eo

l.U'E OF 'GI.lliUIAWl.

take :an •enmpkry rev:enge J -ana,. finally; a i!light majority decided that
the gates of Arezzo should be closed-against the Garibaldians, and that a
ngorws resistance should be offered. Garibaldi had heard ·at Castiglione
of this projected resistance ; but he hoped that a small number of scat­
terM Italians must he.ve fe1rmed tile •design, aJtd that -a ·still smaller
aumoer <•f Austrians :bac:! deoided it. He determined to make a trial.

At ten in .fu.e C'llening -of the 23rd of -July, tlle column a.ppea.rea
unexpectedly beneath .the walls of J..rezzo. 'The proceeded first
'llo tlre gate, and on seeing Austrian ·aad Italian troops "Com­

, hi!ned to -eloae his passage. ·.A pretended delegate from the city. stam­
mered, 1Vith .badly-ccmoealed cowardice, that •they did not wish to
oempromiee -themselves wi\h the Auetrians •by reoeiving within their
walls -Gariba.lrli and JUs soldiers. .He added that, iithe column woula
in the neighbintrhood, they would glady tmpply hlm with pro­
an.d all.th.e,-;m,ight require. lt have been easy for the
GuerilleEo to force the pasaa.ge-but unwilling. to aacept bef<nte posterity
the I'eSp<llnsibility of a combat

asainstltalia.ns

, even ifled-by foreigners,
he the legions to encamp on a;hill commanding the eity.

The sudden departure. from .Matepuloiano :bad cauaed the Archduke
;Ernest to lose the traok of the Gu.erill.ero.; but When hill movements
became , kno'\fil a.t .Flo:J1ellce, the surveillance ·wa& ::eedoultled. At the
.#me, orders W-611e wtily sent to General Stad!-on ;to. quit :t.he
suburbs of Sienna, and proceed to the .relief of the capital. Stadiw,
provided with art.illery .and a numerous body ef ca.valry, marched :to
Arezzo to meet the column, and on the a.f'iernoon of the .24th he drore
in the outposts. The Garibaldi&DB :raieed their camp and left, the neiglt­
bourhooil of Arezzo. On· the · evening of the same day they were in full
march along the road leading to the Romagnas. After passing .8ant
Angelo, soldiers hoped to enjoy some slight repose on the aide .of a
hill; but hardly had night -set in than the .Austria.ns came up, e.ttaoked
the adva.nce posts, and caused an alarm in the camp.

The patriots were aware, however, of all the troops collected
r ound Cet erna, the archduke's brigade alone had been detached in
pursuit of them. This at formed in order of battle,
but awaited an attack. Such. arraB.gements revealed the enemy's weak­
ness; they clearly indicated that having no hope of support from the
other A111strian col!ps i.n

Tusce.ny

, from which he was separated by the
great .A.Jlpenine chain, the archduke desired to keep on the defeDBive.
Garibaldi could have made the Austrians pay dearly for their i11cessant

pursuit, and the sufferings t hey had caused the column, but he had too

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"' 1zedbyGooglc

little ammunrition, and uomer.ttawere'}Jl'eci1lus .. However, hdbad Je00018e
oaee again to su.tagem. -&1:ae evning:of JulyJ!Sth,'by. a .ftank
movement be compelled'tlae -amhduke lie pe up his .for a . t.i-..,
and, before he .could retillrn, Gambaldi..had-caniedlofl'his•toru .and .JIQeD
in triamph, ,lfiih tlle J.a of,ouly .a-f6W'killed ud .waundod. The ADs·
t.·ians, <When they found how ihey had been deoeived, -Mellt oa, corps .of
chassetU'II <in punuit,of <the :rear-guud; -but 'he OOIIIPf!oDY o£.bra9e tirail­
laurs,led by.COlonel Fol'bts,-wlk>-was ever-the first in daoger, constanlly
covered the marCh or the legions, a-ad oompelled tile enemy .to keep at .a
disllnnce.

It is painful to ad4 ·fhat, at-the -moment when the Garibaldiana were
engaged with the Austrians, several superior officers ignominiously de­
serted. They wepe the -colo11el oommanding . t'be cavalry, -two m11-j•rs
oommandiug· ·ooborbl, sd· four o:flioeN of lewer ruk. Tbe de&Mtioll
which had been aanifaste1 -ever ainee leaving. Rome had ·11•w attaill8d
such a pitclt, that the ttro 'legio1111 and >the -a.v-Alry ·did uot
amount to llllore than 1,600 men.

The band .of braves lftill oollected 'l'Ollnd the 1lag of liberty; thoqgh
resolute in their determination not to a.bt.Rdon. their ·leader, grew -d ..
aponding when they witnessed these.l'epeate.:Ldesertions,·for·the defec-­
tion of some of the leadtwa Jwll!OUMd a spirit of i.naobordiuation amoqg
the subaltel'll 11fficenJ. -One of 4he <iraitcrs -had been an: intimate frioucl
and confidaJJ1t of the general, and had d'oJlowed him.in America ud Italy
through all the phaltes r>frhis brillia&t capeer. Owing -to Garibaldi's
pow e rful support, .he .bnd atta*d·.the rank of colonel, and, up to thi1
tillK', h!id f11rnisbed : Mliple proofs ef -his courage a.nd devotion to the
cause of the people. ·But. at the moment when his aid would have been
most useful to cheer the drooping and inspire confidence in the troops by
his example, this mi!OI'able w.reteh a.Oalldoned the cause. His
flight \Vtl8 tl1e more infamous as it offered a bad example,
too frequently imitated. Garibaldi .and his faithful Annita 'lll·ere pro­
foundly affeoted by this ingratitude ; the soldiers complained of it much,
for the abandonment of .thcir leaders seemed a fJreboding of diSllllter.
The majority censed to put any flllith in the of the officers
who remained; and, no longer satisfied with words, demaaded proofs of
the future. Some new-spapers, 11'hich full into their ·hands, were not
adapted to r,eanimate their courage. All the ,cahtmRies owhich the reac­
tionary party always invents 111gainat its were heaped upoa
the Garibaldians. These valiant ahampions,cseoing their ineessant-suft'er­
-so poorly recompensed,,grtve wny .at t-imts tto ·.real deapair. Some

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