The forwarding of the Thousand is an episode of the Italian Risorgimento in 1860, when a body of volunteers directed by Giuseppe Garibaldi had unloaded in the south of Italy, to conquer the Royaume of Deux-Siciles, controlled by the Bourbons.
Forwarding
The May 6th 1860, on the shore of Fourthly (a district of Genoa), approximately thousand volunteers (1089, of which a woman, according to some) embark on two ships It Piemonte and It Lombardo . These volunteers are vêtus of red shirts, with the imitation of the Italian volunteers of the Italian legion ordered by Garibaldi in Uruguay. After a short halt with Talamone, the May 7th, to provide itself out of weapons, the ships set out again for the Sicily. All unload with Marsala the May 11th, with the assistance of ships Britannique S present in the port to draw aside the warships of the Bourbons.The May 14th with Salemi Garibaldi states to assume the government of Sicily in the name of Victor Emmanuel king d' Italie.
The Thousand carry, with sorrow it is true, the first battle with Calatafimi the May 15th against nearly 2000 soldiers of the Bourbons. It should be said that they became 1200 while recruiting in the local population.
Supported on a popular insurrection, between the 27 and the May 30th Garibaldi conquers Palermo.
The July 20th the troops of the Bourbons are defeats with Milazzo.
The August 19th Garibaldi unloads in Calabria, against the opinion of Cavour, but with the tacit agreement of Victor Emmanuel II. Garibaldi has from now on nearly 20.000 soldiers. In Calabria, it does not meet significant resistance, bus of the whole regiments of the army of the Bourbons are relaxed or passed in its rows. The August 30th, the army of the Bourbons, ordered by the General Ghio, is disarmed with Soveria Mannelli.
The king François II gives up Naples to organize resistance in the fortress of Gaète and on banks of the river Volturno, so that the September 7th, Garibaldi can enter the city as a liberator and without combat, in spite of the presence of important unfavourable bodies of troop.
In the Battle of Volturno, Garibaldi (helped of the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia, gone down through the Steps and the Ombrie) demolishes the army of the Bourbons definitively (nearly 50.000 soldiers). The battle is completed on October 1st (others say on October 2nd).
A little later it (October 21st) has place a Référendum for the annexation of the kingdom of Deux-Siciles to the kingdom of Sardinia, whose result was massively in favor of the annexation. Perhaps it should be stressed that at the time the referendums were called Plébiscite S and always had the anticipated results.
The forwarding of the Thousand is completed with the meeting of Teano (actually it was close to Taverna della Catena, today commune of Vairano Patenora) between king Victor Emmanuel II and Garibaldi, the October 26th 1860, or - according to others - with the entry of the king in Naples the November 7th according to.
Garibaldi required of the king to remain Dictateur during one year in the territories of the kingdom of Deux-Siciles. Following the refusal of the king, it was withdrawn in the island of Caprera.
Meanwhile, the 4 and November 5th had taken place the plebiscites in favor of the annexation of the Steps and Ombrie.
Importance of forwarding
After forwarding
The March 17th 1861 Victor Emmanuel is proclaimed first king d' Italie. (By convention one still calls it " Victor Emmanuel II" , even if, as notices it Mack Smith, he is the first king of the new Italian State). In fact, this classification as second points out that the kingdom of Italy was created by amplification of the territory of the kingdom of Sardinia.
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