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 in 1853, although there is no record of a given reason. He met with President
Antonio López de Santa Anna. However, he soon participated in the
Plan of Ayutla, precisely against Santa Anna. He initially fought under
Santos Degollado. Around the end,
Juan Álvarez, 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. During the
Peruvian Civil War of 1856–1858, he became involved in a conspiracy that ended with the death of General Carlos Varea, prefect of
Cajamarca, which earned him a sentence of two years in prison. In 1861 he moved to
Italy 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. For this reason, he decided to return to Mexico to combat the
Second French intervention in Mexico, which had been brewing for months.
Second French intervention in Mexico Luigi Ghilardi was commissioned to deliver correspondence from Giuseppe Garibaldi to U.S. authorities in
Washington D.C., as well as to President
Benito Juárez in Mexico. He arrived in
New York City 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 and was received by President
Abraham Lincoln. Ghilardi asked both of them to support the Mexican cause against the intervention due to the
Monroe Doctrine however, because they were facing the
American Civil War, they couldn't offer help. He landed in
Acapulco and visited President Juárez in
Mexico City. 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 and because the resistance had turned into guerrilla warfare, Ghilardi had decided to abandon his command and return to Europe, however, on January 17, 1864, a French commander captured him, along with other Republican officers, in
Colotlan,
Jalisco. 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, commander of the French troops in Mexico. His wife and daughter, who were still in Peru, were sent a letter and Ghilardi's belongings through the French consulate. ==Legacy==