Austrian Order-of-Battle at Rivoli: 14-15 January 1797
In early 1797, Feldzugmeister Josef, Freiherr Alvinczy von Borberek launched an offensive in northern Italy to relieve the besieged Austrian fortress of Mantua. It was his fourth attempt to link up with the isolated 30,000-man garrison commanded by Feldmarschall Dagobert-Sigismond, Graf Wurmser.
Although Alvinczys main army (28,000 men) was split into six columns, one column under Generalmajor Josef-Philipp, Freiherr Vukassovich was on the far side of the Adige River and could only provide artillery support. The remaining five columns attacked part of General Napoleon Bonapartes Army of Italy on 14 January 1797 near the town of Rivoli.
The outnumbered French troops of General Barthelemy-Catharine Jouberts division held on until reinforcements under Massena and Rey arrived (bringing Bonapartes total to 23,000 men). Subsequent Austrian assaults failed, forcing Alvinczy to retreat in disorder. The Battle of Rivoli and the French pursuit the next day cost Alvinczy 2,000 casualties and 12,000 prisoners.
Although reinforced by troops under Feldmarschalleutnant Giovanni, Marchese Provera, Wurmser was forced to surrender Mantua on 2 February 1797.
There is some dispute over Alvinczys exact order-of-battle at Rivoli. Most sources agree that five columns were commanded by Generalmajors Lipthay, Ocskay von Ocska, Vukassovich, Koblos and Reuss zu Plauen (with a sixth under Oberst Lusignan); some sources, however, say troops commanded by Feldmarschalleutnant Peter Vitus von Quosdanovich also participated in the battle.
The post-Rivoli careers of the major Austrian officers were varied. Feldzugmeister Alvinczy [1808 Feldmarschall] was later appointed military governor of Hungary; his chief-of-staff Major [1805 Generalmajor] Franz von Weyrother (1754-1806) became infamous for planning the disastrous Allied attack at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805. Generalmajor Josef, Freiherr Ocskay von Ocska (1745-1805) was forced to retire during the 1797 Campaign, while Generalmajor [1798 Feldmarschalleutnant] Anton, Freiherr Lipthay (1745-1800) was mortally-wounded on 25 March 1799 at Verona.
Three other column commanders served during the Napoleonic Wars: Generalmajor [1800 Feldmarschalleutnant] Josef-Philipp, Freiherr Vukassovich (1755-1809) was mortally-wounded at the Battle of Wagram in 1809; Oberst [1801 Feldmarschalleutnant, 1809 Feldzugmeister] Franz-Josef, Marquis Lusignan (1753-1832) was badly-wounded on 19 April 1809 and subsequently retired; Generalmajor Heinrich XV, Prinz Reuss zu Plauen was awarded the Military Order of Maria-Theresia and later promoted to the rank of Feldzugmeister.
There is a minor mystery surrounding the sixth column commander, Generalmajor Koblos. On his Internet website, Martin Boycott-Brown, author of The Road to Rivoli: Napoleons First Campaign [2001], writes :
Austrian general who commanded one of the columns at the battle of Rivoli (14-15 January 1797). He is another of those about whom the author has not yet managed to discover anything. He is not listed in Wurzbach, C., von. Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich, 1856-91, unless he is hidden somewhere in the appendices. The name is definitely Hungarian. The family was from Transylvania. It is now extinct.
Further, Koblos name is not found on the awards list of the Military Order of Maria-Theresa nor was he appointed to fill the position of a regimental colonel-in-chief in the infantry.
1 October 2005: Enrico Ascerbi in Italy has provided some biographical information about this officer. Generalmajor Samuel Koblos was a Hungarian grenadier officer who was colonel of the Warasdiner-Kreutzer Grenz Regiment in 1785. He was subsequently an aide-de-camp to Alvinczy. Koblos lived in Sopron.
Austrian Army
Commander: Alvinczy von Borberek, Feldzugmeister Josef, Freiherr
Chief-of-Staff: Weyrother, Major Franz von
Column 1
Lusignan, Oberst Franz-Josef, Marquis
Infantry Regiment Freiherr Klebeck Nr. 14: 2 battalions
Lusignan, Oberst Franz-Josef, Marquis
Infantry Regiment Graf Mittrowski Nr. 40: 1 battalion
Infantry Regiment Freiherr Lattermann Nr. 45: 1 battalion
Gyulai Freikorps: 12 companies
Column 2
Lipthay, Generalmajor Anton, Freiherr
Infantry Regiment Freiherr Huff-Kanders Nr. 8: 1 battalion
Infantry Regiment Freiherr de Vins Nr. 37: 1 battalion
Infantry Regiment Franz, Freiherr Jellacic Nr. 53: 2 battalions
Gyulai Freikorps: 6 companies
Column 3
Koblos, Generalmajor
Infantry Regiment Freiherr Preiss Nr. 24: 2 battalions
Infantry Regiment Graf Erbach-Schonberg Nr. 42: 1 battalion
Combined battalion [1]
Combined battalion [2]
Mahoney Jaegers: 6 companies
Column 4
Ocskay von Ocska, Generalmajor Josef, Freiherr
Infantry Regiment Deutschmeister Nr. 4: 1 battalions
Infantry Regiment Freiherr Lattermann Nr. 45: 2 battalions
Grenadier Battalion Khevenhuller-Metsch [3]
Uhlan Regiment Meszaros [later Nr. 1]: 2 squadrons
Mattyasovszky, Oberst Ezechiel
Hussar Regiment Graf Erdody [later Nr. 9]: 4 squadrons
Piacsek, Oberst Carl-Christoph von
Staff Dragoons: 2 squadrons
Column 5
Reuss zu Plauen, Generalmajor Heinrich XV, Prinz
Infantry Regiment Deutschmeister Nr. 4: 2 battalions
Infantry Regiment Freiherr Schroder Nr. 26: 1 battalion
Infantry Regiment Furst Furstenberg Nr. 36: 1 battalion
Infantry Regiment Graf Callenberg Nr. 51: 1 battalion
Composite Wallach Grenz Battalion Nr. 2 [4]
Composite Wallach Grenz Battalion Nr. 3 [4]
Karlstadt Grenz Battalion Nr. 5 [5]
Karlstadt Grenz Battalion Nr. 7 [ 6]
Hussar Regiment Erzherzog Josef-Anton [later Nr. 2]: 2 ½ squadrons
Szent-Kereszty, Oberst Andreas, Freiherr
Hussar Regiment Graf Wurmser [later Nr. 8]: 3 squadrons
Klenau, Oberst Johann, Graf
Column 6
Vukassovich, Generalmajor Josef-Philipp, Freiherr
Infantry Regiment Graf Nasdady Nr. 39: 1 combined battalion
Infantry Regiment Erzherzog Anton-Viktor Nr. 52: 1 combined battalion
Combined Karlstadt Grenzer battalion [7]
Combined Karlstadt Grenzer battalion [6]
Hussar Regiment Erzherzog Josef-Anton [later Nr. 2]: ½ squadron
Army Artillery
c. 90 guns [mostly 3-pounders]
Notes:
[1] This battalion was composed of companies from:
Infantry Regiment Michael, Graf Wallis Nr. 11
Infantry Regiment Freiherr Terzi Nr. 16
Infantry Regiment Graf Strassoldo Nr. 27
[2] This battalion was composed of companies from:
[3] This battalion was composed of companies from:
Infantry Regiment Granduca di Toscana Nr. 23
Infantry Regiment Freiherr von Preiss Nr. 24
Infantry Regiment Oliver, Graf Wallis Nr. 29
[4] These battalions were composed of companies from:
Grenz Regiment Nr. 16
Grenz Regiment Nr. 17
[5] This battalion was composed of companies from:
Grenz Regiment Nr. 2
[6] This battalion was composed of companies from
Grenz Regiment Nr. 1
Grenz Regiment Nr. 2
Grenz Regiment Nr. 3
[7] This battalion was composed of companies from:
Karlstadt Grenz Regiment Nr 1
Karlstadt Grenz Regiment Nr 2
Warasdin Grenz Regiment
Grenz Regiment Nr. 4
Sources:
http://napoleonuniforme.free.fr/
http://www.napoleonicminiatureswargame.com/rivoliob.html
http://www.historydata.com/index.html
http://www.austro-hungarian-army.co.uk/