Gerhard Ritter von Rosselmini or Gerhard Rosselmini or Gerhard Roselmini (c. 1742 – 19 November 1796) became a

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 ...

in the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

army 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 fought in several actions against

Napoleon Bonaparte 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 French army during the 1796 Italian campaign.

Career

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer 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 ...

Rosselmini commanded the ''Kaiser'' Infantry Regiment # 1 from 1789 to 1794. He led his regiment in Dagobert von Wurmser's Army of the Upper

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

, fighting at Bad Bergzabern and Bienwaldmühle on 12 and 20 September. He also fought at the First Battle of Wissembourg on 13 October. He won promotion to

General-Major Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

on 20 February 1794. He held the noble title of

Ritter Ritter (German for "knight") is a designation used as a title of nobility in German-speaking areas. Traditionally it denotes the second-lowest rank within the nobility, standing above "Edler" and below "Freiherr" (Baron). As with most titles an ...

. During the Montenotte Campaign in April 1796, Rosselmini commanded a brigade in Johann Beaulieu's army. At the end of March, his battalions lay in their winter quarters at Lodi, far from the front. Consequently, he did not participate in any of the early battles. During the retreat behind the

Po River The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ligurian language (ancient), Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira (river), Mair ...

, he covered the army's flank by initially moving along the south bank of the river. His command finally crossed to the north bank south of

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...

on 4 May. At the

Battle of Lodi The Battle of Lodi was fought on 10 May 1796 between French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian rear guard led by Karl Philipp Sebottendorf at Lodi, Lombardy. The rear guard was defeated, but the main body of Johann Peter Beaulie ...

in May, Rosselmini led a 900-man covering force that held Lodi until Josef Vukassovich's rearguard passed safely. Just before mid-day, the French advance guard attacked Rosselmini and drove him back through the town. His infantry battalion joined Karl Sebottendorf's first line during the main action while his cavalry trotted back to support the second line. Before the

Battle of Borghetto The Battle of Borghetto, near Valeggio sul Mincio in the Veneto of northern Italy, took place 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 force ...

, Beaulieu assigned Rosselmini's brigade to join the defenders of the

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

fortress. During the first part of the Siege of Mantua, Rosselmini held the citadel with 3,666 soldiers in five battalions. When the siege was briefly raised in early August, Wurmser reassigned him outside the fortress. During the third relief of Mantua, Rosselmini commanded one of four brigades in Giovanni di Provera's Main Body. He died in

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the ''Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan. Vicenza is a th ...

on 19 November 1796, or two days after the

Battle of Arcole The Battle of Arcole or Battle of Arcola (15–17 November 1796) was fought between French and Austrian forces southeast of Verona during the War of the First Coalition, a part of the French Revolutionary Wars. The battle saw a bold maneuver b ...

.Smith-Kudrna, "Rosselmini" It is not known if he died from wounds suffered in the campaign or from another cause.

References

Books

* Boycott-Brown, Martin. ''The Road to Rivoli.'' London: Cassell & Co., 2001. * * Wrede, Alphons. ''Geschichte der K. und K. Wehrmacht, Vol. 1''. Vienna: L. W. Seidel & Sohn, 1898.

External links

Austrian Generals by Antonio Schmidt-Brentano

* ttp://www.napoleon-series.org/military/organization/Austria/infantry/c_austrianinf1.html Austrian Infantry Regiments 1 to 10 by Stephen Millar

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosselmini, Gerhard Austrian generals Austrian knights Italian soldiers Austrian soldiers Austrian Empire military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars Military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars 1740s births 1796 deaths