Eduard Ladislas Kaunitz, baron von Holmberg (1778–1853) was an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n military officer, who joined the Argentine revolutionary forces after serving alongside

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and centr ...

and

Carlos María de Alvear Carlos María de Alvear (October 25, 1789 in Santo Ángel, Rio Grande do Sul – November 3, 1852 in New York), was an Argentine soldier and statesman, Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in 1815. Early life H ...

during the Argentine War of Independence. He was appointed to the

Army of the North The Army of the North ( es, link=no, Ejército del Norte), contemporaneously called Army of Peru, was one of the armies deployed by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in the Spanish American wars of independence. Its objective was fre ...

under

Manuel Belgrano Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano y González (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820), usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (), was an Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He ...

as commander of

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

, and later founded the first

sapper A sapper, also called a pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing ...

corps in the

Argentine Army The Argentine Army ( es, Ejército Argentino, EA) is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina. Under the Argentine Constitution, the president of Argentina is the commander- ...

(1813). Son of Eduard Kaunitz and Amalia O'Donell, Holmberg studied in military academy in

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

between 1794 and 1795. He served during the

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 ...

with the Duchy of Berg and later on fought in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

where he met and established a relationship with the future Argentine army officers

, José Zapiola and

. Around 1812 he traveled to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

on the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

frigate ''George Canning'', which was transporting the Argentine fighters from

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, attracted by the possibility of fighting in the South American wars of independence. He arrived on 9 March and was noted in the daily ''Gazeta de Buenos Ayres'' a few days later: Kaunitz was an amateur botanist, and had in his

luggage Baggage or luggage consists of bags, cases, and containers which hold a traveler's personal articles while the traveler is in transit. A modern traveler can be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, small possessions, trip ...

several collections of bulbs from floral plants unknown in Argentina. On 20 March 1812 he joined the Army of the North, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, commanding the artillery of Belgrano's army. He made excellent relations with the general, being of assistance at the battles of Las Piedras (1812) and Tucumán, but he had uneasy relations and some enmities with other army officers which made him leave this army after the last battle. He continued the campaign at the front in Montevideo, where in 1813 he would found the first sapper corps in the army. At the beginning of 1814 the government commanded him to fight and capture

José Gervasio Artigas José Gervasio Artigas Arnal (; June 19, 1764 – September 23, 1850) was a political leader, military general, statesman and national hero of Uruguay and the broader Río de la Plata region. He fought in the Latin American wars of in ...

, but he fell wounded at the battle of Espinillo fighting Fernando Torgués, whom pardoned his life and released him along with his adjutant, lieutenant Hilarión de la Quintana. Kaunitz married Antonia Balbastro, a cousin of Alvear; his son Eduardo Wenceslao also served as an officer under

Juan Lavalle Juan Galo Lavalle (17 October 1797 – 9 October 1841) was an Argentine military and political figure. Biography Lavalle was born in Buenos Aires to María Mercedes González Bordallo and Manuel José Lavalle, general accountant of rents and t ...

. The national government gave him in 1821 the task of building forts in the south of Buenos Aires Province. In 1826 he fought in the war with Brazil under the command of his old friend from the campaigns in Spain, Alvear. He died in 1853, a little after the birth of his first grandson, Eduardo Ladislao, who would become one of the greatest naturalists of the country.

External links

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Family History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmberg, Eduard Ladislas Kaunitz, baron von Argentine Army officers 1778 births 1853 deaths Argentine people of Austrian descent Barons of Austria Austrian Empire commanders of the Napoleonic Wars People of the Argentine War of Independence