Emperor Francis II raised Riesch to the rank of Feldmarschall-Leutnant on 4 March 1796. That year found him serving in the Army of the Upper Rhine under Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser and later under Maximilian Anton Karl, Count Baillet de Latour. Riesch led a small cavalry division in Archduke Charles' success at the Battle of Würzburg on 3 September 1796. The "Coburg" Dragoon Regiment # 37, "Kaiser" Hussar Regiment # 2, and the Münster Dragoon Regiment were placed under his orders. At the Battle of Neuwied, he and his cavalry ably covered the Austrian retreat after the French victory on 18 April 1797.