Anton von Elsnitz

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Anton Franz Freiherr von Elsnitz (born  September 28, 1746 in Vienna , † December 31, 1825 in Enzersdorf ) was an Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal .

Life

Anton Elsnitz joined the Imperial Infantry Regiment No. 59 on June 1, 1763 and became second lieutenant in the same year . In 1766 he switched to the Cuirassier Regiment, where he was promoted to captain in 1775 , to Rittmeister on July 21, 1778 and to major in November 1786 . On March 20, 1790 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and on December 7, 1792 to colonel in the "Baron Karaczay" dragoon regiment.

In the Bavarian War of Succession (1778/79) and in the war against the Turks (1787–1790) he served with the Chevauxleger Regiment No. 18. In autumn 1789 he took part in the siege of Belgrade with the Austrian main army under Laudon . In 1793 he moved with his cavalry regiment in the Austrian Netherlands to the main army under Prince Friedrich Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld . On July 23, 1793, he proved himself in an attack on an enemy troop camp that had pitched between Cambrai and Oisy. His troops fought on March 18, 1793 in the Battle of Neerektiven and took part in the siege of Dunkirk from August 24 to September 8 . In the war year 1794 he took part in the siege of the Landrecies (April), Tourcoing (May), Tournai (May 22) and on June 26 in the decisive Battle of Fleurus . The following year his regiment fought on the Upper Rhine . His cavalry pursued the defeated French between October 23 and November 13, 1795 after their defeat at Mainz to Tellheim . On March 4, 1796 he was promoted to major general and served in the corps under General Wartensleben in the main army under Archduke Karl on the Lower Rhine . At the beginning of September 1796 he took part in the Battle of Würzburg as commander of a mixed brigade on the right bank of the Main , which observed the French movements from the Schweinfurt area in the north of the battlefield . After the victory of Würzburg , his cavalry under Kray pursued the French and distinguished himself on 16./17. September at the battle from Giessen .

In 1799 he served in northern Italy, the Elsnitz and Gottesheim brigades had been defending Pastrengo since mid-March , where he suffered a defeat against the French on March 26th. Then his troops were deployed on March 26th and 30th near Verona and on May 18th and August 7th in the Mantua area. On October 2, 1799 Elsnitz was promoted to Lieutenant Field Marshal and served in the division of the FML Kaim under Feldzeugmeister Kray. At the beginning of November 1799 he bridged the Stura at Castelletto and was able to drive the enemy from Ronchi and advance to the fortress of Coni , which facilitated the victory of the main army under Melas at Genola . At the beginning of 1800 he commanded his own division on the Riviera di Genova and in the Val de Vado. On April 12th he triumphed over French troops under Suchet near San Giacomo and on May 7th over units under General Cravelle at the foot of Monte Caro, where over 1,000 men were captured. At the end of May 1800 he was operating on the Var section, leading a cavalry division that was deployed under FML Hadik during the Battle of Marengo (June 14) . Transferred to reserve in September 1800, he was appointed inspector of the re-assembly system on September 15, 1802. From this position, which he held until the end of 1809, he retired after 47 years of service and died at the age of 79 in 1825 at his retirement home near Enzersdorf in Lower Austria .

literature

personal data
SURNAME Elsnitz, Anton von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Elsnitz, Anton Franz Freiherr von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal
DATE OF BIRTH September 28, 1746
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH December 31, 1825
Place of death Maria Enzersdorf