After securing the western portion of Sicily, Garibaldi and his forces consolidated to defeat Neapolitan forces in the east by capturing Mellazo and Messina. In a fourteen hour battle Garibaldi's 5000 men defeated the defenders of Mellazo and took the town. The town's citadel was taken on July 25, 1860. Messina fell on July 27, 1860 and the next day an armistice was signed essentially placing all of Sicily under Garibaldi's control. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
"Foreign Affairs," The Rambler, Volume III New Series (London: Burns and Lambert, 1860), 423.