In the ranks

A HERO OF THE ITALIAN WARS OF INDEPENDENCE, GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI LED THE REDSHIRTS IN SEVERAL MILITARY CAMPAIGNS

Patriotic amateurs, as well as rank-and-file veterans of several nations fought in Italy

Politically Garibaldi was Republican, but on more than one occasion he supported the Piedmontese monarchy, placing the goal of independence before his own partisan beliefs. The origin of the red shirt, distinctive for its colour and blousy look, arose possibly when Garibaldi called for volunteers to fight while in exile in Uruguay, appropriating red shirts originally destined for slaughterhouse workers in Argentina to distinguish his followers from other troops. Another story asserts that Garibaldi, who fled to New York after his failed defence of Rome during the First Italian War of Independence, admired the red flannel shirts of the city’s firefighters and brought them back to Italy in the 1850s.

Garibaldi was an inspirational leader, well acquainted with the techniques of guerrilla warfare and successful in recruiting volunteers among the common people of Italy. He led volunteers in the successful Expedition of the Thousand to subdue the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies during the Second War of Independence in 1860, and commanded alpine troops in

Trentino during the Third War of Independence in 1866. Empress

Eugenie of France popularised a ladies garment that became known as the Garibaldi Shirt.

“GARIBALDI CALLED FOR VOLUNTEERS TO FIGHT WHILE IN EXILE IN URUGUAY, APPROPRIATING RED SHIRTS ORIGINALLY DESTINED FOR SLAUGHTERHOUSE WORKERS IN ARGENTINA”