How did the Italian Legion in Montevideo become associated with the Redshirts?

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Portrait of Giuseppe Garibaldi wearing a beret and cloak, with a full beard and mustache, looking toward the camera. — Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Garibaldi, c. 1860–82.

The Italian Legion in Montevideo became associated with the Redshirts because they were the first group of soldiers to wear the distinctive red shirts under Giuseppe Garibaldi’s command.1

During his time in South America, Garibaldi took command of this newly formed legion in 1843 while serving Uruguay in a war against the Argentine dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas. Because the legion lacked formal military uniforms, Garibaldi and his men adopted the practical, baggy red shirts as their standard attire. This choice of dress became a defining visual trademark of his forces, eventually becoming synonymous with his later campaigns for Italian unification.123