Out with Garibaldi

by G. A. Henty

First published 1901

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2.5(5)

Leonard Percival, an Englishman with close ties to Italy, is drawn into Giuseppe Garibaldi’s campaigns during the long struggle for Italian unification. He first experiences the defence of the Roman Republic in 1849 and later returns to the revolutionary cause as Garibaldi gathers volunteers for the campaign against the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

The novel follows Leonard through the rapid movement and improvised warfare associated with Garibaldi’s forces, culminating in the Expedition of the Thousand and the battles that carry the volunteers from Sicily towards Naples. Political idealism is constantly tested by shortages, uncertain alliances and the need to turn a volunteer movement into an effective army. Garibaldi appears not simply as a famous name but as the charismatic commander around whom Leonard’s personal loyalties and the wider nationalist campaign converge.