La Marmora, ALFONSO FERRERO, MARQUIS DE

La Marmora, ALFONSO FERRERO, MARQUIS DE, Italian general and statesman, born at Turin, 17th November 1804, who, entering the army, became known as a zealous reformer. He was decorated for distinguished conduct in the national war of 1848, and promoted to general of brigade. In 1849 he entered the cabinet as Minister of War. In 1855 he withdrew from the ministry to assume the command of the Sardinian troops in the Crimea, and at the close of the war was invested with the Order of the Bath and the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, and re-entered the ministry in his former capacity. He took part in the war of 1859, by which Lombardy was acquired by Italy; and was appointed commander-in-chief of the Italian army in 1861, and in 1864 prime-minister. In the campaign against Austria in 1866 he lost the battle of Custozza, and had to sustain unpleasant controversy as to his management of the campaign. Latterly he was intrusted with several diplomatic missions; he preferred the French to the Prussian alliance; and his publication (1873) of the secret negotiations between Prussia and Italy incurred the censure of Prince Bismarck. La Marmora died 5th January 1878. See a monograph by Massari (1880).