Sardinia and the War - Part 2

Turkish regulations prevented the Piedmontese from chopping down trees at Gesaerl, so they lacked wood to build their barracks. (They not only lacked the wood but also the manpower to construct whatsoever!) Wood was scarce and expensive in the region. Already on April 2nd De Cavero asked the Government in Turin to send wood and manpower to construct barracks. The construction of the barracks was finally confined to local contractors who had already gained experience from their work for the allies earlier, so in a short time a hospital of 500 beds was constructed in Jeni Koi in 10 barracks of 54x6.4m. For the military stores not much room was available and only 4 blocks, of the same size as the hospital barracks, could be constructed. When on April 26th the message came that the departure of the Army was imminent, De Cavero panicked. Nothing was ready and most of the stores were still on board the arriving vessels. The equipment for a hospital of 500 beds and its personnel (22 doctors, 15 sisters of mercy, a chaplain and 63 people of the nursing staff) arrived on April 22nd on board the ‘Constituzione’ in Constantinople.

In any event, even the most strenuous efforts to build an encampment would have been in vain. In the French camp, adjacent to the Sardinian location, cholera broke out and the Piedmont camp would anyway have to be relocated somewhere else.

Finally De Cavero was 'saved by the bell'. On May 2nd an English officer from the staff of Lord Raglan informed him of the decision taken in London to disembark the Piedmont expeditionary force in the Crimea and not at Constantinople. The Bosphorus site was then considered as their second line and the installations were judged sufficient to fulfil that role.

When on May 5th La Marmora arrived with the ‘Governolo’, a meeting took place with Ambassador Tecco and General De Cavero in which, in the 19th century way of speaking, La Marmora expressed ‘his gratitude and that of the government for the work they did in difficult circumstances’. In plain 21st century English this meant: it was a stormy meeting in which La Marmora reproached Count Tecco for his lack of co-operation and De Cavero for his inefficient methods of operation!

Back at home, immediately on ratification of the Treaty, the Piedmontese started their preparations; furloughs were cancelled as were retirements, reservists were recalled, new guidelines for

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