Ludwig Anton, Count Baillet de Latour

Ludwig Wilhelm Anton, Count Baillet de Latour-Merlemont was born on 12 February 1753 at Latour Castle near Virton in the Austrian Netherlands (modern-day Belgium).^[2] On 6 February 1767, he joined the Austrian Salm-Salm Infantry Regiment Nr. 14 as a volunteer. On 1 March 1773, he received promotion to Captain. He led his soldiers during the War of the Bavarian Succession in 1778–1779.^[1] He married Charlotte-Angélique-Julienne de Baillet, Baronne de Gesve. He was promoted Major on either 9 May or 9 March 1783. He was elevated in rank to Oberstleutnant on 5 December in either 1783 or 1785. From 1784–1788, he served in the Austrian Netherlands.^[2]

On 2 February 1788, Count Baillet was promoted Oberst^[2] in command of the Austrian Klebeck Infantry Regiment Nr. 14. He assumed leadership from the previous commander Joseph Zamboni San Collogero and would relinquish command to Eduard Jamez in 1794.^[3] The regiment took part in the Austro-Turkish War in 1789. It was present at the Siege of Gradiška (Berbir) and Siege of Belgrade. In 1790, the regiment transferred to the Observation Corps in Moravia. In 1792, the regiment was moved to the middle Rhine in the corps of Friedrich Wilhelm, Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Kirchberg.^[4]

Count Baillet was wounded by a round shot at the Siege of Le Quesnoy in 1793.^[1] All 3 battalions of the Klebeck Regiment fought at the Battle of Wattignies on 15–16 October 1793.^[5] On 1 January 1794, Baillet was promoted Generalmajor to rank from 10 December 1791.^[6] He was employed on the upper Rhine at the Action at Mannheim on 18 October 1795. The following year, he fought under the command of his elder brother Maximilian Anton Karl, Count Baillet de Latour who was referred to as Count Latour. Ludwig Wilhelm Anton was called Count Baillet or Baillet-Merlemont to distinguish him from his older brother.^[1]

Count Baillet led troops at the Battle of Ettlingen (Malsch) on 9 July 1796 and the Battle of Neresheim on 11 August 1796.^[1] By September, the French Army of the Rhine and Moselle was retreating, pursued by Count Latour's army, while several other Austrian forces maneuvered to surround it. The French commander Jean Victor Marie Moreau determined to strike at Latour's army in order to cripple it.^[7] On 30 September, Latour's vanguard under Baillet bumped into a stronger French force at Bad Schussenried and lost 300 prisoners. On 2 October, at the Battle of Biberach, Baillet commanded the Austrian center with 6 or 7 infantry battalions and 12 cavalry squadrons.^[8] The reckless Latour got his outnumbered army into a bad position with a river at its back. The French won the battle, capturing 4,000 Austrian soldiers and 18 guns.^[9] Baillet also fought at the Battle of Emmendingen on 19 October and the Battle of Schliengen on 24 October 1796. He remained on the upper Rhine as a division commander in 1797.^[1] He was promoted Feldmarschall-Leutnant on 1 March 1797 to rank from 26 January 1797.^[6]

At the start of the War of the Second Coalition, Count Baillet commanded a division in the army of Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen in Swabia.^[1] In Spring 1799, Baillet's division consisted of one brigade, that of Generalmajor Anton Ulrich Mylius. The brigade included the Carl Schröder Infantry Regiment Nr. 7, the Lacy Infantry Regiment Nr. 22, and 1 battalion of the Deutsch-Banat Grenz Regiment Nr. 12.^{[10][note 1]} He led his division at the Battle of Ostrach on 20–21 March, the Battle of Stockach on 25 March, and the First Battle of Zurich on 4–7 June 1799. In Spring 1800, he led a division in Paul Kray's army at the Battle of Stockach on 3 May, the Battle of Messkirch on 4–5 May, and Battle of Biberach on 9 May 1800. In the Battle of Iller River (Erolzheim) on 5 June, Baillet led a corps of 8 battalions and 10 squadrons. At first, his troops were victorious, but Michel Ney's French division appeared and defeated his troops with heavy losses.^[1]

The series of defeats in 1800 caused Kray to be sacked.^[11] His replacement was the youthful and inexperienced Archduke John of Austria.^[12] When a long truce came to an end at the end of November, Archduke John and his aggressive chief of staff Franz von Weyrother started the army on an advance into French-held territory.^[13] In the Battle of Hohenlinden on 3 December 1800, the Austrians advanced in four columns, including Count Baillet's Right-Center Column. This included 8,346 infantry and 2,520 cavalry organized into two divisions under Frederick VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg and Friedrich Karl Wilhelm, Fürst zu Hohenlohe.^[14] Archduke John and Weyrother wrongly believed that the French were retreating, so the columns were urged to rapidly march west. Since they marched through thickly forested terrain, the columns were not mutually supporting.^[15] Advancing along the main highway, the Left-Center Column first came into contact with the French, while Baillet's column traversed terrible roads and fell behind schedule. When the sounds of firing erupted on both sides, Baillet sent units both north and south to establish contact with the neighboring columns. Having dispersed most of his troops, Baillet had little strength left to attack the French.^[16] Surrounded on three sides, the Left-Center Column was crushed, resulting in a major French victory.^[17] Archduke John blamed three of his column commanders, including Baillet, for the disaster.^[18]