Monday 15 February 2016

1862 Garibaldi's expedition to Rome picture

Pictures taken in the Victor Emmanuel monument in 2008.
In 1862 Garibaldi marched on Rome and was stopped by the Piedmontese army to avoid a clash with France who supported the Pope's temporal rule of Rome. The picture is of Garibaldi being treated for a gunshot wound to the foot. 
Wikipedia describes the incident:
General Enrico Cialdini dispatched a division of the regular army, under Colonel Emilio Pallavicini, against the volunteer bands. On 28 August the two forces met in the rugged Aspromonte. One of the regulars fired a chance shot, and several volleys followed, killing a few of the volunteers. The fighting ended quickly, as Garibaldi forbade his men to return fire on fellow subjects of the Kingdom of Italy. Many of the volunteers were taken prisoner, including Garibaldi, who had been wounded by a shot in the foot.
This episode gave birth to a famous Italian nursery rhyme, still known by boys and girls all over the country: Garibaldi fu ferito ("Garibaldi was wounded").