Carlo Lombardi (Unionist soldier)
Encyclopedia
Carlo Lombardi was an Italian patriot and soldier whose military career as an officer spanned from the Risorgimento - the Italian Unification Wars - to the American Civil War
.
) was included in the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. De facto this was a client state
of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, which sought to crush any semblance of conspiracy
by extreme measures, including imprisonment
, exile
or execution
. Therefore those who, like Lombardi, engaged in activities aimed at ousting the Austrians from the land had a Sword of Damocles constantly hanging over their head.
After the Piedmontese were defeated in the Battle of Custoza (1848)
, Lombardi sought refuge in the friendly Kingdom of Sardinia and enlisted in the 20º Reggimento Fanteria, participating to the latter stages of the First Italian War of Independence
in 1849. In that same year he also managed to return to his native city and take part to the Ten Days of Brescia
between 23 March and 1 April. After the uprising was crushed he returned to Piedmont, but was arrested on occasion of the Milan revolt (1853).
Unlike fellow citizen Tito Speri
(a central figure in the Brescia insurrection) who was hanged, Lombardi managed to avoid the noose by fleeing to the United States
. He came back to Italy in 1859 to fight in the Second Italian War of Independence
, and the following year he enlisted in the Medici expedition (that took place after Garibaldi
's Expedition of the Thousand
). He was wounded at Milazzo
and promoted to the rank of Captain. Soon after, he obtained a discharge from the Army to stay with the Redshirts and followed Garibaldi even in the Battle of Aspromonte
. In 1863 he left Italy for good and settled in the United States
.
where he was appointed command of a Company of African-American soldiers, distinguishing himself for "uncommon bravery".
, viewed by many as decisive in the American Civil War
. He died there on 16 January 1865, when the powder magazine in the fortress accidentally detonated causing hundreds of casualties on both sides. The Confederate
garrison had surrendered just one day earlier.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Early years
Born to Giuseppe and Elisabetta Torelli, he took part to Italian patriotic movements from a very young age. At the time, the northernmost part of the Italian Peninsula (except the Sardinian-Piedmontese KingdomKingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...
) was included in the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. De facto this was a client state
Client state
Client state is one of several terms used to describe the economic, political and/or military subordination of one state to a more powerful state in international affairs...
of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, which sought to crush any semblance of conspiracy
Conspiracy (political)
In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination....
by extreme measures, including imprisonment
Imprisonment
Imprisonment is a legal term.The book Termes de la Ley contains the following definition:This passage was approved by Atkin and Duke LJJ in Meering v Grahame White Aviation Co....
, exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
or execution
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
. Therefore those who, like Lombardi, engaged in activities aimed at ousting the Austrians from the land had a Sword of Damocles constantly hanging over their head.
After the Piedmontese were defeated in the Battle of Custoza (1848)
Battle of Custoza (1848)
The Battle of Custoza was fought on July 24 and 25 1848 during the first Italian War of Independence between the armies of the Austrian Empire, led by Field Marshal Radetzky, and of the Kingdom of Sardinia, led by King Charles Albert of Piedmont....
, Lombardi sought refuge in the friendly Kingdom of Sardinia and enlisted in the 20º Reggimento Fanteria, participating to the latter stages of the First Italian War of Independence
First Italian War of Independence
The First Italian War of Independence was fought in 1848 between the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Austrian Empire. The war saw main battles at Custoza and Novara in which the Austrians under Radetzky managed to defeat the Piedmontese....
in 1849. In that same year he also managed to return to his native city and take part to the Ten Days of Brescia
Ten Days of Brescia
The Ten Days of Brescia was a revolt which broke out in the northern Italian city of that name, which lasted from March 23 to April 1, 1849.In the early 19th century Brescia was part of the Austrian puppet state called Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia...
between 23 March and 1 April. After the uprising was crushed he returned to Piedmont, but was arrested on occasion of the Milan revolt (1853).
Unlike fellow citizen Tito Speri
Tito Speri
Tito Speri was an Italian patriot and hero of the Risorgimento.-Life:Speri was born in Brescia.He began his military career as a volunteer in the First Italian Independence War in 1848 and after that war ended in an armistice he returned to Brescia, where he gave clandestine assistance to...
(a central figure in the Brescia insurrection) who was hanged, Lombardi managed to avoid the noose by fleeing to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He came back to Italy in 1859 to fight in the Second Italian War of Independence
Second Italian War of Independence
The Second War of Italian Independence, Franco-Austrian War, Austro-Sardinian War, or Austro-Piedmontese War , was fought by Napoleon III of France and the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia against the Austrian Empire in 1859...
, and the following year he enlisted in the Medici expedition (that took place after Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
's Expedition of the Thousand
Expedition of the Thousand
The Expedition of the Thousand was a military campaign led by the revolutionary general Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860. A force of volunteers defeated the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, leading to its dissolution and annexation by the Kingdom of Sardinia, an important step in the creation of a newly...
). He was wounded at Milazzo
Milazzo
Milazzo is a town and comune in the province of Messina, Sicily, Italy.The city is situated between two bays, one of Milazzo and the east to the west of Patti, in a strategic place in the north-eastern Sicily.Located 43 km from the provincial capital, is part of the metropolitan area of the Strait...
and promoted to the rank of Captain. Soon after, he obtained a discharge from the Army to stay with the Redshirts and followed Garibaldi even in the Battle of Aspromonte
Battle of Aspromonte
The Battle of Aspromonte, named for the mountain near Reggio Calabria in southern Italy and fought August 29, 1862, is an inconclusive episode of the Italian unification process....
. In 1863 he left Italy for good and settled in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Union Army career
As soon as Lombardi landed in the States he enlisted, again as a Captain, in the Union ArmyUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
where he was appointed command of a Company of African-American soldiers, distinguishing himself for "uncommon bravery".
Death
He took part to the Second Battle of Fort Fisher, North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, viewed by many as decisive in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He died there on 16 January 1865, when the powder magazine in the fortress accidentally detonated causing hundreds of casualties on both sides. The Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
garrison had surrendered just one day earlier.
Homage
Carlo Lombardi was mentioned in the exhibition Brescia per l'America per Brescia, dedicated to Brescian citizens who contributed to any fields of American history and culture. The exhibition was hosted in the city museum Santa Giulia in Summer 2010.See also
- Risorgimento
- Italian diasporaItalian diasporaThe term Italian diaspora refers to the large-scale migration of Italians away from Italy in the period roughly beginning with the unification of Italy in 1861 and ending with the Italian economic miracle in the 1960s...
- Charles DeRudioCharles DeRudioCharles Camillo DeRudio was an Italian aristocrat, would-be assassin of Napoleon III, and later a career U.S. Army officer who fought in the 7th U.S. Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.-Early life:...
, another expatriate Italian fighting in US Army - Luigi Palma di CesnolaLuigi Palma di CesnolaLuigi Palma di Cesnola , an Italian-American soldier and amateur archaeologist, was born in Rivarolo Canavese, near Turin...
, Italian-born Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
winner.