The Life of General Garibaldi

CHAPTER XVIII

Before we return to scenes of battle, we must stop to survey the splendid and luxurious retreat of the King of Naples, where Garibaldi had now established his head-quarters.

The palace and gardens of Caserta, as we saw them in a time of peace, we may thus briefly describe: An avenue opens before us a mile in length, at the end of which is seen the palace, presenting a front of white marble, seven hundred and forty-six feet in length, with a spacious square in front. From the broad steps the visitor discovers that he has unconsciously been rising some distance above the level of the Bay of Naples, now far behind him. But his attention is attracted within the splendid palace, where a noble portal receives him, with a staircase on his right, made of the celebrated variegated marbles of the kingdom, which has had few if any equals.

It would require chapters to describe the almost innumerable apartments, ante-chambers, waiting halls, reception halls, etc. Within its vast compass are two theatres, one of which is said to be inferior only to San Carlo in the capital. The front view of the edifice gives a very inadequate impression of its real dimensions; as it covers an area five hundred and sixty-four feet deep, with sides and a back front in the same style, and two interior ranges crossing at right angles.

The glimpses we catch of the garden, through the spacious halls, or from the upper windows, invite us to hasten through the palace; and a charming view bursts upon us as we reach the rear portal. A tract of land a mile in extent gradually rises to the hills of Capua, covered with gardens and groves, lawns and avenues, interspersed with winding paths, cascades and fishponds, glowing with flowers and adorned with statues, whose beauties are redoubled by the shady foliage, the velvet grass and the perfumes which fill the air. Directly before the observer the main avenue of the garden opens the view up the ascent of the sloping ground, where many terraces rise behind each other in succession, by broad steps of white marble, on the right and left sides of the wide avenue, while cascades pour down between them, in the various forms of broad sheets and broken streams, intermingled with dark rocks and white statues of animals, sea-gods and nymphs, and alternately supplying and draining basins, ponds and small lakes, with grassy or flowery margins, where swans, gazelles and other harmless creatures sport in peace. On one of the lakes, formed in the adjacent fields and groves, is an island, accessible in a ferry-boat, with a pavilion, where refreshments are in waiting for the royal visitors; and on the shore of another, a mimic fortress, with towers, battlements, moats and drawbridges for the young princes to practise the art of war. Ah! what a pity that Caserta should so long have been the only spot in the dominions of Bomba where peace and happiness could be seen! Had he been as mindful of the rights of his subjects as of the convenience of his brute favorites, there would have been no need of the fortifications of Gaeta, the protests of Europe or the invasion of Garibaldi.

A friend and admirer of that great man, while viewing, years before his arrival, from the upper end of the grand avenue, this garden and the adjacent "English garden" (which alone is three miles in circuit), and seeing the campagna stretching to Naples, with her noble bay beyond, thirty miles wide, marked by its islands on the west and Vesuvius on the east, exclaimed: "Oh! this land is worthy of better masters!" The response to this wish has been recently fulfilled in a most unexpected manner, by placing the two Sicilies in the power of the Dictator, and giving him that splendid palace for his head-quarters during the war in earnest, which he has so successfully waged against the tyrannical Bourbon, in one of the last of his strongholds.

Late in September was fought the battle of Caserta, which forced the royal army to retire across the Volturno, to the fortress and batteries of Capua.

Was fought on the 1st of October, 1860, and was the greatest, for the number of troops engaged, in which Garibaldi ever took part.

Both armies knew that Victor Emanuel was approaching at the head of the Sardinian army, which passed so victoriously through the papal territories, and was unopposed in those of Naples; and, while it was the policy of Garibaldi to wait for his coming before fighting, it was that of the royalists to gain a victory, if possible, before the arrival of his powerful reinforcement. The Neapolitan generals had, therefore, brought together all their available forces, and supplied the losses caused by sickness and desertion.

The heights of Sant' Angelo and Bosco di San Vito form a long range, reaching from the northwest of Caserta toward the river Volturno, two miles northeast of Capua, passing to the left of the plain of Santa Maria. This range descends precipitously to the rapid and narrow Volturno, leaving room only for the road toward the Scafa di Carazzo. It commands the country around and has much brushwood, while there are many trees on the plain. Garibaldi often examined this ground; and he erected several batteries to sweep the road on the opposite bank; dug a trench near the shore to cover riflemen, and brought barges from Naples to cross with if necessary. There he stationed several corps of troops. The left flank and communication with Santa Maria were rather exposed. On the right the position was pretty well guarded by the ground and the troops.

The positions formed a semicircle of nearly thirty miles along the hills to Limatola by the river's course, and then curving back. Along the chord of this arc, nearly ten miles long, lie Santa Maria, Caserta and Maddaloni.

"October 1st at dawn," writes an officer, "the Neapolitan army of forty or fifty thousand men, who were strongly fortified in the fortress of Capua opposite, and its numerous outworks, attacked all parts of this line at once. But, before that hour, Garibaldi had left Caserta by railroad for the line. When he arrived, the firing had already begun. The three places, Capua, Santa Maria, and the Spur of St. Angelo, form almost an equilateral triangle, which is indicated by the three roads which connect these places. They run with little curves almost straight – that from Capua to St. Angelo, close to the river; that from Capua to Santa Maria, parallel to the railway; and that from Santa Maria to St. Angelo, at some distance from the hills till close to this latter place, where it is joined by the road coming from Capua.

"This triangle, which is in most parts thickly wooded with olive, and other trees, and has only few open spots, the Neapolitans had chosen as their field of operations on our left, and as the chief attack of the day. During the night all the troops stationed in the Polygon behind had passed through the town and had collected in the Campo, a large open space before the fortress. Here they opened out in two directions – one column, the left, toward St. Angelo, and the right toward Santa Maria.

"I shall first speak of the left column. Besides the great road from Capua, alongside the river, there is a by-road, which, leaving the main road at a little distance from the town, strikes across the country and goes straight toward the village of St. Angelo, which lies on the retreating slopes of the heights. This was chosen by the Neapolitans as the centre of their operations against this point, while they sent one column by the main road toward the right, and another to the right across the country to take the village in the other flank.

"The by-road which runs direct from Capua to St. Angelo, intersects the road from Santa Maria to the river, just where the road turns up to St. Angelo. In order to guard this position a barricade was constructed a little beyond this point, and armed with four guns. The country near the river is so low that every morning the exhalations of the ground cover it with a thick white mist. Besides this, the torrents which come down from the hills have artificial beds of 15 to 20 feet in depth, very steep, and covered with brushwood, which are dry now, and serve as roads. The Neapolitans, advancing by these, and taking advantage of the mist, approached quite close to the barricade, and carried it at the first onset, driving our men across the main road toward St. Angelo. Having taken this position, they came out and formed in an open field which lies along the road, in regular order of battle. Their left had been equally successful, driving ours from the trench near the river, and forcing them back on the heights of St. Angelo. The column to the right again had not only passed the road, but had gone up a little hill commanding St. Angelo.

"It was at this critical moment that Garibaldi arrived. He had taken, with his staff, carriages at Santa Maria, and was coming on in the main road toward St. Angelo. The balls and grape were flying about, but the carriages still proceeded. When they arrived in the neighborhood of St. Angelo they were in sight of the Neapolitans, who were drawn up there in line of battle. Fortunately, close to this spot was one of the torrents dammed, which formed a covered way. In this the carriages turned down, except the last, which was struck by a cannon ball, and remained on the road. Through the road Garibaldi advanced, revolver in hand, toward St. Angelo, and arrived just in time to give new courage to the defenders. The object was to drive away the column in the rear of the hills to the left of St. Angelo; this was easily done by throwing some skirmishers on the heights above those occupied by the intruders. There was, fortunately, some artillery in front, which was turned to good account, but as usual, it was the bayonet which decided. The Neapolitans tried to penetrate by a cavalry attack, but were beaten back, chiefly by the coolness of the Calabrese, who behaved splendidly. After three or four hours' fighting, whatever could be got together of available men were carried forward, and the Neapolitans not only driven back from their position on the great road, but likewise the barricades retaken. This was about nine o'clock.

"During this time the fight had been equally hot at Santa Maria. General Milvitz, who commanded there, was obliged to confine his defence to the immediate vicinity of the town, holding the main road to Capua and the space between it and the railway. Some light earthworks which he had thrown up lately were of good service. But the enemy brought up fresh and fresh troops, which he kept in reserve in the Campo before Capua. The shells and shot flew into the houses of Santa Maria, and the inhabitants left in masses. Dispatch after dispatch was sent to Caserta, where the reserve was, to ask for reinforcements. But the reinforcements were likewise claimed on another side. Early in the morning a column had shown itself toward Castel Morone, but was easily driven back, and did not renew its attack. More serious was the advance against Maddaloni, where a column of four thousand or five thousand men attacked Bixio. It was a hard fight, for there were not more than two thousand to two thousand five hundred men to oppose on a long line where the hills had to be kept on both sides. But the struggle was soon decided. By noon the news came that the enemy had not only been driven back from their position, but had likewise been followed up to the river. A part of their forces were cut off, and threw themselves into the mountains between Caserta and Maddaloni.

"Then there was a little breathing time, at least on our side, and the whole effort could be directed against Capua. There were but two brigades remaining in reserve, both weakened by detachments sent in different directions. The first was sent on by rail; the second went by the road, and both arrived almost at the same time, about one P.M. And it was time. The Neapolitan bullets and balls were coming freely into Santa Maria, while Garibaldi sent orders to let any disposable troops advance as quickly as possible toward St. Angelo. The defence of Santa Maria was quite confined to the outskirts of the town, where the Piedmontese artillerymen were behaving beautifully. The first thing was to oppose this, and a battalion of Bersaglieri and one of the regiments of the Brigade Eber, were sent to advance, while the Brigade Milano was sent by the Porta St. Angelo to take the enemy on the left flank. But before this occurred, the newly-formed Hungarian Hussars had been sent out by the Porta Capua to drive back the enemy's cavalry, which ranged close to the gate. Although not more than sixty horsemen, they charged and drove back the two squadrons, cutting them down and taking a number of prisoners.

"The infantry soon followed, and General Turr took the command of that side. Although mostly fresh troops, with the exception of the cadres, composed of the Cacciatori of the first expedition, they went on like old soldiers. The enemy, who had evidently all day long the idea of intimidating our troops with his cavalry, charged: but the Picciotti, guided by the soldiers of Calata Fimi, formed groups, and not only stood firing, but bayoneted the horsemen. After this it was almost nothing but advance with the bayonet, till the Convent of the Capuchins and the Cemetery, the two chief positions of the Neapolitans, were permanently taken.

"While this was going on on that side, the rest of the Brigade Eber, the last reserve, was called by the Dictator toward St. Angelo. Scarcely out of the gates, it fell in with Garibaldi, who, accompanied only by a few officers, was waiting for further reinforcements to fall on the flank of the enemy, who, on withdrawing from St. Angelo, had taken to the woods, and occupied some houses with his artillery.

"After the first defeat in the morning, the enemy had returned with new forces to carry St. Angelo. Not only did all his field guns scatter death in every direction, but likewise three batteries from the opposite bank, and the mortars from the fortress, began to open a tremendous fire, under the protection of which the Neapolitans advanced between 10 and 11 A.M. They carried once more the position of the barricade, and occupied even the first houses leading up toward St. Angelo. Medici and Col. Spangaro, besides Garibaldi, did everything to steady the wavering troops, who, seeing themselves so much outnumbered, and attacked by such formidable artillery, began to think the day lost. For hours the fight lasted, a continual advance or retreat on both sides, but still the Neapolitans could not gain much ground. This was, perhaps, the most strongly contested spot on the whole line, and only in the afternoon the advantage began to show on our side. The Neapolitans had again to clear the road, but they still held our barricade and the woods on both sides of it. With great trouble two skirmishing lines were formed, and sent to threaten their left and right, and then a hundred men were collected behind the first house, and these made a rush, at the cry of 'Viva Garibaldi!' and carried the position about 2 P.M., which was kept, as well as the guns which were in it.