25 August 1862: Garibaldi lands on the continent

(To Marina Militare)
25/08/15

Monday - In the night Garibaldi with his volunteers aboard the steamships Abbatucci and Dispaccio captured in Catania, crosses the Strait of Messina without any opposition from the team of Admiral Albini and at the first lights of the day landed in Calabria between Melito di Porto Salvo and Capo dell'Armi.

The commanders of the two frigates Duke of Genoa and Vittorio Emanuele, sent in reinforcement by Genoa in early August, (3.415 t, 52 cannons) on a cruise in front of Catania, the captains of frigate Angelo Giraud and Ludovico Avogadro of Cerrione, in the absence of precise orders had not heard of firing on the garibaldine units.

[The 29 day of the same month Garibaldi to the Aspromonte is stopped by the Regie troops and wounded; is then transported on the frigate Duca di Genova to Varignano (Spezia) where it will be locked up in the fortress. The captains of frigate Angelo Giraud and Ludovico Avogadro of Cerrione are deprived of the command by Admiral Persano arrived in Messina, sent to arrests in the fortress and deferred for treason to the War Council of Genoa. The two officers will later be acquitted for "non-existence of crime" but, scapegoats of the failure to intervene in the fleet, will be removed from service and later rehabilitated]