Ref.: ROME-54039
Captain of General Staff-Reign of Naples (1811-1815) With the ascension to the throne of Naples of Gioacchino Murat, on 1st August 1808, the armed forces regained new and glorious attention, which mirrored their new and magnificent ruler. The General Staff of the Neapolitan Armed Forces was reconstructed based on the French model. It was composed of a limited number of officers, who in the early stages, were all French nationals. The Adjutant Commander, with the rank of Colonel, undertook the function of Head of the General Staff. The Assistant of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, had the rank of Commandant of the Battalion or Captain Our figure is that of a Captain wearing the 'small uniform' with Surtout, an elegant uniform. like all the other uniforms of this period but in this particular case, the uniform was more practical for campaigns. These soldiers were involved in a variety of military campaigns: in April of 1812, a huge Neapolitan contingent (the size of an entire division) was mobilised for the Russian Campaign. In September, Murat entered Moscow with the avant‑garde of the Grand Army. The Neapolitan troops fought in the defence of Danzica and Vilna, in the famous battles of Bautzen and Lipsia, in 1814, as well as participating in the last desperate defence of Naples, in 1815.