Joseph Ocskay von Ocsko
Encyclopedia
Joseph Ocskay von Ocskó (1740 – 8 December 1805) joined the army of the Habsburg Empire and rose to the rank of general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars
. He fought in numerous actions in the 1796-1797 Italian campaign against the French army commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte. In particular, he led a combat brigade during the first, third, and fourth Austrian attempts to relieve the Siege of Mantua
.
in 1740, Ocskay joined the Austrian military and earned promotion to Major
in 1782. Whether he fought in the Austro-Turkish War (1787-1791)
is not known. However, he received the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
on 21 December 1789, and was granted the noble title Freiherr
on 28 July 1790. He served in the French Revolutionary Wars
and became a General-Major
on 1 January 1794. In early 1796, he commanded a brigade in the Army of the Upper Rhine.
forced the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont to quit the First Coalition
. In May, the French Army of Italy
defeated Johann Peter Beaulieu
's Austrian army and drove it from the Duchy of Milan
. Bonaparte's victory in the Battle of Borghetto
isolated the key fortress of Mantua
. These setbacks prompted the Austrian high command
to order substantial reinforcements in soldiers to Italy. Ocskay transferred to Dagobert von Wurmser's
Italian army as part of this strategic shift.
In late July 1796, Ocskay led a brigade in the Right Column under Peter Quasdanovich
in the first attempt to relieve the Siege of Mantua
. On 29 July, the brigades of Ocskay and Peter Ott
surprised and defeated Pierre Sauret's
French troops at Gavardo
and Salò
on the west side of Lake Garda
. Since 400 Frenchmen led by Jean Guieu
barricaded themselves in a palace in Salò, Ocskay's troops besieged the enemy soldiers while Ott pursued operations farther to the south. On the 31st, Sauret's division attacked Ocskay, drove him off after a hard fight, and rescued Guieu's men. Then the French troops abandoned the town and marched back to Lonato del Garda.
After losing both Salò and Brescia, Quasdanovich ordered his brigades to concentrate on Gavardo on 2 August. Then, in an attempt to break through to Wurmser's main army, the Right Column commander ordered a new advance for the following day. He directed Ocskay to reoccupy Salò, then march south to attack Lonato. Marching in the early morning hours from Salò to Lonato, Ocskay's troops unwittingly marched right past Sauret's division heading for Salò. At dawn on 3 August, he surprised and defeated Jean Pijon's French brigade, capturing its commander. However, the Battle of Lonato
ended badly for the Austrians. Quasdanovich's other Austrian brigades had been ordered to converge on Lonato, but instead they were forced to defend themselves against aggressive French attacks. Consequently, Ocskay's troops became isolated. Under Bonaparte's supervision, the André Masséna
counterattacked Lonato with four brigades at mid-day. Driven from the town, Ocskay with many of his troops was encircled and forced to surrender. A second Austrian brigade under the Prince of Reuss belatedly appeared and freed some of Ocskay's men, but it was soon forced to retreat. The heavy losses compelled Quasdanovich to retreat north into the mountains. On 5 August, Bonaparte concentrated against Wurmser and defeated him in the Battle of Castiglione
.
's Tyrol
Corps during the third attempt to relieve Mantua. During these operations, he fought in the action at Cembra
on 2 November, the Battle of Calliano
on 6–7 November, and the combat of Rivoli Veronese
on 17 November. Before the latter action, he led his soldiers over snow-covered mountain trails to reach the battlefield. He then launched a successful attack that helped rout the French. These victories proved hollow when the French defeated the main Austrian army at the Battle of Arcole on 15–17 November. On 22 November, Bonaparte fell on the Tyrol Corps with most of his strength and drove it back toward Trento
.
on 14 January 1797. At first, his and Prince Reuss' columns marched with Quasdanovich's division in the Adige River gorge. Shortly before the battle, Ocskay's soldiers were ordered to join the troops massing on the slopes of Monte Baldo to the west. Together with the columns of Anton Lipthay de Kisfalud
and Samuel Köblös, his troops attacked the Trombasore Heights. Despite brave and repeated efforts, especially by the 3rd and 4th Columns, the Austrian attack failed and many soldiers became casualties or prisoners.
After the defeat at Rivoli, Mantua surrendered to Bonaparte on 2 February. Under the command of Archduke Charles
, the Austrian army made a fighting retreat out of Italy in March 1797. Ocskay was defeated by Masséna at Casa Sola on 20 March. After losing 500 men, he was forced back through the pass at Tarvisio
. Later-arriving Austrian units led by Adam Bajalics von Bajahaza
were cut off by Masséna and Guieu and forced to surrender.
in the Banat
region of modern-day Romania
. His son, Franz Ocskay von Ocskö
(1775–1851) became a noted entomologist who wrote several articles describing new species of insects.
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 fought in numerous actions in the 1796-1797 Italian campaign against the French army commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte. In particular, he led a combat brigade during the first, third, and fourth Austrian attempts to relieve 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...
.
Early career
Born in Ocsko, HungaryHungary
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...
in 1740, Ocskay joined the Austrian military and earned promotion to Major
Major
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 1782. Whether he fought in 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:...
is not known. However, he received 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...
on 21 December 1789, and was granted the noble title 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...
on 28 July 1790. He served in 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...
and became a General-Major
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
on 1 January 1794. In early 1796, he commanded a brigade in the Army of the Upper Rhine.
First relief of Mantua
In April 1796, Bonaparte's successes in the Montenotte CampaignMontenotte Campaign
The Montenotte Campaign began on 10 April 1796 with an action at Voltri and ended with the Armistice of Cherasco on 28 April. In his first army command, Napoleon Bonaparte's French army separated the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont under Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi from the allied...
forced the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont to quit the First Coalition
First Coalition
The War of the First Coalition was the first major effort of multiple European monarchies to contain Revolutionary France. France declared war on the Habsburg monarchy of Austria on 20 April 1792, and the Kingdom of Prussia joined the Austrian side a few weeks later.These powers initiated a series...
. In May, the French Army of Italy
Army of Italy (France)
The Army of Italy was a Field army of the French Army stationed on the Italian border and used for operations in Italy itself. Though it existed in some form in the 16th century through to the present, it is best known for its role during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic...
defeated Johann Peter Beaulieu
Johann Peter Beaulieu
Johann Peter Beaulieu de Marconnay, also Jean Pierre Beaulieu de Marconnay, born 26 October 1725 – died 22 December 1819, was an Austrian military officer. He joined the Austrian army and fought against the Prussians during the Seven Years War. A cultured man, he later battled Belgian rebels...
's Austrian army and drove it from the Duchy of Milan
Duchy of Milan
The Duchy of Milan , was created on the 1st of may 1395, when Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan, purchased a diploma for 100,000 Florins from King Wenceslaus. It was this diploma that installed, Gian Galeazzo as Duke of Milan and Count of Pavia...
. Bonaparte's victory in the Battle of Borghetto
Battle of Borghetto
The Battle of Borghetto, near Valeggio sul Mincio in the Veneto of northern Italy, occurred during the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars. On 30 May 1796, a French army led by General Napoleon Bonaparte forced a crossing of the Mincio River in the face of opposition...
isolated the key fortress 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...
. These setbacks prompted the Austrian high command
Hofkriegsrat
The Hofkriegsrat was the Court Council of War of the Habsburg Monarchy. Founded in 1556 in the reign of Emperor Ferdinand I, it was a council of men with military experience who could take charge of the army and its needs, in both war and peacetime...
to order substantial reinforcements in soldiers to Italy. Ocskay transferred to Dagobert von Wurmser's
Dagobert 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...
Italian army as part of this strategic shift.
In late July 1796, Ocskay led a brigade in the Right Column under Peter Quasdanovich
Peter Quasdanovich
Peter Vitus Freiherr von Quosdanovich was a general of the Austrian Empire. Feldmarschall-Lieutenant and Commander of the Order of Maria Theresa...
in the first attempt to relieve 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...
. On 29 July, the brigades of Ocskay and Peter Ott
Peter Karl Ott von Bátorkéz
Peter Karl Ott von Bátorkéz joined the Austrian army and fought in the wars against the Kingdom of Prussia, Ottoman Turkey, and the First French Republic in the last half of the 18th century. During the French Revolutionary Wars, he rose in rank to general officer and twice campaigned against the...
surprised and defeated Pierre Sauret's
Pierre Francois Sauret
Pierre François Sauret de la Borie enlisted in the French army as a private, fought in the Seven Years War, and became a general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars. He served with distinction during the War of the Pyrenees before being transferred to the Army of Italy...
French troops at Gavardo
Gavardo
Gavardo is a town and comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy.As of 2007 Gavardo had an estimated population of 11,337....
and Salò
Salò
Salò is a town and commune in the Province of Brescia in the region of Lombardy on the banks of Lake Garda. The city was the capital of Italian Social Republic from 1943 to 1945, with the ISR often being called the "Republic of Salò" .-History:Salò was founded in the Roman period as Pagus...
on the west side of Lake Garda
Lake Garda
Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is located in Northern Italy, about half-way between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan. Glaciers formed this alpine region at the end of the last ice age...
. Since 400 Frenchmen led by Jean Guieu
Jean Joseph Guieu
Jean Joseph Guieu, also Jean Guyeux, joined the French royal army and quickly rose in rank during the French Revolutionary Wars. He fought in the War of the Pyrenees against Spain and became a general officer. After transferring to Italy, he held important commands under Napoleon Bonaparte in the...
barricaded themselves in a palace in Salò, Ocskay's troops besieged the enemy soldiers while Ott pursued operations farther to the south. On the 31st, Sauret's division attacked Ocskay, drove him off after a hard fight, and rescued Guieu's men. Then the French troops abandoned the town and marched back to Lonato del Garda.
After losing both Salò and Brescia, Quasdanovich ordered his brigades to concentrate on Gavardo on 2 August. Then, in an attempt to break through to Wurmser's main army, the Right Column commander ordered a new advance for the following day. He directed Ocskay to reoccupy Salò, then march south to attack Lonato. Marching in the early morning hours from Salò to Lonato, Ocskay's troops unwittingly marched right past Sauret's division heading for Salò. At dawn on 3 August, he surprised and defeated Jean Pijon's French brigade, capturing its commander. However, the Battle of Lonato
Battle of Lonato
The Battle of Lonato was fought on 3 and 4 August 1796 between the French Army of Italy under General Napoleon Bonaparte and a corps-sized Austrian column led by Feldmarschallleutnant Peter Quasdanovich. A week of hard-fought actions that began on 29 July and ended on 4 August resulted in the...
ended badly for the Austrians. Quasdanovich's other Austrian brigades had been ordered to converge on Lonato, but instead they were forced to defend themselves against aggressive French attacks. Consequently, Ocskay's troops became isolated. Under Bonaparte's supervision, the André Masséna
André Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
counterattacked Lonato with four brigades at mid-day. Driven from the town, Ocskay with many of his troops was encircled and forced to surrender. A second Austrian brigade under the Prince of Reuss belatedly appeared and freed some of Ocskay's men, but it was soon forced to retreat. The heavy losses compelled Quasdanovich to retreat north into the mountains. On 5 August, Bonaparte concentrated against Wurmser and defeated him in the Battle of Castiglione
Battle of Castiglione
The Battle of Castiglione saw the French Army of Italy under General Napoleon Bonaparte attack an army of Habsburg Austria led by Feldmarschall Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser on 5 August 1796. The outnumbered Austrians were defeated and driven back along a line of hills to the river crossing at...
.
Third relief of Mantua
After being released in a prisoner exchange, Ocskay led a brigade in Paul DavidovichPaul 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 Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
Corps during the third attempt to relieve Mantua. During these operations, he fought in the action at Cembra
Cembra
Cembra is a comune in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 15 km northeast of Trento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,776 and an area of 17.0 km²....
on 2 November, the Battle of Calliano
Battle of Calliano
The Battle of Calliano on 6 and 7 November 1796 saw an Austrian corps commanded by Paul Davidovich rout a French division directed by Claude Belgrand de Vaubois. The engagement was part of the third Austrian attempt to relieve the French siege of Mantua during the French Revolutionary Wars...
on 6–7 November, and the combat of Rivoli Veronese
Rivoli Veronese
Rivoli Veronese is a comune in Veneto, Italy, in the Province of Verona, on a hill on the right bank of the Adige, 20 km miles NW of Verona.-History:...
on 17 November. Before the latter action, he led his soldiers over snow-covered mountain trails to reach the battlefield. He then launched a successful attack that helped rout the French. These victories proved hollow when the French defeated the main Austrian army at the Battle of Arcole on 15–17 November. On 22 November, Bonaparte fell on the Tyrol Corps with most of his strength and drove it back toward Trento
Trento
Trento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It is the capital of Trentino...
.
Fourth relief of Mantua
During the fourth attempt to relieve Mantua, Ocskay commanded the 4th Column of six columns engaged in the Battle of RivoliBattle of Rivoli
The Battle of Rivoli was a key victory in the French campaign in Italy against Austria. Napoleon Bonaparte's 23,000 Frenchmen defeated an attack of 28,000 Austrians under Feldzeugmeister Jozsef Alvinczi, ending Austria's fourth and final attempt to relieve the Siege of Mantua...
on 14 January 1797. At first, his and Prince Reuss' columns marched with Quasdanovich's division in the Adige River gorge. Shortly before the battle, Ocskay's soldiers were ordered to join the troops massing on the slopes of Monte Baldo to the west. Together with the columns of Anton Lipthay de Kisfalud
Anton Lipthay de Kisfalud
Anton Lipthay de Kisfalud , also Anton Liptai or Anton Liptay, served in the Austrian army, attained general officer rank, and fought in several battles against the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars.-Early career:Born in Nógrád, Hungary in 1745, Lipthay joined...
and Samuel Köblös, his troops attacked the Trombasore Heights. Despite brave and repeated efforts, especially by the 3rd and 4th Columns, the Austrian attack failed and many soldiers became casualties or prisoners.
After the defeat at Rivoli, Mantua surrendered to Bonaparte on 2 February. Under the command 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...
, the Austrian army made a fighting retreat out of Italy in March 1797. Ocskay was defeated by Masséna at Casa Sola on 20 March. After losing 500 men, he was forced back through the pass at Tarvisio
Tarvisio
Tarvisio is a town in the Province of Udine, in the northeastern part of the autonomous Friuli–Venezia Giulia region in Italy...
. Later-arriving Austrian units led by Adam Bajalics von Bajahaza
Adam Bajalics von Bajahaza
Adam Bajalics von Bajaháza, also Adam Bajalić von Bajaházy or Adam Bayalitsch, entered Austrian military service and fought against Prussia, Ottoman Turkey, and France...
were cut off by Masséna and Guieu and forced to surrender.
Later career
Ocskay retired from the army in 1797. He died on 8 December 1805 at DubovaDubova, Mehedinti
Dubova is a commune located in Mehedinţi County, Romania. It is one of four localities in the county located in the Banat. The commune is composed of three villages: Baia Nouă , Dubova and Eibenthal...
in the Banat
Banat
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...
region of modern-day Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. His son, Franz Ocskay von Ocskö
Franz Ocskay
Franz Ocskay von Ocskö was a Hungarian entomologist.Freiherr Franz L. B. Ocskay was the son of Major-General Joseph Ocskay von Ocsko . He lived in Ödenburg,today Sopron.Franz Ocskay described several new species of grasshoppers....
(1775–1851) became a noted entomologist who wrote several articles describing new species of insects.
Printed materials
- 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
External References
- napoleon-series.org Ocskay by Digby Smith, compiled by Leopold Kudrna
- napoleon-series.org The Battles of Lonato by Bernhard Voykowitsch
- Franz Ocskay von Ockskö, German wikipedia