The Express.
London, England, 1860-10-23 00:00:00

LONDON: 'll.lltfibAY EVENING

NAPLES.

caluziwrs HIAD44 tiARTSAiii, GAMMA,
Oct. 15, as Num?.
Baesive at length this letter from your special
Cotwespondent, whose death, diaappearanee and
the reports current here had led you to mourn.
Slightly wounded, and taken prisoner in the action
of the let October, I am here again after a capti-
vity of 13 days in the Royal Castle of Gaeta. It
'would be a long and tedious story were I to relate
minutely all the details of the rather unpleasant
adventure which happened to me. I shall there-
fore condense the sad tale into the shortest possible
space, 80 as to account, as is the duty of a news-
paper correspondent, for a silence of 20 days.
The details of the glorious action fought by Garibaldi
on the let of October are already familiar to the
readers of the Deify News, and I shall not repeat
them. It was a light of heroes.. As I had been
informed that the royal troops were going to attack
the national army, I on that morning followed
Garibaldi's staff, which left Caserta by a *Pedal
train at 4 o'clock a.m. I had left directions to my
servant to have my saddle-horse ready by 5 o'clock
at Santa Maria, but on arriving there neither horse
nor servant could be found. Major Missori, of
Garibaldi's Guides, kindly offered me a place
in his carriage, and off we went, closely
following the char-h-banc of the general-
in-chief, towards Sant Angelo. We were driving at
• good speed when, on reaching a small bridge
which crosses the main road, our carriages were
fired at by sonic Neapolitan skirmishers, who had so
far advanced on the road we were passing as to
discharge their rifles at a distance of twenty pasts.
The coachmen put their horses to a gallop, but the
shower of balls was so copious that one of the
horses of Garibaldi's carriage fell dead, and one of
that in which I rode was severely wounded. The
moment was cr&cal, and our position difficult.
Garibaldi jumped out of the carriage, and we fol-
lowed his example. One of his orderly °dicers,
Major Trampolini, was wounded in the leg, another
in the head. The Neapolitan sharpshooters had by
this time advanced on the road, and it was clear that
their intention was to surround the whole of
Garibaldi's staff. The general, calm and composed
as lie always is, drew his sword, and gave the order
to a company of General Medici's men, who were
coming up from Sant Angelo, to keep the Neapo-
litans in check—an order which gave hint time to
reach his saddle-horse, which was near at hand.
Seeing that Major Trampolini was wounded, and'
being a pedestrian, I followed him to a farm-house,
with the intention of reaching Sant Angelo
by a road over the bills. I had pretty well
suet:medal 4 putting my project into execu—
tion, when I was soddenly stopped by three
shepherds, who, knowing that I was sarronntled
by the Neapolitans, summoned me in the
name of his Sicilian Majesty to give myself
up. They had not, however, discovered
that I was in possession of a good Adam's revolver,
a weapon which never fails. Self-defence gave Me
the right of using it, and so I did. Having lodged I
• bullet in the leg of one of the ruffians the other
two took to their heels. I thought myself for the
moment so far safe that I stopped to take a survey,
of the scene the country presented. I saw muses
of the Neapolitans coming up from the camp of
Capua in a circular line, their fire literally covering
theplain. Right and left the artillery of Sant Angelo
and Santa Maria batteries were spreading death, and
far un the front brave Brigadier Dunne was making
almost incredible effort. to oppose the advancing
march of the enemy. Whilst I was looking at the
fratricidal fight I was suddenly roused by an
hurrah, which was soon followed by a volley of
mu.ketry. The sharp whistle of balls, and the
dash of hundreds of muskets, left no doubt that a
party of Neapolitans was coining up the hill behind.
And so it was. I had scarcely moved from the
pleas when I was surrounded by the enemy's
riflemen.

There was nothing to be done—l was prisoner
without hope of escape. But it seemed as though
the Neapolitans preferred to have me dead ; for,
although I was walking towards them, they
fired at me most obstinately, and a bullet
wounded me slightly in the left leg. I fell, and
the men came up, surrounded me, rubbed we of
my money, my watch, and part of my clothes.
One struck me on the head, another gave mu such a
heavy blow on the shoulders that, although
it was a bright day, 1 seemed to see all the stars in
the heavens. Had not the commanding officer
come up they would have mustered me. I was a
Garibahlian, they said—they wanted to revenge the
imaginary assassinations of their comrades. The
captain having ordered me to follow the column, I
was obliged to du so, although I could scarcely
walk. I begged bun to send me to Capra at once,
but he declined to do so. "I am ordered to go up
the hill, and I cannot detach any of my men ; be-
sides," he added, " were I to abandon you, my
soldiers would surely kill you : follow me as well
as you can." I shall always remember the pain I
suffered on that long errand of four hours.
The marching column was always fighting
with Garibaldi's bursaglieri, men fell dead around
use, and the scene was one of the most detraining
that can be imagined. At about half-past ten
o'clock one of the lieutenants of the party was
struck by two balls and fell down mortally wounded
at my aide. He was a young man of one and
twenty, with an angelic smile on his fem. I
hastened to assist hint, and implored the captain to
allow me to dress his wounds. The captain re-
fused, in spite of the entreaties of his wounded
comrade, who begged me nut to abandon him. I
offered the captain to give my word of honour that
I would present myself at the Neapolitan camp as
soon as I had brought the poor fellow to
Garibaldi's ambulance, which was near at
hand. All was of no avail, and the
wounded man wax hoisted on the shoulders of two
soldiers, who, ten minutes afterwards threw bim
into a ditch, cruelly abandoning him. I could no
' longer think of myself. Death and misery were
around me, and I was heartbroken in witnessing
the scene of horror. At last we reached the
bead-quarters of General Rattuoci, who directed
the action of that day. Hearing that I was an
Englishman, he gave vent to the meet unwarranted
passion, asking me what business I had there. I
told him that I was a newspaper correspondent,
who had undertaken the duty of writing about
the Italian war. This declaration did not seem to
mollify the General, who said I should pay for all
the *alumni's the English press had spread against
the Neapolitan army.

Whitt I was thus speaking with the Neapolitan
11111611111111 PIO CANINO ere up and ordered vue aad
taw ethen, a 7 wrompairious to Mow their to
Capua. We ware marched between Owe sows of