Anton von Zach
Encyclopedia
Anton Freiherr von Zach (14 June 1747 – 22 November 1826) enlisted in the army of Habsburg Austria and fought against the First French Republic. In the French Revolutionary Wars
, he gained prominence as a staff officer. Still on active service during the Napoleonic Wars
, he fought in the 1805 and 1809 wars. He was not given combat assignments after 1809.
Zach held the office of army chief of staff
during the 1796, 1799, and 1800 campaigns. In the latter year, he played an important role at the Battle of Marengo, where he was captured. During the Napoleonic Wars
he was again chief of staff of the Army of Italy in 1805. In 1809 he commanded a division in the Italian theater. After 1809, the Austrian military employed him as a fortress commandant. He was Proprietor (Inhaber)
of an Austrian infantry regiment from 1807 until his death.
in 1765. He married Anna Freiin von Moltke (1759–1832) in 1779. Their daughter Theresa married Auguste Milliet de Faverges et de Challes (1780–1854).
Entering the Austrian military service, Zach became a Major
in 1788, an Oberstleutnant
in 1793, and an Oberst
in 1795. He served as Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff (chief of staff
) to Johann Peter Beaulieu
from 8 April to June 1796 during the Montenotte Campaign
, the Battle of Lodi
, and the Battle of Borghetto
. In June he was succeeded by Franz von Lauer
when Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser
replaced Beaulieu. Subsequently, he served on Paul Davidovich
's staff during the Battle of Rovereto
on 4 September. In 1797, Zach served on a commission to analyze the reasons for Austria's defeat. He noted that lower-ranking generals displayed little initiative because there were too many regulations. He found that regimental officers showed more interest in pay and privilege and drill than in learning how to make fighting units more efficient. He saw that officers were indifferent toward the rank and file, and that the lower ranks had little trust or enthusiasm for their leaders.
From January 1798 to March 1799, Zach was chief of staff of the Armee von Italien. He assumed that role again from July 1799 to June 1800. On 9 June 1799 he received promotion to General-major. He performed capably at the Battle of Novi
on 15 August. For his actions, a grateful emperor awarded him the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
on 13 October 1799. A skilled mathematician, Zach was more at home in the field of military engineering than he was at combat leadership or in an operational role.
, the Austrian army commander. Late in the afternoon when victory seemed assured, Melas retired to the rear. Two horses had been killed under him, leaving the elderly general's left arm with a severe contusion. He instructed Konrad Valentin von Kaim
to direct the pursuit of Napoleon Bonaparte's apparently defeated army. Instead of advising Kaim, Zach rode off to join the advance elements. Historian David G. Chandler
asserts that Melas handed tactical control of the pursuit to Zach and does not mention Kaim's role.
The advancing Austrians instead encountered Louis Desaix with Jean Boudet
's fresh French division. Desaix attacked and defeated the Michael Wallis Infantry Regiment Nr. 11, which retired behind a brigade of grenadiers. As the elite Austrian infantry pressed forward, Desaix attacked again with artillery support from Auguste Marmont
's battery. At that moment, an Austrian artillery caisson detonated in a huge explosion and François Etienne de Kellermann
's heavy cavalry crashed into the Austrian left flank. These shocks completely unnerved three grenadier battalions and triggered a mass surrender. In the midst of the rout, Trooper Riche of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment grabbed Zach by the throat and secured his surrender.
The survivors of the French charge dashed through the ranks of the already-shaken Michael Wallis Regiment. This unit promptly bolted through the formations farther back in the column, causing a panic. Meanwhile, the Austrian cavalry regiment that should have protected the infantry from Kellermann's attack also stampeded and carried away other cavalry units. Kaim and other officers were unable to halt the terror-stricken soldiers. Though the army's center was routed, a second grenadier brigade and some unbroken cavalry covered its retreat. The commanders of the right and left flank columns, Andreas O'Reilly von Ballinlough
and Peter Karl Ott von Bátorkéz
managed to bring their troops away with minimal additional loss.
That evening, Bonaparte proposed a temporary truce to his prisoner, and Zach was allowed to send a note through the lines with the suggestion. The badly rattled Melas agreed to the truce. Bonaparte fully exploited his opponent's demoralized state in the negotiations that followed, in which Zach played a minor role. The result was the Convention of Alessandria
, in which the Austrian army was allowed to retreat behind the Mincio
River in return for evacuating all of their hard-won gains Piedmont
and Lombardy
. An Austrian officer noted that the empire would have been better served if Zach had been teaching at the military academy rather than directing the advance guard at Marengo.
Evidently, Melas bore a grudge against Zach. When he introduced Zach to his successor, Count Heinrich von Bellegarde, Melas said, "You see this little man, he has a soul as black as his countenance." Yet Bellegarde employed Zach as chief of staff from September 1800 to March 1801, including the Battle of the Mincio River. Zach attained the noble rank of Freiherr on 4 February 1801.
Zach's daughter Maria Angelika Wilhelmine (1784–1855) married Oberstleutnant Franz Xaver Richter von Binnenthal (1759–1840) in 1802. Zach brought his family to Padua
while he and Richter mapped the province of Venetia
. Richter met Maria in Padua and married her there. Like his father-in-law, Richter served on the staff and became a general officer. Zach's son-in-law rose in rank to become a Feldzeugmeister
in 1836 and wrote an autobiography of his career in the military.
Armee von Italien. The army fought the Battle of Caldiero from 29 to 31 October. This action was Austria's best showing during the War of the Third Coalition. After the war, Charles dismissed Zach as too old to serve as chief of staff. On 23 September 1807, Zach became Proprietor (Inhaber)
of Infantry Regiment Nr. 15 and held the post during his lifetime.
At the beginning of the War of the Fifth Coalition
, an army under Archduke John of Austria invaded Italy. Surprised by the early timing of the invasion, the French commander Eugène de Beauharnais
left garrisons at Osoppo
and Palmanova
and fell back to Sacile
. Eugène unwisely attacked John's army and was defeated in the Battle of Sacile
on 16 April 1809. Subsequently, the French general retreated to Verona
. Meanwhile, John left a brigade under Zach to blockade the fortress of Palmanova. After John's retreat from Italy and the Battle of Piave River
on 8 May, Johann Kalnássy's brigade became separated from the main army. Zach joined Kalnássy and both fell back across the Isonzo River into Carniola
(modern-day Slovenia
) on 13 May 1809.
Eugene directed Jacques MacDonald to capture Ljubljana
(Laibach), which he did on 23 May after seizing a fort at Prawald on the 20th. Zach and Kalnássy were too weak to oppose MacDonald's corps and 7,000 muskets, 71 artillery pieces, and large stockpiles of food and ammunition fell into French hands. An order of battle dated 15 May, names Zach as a division commander in Ignaz Gyulai
's IX Armeekorps, located at Kranj
. He supervised brigades led by Kalnássy, Alois von Gavasini
, Ignaz Splényi, and Joseph Munkácsy. Gyulai's force later fought in the Battle of Graz
from 24 to 26 June.
Zach received the Order of Leopold
in 1809. After this year, he was no longer employed in the field. He was deputy commandant of the Olomouc
(Olmütz) fortress from 1810 to 1812. In November 1812, he became commandant of the fortress and in 1815 he became governor of Olomouc. Still governor, Zach officially retired from military service in early 1825 and was appointed to the rank of Feldzeugmeister
. He died in Graz
on 22 November 1826.
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 gained prominence as a staff officer. Still on active service 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...
, he fought in the 1805 and 1809 wars. He was not given combat assignments after 1809.
Zach held the office of army chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
during the 1796, 1799, and 1800 campaigns. In the latter year, he played an important role at the Battle of Marengo, where he was captured. 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...
he was again chief of staff of the Army of Italy in 1805. In 1809 he commanded a division in the Italian theater. After 1809, the Austrian military employed him as a fortress commandant. He was 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 1807 until his death.
Early career
Born at Pest, Hungary, Anton Zach became a petty nobleman when his father was elevated to FreiherrFreiherr
The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
in 1765. He married Anna Freiin von Moltke (1759–1832) in 1779. Their daughter Theresa married Auguste Milliet de Faverges et de Challes (1780–1854).
Entering the Austrian military service, Zach became a Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in 1788, an Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
in 1793, and an 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...
in 1795. He served as Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff (chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
) to Johann Peter Beaulieu
Johann Peter Beaulieu
Johann Peter Beaulieu de Marconnay, also Jean Pierre Beaulieu de Marconnay, born 26 October 1725 – died 22 December 1819, was an Austrian military officer. He joined the Austrian army and fought against the Prussians during the Seven Years War. A cultured man, he later battled Belgian rebels...
from 8 April to June 1796 during the Montenotte Campaign
Montenotte Campaign
The Montenotte Campaign began on 10 April 1796 with an action at Voltri and ended with the Armistice of Cherasco on 28 April. In his first army command, Napoleon Bonaparte's French army separated the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont under Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi from the allied...
, the Battle of Lodi
Battle of Lodi
The Battle of Lodi was fought on May 10, 1796 between French forces under General Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian rear guard led by Karl Philipp Sebottendorf at Lodi, Lombardy...
, and the Battle of Borghetto
Battle of Borghetto
The Battle of Borghetto, near Valeggio sul Mincio in the Veneto of northern Italy, occurred during the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars. On 30 May 1796, a French army led by General Napoleon Bonaparte forced a crossing of the Mincio River in the face of opposition...
. In June he was succeeded by Franz von Lauer
Franz von Lauer
Franz von Lauer began his service in the Austrian army as an engineer officer and became a general officer while fighting against Ottoman Turkey. He earned recognition as a siege specialist while fighting the armies of the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
when Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser
Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser
Dagobert Sigismund, Count Wurmser was an Austrian field marshal during the French Revolutionary Wars. Although he fought in the Seven Years War, the War of the Bavarian Succession, and mounted several successful campaigns in the Rhineland in the initial years of the French Revolutionary Wars, he...
replaced Beaulieu. Subsequently, he served on 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 staff during the Battle of Rovereto
Battle of Rovereto
In the Battle of Rovereto on 4 September 1796 a French army commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte defeated an Austrian corps led by Paul Davidovich during the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars...
on 4 September. In 1797, Zach served on a commission to analyze the reasons for Austria's defeat. He noted that lower-ranking generals displayed little initiative because there were too many regulations. He found that regimental officers showed more interest in pay and privilege and drill than in learning how to make fighting units more efficient. He saw that officers were indifferent toward the rank and file, and that the lower ranks had little trust or enthusiasm for their leaders.
From January 1798 to March 1799, Zach was chief of staff of the Armee von Italien. He assumed that role again from July 1799 to June 1800. On 9 June 1799 he received promotion to General-major. He performed capably at 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....
on 15 August. For his actions, a grateful emperor awarded him the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
Military Order of Maria Theresa
The Military Order of Maria Theresa was an Order of the Austro-Hungarian Empire founded on June 18, 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolin, by the Empress...
on 13 October 1799. A skilled mathematician, Zach was more at home in the field of military engineering than he was at combat leadership or in an operational role.
Marengo
At the Battle of Marengo on 14 June 1800, Zach was chief of staff to Michael von MelasMichael 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....
, the Austrian army commander. Late in the afternoon when victory seemed assured, Melas retired to the rear. Two horses had been killed under him, leaving the elderly general's left arm with a severe contusion. He instructed Konrad Valentin von Kaim
Konrad Valentin von Kaim
Johann Konrad Valentin Ritter von Kaim was a French soldier and Austrian infantry commander during the French Revolutionary Wars. He was born in Gengenbach and died in Udine.-Footnotes:...
to direct the pursuit of Napoleon Bonaparte's apparently defeated army. Instead of advising Kaim, Zach rode off to join the advance elements. Historian David G. Chandler
David G. Chandler
David 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...
asserts that Melas handed tactical control of the pursuit to Zach and does not mention Kaim's role.
Jean Boudet
Jean Boudet was a French général de division of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. The campaigns in which he was involved include the Saint-Domingue expedition...
's fresh French division. Desaix attacked and defeated the Michael Wallis Infantry Regiment Nr. 11, which retired behind a brigade of grenadiers. As the elite Austrian infantry pressed forward, Desaix attacked again with artillery support from Auguste Marmont
Auguste Marmont
Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, 1st Duke of Ragusa was a French General, nobleman and Marshal of France.-Biography:...
's battery. At that moment, an Austrian artillery caisson detonated in a huge explosion and François Etienne de Kellermann
François Étienne de Kellermann
Francois Étienne de Kellermann, 2nd Duc de Valmy was a French cavalry general noted for his daring and skillful exploits during the Napoleonic Wars...
's heavy cavalry crashed into the Austrian left flank. These shocks completely unnerved three grenadier battalions and triggered a mass surrender. In the midst of the rout, Trooper Riche of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment grabbed Zach by the throat and secured his surrender.
The survivors of the French charge dashed through the ranks of the already-shaken Michael Wallis Regiment. This unit promptly bolted through the formations farther back in the column, causing a panic. Meanwhile, the Austrian cavalry regiment that should have protected the infantry from Kellermann's attack also stampeded and carried away other cavalry units. Kaim and other officers were unable to halt the terror-stricken soldiers. Though the army's center was routed, a second grenadier brigade and some unbroken cavalry covered its retreat. The commanders of the right and left flank columns, Andreas O'Reilly von Ballinlough
Andreas O'Reilly von Ballinlough
Andreas Graf O'Reilly von Ballinlough was an Austrian soldier and commander of Irish origin. His military service extended through the Seven Years' War, War of the Bavarian Succession, Austro-Turkish War, French Revolutionary Wars, and Napoleonic Wars...
and Peter Karl Ott von Bátorkéz
Peter Karl Ott von Bátorkéz
Peter Karl Ott von Bátorkéz joined the Austrian army and fought in the wars against the Kingdom of Prussia, Ottoman Turkey, and the First French Republic in the last half of the 18th century. During the French Revolutionary Wars, he rose in rank to general officer and twice campaigned against the...
managed to bring their troops away with minimal additional loss.
That evening, Bonaparte proposed a temporary truce to his prisoner, and Zach was allowed to send a note through the lines with the suggestion. The badly rattled Melas agreed to the truce. Bonaparte fully exploited his opponent's demoralized state in the negotiations that followed, in which Zach played a minor role. The result was the Convention of Alessandria
Alessandria
-Monuments:* The Citadel * The church of Santa Maria di Castello * The church of Santa Maria del Carmine * Palazzo Ghilini * Università del Piemonte Orientale-Museums:* The Marengo Battle Museum...
, in which the Austrian army was allowed to retreat behind the Mincio
Mincio
Mincio is a river in the Lombardy region of northern Italy.Called the Sarca River before entering Lake Garda, it flows from there about 65 km past Mantua into the Po River....
River in return for evacuating all of their hard-won gains Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
and Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
. An Austrian officer noted that the empire would have been better served if Zach had been teaching at the military academy rather than directing the advance guard at Marengo.
Evidently, Melas bore a grudge against Zach. When he introduced Zach to his successor, Count Heinrich von Bellegarde, Melas said, "You see this little man, he has a soul as black as his countenance." Yet Bellegarde employed Zach as chief of staff from September 1800 to March 1801, including the Battle of the Mincio River. Zach attained the noble rank of Freiherr on 4 February 1801.
Zach's daughter Maria Angelika Wilhelmine (1784–1855) married Oberstleutnant Franz Xaver Richter von Binnenthal (1759–1840) in 1802. Zach brought his family to Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
while he and Richter mapped the province of Venetia
Venetia
Venetia is a name used mostly in a historical context for the area of Northeast Italy, corresponding approximately to the present-day Italian administrative regions of the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia...
. Richter met Maria in Padua and married her there. Like his father-in-law, Richter served on the staff and became a general officer. Zach's son-in-law rose in rank to become a Feldzeugmeister
Feldzeugmeister
Feldzeugmeister was a military rank in various European armies , especially in the artillery. It was commonly used in the 16th or 17th century, but could even be found in the beginning of the 20th century in some European countries...
in 1836 and wrote an autobiography of his career in the military.
Napoleonic Wars
Zach was promoted to Feldmarschallleutnant on 1 September 1805. That year he served as chief of staff in 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...
Armee von Italien. The army fought the Battle of Caldiero from 29 to 31 October. This action was Austria's best showing during the War of the Third Coalition. After the war, Charles dismissed Zach as too old to serve as chief of staff. On 23 September 1807, Zach became 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 Infantry Regiment Nr. 15 and held the post during his lifetime.
At the beginning of 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...
, an army under Archduke John of Austria invaded Italy. Surprised by the early timing of the invasion, the French commander Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Prince Français, Prince of Venice, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy, Hereditary Grand Duke of Frankfurt, 1st Duke of Leuchtenberg and 1st Prince of Eichstätt ad personam was the first child and only son of Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais and Joséphine Tascher de la...
left garrisons at Osoppo
Osoppo
Osoppo is a comune in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 90 km northwest of Trieste and about 25 km northwest of Udine...
and Palmanova
Palmanova
Palmanova is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, close to the border with Slovenia. It is located 20 km from Udine, 28 km from Gorizia and 55 km from Trieste near the junction of the Autostrada Alpe-Adria and the Autostrada Venezia-Trieste .Palmanova is famous for its fortress...
and fell back to Sacile
Sacile
Sacile is a town and comune in the province of Pordenone, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of north-east Italy. It is known as the "Garden of the Serenissima" after the many palaces that were constructed along the river Livenza for the nobility of the Most Serene Republic of...
. Eugène unwisely attacked John's army and was defeated in the Battle of Sacile
Battle of Sacile
The Battle of Sacile on 16 April 1809 and its companion Clash at Pordenone on 15 April saw an Austrian army commanded by Archduke John of Austria defeat a Franco-Italian army led by Eugène de Beauharnais and force it to retreat. Sacile proved to be the most notable victory of John's career...
on 16 April 1809. Subsequently, the French general retreated to 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...
. Meanwhile, John left a brigade under Zach to blockade the fortress of Palmanova. After John's retreat from Italy and the Battle of Piave River
Battle of Piave River (1809)
The Battle of Piave River was fought on 8 May 1809 between the Franco-Italian army under the command of Eugène de Beauharnais and an Austrian army led by Archduke John of Austria. The Austrian commander made a stand behind the Piave River but he suffered a defeat at the hands of his numerically...
on 8 May, Johann Kalnássy's brigade became separated from the main army. Zach joined Kalnássy and both fell back across the Isonzo River into Carniola
Carniola
Carniola was a historical region that comprised parts of what is now Slovenia. As part of Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land officially known as the Duchy of Carniola until 1918. In 1849, the region was subdivided into Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and Inner Carniola...
(modern-day Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
) on 13 May 1809.
Eugene directed Jacques MacDonald to capture Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
(Laibach), which he did on 23 May after seizing a fort at Prawald on the 20th. Zach and Kalnássy were too weak to oppose MacDonald's corps and 7,000 muskets, 71 artillery pieces, and large stockpiles of food and ammunition fell into French hands. An order of battle dated 15 May, names Zach as a division commander in Ignaz Gyulai
Ignaz Gyulai
Ignaz Gyulai von Máros-Nemeth und Nádaska, Ignácz Gyulay, Ignác Gyulay, or Ignjat Đulaj born 11 September 1763 – died 11 November 1831, joined the army of Habsburg Austria, fought against Ottoman Turkey, and became a general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars. From 1806 he held the...
's IX Armeekorps, located at Kranj
Kranj
' is the third largest municipality and fourth largest city in Slovenia, with a population of 54,500 . It is located approximately 20 km north-west of Ljubljana...
. He supervised brigades led by Kalnássy, Alois von Gavasini
Alois von Gavasini
Alois Graf von Gavasini led a combat brigade in the armies of Habsburg Austria and the Austrian Empire during a remarkable number of battles in the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. A native of Bonn, he offered his services to Austria and won an award for bravery in 1790...
, Ignaz Splényi, and Joseph Munkácsy. Gyulai's force later fought in the Battle of Graz
Battle of Graz
The Battle of Graz took place on 24–26 June 1809 between an Austrian corps commanded by Ignaz Gyulai and a French division led by Jean-Baptiste Broussier. The French were soon reinforced by a corps under Auguste Marmont...
from 24 to 26 June.
Zach received the Order of Leopold
Order of Leopold (Austria)
The Imperial Austrian Order of Leopold was founded by Franz I of Austria on 8 January 1808. The order's statutes stipulated only three grades: Grand Cross, Commander and Knight. During the war, in common with the other Austro-Hungarian decorations Crossed Swords were instituted to reward bravery in...
in 1809. After this year, he was no longer employed in the field. He was deputy commandant of the Olomouc
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
(Olmütz) fortress from 1810 to 1812. In November 1812, he became commandant of the fortress and in 1815 he became governor of Olomouc. Still governor, Zach officially retired from military service in early 1825 and was appointed to the rank of Feldzeugmeister
Feldzeugmeister
Feldzeugmeister was a military rank in various European armies , especially in the artillery. It was commonly used in the 16th or 17th century, but could even be found in the beginning of the 20th century in some European countries...
. He died in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
on 22 November 1826.
External links
- French Wikipedia, Maison de Milliet