Letter of Luigi Scotti Douglas to Italy Prime Minister Count of Cavaour

[Vittorio Villa]

The story of the letter from Field Marshal Luigi Scotti Douglas to the Count of Cavour is one of the most striking episodes of "transformism" and political drama during the Italian Risorgimento. It captures the moment of collapse for the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the complex survival strategies of its aristocracy.

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The Antecedents: The Kingdom in Peril (Summer–Autumn 1860)

By October 1860, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was in its death throes. Giuseppe Garibaldi had already entered Naples, and King Francis II had retreated to the fortress of Gaeta. To prevent Garibaldi from establishing a revolutionary republic, the Piedmontese (Sardinian) regular army, led by King Victor Emmanuel II, began marching south through the Papal States and the Abruzzo region.

Luigi Scotti Douglas, a Count of Vigoleno with ancient Piacentine roots, was a high-ranking veteran. He was tasked with a critical mission: hold the mountain pass of Macerone (near Isernia) to block the Piedmontese advance and protect the flank of the Bourbon army.

The Turning Point: The Battle of Macerone (October 20, 1860)

The encounter was a military disaster for the Bourbons. Scotti Douglas, leading a force of approximately 6,000 to 8,000 men, faced the elite troops of Piedmontese General Enrico Cialdini.

• The Defeat: Due to poor tactical positioning and perhaps a lack of resolve among the leadership, the Bourbon lines broke in less than an hour.

• The Capture: Luigi Scotti Douglas was captured on the field, along with his entire staff and hundreds of soldiers. This defeat was the "point of no return," as it allowed the Piedmontese army to link up with Garibaldi’s forces.

The Document: The Letter to Cavour

While held as a prisoner of war (initially in Sulmona), Scotti Douglas did something that shocked both his former allies and his captors. He wrote a formal letter to Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sardinia and the architect of Italian unification.

Key Contents of the Letter:

1. The "Carbonaro" Claim: Scotti Douglas sensationally claimed that he had been a "old Carbonaro" (a member of the secret revolutionary societies of the 1820s) in his youth. He argued that his heart had always been with the cause of Italian liberty.

2. Professional Apology: He apologized for fighting against the Piedmontese, framing his actions not as political opposition, but as a "painful duty of military discipline" to which he was bound by his oath to Francis II.

3. The "Italian Dream": He wrote that the unification of Italy under the House of Savoy was the "sospiro e lo spasimo" (the sigh and the longing) of his entire life.

4. Submission: He essentially offered his loyalty to the new regime, hoping to secure his status, his military rank, and his pension in the nascent Kingdom of Italy.

The Post-Facts: Scorn and Survival

The letter was not kept private; it was printed and circulated, likely with the blessing of the Piedmontese authorities who wanted to show that even the Bourbon generals were abandoning the cause.

• Reaction from the North: General Cialdini, unimpressed by the General's sudden change of heart, famously wrote to Cavour: "If he is not a great imbecile, he is a great rogue" ("Se non è un grande imbecille, è un gran furbo").

• Reaction from the South: The Bourbon legitimists were furious. The historian Giacinto de' Sivo immortalized Scotti Douglas in his writings as the ultimate symbol of the "vacuous" aristocrat who betrays his king to "keep floating" in any political tide. He mocked the General's claim of being a secret liberal, calling it a pathetic lie.

• The Family Legacy: Despite the controversy, the strategy worked in a practical sense. Luigi Scotti Douglas was not executed or exiled; he remained in Naples at his residence in Via Chiatamone. The family transitioned into the new Italian nobility, eventually having their ancient titles (like the Count of Vigoleno) officially recognized by the Italian Crown.

Historical Significance

The letter remains a primary source for historians studying the "Crisis of Loyalty" in 1860. It illustrates that for many nobles, the survival of the family name and the preservation of their social standing were often more important than the survival of the dynasty they served. It transformed Luigi Scotti Douglas from a military figure into a symbol of the complex, often contradictory, birth of the Italian nation.

[Vittorio Villa]

Book
Lettera del maresciallo conte Luigi Scotti Douglas al conte di Cavour
Scotti Douglas, Luigi / [S.l. : s.n.,
1860?
Send to
Details
Title
Lettera del maresciallo conte Luigi Scotti Douglas al conte di Cavour
Author / creator
Scotti Douglas, Luigi
Variant title
Lettera.
Lettera
Published
[S.l. : s.n., 1860?]
Description
7 p. ; 23 cm.
Series
Harvard Risorgimento preservation microfilm project. Project 2b ; 25097.
Language
Italian
Subjects
Cavour, Camillo Benso, conte di, 1810-1861
Italy -- History, Military
Form / genre
military history
Creation date
1860?
HOLLIS number
990041793900203941
Source
Harvard Library Catalog

Harvard Library Catalog

[Vittorio Villa]

The controversial letter from Luigi Scotti Douglas to Camillo Benso, Conte di Cavour, is a cornerstone of Risorgimento storiography and is indeed preserved in several high-profile international and Italian institutions. For a researcher or a member of the Scotti Douglas Foundation, these locations offer different versions of the document, from the original manuscript to the widely circulated pamphlets of the time.

1. The Original in Florence

The original manuscript (or the primary official record) of the letter is held in Florence, specifically at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze (BNCF).

• Location: It is often found within the Carte Ubaldino Peruzzi. Peruzzi was a prominent Tuscan statesman and a close associate of Cavour; his archives at the BNCF are a treasure trove of correspondence from the 1860–1861 period.

• Significance: This version is crucial for verifying the authentic tone and any personal annotations made by Cavour or his secretaries upon receiving it.

2. Harvard University (Houghton Library)

Harvard University holds a significant collection of documents related to the Italian Risorgimento within its Houghton Library.

• The Collection: The letter is typically found here as a "lettera a stampa" (printed pamphlet). Following the Battle of Macerone, the Piedmontese authorities printed and distributed the letter as a propaganda tool to show that even high-ranking Bourbon generals were siding with the Italian cause.

• Access: It is part of their extensive "Italian Risorgimento Pamphlets" collection, which is one of the most comprehensive outside of Italy.

3. Brown University (Garibaldi Collection)

Brown University is home to the world-renowned Garibaldi Panorama and the Risorgimento digital and physical archive.

• The Collection: The Scotti Douglas letter is preserved here as part of their digitization project of Risorgimento artifacts. It is often cross-referenced with the activities of General Cialdini and the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

• Availability: Researchers can often find digitized versions of the 1860 printed edition through Brown’s digital repository, making it accessible for study without traveling to the archives.

4. Other Italian Archives

Beyond Florence, official records related to the military aspects of the letter and Luigi’s subsequent capture are held in:

• Archivio di Stato di Torino (State Archives of Turin): Within the Fondo Cavour, which contains the official ministerial correspondence of the Prime Minister.

• Museo Centrale del Risorgimento (Rome): Located at the Vittoriano, this museum holds copies of the letter that were used to document the "dissolution" of the Bourbon officer corps.

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Summary for the Foundation

Institution	Format	Specific Collection
BNCF (Florence)	Original Manuscript	Carte Ubaldino Peruzzi / Manoscritti
Harvard (Houghton)	Rare Printed Pamphlet	Risorgimento Collection
Brown University	Digital/Printed Copy	Garibaldi Panorama Archive
State Archives (Turin)	Official Correspondence	Fondo Cavour

[Vittorio Villa]

https://openlibrary.org/works/OL44352093W/Lettera_del_maresciallo_c...