Another pic from my holidays in Northern Italy. The Risorgimento Museum in Genova holds an interesting object of Garibaldi's prodigious history.
Born in the big port of Genova in 1807, he rolled into a life in the merchant navy. But on a trip in the Black Sea in 1833, he met Italian revolutionary nationalists and was converted to the cause of Italian unification.
His involvement in revolutionary plots forced him to flee to South America, where he fought for Brasilian revolution and Uruguayan civil war. He returned to Italy for the 1848 revolts and the next year declared a short lived Roman Republic.
When these failed, Garibaldi again fled abroad, but he was back in time for the 1859-1866 campaigns of unification. His attempt to bring Rome under the Italian flag in 1867 failed.
He wasn't done fighting yet, because his last feat if arms was for the French Republic by the end of 1870. He led the Armee de les Vosges composed of (Italian) volunteers against the Prussians until Paris capitulated in January 1871.
Cool to find a flag of that army in the Risorgimento museum.
I never knew any of that? And I certainly never knew of this unit. Great info and thanks for sharing!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Ray,
ReplyDeleteGlad to see that there is still something that the buffs can learn.
Cheers