The Italian Legions in the Argentine Republic
José Luis Alonso and Juan Manuel Peña.
Published in Revista Superior de Guerra 553, Apr-Jun 2004
The long struggles that the Argentine Nation faced during the 19th century produced human actions that time has relegated to the punishment of oblivion or a brief mention in history books.
On February 5, 1856, three hundred and fifty-two Italian soldiers under the command of Colonel Silvino Olivien, arrived by sea to the current city of Bahía Blanca, in the south of the State of Buenos Aires. At that time the city was a poor hamlet that surrounded an old fort called "Argentino" that faced the immensity of the pampas and the danger of the Indians.
The enthusiastic reception given by the few residents forced Colonel Olivien to respond with a printed proclamation in which "he begged the inhabitants of Bahía Blanca to see in the legionaries only brothers who wanted to help them continue the great work of the population of that town." rich and extensive southern part of the State of Buenos Aires".
Who were these foreigners who presented themselves like this? Where they came from?. Who was Silvino Olivien?
The long siege of the city of Montevideo, which occurred between 1843 and 1851, had among its defenders numerous Italians with liberal and Masonic ideas. Defeated in the war of Italian Independence and the Roman Republic, fugitives influenced by Alexander Dumas' book "The New Troy", which had described the siege of Montevideo as another war against tyranny and in favor of freedom, these Italians They were mostly Ligurians, Piedmontese and Savoyans, who under the command of Giuseppe Garibaldi had extended the fights for their ideals to the banks of the River Plate, constituting a Legion.The time shared, the dangers faced and the community of ideals had created strong ties between these European exiles and their Uruguayan and Argentine fellow fighters. These ties were reinforced by the close friendship established between General Garibaldi and Bartolomé Miter, then an Argentine military officer and later president of his country.
Once the siege is over and many of them have arrived in Buenos Aires, it will be Miter who will not only act as his best friend but also as a brother of causes and principles, a title that he himself gave to the Mazzians (named after the Italian thinker Giuseppe Mazzini) and to the garibaldinos.
On December 9, 1852, the government of the state of Buenos Aires faced the forces that, under the command of General Don Hilario Lagos and in rebellion against him, laid siege to the city. The authorities issue a decree authorizing foreigners to take up arms with "the exclusive purpose of maintaining public order."
The volunteers were numerous, thus giving rise to the German, Spanish and Swiss legions, with those of the Italians standing out not only for their greater number, but also for being the only ones who were not satisfied with fulfilling police functions, but who requested and obtained them due to their military background. the privilege of acting actively in the trenches that defended the city.
The organization of the force was in charge of two Italian officers present in Buenos Aires. One was Colonel Silvino Olivien, born in Bruscio in 1820 and a former student of the Military Academy of Naples, "la Nunziatella". He was from the Army of Engineers and due to his participation in the war for the independence of his country, he had been expelled from the Neapolitan army and forced into exile.
Major Eduardo Clerici was the other, this one of Milanese origin, born in 1826, and a former student of the Milan Military Academy, from which he graduated with the rank of lieutenant in the Austrian army. He intervened in the uprising of the city against the occupation forces of General Radetsky, and later with the bersaglien of Luciano Menana he fought in the defense of the city of Rome.
The defeat also led him to exile, heading first to Cuba and then to Argentina, in search of his friend Olivien.
Both soldiers, the first as commander and the second as major, gathered about three hundred compatriots who lived and worked in the city of Buenos Aires and organized them into a battalion that received the name of the Italian Legion.
This force shared the fate of the defenders of the State of Buenos Aires and fought brilliantly, honoring their military background. They suffered their first casualty on January 9, 1853 in the person of Lieutenant Erba, who was honored by the government of Buenos Aires by authorizing his burial in the city's Cathedral church.
During the course of the fight, the Italian legion stood out for its performances in the battles in Plaza Lorea, and those carried out in the English Cemetery (between Pasco and Pichincha streets), earning praiseful citations from the general in chief of the Don Manuel Hornos army.
The brave military performance of the Italian Legion earned it a flag from the State of Buenos Aires, on April 21, 1853. It was blue and white, measuring 0.64 x 0.86 with the arms of the Shield of the city of Buenos Aires, embroidered in silver and gold. He had a blue silk tie that had the Theme in gold letters; "Con questa bandiera vincemi" -"Buenos Aires April 16, 1853."
The flag was accompanied by a card signed "una porteñas", for the legionary chief, which said "we offer this undefeated flag to the Italian Legion. This glorious flag is preserved as a relic in the National Historical Museum of the City they helped defend .
By the way, this was not the only recognition of the courage that the Italian corps would receive, but also on May 30, 1853, by decree of the government of the State of Buenos Aires, the name of "Brave Legion" was granted to it from then on. In addition, the use of honor cords is given to its members, from the officers to the troops, according to the custom of the time.
In July 1853, after the fratricidal fight, the Italian force was discharged at the request of Commander Glivieri, who returned the flag of the Legion to the government and left for Italy.
In his country, this officer will intervene in new revolutionary activities, being arrested and sentenced to death. The authorities of the Buenos Aires government will successfully intervene to obtain the commutation of his sentence and finally Olivien will return to Buenos Aires on October 31, 1855, "as an exile for life from the Papal States.
The forced return of Silvino Oivieri coincided with new government plans to protect its internal borders from the danger that Indian attacks represented for the populations in the south of the province. With this objective he planned the creation of militarized colonies that, in exchange for land for their members, would act by populating and defending present and future settlements.
Bahía Blanca, founded in 1828 and whose characteristics have already been noted, was the site chosen to experiment with the project.
Italian Legionar
On November 18, 1855, the establishment of an agricultural-military colony was decreed, composed of six hundred men subject to the ordinances of the Army of the government of Buenos Aires. They were initially established in Bahia Blanca, and could be assigned to any other point in the country. south.
Due to his military background and engineering studies, Colonel Silvino Olivien was appointed head of the force, and Major Clerici was appointed second head. One hundred and fifty former combatants of the Italian Legion were grouped together with their former officers.
One of them, Juan Bautista Cúneo, who also had a military and journalist background, edited a newspaper. This was the first Italian-language newspaper published in Argentina that received the same name as the military force created: "The Military Agricultural Legion" and of which thirteen issues were published.
The "Military Agricultural Legion" adopted as its uniform the one worn by the French Swabians during the Crimean War. They wore a French-style kepi as a head covering, but unlike the blue one worn by the Buenos Aires army, it was red to remember the Garibaldian origin of its members.
Given that this Legion was the continuation of the old one called Valiente, the governor of the State of Buenos Aires Dr. Pastor Obligado and the Minister of War and Navy Bartolomé Mitre, delivered the old flag to the new Italian formation on January 11, 1856.
On February 5 of that year, 1856, the Military Agricultural Legion arrived in Bahía Blanca with around three hundred men, not all with military background but who had been chosen for their knowledge of agricultural tasks. In Buenos Aires, Captain Felipe Cavanti was in charge of organizing the remaining force, who having been condemned, pardoned and expelled by the Pontifical Stadiums, had accompanied Commander Olivien on his return to Buenos Aires.
From February to July 1856, and after enduring an outbreak of yellow fever, the Legion explored the territory and was divided into three arms: the infantry, which had six companies, and the field artillery battery, which was under the command of Captain Juan Penna. , of Milanese origin, born in 1830 with a prolonged performance in the Italian struggles of 1848 and 1849 and who would have a long and renowned military career in Argentina. Finally there was the cavalry, led by an officer of the Royal Guard, a revolutionary and also an exile: Captain Mariano Barilan, a native of Rimini.
On July 1, 1856, the foundations of the Nueva Roma colony were laid 25 km west of Bahía Blanca on the Sauce Chico River, to meet the objectives for which the Agricultural Legion had been created.
Two notable events accompanied the development of the Nueva Roma colony.
The elder Clerici had to leave due to illness and died in October 1856, after having established cordial relations with the most feared and powerful of the indigenous chiefs, the chief Calfucurá.
On September 28 of the same year, Colonel Olivien was murdered by some of his mutinous men due to the harsh punishments to which they were subjected. The rebels deserted and his crime will go unpunished.
The arrival of Captain Caronti, months later, will calm spirits and ensure the continuation of the work undertaken.
The government will finally appoint Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Susini, a Milanese and sailor who had sailed and fought alongside Garibadli in the rivers of Argentina and had been founder of the Italian Legion, during the siege of Montevideo, as head of the Agricultural Legion.
In 1853 Susini arrived in Bahía Blanca carrying as 2nd. Chief to Major Juan Bautista Charlone, for his brave and sacrificial performance in the War against Paraguay that would take place a few years later. and the captains Sagani, Zonza and Valerga along with forty soldiers.
All these officers and troops were veterans in the fights of the Italian and Brave legions. In order to transform the Military Agricultural Legion into an Army corps, the new chief will carry out a profound reorganization: the force will in the future be called the Military Legion, he will discharge the least fit and through his leadership it will recover its glorious prestige .
His actions against the Indians in the Salinas Grandes campaigns and in the battle of Pigüe, in February 1859, facing the forces of the chief Calfucurá, will deserve his praise. General. Wenceslao Paunero who was in command of the Bahía Blanca Division. In May 1859, the Legion went to the defense of Bahía Blanca, attacked by two thousand five hundred Indians, whom it defeated and from whom it rescued part of the stolen loot and freed Gran. number of captives. Lieutenant Colonel Susini's performance will be recognized with his promotion to the rank of colonel in July 1859 by the State of Buenos Aires.
The performance of the Military Legion transcended the military level because one of its officers, Captain Felipe Caronti, was in charge of the development of important projects in the Bahia region: he built the first dock in the port, the first two schools, the first church , manufactured ammunition and repaired weapons, created topographical plans and carried out meteorological studies. It can well be said that Caronti, who could not finish his engineering studies in Italy due to his political ideals, saw his dreams more than achieved in the country that adopted him.
After four years of fighting against the tribes of the south, the Superior Government of the State orders the return of the Military Legion to combat the army of General Urquiza in a new contest between the city of Buenos Aires and the rest of the country.
The legionnaires will fight in the battle of Pavón with the bravery and gallantry that were characteristic of them and where the legendary prestige and courage of the then Colonel Charlone will continue to grow, rewarded with his promotion and a sword of honor.
The performance of the Military Legion will come to the attention of Garibaldi, who, from Caprera, on November 15, 1861, will send a letter to his former colleagues. It said:
"Alía Legione Italiana de Buenos Aires Be bravely fighting for the freedom of the Argentine Republic, who is an expensive, honest and generous man."
"I sent you a parola de omaggio, cl'affette di gratitudeine, in nome della Italia intera e del tustro vecchio compagno d¨armi G. Garibaldi."
An emotional ceremony took place in the city of Rosario, in the Province of Santa Fe, which was the new destination of the Military Legion. In that city, on February 4, 1864, the legionaries received a new Argentine flag, since the old one was almost completely destroyed after so many campaigns and combats.
At the beginning of 1865 the Legion returned to Buenos Aires where it would complete its ranks with Argentine officers and troops, to finally merge with the 8th Line Infantry Regiment in April of that same year. Framed in this way, he would march towards the war against Paraguay, which began on May 25, 1865.
On that date, the Paraguayan army under the command of Marshal Francisco Solano López, already at war against the Empire of Brazil, will surprisingly invade the territory of the Argentine Republic, giving rise to the so-called War of the Triple Alliance, where the armies of Brazil, the Uruguay and Argentina faced the Paraguayan in the bloodiest of all the wars that have taken place in South America.
Huge masses of men were sacrificed against the Paraguayan fortresses defended with superhuman courage in the middle of dense jungles.
Both sides showed evidence of courage bordering on insanity. Suffice it to mention that, having exhausted its men in prolonged battles, the Paraguayan government formed battalions of children and women, continuing the fight until the destruction of the last 1,000 men of Francisco Solano López's army, itself perishing along with them.
In this bloody and prolonged war, the men of the Military Legion gave proof of their bravery, standing out in all the combats in which they participated. Thus they fought in the city of Corrientes and in the battles of Yatay, Uruguayana and in the cruel carnage of Curupayti, where along with thousands Colonel Charlone left his life, trying unsuccessfully to reach the enemy trenches in infantry charges similar to those most They would later scare the world during the development of the First World War.
The loss of Charlone led to the command of the Italian forces being taken over by Colonel Baldomero Sotelo, an Argentine officer, with whom they were present in the battles of Lomas Valentinas and Paso Hondo where on October 21, 1869 they took a battery of eight cannons.
After these actions the Military Legion became part of the Army of Occupation, remaining in Asunción, the Paraguayan capital, until January 1871. Throughout the War of the Triple Alliance the Legion used its distinctive uniform, which obviously became less complete. with its adaptation to the needs and shortcomings of the campaign. The remains of the glorious Legion returned to the city of Corrientes and remained as part of the 1st. Battalion of Regiment N0. 8 Infantry.
The Military Legion was not the only force of Italian origin created to serve alongside the Argentine Army. Two other Italian groups were added to the aforementioned.
1st Legion Volunteers or Freedom Volunteers: This force was organized by Commander Joseph Giribone, born in 1823 in the city of Genoa and also emigrated for political reasons. He arrived in Montevideo in 1843, fighting prominently alongside Giuseppe Garibaldi and Francisco Anzani in the siege of the Uruguayan capital. With great musical ability and with his example of bravery and sacrifice, demonstrated in the battle of El Tala, He left the Argentine Army a military march: "The March of Tala".
Cnel. Antonio Sussini
On August 10, 1861, he was appointed commander of a force that he had to organize and that would bear the name of Freedom Volunteers.
It was intended to protect the city of Rosario, Argentina, but a few months later it was dissolved so that its members could organize a so-called Foreign Legion, which was joined by volunteers of different nationalities but with Italians always being the majority.
This force was committed to serve under contract for three years and was intended to reinforce the Third Line Infantry Regiment that protected the population of Azul, in the south of the Province of Buenos Aires, from the attacks of the Indians. .
Its name is modified to the First Legion of Volunteers and under this name it fought in the War of the Triple Alliance, forming part of the allied Operations Army.
On February 17, 1868, Commander Gribone would fall victim to eighteen wounds, "all from the front", as the military report of that time refers, when facing superior forces. The second heroic figure of the Italians in this war disappeared with him.
2nd. Volunteer Legion:
The aforementioned Colonel Antonio Sussini, reorganizer of the Military Agricultural Legion, had delegated command of this force to the then Lieutenant Colonel Charlone, for having been appointed Chief of the Squadron of the Government of the State of Buenos Aires, in the year 1857.But Sussini could not be oblivious to the fighting that was taking place in Paraguay, so he resumed service on land and organized another body that received the name 2 da. Legion of Volunteers, with which he marched with the Operations Army throughout the campaign.
Juan Bautista Charlone
From the first moment Antonio Sussini was appointed to command a brigade of which his Legion was a part and finally he held the high position of Commander of the 1st. Argentine Army Corps.
When the war against Paraguay ended, remnants of the Italian forces intervened in some actions of new civil wars in Argentina, to be later discharged after their extensive campaigns.
There would no longer be any more Italian Legions in the Argentine Army, but many of its men, both soldiers and officers, requested and were incorporated into the national Army and came to hold high and important positions, collaborating in the final fights against the Indians and in the organization definitive. of an army to which they had always belonged by the right of shed blood.
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