Antoine Digonet (23 January 1763 – 17 March 1811) commanded a French brigade during the
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...
and
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
. He joined the
French Royal Army
The French Royal Army (french: Armée Royale Française) was the principal land force of the Kingdom of France. It served the Bourbon Dynasty from the reign of Louis XIV in the mid-17th century to that of Charles X in the 19th, with an interlude ...
and fought in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
as a foot soldier. In 1792 he was appointed officer of a volunteer battalion. He fought the Spanish in the
War of the Pyrenees
The War of the Pyrenees, also known as War of Roussillon or War of the Convention, was the Pyrenean front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic. It pitted Revolutionary France against the kingdoms of Spain and Portuga ...
and was promoted to
general officer
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...
. Later he was transferred to fight French royalists in the
War in the Vendée
The war in the Vendée (french: link=no, Guerre de Vendée) was a counter-revolution from 1793 to 1796 in the Vendée region of France during the French Revolution. The Vendée is a coastal region, located immediately south of the river Loir ...
. In 1800 he was assigned to the
Army of the Rhine
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
and led a brigade at
Stockach
Stockach is a town in the district of Konstanz, in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Location
It is situated in the Hegau region, about 5 km northwest of Lake Constance, 13 km north of Radolfzell and 25 km northwest of Konstan ...
,
Messkirch and
Biberach. Shortly after, he was transferred to Italy. In 1805 he fought under
André Masséna
André Masséna, Prince of Essling, Duke of Rivoli (born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817) was a French military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.Donald D. Horward, ed., trans, annotated, The Fre ...
at
Caldiero
Caldiero is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about east of Verona.
Caldiero borders the following municipalities: Belfiore, Colognola ai Colli, Lavagno, San Mart ...
. He participated in the
1806 Invasion of Naples and led his troops against the British at
Maida where his brigade put up a sturdy resistance. After briefly serving in the 1809 war, he took command of
Modena
Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...
and died there of illness in 1811. He never married.
Early career
On 23 January 1763 Digonet was born at
Crest
Crest or CREST may refer to:
Buildings
*The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York
*"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York
*Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
, a town in what later became the
Drôme
Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019. department in southeastern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Son of surgeon Joseph Digonet, he was sent to study medicine at
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
. He soon quit school, enlisted in the ''Île-de-France'' Regiment when he was 16 years old and was shipped off to America in the army of
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau
Marshal Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, 1 July 1725 – 10 May 1807, was a French nobleman and general whose army played the decisive role in helping the United States defeat the British army at Yorktown in 1781 during the ...
.
He was wounded in the leg during the
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...
in 1781.
[ Continuing in the service, he advanced in rank to ]corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...
in January 1787, sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
in October 1789 and finally to sergeant major
Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world.
History
In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the ...
in 1792.[
]
French Revolution
In October 1792 he was appointed adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...
major in the 2nd Battalion of the '' Landes'' Volunteers. On 1 May 1793 he was named to command the 4th Battalion of ''Landes'' Volunteers. He took part in several actions against the Spanish during the War of the Pyrenees
The War of the Pyrenees, also known as War of Roussillon or War of the Convention, was the Pyrenean front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic. It pitted Revolutionary France against the kingdoms of Spain and Portuga ...
. On 5 February 1794 he was wounded in the right arm[ at the Battle of Sans Culotte Camp. In this action, a Spanish army of 13,000 infantry and 700 cavalry and gunners was repulsed by Louis Dubouquet and the '' Army of the Western Pyrenees'' after a seven-hour struggle. On 14 April 1794 Digonet received promotion to ]general of brigade
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...
and was assigned to the division led by Jean-Antoine Marbot
Jean-Antoine Marbot ( , ; 7 December 1754 – 19 April 1800), also known to contemporaries as Antoine Marbot, was a French general and politician. He belongs to a family that has distinguished itself particularly in the career of arms, giving t ...
.[
On 10 July 1794, Digonet led 4,000 troops in action at Monte Arquinzu.][Smith (1998), p. 87] Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey
Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey (or Jannot de Moncey), 1st Duke of Conegliano (31 July 1754 – 20 April 1842) was a French military officer and a prominent commander in the French Revolutionary Wars and later a Marshal of the Empire during the Napo ...
planned to surround the position, which was apparently his favorite tactic. Digonet was supposed to mount a frontal attack while a second column led by Théophile Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne
Théophile Malo Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne (23 November 174328 June 1800) was a French officer named by Napoleon as the "first grenadier of France". He was also a celtomaniac antiquarian who introduced the words "dolmen" and "menhir" into gene ...
cut off the enemy's retreat. In the event, Digonet attacked too soon but his adversaries were nevertheless beaten and forced to flee.[Phipps (2011), p. 190] The defenders included one battalion each of the Spanish ''Zamora'' Infantry Regiment and the French Émigré
An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French verb ''émigrer'' meaning "to emigrate".
French Huguenots
Many French Huguenots fled Fran ...
''Royal Legion''. The enemy suffered 314 casualties while their commander Claude-Anne de Rouvroy de Saint Simon was shot in the chest but survived and escaped. Not as lucky were 49 captured French Royalists who were executed[ according to the policy of the French Revolutionary government.][ The next major operation was the ]Battle of the Baztan Valley
The Battle of the Baztan Valley was fought between 23 July and 1 August 1794 during the French Revolutionary War, between a French force from the Army of the Western Pyrenees commanded by Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey and the Spanish forces led b ...
on 23 July followed by the seizure of Fuenterrabia es, fuenterribense
, population_note =
, population_density_km2 = auto
, blank_name_sec1 = Official language(s)
, blank_info_sec1 = Basque, Spanish
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, ti ...
on 1 August with 2,000 prisoners and 200 cannons. Moncey continued west to capture San Sebastián
San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...
on 2 August, capturing another 1,700 Spanish troops and 90 artillery pieces. Digonet participated in all three combats.
The ''Army of the Western Pyrenees'' only contributed one Marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...
to Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's First French Empire
The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...
and that was Moncey. For the most part, the army did not have very distinguished soldiers. Of the army's division commanders, only Henri François Delaborde
Henri-François Delaborde (21 December 17643 February 1833) was a French general in the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars.
Early career
He was the son of a baker of Dijon. In 1783, Delaborde joined the 2nd Dragoon Regiment (France) ...
had long service under Napoleon. The better-known officers were Digonet, Sextius Alexandre François de Miollis
Sextius Alexandre François de Miollis (Aix, September 18, 1759 – Aix, June 18, 1828) was a French military officer serving in the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars.
Biography
His father was a c ...
, Pierre Hugues Victoire Merle, Jean Maximilien Lamarque
Jean Maximilien Lamarque (22 July 17701 June 1832) was a French commander during the Napoleonic Wars who later became a member of the French Parliament. Lamarque served with distinction in many of Napoleon's campaigns. He was particularly noted f ...
and Jean Isidore Harispe
Jean Isidore Harispe, 1st Comte Harispe (7 December 1768 – 26 May 1855) was a distinguished French soldier of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, as well as of the following period. Harispe was created a Marshal of France in 1851.
Early life ...
. Jean Castelbert de Castelverd fell into disgrace in 1796. After the Peace of Basel
The Peace of Basel of 1795 consists of three peace treaties involving France during the French Revolution (represented by François de Barthélemy).
*The first was with Prussia (represented by Karl August von Hardenberg) on 5 April;
*The seco ...
in 1795, the army was broken up and a column of 10,955 set out to join the '' Army of the West'' to fight the War in the Vendée
The war in the Vendée (french: link=no, Guerre de Vendée) was a counter-revolution from 1793 to 1796 in the Vendée region of France during the French Revolution. The Vendée is a coastal region, located immediately south of the river Loir ...
.
Digonet was among those transferred to the Vendée
Vendée (; br, Vande) is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442. . In the 1795–96 campaign, his troops defeated François de Charette
François Athanase de Charette de la Contrie (2 May 1763 – 29 March 1796) was a Franco-Breton Royalist soldier and politician. He served in the French Navy during the American Revolutionary War and was one of the leaders of the Revolt in the V ...
's insurgents near Saint-Fulgent and forced them to flee. Later Charette was captured by Jean-Pierre Travot's troops. Digonet also beat Jean-Nicolas Stofflet
Jean-Nicolas Stofflet (3 February 1753 – 25 February 1796) was a French leader of the Revolt in the Vendée against the First French Republic.
Born in Bathelémont-lès-Bauzemont (Meurthe-et-Moselle), the son of a miller, he was for long a p ...
's band. After Lazare Hoche
Louis Lazare Hoche (; 24 June 1768 – 19 September 1797) was a French military leader of the French Revolutionary Wars. He won a victory over Royalist forces in Brittany. His surname is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, on ...
pacified the rebellious regions he gave Digonet high praise in his report to the French government. In 1796–98, Digonet commanded the departments of Charente-Inférieure and Deux-Sèvres
Deux-Sèvres () is a French department. ''Deux-Sèvres'' literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department. It had a population of 374,878 in 2019. . In the subsequent Chouan
Chouan ("the silent one", or "owl") is a French nickname. It was used as a nom de guerre by the Chouan brothers, most notably Jean Cottereau, better known as Jean Chouan, who led a major revolt in Bas-Maine against the French Revolution. Part ...
revolt, he forced Louis-Auguste-Victor, Count de Ghaisnes de Bourmont
Louis-Auguste-Victor, Count de Ghaisnes de Bourmont (2 September 1773 – 27 October 1846) was a French general, diplomat and statesman who was named Marshal of France in 1830. A lifelong royalist, he emigrated from France soon after the outbreak ...
's insurrectionists to abandon Le Mans
Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
and recaptured a large number of cannons after beating a second rebel group in the Sarthe
Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the ''Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It had ...
department.[
In 1800 Digonet was assigned to the '']Army of the Rhine
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
'' under Jean Victor Marie Moreau
Jean Victor Marie Moreau (, 14 February 1763 – 2 September 1813) was a French general who helped Napoleon Bonaparte to power, but later became a rival and was banished to the United States.
Biography
Rise to fame
Moreau was born at Morla ...
and fought at the Battle of Stockach-Engen.[ Digonet and ]Pierre François Joseph Durutte
Pierre François Joseph Durutte (13 July 1767 – 18 April 1827) joined the French army at the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars. Rapidly promoted for feats of bravery under fire at Jemappes in 1792 and Hondschoote in 1793, he found h ...
were the two brigadiers in the division of Antoine Richepanse
Antoine Richepanse (25 March 1770 – 3 September 1802) was a French general and colonial administrator.
Richepanse was born in Metz as the son of an officer of the Conti-Dragoon Regiment. When the French Revolution started Richepanse distinguis ...
in the Army Reserve. The division was made up of the 4th, 50th and 100th Line Infantry Demi Brigades, the 13th Cavalry, 17th Dragoon and 5th Hussar Regiments and a combined grenadier battalion for a total of 6,848 foot and 1,187 horse. At the Battle of Messkirch
The Battle of Meßkirch was fought on 4 May 1800 and 5 May 1800 and resulted the victory of French army against the Austrians.The battle is referred to in some sources as the Battle of Moeskirch and as the Battle of Möskirch.
Overview
''Se ...
on 5 May 1800, Moreau brought the Reserve into action late in the day. Austrian commander Paul Kray
Baron Paul Kray of Krajova and Topolya (german: Paul Freiherr Kray von Krajova und Topola; hu, Krajovai és Topolyai báró Kray Pál; 5 February 1735 – 19 January 1804), was a soldier, and general in Habsburg service during the Seven ...
launched an attack that threatened to cut the Stockach road. Richepanse arrived on the battlefield and took Ignaz Gyulai Ignaz is a male given name, related to the name Ignatius. Notable people with this name include:
* Franz Ignaz Beck (1734–1807), German musician
* Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644–1704), Bohemian-Austrian musician
* Ignaz Brüll (1846–1907), ...
's division in flank, driving it back. Kray gave up his effort to break down the French flank and retreated to the Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
at Sigmaringen
Sigmaringen (Swabian German, Swabian: ''Semmerenga'') is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen (district), Sigmaringen district.
Sigmaringen is renowne ...
. Digonet was present at the Battle of Biberach[ on 9 May. While Moreau took charge of the left wing, ]Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr
Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, 1st Marquis of Gouvion-Saint-Cyr (; 13 April 1764 – 17 March 1830) was a French military commander in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars who rose to the rank of Marshal of the Empire. He is regarde ...
took his own corps plus the Reserve and attacked the Austrians at Biberach an der Riss Biberach may refer to:
*Biberach an der Riß, a town in Upper Swabia, Germany
*Biberach (district), which has Biberach an der Riß as its capital
*Biberach, Baden, a municipality in the ''Ortenaukreis'', Germany
*Biberach is a part of Roggenburg, B ...
. The move was successful and the French captured the Austrian supply base in the city.
Digonet was reassigned to lead a brigade in Jean François Cornu de La Poype
Jean François Cornu de La Poype (31 May 1758 – 27 January 1851) was a French military leader. He was born in Lyon, to a noble, military family.
French Revolutionary Wars
Under the ancien regime he joined the army at a young age and receiv ...
's division and sent to Italy via the Gotthard Pass
german: Gotthardpass
, photo = File:Gotthardpass 2008.jpg
, photo_caption = The area of the Gotthard Pass from the west
, elevation_m = 2106
, elevation_ref =
, traversed = National Road 2 Old paved road ( Tremola) Gotthard Rail Tunnel Go ...
.[ The divisions of La Poype and ]Jean Thomas Guillaume Lorge
Jean Thomas Guillaume Lorge (born 22 November 1767 in Caen; died 28 November 1826 in Chauconin-Neufmontiers), was a French cavalry commander during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Lorge is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de ...
were part of Moncey's corps as of 24 May 1800. In December, Digonet led a brigade consisting of the 67th Line Infantry Demi Brigade and a unit of converged grenadiers in a division commanded by Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Vimeur, vicomte de Rochambeau
Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Vimeur, vicomte de Rochambeau (7 April 1755 – 20 October 1813) was a French military commander. He was the son of Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau.
Biography
He served in the American Revolution ...
. This was in Guillaume Brune
Guillaume Marie-Anne Brune, 1st Count Brune (, 13 March 1764 – 2 August 1815) was a French military commander, Marshal of the Empire, and political figure who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
Early life
Bru ...
's '' Army of Italy''. During these operations, Digonet drove the Austrians from the town of Bormio
Bormio ( lmo, Bormi, rm, italic=yes, , german: Worms im Veltlintal) is a town and ''comune'' with a population of about 4,100 located in the Province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy.
The centre of the upper Valtellina ...
in the Valtellina
Valtellina or the Valtelline (occasionally spelled as two words in English: Val Telline; rm, Vuclina (); lmo, Valtelina or ; german: Veltlin; it, Valtellina) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Toda ...
.[ In support of Brune's campaign, he and his brigade cleared 800 Tyrolese by surprise from two mountain passes on 23 December 1800 and entered ]Riva del Garda
Riva del Garda (''Rìva'' in local dialect) is a town and ''comune'' in the northern Italian province of Trento of the Trentino Alto Adige region. It is also known simply as ''Riva'' and is located at the northern tip of Lake Garda.
History
Riv ...
.[ Brune won the ]Battle of Pozzolo
The Battle of Pozzolo also known as the Battle of the Mincio River and Monzambano (25–26 December 1800) was fought during the War of the Second Coalition. A French army under General Guillaume Brune crossed the Mincio River and defeated a ...
on 25 December 1800.
Empire
After Napoleon became emperor, Digonet was made a member of the Légion d'Honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
on 16 October 1803.[ He was made a commander of the Légion d'Honneur on 14 June 1804.][ In the ]War of the Third Coalition
The War of the Third Coalition)
* In French historiography, it is known as the Austrian campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Autriche de 1805) or the German campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Allemagne de 1805) was a European conflict spanni ...
he was assigned to lead troops in André Masséna
André Masséna, Prince of Essling, Duke of Rivoli (born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817) was a French military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.Donald D. Horward, ed., trans, annotated, The Fre ...
's ''Army of Italy''. He commanded the 1st Brigade in Jean-Antoine Verdier
Jean-Antoine Verdier (2 May 1767 – 30 May
1839) was a French General during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
Service
Born in Toulouse, he enlisted into the Régiment de la Fère on 18 February 1785. He served as Aide-de-camp to Augerea ...
's division, consisting of three battalions each of the 23rd Light and the 10th Line Infantry Regiments. In late October 1805, Masséna massed 23,400 foot, 700 horse and 72 guns on the east bank of the Adige
The Adige (; german: Etsch ; vec, Àdexe ; rm, Adisch ; lld, Adesc; la, Athesis; grc, Ἄθεσις, Áthesis, or , ''Átagis'') is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the prov ...
River near Verona
Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...
with Verdier's 6,600 foot and 1,000 horse on the west bank. The French were outnumbered by Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...
who had 44,000 infantry and 6,500 cavalry. Under orders from Napoleon to keep Charles occupied, Masséna determined to attack. While making a frontal assault with his east bank troops, the French general planned to have Verdier cross the Adige and attack the Austrian left flank. Complicating the situation, Paul Davidovich
Baron Paul Davidovich or Pavle Davidović ( sr-cyr, Павле Давидовић) (1737, Buda – 18 February 1814, Komárom) became a general of the Austrian Empire and a Knight of the Military Order of Maria Theresa. He played a major ro ...
was downstream with 10,000 more Austrians.
In the Battle of Caldiero on 30 October, Verdier put one infantry regiment across the river, but when Davidovich made a threatening move, he was compelled to hold the bulk of his men on the west bank while the two armies fought a drawn battle. On the 31st, Verdier managed to get his entire division across the Adige and launched his attack around noon. Digonet's brigade on the right drove back a screen of Grenz infantry
Grenz infantry or Grenzers or Granichary (from german: Grenzer "border guard" or "frontiersman"; Serbo-Croatian: graničari, krajišnici, sr-cyr, граничари, крајишници, Russian Cyrillic: граничары) were light infant ...
but was then counterattacked by Joseph Armand von Nordmann
Joseph-Armand Ritter von Nordmann (31 August 1759 – 6 July 1809), was a French officer in the French Royal Army. He transferred his allegiance to Habsburg Austria during the French Revolution, like other French émigrés. In Austrian serv ...
's division. Nordmann was wounded but his soldiers pushed Digonet's men back after a musketry duel. Verdier tried to send help from his left brigade, but that unit was beaten and compelled to retreat toward the river crossing site. Disaster loomed until a regiment of Chasseurs à Cheval charged the Austrians, keeping them from crushing Verdier's division. The combat ended at 5:00 PM that afternoon.
Digonet participated in the 1806 invasion of Naples. At the Battle of Maida
The Battle of Maida, fought on 4 July 1806 was a battle between the British expeditionary force and a French force outside the town of Maida in Calabria, Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. John Stuart led 5,236 Anglo-Sicilian troops to victory ...
on 4 July 1806, Digonet led a brigade in Jean Reynier
Jean Louis Ebénézer Reynier (14 January 1771 – 27 February 1814) was a Swiss- French military officer who served in the French Army under the First Republic and the First Empire. He rose in rank to become a general during the French Revolu ...
's division. His command included two battalions of the 1,266-strong 23rd Light Infantry Regiment, 328 sabers of the 9th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment and several artillery pieces manned by 112 gunners. Reynier's division attacked the British with brigades under Louis Fursy Henri Compère
Louis Fursy Henri Compère (16 January 1768 – 27 March 1833) was a French general of artillery in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
Compère was born in Péronne, Somme. In 1794, he was promoted to ''chef de brigade'', ...
and Luigi Gaspare Peyri echeloned forward by the left. Compère's charge was met by devastating British musketry and dispersed with heavy losses. Many of Peyri's troops became involved in the rout though a Swiss battalion kept its order and rallied on Digonet's brigade. Enemy brigades under Lowry Cole
Hon. Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole, (1 May 1772 – 4 October 1842) was an Anglo-Irish British Army general and politician.
Early life
Cole was the second son of an Irish peer, William Willoughby Cole, 1st Earl of Enniskillen (1 March 1736&ndas ...
, Wroth Palmer Acland
Lieutenant-General Sir Wroth Palmer Acland KCB (16 March 1770 – 8 March 1816) was an English soldier, notable for his role in the Peninsular War.
Biography
Acland was the 12th child of Arthur Palmer Acland, of Fairfield House, Somerset, an ...
and John Oswald converged on Digonet's troops but were stopped when the 9th Chasseurs made a series of partial charges, forcing the British to deploy into squares. Finally, a newly arrived British regiment broke the stalemate by attacking from a new direction and Digonet conducted a retreat.[Schneid (2002), pp. 53–54]
Digonet held a command in Italy in August 1809 during the War of the Fifth Coalition
The War of the Fifth Coalition was a European conflict in 1809 that was part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars. The main conflict took place in central Europe between the Austrian Empire of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis ...
. Assigned to command at Modena
Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...
, he was stricken with disease and died there on 17 March 1811, unmarried and childless.[
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Digonet, Antoine
French generals
French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
French military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars
People from Drôme
1763 births
1811 deaths