aribaldi was a veteran leader who had established his Redshirts to defend the independence of Uruguay in the 1840s from the territorial ambitions of Argentina and Brazil. His success made him a genuine folk hero around the world, and by 1860 he was living in semi-retirement. He initially resisted the idea of the Sicilian expedition, but the continued suppression of the local population by a regime that was deeply unpopular won him over and he raised a new force of volunteers made up of soldiers from across Italy as well as Austrian and Hungarian territories. His officers were experienced field commanders from various armies around Europe and his men were highly motivated. Although they were poorly equipped – most of them were armed with obsolete muskets – they were well supported in other materials and received financial
