GENERAL NINO BIXIO ca.1862
'Nino Bixio' (
2 October 1821 -
December 16,
1873) was an
Italian soldier, who fought for the
Italian unification.
Born in
Genoa, while still a boy Bixio was compelled by his parents to embrace a maritime career. After numerous adventures he returned to Italy in
1846, joined the ''
Giovine Italia'', and, on
4 November 1847, made himself conspicuous at
Genoa by seizing the bridle of
Charles Albert's horse and crying, "Pass the
Ticino, Sire, and we are all with you."
He fought through the campaign of
1848, became captain under
Giuseppe Garibaldi at
Rome in
1849, taking prisoners an entire
French battalion, and gaining the gold medal for military valour. In
1859 he commanded a
Hunters of the Alps battalion, fought in the
Battle of Varese, and gained the
Military Cross of Savoy.
Joining the
Marsala expedition in
1860, he turned the day in favor of Garibaldi at
Calatafimi, was wounded at
Palermo, but recovered in time to besiege
Reggio in
Calabria (
21 August 1860), and, though again wounded, took part in the
Battle of the Volturno, where his leg was broken.
Elected deputy in
1861, he endeavoured to reconcile
Cavour and Garibaldi. In
1866, at the head of the seventh division, he covered the Italian retreat from the
Battle of Custoza, ignoring the
Austrian summons to surrender. Created
senator in February
1870, he was in the following September given command of a division during the movement against
Rome, took
Civitavecchia, and on
20 September 1870, he participated in the general attack upon Rome. On
16 December 1873, he died of
cholera at
Aceh Bay in
Sumatra en route for
Batavia, where he had gone in command of a commercial expedition.
References
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