Johann von Klenau Johann von Klenau ( 13 April 1758 – 6 October 1819 ) , also called Johann Josef Cajetan von Klenau und Janowitz , the son of a Bohemian noble , was a field marshal in the Habsburg army . Klenau joined the Habsburg military as a teenager and fought in Austria ' s wars with the Ottoman Empire , the French Revolutionary Wars , and the Napoleonic Wars , in which he commanded a corps in several important battles . In the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars , Klenau distinguished himself at the Wissembourg lines , and led a battle - winning charge at Handschuhsheim in 1795 . As commander of the Coalition ' s left flank in the Adige campaign in northern Italy in 1799 , he was instrumental in isolating the French - held fortresses on the Po River by organizing and supporting a peasant uprising in the countryside . Afterward , Klenau became the youngest lieutenant field marshal in the history of the Habsburg military . As a corps commander , Klenau led key elements of the Austrian army in its victory at Aspern - Esslingen and its defeat at Wagram , where his troops covered the retreat of the main Austrian force . He commanded the IV Corps at the 1813 Battle of Dresden and again at the Battle of Nations at Leipzig , where he prevented the French from outflanking the main Austrian force on the first day of the engagement . After the Battle of Nations , Klenau organized and implemented the successful Dresden blockade and negotiated the French capitulation there . In the 1814 – 15 campaign , he commanded the " Corps Klenau " of the Army of Italy . After the war in 1815 , Klenau was appointed commanding general in Moravia and Silesia . He died in 1819 . Family and early career . Johann von Klenau was born into an old Bohemian nobility family at Benatek Castle in the Austrian province of Bohemia on 13 April 1758 . The family of Klenau dates to the fifteenth century , and the family of Janowitz to the fourteenth . The family name of Klenau regularly appears in records after the sixteenth century . The Klenau family was one of the oldest dynasties in Bohemia , and many of the noble families of Bohemia have sprung from marriages into the Klenau line . The original name of the family was Przibik , with the predicate " von Klenowa " . The family was raised to the baronetcy in 1623 with the certificate granted to one Johann von Klenowa and , in 1629 , to his son , Wilhelm . The Imperial councilor and judge in Regensburg , Wilhelm von Klenau , was raised to comital status in 1630 , and to the status of " Reichsgraf " , or imperial count , in 1633 . Johann Klenau entered the 47th Infantry Regiment " Ellrichshausen " in 1774 , at the age of 17 , and became a second lieutenant in 1775 . After transferring to a " Chevauleger " regiment as a " Rittmeister " , or captain of cavalry , Klenau fought in the short War of the Bavarian Succession , also known as the Potato War . Most of this conflict occurred in Bohemia ( part of the modern Czech Republic ) from 1778 to 1779 , between the Habsburg Monarchy , Saxony , Bavaria and Prussia . The war had no battles , but was instead a series of skirmishes and raids , making it the ideal situation for a captain of light cavalry . In their raids , forces from both sides sought to confiscate or destroy the other ' s provisions , fodder , and materiel . In the Austro – Turkish War ( 1787 – 1791 ) , one of the House of Habsburg ' s many 18th - century wars with the Ottoman Empire , Klenau served in the 26th Dragoon Regiment " Toscana " , and later transferred to the 1st Dragoon Regiment " Kaiser " . His regiment repulsed an attack of superior numbers of Ottoman forces on 28 September 1788 , at Zemun , near Belgrade , for which he received a personal commendation and earned his promotion to major . In his early military career Klenau demonstrated , not only at Zemun but also in the earlier skirmishing and raids of 1778 and 1779 , the attributes required of a successful cavalry officer : the military acumen to evaluate a situation , the flexibility to adjust his plans on a moment ' s notice , and the personal courage to take the same risks he demanded of his men . French Revolutionary Wars . Background . Initially , the rulers of Europe considered the 1789 revolution in France as an affair between the French king and his subjects , and not a matter in which they should interfere . However , as the rhetoric grew more strident after 1790 , the European monarchs began to view the French upheavals with alarm . Among the concerned monarchs were the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II , who feared for the life and well - being of his sister , the Queen of France , Marie Antoinette . In August 1791 , in consultation with French " émigré " nobles and Frederick William II of Prussia , he issued the Declaration of Pillnitz , in which they declared the interest of the monarchs of Europe as one with the interests of Louis XVI and his family . They threatened ambiguous , but quite serious , consequences if anything should happen to the royal family . The French Republican position became increasingly difficult . Compounding problems in international relations , French " émigrés " agitated for support of a counter - revolution . From their base in Koblenz , adjacent to the French – German border , they sought direct support for military intervention from the royal houses of Europe , and raised an army . On 20 April 1792 , the French National Convention declared war on Austria and its allies . In this War of the First Coalition ( 1792 – 1798 ) , France ranged itself against most of the European states sharing land or water borders with her . Portugal and the Ottoman Empire also joined the alliance against France . Klenau and the War of the First Coalition . On 12 February 1793 , Klenau received his promotion to lieutenant colonel in a Lancer regiment , and joined the Austrian force in the Rhineland , serving under General of Cavalry Count Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser . He was captured later in the spring near the town of Offenbach , but was freed unexpectedly by two Austrian Hussars from the 17th Regiment " Archduke Alexander Leopold " , who came upon him and his captors . At the first Battle of Wissembourg , Klenau commanded a brigade in Friedrich , Baron von Hotze ' s 3rd Column on 13 October 1793 , during which the Habsburg force stormed the earthen ramparts held by the French . By the terms of the Peace of Basel ( 22 July 1795 ) , the Prussian army was to leave the Rhine and Main river valleys ; as it did so , the French quickly overran these territories . On 20 September , the fortress at Mannheim surrendered to the French without firing a shot . Mannheim had been garrisoned by a Bavarian commander , Lieutenant General Baron von Belderbusch , and several battalions of Bavarian grenadiers , fusiliers , and guard regiments , plus six companies of artillery . A small Austrian force augmented the Bavarian contingent . At the same time , further north , the fortified town of Düsseldorf , also garrisoned by Bavarians , capitulated to the French . With these capitulations , the French controlled the Rhine crossings at Düsseldorf and at the junction of the Rhine and the Main rivers . To maintain contact with the forces on their flanks , the Austrian commanders , outraged at this " fait accompli " , had to withdraw across the Main river . The nearby city of Heidelberg , further south of the Main on the Neckar River , appeared to be the next French target . Lieutenant Field Marshal Peter Quasdanovich , who had remained in the region between Mannheim and Heidelberg , used a hastily enhanced abatis to establish a defensive line at the sleepy country village of Handschuhsheim , east of the city of Heidelberg . The French force of two divisions — about 12 , 000 men — outnumbered the 8 , 000 defenders , and the position seemed untenable . Klenau ' s charge . At Handschuhsheim , Klenau commanded a mounted brigade that included the six squadrons of the 4th Cuirassiers Regiment " Hohenzollern " , two squadrons of the 3rd Dragoon Regiment " Kaiser " , six squadrons of the 44th Hussar regiment " Szeckler " , and four squadrons of the French " émigré " regiment " Allemand " . On 24 September 1795 , seeing the French , with five battalions and a regiment of Chasseurs overwhelming the troops of General Adam Bajalics von Bajahaza , Klenau quickly organized his own brigade into three columns and attacked . In a battle - winning charge , Klenau ' s brigade ( approximately 4 , 000 men ) dispersed the French divisions of Charles Pichegru ' s Army of the Upper Rhine , under the command of General of Division Georges Joseph Dufour . His cavalry caught Dufour ' s entire division in the open , dispersed Dufour ' s six squadrons of Chasseurs , and cut down Dufour ' s infantry . With a loss of 193 men and 54 horses , the Austrians inflicted over 1 , 500 French casualties , including 1 , 000 killed ; they also captured eight guns , nine ammunition caissons and their teams , and General Dufour himself . In the action , General of Brigade Dusirat was wounded , as was Dufour before his capture . Additional Austrian losses included 35 men and 58 horses killed , six officers , 144 men and 78 horses wounded , and two men and three horses missing . For his role in this exploit , Klenau was promoted to colonel and awarded the Knight ' s Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa . At Handschuhsheim , as he had earlier at Zemon , Klenau demonstrated his " higher military calling , " establishing himself as an intrepid , tenacious , and quick - thinking field officer . Action in the Italian theater . In 1796 , Klenau commanded the advance guard of Peter Quasdanovich ' s right column in northern Italy . As the column descended from the Alps at the city of Brescia , reconnaissance found the local French garrison unprepared . At midnight , Klenau led two squadrons of the 8th Hussar Regiment " Wurmser " ( named for its Colonel - Proprietor Dagobert von Wurmser ) , a battalion of the 37th Infantry Regiment " De Vins " , and one company of the Mahony Jäger . With their approach masked by fog and darkness , the small force surprised the Brescia garrison on the morning of 30 July , capturing not only the 600 – 700 French soldiers stationed there , but also three officials of the French Directory : Jean Lannes , Joachim Murat , and François Étienne de Kellermann . However , within two days , Klenau ' s force had to face Napoleon Bonaparte and 12 , 000 Frenchmen ; his small advance guard was quickly pushed out of Brescia on 1 August . At the subsequent Battle of Lonato of 2 – 3 August 1796 , the French forced Quasdanovich ' s column to withdraw into the mountains . This isolated Quasdanovich ' s force from Wurmser ' s main army by Lake Garda , and freed the French to concentrate on the main force at Castiglione delle Stiviere , further south ; Bonaparte ' s victory at the Battle of Castiglione forced Wurmser across the Mincio River , and allowed the French to return to the siege of Mantua . By early September , Klenau ' s force had rejoined Wurmser ' s column and fought at the Battle of Bassano on 8 September . Here , the Austrians were outnumbered almost two to one by the French . As the Austrian army retreated , Bonaparte ordered a pursuit that caused the Austrians to abandon their artillery and baggage . Most of the third battalion of the 59th " Jordis " , and the first battalion of the Border Infantry Banat were captured and these units ceased to exist after this battle . The Austrians lost 600 killed and wounded , and 2 , 000 captured , plus lost 30 guns , eight colors , and 200 limbers and ammunition waggons . Klenau was with Wurmser ' s column again as it fought its way to besieged Mantua and he participated in the combat at La Favorita near there on 15 September . This was the second attempt to relieve the fortress ; as the Austrians withdrew from the battle , they retreated into Mantua itself , and from 15 September until 2 February 1797 , Klenau was trapped in the fortress while the city was besieged . Following the Austrian loss at the Battle of Rivoli , north of Mantua , on 14 – 15 January 1797 , when clearly there would be no Austrian relief for Mantua , Klenau negotiated conditions of surrender with French General Jean Sérurier , although additional evidence suggests that Bonaparte was present and dictated far more generous terms than Klenau expected . When the garrison capitulated in February , Klenau co - signed the document with Wurmser . Peace and the Congress of Rastatt . Although the Coalition forces — Austria , Russia , Prussia , Great Britain , Sardinia , among others — had achieved several victories at Verdun , Kaiserslautern , Neerwinden , Mainz , Amberg and Würzburg , in Italy the Coalition ' s achievements were more limited . In northern Italy , despite the presence of the most experienced of the Austrian generals — Dagobert Wurmser — the Austrians could not lift the siege at Mantua , and the efforts of Napoleon in northern Italy pushed Austrian forces to the border of Habsburg lands . Napoleon dictated a cease - fire at Leoben on 17 April 1797 , which led to the formal peace treaty , the Treaty of Campo Formio , which went into effect on 17 October 1797 . The treaty called for meetings between the involved parties to work out the exact territorial and remunerative details . These were to be convened at a small town in the upper Rhine valley , Rastatt , close to the French border . The primary combatants of the First Coalition , France and Austria , were highly suspicious of each other ' s motives , and the Congress quickly derailed in a mire of intrigue and diplomatic posturing . The French demanded more territory than originally agreed . The Austrians were reluctant to cede the designated territories . The Rastatt delegates could not , or would not , orchestrate the transfer of agreed - upon territories to compensate the German princes for their losses . Compounding the Congress ' s problems , tensions grew between France and most of the First Coalition allies , either separately or jointly . Ferdinand of Naples refused to pay agreed - upon tribute to France , and his subjects followed this refusal with a rebellion . The French invaded Naples and established the Parthenopean Republic . A republican uprising in the Swiss cantons , encouraged by the French Republic which offered military support , led to the overthrow of the Swiss Confederation and the establishment of the Helvetic Republic . Other factors contributed to the rising tensions . On his way to Egypt in 1798 , Napoleon had stopped on the Island of Malta and forcibly removed the Hospitallers from their possessions . This angered Paul , Tsar of Russia , who was the honorary head of the Order . The French Directory was convinced that the Austrians were conniving to start another war . Indeed , the weaker the French Republic seemed , the more seriously the Austrians , the Neapolitans , the Russians , and the English actually discussed this possibility . Outbreak of war in 1799 . Archduke Charles of Austria , arguably among the best commanders of the House of Habsburg in the late 18th and early 19th centuries , had taken command of the Austrian army in late January . Although Charles was unhappy with the strategy set by his brother , the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II , he had acquiesced to the less ambitious plan to which Francis and his advisers , the Aulic Council , had agreed : Austria would fight a defensive war and would maintain a continuous defensive line from the southern bank of the Danube , across the Swiss Cantons and into northern Italy . The archduke had stationed himself at Friedberg for the winter , east - south - east of Augsburg . His army settled into cantonments in the environs of Augsburg , extending south along the Lech river . As winter broke in 1799 , on 1 March , General Jean - Baptiste Jourdan and his army of 25 , 000 , the Army of the Danube , crossed the Rhine at Kehl . Instructed to block the Austrians from access to the Swiss alpine passes , Jourdan planned to isolate the armies of the Coalition in Germany from allies in northern Italy , and prevent them from assisting one another . By crossing the Rhine in early March , Jourdan acted before Charles ' army could be reinforced by Austria ' s Russian allies , who had agreed to send 60 , 000 seasoned soldiers and their more - seasoned commander , Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov . Furthermore , if the French held the interior passes in Switzerland , they could prevent the Austrians from transferring troops between northern Italy and southwestern Germany , and use the routes to move their own forces between the two theaters . The Army of the Danube advanced through the Black Forest and eventually established a line from Lake Constance to the south bank of the Danube , centered at the Imperial City of Pfullendorf in Upper Swabia . At the same time , the Army of Switzerland , under command of André Masséna , pushed toward the Grisons , intending to cut the Austrian lines of communication and relief at the mountain passes by Luziensteig and Feldkirch . The Army of Italy , commanded by Louis Joseph Schérer , had already advanced into northern Italy , to deal with Ferdinand and the recalcitrant Neapolitans . Campaigns of 1799 – 1800 . At the onset of the 1799 campaign in Italy , Klenau and his 4 , 500 troops incited and then assisted an uprising of 4 , 000 or more peasants in the Italian countryside , adjacent to the Po River . The general insurgency pinned down the French on the east bank of the Po River . Klenau ' s troops , especially some of his Italian - speaking officers , incited peasants against French authority , provided arms and suggested military targets of opportunity , and incorporated the Austrian - armed peasants into their military actions . Klenau ' s siege of Ferrara . The Ferrara fortress had been constructed in the 16th century by Pope Paul V , built in the style of the Trace italienne , or a star , and it straddled the southwest corner of the town ' s fortifications . The fortress offered whoever possessed it a strategic point in the region : it was the lynch - pin of the French defense . In spring 1799 , it was commanded by Chef - de - brigade Lapointe with a garrison of close to 2 , 500 . On 15 April , Klenau approached the fortress and requested its capitulation . The commander refused . Klenau blockaded the city , leaving a small group of artillery and troops to continue the siege . For the next three days , Klenau patrolled the countryside , capturing the surrounding strategic points of Lagoscuro , Borgoforte and the Mirandola fortress . The besieged garrison made several sorties from the Saint Paul ' s Gate , which were repulsed by the insurgent peasants . The French attempted two rescues of the beleaguered fortress : In the first , on 24 April , a force of 400 Modenese was repulsed at Mirandola . In the second , General Montrichard tried to raise the city blockade by advancing with a force of 4 , 000 . Finally , at the end of the month , a column of Pierre - Augustin Hulin reached and resupplied the fortress . Klenau took possession of the town on 21 May , and garrisoned it with a light battalion . The Jewish residents of Ferrara paid 30 , 000 ducats to prevent the pillage of the city by Klenau ' s forces ; this was used to pay the wages of Gardani ' s troops . Although Klenau held the town , the French still possessed the town ' s fortress . After making the standard request for surrender at 0800 , which was refused , Klenau ordered a barrage from his mortars and howitzers . After two magazines caught fire , the commandant was summoned again to surrender ; there was some delay , but a flag of truce was sent at 2100 , and the capitulation was concluded at 0100 the next day . Upon taking possession of the fortress , Klenau found 75 new artillery pieces , plus ammunition and six months ' worth of provisions . The peasant uprisings pinned down the French and by capturing Ferrara , Klenau helped to isolate the other French - held fortresses from patrols , reconnaissance , and relief and supply forces . This made the fortresses and their garrisons vulnerable to Suvorov ' s main force , operating in the Po River valley . In the course of the summer , Suvorov ' s forces took a key position on the Tidone River on 17 June 1799 , west of Piacenza , another at the junction of the Trebbia River and the Po , in northern Italy , on 17 – 20 June 1799 , and the town of Novi Ligure on 15 August 1799 , southeast of Alessandria on the Tanaro river . 1800 Campaign in Swabia . In early 1800 , Klenau transferred to the " K ( aiserlich ) und K ( oeniglich ) " ( Imperial and Royal ) army of Germany , in Swabia , under the command of Feldzeugmeister Paul , Baron von Kray . The 1800 campaign in southwest Germany began on 1 May 1800 , at the village of Büsingen , east of Schaffhausen ( Switzerland ) ; there a small force of 6 , 000 men under command of General of Brigade François Goullus defeated 4 , 000 men , three battalions of the 7th Infantry Regiment " Schröder " , commanded by Lieutenant Field Marshal Karl Eugen , Prince von Lothringen - Lambesc . Following this clash , the impenetrable Württemberg fortress , Hohentwiel , capitulated to the French , in what the Duke of Württemberg considered a scandalous lack of military courage . After these encounters , the French army moved toward Stockach , less than northwest of Hohentwiel , where they engaged the Austrian force , under Kray , in the battles of Engen and Stockach and Messkirch against the troops of the French Army of the Rhine , under Jean Victor Moreau . Stockach , at the western tip of Lake Constance , covered east - west and north - south crossroads ; it and near - by Engen , only west , had been the site of a French loss 14 months earlier . In 1800 , a different general , Moreau , brought 84 , 000 troops against Kray ' s 72 , 000 men ; this concentration of French force pushed the Austrian army eastward . Two days later , at Messkirch northeast of Stockach , Moreau brought 52 , 000 men , including Claude Lecourbe ' s and Dominique Vandamme ' s divisions , which had experienced the disappointing French loss in 1799 , and Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty ' s experienced cavalry against Kray ' s force of 48 , 000 . Although the French lost more men , once again they drove the Austrians from the field . Despite the Imperial losses at these battles , Klenau ' s solid field leadership led to his promotion to lieutenant field marshal , making him the youngest ( at age 42 ) of that rank in the history of the Habsburg military . That year he also married the widowed Maria Josephina Somsich de Sard , daughter of Tallian de Viseck . They had one daughter , Maria , born at the end of the year . From 1801 to 1805 , during which Austria remained aloof from the ongoing friction between Britain and Napoleon ' s France , Klenau commanded a division in Prague , and was named as Colonel and Inhaber of the 5th Dragoon Regiment . Napoleonic Wars . Background . In a series of conflicts from 1803 to 1815 , known as the Napoleonic Wars , the alliances of the powers of Europe formed five coalitions against the First French Empire of Napoleon . Like the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789 , these wars revolutionized the construction , organization , and training of European armies and led to an unprecedented militarization , mainly due to mass conscription . French power rose quickly , conquering most of Europe , but collapsed rapidly after France ' s disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812 . Napoleon ' s empire ultimately suffered complete military defeat in the 1813 – 1814 campaigns , resulting in the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in France . Although Napoleon made a spectacular return in 1815 , known as the Hundred Days , his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo , the pursuit of his army and himself , his abdication , and his banishment to the Island of Saint Helena , concluded the Napoleonic wars . War of the Third Coalition . In the War of the Third Coalition , 1803 – 1806 , an alliance of Austria , Portugal , Russia , and others fought the First French Empire and its client states . Although several naval battles determined control of the seas , the outcome of the war was determined on the continent , predominantly in two major land operations . In the Ulm campaign , Klenau ' s force achieved the single Austrian victory prior to the surrender of the Austrian army in Swabia . In the second determining event , the decisive French victory at the Battle of Austerlitz over the combined Russian and Austrian force forced a final capitulation of the Austrian forces and took the Habsburgs out of the Coalition . This did not establish a lasting peace on the continent . Prussian worries about growing French influence in Central Europe sparked the War of the Fourth Coalition in 1806 , in which Austria did not participate . Danube campaign : Road to Ulm . Upon Austria ' s entrance into the war in summer 1805 , Klenau joined the Habsburg army in southern Germany and became mired in a short campaign that exposed the worst of the Habsburg military organization . Archduke Charles was sick , and had retired to recuperate . Archduke Ferdinand , the brother - in - law of the Emperor Francis , was theoretically in command , but Ferdinand was a poor choice of replacement , having neither experience , maturity , nor aptitude . Although Ferdinand retained nominal command , decisions were placed in the hands of Karl Mack , who was timid , indecisive , and ill - suited for such an important assignment . Furthermore , Mack had been wounded earlier in the campaign , and was unable to take full charge of the army . Consequently , command further devolved to Lieutenant Field Marshal Karl Philipp , Prince of Schwarzenberg , an able military officer , but as yet inexperienced in the command of such a large army . The campaign began in October , with several clashes in Swabia . At the first , near the Bavarian town of Wertingen , northwest of Augsburg , on 8 October , Murat ' s Cavalry Corps and grenadiers of Lannes ' V Corps surprised an Austrian force half their size . The Austrians had assembled in line , and the cavalry and grenadiers cut them down before the Austrians could form their defensive squares . Nearly 3 , 000 were captured . A day later , at Günzburg immediately south of the Danube , the French again met an Austrian force ; General Mack could not decide on a plan , and the French 59th Regiment of the Line stormed a bridge over the Danube , and , in a humiliating episode , chased two large Austrian columns toward Ulm . In this action , the French secured an important bridgehead on the Danube River . The string of French victories did not last , and Lieutenant Field Marshal Klenau provided the only ray of hope in a campaign fraught with losses . At Ulm - Jungingen , Klenau had arranged his 25 , 000 infantry and cavalry in a prime defensive position and , on 11 October , an over - confident General of Division Dupont attacked Klenau ' s force with fewer than 8 , 000 men . The French lost 1 , 500 dead and wounded , 900 captured , 11 guns and 18 ammunition wagons captured , but possibly of greater significance , the Imperial Eagles and guidons of the 15th and 17th Dragoons were taken by the Austrians . Despite Klenau ' s success at the Battle of Haslach - Jungingen , the Austrians could not sustain their positions around Klenau , and the entire line retreated toward Ulm . Napoleon ' s lightning campaign exposed the Austrian weaknesses , particularly of indecisive command structure and poor supply apparatus . The Austrians were low on ammunition and outgunned . The components of the army , division by division , were being separated from one another . Morale sank , " sapped by Mack ' s chaotic orders and their growing lack of confidence in their nominal commander , " Ferdinand . Following the Austrian capitulation at Memmingen , south of Ulm , the French achieved a morale boost over the Austrians at the Battle of Elchingen , 14 October . Here , northeast of Ulm , and slightly north of the Danube , Ney ' s VI Corps ( 20 , 000 men ) captured half of the Austrian Reserve Artillery park at Thalfingen . In a further blow , Field Marshal Reisch was unable to destroy the Danube bridges , which Ney secured for the French . Ney received the victory title , Duke of Elchingen . At this point , the entire Austrian force , including Klenau ' s column , withdrew into Ulm and its environs and Napoleon himself arrived to take command of the II , V , VI Corps , Ney ' s Cavalry and the Imperial Guard , numbering close to 80 , 000 men . Archduke Ferdinand and a dozen cavalry squadrons broke out through the French army and escaped into Bohemia . Again , as he had been at Mantua , Klenau was caught in a siege from which there was no escape , and again , he helped to negotiate the terms , when , on 21 October , Karl Mack surrendered the encircled army of 20 , 000 infantry and 3 , 273 cavalry . Klenau and the other officers were released on the condition that they not serve against France until exchanged , an agreement to which they held . Action on the Danube by Vienna . The Austrians abstained from the fighting in 1806 – 1808 , and engaged in a military reorganization , directed by Archduke Charles . When they were ready to join the fight against France , in the spring and summer of 1809 , it was a remodeled Austrian army that took the field . Despite their internal military reorganization , however , in the War of the Fifth Coalition , the army retained much of its cumbersome command structure , which complicated the issuance of orders and the timely distribution of troops . When the Austrian army took the field in 1809 , it battled for the " survival of the [ Habsburg ] dynasty , " as Archduke Charles , the army ' s supreme commander , described the situation to his brother John . On the Danubian plains north of Vienna , the summer battles of Aspern - Essling and Wagram shaped the outcome of the 1809 campaign . Klenau ' s forces played a critical role at both . At Aspern - Essling , Napoleon ' s army was decisively defeated for the first time in northern Europe , demonstrating that the master of Europe could himself be mastered . After their defeat at Wagram , the Austrians withdrew into Moravia , leaving the French in control of that part of the Danube valley ; Wagram was the largest European land - battle to date , engaging 262 battalions and 202 squadrons — 153 , 000 men — for France and her allies , and 160 battalions and 150 squadrons — 135 , 000 men — on the Austrian side . For Klenau , the campaign started badly at the Battle of Eckmühl ( sometimes called Eggmühl ) , in southeastern Germany on 22 April 1809 . Klenau commanded the Advance Guard , which included the 2nd " Archduke Charles " Legion , the Merveldt " Uhlanen " and a cavalry battery . Archduke Charles misread Napoleon ' s intentions and lost the advantage in the battle . Klenau ' s division suffered heavily and the " Archduke Charles " Legion was nearly wiped out in a charge by Louis Friant ' s cavalry . Rosenberg ' s division on Klenau ' s flank was also badly mauled and suffered heavy casualties : 534 killed , 637 wounded , 865 missing , and 773 captured . The disaster at Eckmühl was followed by another at Regensburg ( also called the Battle of Ratisbon ) on 23 April , where Klenau , at the head of six squadrons of Merveldt ' s Uhlanen ( lancers ) , was crushed and scattered by Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty ' s heavy cavalry . Klenau and Major General Peter Vécsey stormed back at Nansouty ' s force with the " Klenau " chevauxlegers . Although their onslaught threw back the leading French squadrons , the French heavy cavalry returned , joined by Hussars and " Chasseurs " . In the mêlee , it was difficult to distinguish French from Austrian , but eventually the French horse overwhelmed the Austrian flank and pushed them to the gates of Regensburg . Aspern and Essling . By May 1809 , the Austrians were pushed to within visual distance of Vienna , and in a critical engagement on the banks of the Danube river , the French and their allies grappled for control of the Marchfeld plain with the Austrians . The French held Lobau island , a vital river crossing , and the Austrians held the heights further to the east . Between them lay several villages , two of which were central in the engagement and gave the battle its name : They lay so close to Vienna that the battle could be seen and heard from the city ramparts and Aspern and Essling ( also spelled in German as Eßling ) are today part of the Donaustadt , a district of Austrian capital . At the Battle of Aspern - Essling , Klenau commanded a free - standing force of close to 6 , 000 , including a battalion of the 1st " Jäger " , three battalions of the 3rd Infantry Regiment " Archduke Charles " , eight squadrons each of the " Stipcisc " Hussars and " Schwarzenburg " Uhlans , and a horse artillery battery of 64 guns . Typical confusion in the Austrian command structure meant he received his orders late , and Klenau ' s delay in deployment meant that his men approached the French III Corps at Essling in daylight and in close order ; a two - gun French battery on the plain beyond the Essling , " mowed furrows " of enfilade fire in the Austrian ranks . Despite the withering fire , Klenau ' s force reached Essling ' s edge , where his men set up 64 artillery pieces and bombarded the French for nearly an hour . Taking the village by storm , Austrian cavalry poured into the village from the north , and the French were pushed out in a methodical advance . Klenau ' s batteries were able to fire on the French - held bridges south of the village , over which the French had to retreat . In bitter house - to - house fighting , the Austrians entered the village . Combat at the granary was especially brutal , as Hungarian grenadiers battled unsuccessfully to dislodge the French from their positions in the second and third floors . The battle resumed at dawn of 22 April . Masséna cleared Aspern of Austrians , but while he did so , Rosenberg ' s force stormed Jean Lannes ' position at Essling . Lannes , reinforced by Vincent Saint - Hilaire ' s division , subsequently drove Rosenberg out of Essling . At Aspern , Masséna was driven out by Hiller and Bellegarde ' s counter - attacks . Meanwhile Napoleon had launched an attack on the main army at the Austrian center . Klenau ' s force stood on the immediate right flank of the center , opposite the attacking force of Lannes . The French cavalry , in reserve , prepared to move at either flank , or to the center , depending on where the Austrian line broke first . The French nearly broke through at the center but , at the last minute , Charles arrived with his last reserve , leading his soldiers with a color in his hand . Lannes was checked , and the impetus of the attack died out all along the line . In the final hours of the battle , Lannes himself was cut down by a cannonball from Klenau ' s artillery . Aspern was lost to the French . The Danube bridges upon which the French relied had been cut again by heavy barges , which the Austrians had released on the river . When he lost his route across the river , Napoleon at once suspended the attack . For his leadership at Essling , Klenau received the Commander ' s Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa . Both sides lost close to 28 , 000 men , to wounds and death . For Napoleon , whose force was smaller , the losses were more costly . For Charles , the victory , which occurred within visual range of the Vienna ramparts , won him support from the hawks , or the pro - war party , in the Hofburg . The Austrian victory at Aspern - Essling proved that Napoleon could be beaten . His force had been divided ( Davout ' s corps had never made it over the Danube ) , and Napoleon had underestimated the Austrian strength of force and , more importantly , the tenacity the Austrians showed in situations like that of Essling , when Klenau marched his force across open country under enemy fire . After Aspern - Essling , Napoleon revised his opinion of the Austrian soldier . Wagram . In the lull between the Battle of Aspern - Essling and the Battle of Wagram ( 5 – 6 July ) Charles ordered the construction of a several - mile - long entrenchment , but did little else to shore up his force . Conversely , on the other side of the Danube , Napoleon brought in additional troops from Italy and Hungary . The day prior to the battle at Wagram , Klenau replaced General Johann von Hiller , who had fallen ill , to command the 13 , 740 soldiers of VI Corps , and Armand von Nordmann replaced him as commander of the Advance Guard . Klenau ' s Corps stood about ahead of the main Austrian force . The Corps , about 8 , 000 men , were ordered to oppose any French advance on the Marchfeld plain . By mid - afternoon , Klenau could see Napoleon ' s massive force advancing toward them through the cornfields . Klenau managed a spirited , and gradual withdrawal to a position behind the Austrian line at the Russbach , and above the Wagram escarpment ; this exposed several of the villages on the western edge of the Marchfield Plain , including Aspern and Essling , to French capture . On the next day of battle , Klenau was ordered to a forward position , to complete a double - envelopment of Napoleon ' s force , envisioned by Charles as the best means of inducing panic among the French troops . At dawn , or so , at 0400 , his cannonade rained havoc on Boudet ' s division of Massena ' s IV Corps ; Massena sent another division under Claude Legrand to support Boudet . Klenau ' s corps managed to retake both Essling and Aspern , without the same vigorous contest that had occurred two months earlier . Half the pincer movement was well underway , although Klenau ' s force could not move further ahead : The guns on the Island of Lobau prevented further advance . There was no support from Kollorat ' s forces on his flank , and for the closing prong of the pincer movement , Archduke John was no where in sight ; he had not abandoned his baggage , and was plodding slowly , with his army , toward the battlefield , but still a good day ' s march away . Despite the mile - long gap in the French line , and the advance of Austrian cavalry , Klenau ' s men could not hold them against André Masséna ' s prolonged mid - day assault . Charles watched from his command post at Wagram as Klenau ' s forces stubbornly clung to their positions , but were overwhelmed by the inexorable progress of Masséna ' s troops , what Klenau later called " Masséna ' s Infernal Column " . Klenau organized the rear guard for the Army ' s retreat into Moravia , and lost 15 percent of his force . General René Savary , who directed part of the French pursuit , wrote that the Klenau ' s soldiers had " fought in a manner calculated to instill a cautious conduct into any man disposed to deeds of rashness . " Aftermath . As a consequence , Austria withdrew from the Coalition . Although France had not completely defeated them , the Treaty of Schönbrunn , signed on 14 October 1809 , imposed a heavy political , territorial , and economic price . France received Carinthia , Carniola , and the Adriatic ports , while Galicia was given to France ' s ally Poland . The Salzburg area went to the French ally , Bavaria . Austria lost over three million subjects , about 20 percent of her total population , which dramatically reduced the military force that Austria could field . Francis also agreed to pay an indemnity equivalent to almost 85 million franc s , gave recognition to Joseph Bonaparte as the King of Spain , and affirmed Habsburg participation in Napoleon ' s Continental System . Francis reluctantly agreed to Napoleon ' s marriage with his daughter , Marie Louise , which Napoleon assumed , incorrectly , would eliminate Austria as a future threat . War of Liberation 1813 . Napoleon engaged in his disastrous Russian campaign in 1812 ; by 1813 , the military landscape was dramatically different . Prussia was the first to defect from Napoleon ' s cause ; possibly the arrival of the remnants of the Grande Armée in Berlin convinced the Prussian leadership that it was not only safe , but expedient . The remains of Napoleon ' s invasion force staggered back from Russia in early 1813 in appalling condition . Of the I Corps , only 2 , 281 men of the original 70 , 000 could be mustered . The Imperial Guard strength fell from 50 , 000 to 1 , 533 , and 200 of those were disabled by amputation , frostbite , or injuries . Some historians suggest that the nature of the opposition to Napoleon changed in these few months , from opposition by dynasties to opposition by whole peoples , giving the War of the Sixth Coalition its nationalist character . By the end of April , French forces gained control of Leipzig . At Lützen , on 2 May Napoleon lured a combined Prussian and Russian force into a trap . The Russian commander , Peter Wittgenstein , ignored the primary directive of the Trachenberg plan , attempting to undo Napoleon ' s capture of Leipzig . After a day of heavy fighting , the combined forces retreated . A few weeks later , at the Battle of Bautzen , 20 – 21 May 1813 , the combined Russian and Prussian force surprised Ney ' s corps in a confused assault , which narrowly escaped destruction when Napoleon appeared with reinforcements . The outwitted Blücher and Wittgenstein escaped because Michel Ney failed to block the retreat . Despite his string of victories , Napoleon sought an armistice in early June , to allow a series of negotiations , to take place in Prague . The Armistice of Poischwitz , signed 4 June 1813 , established a cease - fire throughout central and eastern Europe that was intended to last until mid - July ; the combatants had to give six days ' notice of its termination . The various interested parties — Russian , Prussian , Austrian , Saxon , Swedish , Bavarian , British and others — explored the possibilities of new alliances . Changes in Coalition Strategy . While delegates bickered in Prague , similar to the situation in Rastatt in 1799 , the diplomats negotiated throughout the war zone and in the capitals of Europe , to create a new set of alliances . The subsequent Sixth Coalition ( Russia , Prussia , Britain , Sweden and , eventually , Austria ) , differed significantly from the earlier coalitions . Unlike previous coalitions in which the participants had organized their armies independently of one another , the Allies of the Sixth Coalition created multi - national armies . This theoretically accomplished two goals : Napoleon could not defeat them piecemeal , and the presence of soldiers from several states within a single armed force limited " politically motivated acts of national self - interest . " Klenau , promoted to " General der Kavallerie " ( full general ) on 26 July 1813 , held command of an independent corps in the Army of Bohemia . This Army of Bohemia illustrated one of the biggest differences in the Sixth Coalition ' s organizational schema : it included 127 , 435 Austrians , 78 , 200 Russians , and 44 , 907 Prussians . The Coalition also pursued a different operational plan . The Coalition ' s operational strategy brought its different forces closer and closer together in concentric circles , to a single point in Saxony . Known as the Trachenberg Plan , the Sixth Coalition ' s operating plan established clear , concise and specific guidelines for commanders , from the Army through the basic company level : act offensively against an inferior foe ; act defensively against a superior foe , underscoring to commanders at all levels the risk of underestimating the threat of Napoleon and his army . The new plan divided the Allied force into three armies : Silesia , Bohemia , and Northern Germany . The Silesian army , composed of Prussians and Russians , left 50 , 000 men in the Province of Silesia and moved the remaining 100 , 000 to join with 120 , 000 Austrians in Saxony . The Crown Prince of Sweden , Jean - Baptiste Bernadotte , a former Marshal of France and a favorite of Napoleon ' s , established an army of observation at Hamburg and Lübeck , and another 70 , 000 concentrated southwest of Berlin . Using this plan , the Coalition pushed Napoleon and his allies into an increasingly smaller circle of operation . In theory , while this concentrated Napoleon ' s force , it also limited his maneuvering options . Furthermore , it concentrated the Coalition forces around the French and Allied armies , ultimately at the Saxon cities of Dresden , and then Leipzig . Battle of Dresden . Strategically , the Battle of Dresden demonstrated the problems of the Coalition ' s strategy . On 25 August , the three monarchs — Alexander II of Russia , Francis II of Austria , and Frederick William III of Prussia — and their staffs assembled on an overlook of the city to discuss their strategy . The city ' s weak defenses were clear from this vantage point : the French and Saxon garrison of 20 , 000 men under Marshal Saint - Cyr could not hope to hold a city of that size . The Tsar and General Jean Victor Moreau , formerly a General of France and by 1813 an adviser to the Coalition , wanted to attack at once ; Schwarzenberg wanted to wait until additional forces arrived . By waiting one day , the Coalition lost the advantage . As the Coalition assaulted the southern suburbs of the city , Napoleon arrived from the north and west with the Guard and Marmont ' s VI Corps , covering in forced marches over three days . The leading elements of Klenau ' s corps were placed on the army ' s left flank , separated from the main body by the Weißeritz , flooded after almost a week of rain . Marshal Joachim Murat took advantage of this isolation and inflicted heavy losses on the Austrians . A French participant observed , separating Klenau ' s corps from the Austrian army , Murat " hurl [ ed ] himself upon it at the head of the carabineers and cuirassier s . His movement was decisive ; Klenau could not resist that terrible charge . Nearly all his battalions were compelled to lay down their arms , and two other divisions of infantry shared their fate . " Murat captured intact a division of five infantry regiments ( 15 , 000 men ) under command of Lieutenant Field Marshal Joseph , Baron von Mesko de Felsö - Kubiny , plus 15 of their regimental and company colors . As the left wing disintegrated , the French swarmed over the flank ; the right wing was also driven back , and the entire force had to withdraw . After the immediate defense of Dresden , though , Napoleon ' s situation deteriorated . Vandamme pursued the retreating Army of Bohemia , expecting to be supported by St . Cyr and General Marmont , who were still busy in Dresden . Vandamme approached the Russian corps commanded by Ostermann - Tolstoy , but left a valley behind him unprotected as he descended out of the mountain into Bohemia . As he engaged Ostermann - Tolstoy , he saw some troops behind him , which soon attacked him ; thus beset from two sides , his young troops were unable to defend themselves ; at the Battle of Kulm , Vandamme lost his entire artillery , and the Austrians acquired about 7 , 500 prisoners , including the general himself . To the north of Dresden , as Napoleon appeared to be engaged , looking elsewhere , Blücher brought his troops south , toward the city . Realizing the danger , Napoleon directed his main army north again , to repel the Prussians ; as he did so , the wiley Blücher withdrew . Other portions of the French army had comparable difficulties . Marshal Oudinot was repelled by Bernadotte at the Battle of Großbeeren , and MacDonald , near the Bober river . Furthermore , Napoleon began to suffer from illness , referred to variously as a colic or fatigue . Battle of Leipzig . From 12 to 15 October , the days of skirmishing preliminary to the Battle of Leipzig ( 16 – 19 October ) , Klenau ' s force took the heavily defended village Liebertwolkwitz , but were forced out in a French counter - attack . A contemporary witness later described finding dead Austrians at the church cemetery , pinned to the walls with bayonets . Klenau ' s primary objective was the village of Liebertwolkwitz . He took the Kolmberg , a nearby height also known as the " Schwedenschanze " ( Swedish fortification ) , a defensive remnant of the Thirty Years ' War about east of the village , and established a battery there , but did not bring enough troops to support it . An attack by 4 , 000 of Jacques MacDonald ' s infantry secured the hill ; although Klenau ' s cavalry managed to push the French back , they could not retake the hill . In the action , Klenau ' s horse was shot and killed , and he was nearly captured , but he struggled back to his line , and reorganized his men . Eventually , Klenau ' s corps took the village and the Kolmberg several times , to be pushed out by the French , to counter - attack , retreat , counter - attack and retreat and this see - sawing back and forth , the attacks , counter - attacks experienced by Klenau ' s force , were characteristic of the battle . On the critical first day of the battle , 16 October , a French 100 - gun artillery barrage forced a hole in the line between the Russian and Prussian forces on Klenau ' s flank . When Murat ' s cavalry charged the hole , Klenau ' s corps , plus reserve cavalry , eventually forced the cavalry back to the cover of the French artillery . Klenau ' s force made a short retreat , leaving a detachment at the Kolmberg . By mid - afternoon , the Allied columns had been driven to their starting positions , but had maintained their line ; as one part of the line was forced back , its flanks dropped back with it , maintaining a continuous line and preventing a French flanking operation . In this first - day action , Klenau ' s force played a vital role in preventing MacDonald from flanking Prince Schwarzenberg ' s main army . At the close of fighting on 16 October , Napoleon knew he had lost the battle . He had only one fresh corps in reserve , and the Coalition had been reinforced by 100 , 000 fresh troops that afternoon . Furthermore , Bavaria had joined the Coalition , increasing its strength . Despite the Coalition ' s blunders , and there had been several , primarily made by Schwarzenberg , the Trachenberg Plan had worked . The morale of the French army was low ; the morale of the Coalition armies was high . Although the French still held Leipzig , the army was in shambles . Every house was filled with wounded , and the casualties were so great that the city authorities opened the corn storage house , which filled with 6 , 000 wounded . As if the storm of cannon and musketry fire were not enough , nature produced one of her own ; rain pounded the region from the afternoon until the next day . Wet soldiers combed rubbish heaps for food waste and broke into the guarded bakeries to steal bread . The appearance of a bread wagon sparked a food riot . On the night of the 16th , the French controlled the Kolmberg that Klenau had fought over all day , and a Hessian soldier wrote : " it was the worst bivouac we had experienced on this campaign . The weather was wet and windy . . . we had to use water from puddles in which lay the blood of men and horses . . . and half the men remained under arms at all times . " The next day of battle , 17 October , remained quiet for the Army of Bohemia , lying at the southern sector . The Army had been severely damaged , and was in no condition to engage in an offensive action ; Schwarzenberg ordered the army to remain in its order of battle , but he did not inform Blücher , in the north - western sector , of this decision , and Blücher , the impatient and eccentric Prussian , assaulted the villages of Gohlis and Eutritzsch , and then pushed on the outer Halle Gate of Leipzig itself in a combined Russian and Prussian cavalry attack . Klenau and the Siege of Dresden . After the battle , the allied high command assigned Klenau to blockade the large French garrison at Dresden . His IV Austrian Corps of the Army of Bohemia included the division of Lt . General Alexander Ivanovich , Count Ostermann - Tolstoy , and the militia of Major General Alexey Nikolayevich Titov , a total of approximately 41 , 000 troops . Klenau eventually negotiated a capitulation in which the French troops would return to France with their honors , on condition that they would not fight against the Allies for six months . The supreme commander refused to ratify the capitulation . Marshal Laurent de Gouvion Saint - Cyr surrendered to Klenau on 11 November , but Schwarzenburg refused to agree to the capitulation and the French troops marched into captivity into Austria instead . The victors took 94 French field guns and 151 Saxon fortress guns , and wrested from the French complete control over the Kingdom of Saxony . War in France 1814 – 1815 and post - war career . During the 1814 campaigns , Klenau remained with the Army of Bohemia as it approached Paris slowly , from the south - east , via the Seine river valley . The armies would be as many as apart . Their communications would be conducted through Wittgenstein ' s cavalry and some irregular cossacks , which was directly opposite to the Trachenberg plan . Schwarzenberg knew it was exactly what Napoleon would want them to do , but reluctantly agreed to it . Initially , Napoleon managed to drive a wedge between Schwarzenberg ' s Army of Bohemia and Blücher ' s Prussian ; by mid - February , he had succeeded in separating the two armies by . Blücher , who had been unpredictable since the start of the campaign , plunged through French resistance , through Belgium and into northern France . At the Battle of Brienne , on 20 January 1814 , Napoleon had inflicted a tactical and strategic defeat on him , stopping his headlong progress along the Marne river into France . Then , in February , Napoleon succeeded in putting together four consecutive victories in six days , but this did not encourage the French population to rise up in his support . Blücher , defeated so badly at the Battle of Vauchamps that he suffered a nervous breakdown , handed command to August Neidhardt von Gneisenau . By this time , orders had reached the Prussians to stop their forward plunge and reunite flanks with the Army of Bohemia . At the Battle of Arcis - sur - Aube on 20 to 21 March , Napoleon attacked Schwarzenberg ' s force and was repulsed . He managed to extricate his army from the Austrian grasp , in a tactical victory . Klenau fought as well at the Battle of Fère - Champenoise on 25 March 1814 , south - east of Paris ; he participated in a series of cavalry charges which , eventually , broke the French squares and forced the French forces under Auguste de Marmont to withdraw . Marmont later brought his force to the Austrian line and ordered it to surrender ; Marmont ' s refusal to defend either the Emperor or his empire , his " little rebellion , " signaled the end of Napoleon ' s hopes . Although he sought to establish a regency for his son , Tsar Alexander demanded an unconditional abdication , which occurred 6 April 1814 . Afterward , Klenau commanded a corps in Italy , known as the " Korps Klenau " . After the war ended in 1815 , Klenau was appointed commanding general in Moravia and Silesia . He held this office until his death on 6 October 1819 at Brno , in the modern - day Czech Republic .