Philipp Pittoni von Dannenfeld
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Philipp Pittoni von Dannenfeld | |
|---|---|
| Died | 6 October 1824 |
| Allegiance |  Habsburg monarchy |
| Rank | General-major |
| Conflicts | |
Philipp Pittoni Freiherr von Dannenfeld (died 6 October 1824), fought in the army of Habsburg Austria during the French Revolutionary Wars. Promoted to general officer in 1795, he was a brigade commander in northwestern Italy at the time when Napoleon Bonaparte was appointed to lead the opposing French Army of Italy. Pittoni led one of the two main columns at Voltri in April 1796. At Borghetto in May, he unsuccessfully defended the bridge. He led a brigade at Castiglione in August and at Second Bassano and Arcole in November 1796. At the beginning of the Italian campaign of 1796–1797, Pittoni von Dannenfeld was in his 70s.[1] He retired from service the following year (1797) and died at Gorizia in 1824.
Pittoni was appointed Oberst (colonel) of Infantry Regiment Alvinczi Nr. 19 in 1789. The previous Oberst was Johann Kollowrat.[2] He was promoted Generalmajor on 1 May 1795 to date from 21 March 1794.[3] His successor as Oberst was Carl von Adorjan.[2] During the Battle of Monte Settepani from 24 June to 7 July 1795, Pittoni led a brigade in Johann von Wenckheim's division that consisted of Infantry Regiments Alvinczi Nr. 19 (2 battalions), Brechainville Nr. 25 (1 battalion), and Lattermann Nr. 45 (2 battalions).[4] During the retreat after the Battle of Loano on 23–24 November 1795, Pittoni was ordered to lead an artillery and wagon train convoy across the Colle di San Giacomo. The road was not properly guarded, and the convoy was blocked by a French force led by Barthélemy Joubert. Calling a council of war, Pittoni asked his officers if they should fight their way through, but they voted to wait for further instructions. By the time, orders to withdraw arrived, a second French force blocked the road behind them. The Austrians escaped by moving cross-country, after abandoning 48 guns and 100 carts.[5]
Montenotte Campaign
In early 1796, Johann Peter Beaulieu was the newly appointed commander of the combined armies of Habsburg Austria and the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont. Beaulieu's left wing consisted of 19,500 troops. Half of these were on garrison duty, while the rest were led by Pittoni and Josef Philipp Vukassovich. The 11,500-man Austrian right wing was posted to cover Acqui Terme and was commanded by Eugène-Guillaume Argenteau. The 20,000 Piedmontese troops were led by Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi and included an Austrian contingent under Giovanni Marchese di Provera. Colli's men were strung out in a chain from Cosseria Castle in the east to Cuneo in the west. Further west, the 20,000 Piedmontese under the Prince of Corrigan were faced by François Christophe de Kellermann's Army of the Alps.[6]
According to one authority, on 1 April 1796, Pittoni's 7-battalion brigade was stationed near Alessandria and belonged to Karl Philipp Sebottendorf's wing of Beaulieu's Austrian army.[7] Another authority asserted that he led a division-sized command that include the Reisky Infantry Regiment Nr. 13 (3 battalions), Nádasdy Infantry Regiment Nr. 39 (2 battalions), Terzi Infantry Regiment Nr. 16 (1 battalion), Lattermann Infantry Regiment Nr. 45 (1 battalion), and Szluiner Grenz Infantry Regiment Nr. 63 (1 battalion).[8][note 1]
Because the neutral Republic of Genoa had refused to loan the French money, the representative-on-mission Antoine Christophe Saliceti asked the French army commander Barthélemy Louis Joseph Scherer for 6,000 men to advance in order to intimidate the civic authorities.[9] On 27 March, Pittoni reported to Beaulieu about the movement of these troops to Voltri. Bonaparte, who had just taken command, ordered the movement halted the next day. At first he wanted to withdraw the exposed unit, but later decided to hold the position at Voltri.[10] To counter this threat, on 31 March, Beaulieu ordered Pittoni in invade the Republic of Genoa and cross the Bocchetta Pass. Pittoni occupied Novi Ligure with 2,800 men and started his men on the road up the pass. The Lattermann Regiment was left to guard Novi. Beaulieu apparently was on hand because he noted that the weather was uncomfortably cold and that Pittoni was not well, though he did his soldierly duty. The army commander sent one 12-pound cannon, one 6-pound cannon, and two 7-pound howitzers to join Pittoni's force.[11] By 8 April, Pittoni was in position at the Bocchetta Pass but informed Beaulieu that he was so isolated that it would take him six hours of marching over bad roads to link with Vukassovich near Masone.[12]
On 10 April 1796, Pittoni's column advanced with four squadrons of the Mészáros Uhlans, two battalions of the Reisky Regiment, and one battalion each of the Terzi, Nádasdy, and Szluiner Regiments. Pittoni's force numbered 3,350 infantry and 624 cavalry.[13][note 2] The troops got a remarkably late start. At 8:00 AM, 250 volunteers set out to cover the right flank by marching via the mountaintop Madonna della Guardia. The main column left Campomorone at 11:00 AM and marched down to the coast before turning right through Sestri di Ponente. Pittoni's Szluiner battalion and the volunteers attacked the French 75th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade near Pegli at 3:00 PM in the Battle of Voltri. After a three-hour fight, the 75th Line withdrew. That evening Pittoni occupied Voltri with three battalions and the cavalry. He was joined at midnight by Beaulieu, who came via Masone and the Turchino Pass with Sebottendorf and Vukassovich. The Austrians lost about 50 casualties while the French reported losing 16 dead, 45 wounded, and 148 captured.[14]
The remaining actions of the Montenotte Campaign went badly for the Austrians. They lost the Battle of Montenotte on 11 and 12 April and the Second Battle of Dego on 14 and 15 April. Soon after, the Piedmontese were defeated at the Battle of Mondovì on 22 April, their government sued for peace.[15]
