In the war of 1866 he stormed Borgoforte, to open a passage for Cialdini's army. Upon the death of General Govone in 1872 he was appointed Minister of War, and after the occupation of Rome bent all his efforts to army reform, in accordance with the lessons of the Franco-German War. He shortened the period of military service, extended conscription to all able-bodied men, created a permanent army, a mobile militia and a reserve, commenced the renewal of armaments, and placed Italy in a position to put 1,800,000 men on a war footing. He was also responsible, after the suggestion made by Captain Giuseppe Perrucchetti, for the foundation of the Alpini, the first established infantry corps specialized in mountain warfare, for the defense of Italy's mountainous borders.