Primavera d'Italia: War, Love and Revolution
- Thread starter Tarabas
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To be honest, that's a world many of us would find appealing today.
Still, when the subject territories of the Grisons in what is now the Province of Sondrio tried to ask for annexation into the Three Leagues as a fourth constituent league, their request was refused on the grounds that a Valtellina-based league would be as populous as the other three leagues put together, and the exact same scenario would probably play out with Lombardy and Switzerland as a whole.
And many others would find unacceptable, among the "others" count all of the Swiss themselves
In 1850, the total population of Switzerland was around 2.5 million, while Lombardy had in excess of 3 million (170 years later, there are almost 10 million Lombards against 8.6 million Swiss). Never the twain shall join.
Italian Unification didn't come to be through the best and most cleanest process. However, once the 1848 attempt to change the political situation in the peninsula ended up in a bloody failure, I doubt that there was any better or cleaner way to unify Italy than what happened IOTL (by the most extravagant and unlikely chain of events, I grant you).
The Italian problems have their roots much more in what was done (and not done) after the proclamation of the kingdom of Italy, in particular during the first critical decade (Tommasi di Lampedusa put it in a very nice way: "to change everything in order to change nothing").
It is often said that Italy's first and greatest misfortune was Cavour's death just after the proclamation of the kingdom. While I am known as a rabid Cavourian partisan, I doubt that even Camillo at his best could have been able to solve all of the problems, maybe not even most of them. In order to solve all of the problems, a smart and dedicated prime minister was not enough, it would have taken a demiurge (or the author of a TL, obviously
).How very true. There are people who would complain being hung with a silken ropeWell, that depends on whom you ask
#8: After Goito: the Mincio is not enough
After Goito: the Mincio is not enough
“The Earth astounded holds her breath…” Even though Alessandro Manzoni’s immortal words were originally written to commemorate a different event (1), they describe very well the reaction of all European chancelleries to the Battle of Goito. In Italy, on the other hand, the astonishment of rulers and governments was contrasted by the spontaneous celebrations which erupted in the streets all over the peninsula, as the news traveled by horse, word-of-mouth, and telegraph, even the coolest heads among the Italian patriots could non help but hold their breath and think: “What’s next?” The same thought paralyzed the Italian rulers- that is, the ones still sitting on their thrones, although most of them (2) were quick enough to hail the “the hero of Goito, the breaker of chains, the restorer of Italian freedom, PrinceFerdinand of Savoy”(3). A similar feeling of awe, astonishment and worry were common all over Europe, even in the countries (like Great Britain and, to a lesser degree, France) who were likely to be sympathetic to the Italian cause.
For obvious reasons, the mood at Goito was quite different: the whole of the Sardinian Army, soldiers, and officers alike, was swept by a storm of adrenaline. As Augusto Cavour wrote in his diary, “We were all drunk on the sweet wine of victory, ecstatic, almost incredulous at what we had done, and at the same time eager to do more. In this hot sea of euphoria and pride, that could easily turn into hubris, there was only a single island of calm and cold reason: our leader, our commander, our Prince. When I went to congratulate him on our victory, he did not respond He stood perfectly still, his eyes focused on the bridge of Goito. Then he took a deep breath, and murmured: The Mincio is not enough, our task is just begun.”
The first thing which was not enough was the number of troops at Ferdinand’s disposal: after the battle, he had just some 25000 soldiers fit for the field (less than 8,000 of them Bersaglieri) in dire need of rest after the dash to Goito and the battle. Couriers were immediately sent to the main Sardinian force under the King’s direct command, 30000 strong with the bulk of the Artillery. Ferdinand’s audacious campaign had left the rest of the Army some well behind, but it was vital to press the advantage Goito had so unexpectedly awarded, and the prince urged the king to speed up his march as much as possible and beyond. To the surprise of many,(4) Carlo Alberto obliged: six squadrons of cavalry arrived at Goito on March 25th, and 12 regiments of infantry, in excess of 12,000 men, marched in on the 27th. The balance of the army would follow at a more sedate pace and arrive at Goito a few days later (with the exception of 4 regiments and some siege artillery which had been sent to Mantova, to keep the Austrian garrison pinned in.
Ferdinand never showed any concern, and immediately started to address his immediate strategic goals: first of all, to secure at least one bridgehead on the Adige River and to prevent any possible Austrian comeback from Verona, the main fortress of the Quadrilatero (the only one with a sizable field force, 10000 strong, besides the garrison), second to keep the two minor fortresses in check (5). To this end, 5000 Sardinian regulars and 5000 Tuscan volunteers (6) were sent forward to the soon-to-be-famous Isola della Scala and then to Zevio, to take the closest bridge on the Adige and to guard against any sortie from Verona toward the south and west. After a brief yet fierce confrontation in which the Tuscan “Battalion of the Students”(7) made a good show of bravery and discipline, the bridge at Zevio was firmly in Italian hands by March the 26th. At the same time, three regiments of Sardinian regulars, with the rest of the Tuscan volunteers as well as 2000 Lombard volunteers, were sent to secure the bridge on the Mincio at Valeggio: from Valeggio, both the northern approaches of Verona and the fortress of Peschiera could be kept under observation. A lesser force was detached farther east, to the town of Cerea, to secure another bridge on the Adige and to keep under observation the fortress of Legnago. All of these forces were given strict orders not to engage in any major confrontation, their task was to act as early warning and scout the land (for this reason, small cavalry forces and a few companies of Bersaglieri were attached to each of the vanguards).
Prince Henri was left in command of the operations on the Mincio, which for the present mainly consisted of guarding the Austrian prisoners and instructed to keep the remaining Bersaglieri at Isola della Scala, where they would be the strategic reserve in case of an Austrian sortie to retake the bridge at Zevio (8).
Prince Ferdinand himself, with a small retinue formed by a squadron of his Carabinieri lifeguards, his aide Augusto Cavour and the Bersaglieri Commander Alessandro LaMarmora, left on March the 25th for Vicenza.
Footnotes
“The Earth astounded holds her breath…” Even though Alessandro Manzoni’s immortal words were originally written to commemorate a different event (1), they describe very well the reaction of all European chancelleries to the Battle of Goito. In Italy, on the other hand, the astonishment of rulers and governments was contrasted by the spontaneous celebrations which erupted in the streets all over the peninsula, as the news traveled by horse, word-of-mouth, and telegraph, even the coolest heads among the Italian patriots could non help but hold their breath and think: “What’s next?” The same thought paralyzed the Italian rulers- that is, the ones still sitting on their thrones, although most of them (2) were quick enough to hail the “the hero of Goito, the breaker of chains, the restorer of Italian freedom, PrinceFerdinand of Savoy”(3). A similar feeling of awe, astonishment and worry were common all over Europe, even in the countries (like Great Britain and, to a lesser degree, France) who were likely to be sympathetic to the Italian cause.
For obvious reasons, the mood at Goito was quite different: the whole of the Sardinian Army, soldiers, and officers alike, was swept by a storm of adrenaline. As Augusto Cavour wrote in his diary, “We were all drunk on the sweet wine of victory, ecstatic, almost incredulous at what we had done, and at the same time eager to do more. In this hot sea of euphoria and pride, that could easily turn into hubris, there was only a single island of calm and cold reason: our leader, our commander, our Prince. When I went to congratulate him on our victory, he did not respond He stood perfectly still, his eyes focused on the bridge of Goito. Then he took a deep breath, and murmured: The Mincio is not enough, our task is just begun.”
The first thing which was not enough was the number of troops at Ferdinand’s disposal: after the battle, he had just some 25000 soldiers fit for the field (less than 8,000 of them Bersaglieri) in dire need of rest after the dash to Goito and the battle. Couriers were immediately sent to the main Sardinian force under the King’s direct command, 30000 strong with the bulk of the Artillery. Ferdinand’s audacious campaign had left the rest of the Army some well behind, but it was vital to press the advantage Goito had so unexpectedly awarded, and the prince urged the king to speed up his march as much as possible and beyond. To the surprise of many,(4) Carlo Alberto obliged: six squadrons of cavalry arrived at Goito on March 25th, and 12 regiments of infantry, in excess of 12,000 men, marched in on the 27th. The balance of the army would follow at a more sedate pace and arrive at Goito a few days later (with the exception of 4 regiments and some siege artillery which had been sent to Mantova, to keep the Austrian garrison pinned in.
Ferdinand never showed any concern, and immediately started to address his immediate strategic goals: first of all, to secure at least one bridgehead on the Adige River and to prevent any possible Austrian comeback from Verona, the main fortress of the Quadrilatero (the only one with a sizable field force, 10000 strong, besides the garrison), second to keep the two minor fortresses in check (5). To this end, 5000 Sardinian regulars and 5000 Tuscan volunteers (6) were sent forward to the soon-to-be-famous Isola della Scala and then to Zevio, to take the closest bridge on the Adige and to guard against any sortie from Verona toward the south and west. After a brief yet fierce confrontation in which the Tuscan “Battalion of the Students”(7) made a good show of bravery and discipline, the bridge at Zevio was firmly in Italian hands by March the 26th. At the same time, three regiments of Sardinian regulars, with the rest of the Tuscan volunteers as well as 2000 Lombard volunteers, were sent to secure the bridge on the Mincio at Valeggio: from Valeggio, both the northern approaches of Verona and the fortress of Peschiera could be kept under observation. A lesser force was detached farther east, to the town of Cerea, to secure another bridge on the Adige and to keep under observation the fortress of Legnago. All of these forces were given strict orders not to engage in any major confrontation, their task was to act as early warning and scout the land (for this reason, small cavalry forces and a few companies of Bersaglieri were attached to each of the vanguards).
Prince Henri was left in command of the operations on the Mincio, which for the present mainly consisted of guarding the Austrian prisoners and instructed to keep the remaining Bersaglieri at Isola della Scala, where they would be the strategic reserve in case of an Austrian sortie to retake the bridge at Zevio (8).
Prince Ferdinand himself, with a small retinue formed by a squadron of his Carabinieri lifeguards, his aide Augusto Cavour and the Bersaglieri Commander Alessandro LaMarmora, left on March the 25th for Vicenza.
Footnotes
- Namely, Napoleon’s death on May, 5th 1821
- With the remarkable but not surprising exceptions of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and Pope Pius IX
- As Pier Carlo Boggio wrote in his account of the Battle of Goito
- The King himself chief among them
- The fortresses of the Quadrilatero (Verona, Peschiera, Mantova, and Legnago) differed vastly among themselves in size and modernity: Verona was the biggest and most modern, Peschiera and Legnago were small and outdated, while Mantova was very strong, being protected by lakes and a moat but sorely undermanned. OTL one of CA’s chief mistakes was to concentrate on the siege of the fortresses (achieving the dubious victory of subduing Peschiera) instead of pushing forward to secure a bridgehead across the Adige river
- OTL, Tuscany sent a force of 6000 men, chiefly volunteers. TTL there are more of them, arriving at the center of the action earlier than OTL
- Led by the mathematician and astronomer Prof. Ottaviano Fabrizio Mossotti, OTL this Battalion fought at the Battle of Curtatone and Montanara. The good professor was in the thick of the fight at the Zevio bridge ITTL, leading his students to take it.
- The Austrians happily obliged: after Goito, a sortie from Verona was never considered
Love it!!!now we need more!!! I can't wait to see what will make Isola della Scala famous 🤔 oh wait Maria Cristina will be there...as will her husband...oh boy,this will be good 😈😈😈
Glad you like it! Well, we keep our "not-to-spoil-too-much" policy, but...besides Maria Cristina and Henri, a lot of people will be at Isola della Scala.
I can't wait to see it!!!Glad you like it! Well, we keep our "not-to-spoil-too-much" policy, but...besides Maria Cristina and Henri, a lot of people will be at Isola della Scala.
Hi everyone! I have a couple of quick "announcements", regarding the TL.
First, we will go through a slight retcon of the first few chapters. The main reason for this is that the TL is going into a direction that diverges from the original plan, which was far more "conservative": with the exception of Ferdinand, the protagonists were the same as OTL, and the unfolding of the events was something akin to "OTL with fewer mistakes". Should you find any inaccuracy/incongruence, please tell us: we appreciate your kind help and contribution.
Second, I am travelling this week, so it is likely that we will not be posting with the same frequency post-hiatus for a while, but worry not! Ferdinand's adventures, as well as Cavour's, Henri, Maria Cristina's and of all the protagonists of FoI (the ones we introduced and the ones we will) will keep going. I would also take the chance to thank anyone for the kind support and feedback: it is very important to us.
First, we will go through a slight retcon of the first few chapters. The main reason for this is that the TL is going into a direction that diverges from the original plan, which was far more "conservative": with the exception of Ferdinand, the protagonists were the same as OTL, and the unfolding of the events was something akin to "OTL with fewer mistakes". Should you find any inaccuracy/incongruence, please tell us: we appreciate your kind help and contribution.
Second, I am travelling this week, so it is likely that we will not be posting with the same frequency post-hiatus for a while, but worry not! Ferdinand's adventures, as well as Cavour's, Henri, Maria Cristina's and of all the protagonists of FoI (the ones we introduced and the ones we will) will keep going. I would also take the chance to thank anyone for the kind support and feedback: it is very important to us.
Narrative Interlude #6: A train of thoughts
Narrative Interlude: A train of thoughts
“You know, Your Highness, I sometimes wonder what Napoleon could have done with trains at his disposal.”
“I prefer to wonder what more we can do with them, Alessandro.”
“Fair enough. My Bersaglieri are fast, but without the Turin-Novara we would hardly have had Treviglio, let alone Goito.”
“Speaking of Treviglio, I wish I was there. All the reports depict it as a new Zama.”(1)
“I am flattered, Your Highness. Truth to be told, it is an unfair comparison on both sides. A storm of seven Verdi bullets per minute (2) is worth ten thousand elephants and-“
“Viva Verdi..” (3)
“-and there was no exotic cavalry to speak of (4). Still, I believe we can do better. I would like to test different terrains, with some hills and high ground to take, defend, or from which to unleash our charge.”
“Well said. We can’t afford any Capua(5), here; the pleasures of victory are more dangerous than the wounds of defeat. Besides, the Empire might still strike back (6).”
“Practice makes perfect, my prince. I did however noticed, at both battles, the rate of fire of our guns, as well as their effective range, and I am convinced that we should rethink our infantry tactics (7), which have not evolved yet from Napoleonic times.”
Ferdinand was suddenly interested: "Tell me more about your ideas".
"My thoughts have not firmed up yet on this subject. I'm convinced we could do much better, but I need time to digest all that has happened".
Augusto had remained silent during this exchange, not daring to speak his mind, but for a second he truly wished he had been gifted withUncle Camillo’s wit. What kind of “practice” were Prince Ferdinand and general LaMarmora speaking of? They were sitting relaxed on a train, discussing warfare like professors and students in the Academy (8) traveling from a city that had freed herself alone from the Austrians to another which had done the same (9), their uniforms alone telling the world they were actual soldiers, the heroes of Goito, the… He stopped there , but… If “the Mincio was not enough”, why weren’t they on the Adige, on the Tagliamento, on the Isonzo?
“Your Highness, I guess our young friend here is getting bored by our discussion.”
“Is that a fact, Lieutenant Cavour?”
Augusto could not help but blush. He took a moment to reply.
“Your Highness, I was just listening and trying to learn.”
“A wise answer, although your eyes betray you. However, Alessandro, you’re wrong. Our friend is not bored at all. He simply would be anywhere else but here.” The penetrating look Prince Ferdinand gave him hurt Augusto more than the words.
“I guess we could send him with Alfonso (10). Taking down jaegers in the Alps should be exciting enough.” General Lamarmora did nothing to hide his amusement.
“With all due respect, Your Highness, I-“
“You had your first taste of blood, so you want more. You are looking forward to liberating Verona, maybe finding your Juliet there, amongcheering crowds and Austrian prisoners, or maybe marching toward the Brenner, to Trento and then Vienna, and yet… Here you are, sitting and chatting like at a ball in your father’s house.”
The prince paused, an unusual full smile (which not revealed, however, his teeth) illuminating his face.
“Fear not, my young (11) friend, for glory still lies ahead. But war is the projection of politics, just with different means (12): to wage the former, we have to first see clearly our path in the latter.”
Politics. A necessary evil, if anyone had asked Augusto. The realm of dishonesty and deception, so distant from the pristine glory and honor of war… and just a moment before his mind could wander again, losing the train of thoughts, the train stopped. There they were: they had reached Venice.
As soon as the train stopped, the crowd roared in welcome. It seemed to Ferdinand that the very Lion of Saint Mark was welcoming them to his city.
Footnotes
“You know, Your Highness, I sometimes wonder what Napoleon could have done with trains at his disposal.”
“I prefer to wonder what more we can do with them, Alessandro.”
“Fair enough. My Bersaglieri are fast, but without the Turin-Novara we would hardly have had Treviglio, let alone Goito.”
“Speaking of Treviglio, I wish I was there. All the reports depict it as a new Zama.”(1)
“I am flattered, Your Highness. Truth to be told, it is an unfair comparison on both sides. A storm of seven Verdi bullets per minute (2) is worth ten thousand elephants and-“
“Viva Verdi..” (3)
“-and there was no exotic cavalry to speak of (4). Still, I believe we can do better. I would like to test different terrains, with some hills and high ground to take, defend, or from which to unleash our charge.”
“Well said. We can’t afford any Capua(5), here; the pleasures of victory are more dangerous than the wounds of defeat. Besides, the Empire might still strike back (6).”
“Practice makes perfect, my prince. I did however noticed, at both battles, the rate of fire of our guns, as well as their effective range, and I am convinced that we should rethink our infantry tactics (7), which have not evolved yet from Napoleonic times.”
Ferdinand was suddenly interested: "Tell me more about your ideas".
"My thoughts have not firmed up yet on this subject. I'm convinced we could do much better, but I need time to digest all that has happened".
Augusto had remained silent during this exchange, not daring to speak his mind, but for a second he truly wished he had been gifted withUncle Camillo’s wit. What kind of “practice” were Prince Ferdinand and general LaMarmora speaking of? They were sitting relaxed on a train, discussing warfare like professors and students in the Academy (8) traveling from a city that had freed herself alone from the Austrians to another which had done the same (9), their uniforms alone telling the world they were actual soldiers, the heroes of Goito, the… He stopped there , but… If “the Mincio was not enough”, why weren’t they on the Adige, on the Tagliamento, on the Isonzo?
“Your Highness, I guess our young friend here is getting bored by our discussion.”
“Is that a fact, Lieutenant Cavour?”
Augusto could not help but blush. He took a moment to reply.
“Your Highness, I was just listening and trying to learn.”
“A wise answer, although your eyes betray you. However, Alessandro, you’re wrong. Our friend is not bored at all. He simply would be anywhere else but here.” The penetrating look Prince Ferdinand gave him hurt Augusto more than the words.
“I guess we could send him with Alfonso (10). Taking down jaegers in the Alps should be exciting enough.” General Lamarmora did nothing to hide his amusement.
“With all due respect, Your Highness, I-“
“You had your first taste of blood, so you want more. You are looking forward to liberating Verona, maybe finding your Juliet there, amongcheering crowds and Austrian prisoners, or maybe marching toward the Brenner, to Trento and then Vienna, and yet… Here you are, sitting and chatting like at a ball in your father’s house.”
The prince paused, an unusual full smile (which not revealed, however, his teeth) illuminating his face.
“Fear not, my young (11) friend, for glory still lies ahead. But war is the projection of politics, just with different means (12): to wage the former, we have to first see clearly our path in the latter.”
Politics. A necessary evil, if anyone had asked Augusto. The realm of dishonesty and deception, so distant from the pristine glory and honor of war… and just a moment before his mind could wander again, losing the train of thoughts, the train stopped. There they were: they had reached Venice.
As soon as the train stopped, the crowd roared in welcome. It seemed to Ferdinand that the very Lion of Saint Mark was welcoming them to his city.
Footnotes
- The reference is to the double pincer move the Bersaglieri performed at Treviglio, which annihilated the Austrian rearguard
- OTL, Alessandro Lamarmora proposed a model of breech loaded, rifled gun (the needle gun) to equip his Bersaglieri, who could effectively fire 7 aimed shots in a minute
- Another OTL joke, but anyway the new hollow bullets got this name to honor the composer and also as a misdirection for foreign spies. We will not stop here.
- Reference to the Numidian cavalry that effectively won the day at Zama
- The “Idleness of Capua”, which effectively made Hannibal loose his momentum during his Italian campaign
- And another OTL joke
- Alessandro Lamarmora is on the right path, even if he has not yet completed his train of thoughts. The superior performance of the rifled breech loading guns and the advantage of reloading them without standing will have a profound impact on infantry tactics and doctrine
- The Royal Military Academy in Turin
- From Vicenza to Venice. OTL, most cities in Veneto freed themselves alone from the Austrian garrisons, mostly without a fight; TTL is no different
- Alfonso LaMarmora, Alessandro’s brother, TTL he will be tasked with the liberation of Trentino and the blocking of the Brenner Pass
- Being barely six years older than Augusto, Ferdinand may sound ironic, but his responsibilities had aged him at a faster pace.
- A famous quote by Von Clausewitz
Made in Tarabas and @LordKalvan
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A question to all: Do you think that Ferdinando or LaMormona, thank to the "experience" of "Toby" the mysterious sharpshooter of Milan, will gain the idea of developing a sharpshooter/sniper/rangers unit/s for the Sardinia army? Was there the technology for it?
That would be really interesting. I confess that the legend of "Toni" was not planned, it presented itself alone while writing, so at the time I had not thougt of this possible development. Calling in @LordKalvan for the feasibility of these "Sardinian Snipers".
European armies had for at least a couple of centuries employed small units of elite soldiers "hunters" (chasseurs, Jaeger , cacciatori depending on the country language) which were armed with rifled guns, and employed either as scouts or as sharpshooters (the latter was mostly during sieges). These jaegers were firing aimed shoots at long distance (long distance as defined in an era when the only propellant was corned power meant that the maximum effective range was no more than 300 meters; incidentally black powder produces a significant cloud of smoke every time a shot is fired, which defies the concept of a sniper shooting from cover or a blind ) .
I'm afraid that the concept of "sniper" will not be born before a smokeless propellant is synthetized (IOTL it din not happen until 1884). IIRC, the Boers made use of what could be defined "proto-snipers" during the Anglo-Boer wars (in reality, they were Boers who lived hunting big game, and shot from cover). True snipers, trained for the task, probably did not appear before WW1.
There may have been a "Tony" or more than one taking potshots at Austrians from the roof of houses in Milan during the insurrection, but my guess is that there were just a few sporadic cases of Austrian officers deliberately shot which later on was turned into the Tony's legend.
The use of hunters as scouts was however pretty common, in particular in broken terrain or in the mountains, and they could be seen as a poor man's ranger unit.
On the subject of smokeless propellants, everyone know that Alfred Nobel from Sweden discovered dynamite, and made a fortune out of it. It is much less known that nitroglycerine was first synthetized in 1847 by Ascanio Sobrero, a Piedmontese professor chemistry at the University of Turin . Nobel studied under the French chemist Pellouze and then under Sobrero, before returning to Sweden and then Germany in the late 1850s. Nitroglycerine is tremendously unstable (Sobrero, who always cautioned against its use, waited a year because he was worried by the danger of handling this substance), and when Nobel started trying to use it, his brother and a few other workers were killed in an explosion. Over the years, Nobel discovered how to detonate safely nitroglycerine by using a detonator with a percussion cap (which was another problem, since the percussion caps he developed used fulminate of mercury, highly poisonous), and, after many experiments with different substances, discovered that by adding diatomaceous earth to the nitroglycerine it was possible to turn it into an explosive which could be moved safely (this is the point at which he starts to make a bundle). The patent for dynamite was obtained in 1867 (which is still quite far in the future). It is however possible that ITTL the development of dynamite may happen to be carried out at Turin, under a royal grant: Ferdinand is always interested in science
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We'll what do you know...you learn new things everyday 🤔 nice 😆European armies had for at least a couple of centuries employed small units of elite soldiers "hunters" (chasseurs, Jaeger , cacciatori depending on the country language) which were armed with rifled guns, and employed either as scouts or as sharpshooters (the latter was mostly during sieges). These jaegers were firing aimed shoots at long distance (long distance as defined in an era when the only propellant was corned power meant that the maximum effective range was no more than 300 meters; incidentally black powder produces a significant cloud of smoke every time a shot is fired, which defies the concept of a sniper shooting from cover or a blind ) .
I'm afraid that the concept of "sniper" will not be born before a smokeless propellant is synthetized (IOTL it din not happen until 1884). IIRC, the Boers made use of what could be defined "proto-snipers" during the Anglo-Boer wars (in reality, they were Boers who lived hunting big game, and shot from cover). True snipers, trained for the task, probably did not appear before WW1.
There may have been a "Tony" or more than one taking potshots at Austrians from the roof of houses in Milan during the insurrection, but my guess is that there were just a few sporadic cases of Austrian officers deliberately shot which later on was turned into the Tony's legend.
The use of hunters as scouts was however pretty common, in particular in broken terrain or in the mountains, and they could be seen as a poor man's ranger unit.
On the subject of smokeless propellants, everyone know that Alfred Nobel from Sweden discovered dynamite, and made a fortune out of it. It is much less known that nitroglycerine was first synthetized in 1847 by Ascanio Sobrero, a Piedmontese professor chemistry at the University of Turin . Nobel studied under the French chemist Pellouze and then under Sobrero, before returning to Sweden and then Germany in the late 1850s. Nitroglycerine is tremendously unstable (Sobrero, who always cautioned against its use, waited a year because he was worried by the danger of handling this substance), and when Nobel started trying to use it, his brother and a few other workers were killed in an explosion. Over the years, Nobel discovered how to detonate safely nitroglycerine by using a detonator with a percussion cap (which was another problem, since the percussion caps he developed used fulminate of mercury, highly poisonous), and, after many experiments with different substances, discovered that by adding diatomaceous earth to the nitroglycerine it was possible to turn it into an explosive which could be moved safely (this is the point at which he starts to make a bundle). The patent for dynamite was obtained in 1867 (which is still quite far in the future). It is however possible that ITTL the development of dynamite may happen to be carried out at Turin, under a royal grant: Ferdinand is always interested in science
Narrative Interlude #7: A princess' voyage
A convoy of barges on the Po river - 30 March 1848
Maria Cristina of Savoy-Orleans, duchess of Genova, exited her comfortable suite, stepped on the deck of the the well-appointed barge that was conveying her to Mantua, her two ladies-in-waiting following her one step behind, and looked around with pleasure. It was a beautiful day of spring, and the trees on the river bank on the near side of the river were already sporting the new green leaves. The river was almost full, replenished by the melting of the snow on the mountains, and the current was carrying them swiftly and at the same time smoothly. She spotted three men talking together at the prow of the barge, and started walking toward them. Her appearance on the deck didn't go unnoticed, and two of the men started to walk toward her: she recognized them immediately, the middle-aged one was the British ambassador, the Hon. Ralph Abernathy, the other one was the officer in command of her escort, captain count Rodolfo Acceglio from Cuneo.
The ambassador bowed smoothly: "Good morning Your Grace. Allow me to thank you once again for your kindness in allowing me to share in your transportation arrangements"
"Good morning to you too, Mr. Ambassador, it is truly a beautiful morning. There is no need to thank me: in first place, a convoy of barges was already scheduled to depart for Goito, to bring supplies to the army, and in second place I could confidently place a wager that the idea of attaching you to my retinue was suggested by count Balbo, wasn't it?"
"It was, Your Grace, and I'm guilty of accepting such invitation"
"Nonsense. We are travelling with a convoy of barges, and there is space enough and to spare. It is a very civilized way of moving around, I have to admit, in some way it is even better than the railway, although it is a bit slower. Do you know how much progress have we made?
"According to the barge master, we are making good progress. By late afternoon we should reach Cremona"
Later the same day, near Cremona
Captain Acceglio had gone in advance to Cremona, to gather the most recent news, and now was back.
"Good news, Your Grace. Mantua is in our hands, although there is still a small Austrian garrison holed up in the citadel. The first regiments of your father's army corps have reached Goito, and your brother has left for Venice, should be back in a few days. Your husband is in Isola della Scala, some 30 km south of Verona, where the main command post has been located. Would you prefer to stop for the night in Cremona or do you prefer to continue immediately?"
"Let's push forward, Captain. I'm eager to see again my husband, and I am confident that the sentiment is returned"
"At your orders, Your Grace"
A few hours later, after the evening meal, the duchess and the ambassador were quietly talking in the main cabin of the barge.
"You know, Mr. Ambassador, why I travel to Veneto is pretty obvious, my father, my brother and last but not least my husband are there and I want to embrace them and commend their achievements. Why are you going there, though? I do admit that it has been puzzling me all day".
The duchess didn't miss the change of expression on the face of the ambassador: it became bland, non-committal but also non communicative.
"The news of the Sardinian great victory at Goito has made the round of all European capitals. The Foreign Secretary has asked me to produce a detailed report on it".
"Don't you have a military attache' in your staff? I would have thought that he should be the one to be sent to a battlefield".
Only his many years in diplomacy prevented the ambassador from grimacing. The duchess was sharp and inquisitive: he had got to know her during his long stay in Turin, except only during the last few years when she was in Algeria with her husband. He had noticed the same puzzlement in eyes of count Balbo when he met him (his reasons for the trip to Goito were not really convincing after all), but the prime minister was constrained by the etiquette of diplomacy, while the duchess chose not to be.
"The military attache' was indisposed, and the report had to be prepared urgently".
The knowing look in the eyes of the duchess told him immediately that his second line of defense had fallen like the first. Never underestimate this young woman, thought the ambassador, she is intelligent enough and ruthless enough to be a splendid queen. It was a pity that it would not happen.
"I understand Mr. Ambassador: you are doing your duty. But now tell me all the last news from London, the ones which are not covered by diplomatic secret, I mean".
Isola della Scala, 1st April 1848 - Afternoon
Duchess Maria Cristina was pretty tired: the last part of the trip had been as bad as the first part had been good. The roads in this forsaken corner of Veneto had been awful, and she had been obliged to travel by carriage: she was a good equestrienne, and riding would have been much more comfortable, but it would also have been faintly scandalous.
Fortunately, even this part of the voyage was coming to an end. The coach turned into the driveway of a large, beautiful villa, and all her tiredness suddenly disappeared when she saw the man at the front of what was a small welcoming committee: Henri, her Henri at last. The door of the carriage was opened, she descended and a minute later she was in his arms.
"I couldn't stay away from you, my knight", she whispered.
Maria Cristina of Savoy-Orleans, duchess of Genova, exited her comfortable suite, stepped on the deck of the the well-appointed barge that was conveying her to Mantua, her two ladies-in-waiting following her one step behind, and looked around with pleasure. It was a beautiful day of spring, and the trees on the river bank on the near side of the river were already sporting the new green leaves. The river was almost full, replenished by the melting of the snow on the mountains, and the current was carrying them swiftly and at the same time smoothly. She spotted three men talking together at the prow of the barge, and started walking toward them. Her appearance on the deck didn't go unnoticed, and two of the men started to walk toward her: she recognized them immediately, the middle-aged one was the British ambassador, the Hon. Ralph Abernathy, the other one was the officer in command of her escort, captain count Rodolfo Acceglio from Cuneo.
The ambassador bowed smoothly: "Good morning Your Grace. Allow me to thank you once again for your kindness in allowing me to share in your transportation arrangements"
"Good morning to you too, Mr. Ambassador, it is truly a beautiful morning. There is no need to thank me: in first place, a convoy of barges was already scheduled to depart for Goito, to bring supplies to the army, and in second place I could confidently place a wager that the idea of attaching you to my retinue was suggested by count Balbo, wasn't it?"
"It was, Your Grace, and I'm guilty of accepting such invitation"
"Nonsense. We are travelling with a convoy of barges, and there is space enough and to spare. It is a very civilized way of moving around, I have to admit, in some way it is even better than the railway, although it is a bit slower. Do you know how much progress have we made?
"According to the barge master, we are making good progress. By late afternoon we should reach Cremona"
Later the same day, near Cremona
Captain Acceglio had gone in advance to Cremona, to gather the most recent news, and now was back.
"Good news, Your Grace. Mantua is in our hands, although there is still a small Austrian garrison holed up in the citadel. The first regiments of your father's army corps have reached Goito, and your brother has left for Venice, should be back in a few days. Your husband is in Isola della Scala, some 30 km south of Verona, where the main command post has been located. Would you prefer to stop for the night in Cremona or do you prefer to continue immediately?"
"Let's push forward, Captain. I'm eager to see again my husband, and I am confident that the sentiment is returned"
"At your orders, Your Grace"
A few hours later, after the evening meal, the duchess and the ambassador were quietly talking in the main cabin of the barge.
"You know, Mr. Ambassador, why I travel to Veneto is pretty obvious, my father, my brother and last but not least my husband are there and I want to embrace them and commend their achievements. Why are you going there, though? I do admit that it has been puzzling me all day".
The duchess didn't miss the change of expression on the face of the ambassador: it became bland, non-committal but also non communicative.
"The news of the Sardinian great victory at Goito has made the round of all European capitals. The Foreign Secretary has asked me to produce a detailed report on it".
"Don't you have a military attache' in your staff? I would have thought that he should be the one to be sent to a battlefield".
Only his many years in diplomacy prevented the ambassador from grimacing. The duchess was sharp and inquisitive: he had got to know her during his long stay in Turin, except only during the last few years when she was in Algeria with her husband. He had noticed the same puzzlement in eyes of count Balbo when he met him (his reasons for the trip to Goito were not really convincing after all), but the prime minister was constrained by the etiquette of diplomacy, while the duchess chose not to be.
"The military attache' was indisposed, and the report had to be prepared urgently".
The knowing look in the eyes of the duchess told him immediately that his second line of defense had fallen like the first. Never underestimate this young woman, thought the ambassador, she is intelligent enough and ruthless enough to be a splendid queen. It was a pity that it would not happen.
"I understand Mr. Ambassador: you are doing your duty. But now tell me all the last news from London, the ones which are not covered by diplomatic secret, I mean".
Isola della Scala, 1st April 1848 - Afternoon
Duchess Maria Cristina was pretty tired: the last part of the trip had been as bad as the first part had been good. The roads in this forsaken corner of Veneto had been awful, and she had been obliged to travel by carriage: she was a good equestrienne, and riding would have been much more comfortable, but it would also have been faintly scandalous.
Fortunately, even this part of the voyage was coming to an end. The coach turned into the driveway of a large, beautiful villa, and all her tiredness suddenly disappeared when she saw the man at the front of what was a small welcoming committee: Henri, her Henri at last. The door of the carriage was opened, she descended and a minute later she was in his arms.
"I couldn't stay away from you, my knight", she whispered.
Made in @LordKalvan
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Love it 🤩🤩🤩 a really nice peak in the live of our Princess. Great job @Tarabas !!! I wonder what the English ambassador has been ordered to say/do 🤔
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Thanks a lot! I would point out that the last chapter was @LordKalvan' s doing.. To Caesar what's Caesar's
Regarding the ambassador, that will be revealed soon enugh... This is very true. However, I grant you that they will be quite "the danger" even in this time frame....
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