In December, 1914, many engagements, in which the French made slight progress, took place in this sector. It was to the east of Bolante Wood, in the wild ravine of La Fontaine-des-Meurissons, that the Garibaldian Regiment--raised by the Republicans of Italy to fight in France, and placed at the disposal of General Gérard (commanding the 2nd Active Corps)--received its baptism of fire. On December 26, 1914, the 2nd Garibaldian Battalion was detailed to carry a German trench. The attacking front was limited, about 150 yards, but the position was strongly held and protected by a deep entanglement of barbed wire. After an artillery preparation lasting from midnight until dawn, the Garibaldian companies rushed forward, one behind the other, to make a breach at all costs, but were held up by the uncut wire. At [Illustration: “FOUR-DE-PARIS.” FRONT-LINE DEFENCES (1916)] one point an opening was made and a few men got through to the edge of the German trench, only to be killed there. It was during this engagement, which cost the 2nd Battalion 30 dead, 17 missing, and 111 wounded, that Second-Lieutenant Bruno Garibaldi--a grandson of Giuseppe Garibaldi, “the old red bird” whom, in 1870, the Prussian General Werder confidently expected to “catch in his nest” in the Vosges, but failed in the attempt--was killed. Bruno Garibaldi, though in reserve, advanced to the assault with the 2nd Battalion, his sword drawn, his green tunic unfastened, showing the traditional and symbolic red shirt. Wounded in the hand, he went back to the trench to have it dressed, then returned immediately to the fight. Struck by a bullet he continued to urge his men forward, until another laid him low. Before dying, he embraced a wounded comrade near by, saying, “Kiss my brothers for me.” On January 5, 1915, further to the right, on the Courte-Chausse plateau, the 1st and 3rd Garibaldian Battalions had their revenge. Eight mines, the galleries of which, forty to fifty yards in length, ran under the German trench, were charged with about 6,000 lbs. of explosives during the night. At 7 a.m. the next morning the mines were fired, one after the other, after which, to the sound of bugles and drums, eight Garibaldian companies took the shattered enemy front line in a single charge, threw a German counter-attack into disorder, took and retook the second line, and penetrated into the third German line. This they were unable to hold, but they had nevertheless made an important advance, taken four machine-guns, two _minenwerfer_, and 200 prisoners of the 135th, 26th, and 24th German Regiments--most of them Pomeranians. By a strange coincidence it was the flag of a Pomeranian regiment--the LXIst--that had been taken in 1870 at the Battle of Dijon by Ricciotti Garibaldi, Bruno’s father. The Garibaldians’ losses that day were heavy. Among the dead was Adjutant-Chief Costante Garibaldi, Bruno’s brother. Some days later a violent battle took place in the Meurissons ravine. On January