 karl mack von leiberich, freiherr (25 august 1752 â 22 december 1828) was an austrian soldier. he is best remembered as the commander of the austrian forces that capitulated to napoleon's grande armÃ©e in the battle of ulm in 1805. mack makes a brief appearance as a character in book two of tolstoy's war and peace. ==early career== karl leiberich was born at nennslingen, in bavaria. in 1770 he joined an austrian cavalry regiment, in which his uncle, leiberich, was a squadron commander, becoming an officer seven years later. during the brief war of the bavarian succession he was selected for service on the staff of count kinsky, under whom, and subsequently under the commander-in-chief field marshal count lacy, he did excellent work. he was promoted first lieutenant in 1778, and captain on the quartermaster-general's staff in 1783. count lacy, then the foremost soldier of the austrian army, had the highest opinion of his young assistant. in 1785 mack married katherine gabrieul, and was ennobled under the name of mack von leiberich. in the turkish war he was employed on the headquarters staff, becoming in 1788 major and personal aide-de-camp to the emperor, joseph ii and in 1789 was promoted to lieutenant colonel. he distinguished himself in the storming of belgrade in 1789. shortly after this, disagreements between mack and ernst gideon freiherr von laudon, now commander-in-chief, led to the former demanding a court-martial; mack left the front but received a colonelcy (1789) and the order of maria theresa. in 1790 loudon and mack, reconciled, were again on the field together. during these campaigns mack received a severe head injury from which he never fully recovered. in 1793 he was made quartermaster-general (chief of staff) to [[friedrich josias prinz von sachs
1752_births 1828_deaths Austrian_Empire_commanders_of_the_Napoleonic_Wars Austrian_Empire_military_leaders_of_the_French_Revolutionary_Wars Barons_of_Austria Knights_of_the_Military_Order_of_Maria_Theresa People_from_Bavaria