Each artillery regiment was made of 2 battalions divided into 4 brigades, each in turn formed by 4 battalions, in turn divided into 4 companies of 51 men each.
In total, the armed forces moved from the 34,000 men of Tanucci time to 58,000 men, including provincial forces .

Detail of a rifle belonging to Charles of Bourbon

Acton took also care of the fleet. In 1799, the fleet was made of 28 “Square Vessels” e 120 “Light Vessels”. Unfortunately, during Championnet invasion on 8 January 1799, by order of Nelson this fleet was completely burned in the Gulf of Naples not to deliver it in the hands of the enemy forces (see the heading dedicated to the “Navy Fleet”). After the French rule, Ferdinand (who now had become Ferdinand I as King of the Two Sicilies) wanted to act cautiously and just changed the name of the “Royal Polytechnic and Military School”, founded by Murat, into the “Royal Polytechnic and Military Institute”. After the Restoration and the unification of the two Kingdoms into a single Kingdom called “Kingdom of the Two Sicilies”, also the Neapolitan and Sicilian armed forces were completely united. In those last years of the rule of Ferdinand I and then under the rule of Francis I, the main concern was the reconstruction of the fleet, but also the military Institutes underwent some changes.

But in 1821, after the risings of the previous year in which some officers had an active participation, Ferdinand I decided to repeal the regulation of 1819 and only the “Nunziatella” remained, although considerably reduced and “controlled”. The Reform of Ferdinand II In all sectors, things radically changed with the accession of Ferdinand II to the throne in 1830. He implemented a general and radical reorganisation of land forces (with the precious contribution of Prince Carlo Filangieri of Satriano), and in the last years of his Kingdom, these forces were as follows:

Epaulettes with the rank of Captain General of the 1st Line Infantry Regiment

Uniforme di Brigadiere Generale 1830-'60

•STAFF: Company of Staff Guides (1 infantry and 1 mounted); •ROYAL GUARDS OF THE KING: 1 mounted and 1 Infantry company; •GUARD OF HONOUR: one squadron for each province of the Kingdom; •ROYAL GUARDS CORPS: 1 Grenadiers Brigade, 1 Tirailleurs Regiment, 1 Light Cavalry Brigade, 1st and 2nd Hussars Regiments; •LINE INFANTRY: Regiments: King, Queen, Prince, Princess, Bourbon, Farnese, Naples, Calabria, Puglia, Abruzzo, Palermo, Messina, Lucania, and 12 Line Hunters Regiments; •SWISS TROOPS: 4 Infantry Regiments, 1 Artillery Corp, 13th Line Hunters Regiment; •LINE CAVALRY: 2 Dragons Regiments (King and Queen), 2 Lancers Regiments, 1 Carabineers Regiment, 1 Hunters Regiment; •VETERANS REGIMENTS – ARTILLERY: 2 Regiments (King and Queen), 1 Company of Mounted Artillery, 1 Artificers Brigade, 1 Train and Coast Artillery Corp Battalion; •ROYAL ENGINEERING CORP: Topographic Office, 1 Pioneers, Miners-Hoers Battalion, Fortifications Office.

In total, «the Neapolitan army reached a high level of efficiency and a large number of units, up to about 100,000/110,000 men in case of war, which protected the dynasty from all attempts of overthrowing it carried out by the liberals» .

When Garibaldi invaded the Kingdom, the army was formed by «More than 120,000 permanent staff, divide into Royal Guards, infantry, cavalry, artillery and engineering. It was equipped with first-rate weapons, suitably trained, supported by logistic structures of a good level». The Navy fleet was so large and modern «that the number of vessels (more than a hundred, divided into large-size, medium-size and small-size vessels), its total tonnage, its percentage of steam vessels and power of fire made it by far the first military fleet of pre-unitarian Italian States, and also the third fleet of the Mediterranean, after the British and French ones» .

A yard of the “Nunziatella” (lithography, early 19th century) and the memorial tablet commemorating the foundation of the Academy (now Military High School)