*I'm pretty sure that the Piedmontese, soldiers or not, men or women, rich or poor, have been "modestly dressed in gray" for well over a thousand years.
"Imagine the madness of enthusiasm, the whole heart of a people poured out before those who had delivered it from long thraldom. Such may have been the reception of those demigods of old, after killing some wild monster which had desolated the world. Not an eye remained tearless, and proud must have been the moment for both. One such moment is almost sufficient to repay for all the cares, sacrifices, and risks, without which a great work like theirs cannot be accomplished ; and necessary too, are such moments, for they give strength for new efforts.
"All the outward decorations disappeared before the greeting of the people; the flowers, so long prepared for the occasion, were almost forgotten in the emotion of the moment, and fell often long before those had passed for whom they had been intended. For the first time, I saw emotion pierce through that mysterious and impenetrable countenance of the Emperor—he would have been more than a man had it been otherwise.
"After the sovereigns had passed, the troops came and marched through the streets to the different quarters assigned to them.
"Among these were the first Piedmontese - who had come this time into the town. Although one might have thought that, after such a gush of enthusiasm as that which greeted the sovereigns, nature must have been exhausted, the sight of the feathers of the Bersaglieri and the modest grey dress of the Piedmontese infantry seemed to have reanimated the spark.
"Very likely memory flew back to the year 1848-9, when this same brave little army entered the lists for Italian freedom; and perhaps a little feeling of shame arose about the last greeting Milan gave to it when it was in adversity.
"At any rate, there was a marked difference in the degree of warmth with which the Piedmontese troops and the French guards were received the second day. This country of laurels seems to have been stripped of that ornament, which, twined into wreaths, showered down on the heads of the Sardinian soldiers. A great deal of this distinction must be attributed to the numbers of Lombard youths who have already entered as volunteers into the ranks of the Piedmontese army. It was her own children, as well as her neighbours and friends, whom Milan greeted in the Piedmontese, and one can scarcely grudge a little more warmth in the greeting…"
