Christian Wolfskeel from Reichenberg

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Christian Franz Sigmund Freiherr Wolfskeel von Reichenberg (* 1761 in Würzburg ; † May 8, 1809 in the Battle of the Piave ) was an Imperial Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal and holder of the Knight's Cross of the Military Maria Theresa Order .

Life dates

Christian Freiherr Wolfskeel von Reichenberg came from the Franconian aristocratic family Wolfskeel . He was born in Würzburg in 1761 as the son of Johann Gottfried Ernst Freiherr Wolfskeel von Reichenberg and Marie Sophie Johanna Freifrau Wolfskeel von Reichenberg, née Freiin von Schaumburg. He fell on May 8, 1809 at the Battle of the Piave and is buried in Pordenone Cathedral.

Military career

In 1778 Christian Freiherr Wolfskeel von Reichenberg joined the imperial army as a lieutenant at the beginning of the War of the Bavarian Succession . He took part in the Turkish War of 1788–1789 as a cavalry master . In 1791 he was appointed place major in Vienna, before being promoted to “7th place” in 1794. Cuirassier Regiments Lorraine »was transferred. From 1796 Christian Freiherr Wolfskeel von Reichenberg was constantly involved in battles with French units. On September 7, 1796 he was involved in the victory at Starnberg . On the same day he led an attack on the enemy near Dachau on his own initiative , taking 300 prisoners and stealing a lot of war material. On September 29, 1796 he won the battle of Isny against a numerically far superior enemy. In December 1796 Wolfskeel was promoted to lieutenant colonel and transferred to the staff dragoon regiment. In the campaigns in Northern Italy in 1797 he distinguished himself in particular and was promoted to colonel . In 1798 Wolfskeel entered the “3. Cuirassier Regiment Duke Albert von Sachsen-Teschen »over. With this he made the campaign in 1799 in Germany, where he distinguished himself again in the relief of Philippsburg on December 3, 1799. In October 1800 von Wolfskeel was promoted to major general. On August 18, 1801, he was finally awarded the Military Maria Theresa Order for his services. As a major general he took part in the war in Tyrol in 1805 and became a division commander as a field marshal lieutenant in 1809. After his success in the Battle of Sacile , the balance of power suddenly changed at the Battle of the Piave when he faced twelve newly formed enemy regiments with five weakened regiments. Baron Wolfskeel, who had stated a short time before that "he would not survive an unfortunate turn of the century", pounced on an enemy with saber in hand when he realized the hopelessness of the undertaking to avoid defeat or capture Cavalry troop, where he was killed.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Wolfskeel von Reichenberg, Christian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wolfskeel von Reichenberg, Christian Franz Sigmund Freiherr
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Imperial Austrian field marshal lieutenant and holder of the Military Maria Theresa Order
DATE OF BIRTH 1761
PLACE OF BIRTH Wurzburg
DATE OF DEATH May 8, 1809
Place of death Battle of the Piave