Armand von Nordmann Joseph - Armand Ritter von Nordmann , born 31 August 1759 – died 6 July 1809 , was a French officer in the French Royal Army . He transferred his allegiance to Habsburg Austria during the French Revolution , like other French émigrés . In Austrian service he fought capably against his former country during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars . A colonel in the French army , he defected to the Coalition forces in 1793 . After fighting in one of the émigré armies , he became an Austrian officer in 1798 . After commanding a cavalry regiment for several years , he was elevated in rank to general officer . He led a division in 1805 , even though by rank he was a brigadier . From the start of the 1809 war , he was entrusted with small independent scouting forces and rear guards . He was promoted again to lead a corps - sized force shortly before he was killed at the Battle of Wagram . French Revolutionary Wars . Born at Molsheim in Alsace on 31 August 1759 , Nordmann joined the French Army of the Old Regime . After the outbreak of the French Revolution , he remained in the army and rose in rank to become colonel of the " Bercheny " ( or " Berczeny " ) Hussar Regiment . He fought under Charles François Dumouriez and François Christophe Kellermann at the Battle of Valmy on 20 September 1792 . In early 1793 , he defected to the Austrians with two squadrons of his regiment . Afterward , he led the cavalry of the émigré Bourbon Legion in Germany until the end of the War of the First Coalition in 1797 . Napoleon Bonaparte always called Nordmann the " Alsatian traitor " . In 1798 Nordmann was appointed to the rank of Oberstleutnant in the Habsburg service . When the War of the Second Coalition broke out , he fought at the First Battle of Stockach on 25 March 1799 and at Andelfingen in May . On 17 March 1800 , he received promotion to Oberst of the " Latour " Dragoon Regiment # 11 . In May he led his regiment at the battles of Second Stockach and Messkirch . He performed notable service in action at Neuburg an der Donau on 27 June . After the end of the armistice , he fought at the Battle of Ampfing on 1 December 1800 . Two days later , he commanded his cavalrymen at the Battle of Hohenlinden in Paul Esterházy ' s brigade of Prince Friedrich Karl Wilhelm Hohenlohe - Ingelfingen ' s division in Ludwig Baillet de Latour - Merlemont ' s Right Center column . During the retreat after Hohenlinden , the " Latour " Regiment fought at Salzburg on 14 December and Schwanenstadt on the 16th . Napoleonic Wars . 1805 campaign . On 1 September 1804 , Nordmann became an Austrian General - Major . In the War of the Third Coalition , he served in the " Armee von Italien " of Archduke Charles , Duke of Teschen . Though only a General - Major , he was appointed to lead a division composed of his own brigade and Franz Anthony von Siegenfeld ' s brigade . His command included six Grenz infantry battalions and eight squadrons of the " Erdödy " Hussar Regiment # 9 . At the Battle of Caldiero , Charles posted Nordmann ' s 4 , 000 infantry and 800 cavalry on the far left flank near Belfiore . Early on the foggy morning of 30 October 1805 , the 62nd Line Infantry Regiment belonging to Jean - Antoine Verdier ' s French division crossed the Adige River and pushed back Nordmann ' s front line brigade . He first threw in the " Erdödy " Hussars to slow down the French advance , but the horsemen were repulsed . When he ordered Siegenfeld ' s brigade into the fight supported by a violent artillery barrage , the 62nd was stopped . Since Verdier was unable to reinforce the 62nd because of Paul Davidovich ' s threat from the south , the French regiment withdrew . The next day , Verdier got his entire division across the Adige at Zevio . At noon , the French general ' s right flank brigade under Antoine Digonet assaulted Nordmann ' s positions . Nordmann counterattacked , driving Digonet back , though he was wounded during the action . Prince Heinrich XV of Reuss - Plauen defeated Verdier ' s other brigade under Jacques Brun and came dangerously close to forcing the French into the river . Verdier rallied his troops in time to stop the Austrians , but the inconclusive battle was over . On 28 May 1806 , Nordmann received the Knight ' s Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa and that same year gained the noble title of Ritter . 1809 campaign . At the start of the War of the Fifth Coalition , Nordmann was appointed to lead a brigade in Karl von Vincent ' s division of Johann von Hiller ' s VI Armeekorps . His brigade included the " Saint George " Grenz Infantry Regiment # 6 , " Rosenberg " Chevau - léger Regiment # 6 , " Liechtenstein " Hussar Regiment # 7 , a 3 - pounder Grenz brigade battery ( eight guns ) , and a 6 - pounder cavalry battery ( six guns ) . Hiller immediately detached Nordmann to observe the approach of André Masséna ' s corps , while he took the VI Armeekorps north to Mainburg on 19 April 1809 . While Hiller ' s left wing was being defeated at the Battle of Abensberg on 20 April , Masséna ' s advance forced Nordmann ' s brigade back to Moosburg an der Isar . The next day , as Hiller suffered another rout at the Battle of Landshut , Nordmann was pressed back to Landshut along the east bank of the Isar River by the French . Nordmann ' s brigade fought at the Battle of Neumarkt - Sankt Veit on 24 April . During the subsequent retreat , he again led an independent force . During the Battle of Ebelsberg on 3 May , he covered Hiller ' s south flank near Lambach and Steyr with 3 , 000 troops . Later he marched straight for Vienna and , together with Joseph , Baron von Mesko de Felsö - Kubiny commanded four battalions and five squadrons in the brief defense of Vienna . On 12 May , the bulk of Vienna ' s defenders withdrew to the north bank of the Danube where Nordmann ' s force was left to observe the French . At the Battle of Aspern - Essling on 21 and 22 May , Nordmann led an infantry brigade in Friedrich Kottulinsky ' s VI Armeekorps division that included one battalion of the " Saint George " Grenz , the 1st and 2nd Vienna Volunteer battalions , the remnant of the " Broder " Grenz Regiment # 7 , and a 3 - pounder brigade battery . According to another account , Nordmann led an advance guard of four battalions and eight squadrons to open the attack on Aspern . In an unsupported attack about 2 : 30 PM on the 21st , he tried to force his way into the village from the southwest and failed to dislodge the single French battalion then occupying the place . Later , Hiller shifted Nordmann ' s four battalions south to the Gemeinde - Au island , where his attacks were unsuccessful . Nordmann received promotion to Feldmarschall - Leutnant on 24 May 1809 . Archduke Charles appointed him to lead the army Advance Guard , with 11 , 837 infantry , 2 , 528 cavalry , and 26 guns . This mass of troops numbered more than the V or VI Armeekorps . Under his command were four brigades under Friedrich Riese , Joseph Mayer , Peter Vecsey , and Franz Frelich . At the Battle of Wagram on 5 and 6 July , Charles assigned the Advance Guard and the VI Armeekorps to cover the river bank while the rest of the corps assembled farther inland . This doomed Nordmann ' s force to rough handling on the 5th when Napoleon ' s troops in greatly superior strength forced a crossing on the east side of Lobau Island and rolled up the Austrian defenses . Before retreating to the north , the Advance Guard suffered heavy losses , including most of its artillery . Nordmann took position on the Austrian left flank , in rear of Prince Franz Seraph of Orsini - Rosenberg ' s IV Armeekorps . That evening , the Advance Guard was subordinated to Rosenberg . On 6 July , Nordmann was slain in heavy fighting at the village of Markgrafneusiedl . He was one of four Austrian generals killed or mortally wounded at Wagram , the others being Josef Philipp Vukassovich , Konstantin Ghilian Karl d ' Aspré , and Peter Vecsey .