I have just finished the first part of a trilogy written by George Macaulay Trevelyan. Trevelyan was an enthusiastic supporter of Garibaldi so these 1200 odd pages (the three books) are a tribute to the man who sits centre stage when it comes to the wars of the italian unification.
The innocent red book volume 1 of 3 covers Garibaldi’s early life (1807-1831) and then exile in Uruguay (until 1848) in its first 41 pages. The next 350 are devoted to the “Defence of Rome” years 1848/1849 before a second exile in the USA followed.
I have previously written about the red book in this post.
In May 1848 Garibaldi was sailing from Montevideo in Uruguay, heading for Italy, the land not yet a Kingdom!
the lands that made Garibaldi the tough and resourceful General in Italy – viva south america!
In my previous post I dwelt on his South American experiences which probably made his military capability so powerful.
On the Painting Pedestal – The “lucky” man himself – made by Lucky toys as it happens.
I don’t think you will find a better wargamers guide – heres hoping volumes 2 and 3 are of the same mould. The book may be 114 years old but you will find precious little wargamer books on the subject of Garibaldi. In fact it seems there are not that many military history books either. There are a lot of books about the politics of the “Risorgimento” which it seems is very much a live debate even today.
Back in 2008 Richard Clarke of Too Fat Lardies published Sharp Practice. I had always considered this black powder ruleset very Napoleonic. Yet it is for black powder wars and these ran well into the 19th Century.
Take Two books – published in 1907 and 2008 but connected in just the right way
Enter George Macaulay Trevelyan (GMT) who a mere 100 years before Sharp Practice wrote a trilogy on Guiseppe Garibaldi hero of the Wars of Italian Unification (WotIU).
This little post is not about my current interest in WotIU. We must travel back to the 1830’s and sail to South America. Uruguay to be more accurate.
If I was not up to my armpits in Bersaglieri and Kittel dressed Austrians I might just be tempted south……………
The War for Rio Grande do Sol was fought out between Uruguay and Brazil. Later Uruguay fought Argentina along the rivers that fed the Rio de la Plata.
Garibaldi fled Piedmontese execution in 1836, having failed to cause rebellion in its navy, served in both these wars and became a local hero by 1848.
Garibaldi on his return to the Papal States and revolution
In the process he developed his expertise in warfare, leading bands of highly motivated and very mobile forces. This experience would serve him well on his return to Italy.
Warfare in and around Uruguay was fast, furious and often mounted
I am not sure how you might acquire the GMT trilogy – I got mine from Paul Meekins Military books. There are a few other more modern Garibaldi biographies.
In the introduction to Richard Clarkes Sharp Practice the author makes it clear the rules aim to relive the exploits of 19th century literary heroes. GMT hero worships Garibaldi not least because of his political leanings – a true revolutionary of the people. GMT adds a lot of praise and enrichment to the story shall we say.
Contemporary accounts and later biographies recount small naval actions with Garibaldi being shot on deck and his wife Anita Riberas also being shot as she fought with him. Lagoons, amphibious assaults, cattle rustling (the key cash crop), sieges, river gorges, forests, upland ridgeways, prairie, pampas, arroyas (wooded streams) and canadas (ground dips deep enough to hide your forces in!), not to mention lancer cavalry fighting musket armed soldiers.
If your desperate for figures maybe you could try the Carlists, while at least some of the regular enemies kitted out in napoleonic kit with british style shakoes.
In fact the Risorgimento continues to be fought over as a literary subject in itself. I have enjoyed Lucy Riall’s book which injects some 21st century objectivity into it all. Lucy has also authored a book about Garibaldi, that might be a good starting point for using Sharp Practice in a different way.
Those pesky Bersaglieri cannot be left alone…………..postings to follow
So my offering today is to the jaded “Richard Sharpe” player – cast way those green jackets and take on the slaughterhouse cloth of Monte Video* and march or should I say ride with Garibaldi across the uplands of the Rio Grande do Sol, grossly outnumbered yet most often victorious: And he lived to tell his tales.
*the famous italian red shirts apparently started life as a very cheap industrial clothing for Garibaldis Italian Legion in Monte Video.
The Wargaming Erratic 