Messina. The Bourbon assault on the city begins. Hunters and Swiss troops land south of the city, where the defenses are weaker. Commoners and peasants resist with a fierce house-to-house battle. There is talk of cruelty: between 60 and 200 Swiss prisoners are hacked to pieces. The Bourbon report speaks of pieces of meat, arms, and legs, roasted and then sold on the streets as “rolls of Neapolitan meat.” The attackers are forced to retreat, and the city rejoices. But only for a moment.
