Paul Davidovich Baron Paul Davidovich or Pavle Davidović ( ) ( 1737 , Buda – 18 February 1814 , Komárom ) became a general of the Austrian Empire and a Knight of the Military Order of Maria Theresa . He played a major role in the 1796 Italian campaign during the French Revolutionary Wars , leading corps - sized commands in the fighting against the French army led by Napoleon Bonaparte . He led troops during the Napoleonic Wars and was Proprietor ( Inhaber ) of an Austrian infantry regiment . Early career . Born in Buda ( Ofen ) ( in modern - day Budapest , Hungary ) in 1737 , Davidovich came from a Serb family which had immigrated to the Austrian Empire from the Ottoman Empire at the time of Emperor Leopold I . 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 Klodzka ( 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 . During the Austro - Turkish War , Davidovich talked the Turkish governor of Šabac into surrendering in 1788 . He assisted Maximilian Baillet de Latour in stamping out the 1789 Belgian revolt and was elevated to the rank of General - Major in 1790 . French Revolutionary Wars . In 1793 during the War of the First Coalition , he distinguished himself in the battles of Neerwinden and Wattignies . He participated in the Flanders campaign in 1794 under Prince Josias of Saxe - Coburg - Saalfeld . He served under Dagobert von Wurmser in the successful siege of Mannheim which capitulated on 22 November 1795 . He was promoted to Feldmarschal - Leutnant in March 1796 . During the spring of 1796 , Napoleon Bonaparte ' s French army overran the 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 . He fought at the Battle of Castiglione on 5 August . In the second relief of Mantua , Wurmser and his chief - of - staff Franz von Lauer planned to transfer major elements of the army from the upper Adige River valley to Bassano del Grappa via the Brenta River valley . They assigned Davidovich to hold the Adige valley with 13 , 500 soldiers in the brigades of the Prince of Reuss , Josef Vukassovich , and Johann Sporck . Lauer believed that the French army would remain passive during the operation . 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 , 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 Jozsef 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 . Other difficulties included a false report that placed Andre Massena ' s division in his front , heavy snow in the mountains , and the fact that messages took two days to arrive from Alvinczi . 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 War of the Third Coalition broke out , he commanded part of Archduke Charles ' army in Italy . During the Battle of Caldiero on 29 – 31 October 1805 , he led the nine infantry battalions , eight cavalry squadrons , and 26 artillery pieces of the left wing . After the war , he served as deputy ( " Adlatus " ) to the commanding general in Slavonia . He inspected fortresses in Serbia and received promotion to Feldzeugmeister in 1807 . In his last active command , he led a division of Hungarian insurrection militia at the Battle of Raab on 14 June 1809 during the War of the Fifth Coalition . He died on 18 February 1814 at Komárno when he was governor of that fortress .