Italy 150: a journalist Emilia among Thousands of Garibaldi
The days devoted to the 150 anniversary of the unification of Italy put at the center of the commemorations of the Thousand Giuseppe Garibaldi with all its varied world of characters from May to November 1860, erased forever the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies young King Francis II of Bourbon. The army of the "red shirts" was made up of merchants, craftsmen, bakers, lawyers, pharmacists, shoemakers, train drivers, doctors, notaries, masons, barbers, musicians, but also by some deserters, and certainly by people who for reasons easy to understand, were aggregated to the group, starting from fourth in Liguria May 5, under a false name. This latter aspect can be deduced from the fact that in later years the company of the Thousand and despite the research, certain names resulted unknown or otherwise directly affected, quoted on the official list issued by the Ministry of War, the Official Gazette of November 12 1878, disproved to have taken part in the expedition.
In this list at number 355 are Gian Maria Damian, born 15 October 1832 in Piacenza, a professional representative of the Agency Stefani. A unique character in its own way, to tell how years later, after leaving his post as Treasurer at the University of Bologna, on the pages of Resto del Carlino (1876), the epic story of the Thousand.
The Agency Stefani was born a few years earlier, in 1853. ANSA today, it may be called a continuation of its Stefani.
Damiani, in which the city of Piacenza has named a street, was a very appreciated by Bixio and Garibaldi. He took part in the Wars of Independence and in general to all the movements of the Risorgimento, including the famous battle of Bezzecca. At 16 he was part of the Piedmontese army. In 1851 we find him in Paris, between 1854 and 1859 he traveled to Turkey, Syria and Egypt. With Garibaldi came up to the Volturno, earning two prestigious awards: the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Italy after the battle of Calatafimi and the title of Knight of the Military Order of Savoy on the Volturno, probably for having saved the life of the Garibaldi from an ambush by soldiers tesagli Bourbons. On his arrival at Marsala on May 11, 1860 was lieutenant before being promoted to lieutenant. After the battle of Milazzo, Garibaldi appointed him commander of the guides 26 July 1860. Returning to the same Calatafimi Cesare Abba, author of the famous "from the Fourth to the Volturno," cites the story of the first clash with the Bourbons in Sicily about the loss of a flag, Damiani. "Passed from the hands of Joseph Campo Elias, Menotti, a Schiaffino, now Schiaffino took her last race. And down, detached from their forehead, a flock of Neapolitan ran for pigliarsela. Then formed a knot around clash short, fierce, fierce, true fray, and the flag was gone, leaving one of his tapes in a handful of Gian Maria Damiani. And Schiaffino, superb helmsman of Lombardy, lay there dead. "
