Franz von Lauer
Encyclopedia
Franz von Lauer began his service in the Austria
n army as an engineer officer and became a general officer while fighting against Ottoman Turkey. He earned recognition as a siege specialist while fighting the armies of the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars
. He served as Chief of staff
of the army fighting against Napoleon Bonaparte in Italy in 1796. Appointed as deputy commander of the army in southern Germany, his efforts ended in a military disaster in December 1800.
in 1773, Oberstleutnant
in 1779, and Oberst
in 1783. During the Austro-Turkish War (1787-1791)
he earned appointment to the rank of General-Major and the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
for his distinguished actions at the Siege of Belgrade in 1789
. He was appointed the noble rank of Freiherr
in 1790.
in 1793-1794. On 13 October 1793, Wurmser's army defeated the French in the First Battle of Wissembourg
. Putting his engineering talents to good use, Lauer conducted a successful siege of Fort-Louis
beginning the day after the battle. On 14 November, he accepted the surrender of the 4,500-man French garrison and fortress, which was then situated on an island in the Rhine River. Still with Wurmser, he fought at the successful siege of Mannheim
in late 1795. For notable actions in capturing a redoubt on 30 October, he earned the Commander's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa. Promotion to Feldmarschallleutnant
followed on 4 March 1796.
Lauer performed repairs to the fortifications of Mantua
when the siege of that city was briefly raised in early August 1796. On 19 August an order arrived from Emperor Francis II insisting that Wurmser attempt the second relief of the Siege of Mantua
. The same order nominated Lauer as Wurmser's chief-of-staff. When drawing up the plan of attack, Lauer assumed that losses would prevent the French from quickly reacting to an Austrian offensive. This belief proved to be a mistake when Bonaparte hurled three divisions north into the upper Adige River valley. After overwhelming Paul Davidovich
's covering force at the Battle of Rovereto
, the French general sent his troops marching east, then south down the Brenta River
valley. Bonaparte crushed Wurmser at the Battle of Bassano
on 8 September, then followed the Austrian when he raced southwest toward Mantua. Ultimately, Wurmser became trapped in Mantua with nearly 30,000 soldiers. "To his credit, Lauer thereafter proved the key man during the very stubborn defense of Mantua." The fortress finally surrendered on 2 February 1797.
After the War of the First Coalition Lauer became the Director-General of Engineers, a post that he held from April 1797 to February 1801.
, Lauer was recalled to the field. Jean Moreau
's victories over Pál Kray's Austrian army in May through July 1800 resulted in an armistice on 15 July. During this time, the Austrians were driven from the Rhine to the Inn River
. The emperor decided to replace Kray with the 18 year old Archduke John of Austria.
Appointed Feldzeugmeister
on 5 September, Lauer became John's second-in-command. The emperor expected John to remain a figurehead while Lauer made the important decisions, creating a very awkward command structure. In September, Lauer pleaded for an extension of the truce and was upheld by the emperor. The old general hoped that his army could gain strength for the inevitable clash.
On 12 November the armistice lapsed and war broke out again. Franz von Weyrother
, Archduke John's chief-of-staff, persuaded John and Lauer to adopt an offensive strategy against the French. Because of the limitations of the Austrian army, the hard marching only succeeded in tiring out the troops for the coming battle. The combination of John's inexperience, Weyrother's aggression, and Lauer's inability to restrain his colleagues proved fatal. The Austrians scored a costly victory over the French at the Battle of Ampfing
on 1 December 1800. This success made the archduke and his staff reckless in their zeal to get to grips with Moreau. Lauer remained cautious but found himself unable to impose his views on the army headquarters. On 3 December, the Austrians advanced in four non-mutually supporting columns through rough terrain to open the Battle of Hohenlinden. Moreau's army ambushed the Austrians and enveloped their left flank, inflicting a decisive defeat. After a vigorous French pursuit, the Austrian army's morale collapsed, and the emperor was forced to sue for peace.
Blamed for the disaster, Lauer retired from the army in 1801. He died in Krems, in modern-day Austria
on 11 September 1803. He married Maria d'Allio and his son Joseph Lauer, born in 1769, also became a general.
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 army as an engineer officer and became a general officer while fighting against Ottoman Turkey. He earned recognition as a siege specialist while fighting the armies of the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
. He served as Chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
of the army fighting against Napoleon Bonaparte in Italy in 1796. Appointed as deputy commander of the army in southern Germany, his efforts ended in a military disaster in December 1800.
Early career
Born in 1736, Lauer studied at the Engineer Academy and joined the army of Habsburg Austria army in 1755. After being promoted to Captain during the Seven Years War, he became an expert in siege warfare. He received promotion to MajorMajor
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in 1773, Oberstleutnant
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in 1779, and Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
in 1783. During the Austro-Turkish War (1787-1791)
Austro-Turkish War (1787-1791)
The Austro-Turkish War of 1787 was an inconclusive struggle between the Austrian and Ottoman Empires. It took place concomitantly with the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792.-History:...
he earned appointment to the rank of General-Major and the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
Military Order of Maria Theresa
The Military Order of Maria Theresa was an Order of the Austro-Hungarian Empire founded on June 18, 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolin, by the Empress...
for his distinguished actions at the Siege of Belgrade in 1789
Siege of Belgrade (1789)
In the Siege of Belgrade from 15 September to 8 October 1789, an army of Habsburg Austria led by Feldmarschall Ernst Gideon Freiherr von Laudon besieged an Ottoman Turkish force in the fortress of Belgrade. After a three week leaguer, the Austrians stormed and captured the fortress...
. He was appointed the noble rank of Freiherr
Freiherr
The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
in 1790.
War of the First Coalition
Lauer fought on the upper Rhine River under the command of Dagobert Sigmund von WurmserDagobert Sigmund von Wurmser
Dagobert Sigismund, Count Wurmser was an Austrian field marshal during the French Revolutionary Wars. Although he fought in the Seven Years War, the War of the Bavarian Succession, and mounted several successful campaigns in the Rhineland in the initial years of the French Revolutionary Wars, he...
in 1793-1794. On 13 October 1793, Wurmser's army defeated the French in the First Battle of Wissembourg
First Battle of Wissembourg (1793)
In the First Battle of Wissembourg on 13 October 1793, an Allied army commanded by Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser attacked and defeated Jean Pascal Carlenc's French army defending behind the Lauter River...
. Putting his engineering talents to good use, Lauer conducted a successful siege of Fort-Louis
Fort-Louis
Fort-Louis is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It acquired its name and its principal raison d'être from a 17th century fort...
beginning the day after the battle. On 14 November, he accepted the surrender of the 4,500-man French garrison and fortress, which was then situated on an island in the Rhine River. Still with Wurmser, he fought at the successful siege of Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
in late 1795. For notable actions in capturing a redoubt on 30 October, he earned the Commander's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa. Promotion to Feldmarschallleutnant
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
followed on 4 March 1796.
Lauer performed repairs to the fortifications of Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
when the siege of that city was briefly raised in early August 1796. On 19 August an order arrived from Emperor Francis II insisting that Wurmser attempt the second relief of the Siege of Mantua
Siege of Mantua (1796-1797)
In the Siege of Mantua, which lasted from 4 July 1796 to 2 February 1797 with a short break, French forces under the overall command of Napoleon Bonaparte besieged and blockaded a large Austrian garrison for many months until it surrendered...
. The same order nominated Lauer as Wurmser's chief-of-staff. When drawing up the plan of attack, Lauer assumed that losses would prevent the French from quickly reacting to an Austrian offensive. This belief proved to be a mistake when Bonaparte hurled three divisions north into the upper Adige River valley. After overwhelming Paul Davidovich
Paul Davidovich
Baron Paul Davidovich or Pavle Davidović 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...
's covering force at the Battle of Rovereto
Battle of Rovereto
In the Battle of Rovereto on 4 September 1796 a French army commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte defeated an Austrian corps led by Paul Davidovich during the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars...
, the French general sent his troops marching east, then south down the Brenta River
Brenta River
The Brenta is an Italian river that runs from Trentino to the Adriatic Sea just south of the Venetian lagoon in the Veneto region.During Roman era, it was called Medoacus and near Padua it divided in two branches, Medoacus Maior and Medoacus Minor ; the river changed its course in early Middle...
valley. Bonaparte crushed Wurmser at the Battle of Bassano
Battle of Bassano
The Battle of Bassano was fought on 8 September 1796, during the French Revolutionary Wars, in the territory of the Republic of Venice, between a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces led by Count Dagobert von Wurmser. The battle ended in a French victory...
on 8 September, then followed the Austrian when he raced southwest toward Mantua. Ultimately, Wurmser became trapped in Mantua with nearly 30,000 soldiers. "To his credit, Lauer thereafter proved the key man during the very stubborn defense of Mantua." The fortress finally surrendered on 2 February 1797.
After the War of the First Coalition Lauer became the Director-General of Engineers, a post that he held from April 1797 to February 1801.
War of the Second Coalition
When hostilities broke out in 1799 in the War of the Second CoalitionWar of the Second Coalition
The "Second Coalition" was the second attempt by European monarchs, led by the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria and the Russian Empire, to contain or eliminate Revolutionary France. They formed a new alliance and attempted to roll back France's previous military conquests...
, Lauer was recalled to the field. Jean Moreau
Jean Victor Marie Moreau
Jean Victor Marie Moreau was a French general who helped Napoleon Bonaparte to power, but later became a rival and was banished to the United States.- Early life :Moreau was born at Morlaix in Brittany...
's victories over Pál Kray's Austrian army in May through July 1800 resulted in an armistice on 15 July. During this time, the Austrians were driven from the Rhine to the Inn River
Inn River
The Inn is a river in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube and is approximately 500km long. The highest point of its drainage basin is the summit of Piz Bernina, at 4,049 metres.- Geography :...
. The emperor decided to replace Kray with the 18 year old Archduke John of Austria.
Feldzeugmeister
Feldzeugmeister was a military rank in various European armies , especially in the artillery. It was commonly used in the 16th or 17th century, but could even be found in the beginning of the 20th century in some European countries...
on 5 September, Lauer became John's second-in-command. The emperor expected John to remain a figurehead while Lauer made the important decisions, creating a very awkward command structure. In September, Lauer pleaded for an extension of the truce and was upheld by the emperor. The old general hoped that his army could gain strength for the inevitable clash.
On 12 November the armistice lapsed and war broke out again. Franz von Weyrother
Franz von Weyrother
Franz von Weyrother was an Austrian staff officer and general who fought during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars...
, Archduke John's chief-of-staff, persuaded John and Lauer to adopt an offensive strategy against the French. Because of the limitations of the Austrian army, the hard marching only succeeded in tiring out the troops for the coming battle. The combination of John's inexperience, Weyrother's aggression, and Lauer's inability to restrain his colleagues proved fatal. The Austrians scored a costly victory over the French at the Battle of Ampfing
Battle of Ampfing (1800)
The Battle of Ampfing on 1 December 1800 saw Paul Grenier's two divisions of the First French Republic defending against the Austrian army southwest of the town of Ampfing during the French Revolutionary Wars. The Austrians, under the leadership of Archduke John of Austria, forced their enemies to...
on 1 December 1800. This success made the archduke and his staff reckless in their zeal to get to grips with Moreau. Lauer remained cautious but found himself unable to impose his views on the army headquarters. On 3 December, the Austrians advanced in four non-mutually supporting columns through rough terrain to open the Battle of Hohenlinden. Moreau's army ambushed the Austrians and enveloped their left flank, inflicting a decisive defeat. After a vigorous French pursuit, the Austrian army's morale collapsed, and the emperor was forced to sue for peace.
Blamed for the disaster, Lauer retired from the army in 1801. He died in Krems, in modern-day 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...
on 11 September 1803. He married Maria d'Allio and his son Joseph Lauer, born in 1769, also became a general.
Printed materials
- Arnold, James R. Marengo & Hohenlinden. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen & Sword, 2005. ISBN 1-84415-279-0
- Boycott-Brown, Martin. The Road to Rivoli. London: Cassell & Co., 2001. ISBN 0-304-35305-1
- Chandler, DavidDavid G. ChandlerDavid G. Chandler was a British historian whose study focused on the Napoleonic era.As a young man he served briefly in the army, reaching the rank of captain, and in later life he taught at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Oxford University awarded him the D. Litt. in 1991...
. The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York: Macmillan, 1966. - Smith, DigbyDigby SmithDigby Smith is a British military historian. The son of a British career soldier, he was born in Hampshire, England, but spent several years in India and Pakistan as a child and youth. As a "boy soldier," he entered training in the British Army at the age of 16...
. The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill, 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9