Giuseppe Avezzana

Giuseppe Avezzana was an Italian soldier and businessman. He fought in wars in Europe and the Americas. Biography Avezzana was born in Chieri, Italy, on February 19, 1797. In 1812, his family moved to Turin, where his father, Lorenzo Molino, had established a business. Shortly after, when he was 15, Avezzana enlisted in the Hussars. On June 15, 1812, he enlisted as a volunteer for the 4th Region of the French Army Imperial Honor Guard, which was heading for Strasbourg. In December 1813, Avezzana fractured his leg at Lorraine and retreated to Milan. Avezzana served under Napoleon I from 1813 through the fall of the First French Empire. He then joined the Sardinian army. In 1815, he fought against Napoleon I, who had escaped from Elba. Avezzana fought against Ferdinand VII’s restoration to the Spanish throne in September 1823, was captured, and held prisoner for several weeks. After his release, he sailed to America. In June 1827, he was in Mexico, defending the State of Tamaulipas against the Spaniards, who had invaded under General Barradas. Superior numbers almost lead him to retreat, but he managed to rally a force sufficiently strong to defend the invasion.