Paul Davidovich
Paul Davidovich | |
|---|---|
| Native name |
|
| Born | 1737 Buda, Habsburg monarchy |
| Died | 18 February 1814 Komárno, Austrian Empire |
| Allegiance |  Habsburg Monarchy Austrian Empire |
| Service/ | Army |
| Years of service | 1757–1814 |
| Rank | General of the Artillery |
| Wars | |
| Awards | Knight of the Military Order of Maria Theresa |
Baron Paul Davidovich or Pavle Davidović (
Proprietor (Inhaber)
of an Austrian infantry regiment.
Early career
Born in
Serb family which had immigrated to the Austrian Empire from the Ottoman Empire at the time of Emperor Leopold I.[1] In 1757, Davidovich joined the Austrian army's Ferdinand Karl Infantry Regiment #2. He served during the Seven Years' War and rose in rank to Captain. In 1771, he received promotion to Major in d'Alton Infantry Regiment #19. He performed heroically under fire at Bystrzyca Kłodzka (Habelschwerdt) in January 1779 during the War of the Bavarian Succession. This action earned him the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa. He was rewarded with the noble rank of Freiherr in 1780. The following year, he became Oberst-Leutnant of the Esterhazy Infantry Regiment #34. He earned promotion to Oberst (colonel) of the Peterwardeiner Grenz infantry regiment in 1783.[2]
During the
French Revolutionary Wars
In 1793 during the
Siege of Mannheim which capitulated on 22 November 1795. He was promoted to Feldmarschal-Leutnant in March 1796.[2]
During the spring of 1796,
Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont and the Duchy of Milan, and began the Siege of Mantua. In July, Davidovich transferred to the Italian theater and was placed under Wurmser's command. During the first relief of Mantua, he commanded the Left-Center (III) Column, which included the brigades of Anton Mittrowsky, Anton Lipthay, and Leberecht Spiegel. The force numbered 8,274 infantry, 1,618 cavalry, and 40 cannon.[4][failed verification] He fought at the Battle of Castiglione
on 5 August.
In the second relief of Mantua, Wurmser and his chief of staff
the Prince of Reuss, Josef Vukassovich, and Johann Sporck. Lauer believed that the French army would remain passive during the operation.[5] Defying expectations, Bonaparte attacked Davidovich with 30,000 men. In the Battle of Rovereto on 4 September, the French swamped the Austrian defenses, inflicted 3,000 casualties,[6] captured Trento, and pushed Davidovich north beyond Lavis. Bonaparte soon won the Battle of Bassano
and drove Wurmser and 12,000 men within the fortress of Mantua.
For the third relief of Mantua,
Emperor Francis II appointed József Alvinczi commander of a newly formed army. Alvinczi planned to advance on Mantua from the east with 28,000 soldiers while Davidovich and 19,500 troops moved from the Adige valley in the north. Davidovich's Tyrol Corps comprised the brigades of Sporck, Vukassovich, Johann Laudon, and Joseph Ocskay, plus a small reserve. After a bloody clash at Cembra on 2 November, he recaptured Trento. He routed Claude Vaubois' outnumbered French division at the Battle of Calliano on 7 November. Despite being urged by Alvinczi to attack again, he proved very slow to follow up his success. One reason was the 3,500 casualties suffered at Cembra and Calliano.[7] Other difficulties included a false report that placed André Masséna's division in his front, heavy snow in the mountains, and the fact that messages took two days to arrive from Alvinczi.[8] He routed Vaubois again at Rivoli Veronese on 17 November, but this victory came two days too late. After the French defeated Alvinczi on 15–17 November at the Battle of Arcole
, Bonaparte turned on Davidovich in great strength. The French beat him in a second clash at Rivoli on 22 November. With Davidovich's corps in flight northward, Alvinczi was forced to abandon the campaign.
Napoleonic Wars
In 1804, he became the proprietor of Davidovich Infantry Regiment #34, a Hungarian unit, and held this position until his death. When the
Battle of Raab on 14 June 1809 during the War of the Fifth Coalition.[10] He died on 18 February 1814 at Komárno
when he was governor of that fortress.
See also
- Paul von Radivojevich
- Martin von Dedovich
- Andreas Karaczay (Andrija Karadžić)
- Arsenije Sečujac
- Karl Paul von Quosdanovich
- Peter Vitus von Quosdanovich
- Mathias Rukavina von Boynograd
- Joseph Philipp Vukassovich
- Franjo Vlašić
- Gavrilo Rodić
- Adam Bajalics von Bajahaza
- Josif Šišković
Notes
- ^ a b Boycott-Brown, Davidovich
- ^ a b c d Kudrna & Smith, Davidovich.
- ^ German Wikipedia Pavle Davidović
- ^ Fiebeger 1911, p. 13
- ^ Boycott-Brown 2001, p. 416
- ^ Smith 1998, p. 122.
- ^ Boycott-Brown 2001, pp. 452–453
- ^ Boycott-Brown 2001, p. 455
- ^ Smith 1998, p. 210.
- ^ Bowden & Tarbox 1980, p. 122
References
- Bowden, Scotty; Tarbox, Charlie (1980). Armies on the Danube 1809. Arlington, Texas: Empire Games Press..
- Boycott-Brown, Martin. "Davidovich". Offcuts from history. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
- Boycott-Brown, Martin (2001). The Road to Rivoli. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-35305-1.
- Fiebeger, G. J. (1911). The Campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte of 1796–1797. West Point, New York: US Military Academy Printing Office.
- Kudrna, Leopold; Smith, Digby. "D9: Davidovich, Paul von". A Biographical Dictionary of All Austrian Generals during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars •1792–1815 (with Biographical Essays by Digby Smith). The Napoleon Series. Napoleon Series website. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
- Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill. ISBN 1-85367-276-9.
Further reading
- Chandler, David. The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York: Macmillan, 1966.
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