Breach of Porta Pia. On September 17, after the failure of diplomatic attempts and the withdrawal of the French garrison protecting the city, General Cadorna arrived at the gates of Rome with five divisions. He had entered papal territory without encountering resistance five days earlier. On the 20th, he attacked the city, breaching Porta Pia and encountering little more than token resistance, in accordance with the orders Pope Pius IX had given to General Klanzer, commander of the papal soldiers. At 2:00 PM, the two generals signed the surrender of Rome and the end of the Church’s temporal power. The Italians suffered 49 dead and 141 wounded, while the papal troops suffered 19 dead and 68 wounded.
