I was a young man when in March 1848 Milan along with the other cities of Lombardy rose in revolt against the ruling government's rejection of its offer of peace and fraternity in return for national representation for Lombardy and Venice. While the tocsin sounded we were putting up the barricades we fought, mingling cries of joy with the shots and the crash of tiles and bricks thrown from windows If this magnificent and epic struggle which passed into history under the name of the Five Days7 demonstrated the courage of our people in the face of danger it also demonstrated their generosity in the face of victorywhich was free of reprisals even against the most notorious police agents. They fought heroically but without hatred for the poor foreign soldiers who were obliged by discipline to fight in spite of themselves For our fighters it was practically a cause for celebration whenever by catching the enemy unawares they were able to capture them without bloodshed The enemy prisoners and wounded were all well treated