Matese Legion: Difference between revisions
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===Battle of Piedimonte=== |
===Battle of Piedimonte=== |
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The Garibaldine Column, guided by |
The Garibaldine Column, guided by Csudafy, entered Piedimonte Matese on the night of 22 September 1860 to assist the legion with this battle. The Bourbon army consisted of 3000 men and 3 cannons, while the Garibaldines had only approximately 200 men. The latter were forced to find refuge in the [[Matese]] mountains, leaving the city to the enemy, who successfully conquered it on 25 September.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tamasi|first1=Pierpaolo|title=Beniamino Caso|url=http://caipmatese.altervista.org/beniamino-caso.html|website=CAI Piedimonte Matese|accessdate=14 October 2017}}</ref> |
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===Battle of Volturnus=== |
===Battle of Volturnus=== |
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| Matese Legion | |
|---|---|
| Disbanded | 1861 |
| Country |  Italy |
| Allegiance | Giuseppe Garibaldi
 Kingdom of Italy |
| Branch | Redshirts (Italy) |
| Type | militia |
| Role | support the efforts of Garibaldi towards Italian unification |
| Size | 240+ volunteers |
| Engagements | Expedition of the Thousand
|
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Beniamino Caso
Salvatore Pizzi Giuliano Iannotta Giuseppe de Blasiis Major Guadagno Guadagni |
The Matese Legion was a group of 240 Italian volunteers that joined Giuseppe Garibaldi in the war for Italian unification in 1861. It was formed in Piedimonte D'Alife, now called Piedimonte Matese, in June 1860, and was officially established on 25 August of the same year. Membership in the legion gradually declined, and it broke apart on 3 March 1861.[1].
History
The Matese Legion was an unconventional legion as it was created after a number of Garibaldian volunteers joined together with the aim of tearing down the Bourbon power in Piedimonte and supporting the Southern Army of Garibaldi which proceed in its advance form Sicily to Rome. The Garibaldian campaign was approved by Cavour, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, but with mistrust. He was afraid that Garibaldi might have attacked Rome, instead of proceeding according to the plan. In the end, the 1107 Garibaldian volunteers left Genoa to reach Sicily on 5 May 1860, guided by Garibaldi and Nino Bixio, an italian general, as second in command. His goal was to gain the approval of the population in order to take away power from the various insurrectionary movements in the south region of the country. [2]
This kind of organization originated from the death of King Ferdinand II of Naples of the House of Bourbon on 22 May 1859, ending with his son Francis II taking power. Francis II was the last King of the Two Sicilies, as the invasions by Giuseppe Garibaldi brought an end to his rule and he was unable to take his throne back so he escaped to Gaeta.
After seeing the success that the Garibaldian campaign was having in Sicily, Beniamino Caso realized that was important to create a real military troop to rebel against the Bourbon power and in June 1860 in Piedimonte a group of liberals volunteers was organized with the aim of overthrowing it. At the beginning the group of volunteers didn't have a real name but it is said that just a few days later some people in Turin started to call it the Matese Legion so, since that moment, that became the name of the legion.
On 18 August Beniamino Caso and Pasquale Casella went to Naples to personally pick up the weapons and they also picked up the flag of the new born legion. The two entered Piedimonte Matese the night of 24 August 1860 with the flag, 100 rifles and 12 boxes of munitions and the following morning the Legion was officially constituted. The legion was organised in two different parties referring to the volunteers country of origin, so the first party included the sections of Alvignano, Dragoni, S. Angelo d'Alife, Raviscanina e Piedimonte; the second one included the sections of S.Maria Capua Vetere, San Lorenzello and Calvi. From Piedimonte the Legion commanded by Major De Blasiis departs on 31 August for Benevento where he entered on 3 September, welcomed by the population liberated for seven centuries of pontifical rule. In Piedimonte the situation was bad, the borbons were advancing and after occupying Capua they also occupied Caiazzo.
On 20 September the legion arrived in Piedimonte, as well as the Garibaldine Column, guided by the Hungarian Csudafy, and it entered Piedimonte Matese on the night of 20 September. On 17 October the troop guided by the colonel Francesco Nullo, headed to Isernia where they were defeated by the enemy even thought the colonel Nullo was confident in the power of his army. Since November the legion was used to suppress brigandage and continued to provide public security along the authorities, but on 11 November, when the Decreto Regio was issued, with the purpose of reorganising the Southern Army of Garibaldi, the Matese Legion was gradually reduced by number to be definitively dissolved on 3 March 1861 when the legion put down the weapons definitively. At the time of dissolution, it consisted of 240 members. [1]
Battles
Battle of Caiazzo
Between September 19 and 21, 1860, the Garibaldian armies fought against part of the Army of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in Caiazzo. The Battle began on 19 September, when the Garibaldian Column, guided by the Hungarian Csudafy, approached the town of Caiazzo. On 20 September over 300 members of the Matese Legion joined Csudafy's Army. On 21 September the legion, under Csudafy, fought unsuccessfully alongside the Garibaldian Column against the Bourbon Army, which conquered and set fire to Caiazzo.[3] This early defeat prepared the Garibaldian Army for the following battle.
Battle of Piedimonte
The Garibaldine Column, guided by Csudafy, entered Piedimonte Matese on the night of 22 September 1860 to assist the legion with this battle. The Bourbon army consisted of 3000 men and 3 cannons, while the Garibaldines had only approximately 200 men. The latter were forced to find refuge in the Matese mountains, leaving the city to the enemy, who successfully conquered it on 25 September.[4]
Battle of Volturnus
The Battle of Volturnus refers to a series of military clashes between Giuseppe Garibaldi's volunteers and the troops of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies. It occurred around the river Volturno, in Capua, situated in the province of Caserta in northern Campania, between the 26 of September and the 2 of October 1860. The success of the Garibaldine troops in liberating Piedimonte was evidenced in the battle, where 191 volunteers of the Garibaldi Legion of the Matese participated, under the command of Major Guadagni.[5].
Battle of Isernia
Following the Battle of Volturnus, the 180 survivors of the Matese Legion prepared to return to battle against some bourbons troops that were based in Isernia. On 15 October they joined an army led by the colonel Francesco Nullo, which consisted of 1160 volunteers. They started to move to Isernia with the aim of conquering the city and, in this way, be the advance guard of the Garibaldian army. Colonel Nullo was confident in the power of his army, but on 17 October they were defeated by the enemy, with 64 dead and 95 prisoners. The Matese Legion lost approximately thirty soldiers. [6]
End of the Matese Legion
Following the end of the war for Italian Unification, all volunteers were released from service following a decree by Victor Emmanuel II. On 3 March 1861, the Matese Legion reunited for the last time in Caserta in front of the Mayor Giuliano Amato Giaquinto, in order to return their weapons. Colonel Francesco Materazzo asked the members to join the newly formed Italian army, but all declined the offer and disbanded. [6]
Significant People
The Matese Legion was founded by Beniamino Caso and Bonaventura Campagnano, who were in charge of recruiting all the volunteers in the district and in other localities within the province. The fighters recognized Beniamino Caso and Salvatore Pizzi as the leaders of the insurrectionary movement in Terra di Lavoro.
Giuliano Iannotta was the Capitan of the Matese Legion[7], while Giuseppe de Blasiis was the Duce sent from Comitato dell'Ordine, tasked with supervising the Matese Legion.[8]
Giuliano Iannotta directed the volunteers during the Battle of Volturnus on 1 October 1860, and kept a journal detailing the events of the battle. During this battle the legion was commanded by a Florentine officer, Major Guadagno Guadagni.[9] The established young painter Gioacchino Toma was a member of the legion.
The Matese Legion Today
"First Matese Legion" is an historical Garibaldine association that commemorates the Legion by re-enacting important historical events.
They stage events in ities across Italy, particularly in ROme, in order to share the history and spread awareness knowledge the Matese Legion. The Matese Legion's flag was preserved, and is stored in the museum of Piedimonte Matese. There is a commemorative tombstone where there are the names of the most important members of the legion. This is located in the town hall and every year on 4 November the Mayor, followed by a parade, places a crown under the tombstone.
The city of Piedimonte Matese is deeply entwined with legion, with many streets named after important members, such as Pietro Romagnoli and the bishop Gennaro di Giacomo, both of whom played an important role in encouraging the formation of the legion. The founder of the legion, Beniamino Caso, is commemorated in Piedimonte Matese in various ways. There is a palace which carries his name, where an epigraph testifies to the formation of the legion in this particular palace on 25 August 1860. Additionally, in San Gregorio Matese, his native town, the major square is called "Piazza Beniamino Caso".[6]
See also
- Giuseppe Garibaldi
- Italian unification
- Victor Emmanuel II
- Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour
- Francis II
- Francesco Nullo
- San Gregorio Matese
- Piedimonte Matese
- Matese
- Caiazzo
- Caserta
- Terra di lavoro
- Kingdom of Naples
- House of Bourbon
- Battle of Volturnus
References
- ^ a b Martino, Angelo. "La Legione garibaldina del Matese". Comune di Pignataro. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ O'Clery, Patrick Keyes (1892). The Making of Italy. London: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner. pp. 120, 121.
- ^ ""La Legione del Matese" e l'occupazione di Piedimonte, sempre Garibaldini". Alta Terra Di Lavoro. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
- ^ Tamasi, Pierpaolo. "Beniamino Caso". CAI Piedimonte Matese. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
- ^ Guadagni. "Guadagno Guadagni and the Battle of Volturno". Guadagnifamily.com. WWW.GuadagniFamily.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ a b c Costarella, Attilio (1988). I Fatti di Piedimonte del 1860-1861. Piedimonte Matese: La Bodonnia.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "La Legione del Matese" (PDF). pm10.altervista. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ De Cesare, R. (1900). La fine di un Regno. Città di Castello S. Lapi Tipografo-Editore. pp. 333–361.
- ^ Del Monaco, Aurora (2011). Centonovantuno cappotti. Inediti garibaldini della terra di lavoro.