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Frank Leward: Memorials

Same to the Same

page 284

Same to the Same.

Brescia, June 14, 1859.

Dear B. If you only knew how fearfully done up I am you wouldnt expect me to send you a long letter Many thanks for yours. The march of the last two days has been almost more than anyone ought to try to do or else Im getting old and worn out. We marched two nights and a day straight on forced marching here from Bergamo and no rest to speak of. I havnt half as much to complain of as most as Ive had Bango who doesnt seem to mind how far or how long he goes so long as he gets plenty to eat. Hes getting spoilt and when he gets hungry he comes to a dead stop and no power on earth except food can get him to go on. He is a rum un a regular Tartar you should have seen his rude behaviour to his old friends the Italians who knew him and respected him in the Crimea. They were so glad to see him they tried to put their arms round his neck and kiss him didnt he let out with his hind legs and try to bite them. He doesnt care much for those sort of attentions. How the young fellows have managed this last march I cant tell. I believe nothing but their tremendous devotion to the cause they are fighting for could have kept them up.

I wrote at the end of last month didnt I. Weve had nothing but marches and fighting ever since we left Varese and so far I have got off all right. Chiefly I expect because Ive kept near the General and as page 285Ive got a pony Ive been a sort of aide de camp to him.

General Urban with about 6000 Austrians came down on us at Varese the morning after I wrote and our General managed his small army splendidly. It wasnt half the size of the enemys and I dont believe any commander ever made so much of his men and when you remember most of them were quite young fellows almost boys who had never fought before and were excitable Italians their conduct was wonderful. Garibaldi told them to keep quiet and not to fire till the enemy was within fifty yards. I was awfully afraid they would not be able to resist the temptation to have a shot too soon. Lots of them had suffered and seen their families and friends suffering from the cruelty of these Austrians all their lives and now was the first chance of a shot in return and for their liberty and nothing but their trust in the General could have restrained them. They kept as quiet and firm as could be and not till the enemy was right on them and the word was given was a gun discharged. Then they gave it them well all round and the Austrians though they fought well at last made off and right away to Malnate where Simonetta received them and drove them from there. They got off to Salvatore as strong a position as they could wish and were drawn up in the form of a horseshoe and there were only the Genovesi Carabinieri to go against them. These Carabinieri are splendid shots mostly of old Genoese families but the General when he heard how the enemy had taken up their position was afraid his page 286Carabinieri would be cooked so he went off with two hundred men as fast as he could to support them on their left wing and Major Bixio and I were sent to the right and had a tremendous struggle and at last the enemy retired beaten to Camerlata. And we went back to Varese having had enough of it for that day.

The Varesini received us back with even greater joy than before but we couldnt stop long in la Citta dei fiori as they call it, and after one or two other fights on the way we got to Como on the 27th and all the people there rose and joined us. Poor Carlo de Christophoris was our greatest loss. I was very fond of him he had been waiting patiently all his life for this struggle. Once he had been obliged to leave his own country and become a teacher of languages at some military College at Sunbury I think. He was one of my greatest friends in the Crimea and many a night weve sat out talking of jolly scenes on the Thames and all about England and of what his people had gone through in Italy from the Austrians. He told me then of his determination to die if necessary doing his best some day to turn them out. He said he wished for no better death than to die while doing it. He got his wish and was killed fighting splendidly we took two guns from the enemy and we left altogether a thousand of them dead on the field. It all the same seemed sad that he should be killed just as he was flushed with happiness as he saw what he had hoped for so long was really being done. His brother an awfully clever doctor with a big practice has given it all up like a lot of others have to join the ambulance. page 287When he came to his brothers dead body he clung to it for a moment and then with a sort of groan went off to look after the wounded.

Next day the enemy cleared out of Camerlata and we entered. Then Garibaldi went off to Laveno on the Lago Maggiore strongly held by the Austrians that was the first and so far the last repulse we have had. It was far too much for him to attempt without artillery. I and Major Bixio were sent round to the other side of the lake to Istria to get the people to rise and to seize the boats and get reinforcements across the Lake to Laveno. We got one boat off when down came a lot of the enemy in a ship and opened fire on us and we had to get ashore as best we could and set off as quick as possible we were precious near being caught as it was. We came up with Garibaldi at Cittiglio, and I never saw him so put out he was like a lion in a rage foaming about the place Andate was all he could say.

Then we went round again by Como and up to Lecco in boats the people all helping us as much as possible and about a week ago we got to Bergamo. There had been 8000 Austrians there but they went off when they heard we were coming and we nearly caught a lot in the train only they jumped out and ran off. The General did an awfully sharp thing there he seized the station and the telegraph office before the enemy knew we were there and kept telegraphing all over the place as though it was from one of their own generals and got answers back telling him exactly how many men they had at different places and what they were going to do. As page 288soon as we got possession of Bergamo the people rose and formed a national guard. We stayed there three days getting them in order its a jolly place to stay in awfully well placed with splendid views of the plain of Lombardy. You can see this place and right away to Milan you can see the duomo distinctly and there are jolly walks round it under Accacia trees. Then we marched right on here and got in before ten o'clock in the morning.

We were received here with more row even than at Varese. The chief people came out to meet us and the women threw garlands of flowers at us and nearly covered us with flowers as we marched into the town. They were all dressed in the national tricolour it was awfully exciting. They seem awfully pleased to see an Inglese as they call me. They are a fine strong lot of people here and awfully jolly. We found some cannon and ammunition the enemy were good enough to leave behind just what we wanted.

The great secret of Garibaldis success is the way he puzzles the old duffers of old fashioned Austrian generals by the quickness of his movements. Before they know where he is hes down on them and when theyve just found out from their spies hes in one place he suddenly appears in the opposite direction. His cheek is tremendous he generally rides with some of his friends a good half mile ahead of the rest to see for himself where abouts the enemy is and how they are placed and sometimes the enemys outposts are astonished to find come on them not the vanguard of the Cacciatori but the page 289general himself questo diavolo rosso as they call him. Then hes got some thundering good officers. Theres Medici who was with him at Rome in 49 and was all about South America with him and Corrano on old officer of the Neapolitan army and was so disgusted with it he threw it up and besides Bixio theres Cosenz and Arduino and a lot more who understand his ways thoroughly. Peards a rum un an English gentleman awfully pluckey and looks after the general like anything. I must shut up now I am awfully tired I expect well have another scrimage tomorrow near here yours old man

F. Leward.