Joseph, Baron von Mesko de Felsö-Kubiny
Encyclopedia
Joseph de Mesko, Freiherr von Felsö-Kubiny was a cavalry general and field marshal
in Austrian service during the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic
wars.
, in particular in the actions on the Po River
. In September 1800, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and in the next month to Colonel. The following year, Mesko was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
.
In the war of Third Coalition
(1805), he commanded a garrison in upper Styria. He was promoted to Major General. At the Battle of Raab
, on 14 June, he was completely cut off, with 5,000 men and 10 guns, in the redoubts between the Raab
and the Raabnitz rivers. In the following two days, he repelled repeated French attacks and even managed to take seven officers and 300 men as prisoner. On 16 June, he also freed a convoy of 36 Austrian officers and 500 men, when he ambushed their French captors at Kis-Szél. On 25 August 1809, he was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa.
In 1813, as Lieutenant Field Marshal, he commanded a division in General of Cavalry Johann von Klenau
's IV Corps on the Army of Bohemia. At the Battle of Dresden
, on 26 August, his division was cut off on the left wing when the river Weißeritz
flooded. Attacked by Marie Victor de Fay, Marquis de Latour-Maubourg
's cavalry corps, which, under Joachim Murat
, forced him to surrender his division and 15 colors after a hard fight. A French participant observed, "Murat, who commanded this part of the French line, showed himself more brilliant than ever; for after forcing the defile of Cotta, he turned and cut off from the Austrian army Klenau's corps, hurling himself upon it at the head of the carabineers and cuirassiers. His movement was decisive; Klenau could not resist that terrible charge. Nearly all his battalions were compelled to lay down their arms, and two other divisions of infantry shared their fate." Mesko was severely wounded in the action and retired in September 1814. He died in Güns
, in Hungary, southwest of the Neusiedler See
, on 29 August 1815.
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...
in Austrian service during the French Revolutionary
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.
Military service
In 1799, he fought as a Major in the Italian campaign during 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...
, in particular in the actions on the Po River
Po River
The Po |Ligurian]]: Bodincus or Bodencus) is a river that flows either or – considering the length of the Maira, a right bank tributary – eastward across northern Italy, from a spring seeping from a stony hillside at Pian del Re, a flat place at the head of the Val Po under the northwest face...
. In September 1800, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and in the next month to Colonel. The following year, Mesko was awarded 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...
.
In the war of Third Coalition
Third Coalition
The War of the Third Coalition was a conflict which spanned from 1803 to 1806. It saw the defeat of an alliance of Austria, Portugal, Russia, and others by France and its client states under Napoleon I...
(1805), he commanded a garrison in upper Styria. He was promoted to Major General. At the 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, he was completely cut off, with 5,000 men and 10 guns, in the redoubts between the Raab
Rába
The Rába is a river in southeastern Austria and western Hungary and a right tributary of the Danube. Its source is in Austria, some kilometres east of Bruck an der Mur below Heubodenhöhe Hill. It flows through the Austrian states of Styria and Burgenland, and the Hungarian counties of Vas and...
and the Raabnitz rivers. In the following two days, he repelled repeated French attacks and even managed to take seven officers and 300 men as prisoner. On 16 June, he also freed a convoy of 36 Austrian officers and 500 men, when he ambushed their French captors at Kis-Szél. On 25 August 1809, he was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa.
In 1813, as Lieutenant Field Marshal, he commanded a division in General of Cavalry Johann von Klenau
Johann von Klenau
Johann von Klenau , also called Johann Josef Cajetan von Klenau und Janowitz, the son of a Bohemian noble, was a field marshal in the Habsburg army...
's IV Corps on the Army of Bohemia. At the Battle of Dresden
Battle of Dresden
The Battle of Dresden was fought on 26–27 August 1813 around Dresden, Germany, resulting in a French victory under Napoleon I against forces of the Sixth Coalition of Austrians, Russians and Prussians under Field Marshal Schwartzenberg. However, Napoleon's victory was not as complete as it could...
, on 26 August, his division was cut off on the left wing when the river Weißeritz
Weißeritz
The Weißeritz is a river in Saxony. The 12 km short left tributary of the Elbe runs through Freital and Dresden. Its name is derived from west Slavic bystrica . The official name of the river used in documents and hydrographic maps is Vereinigte Weißeritz...
flooded. Attacked by Marie Victor de Fay, Marquis de Latour-Maubourg
Marie Victor de Fay, marquis de Latour-Maubourg
Marie Victor Nicolas de Fay, marquis de Latour-Maubourg was a French cavalry commander starting under the Ancien Régime of France, and rising to prominence during the First French Empire...
's cavalry corps, which, under Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat
Joachim-Napoléon Murat , Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815...
, forced him to surrender his division and 15 colors after a hard fight. A French participant observed, "Murat, who commanded this part of the French line, showed himself more brilliant than ever; for after forcing the defile of Cotta, he turned and cut off from the Austrian army Klenau's corps, hurling himself upon it at the head of the carabineers and cuirassiers. His movement was decisive; Klenau could not resist that terrible charge. Nearly all his battalions were compelled to lay down their arms, and two other divisions of infantry shared their fate." Mesko was severely wounded in the action and retired in September 1814. He died in Güns
Güns
Güns or Guens may refer to:* Kőszeg, Hungary * Kőszeg Mountains, Hungary * Akiva Güns , birth name of Akiva Eger, a Hungarian-Polish rabbi- See also :* Guns * Gün, a surname...
, in Hungary, southwest of the Neusiedler See
Neusiedler See
Lake Neusiedl is the second largest steppe lake in Central Europe, straddling the Austrian–Hungarian border. The lake covers 315 km², of which 240 km² is on the Austrian side and 75 km² on the Hungarian side. The lake's drainage basin has an area of about 1,120 km²...
, on 29 August 1815.
Promotions
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Sources
- Jean Baptiste Antoine Marcellin de Marbot. The Memoirs of General Baron De Marbot, Volume II,, Chapter 23. Electronic book widely available.
External Links (Sources)
- Smith, Digby. Mesko Leopold Kudrna and Digby Smith (compilers). A biographical dictionary of all Austrian Generals in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1792–1815. Napoleon Series, Robert Burnham, editor in chief. April 2008 version. Accessed 8 December 2009.