CDV of Giuseppi Garibaldi

CDV of Giuseppi Garibaldi - Civil War Italian General.  Known for the "Garibaldi Guards."  So admired abroad was Garibaldi that in July 1861 U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and Seward offered him a Union Major General Commission in the American Civil War; the offer was declined, partly because Lincoln would not make a sweeping enough condemnation of slavery, but also because he would not give Garibaldi supreme command of the Federal troops. Reverse of CDV has Italian inscription. 

Giuseppe Garibaldi – (4 July 1807 in Nice – 2 June 1882 on Caprera) was an Italian general, politician and nationalist who played a large role in the history of Italy.  He is considered, with Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, Victor Emmanuel II of Italy and Giuseppe Mazzini, as one of Italy's "fathers of the fatherland".

Garibaldi personally commanded and fought in many military campaigns that led eventually to the Italian unification. He was appointed general by the provisional government of Milan in 1848, General of the Roman Republic in 1849 by the Minister of War, and led the Expedition of the Thousand on behalf and with the consent of Victor Emmanuel II.

He has been called the "Hero of Two Worlds" because of his military enterprises in Brazil, Uruguay and Europe. These earned him a considerable reputation in Italy and abroad, aided by exceptional international media coverage at the time. Many of the greatest intellectuals of his time, such as Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, and George Sand, showered him with admiration. The United Kingdom and the United States helped him a great deal, offering him financial and military support in difficult circumstances.

In the popular telling of his story, he is associated with the red shirts worn by his volunteers in lieu of a uniform.

Inventory Number: CDV 259