The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-12 00:00:00

AFFAIR OF ASPROMONTE.

THE OFFICIAL DISPATCHES OF GENERAL
CIALDINI AND COL. PALLAVICINI.
The following important reports appear in the
Official Gazette of Turin of the Bth inst. :
ItEFORT OF GEN. CIALDINI TO THE MINISTER OF WAR AT

TURIN.

Messina, Sept. 2.
Navin; left Genoa on the 24th of August, at six
p.m., for Sicily, and wit&i information that Gari-
baldi was still at Catania, out of which it did not
seem possible for him to go, I resolved at first to
touch at Naples, in order to come to an understand-
ing with Gen. La Marmora, that we might act in
concert in any contingency. On the 26th at day-
break, I landed at Naples, and I was informed by
Gen. La Marmora that, contrary to all reasonable
expectation, Garibaldi had left the port of Catania
in two French postal steamers, on board of which
Ls many had embarked as the vessels could hold,
and that he had gained the shore of Melito, where
he had disembarked with his followers.
I bad in rellity no other orders than to combat
with Garibaldi in Sicily. These orders might have
been considerd at an end froiii the moment in which
Catania, occupied by Gan. Ricotti, had returned
under the power of the government, and that
Garibaldi was in Calabria, a territory under com-
mand of Gen. La Marmora.
However, the gravity of the circumstances re-
quired that Gen. La Marmora should not abandon
Naples, and that he should make every effort to re-
press insurrection in the Basilicata, and in Calabria
Ulterior 11. and Citerior ; while in the meantime
others could take the direction of the troops united
and to be united at the extremity of Calabria Ul-

terior I.
I accepted this second position, and starting from
the Gulf of Naples I arrived at six next morning at
Messina. There I learned the state of things, what
troops and resources were disposable, and, after
having left the necessary orders, I went to Reggio.

1 learned there that Garibaldi had advanced to
the vicinity of the city in the hope of exciting it to
insurrection and easily taking possession of it, but
he was briskly repulsed by Col. Carchidio, leaving
in the hands of the latter about 40 prisoners, among
whom were some officers. Col. Carchidio, of the
32d Infantry, had taken all the necessary measures
with great intelligence and firmness.
There were at Reggio ten small battalions, of
whom two were Bersaglieri, and four pieces of
mountain artillery brought from Messina; but there
were no mules to draw them, so that it was neces-
sary to employ horses of the country.
The spirit of the troops was excellent.
Count Pallavicini, of the Bersaglieri, had reached
Reggio some hours before me, and as senior officer
had taken the command of the troops in the city.
His first dispositions bore the stamp of the ener-
getic resolution which is natural to him.
Having long known him, I was happy to meet
him so opportunely, and I ordered him to set out as
soon as possible with a column of six or seven bat-
talions, to make every effort to come up with Gari-
baldi, who was said to be encamped on the plateau
of Aspromonte, and to pursue him constantly with-
out giving him a moment's repose; to attack him
if he sought to escape, and destroy him if he ac-
cepted battle. Foreseeing, also, the possibility of
a complete victory, I ordered him not to treat with
Garibaldi, and only accept a surrender at discretion.
There was no reason to believe that this column
alone would be able to obtain the results which it
did obtain. It was requisite, therefore, to close
against Garibaldi every road by which he could
penetrate into the interior of the Ulterior 11. and
Citerior Calabrias ; it was requisite to form and put
in movement other columns, which should act
within a limited range, because thereby they would
have the greater chance of meeting with and de-
stroying him. Garibaldi, occupying the summit of
Aspromonte, and sending little bands into the
neighbouring plains, was probably seeking to raise
the country, to renew his means of obtaining intel-
ligence, to accumulate resources in men, provisions, I
munitions, and beasts of burden, and to spy out the
moment for throwing himself upon Reggio, or on
Catanzaro, according to the advices he might re-
ceive. This prolonged halt gave us an opportunity
of preparing a double system of defence and attack
which would crush him. In conformity with my
despatches General La Marmora directed the troops
arrived from Genoa and Naples to march upon
Pizzo.

General Revel, sent in haste by me with two
battalions to Pizzo, took up, according to orders
received, a strong position at Nicastro and Tirlolo,
fortifying besides the latter very important point.
From Catania, in accordance with a telegraphic
despatch, two battalions were sent to occupy Catan-
zaro, which was to be afterwards reinforced by
General Revel. Thus was obtained in the narrowest

part of the peninsula a strong line, supported by
two gulfs, into each of which the fleet sent a frigate
—that is to say, the Gulf of St. Eufemia and that
of Squillace.
From this solid base two columns at least were to
march against Garibaldi, while Lieutenant-General
Vialardi, established at Monteleone with sufficient
forces, received orders to advance a party as far as
the plain of Giuja, to act, according to circum-
stances and the instructions he might receive.
Desiring above all things to finish the affair at
once, and to that end to mass at the proper point
the greatest amount of force possible, on the very
day of my arrival at Messina, the 27th, I proceeded
to Catania, where 1 arrived the same evening. The
iuformation given me there by General Ricotti as
to the forces at his disposal and state of things in
that province satisfied me that I might safely draw
from thence at least four battalions, and land them
wherever they might be most needed, according to
the news I should receive on my return to Reggio,
where I arrived next morning, the 2Sth, at break
of day.
Garibaldi still occupied Aspronaonte ;
but the
bands sent out by him in various directions, radiat-
ing from his camp to a distance of some hours'
march, alarmed the country. and led to a belief in
his presence in various places at the same time.
From the column of Pallavicini, sent on the day
before at one o'clock p.m., I had no other news ex-
cept that it had overtaken on its march a party of
Garibaldians, and that it had taken about 100 pri-
soners, who were sent under escort to Reggio.
While I was making these arrangements, and
desiring General La Mermora to suspend the de-
spatch of any more forces to Pizzo, he, if I am not
mistaken, was disposing his troops in echelon from
Cosenza, to Castrovillari and Potenza, and providing
by land and sea for the security of Salerno, where
Nicotera has many adherents,andwhch was known
to be a point aimed at by Garibaldi.
I passed afterwards on the same day of the 28th
to Messina, to attend to the state of the island. At
the same time came news of the arrival at Palermo
of General Brignone, to whom I delegated my
ex-
traordinary powers; that I might be free to devote
myself exclusively to the military operations.
The adherents of Garibaldi not all been able
to embark on board the two French steamers which
transported them to Calabria. Seven hundred and
more remained prisoners in the hands of General
Ricotti. At Catania some hundreds had been im-
prndently dismissed to their homes with passports,
and besides a certain Major Treselli wandered at
tho head of a band, whose force, according to
various reports, appeared to consist of between 800
and 900 men.
It was therefore necessary to arrange for the
pursuit of this band by launching upon their traces
the troops from Catania, and those few which were
disposable at Messina, the state of men's minds in
that town not permitting to send thew forces too
t'.

It appeared prudent also to disembarrass Catania
Prisoners, and 500 of them
of too great a number of
-ere embarked and sent to Spezzia.
Four battalions drawn from Catania arrived in
Messina, and these I proposed tc,i,
the port or eep
still on board while awaiting intelligence, that -
they
ni:glit be in hand, and ready to be transported and
landed wherever needed.
But on the night of the 29th a telegraphic re-
port reached me from Reggio, from Colonel Palle._
vicini, which informed my' of the extraordinary and
complete result obtained by him•
Upon this feat of arms, which, by its conse-