Battle of Calatafimi
The Battle of Calatafimi was fought on the 15 May 1860 between Giuseppe Garibaldi's volunteers and the troops of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies at Calatafimi, Sicily, as part of the Expedition of the Thousand (Italian: "I Mille"). The battle was the first of Garibaldi's victory during his invasion of Sicily in 1860 and saw his 'Thousand' defeat a larger Neapolitan army sent from Palermo to block the roads to the Sicilian capital. Prelude. Four days before the battle, the "Mille" had landed at Marsala, on board the ships "Il Piemonte" and "Il Lombardo . Francesco Crispi, among others, landed before the Mille on Sicily to raise support among the locals for the Mille". On the 14 May at Salemi, Garibaldi announced that he was assuming dictatorship over Sicily in the name of King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia. Battle. The Battle of Calatafimi took place on the hill Pianto Romano, near the namesake town. The battle was inconclusive, but served to boost the morale of the Mille and, at the same time, depress the Neapolitans, who, ill guided with their often corrupted officers, started to feel themselves abandoned. During the battle, Garibaldi is said  to have uttered the famous battle cry ""Qui si fa l'Italia o si muore"" ("Here we make Italy, or we die"). Due to the battle, the ranks of the Mille enlarged to 1,200 with local men joining. Aftermath. With the help of a popular insurrection, on 27 May Garibaldi began the Siege of Palermo, the island's capital. The city was defended by some 18,000 men, but they were under the confused and timid command of general Ferdinando Lanza, aged 75, and on 30 May Garibaldi's forces took Palermo.