Anton Ferdinand Mittrowsky
Encyclopedia
Anton Ferdinand Mittrowsky von Mittrowitz und Nemyšl, or Anton Mittrovsky, (1745 - 30 September 1809) served in the Austrian army for many years. He was promoted to general officer in the spring of 1796, just in time to lead a brigade against Napoleon Bonaparte during the 1796-1797 Italian Campaign of the French Revolutionary Wars
. He played a pivotal role in the Battle of Arcole, nearly defeating Bonaparte. He fought in Italy again in 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars
and became the Proprietor (Inhaber)
of an Austrian infantry regiment from 1806 until his death three years later.
army and, much later in his career, served as Oberst
(colonel
) of the Callenberg Infantry Regiment # 54. He received his promotion to the rank of General-Major
on 30 April 1796. During the first relief of the Siege of Mantua
, he led a brigade in Paul Davidovich
's III Column. Detached from his parent column, he occupied the Chiusa fort and scouted toward Verona
. At the Battle of Castiglione
on 5 August, he defended the right flank against André Masséna
's attacks.
During the third relief of Mantua, Mittrowsky's 3,000-man brigade held the upper Brenta River
valley as a link between the Tyrol
Corps and the Friaul
Corps. After Jozsef Alvinczi reached the Brenta with the Friaul Corps, Mittrowsky joined it and participated in the Second Battle of Bassano
on 6 November 1796.
When Bonaparte suddenly crossed the Adige River on the morning of 15 November, Mittrowsky lay nearby with three battalions. He played a prominent role during all three days of the Battle of Arcole. By early afternoon on the first day, his troops reinforced the village of Arcole
. By virtue of seniority, Mittrowsky assumed command over the soldiers of Colonel
Wenzel Brigido as well as his own. His troops stubbornly held the village all day, but the French forced his troops out of Arcole late that evening. He reoccupied the place when Bonaparte withdrew the isolated French force. On the second day, Alvinczi entrusted him with 14 battalions and gave him instructions to drive the French into the Adige. The order proved impossible to carry out because the French were too numerous, but Mittrowsky's capable defense of Arcole on the 16th kept Bonaparte's troops at bay. On 17 November he came close to defeating Bonaparte. The French finally drove the Austrians from the village at 5 pm on the third day, but only after drawing troops from the other wing of their army.
Mittrowsky missed the Battle of Rivoli
in January 1797, being employed in guarding the Brenta valley with a 3,500-man brigade.
found Mittrowsky serving in the army of Italy under Pál Kray. He fought at the drawn Battle of Verona on 26 March 1799. A little over a week later, he led a brigade in Karl Mercandin's column at the Battle of Magnano
. During the Battle of Novi
in August 1799, his brigade fought with the left wing under the overall supervision of Michael von Melas
. Mittrowsky was elevated in rank to Feldmarschall-Leutnant
in October 1799.
Mittrowsky led a division in the army of Archduke Charles
at the Battle of Caldiero in late October 1805. During the period 1806-1809, he was deputy to the commanding general in Upper and Lower Austria and Salzburg. Emperor Francis II appointed him proprietor of the Anton Mittrowsky Infantry Regiment # 10 in 1806. (A relative, Joseph Anton Franz Mittrowsky was proprietor of Infantry Regiment # 40 from 1786 to 1808.) Anton Mittrowsky remained proprietor through the War of the Fifth Coalition
until his death in Vienna
on 30 September 1809.
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
. He played a pivotal role in the Battle of Arcole, nearly defeating Bonaparte. He fought in Italy again in 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and became the Proprietor (Inhaber)
Proprietor (Inhaber)
A Proprietor, or Inhaber, was a term used in the Habsburg military to denote special honors extended to a noble or aristocrat. The Habsburg army was organized on principles developed for the feudal armies in which regiments were raised by a wealthy noble, called the Inhaber who also acted as...
of an Austrian infantry regiment from 1806 until his death three years later.
War of the First Coalition
Born into a military family around 1745, Mittrowsky joined the HabsburgHabsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
army and, much later in his career, served as Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
(colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
) of the Callenberg Infantry Regiment # 54. He received his promotion to the rank of General-Major
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
on 30 April 1796. During the first relief of the Siege of Mantua
Siege of Mantua (1796-1797)
In the Siege of Mantua, which lasted from 4 July 1796 to 2 February 1797 with a short break, French forces under the overall command of Napoleon Bonaparte besieged and blockaded a large Austrian garrison for many months until it surrendered...
, he led a brigade in Paul Davidovich
Paul Davidovich
Baron Paul Davidovich or Pavle Davidović became a general of the Austrian Empire and a Knight of the Military Order of Maria Theresa. He played a major role in the 1796 Italian campaign during the French Revolutionary Wars, leading corps-sized commands in the fighting against the French army led...
's III Column. Detached from his parent column, he occupied the Chiusa fort and scouted toward Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
. At the Battle of Castiglione
Battle of Castiglione
The Battle of Castiglione saw the French Army of Italy under General Napoleon Bonaparte attack an army of Habsburg Austria led by Feldmarschall Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser on 5 August 1796. The outnumbered Austrians were defeated and driven back along a line of hills to the river crossing at...
on 5 August, he defended the right flank against André Masséna
André Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
's attacks.
During the third relief of Mantua, Mittrowsky's 3,000-man brigade held the upper Brenta River
Brenta River
The Brenta is an Italian river that runs from Trentino to the Adriatic Sea just south of the Venetian lagoon in the Veneto region.During Roman era, it was called Medoacus and near Padua it divided in two branches, Medoacus Maior and Medoacus Minor ; the river changed its course in early Middle...
valley as a link between the Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
Corps and the Friaul
Friuli
Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...
Corps. After Jozsef Alvinczi reached the Brenta with the Friaul Corps, Mittrowsky joined it and participated in the Second Battle of Bassano
Second Battle of Bassano
In the Second Battle of Bassano on 6 November 1796, an Austrian army commanded by Jozsef Alvinczi repelled the attacks of Napoleon Bonaparte's French army. The engagement, which happened two months after the more famous Battle of Bassano, marked the first tactical defeat of Bonaparte's career and...
on 6 November 1796.
When Bonaparte suddenly crossed the Adige River on the morning of 15 November, Mittrowsky lay nearby with three battalions. He played a prominent role during all three days of the Battle of Arcole. By early afternoon on the first day, his troops reinforced the village of Arcole
Arcole
Arcole , historicaslly also known as Arcola, is a comune with 5,274 inhabitants in the province of Verona. It is known as the site of the Battle of the Bridge of Arcole.-History:...
. By virtue of seniority, Mittrowsky assumed command over the soldiers of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Wenzel Brigido as well as his own. His troops stubbornly held the village all day, but the French forced his troops out of Arcole late that evening. He reoccupied the place when Bonaparte withdrew the isolated French force. On the second day, Alvinczi entrusted him with 14 battalions and gave him instructions to drive the French into the Adige. The order proved impossible to carry out because the French were too numerous, but Mittrowsky's capable defense of Arcole on the 16th kept Bonaparte's troops at bay. On 17 November he came close to defeating Bonaparte. The French finally drove the Austrians from the village at 5 pm on the third day, but only after drawing troops from the other wing of their army.
Mittrowsky missed the Battle of Rivoli
Battle of Rivoli
The Battle of Rivoli was a key victory in the French campaign in Italy against Austria. Napoleon Bonaparte's 23,000 Frenchmen defeated an attack of 28,000 Austrians under Feldzeugmeister Jozsef Alvinczi, ending Austria's fourth and final attempt to relieve the Siege of Mantua...
in January 1797, being employed in guarding the Brenta valley with a 3,500-man brigade.
Later career
The outbreak of the War of the Second CoalitionWar of the Second Coalition
The "Second Coalition" was the second attempt by European monarchs, led by the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria and the Russian Empire, to contain or eliminate Revolutionary France. They formed a new alliance and attempted to roll back France's previous military conquests...
found Mittrowsky serving in the army of Italy under Pál Kray. He fought at the drawn Battle of Verona on 26 March 1799. A little over a week later, he led a brigade in Karl Mercandin's column at the Battle of Magnano
Battle of Magnano
In the Battle of Magnano on 5 April 1799, an Austrian army commanded by Pál Kray defeated a French army led by Barthélemy Schérer. In subsequent battles, the Austrians and their Russian allies drove the French out of nearly all of Italy...
. During the Battle of Novi
Battle of Novi (1799)
The Battle of Novi was a battle near Novi Ligure, Italy. It was fought on August 15, 1799 in the French Revolutionary Wars. The Austrians and Russians under Fieldmarshal Alexander Suvorov defeated the French under General Barthelemy Catherine Joubert....
in August 1799, his brigade fought with the left wing under the overall supervision of Michael von Melas
Michael von Melas
Michael Friedrich Benedikt Baron von Melas was a Transylvanian-born field marshal of Greek descent for the Austrian Empire during the Napoleonic Wars....
. Mittrowsky was elevated in rank to Feldmarschall-Leutnant
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
in October 1799.
Mittrowsky led a division in the army of Archduke Charles
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
at the Battle of Caldiero in late October 1805. During the period 1806-1809, he was deputy to the commanding general in Upper and Lower Austria and Salzburg. Emperor Francis II appointed him proprietor of the Anton Mittrowsky Infantry Regiment # 10 in 1806. (A relative, Joseph Anton Franz Mittrowsky was proprietor of Infantry Regiment # 40 from 1786 to 1808.) Anton Mittrowsky remained proprietor through the War of the Fifth Coalition
War of the Fifth Coalition
The War of the Fifth Coalition, fought in the year 1809, pitted a coalition of the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom against Napoleon's French Empire and Bavaria. Major engagements between France and Austria, the main participants, unfolded over much of Central Europe from April to July, with...
until his death in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
on 30 September 1809.
Printed materials
- Boycott-Brown, Martin. The Road to Rivoli. London: Cassell & Co., 2001. ISBN 0-304-35305-1
- Chandler, DavidDavid G. ChandlerDavid G. Chandler was a British historian whose study focused on the Napoleonic era.As a young man he served briefly in the army, reaching the rank of captain, and in later life he taught at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Oxford University awarded him the D. Litt. in 1991...
. The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York: Macmillan, 1966. - Smith, DigbyDigby SmithDigby Smith is a British military historian. The son of a British career soldier, he was born in Hampshire, England, but spent several years in India and Pakistan as a child and youth. As a "boy soldier," he entered training in the British Army at the age of 16...
. The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill, 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9