Luigi Mezzacapo

Luigi Mezzacapo (Trapani, 25 January 1814 – Rome, 27 January 1885) was an Italian general, patriot and politician.

Youth He attended the Nunziatella Military School between 1825 and 1832 where his brother Carlo, Giuseppe Salvatore Pianell and Enrico Cosenz were among his classmates. When he graduated he became an artillery officer in the army of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

First War of Independence Appointed captain in 1847, in 1848 he was part of the expeditionary force of 15,000 men that the constitutional government of Carlo Troya sent to Lombardy, under the command of Guglielmo Pepe to help the Kingdom of Sardinia in the First Italian War of Independence. After the recall of the expeditionary force by King Ferdinand II Luigi Mezzacapo joined his brother Carlo and numerous other soldiers of the Sicilian army including Guglielmo Pepe, Enrico Cosenz, :it:Cesare Rosaroll, Alessandro Poerio and :it:Girolamo Calà Ulloa in besieged Venice where he distinguished himself in the defense of the city at the fort of Brondolo.

From 16 February 1849 he was substitute for the war minister of the Roman Republic. He participated in its defense against the French and was appointed major general on 30 June. After the fall of Rome Mezzacapo did not return to Naples but went into exile, first to Malta, and then Piedmont to where with his brother Carlo he created the "Military library for the use of Italian youth" and the " Rivista Militare" in 1856. In 1860 he took part in the expedition of the Piedmontese regular army to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. In March 1861, taking the place of :it:Ferdinando Augusto Pinelli, he commanded the siege and finally conquered the fortress of Civitella del Tronto, the last bastion of the Bourbon forces. During his period of office he increased the number of territorial army commands to twelve and the divisional commands to twenty. The number of military districts was increased to 88 to support faster mobilisation. He also removed a number of senior army officers from their positions, which led to a great deal of trouble and recrimination.