Luigi Ghilardi, also known as Luis Ghilardi, was an Italian general who fought in many different conflicts during the 19th century, and who advocated for republican ideals. His parents were Nicolás Ghilardi and Isabel Lucchesi. As a young man he enlisted to fight in liberal movements in Europe. In 1840 he married Francisca Anguera with whom he had a daughter named Ana. He participated in the

First Italian War of Independence The First Italian War of Independence ( it, Prima guerra d'indipendenza italiana), part of the Italian Unification (''Risorgimento''), was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) and Italian volunteers against the Austrian Empire and other ...

. Later he visited Mexico where he fought alongside the liberals in the . He returned to Italy and tried to join the army, failing to do so he returned to Mexico where he fought against the

French Intervention This is a list of wars involving France and its predecessor states. It is an incomplete list of French and proto-French wars and battles from the foundation of Frankish Kingdom, Francia by Clovis I, the Merovingian dynasty, Merovingian king who uni ...

. He was later captured by the French and executed.

Military Actions in Europe

Possibly influenced by the ideas of

Giuseppe Mazzini Giuseppe Mazzini (, , ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the in ...

, he was attracted to liberal and republican ideals. As a result of the repression following the 1820 revolution in Italy, several republicans fled the peninsula. Ghilardi fought in various liberal movements during the revolutions of 1830, in France,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. He traveled to Spain where he enlisted in the

Spanish Army The Spanish Army ( es, Ejército de Tierra, lit=Land Army) is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies — dating back to the late 15th century. The ...

to fight against the Carlists under the command of General Santiago Durando. In 1848 he had request to leave service in Spain to fight in the

. During the 1848 armistice with the Austrians, he traveled to Sicily where he participated in the

Sicilian revolution of 1848 The Sicilian revolution of independence of 1848 ( scn, Rivuluzzioni nnipinnintista siciliana dû 1848) occurred in a year replete with revolutions and popular revolts. It commenced on 12 January 1848, and therefore was the first of the numerous ...

against the Bourbon dynasty, reaching the rank of colonel. He was given a commission to travel to

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

to recruit troops for the Sicilian cause. In 1849 he fought to maintain the short-lived

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...

, where he fought alongside

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

Military Actions in the Americas

First visit to Mexico: The Ayutla Revolution

He could not rejoin the Spanish army because the term of his license had expired, so he decided to travel to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in 1853, although there is no record of a given reason. He met with President

Antonio López de Santa Anna Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (; 21 February 1794 – 21 June 1876),Callcott, Wilfred H., "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De,''Handbook of Texas Online'' Retrieved 18 April 2017. usually known as Santa Ann ...

. However, he soon participated in the

Plan of Ayutla A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a temporal set of intended actions through which one expects to achieve a goal. F ...

, precisely against Santa Anna. He initially fought under

Santos Degollado José Santos Degollado Sánchez (born November 1, 1811, in Hacienda de Robles, Guanajuato – died June 15, 1861, in Llanos de Salazar, State of Mexico) was a Mexican Liberal politician and military leader. He was raised by a priest in Michoac� ...

. Around the end,

Juan Álvarez Juan Nepomuceno Álvarez Hurtado de Luna, generally known as Juan Álvarez, (27 January 1790 – 21 August 1867) was a general, long-time caudillo (regional leader) in southern Mexico, and president of Mexico for two months in 1855, following ...

, leader of the revolution, gave him the rank of brigadier general. On March 11, 1856, he participated in the assault on the city of Puebla where he was seriously wounded, so he preferred to return to Europe. 3

Life in Peru

In 1858 Ghilardi moved with his family to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. During the

Peruvian Civil War of 1856–1858 The Peruvian Civil War of 1856–1858, also known as the Arequipa Revolution of 1856, was one of the largest and most violent in Peru. It was the third internal conflict in 19th century Peru (after the Peruvian Civil War of 1834 and Peruvian Civ ...

, he became involved in a conspiracy that ended with the death of General Carlos Varea, prefect of

Cajamarca Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Peru ...

, which earned him a sentence of two years in prison. In 1861 he moved to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

to fight for unification, however because his attempt to enlist had been extemporaneous, in accordance with the laws decreed for that purpose, he was not admitted to the

Royal Italian Army The Royal Italian Army ( it, Regio Esercito, , Royal Army) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfre ...

. For this reason, he decided to return to Mexico to combat the

Second French intervention in Mexico The Second French Intervention in Mexico ( es, Segunda intervención francesa en México), also known as the Second Franco-Mexican War (1861–1867), was an invasion of Mexico, launched in late 1862 by the Second French Empire, which hoped to ...

, which had been brewing for months.

Second French intervention in Mexico

Luis Ghilardi was commissioned to deliver correspondence from Giuseppe Garibaldi to U.S. authorities in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

, as well as to President

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Liberalism in Mexico, Mexican liberal politician and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. As a Zapotec peoples, Zapo ...

in Mexico. He arrived in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in May 1862 and managed to meet with the chargé d'affaires of the Mexican government in Washington, Matías Romero. He corresponded with

General McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...

and was received by President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. Ghilardi asked both of them to support the Mexican cause against the intervention due to the

Monroe Doctrine The Monroe Doctrine was a United States foreign policy position that opposed European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. It held that any intervention in the political affairs of the Americas by foreign powers was a potentially hostile ac ...

however, because they were facing the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, they couldn't offer help. He landed in

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...

and visited President Juárez in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

. In 1863 he joined the Army of the East and participated in the Siege of Puebla. In July 1863, he was appointed second chief of the command in Jalisco, at a time when the Mexican troops were trying to reorganize after the defeat suffered in Puebla. After the death of

Ignacio Comonfort Ignacio Gregorio Comonfort de los Ríos (; 12 March 1812 – 13 November 1863), known as Ignacio Comonfort, was a Mexican politician and soldier who was also president during one of the most eventful periods in 19th century Mexican history: La R ...

and because the resistance had turned into guerrilla warfare, Ghilardi had decided to abandon his command and return to Europe,''Ibíd'' p. 28 however, on January 17, 1864, a French commander captured him, along with other Republican officers, in Colotlan,

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

. He was transferred to the city of Aguascalientes where he was court-martialed by General E. L'Heriller, and sentenced to death. The sentence was ratified by Marshal

François Achille Bazaine François Achille Bazaine (13 February 181123 September 1888) was an officer of the French army. Rising from the ranks, during four decades of distinguished service (including 35 years on campaign) under Louis-Philippe and then Napoleon III, he h ...

, commander of the French troops in Mexico.''Ibíd'' p. 28 His wife and daughter, who were still in Peru, were sent a letter and Ghilardi's belongings through the French consulate. Luigi Ghilardi Wall

Legacy

In 1925 the historian Alejandro Topete del Valle located his tomb in a pantheon in

Aguascalientes City (''Virtue in the Water, Fidelity in the Heart'') , image_skyline = AGUASCALIENTES CITY.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: Temple of Saint Anthony of Padua, San Antonio de Padua Church, L ...

. In the 1990s, Antonio Peconi, Italian historian, researcher of Italian migration in Mexico, managed to recover a large number of documents, including correspondence, referring to Ghilardi, which he donated to the historical archive of the state of Aguascalientes. In 1994 Ghilardi's tomb was rebuilt and a tribute was paid to him, which was attended by the Italian ambassador to Mexico.Topete del Valle, ''op.cit.'' Luigi Ghilardi Plaque

There is a plaque in the Jardín Carpio (in the city of Aguascalientes) that indicates the place where General Ghiraldi was executed, with the following mention: "In this place General Luis Ghilardi was executed on March 16, 1864, he died for defending the freedom of Mexico".

Works

*''Curso de Arte y Ciencia Militar''; edited by the Mexican government in 1854.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghilardi, Luigi 1805 births 1864 deaths Mexican generals Military personnel of the First Carlist War People of the Belgian Revolution People of the First Italian War of Independence Italian people executed abroad People from Lucca Italian emigrants to Peru Italian emigrants to Mexico Second French intervention in Mexico People executed by France