Johann Heinrich von Schmitt
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Schmitt was a lieutenant field marshal in the Habsburg military during the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic
wars.
He developed a sound military reputation as a surveyor, map-maker, and strategist during Austria's wars with the Ottoman Empire, He served on the Quartermaster's staff during the War of the First Coalition. As a major general, he was one of Archduke Charles
trusted advisers during the War of the Second Coalition
campaign in southwestern Germany.
In 1799, his reputation was tarnished by the assassination of the French delegates to the Congress of Rastatt
in 1799, and he retired the following year. When war broke out again in 1805, he was recalled from retirement and assigned to the combined Russian-Austrian forces on the Danube
. On 11 November, Schmitt was killed by friendly fire at the Battle of Dürenstein
.
Regiment Graf Cordova. Schmitt may have been born in Pest (Budapest) in Hungary
, or, as other sources claim, in Bavaria
. In 1742–43, his father's regiment participated in the Battle of Sahay
, and then in the Siege of Prague
, followed by duty in Bavaria and the Rhineland in 1743. His father died in 1752—it is unclear where—and on 25 June 1758, at the age of 14 years, Schmitt enrolled in the Imperial School of Engineering in Gumpendorf. There he received a thorough technical training in engineering and the extensive education provided for officers on all other major subjects, particularly those pertaining to war and science.
After three years, on 15 November 1761, Schmitt received a commission as ensign, or Fahnrich
, in the Infantry Regiment No. 15 Pallavicini. During his assignment with this regiment, he saw service in the last years of the Seven Years' War (1765–1763) in the Bohemian theater. The lack of accurate maps had hampered the conduct of the Seven Years War and, in 1764, Schmitt was assigned to a project to improve the map-making capacity of the military. The idea of the scientific soldier, or a soldier educated in the specifics of military operations, led to an investment in the training and education of officers. The development of map making, and Carlos Pallavicini was at the forefront of this movement. On 1 February 1769, after proving himself capable in this assignment, he was promoted to first lieutenant and transferred to the reorganized Quartermaster's staff.
, bordering the Ottoman Empire. In 1778, he was promoted to captain and mobilized against Prussia during the short War of the Bavarian Succession, after which he transferred back to the Balkan border areas, where he stayed until 1782. His thorough knowledge of the country guaranteed him map-making and intelligence assignments in Turkish-occupied Bosnia to gather information in preparation for an upcoming new war against Turkey. In particular, he developed material on the Turk's military situation. His work on the development of intelligence of Turkish strength in Osijek
and Alt Gradiska
satisfied his superiors and when the war actually broke out in 1787, he was assigned to the General Staff of the Slavonion
Corps. He participated in the storming of the fortress at Šabac
, in Serbia
, on 24 April 1788. Emperor Joseph II
promoted him personally to major on 14 May 1788. In 1789, Schmitt fought at the Siege of Belgrade
, and on 23 February 1790, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. In March 1790, he transferred to Bohemia
, under command of Field Marshal Ernst Gideon von Laudon, for anticipated action against the Kingdom of Prussia
. When this war came to naught, he was transferred to the Austrian Netherlands in 1791, to help contain a local uprising.
In the campaign of 1795, still serving under Field Marshal Count Clerfayt, he was appointed to the staff of Archduke Charles
by Emperor Francis II
in April 1796. Schmitt, now a colonel, was at the Battle of Amberg (24 August 1796), fought in the victory at the Battle of Würzburg
(2 September 1796), and on 6 September 1796, was promoted to Major General. At this time, he became Archduke Charles' primary adviser, and served as his Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff.
The trust the Archduke placed in Schmitt was briefly interrupted in 1799 when he was connected, by rumor, to the 29 April assassination of the French delegates to the Congress of Rastatt
. The assassination occurred as the delegation was leaving the city, and reportedly was committed by soldiers of the 11th Hussars Szekely. The official investigation into the assassination placed enormous pressure on Schmitt, to such an extent that he briefly resigned as Charles' Chief of Staff, but he was quickly reinstated. On 1 March 1800, Schmitt was promoted to Lieutenant Field Marshal
, but later in that year, the Archduke was himself replaced as commander-in-chief by Field Marshal Pál Kray. Although Schmitt remained on Kray's staff, he again requested retirement, claiming he was tired and could no longer cope with the stress of the job. In reality, he and Kray's Quartermaster General, Major General Johann Gabriel Chasteler de Courcelles
, seldom saw eye-to-eye on any of the main issues facing the army and Kray relied more on Chasteler than on Schmitt. His request was initially refused, but on 19 August 1800, Emperor Francis I approved the petition when Kray seconded it. Schmitt went first to Vienna and then Hostitz at Kromeriz
, near Brno
. There he lived with his old friend Ferdinand Ritter von Geißlern until 1805.
(1745–1813), Schmitt arrived at the Russian headquarters and was appointed Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff of the Allied Army. Schmitt met with the Russian forces at the great abbey
by Melk
, on the Danube, and he and the commanders concocted a plan to encircle Édouard Mortier's French force near Dürenstein
. To do so, they drew not only on their own military experience, but called upon a captain from the region, to use his geographic and local knowledge.
staff. Consequently, he had organized a variety of maneuvers and battle plans under different terrain. The military historian Digby Smith
hypothesizes that Schmitt, an experienced officer and sound tactician, would have been more effective at the Battle of Austerlitz
, at least more effective than his replacement, Franz von Weyrother
, as Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff of the Allied Army. After Schmitt's death, Weyrother, the architect of the Austrian defeat at Hohenlinden, developed the general battle plan of the Allied action at Austerlitz. In the long run, it was unlikely that Schmitt's plan would have changed the overall outcome—Austerlitz was arguably one of Napoleon's finest battles—but his battle plan would no doubt have been an improvement over the one the Allies used.
Schmitt never married. He was known for his bright intellect, his composure, and his innate courage. Heinrich Schmitt was in his time as one of the best and most distinguished officers of the Imperial Austrian army.
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...
and Napoleonic
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...
wars.
He developed a sound military reputation as a surveyor, map-maker, and strategist during Austria's wars with the Ottoman Empire, He served on the Quartermaster's staff during the War of the First Coalition. As a major general, he was one of Archduke Charles
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
trusted advisers during the War of the Second Coalition
War 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...
campaign in southwestern Germany.
In 1799, his reputation was tarnished by the assassination of the French delegates to the Congress of Rastatt
Second Congress of Rastatt
The Second Congress of Rastatt, which was opened in December 1797, was intended to rearrange the map of Germany by providing compensation for those princes whose lands on the left bank of the Rhine had been seized by France....
in 1799, and he retired the following year. When war broke out again in 1805, he was recalled from retirement and assigned to the combined Russian-Austrian forces on the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. On 11 November, Schmitt was killed by friendly fire at the Battle of Dürenstein
Battle of Dürenstein
The Battle of Dürenstein , on 11 November 1805, was an engagement in the Napoleonic Wars during the War of the Third Coalition...
.
Family and education
Heinrich Schmitt was born in 1743, the son of Johann Sebastian von Schmitt, a captain of cavalry in the Imperial CuirassierCuirassier
Cuirassiers were mounted cavalry soldiers equipped with armour and firearms, first appearing in late 15th-century Europe. They were the successors of the medieval armoured knights...
Regiment Graf Cordova. Schmitt may have been born in Pest (Budapest) in 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...
, or, as other sources claim, in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. In 1742–43, his father's regiment participated in the Battle of Sahay
Zahájí (Ceské Budejovice District)
Zahájí is a village in the South Bohemian Region, and is part of the district České Budějovice in the Czech Republic.Zahájí has 396 inhabitants .It is known for a small battle between French and Austrians in 1742, during the War of Austrian succession....
, and then in the Siege of Prague
Siege of Prague (1742)
The 1742 Siege of Prague was an extended blockade of the Bohemian capital Prague during the War of the Austrian Succession. French forces first under the command of de Broglie were surrounded by a large Austrian army in June 1742...
, followed by duty in Bavaria and the Rhineland in 1743. His father died in 1752—it is unclear where—and on 25 June 1758, at the age of 14 years, Schmitt enrolled in the Imperial School of Engineering in Gumpendorf. There he received a thorough technical training in engineering and the extensive education provided for officers on all other major subjects, particularly those pertaining to war and science.
After three years, on 15 November 1761, Schmitt received a commission as ensign, or Fahnrich
Fähnrich
Fähnrich is a German and Austrian military rank in armed forces which translates as "Ensign" in English. The rank also exists in a few other European military organizations, often with historical ties to the German system. Examples are Sweden, Norway and Finland . The French Army has a similar...
, in the Infantry Regiment No. 15 Pallavicini. During his assignment with this regiment, he saw service in the last years of the Seven Years' War (1765–1763) in the Bohemian theater. The lack of accurate maps had hampered the conduct of the Seven Years War and, in 1764, Schmitt was assigned to a project to improve the map-making capacity of the military. The idea of the scientific soldier, or a soldier educated in the specifics of military operations, led to an investment in the training and education of officers. The development of map making, and Carlos Pallavicini was at the forefront of this movement. On 1 February 1769, after proving himself capable in this assignment, he was promoted to first lieutenant and transferred to the reorganized Quartermaster's staff.
Military career
From 1769 to 1778, Schmitt was assigned to the Turkish border areas, and was especially active in Temesvar, in the BanatBanat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
, bordering the Ottoman Empire. In 1778, he was promoted to captain and mobilized against Prussia during the short War of the Bavarian Succession, after which he transferred back to the Balkan border areas, where he stayed until 1782. His thorough knowledge of the country guaranteed him map-making and intelligence assignments in Turkish-occupied Bosnia to gather information in preparation for an upcoming new war against Turkey. In particular, he developed material on the Turk's military situation. His work on the development of intelligence of Turkish strength in Osijek
Osijek
Osijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
and Alt Gradiska
Stara Gradiška
Stara Gradiška is a village and a municipality in the Brod-Posavina county of Croatia. It has 542 residents, while the municipality has 1,717 , in six other smaller villages...
satisfied his superiors and when the war actually broke out in 1787, he was assigned to the General Staff of the Slavonion
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
Corps. He participated in the storming of the fortress at Šabac
Šabac
Šabac is a city and municipality in western Serbia, along the Sava river, in the historic region of Mačva. It is the administrative center of the Mačva District. The city has a population of 52,822 , while population of the municipality is 115,347...
, in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, on 24 April 1788. Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
promoted him personally to major on 14 May 1788. In 1789, Schmitt fought at the Siege of Belgrade
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...
, and on 23 February 1790, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. In March 1790, he transferred to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, under command of Field Marshal Ernst Gideon von Laudon, for anticipated action against the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
. When this war came to naught, he was transferred to the Austrian Netherlands in 1791, to help contain a local uprising.
Promotions
|
Service in the French Revolutionary Wars
At the outbreak of the War of the First Coalition against France in April 1792, Schmitt was a staff officer in the main Imperial army in the Austrian Netherlands. He distinguished himself in the defense of the pass of the Croix-aux-Bois (14 September 1792) and in the battles of Raismes and Vicoigne on (both on May 8, 1793). On 3 September 1793, after his promotion to colonel, he served under Field Marshal Friedrich Josias Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld. In the autumn of 1794, Schmitt organized the retreat of the main Imperial Army, now under the command of Coburg's successor, Feldzeugmeister Count Clerfayt from their untenable positions in the Austrian Netherlands eastward to the Rhine.In the campaign of 1795, still serving under Field Marshal Count Clerfayt, he was appointed to the staff of Archduke Charles
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
by Emperor Francis II
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
in April 1796. Schmitt, now a colonel, was at the Battle of Amberg (24 August 1796), fought in the victory at the Battle of Würzburg
Battle of Würzburg
The Battle of Würzburg was fought on 3 September 1796 between an army of Habsburg Austria led by Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen and an army of the First French Republic led by Jean-Baptiste Jourdan. The French attacked the archduke's forces, but they were resisted until the arrival of...
(2 September 1796), and on 6 September 1796, was promoted to Major General. At this time, he became Archduke Charles' primary adviser, and served as his Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff.
The trust the Archduke placed in Schmitt was briefly interrupted in 1799 when he was connected, by rumor, to the 29 April assassination of the French delegates to the Congress of Rastatt
Second Congress of Rastatt
The Second Congress of Rastatt, which was opened in December 1797, was intended to rearrange the map of Germany by providing compensation for those princes whose lands on the left bank of the Rhine had been seized by France....
. The assassination occurred as the delegation was leaving the city, and reportedly was committed by soldiers of the 11th Hussars Szekely. The official investigation into the assassination placed enormous pressure on Schmitt, to such an extent that he briefly resigned as Charles' Chief of Staff, but he was quickly reinstated. On 1 March 1800, Schmitt was promoted to Lieutenant 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...
, but later in that year, the Archduke was himself replaced as commander-in-chief by Field Marshal Pál Kray. Although Schmitt remained on Kray's staff, he again requested retirement, claiming he was tired and could no longer cope with the stress of the job. In reality, he and Kray's Quartermaster General, Major General Johann Gabriel Chasteler de Courcelles
Johann Gabriel Chasteler de Courcelles
Johann Gabriel, Marquis du Chasteler de Courcelles was a Walloon, entered the military service of Habsburg Austria at an early age and trained as an engineer. He won a coveted award in action against the Ottoman Turks. He fought against the First French Republic and was promoted to general officer...
, seldom saw eye-to-eye on any of the main issues facing the army and Kray relied more on Chasteler than on Schmitt. His request was initially refused, but on 19 August 1800, Emperor Francis I approved the petition when Kray seconded it. Schmitt went first to Vienna and then Hostitz at Kromeriz
Kromeríž
Kroměříž is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. The town's main landmark is the Baroque Kroměříž Bishop's Palace, where some scenes from Amadeus and Immortal Beloved were filmed...
, near Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
. There he lived with his old friend Ferdinand Ritter von Geißlern until 1805.
Recall to active duty
During the War of the Third Coalition in 1805–1806, Schmitt returned from retirement to active service. Equipped with a glowing letter of endorsement from Emperor Francis II to the Russian Infantry General Mikhail Illarionovich KutuzovMikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov
Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov was a Field Marshal of the Russian Empire. He served as one of the finest military officers and diplomats of Russia under the reign of three Romanov Tsars: Catherine II, Paul I and Alexander I...
(1745–1813), Schmitt arrived at the Russian headquarters and was appointed Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff of the Allied Army. Schmitt met with the Russian forces at the great abbey
Melk Abbey
Melk Abbey or Stift Melk is an Austrian Benedictine abbey, and one of the world's most famous monastic sites. It is located above the town of Melk on a rocky outcrop overlooking the river Danube in Lower Austria, adjoining the Wachau valley....
by Melk
Melk
Melk is a city of Austria, in the federal state of Lower Austria, next to the Wachau valley along the Danube. Melk has a population of 5,222 ....
, on the Danube, and he and the commanders concocted a plan to encircle Édouard Mortier's French force near Dürenstein
Battle of Dürenstein
The Battle of Dürenstein , on 11 November 1805, was an engagement in the Napoleonic Wars during the War of the Third Coalition...
. To do so, they drew not only on their own military experience, but called upon a captain from the region, to use his geographic and local knowledge.
Death at Dürenstein
Édouard Mortier had marched from Passau and Linz toward Vienna, traveling on the north bank of Danube. His newly created VIII Corps, known as Corps Mortier, consisted of three divisions, which were stretched 56 kilometres (35 mi) apart along the river between Marbach and Dürenstein. This over-extension left his Corps' northern flank unprotected, against Napoleon's specific instructions. Schmitt's plan capitalized on this mistake. On 11 November 1805, Kutuzov's column trapped one of Mortier's divisions, under command of Honoré Théodore Maxime Gazan de la Peyrière. The Russians used a ruse to entice Gazan into an attack on a small force, and then trapped him between two columns. The French were surrounded at the front and rear by the Russians, caught on the flood plain at Dürenstein. They could neither move forward nor backward. A second French division arrived in mid-afternoon and attacked the Russians in the flank, but were themselves surprised when Schmitt led an additional Russian column out of the mountains. Gazan's division lost over 40 percent of its men, colors, and several guns. The battle lasted well into the night. In its waning moments, the French were evacuating across the Danube in a flotilla of boats. In the dark confusion, Schmitt was shot, probably by Russian musketry, in a field between the Waldstein and Heudürrgraben. Wilhelm von Kotzebue, a German in Russian service, later reported that the column came through the forest road and entered the main road on the river's edge; they immediately entered the cross-fire between Dupont's forward posts of Dragoons and the Dokhtoruv's Russians. He fell by Wadstein, and was buried on the battlefield with the dead of his Russian column. Although his burial site has never been found, a monument for him was erected in a park in nearby Krems in 1811.Assessment and legacy
A key member of the Imperial Staff, Schmitt was the most experienced Austrian leader, called out of retirement for this specific task of organizing the Austro-Russian retreat. He had wide experience as a leader: From the summer of 1796 until his retirement in 1800, he had been Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff of the Army, of the Lower Rhine, the Rhine, and the Army of Germany, and a trusted member of Archduke Charles'Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
staff. Consequently, he had organized a variety of maneuvers and battle plans under different terrain. The military historian Digby Smith
Digby Smith
Digby 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...
hypothesizes that Schmitt, an experienced officer and sound tactician, would have been more effective at the Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
, at least more effective than his replacement, 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...
, as Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff of the Allied Army. After Schmitt's death, Weyrother, the architect of the Austrian defeat at Hohenlinden, developed the general battle plan of the Allied action at Austerlitz. In the long run, it was unlikely that Schmitt's plan would have changed the overall outcome—Austerlitz was arguably one of Napoleon's finest battles—but his battle plan would no doubt have been an improvement over the one the Allies used.
Schmitt never married. He was known for his bright intellect, his composure, and his innate courage. Heinrich Schmitt was in his time as one of the best and most distinguished officers of the Imperial Austrian army.