Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser

Dagobert Sigismund Count de Wurmser (7 May 1724 – 22 August 1797) was an Austrian field marshal during the French Revolutionary Wars.

Born a French subject in Strasbourg, Wurmser first served in the French army during the Seven Years' War as a cavalry officer. Having transferred to the Austrian service, Wurmser later took part in the War of the Bavarian Succession. During the French Revolutionary Wars, Wurmser served mostly on the Rhine front, between 1793 and 1795, his most noteworthy achievement being the taking of lines of Lauterburg and Weissenburg in October 1793.

However, he is probably most remembered for his unsuccessful operations against Napoleon Bonaparte during the 1796 campaign in Italy. On 18 July 1796, Wurmser advanced with 55,000 soldiers from Trento to relieve Mantua, which was besieged by Bonaparte with considerably less forces. Although he succeeded in raising the siege of Mantua, he was defeated by Bonaparte at the Battle of Castiglione on 5 August, and had to retire into the Tyrol, after which Mantua was re-invested by the French. A further attempt to relieve the city ended in disaster, when Bonaparte caught and defeated Wurmser's army at the Battle of Bassano in September. Wurmser was forced to take refuge in Mantua, and remained there to direct its defence until forced to surrender at the beginning of February 1797.

Broken in health, Wurmser died in Vienna the following summer.

[edit] See also

• Joseph Alvinczy
• Peter Quasdanovich
• Paul Davidovich

[edit] References

• Wurzbach, C., von. Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich, Vienna, 1856-91, vol 59, p. 1-5

[edit] External links

• Translation into English of entry for Wurmser from Wurzbach.

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