A total of 18,061 men and 3,963 horses and mules embarked in April 1855 on British and Sardinian ships in the harbor of Genoa. While the infantry of the line and cavalry units were drawn from soldiers, who had volunteered for the expedition, the Bersaglieri, artillery and sapper troops were dispatched from their regular units. I.e. each of the army's 10 regular Bersaglieri battalions dispatched its first two companies for the expedition, while i.e. the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Provisional Regiment consisted of volunteers from the army's 3rd Line Infantry Regiment. The corps disembarked at Balaklava between 9 May and 14 May 1855.
Staff
- Expeditionary Corps Commander in Chief: Lieutenant General Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora[3][4]
- Chief of Staff: Lieutenant Colonel Petiti Di Roreto
- Staff Major: Major Giuseppe Govone
- Artillery Staff Major: Major Della Rovere
- Commander, Artillery: Colonel Valfre Di Bonzo
- Commander, Engineers: Major Staglieno
- Commander, Bersaglieri: Lieutenant Colonel De Saint Pierre
- Commander, Support Services: Major General Paolo Antonio de Cavero (until 17 August 1855, then handled by Major Della Rovere after, De Cavero took over the Reserve Brigade when its commander Major General Giorgio Ansaldi died)
- Commander, Medical Services: Dr. Comisetti
- Garrison Commander Balaklava: Lieutenant Colonel Della Chiesa Della Torre
- Garrison Commander Constantinople: Lieutenant Colonel Paolucci
- British Liaison officer: Colonel George Cadogan
- French Liaison officer: Capitaine le Duc de Dino Talleyrand-Périgord
Staff Units
- Provisional Cavalry Regiment (Colonel De Savoiroux)
- Provisional Fortress (Coastal) Artillery Battalion (Major Marabotto)
- 1st Fortress Battery, from the 1st Fortress Artillery Brigade
- 2nd Fortress Battery, from the 1st Fortress Artillery Brigade
- 7th Fortress Battery, from the 2nd Fortress Artillery Brigade
- 8th Fortress Battery, from the 2nd Fortress Artillery Brigade
- Mixed Artillery Workers Company, providing maintenance support for the corps' artillery guns (Captain Maraldi)
- Provisional Sappers Battalion (Major Serra) with troops from the Army's Sappers Regiment
- 1st Sappers Company
- 2nd Sappers Company
- 6th Sappers Company
- 7th Sappers Company
- Army Train, providing logistic support to the corps (Captain Raimondi)
- 1st Army Train Company
- 2nd Army Train Company
- Carabinieri Detachment, 50 men providing headquarters security
Combat Forces
- 1st Division (Lieutenant General Giovanni Durando)
- II Brigade (Major General Manfredo Fanti)
- 2nd Provisional Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Beretta)
- II Bersaglieri Battalion (Major Bonardelli)
- 9th Bersaglieri Company, from the III Bersaglieri Battalion
- 10th Bersaglieri Company, from the III Bersaglieri Battalion
- 13th Bersaglieri Company, from the IV Bersaglieri Battalion
- 14th Bersaglieri Company, from the IV Bersaglieri Battalion
- 7th Field Battery with 6x guns (Captain Melli; from the Field Artillery Regiment)
- III Brigade (Major General Enrico Cialdini)
- 3rd Provisional Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel DeRossi)
- 1st Battalion, with troops from the 7th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Cuneo") (Major Longoni)
- 2nd Battalion, with troops from the 8th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Cuneo") (Major Corte)
- 3rd Battalion, with troops from the 13th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Pinerolo") (Major Baleno)
- 4th Battalion, with troops from the 14th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Pinerolo") (Major Berberis)
- III Bersaglieri Battalion (Major Bertaldi)
- 17th Bersaglieri Company, from the V Bersaglieri Battalion
- 18th Bersaglieri Company, from the V Bersaglieri Battalion
- 21st Bersaglieri Company, from the VI Bersaglieri Battalion
- 22nd Bersaglieri Company, from the VI Bersaglieri Battalion
- 10th Field Battery with 6x guns (Captain Quaglia; from the Field Artillery Regiment)
- 2nd Division (Lieutenant General Ardigo Trotti, after the division's first commander Lieutenant General Alessandro Ferrero La Marmora had died on 7 June 1855)
- IV Brigade (Major General Rodolfo Gabrielli di Montevecchio)
- 4th Provisional Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Caminati)
- 1st Battalion, with troops from the 9th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Regina") (Major Durandi)
- 2nd Battalion, with troops from the 10th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Regina") (Major Solaro)
- 3rd Battalion, with troops from the 15th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Savona") (Major Valacca)
- 4th Battalion, with troops from the 16th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Savona") (Major Corporandi)
- IV Bersaglieri Battalion (Major Della Chiesa)
- 25th Bersaglieri Company, from the VII Bersaglieri Battalion
- 26th Bersaglieri Company, from the VII Bersaglieri Battalion
- 29th Bersaglieri Company, from the VIII Bersaglieri Battalion
- 30th Bersaglieri Company, from the VIII Bersaglieri Battalion
- 13th Field Battery with 6x guns (Captain Ricotti-Magnan; from the Field Artillery Regiment)
- V Brigade (Major General Filiberto Mollard)
- 5th Provisional Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Leotardi)
- 1st Battalion, with troops from the 11th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Casale") (Major Alberti)
- 2nd Battalion, with troops from the 12th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Casale") (Major Bigaro Di Vische)
- 3rd Battalion, with troops from the 17th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Acqui") (Major Ferrero)
- 4th Battalion, with troops from the 18th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Acqui") (Major Cadorna)
- V Bersaglieri Battalion (Major Cassinis)
- 33rd Bersaglieri Company, from the IX Bersaglieri Battalion
- 34th Bersaglieri Company, from the IX Bersaglieri Battalion
- 37th Bersaglieri Company, from the X Bersaglieri Battalion
- 38th Bersaglieri Company, from the X Bersaglieri Battalion
- 16th Field Battery with 6x guns (Major Baudi di Vesme; from the Field Artillery Regiment)
Reserve Forces
- Reserve Brigade (Major General Paolo Antonio de Cavero)
- 1st Provisional Regiment (Colonel Giustiniani)
- I Bersaglieri Battalion (Major Ricadati Di Primeglio)
- Reserve Artillery Brigade (Major Campana)
- 1st Field Artillery Battery with 6x guns (Captain Celesia; from the Field Artillery Regiment)
- 4th Field Artillery Battery with 6x guns (Captain Avogadro Di Valdengo; from the Field Artillery Regiment)
