Antoine Marc Augustin Bertoletti
Encyclopedia
Antoine Marc Augustin Bertoletti (August 28, 1775 – March 6, 1846) was a Milan
ese military officer who served the French Empire
as a general of brigade
, notably in the Peninsular War
.
, Bertoletti served in the Italian theater under the command of Eugène de Beauharnais
, the Viceroy of Italy. At the outbreak of war, he led a brigade in Achille Fontanelli's Division. Later, Jean Rusca took command of the division, which missed the Battle of Piave River
. Bertoletti led his brigade in an action at Klagenfurt
on 8 June and at Papa, Hungary
on 12 June, as well as the major Battle of Raab
on 14 June. During the Battle of Wagram
, his brigade defended Klagenfurt on Eugene's line of communications.
In June 1813, Bertoletti famously held the fortress of Tarragona
with 1,600 soldiers against John Murray
's 16,000-man British army. Realizing he could not hope to hold the outer walls with his small Franco-Italian garrison, he pulled back into the inner defenses and two outworks. Ultimately, Murray abandoned the siege and 18 heavy cannon when he heard that two French relief columns were due to arrive. When the British expedition sailed away, Bertoletti alertly called for help from the nearest French column, which soon marched into the fortress. At the news that French reinforcements were nearby, Murray gave up a second plan to capture Tarragona. After the Napoleonic Wars
, Bertoletti served the Austria
n crown as field marshal
. He died in Vienna
. The Arc de Triomphe
bears the inscription BERTOLETTI on the 37th column.
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
ese military officer who served the French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
as a general of brigade
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
, notably in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
.
Military career
During the War of the Fifth CoalitionWar of the Fifth Coalition
The War of the Fifth Coalition, fought in the year 1809, pitted a coalition of the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom against Napoleon's French Empire and Bavaria. Major engagements between France and Austria, the main participants, unfolded over much of Central Europe from April to July, with...
, Bertoletti served in the Italian theater under the command of Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Prince Français, Prince of Venice, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy, Hereditary Grand Duke of Frankfurt, 1st Duke of Leuchtenberg and 1st Prince of Eichstätt ad personam was the first child and only son of Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais and Joséphine Tascher de la...
, the Viceroy of Italy. At the outbreak of war, he led a brigade in Achille Fontanelli's Division. Later, Jean Rusca took command of the division, which missed the Battle of Piave River
Battle of Piave River (1809)
The Battle of Piave River was fought on 8 May 1809 between the Franco-Italian army under the command of Eugène de Beauharnais and an Austrian army led by Archduke John of Austria. The Austrian commander made a stand behind the Piave River but he suffered a defeat at the hands of his numerically...
. Bertoletti led his brigade in an action at Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
on 8 June and at Papa, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
on 12 June, as well as the major Battle of Raab
Battle of Raab
The Battle of Raab was fought on 14 June 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars, between Franco-Italian forces and Austrian-Hungarian forces. The battle was fought near Győr in Hungary and ended in a Franco-Italian victory...
on 14 June. During the Battle of Wagram
Battle of Wagram
The Battle of Wagram was the decisive military engagement of the War of the Fifth Coalition. It took place on the Marchfeld plain, on the north bank of the Danube. An important site of the battle was the village of Deutsch-Wagram, 10 kilometres northeast of Vienna, which would give its name to the...
, his brigade defended Klagenfurt on Eugene's line of communications.
In June 1813, Bertoletti famously held the fortress of Tarragona
Siege of Tarragona (1813)
In the Siege of Tarragona , an overwhelming Anglo-Allied force commanded by Lieutenant General John Murray, 8th Baronet failed to capture the Spanish port of Tarragona from a small Franco-Italian garrison led by General of Brigade Antoine Bertoletti.-Background:Murray's Anglo-Sicilian-Spanish army,...
with 1,600 soldiers against John Murray
Sir John Murray, 8th Baronet
General Sir John Murray, 8th Baronet, GCH led a brigade under Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War. Later in the war, he commanded an independent force that operated on the east coast of Spain....
's 16,000-man British army. Realizing he could not hope to hold the outer walls with his small Franco-Italian garrison, he pulled back into the inner defenses and two outworks. Ultimately, Murray abandoned the siege and 18 heavy cannon when he heard that two French relief columns were due to arrive. When the British expedition sailed away, Bertoletti alertly called for help from the nearest French column, which soon marched into the fortress. At the news that French reinforcements were nearby, Murray gave up a second plan to capture Tarragona. After the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, Bertoletti served the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n crown as field marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
. He died in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. The Arc de Triomphe
Arc de Triomphe
-The design:The astylar design is by Jean Chalgrin , in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture . Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe: Jean-Pierre Cortot; François Rude; Antoine Étex; James Pradier and Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire...
bears the inscription BERTOLETTI on the 37th column.
External references
- The Names of 660 persons inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe
- Bertoletti French wikipedia