Franz von Werneck
Franz Freiherr von Werneck (born July 19, 1748 in Stuttgart , † January 17, 1806 in Königgrätz ) was an Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal .
Life
At the age of sixteen he joined an Austrian infantry regiment as a first lieutenant. A short time later he was promoted to captain, but was not promoted to colonel until 1784. He distinguished himself in various ways in the war against the Ottomans between 1787 and 1792. He particularly excelled in the storming of Belgrade on September 30, 1789. He was then promoted to major general and received the Knight's Cross of the Maria Theresa Order in 1790 .
He fought in the First Coalition War since 1792 and distinguished himself in the Battle of Jemappes . In 1793 he was involved in the battle of Neer winds , the siege of Valenciennes and the unsuccessful siege of Dunkirk. In the following two years he continued to serve in the Dutch theater of war. In June 1794 he led the Battle of Fleurus and was promoted to Lieutenant Field Marshal. Under Archduke Karl he commanded the grenadier division of the Austrian army in the battle of Wetzlar in 1796 . However, Werneck made various mistakes and fell in favor of the Archduke. In the Battle of Würzburg on September 2, 1796, he made up for the mistakes, made a decisive contribution to the victory and was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa.
As a result, he was given command of a 33,000-strong corps that was supposed to secure the Lower Rhine . His troops were surprised on April 18, 1797 when the French crossed the Rhine under Lazare Hoche and were put to flight at the Battle of Neuwied . Werneck and Lieutenant Field Marshal Kray were blamed for this severe defeat . Allegedly, it was his passion for gambling that made him appear late on the battlefield.
Instead of trying him before a court martial, he was retired with half pay. Only at the beginning of the third coalition war was von Werneck reactivated in 1805. He was given command of a corps in the main army under Mack . Murat defeated Werneck's rearguard near Langenau and almost completely destroyed them. The main army of Wernecks was also routed on October 17th. With only a few thousand men, he had to capitulate on October 18, 1805. Von Werneck was later tried before a court martial. In poor health, he died of a stroke in Königgrätz. As a result, the process against him could no longer be concluded.
literature
- Johann Gottfried Pahl (anonymous): Comments on the conduct of Field Marshal Lieutenant Freyherrn von Wernek, commanding on the Lower Rhine, in the campaign of 1797 . Without location 1798 ÖNB Vienna .
- Jaromir Hirtenfeld : The military Maria Theresa order and its members. Vienna, 1857 p. 505 f. ( online ).
- Constantin von Wurzbach : Werneck, Franz Freiherr von . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 55th part. Imperial and Royal Court and State Printing Office, Vienna 1887, pp. 43–45 ( digitized version ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Gerhard von Scharnhorst : Private and official writings. Vol. 1. Cologne et al., 2002 p. 623
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Werneck, Franz von |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Werneck, Franz Freiherr von (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 19, 1748 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Stuttgart |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 17, 1806 |
| Place of death | Königgrätz |