The Battle of the Volturno refers to a series of military clashes between

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, pa ...

's volunteers and the troops of the

Kingdom of Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ( it, Regno delle Due Sicilie) was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1860. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by population and size in Italy before Italian unification, comprising Sicily and all ...

occurring around the river

Volturno The Volturno (ancient Latin name Volturnus, from ''volvere'', to roll) is a river in south-central Italy. Geography It rises in the Abruzzese central Apennines of Samnium near Castel San Vincenzo (province of Isernia, Molise) and flows sout ...

, between the cities of

Capua Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etrus ...

and

Caserta Caserta () is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. It is an important agricultural, commercial, and industrial '' comune'' and city. Caserta is located on the edge of the Campanian plain at the foot of the Ca ...

in northern

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

, in September and October 1860. The main battle took place on the 1 October 1860 between 30,000 Garibaldines (mostly defected Sicilians, including from Calabria) and 25,000 Bourbon troops (Neapolitans).

Background

After Garibaldi's Expedition of Thousand had conquered Sicily and much of southern Italy with a startling speed, entering in Naples on the 7 September while the King Francis II of Two Sicilies took refuge in the powerful fortress of

Gaeta Gaeta (; lat, Cāiēta; Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a city in the province of Latina, in Lazio, Southern Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples. The town has played a consp ...

, midway between Rome and Naples. In the meantime the Neapolitan army was rebuilt in

under marshal Giosuè Ritucci, the first skirmishes with Garibaldi's volunteers occurring on the 26 and 29 September. On the 30 September a Neapolitan corps crossed the river Volturno at Triflisco, marching towards Santa Maria a Vologno, but was halted by two Garibaldine brigades. The following day Ritucci then decided a frontal attack with two divisions against Garibaldi's centre, which occupied a line running from

Sant'Angelo in Formis Sant'Angelo in Formis is an abbey in the municipality of Capua in southern Italy. The church, dedicated to St Michael the Archangel, lies on the western slopes of Monte Tifata. History The church was once referred to as ''ad arcum Dianae'' (" ...

and

Santa Maria a Vico Santa Maria a Vico is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about northeast of Naples and about southeast of Caserta. In the past it had a largely agricultural economy though today it is ...

. After defeating the enemy, Ritucci was to reach

and then

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

itself. Garibaldi wanted to cross the Volturno, keeping the Neapolitan Army against Capua, while he prevented King Francis II from reaching Gaeta. However, the Neapolitan Army attempted a double-envelopment of Garibaldi between their Capua forces, and those Mechel and Ruia at Dugenta.

Battle

On 1 October, before 6am, Neapolitan General Anfan de Rivera attacked Giacomo Medici at Sant'Angelo, Tabacchi and Ruggeri attacked Milbiz at Santa Maria, and Mechel advanced upon Nino Bixio at

Maddaloni Maddaloni (Neapolitan language, Campanian: ) is a town and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, in the province of Caserta, about southeast of Caserta, with stations on the railways from Caserta to Benevento and from Caserta to Naples. Main sights The ...

. Garibaldi sent reinforcements to Milbiz and Medici. At 2pm, Medici and Milbiz counterattacked, forcing the Neapolitans towards Capua. By later afternoon, Mechel also withdrew.

Consequences

According to Schneid, "Garibaldi narrowly won the battle of Volturno. The Southern Army placed Capua under siege, and the Piedmontese forces marched on Gaeta where the erstwhile Neapolitan king had taken refuge." The cost for Garibaldi in men was higher: 306 killed and 1,327 wounded, but the Neapolitan forces had lost almost 1,000 in killed and wounded themselves and over 2,000 taken prisoner. The Bourbon army was unable to use its victory to capture

. Both armies showed bravery, except perhaps for the Royal Guards and troops of Ruiz de Ballesteros, who were the largest cause of the defeat. Garibaldi was forced to request troops from the Piedmontese. Yet while Francesco II wished to use the impasse for the Garibaldi forces, to attack again, his generals recommended that the troops be reorganised. Thus he left

for

, and was unable to retake his throne. Soon Piedmontese reinforcements arrived, defeating the Royal troops at Gaeta, and causing the King to flee.From Spanish Wikipedia

References

External links

* Cerino Badone Giovanni, ''Volturno 1860. L'ultima battaglia'', in Commissione Italiana di Storia Militare, Società Italiana di Storia Militare, ''L'anno di Teano'', Atti del Convegno Nazione CISM-SISM su il Risorgimento e l'Europa, Roma 2011, pp. 273–307. Volume degli att

testo dell'articol

tavole ed illustrazion

*.

Notes