Sardinia and the War - Part 2

The confrontations between Cavour and Revel were very bitter. When Revel started mentioning a private conversation between the two opponents, Cavour reproached Revel for using all weapons, even the least honourable. This led Revel, deeply offended, to offer his resignation as member of the Chamber of representatives ‘to save his honour’. Headed by Cavour and Rattazzi, the House refused to accept the letter of resignation.

Another member of the right, Menabrea (a former -1848- and future engineer-officer, who distinguished himself in 1860 under Cialdini at the siege of Gaeta) raised the question of the supreme command to which the Sardinian expedition was subordinated. He cited Clarendon’s letter of November 24th 1854, 'a nice corps at our disposal…' and Lord Aberdeen’s statement in the House, to the effect that the Sardinian contingent would come under the command of Lord Raglan. He concluded that the Sardinian Expedition Corps was subordinated to the English. In the interpretation of La Marmora (who fought against this (his) nightmare from the beginning till the end) this only meant that, since no supreme allied command existed, both France and England would benefit of the presence of the Sardinian corps. A rather strange interpretation knowing the French had stated they needed no foreign reinforcements. He added that, in a combined English-Sardinian operation, Lord Raglan would have the supreme command, being higher in rank and having more experience. La Marmora was so displeased with the Menabrea-intervention that he could not resist teaching him a lesson: according to La Marmora, on the battlefield the relations among commanders are not determined by the stipulations on paper but by the confidence they inspire in the fulfilling of their command.

Cavour was eager to end these discussions and urged the Chamber to vote. On February 10th, at the end of seven days of debate, and waiving the proposed suspension of both Menabrea and Revel, the voting ended with a 95 to 64 majority, a little bit more than Cavour expected at the start of the discussions. Among the opponents were Revel and Gustavo, Marquess Cavour, the elder brother of ‘our’ Camille, who bore the title of ‘Count’. There was also one abstention: Menabrea.

The first hurdle passed, in normal times a still more conservative opposition could be awaited in the Senate. But in this particular circumstance - the deep grievance of the King

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