Italy - Military medal - Exceptional officer's badge of the MILITARY BROTHERHOOD – Florence, presented to “COL. A. GALLETTI,

Extremely rare officer’s badge of the Fratellanza Militare of Florence, attributed to “Col. Galletti A. Reduce – Custoza – Regg. Cavalleg. Guide – 1866,” created and distributed in the last quarter of the 19th century, during the reign of Umberto I (the association’s first official statutes: January 27, 1878)

Openwork gilt bronze, with a patina from use: crowned eagle, shield bearing the Cross of Savoy, laurel wreath.
The Florentine lily appears on the crown.
Period green silk ribbon, showing signs of wear (frayed edge, creases, small stains).
On the reverse, a casting cavity (casting hole) is visible in the photograph.
Height: 50 mm
Width: 27 mm (at its widest point)
Weight: 16.7 g

Period cursive engraving, visible in the photograph of the reverse.

Attribution:
The engraving is attributed to Lieutenant Arturo Galletti, a veteran (“reduce”) of Custoza 1866 and an officer of the Italian cavalry regiment Cavalleggeri Guide, who served during the Third Italian War of Independence.

His presence at the Battle of Custoza on June 24, 1866, is attested by his own military report, in which he identifies himself as commanding the 2nd platoon of the 3rd squadron of the Cavalleggeri Guide, attached to General Cerale.

This document provides a firsthand account of his operational activity: reconnaissance missions, engagements with Austrian forces, the defense of a position, and participation in covering the Italian retreat to Valeggio.

His account was preserved and published in 1898 in Rivista di Cavalleria, volume I, under the title “I Cavalleggeri Guide a Custoza,” in a historical article by Lieutenant Colonel L. Libri.

This publication makes it possible to document precisely his rank, unit, and role in combat in 1866.

According to the memoirs of his mother, Anna de Cadilhac, in the 1891 manuscript “Ricordi” (5 fascicles), preserved among the “Carte Galletti,” Arturo Galletti began his military training in the artillery before securing a transfer in 1865 to the Guides regiment, then stationed in Naples.

On June 24, 1866, he served as a lieutenant in the Cavalleggeri Guide, where he commanded the 2nd platoon of the 3rd squadron during the Battle of Custoza. His personal report, published in Rivista di Cavalleria (vol. I, 1898), recounts his missions with General Cerale, his participation in the fighting, and his role in protecting the Italian retreat.

His military career is said to have continued in the artillery. A royal decree of December 22, 1887, appointed him an artillery major in the territorial militia, after he had served as a reserve captain in the mobile militia. He is subsequently referred to as a lieutenant colonel, and then officially as an artillery colonel in 1911, when he ceased to belong to the reserve upon reaching the age limit, while retaining his rank and uniform.

Alongside his military career, he became involved in public life. After settling in the Marche region, he became mayor of Torre San Patrizio, before being elected to the Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom of Italy for the Montegiorgio constituency. He served five consecutive legislative terms, from 1892 to 1909 (the 18th through 22nd legislatures). His parliamentary activity included 39 speeches and two bills introduced in 1899.

His career thus charts the remarkable path of an Italian officer who served in both the artillery and the cavalry, fought at Custoza in 1866 as a lieutenant in the Cavalleggeri Guide, and then continued to rise through the ranks of the Italian militia to become an artillery colonel, while also holding political responsibilities as mayor and deputy for nearly seventeen years.