GALASSI, VINCENZO. – Papal general, born in Rome in 1766, died there in 1847. A veteran of the Russian campaign; in 1816 he entered the Papal army with the rank of colonel.
Brigadier general in 1818, at the beginning of 1831 he was charged with opposing the advance of the revolutionary forces led by General Serognani, which threatened Lazio. Although the G. had very limited resources at his disposal, he succeeded in defeating the enemy for the first time on 17 March at S. Lorenzo alle Grotte, and then decisively defeating them on the 21st of the same month at Castiglione in Teverina, forcing the invaders to recross the Tiber and disperse. Order was thus restored, and the threat to Rome averted.
BIBL.: R. Del Piano, Roma e la rivoluzione del 1841, Imola 1931, with indexes; P. Dalla Torre, Materiali per una storia dell'esercito pontificio, in Rare, stor. del Ritorg., 28 (1941), pp. 16–30 of the offprint. Paolo Dalla Torre