The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-12 00:00:00

The Battle of Mentana,

(From the Correspondent of the Daily News.)
FLORENCE, NOV. 5.

The reason of the scanty news that reached this
city for thirty-six hours after an event of absorling
interest which had occurred within 200 miles of it,
and on a line of railway and of telegraph, is re-
vealed to-night. General Garibaldi had, after
withdrawing his men and formally disbanding
them, and while on his way to Caprera, been seized
in the train by order of government. lie was
carried a prisoner to Spezzia, his friends were for-
bidden to accompany hint, and a telegram in which
Crispi, the leader of the extreme Lib ,rals in the
Chamber, but who was now playing the most con-
stitutional part, informed his friends in Florence
that Garibal li had retired and was actually on his
way home, was not allowed to be delivered till ten
last night,eleven hours after it had been despatched,
and by the time .the offices of the Liberal papers,
which appear only in the evening, were closed.
These are not very noble weapons fur a national
Government to fight with.
Florence has been full to-day of returning Gari-
baldini, from whom, as well as from some who were
employed on the staff, I had obtained a good deal
of the details. But the Riforma of this evening
publishes an interim offioial report, signed by
General Fabrizi (chief of the staff), by Colonels
Missori, Menotti Garibaldi, and Guerzoni, and
by Alberto Mario ; and as this will be the his-
torical narrative I cannot do better than give it
textually. There needs only to be premised, on the
authority of Signor Crispi, that the movement of
concentration on Tivoli was made with the design,
not of attacking, but of withdrawing the volunteer
force preparatory to its dissolution, in view of the
complications caused by the intervention of the
national troops and to avoid the possibility of any
collision with them.

" On the 3d of November, at half-past twelve
noon, the body of volunteers which occupied
Monte Rotondo was put in motion by the Men-
tana road in the direction of Tivoli, where all the
other corps occupying the Pontifical territory were
directed to concentrate. General Garibaldi had
provided for the possibility of encountering the
enemy on the march, and had directed, in an order
of the day, all the arrangements suggested by
military art to guard against an unexpected attack.
The advanced guard was composed of the Ist bat-
talion of Bersaglieri, which was ordered to throw
out strong flanking parties on our right, which was
the side exposed to the enemy. 'We were in all
about 5,000 men, with the two pieces of artillery
taken at Monte Rotondo. The advanced guard
had passed Mentana (this seems about two miles
from Monte Rotondo) when word was passed back
that the Pontifical troips had already attacked the
head of the column at the extreme point of the
advanced guard. On seeing the enemy the general
made the following dispositions :

"The 2d battalion of volunteers and the 2d and
3d Bersaglieri, together with the Carabiniers of
Leghorn, were extended along the heights which
rise about half a mile from Mentana, and were
received with a very sharp fire of foreign Chasseurs
and Zouaves.

" But the positions in front of Mentena not
being found suitable for defence, and a movement
in force towards the left being developed by the
enemy with the evident intention of cutting off
our line of retreat, our line; was withdrawn into
Mentana, occupying the houses and the castle,
while the rest of the Garibaldian troops were eche-
loned on the left and behind the village. The❑
two columns of Chasseurs and Zouaves attacked in
front and on the left, as had been foreseen, and
succeeded for a few minutes in penetrating as far
as the first houses. The position was critical,
Montana and the retreat were threatened. General
Garibaldi ordered the whole line to charge with
the bayonet ; it was brilliantly executed, and Men-
tana was recovered. The general himself directed
from a height the fire of our guns. The day seemed
won, and the enemy was at every instant losing
ground, when a new and dense hostile line ap-
peared on the f►eld. They were the fresh battalions
of the Antibes legion, who, reinforcing the wavering
battalions of the first line, attacked our left with
new vigour. Their arms of precision and artillery
caused heavy loss to cur men, who disputed the
ground foot by foot. But victory seemed now
hopeless. We were crushed with numbers, and
paralysed by the want of ammunition for our guns,
which had exhausted their seventy rounds. It was
necessary to save the line of retreat, and to hold
the enemy in check, preventing him from descend-
ing on the road that leads from Mentana to Monte
Rotondo. This object was successfully attained,
and the retreat on Monte Rotondo was effected.