A skillful guerrilla man, was able to harass the national guards and the Piedmontese soldiers for almost four years but he lose the conflict after being betrayed by his lieutenant Giuseppe Caruso, who revealed his plans and hideouts to the Italian authorities. Thus he fled to the Papal States hoping for help from Pius IX but was arrested by his soldiers. Later was handed over to the Italian government and condemned to death but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. 