and ammunition.

"Palermo is in a frightful state from the bombardment. Accounts vary as to the number of shells thrown into the city; but the best report I can get gives them at about 800. The Toledo is in places quite blocked up with ruins. Near the palace nearly an entire street is burned. In other parts ruins meet you at every step. At present the people are hard at work removing the barricades and levelling the Castellamare, from which the shells were thrown. All the works toward the city are to be razed to the ground. The people are wild with joy at their deliverance. A friend of mine asked a man yesterday if it was a festa. 'Yes, signore, every day is a festa now,' he said, with tears rising to his eyes. Those who were present tell me never was anything like Garibaldi's entry into the city. He had not above 600 available men, besides the Sicilian levies, and the enemy was 20,000 strong. Extraordinary are the ravages of the royal troops—villas sacked and burned. I was in one yesterday that belonged to the Neapolitan minister, Cavona. They had destroyed everything they could not carry away. The floor was strewed with broken mirrors, chandeliers, marbles, busts, vases, etc. His own room they had piled up with furniture, and tried to set the building on fire. In another villa a valuable library was totally destroyed, the torn books being as high as a man's waist. I saw some Spanish MSS., royal decrees, etc., which would be invaluable to Sicilian historians, torn to pieces. After the armistice the royalists sacked upward of a thousand houses, and committed numberless murders."

Messina, the second city in Sicily, capitulated to General Medici, on the 28th of June. The commander, Field Marshal De Clary, stated that he was animated by sentiments of humanity, and wished to avoid the bloodshed which would have been caused on the one hand by the occupation of Messina, and on the other by the defence of the town and forts. The terms were:

"1. That the royal troops shall abandon the town of Messina, without being disturbed, and the town shall be occupied by the Sicilian troops, without the latter, on their part, being disturbed by the royal troops.

"2. The royal troops shall evacuate Gonzaga and Castellaccio after a delay of two days, to commence from the date of the signature of the present convention. Each of the two contracting parties shall appoint two officers and a commissioner to make an inventory of the cannon, stores and provisions; in short, of everything in the above-named forts at the time of their evacuation.

"3. The embarkation of the royal troops shall take place without disturbance from the Sicilians.

"4. The royal troops shall remain in possession of the citadel, and the forts of Don Blasco, Santerna, and San Salvadore, but shalt have no power to do damage to the town, except in the event of those works being attacked, or of works of attack being constructed in the town itself.

"5. A strip of ground parallel and contiguous to the military zone shall be neutralized.

"6. Communication by sea remains completely free to both sides, etc.

"In the last place, the signers of the present convention shall have the liberty of agreeing on the subject of the inherent necessities of civil life which will have to be satisfied and provided for in the town of Messina, in respect of the royal troops.

"Done, read, and concluded at the house of Signor Francesco Fiorentino, banker, at the Quattro Fontaine.

"TOMMASO DE CLARY.
"G. MEDICI."

Messina and other cities of Italy were all captured or otherwise secured by the patriots, under various and highly interesting circumstances; but the particulars cannot be here recounted for want of space. The following account of Garibaldi's reception in Messina is from the pen of an eye-witness, and contains a just description of the simple manners and habits which he retains under all circumstances:

"At the appointed hour we went to the palace, where about forty or fifty persons were assembled. The banquet passed off very quietly and happily. Garibaldi, as I had noticed before, is very temperate at his meals, drinks water only, and very quickly rises immediately after he has finished, and returning to his office, resumes his business, which he dispatches with remarkable promptitude and ease—no hurry, no confusion, no excitement, even in the most pressing emergencies. On the present occasion he spent a little more time over his dinner, and after dessert he wrote, and chatted with those present. While at dinner a public band of music, improvised for the occasion, playing in the street in front, where a large number of people had assembled, who kept up a round of cheering when anything occurred, such as an arrival of a detachment of volunteers or some public favorite, to excite their curiosity and interest.

"The great event of the evening, however, came off some time later, when the palace having been illuminated, Garibaldi went on the balcony leading out of the banqueting room, for the purpose of showing himself to the people and addressing them. On making his appearance, a tremendous ovation was offered to the liberator by the Messinians. The applause, the cheering—genuine cheering—the clapping of hands, and the manifestations of joy and approbation, were of the most hearty and enthusiastic character. When this demonstration had quite subsided, which required great perseverance and some time to effect, Garibaldi proceeded to address the people. The thousands of upturned faces were all directed toward him, and amid a silence as still as the grave he spoke. The substance of his speech was to this effect: He said that he presented himself to them because they wished it, but that he himself objected to such exhibitions. He did not play the comedian; he was for deeds, not words. They had achieved a great triumph, but the time was come when they must achieve still greater. He thanked the Sicilians for the courage and enthusiasm they displayed in effecting their own deliverance, and said if they were true to themselves, not Sicily only, but with the blessing of Providence, the whole of Italy, would be liberated. He therefore urged upon them the necessity of still following up the good work, and invited them to come forward and enroll themselves in the ranks of their liberators. I need not dwell on the enthusiasm which this address excited; it was of the most vehement character I ever witnessed. After acknowledging its cordial reception for a few moments, Garibaldi withdrew."

Garibaldi had various difficulties in arranging his government, the causes of which may, perhaps, not yet have been fully explained. We will, therefore, only mention some of the leading facts. Farina, Grasselli, and Toti, whom Garibaldi had found very troublesome to him in Palermo, were sent out of the island, because, according to the official journal, they were "affiliated to the police of the continent," and had "conspired against order." The ministry resigned in consequence, and a new one was formed, including Messrs. Amari, the historian, Emeranti, and the following members of the old: Logothe, Laporta, and Orsini. Reports were published, from time to time, in Sicily, as afterward in Naples, accusing Republicans of efforts to counteract Garibaldi: but as the enemies of Italy have long showed their malice chiefly against the Republicans, of whom Garibaldi has been one, and as Mazzini himself had declared his ardent adhesion to the cause of united Italy under Victor Emanuel, such accusations are generally suspicious.

The following letter from Victor Emanuel to Garibaldi, and the reply, brief as they are, are two of the most important documents connected with the war, and, indeed, with the lives of their two distinguished writers. It is a most impressive truth, and must ever be regarded as a proof of Garibaldi's sound judgment, independence, resolution and impregnable firmness, in a great and glorious cause, at an epoch of his career when nothing else gave the right turn to the results then pending. On which side the "statesmanship" then lay, when the king wrote such a veto, with Cavour sitting at his right hand, and Garibaldi disobeyed it, standing alone, the world can determine, both now and hereafter.

LETTER FROM VICTOR EMANUEL TO GARIBALDI.

"DEAR GENERAL: You know that when you started for Sicily you did not have my approbation. To-day, considering the gravity of existing circumstances, I decide upon giving you a warning, being aware of the sincerity of your sentiments for me.

"In order to put an end to a war between Italians and Italians, I counsel you to renounce the idea of passing with your valorous troops to the Neapolitan mainland, provided that the King of Naples consents to evacuate the whole of the island, and to leave the Sicilians free to deliberate upon and to settle their destinies.

"I would reserve to myself full liberty of action relative to Sicily in the event of the King of Naples being unable to accept this condition. General, follow my advice, and you will see that it is useful to Italy, whose power of augmenting her merits you would facilitate by showing to Europe that even as she knows how to conquer, so does she know how to make a good use of her victory."

Garibaldi replied to the king as follows:

SIRE: Your majesty knows the high esteem and the devotion which I feel toward your majesty; but such is the present state of things in Italy, that, at the present moment, I cannot obey your majesty's injunctions, much as I should like it. I am called for and urged on by the people of Naples. I have tried in vain, with what influence I had, to restrain them, feeling, as I do, that a more favorable moment would be desirable. But if I should now hesitate, I should endanger the cause of Italy, and not fulfill my duty as an Italian. May your majesty, therefore, permit me this time not to obey! As soon as I shall have done with the task imposed upon me by the wishes of the people, who groan under the tyranny of the Neapolitan Bourbon, I shall lay down my sword at your majesty's feet, and shall obey your majesty for the remainder of my lifetime.

"GARIBALDI."

The letter is dated Milazzo, the 27th of July.

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