Knowledge (XXG)

Siege of Gaeta (1860–1861)

Source 📝

363: 257: 375: 395: 407: 352: 748: 325: 145: 338: 43: 672:. Troops were composed of 808 officers and 15,500 sub-officers and soldiers, supported by 78 modern rifled guns, 65 mortars and 34 smoothbore guns. The most modern rifled ordnance could fire from a distance up to five kilometers without risking any harm from the aged guns of the defenders. The Piedmontese fleet, under admiral 691:, aide-de-camp and fatherly friend of King Francis II and Queen Marie Sophie. He was assisted by the Swiss Generals August de Riedmatten and Josef Sigrist. The former was responsible for the seaside front, the latter for the mainland front. But instead of Josef Sigrist it was the Neapolitan Baron Colonel 807:
The Piedmontese fire was getting increasingly accurate, and the situation for both defenders and inhabitants looked desperate. On 10 February, Maria Sophie received a letter from the French empress, saying that the resistance had been prolonged enough to save the Crown's honour. Francis II issued for
743:
The morale of the defenders, however, increased when veteran general Ferdinando Beneventano del Bosco, one of the few charismatic military figures of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, arrived in Gaeta. He soon organized a sally for dawn on 29 November. 400 Chasseurs, supported by some foreign Carabiniers,
739:
The situation for the soldiers and the inhabitants, massed in the very reduced space of the old city, soon proved unbearable. The Neapolitan troops had neither blankets nor change of clothing. On 18 November the bombing was stopped to allow all the people not participating in the defence to leave the
632:
Gaeta was one of the strongest military fortresses in Europe. It consisted of a triangle-shaped promontory (Mount Orlando) which stretched for more than one and a half kilometers and rose to 169 m and with almost vertical cliffs on the seaward sides. The cliff was connected to the mainland by a 600 m
776:
to recall the French fleet from Gaeta and, in a letter sent on 11 December, asked Francis II to leave Gaeta. However, the Neapolitan King did not accept the proposal. He in turn appealed to Napoleon not to recall his fleet, in order at least to save the military honour of the Kingdom and the Crown.
811:
The first Piedmontese infantry entered Gaeta one day later, exactly when Francis II and his wife consigned themselves to the victors, hailed by the Neapolitans soldiers who had remained faithful until the very end. The Kingdom of Two Sicilies ended some days later when the last organized centre of
719:
The Swiss had served the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies since 1734, and it was General Schumacher's father, Head of the Military Department of the Republic of Lucerne, who had renewed the contract in 1825. Since then four Swiss regiments had formed the back-bone of the Neapolitan army until 1859. His
799:
The military operation was suspended for ten days on 9 January, at the request of Napoleon III. When the armistice ended, foreign ships abandoned the harbour of Gaeta. The Piedmontese fleet, until then inactive in the port at Castellone, began a blockade, starting to bomb the fortress again on 22
803:
However, the defenders' situation appeared hopeless at that point despite the efforts of the two sovereigns to raise the morale of the soldiers and the population by their personal example. The hygiene conditions within the fortress had sunk desperately, and food was short. On the afternoon of 5
790:
On 27 December, a new capitulation proposal was sent to the Neapolitan defenders or, as an alternative, a truce of 15 days. They were both rejected. The artillery duel restarted with increasing violence: 500 grenades a day were hurled against Gaeta, although most of them did not explode. The
715:
shows him and General Schumacher with Queen Marie Sophie on the ramparts of Gaeta. (Pfyffer also built the Belle Epoque National Grand Hotel in Lucerne and employed and promoted Cesar Ritz, of whom the Prince of Wales said, "He is the king of the hoteliers and the hotelier of the kings".)
804:
February, a powder depot of the St. Antonio battery was struck by a Piedmontese grenade, destroying an entire quarter of Gaeta causing huge losses among the soldiers and the population. The last truce of the siege was declared in the evening of the following day to rescue the wounded.
744:
managed to reach the summit of Montesecco, near the Roman mausoleum of Lucius Atratinus. However, they were repulsed by the Piedmontese reaction, and the action proved inconclusive. The last active operation of the Neapolitans happened on 4 December, also without any effect.
633:
wide isthmus. Called Montesecco ("Dry Mountain"), the isthmus was the only way for a besieger to conquer the stronghold. The ships of the time were indeed considered too fragile to face the massive fortifications that encircled the promontory. Built in the time of emperor
808:
a capitulation. Cialdini refused to stop the bombardment during the negotiations, and Gaeta suffered new devastations until the capitulation was signed on 13 February. The last shells were fired by both the opponents at 18.15 p.m. that day.
185:, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Knowledge (XXG). 641:. Most of the guns were smoothbore arms, some dating back to the 18th century, and therefore rather imprecise. The massive castle, which commanded the east side on the sea, dated from the time of Emperor 476: 637:, the promontory was provided with 220 guns divided between 19 batteries. An additional 230 guns defended the fortress on the mainland side, making a total of 450 cannons, 26 of which were short range 645:
but was continuously updated. The forces amounted to 19,700 sub-officers and soldiers and 1,770 officers; there were also 3,000 citizens of Gaeta. 17 ships of various nations (including
679:
The commander of the fortress of Gaeta was Francesco Millon, a Neapolitan general, who on 10 November was replaced by Pietro Carlo Maria Vial de Maton, an 83-year-old native of
469: 819:
Casualties amounted to 829 dead and 2,000 wounded for the Neapolitans. Two hundred civilians fell during the siege, while the Piedmontese had 46 dead and 321 wounded. General
760:
On 8 December, Francis II issued a proclamation to all his subjects, promising new liberties in lieu of the prosecution of the struggle against the invaders, inciting them to
732:
Various dates are cited as the beginning of the siege; these range from 5 to 12 November. Cialdini installed his command position in Castellone, in what is today the city of
961: 256: 60: 956: 462: 907: 700: 188:
Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article.
196: 107: 883: 79: 218: 86: 971: 966: 800:
January. The Piedmontese launched 22,000 grenades and the Neapolitans replied with 11,000, damaging some of the opponents' batteries.
791:
bombardment culminated on 7 January 1861, when the fortress received a shower of 8,000 shells, although, again, with modest results.
860: 126: 828: 379: 93: 787:
More victims among the civil population were caused by the new Piedmontese batteries firing from Monte Tortano from 15 December.
721: 642: 765: 703:
who later became the Chief of General Staff of the Swiss army and the initiator and commander of the Swiss fort guarding the
618: 603: 75: 64: 898:
General Felix von Schumacher, a Swiss in the Service of Napes-Sicily by Renato Schumacher (also see German Knowledge (XXG))
209:
Content in this edit is translated from the existing Italian Knowledge (XXG) article at ]; see its history for attribution.
1001: 991: 986: 634: 996: 784:
had begun to spread within the walls of Gaeta: Francis' field adjutant was himself struck down and died on 12 December.
747: 736:. Eighteen kilometers of roads, together with 15 bridges and causeways, were built for the transport of the artillery. 563: 356: 951: 946: 599: 486: 248: 53: 515: 204: 225: 100: 527: 665: 622: 532: 981: 976: 684: 537: 712: 696: 31: 157: 813: 720:
son had entered the service in the 1st regiment in 1833 and soon became the personal aide-de-camp of
692: 567: 505: 367: 657: 559: 394: 330: 262: 879: 856: 200: 873: 673: 510: 820: 781: 708: 661: 638: 399: 769: 607: 940: 832: 824: 704: 695:
who commanded this part. The engineering arm was led by the Neapolitan Count General
17: 683:. The actual command, however, was placed into the hands of the Swiss Baron General 773: 764:
operations. The same day, Cialdini was ordered by the Piedmontese Prime Minister
570:. It started on 5 November 1860 and ended on 13 February 1861, and took place in 42: 922: 909: 454: 411:
Pietro Carlo Maria Vial de Maton, the actual command had Felix von Schumacher
761: 617:. However, after Capua was lost to the Garibaldines in the aftermath of the 591: 780:
Hostilities began again on the night of 13-14 December. In the meantime,
688: 343: 207:
to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is
27:
Battle of the war between the Sardinian and Sicilian kingdoms of Italy
733: 650: 595: 746: 669: 646: 626: 614: 579: 575: 571: 296: 292: 680: 606:, decided to leave the city on the advice of his Prime Minister 182: 458: 138: 36: 660:
forces were composed of the IV Army Corps, led by general
751:
The Flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1860-1861.
724:
who commissioned him to weaponize the Neapolitan army.
178: 67:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 613:At first, he planned to organise a resistance in 558:was the concluding event of the war between the 241: 625:took refuge in the strong coastal fortress of 203:accompanying your translation by providing an 169:Click for important translation instructions. 156:expand this article with text translated from 835:in recognition of his role during the siege. 470: 8: 878:. Cambridge University Press. pp. 3–6. 711:. A painting by the German history painter 664:. His staff included the engineer general 477: 463: 455: 238: 962:Battles of the Expedition of the Thousand 653:) kept open communications with the sea. 215:{{Translated|it|Assedio di Gaeta (1860)}} 127:Learn how and when to remove this message 699:. General Schumacher's aide-de-camp was 283:5 November 1860 – 13 February 1861 844: 768:, to cease fire. Cavour, backed by the 594:troops were moving towards the capital 957:Sieges involving the Kingdom of Naples 7: 65:adding citations to reliable sources 25: 872:Enrico Dal Lago (15 March 2018). 816:, surrendered on 20 March 1861. 405: 393: 373: 361: 350: 336: 323: 255: 143: 41: 76:"Siege of Gaeta" 1860–1861 52:needs additional citations for 853:(Military history of Hungary), 701:Alphons Pfyffer von Altishofen 213:You may also add the template 1: 875:Civil War and Agrarian Unrest 851:Magyarország hadtörténete 1. 602:), the king of Two Sicilies, 266: 855:Zrínyi Katonai Kiadó 1984. 668:, future prime minister of 621:(October), he and his wife 564:Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 226:Knowledge (XXG):Translation 1018: 772:government, had convinced 600:Expedition of the Thousand 590:In September 1860, as the 488:Expedition of the Thousand 249:Expedition of the Thousand 177:Machine translation, like 29: 972:Military history of Lazio 967:Battles involving Hungary 496: 436: 415: 386: 315: 275: 254: 246: 158:the corresponding article 30:Not to be confused with 666:Luigi Federico Menabrea 619:battle of the Volturnus 224:For more guidance, see 752: 728:Beginning of the siege 574:, in today's Southern 387:Commanders and leaders 923:41.22194°N 13.55472°E 750: 437:Casualties and losses 197:copyright attribution 32:Siege of Gaeta (1734) 18:Siege of Gaeta (1861) 1002:February 1861 events 992:December 1860 events 987:November 1860 events 814:Civitella del Tronto 685:Felix von Schumacher 568:unification of Italy 61:improve this article 997:January 1861 events 919: /  713:Karl Theodor Piloty 560:Kingdom of Sardinia 263:Raffaele Pontremoli 928:41.22194; 13.55472 823:was later created 753: 697:Francesco Traversa 205:interlanguage link 952:Conflicts in 1861 947:Conflicts in 1860 885:978-1-107-03842-4 676:, had ten ships. 551: 550: 453: 452: 311: 310: 307:Sardinian victory 237: 236: 170: 166: 137: 136: 129: 111: 16:(Redirected from 1009: 934: 933: 931: 930: 929: 924: 920: 917: 916: 915: 912: 899: 896: 890: 889: 869: 863: 849: 795:End of the siege 674:Carlo di Persano 491: 489: 479: 472: 465: 456: 410: 409: 408: 398: 397: 378: 377: 376: 366: 365: 364: 355: 354: 353: 346:legion of Italia 342: 340: 339: 333: 329: 327: 326: 277: 276: 271: 268: 261:Illustration by 259: 239: 216: 210: 183:Google Translate 168: 164: 147: 146: 139: 132: 125: 121: 118: 112: 110: 69: 45: 37: 21: 1017: 1016: 1012: 1011: 1010: 1008: 1007: 1006: 937: 936: 927: 925: 921: 918: 913: 910: 908: 906: 905: 903: 902: 897: 893: 886: 871: 870: 866: 850: 846: 841: 821:Enrico Cialdini 797: 782:epidemic typhus 758: 730: 693:Gabriele Ussani 662:Enrico Cialdini 588: 552: 547: 492: 487: 485: 483: 448: 443: 431: 429: 428:20,000 infantry 424: 422: 421:18,000 infantry 406: 404: 400:Enrico Cialdini 392: 374: 372: 371: 362: 360: 359: 351: 349: 337: 335: 334: 324: 322: 321: 299: 269: 260: 233: 232: 231: 214: 208: 171: 148: 144: 133: 122: 116: 113: 70: 68: 58: 46: 35: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 1015: 1013: 1005: 1004: 999: 994: 989: 984: 979: 974: 969: 964: 959: 954: 949: 939: 938: 901: 900: 891: 884: 864: 843: 842: 840: 837: 796: 793: 757: 756:Sues for peace 754: 729: 726: 608:Liborio Romano 587: 584: 566:, part of the 556:siege of Gaeta 549: 548: 546: 545: 540: 535: 530: 524: 523: 519: 518: 513: 508: 502: 501: 497: 494: 493: 484: 482: 481: 474: 467: 459: 451: 450: 445: 439: 438: 434: 433: 426: 418: 417: 413: 412: 402: 389: 388: 384: 383: 347: 318: 317: 313: 312: 309: 308: 305: 301: 300: 291: 289: 285: 284: 281: 273: 272: 252: 251: 244: 243: 242:Siege of Gaeta 235: 234: 230: 229: 222: 211: 189: 186: 175: 172: 165:(October 2023) 153: 152: 151: 149: 142: 135: 134: 49: 47: 40: 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1014: 1003: 1000: 998: 995: 993: 990: 988: 985: 983: 982:1861 in Italy 980: 978: 977:1860 in Italy 975: 973: 970: 968: 965: 963: 960: 958: 955: 953: 950: 948: 945: 944: 942: 935: 932: 895: 892: 887: 881: 877: 876: 868: 865: 862: 861:963-326-320-4 858: 854: 848: 845: 838: 836: 834: 833:victory title 830: 829:King of Italy 826: 825:Duke of Gaeta 822: 817: 815: 809: 805: 801: 794: 792: 788: 785: 783: 778: 775: 771: 767: 763: 755: 749: 745: 741: 737: 735: 727: 725: 723: 717: 714: 710: 706: 705:Gotthard Pass 702: 698: 694: 690: 686: 682: 677: 675: 671: 667: 663: 659: 654: 652: 648: 644: 640: 636: 630: 628: 624: 620: 616: 611: 609: 605: 601: 597: 593: 585: 583: 581: 577: 573: 569: 565: 561: 557: 544: 541: 539: 536: 534: 533:Castelfidardo 531: 529: 526: 525: 521: 520: 517: 514: 512: 509: 507: 504: 503: 499: 498: 495: 490: 480: 475: 473: 468: 466: 461: 460: 457: 449:2,000 wounded 446: 441: 440: 435: 427: 420: 419: 414: 403: 401: 396: 391: 390: 385: 381: 369: 358: 348: 345: 332: 320: 319: 314: 306: 303: 302: 298: 294: 290: 287: 286: 282: 279: 278: 274: 264: 258: 253: 250: 245: 240: 227: 223: 220: 212: 206: 202: 198: 194: 190: 187: 184: 180: 176: 174: 173: 167: 161: 159: 154:You can help 150: 141: 140: 131: 128: 120: 117:February 2020 109: 106: 102: 99: 95: 92: 88: 85: 81: 78: –  77: 73: 72:Find sources: 66: 62: 56: 55: 50:This article 48: 44: 39: 38: 33: 19: 904: 894: 874: 867: 852: 847: 818: 812:resistance, 810: 806: 802: 798: 789: 786: 779: 774:Napoleon III 759: 742: 738: 731: 722:Ferdinand II 718: 678: 655: 643:Frederick II 631: 623:Marie Sophie 612: 589: 555: 553: 542: 357:Two Sicilies 316:Belligerents 247:Part of The 201:edit summary 192: 163: 155: 123: 114: 104: 97: 90: 83: 71: 59:Please help 54:verification 51: 926: / 709:rail tunnel 658:Piedmontese 592:Garibaldine 444:321 wounded 270: 1880 941:Categories 914:13°33′17″E 911:41°13′19″N 604:Francis II 586:Background 506:Calatafimi 447:829 killed 160:in Italian 87:newspapers 762:guerrilla 635:Charles V 442:46 killed 344:Hungarian 219:talk page 562:and the 538:Volturno 432:17 ships 430:450 guns 425:10 ships 423:180 guns 416:Strength 331:Sardinia 288:Location 195:provide 839:Sources 827:by the 770:British 689:Lucerne 639:mortars 516:Milazzo 511:Palermo 380:Spanish 217:to the 199:in the 162:. 101:scholar 882:  859:  766:Cavour 740:city. 734:Formia 651:France 596:Naples 528:Reggio 500:Sicily 368:French 341:  328:  304:Result 103:  96:  89:  82:  74:  831:as a 687:from 670:Italy 647:Spain 627:Gaeta 615:Capua 598:(see 580:Italy 576:Lazio 572:Gaeta 543:Gaeta 522:Italy 382:ships 370:ships 297:Italy 293:Gaeta 179:DeepL 108:JSTOR 94:books 880:ISBN 857:ISBN 707:and 681:Nice 656:The 649:and 554:The 280:Date 193:must 191:You 80:news 582:). 181:or 63:by 943:: 629:. 610:. 295:, 267:c. 265:, 888:. 578:( 478:e 471:t 464:v 228:. 221:. 130:) 124:( 119:) 115:( 105:· 98:· 91:· 84:· 57:. 34:. 20:)

Index

Siege of Gaeta (1861)
Siege of Gaeta (1734)

verification
improve this article
adding citations to reliable sources
"Siege of Gaeta" 1860–1861
news
newspapers
books
scholar
JSTOR
Learn how and when to remove this message
the corresponding article
DeepL
Google Translate
copyright attribution
edit summary
interlanguage link
talk page
Knowledge (XXG):Translation
Expedition of the Thousand

Raffaele Pontremoli
Gaeta
Italy
Sardinia
Hungarian
Two Sicilies
French

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.