Heroism of the Italians.

Evening Star, Issue 7189, 18 April 1887, Page 3

Heroism of the Italians.

The complete news of tho affair near Massowah places the military qualities of the little band of heroes who died there, and by implication tho military spirit of the Italian army, in a highly favorable light. The only fault which can bo laid on the shoulders of anyone responsible for the disaster is the audacity of the commander of this glorious five hundred, who, indifferent to the numbers of his enemy, obeyed Iris orders to go to Saati, and never turned his hack on the enemy. It was magnificent, even if it was not war—“ their’s not to reason why.” memory goes back to, the glorious Six Hundred as the nearest There was no question of being ambushed or surrounded. The column had been sent to carry necessary supplies to comrades at Saati, who without them were in danger of being cut off; and, the Abyssiuians intervening, the'ltalians attacked, and were destroyed witli their faces to Saati, the only soldiers escaping being those who were supposed to bo (lead and were plundered as such. TJie slain saved their comrades at Saati, though at the sacrifice of their own lives, Doubtless General Gene, in sending them out, had supposed that if they met forces too great for them they would retreat. He could not suppose that the commander would attempt tlie impossible. But the Italians meeting the barbarians, whom they underrated, had no disposition to turn their backs on such a foe, and so they died together, as the men of Leonidas did, overwhelmed, but unconquered. All one can say of the combat in relation to European affairs is that if this is the spirit of the Italian Army, Italy will count for more in the European balance than most people have calculated. That is the story of Dagoli, and the moral of it—a story that any nation might be proud to write in its annals. But what can bo said of the Deputies who broke in panic, and called on the Government to surrender, on hearing of this fight five days later, and who, without waiting to know on whom the responsibility lay, attacked the Ministry as if it had met a new Novaro ? It is evident that many of the Deputies had not served their term in the army. The full history of the affair shows that the Ministry was in no way responsible for the disaster, the causes of which, after the too great courage of Colonel Deeristoforia, were the spreading of the forces over too great a space and the holding of his positions by General Gene with too great tenacity. If the column at Dagoli had

been twice as great the sacrifice would have been doubled; and if General Gene had not 10,000 men at Massowah it is entirely due to the fact that the minority who are now attacking the Ministry for the disaster was always attacking it before for its extravagance. No section of the Chamber, and only a few individuals, have ever opposed the Massowah expedition. The Ministry has given the commander of the forces in Africa all that he asked for, and left him free to not. He evidently had not acted with any hostile intention towards the Negus, and had had no reason to expect the attack until the Negus ordered him to evacuate his positions. Had he obeyed his compliance would have procured his dismissal from the army.