I had not the least hope of dislodging the French from their
positions, hence only a useless butchery could have ensued. Rome was
doomed, but after a marvellous and a splendid defence. The fall of Rome,
after such a siege, was the triumph of democracy in Europe. The idea of
preserving four or five thousand devoted combatants who knew me, who
would answer at any time to my call, prevailed. I ordered the retreat,
promising that at five in the evening they should again advance; but I
resolved that no assault should be made."
From this and other writings of Garibaldi it is clear that from the
night of June 21st he considered any further attempt to prevent the
French from entering Rome as worse than useless--that hence he refused
to lead the remnants of his army "to butchery" on the breach. How, then,
was it possible for Mazzini to have retarded the catastrophe
indefinitely, and reserved to Rome "the glory of falling last," _i.e._,
after Venice and Hungary?
Mazzini, beside himself with grief that the armed people had not been
allowed to rush on to the bastions and drive the French from the walls,
wrote a reproachful letter to Manara, then chief of Garibaldi's staff,
and this patriot here seems to have kept the peace, as on the 25th we
find a friendly letter from Garibaldi to the Triumvirate in which he
proposes to leave Manara in Rome, and to conduct, himself, a
considerable number of his men out of Rome to take up position between
the French and Civita Vecchia, to harass them in the rear.
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