oth in Sicily and on the
mainland.[5]

Garibaldi arranged his forces in three divisions; one, under Tuerr, was
sent to Catania; the second, under Bixio, to Girgenti; the third,
under Medici, was to follow the northern sea-coast towards Messina,
the strongest position still in the enemy's hands. All three were
ultimately to converge with a view to the grand object of crossing
over to the mainland. Medici had 2500 men; the royalists in and about
Messina could dispose of 15,000. The Garibaldians did not expect much
opposition till they got near Messina, but when they reached
Barcelona they heard that the garrison of Milazzo had been reinforced
by Del Bosco with 4000 men, with the evident design of cutting off
their passage to Messina. It is said that this move was made in
consequence of direct communications between that officer and Francis
II., whose ministers had already decided to abandon the whole island.
But Del Bosco secretly assured his King that such a measure was not
necessary, and that he would undertake not only to bar Medici's
advance, but to march over the dead bodies of the Garibaldians to
Palermo. Milazzo is a small hilly peninsula, on which stands a fort
and a little walled city. The spot was well chosen. On the 17th of
July, Del Bosco attacked the Garibaldian right, and it was not without
difficulty that Medici retained his positions. Some further
reinforcements were sent to Del Bosco from Messina, though not so
numerous as they ought to have been, but they would have almost
ensured him the victory had not Medici also received help; Cosenz'
column, and, yet more important, Garibaldi himself with the 1000 men
he had kept in Palermo, hastening at full speed to the rescue. The
belligerents were, for once, about equally balanced in numbers when on
the 20th of July Garibaldi attacked Del Bosco with the purpose of
driving him on to the tongue of the peninsula, thus cutting him off
from Messina and leaving the road open. A desperate engagement
followed. The Neapolitans showed that they could fight if they were
properly led, and inflicted a loss of 800 in killed and wounded (heavy
out of a total of 5000) on their gallant opponents. Garibaldi's own
life was nearly sacrificed. He was standing in a field of prickly
pears in conversation with Major Missori when a party of the enemy's
cavalry rode up, the captain of which dealt a violent blow at him with
his sword, without knowing who it was. Garibaldi coolly parried