In 1799 he was made Colonel Proprietor (Inhaber) of Infantry Regiment Nr. 28 and commanded a 14,000 man division in Italy. His command saw action at the Battle of Verona on 26 March 1799 and acted as the Reserve at the Battle of the Trebia on 19 June. He occupied Plaisance, and was at the Battle of Novi on 15 August 1799. He then took command of troops in Tuscany and the Papal States, besieging and eventually capturing Ancona.