I've been struggling with the Neapolitan military post June 1815 (I think that's when the Sicilian and Neapolitan armies were combined). Specifically, were there more than three foreign regiments, or just three battalions in one foreign regiment?
I'm trying to see if there was actually something called the 3e [Terza] Reggimento Estero or whether the eyewitness actually means 3rd battalion ...
I ask because there was a garrison of 50 of these soldiers at nearby Monteleone when Murat landed at Pizzo in October 1815. Some of the officers from this detachment were involved in his trial.
All this is building to finding out which unit it was that composed the firing squad ....
Any help appreciated.
Thanks, Thomas, I shall take another look. It is a fine work but would not get published nowadays as its subject is too obscure. There were some foreign regiments in Sicilian service that were combined with those in Neapolitan service in the summer of 1815. I think the Neapolitan ones were mainly Macedonians and Albanians, goodness knows who went into the Sicilian regiments. Perhaps Swiss and Germans. A rich area for future research!
Jonathan, have you checked Weil: Joachim Murat, roi de Naples : la dernière année de règne (mai 1814-mai 1815)?
https://gallica.bnf.fr/services/engine/search/sru?operation=searchRetrieve&version=1.2&collapsing=disabled&rk=21459;2&query=dc.relation%20all%20%22cb31631829b%22
Best wishes, Thomas
Hello
there were until 5 Reggimenti Esteri, both 1° (or 2°) and 4° Estero were the only regiments taking an active part in the campaign against Murat's Army with the siege of Gaeta until 8th august 1815
by this last date and royal decree should be reduced to only one Reggimento Estero (instead of 2 planned as precised page 42 below) https://issuu.com/rivista.militare1/docs/l-esercito-borbonico-dal-1815-al-18