On 4 January 1847 he left the valley again, this time to enlist as a soldier for King Charles Albert. He participated in the First Italian War of Independence, taking part in the Battles of Goito and Santa Lucia. He was captured by the Austrians and briefly held as a prisoner of war, before being released on 7 September 1848. In his autobiography he later took care to stress the humanity with which, as a prisoner, he was treated by the Austrian army. After the Battle of Novara (23 March 1849) the war spluttered to an end, and he was sent on indefinite leave: he returned to Saint-Nicolas where, despite his age, he resumed his habit of attending the village school as a pupil, alongside the children.