Johann Baron von Hiller (June 10, 1754 – June 5,
1819) was an Austrian general during the
French Revolutionary Wars and the
Napoleonic Wars.
He held an important
command during the 1809 campaign against France, playing a
prominent role at the Battle of Aspern-Essling
.
Early career
Von Hiller, born into a military family, served as a cadet in a
Saxon regiment and as a lieutenant in the Wurttemberg Dragoons,
then becoming a captain in a border regiment in 1774, a regiment he
would eventually command.
Hiller fought in the Prussian theater during the War of the
Bavarian Succession (1778-1779). Distinguishing himself in the
Austro-Turkish War (1787-1792)
for his vigor in defending his sector of Croatia, von Hiller was
made
Lieutenant Colonel in 1788
and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa.
During the siege of
Berbir, von Hiller again
distinguished himself and was promoted to
Oberst or full
Colonel. He
served as general aide to
Feldmarschall Ernst
Laudon, then returned to command his border regiment.
French Revolutionary Wars
Promoted
General-Major in 1794, von
Hiller was assigned to the army in Italy, serving as Quartermaster
General to the army in Lombardy. In 1796 von Hiller commanded a
brigade in the Army of the Rhine, but ill health compelled him to
retire. He returned in 1798, to participate in the campaign against
the French in Switzerland. He was wounded in the
First Battle of Zürich on June
4, 1799.
Promoted Feldmarschal-Leutnant in 1800, he was
then posted to the command of the Zagreb
(Croatian)
military district.
Napoleonic Wars
He commanded the Tyrol district from 1801 to 1805. He retained
command of this district, which did not see major action, during
the
War of the Third
Coalition.
Following the peace, von Hiller was made
commander of Salzburg
and Upper
Austria.
When war with France broke out in 1809, von Hiller was given
command of VI Armee Korps covering the left wing of the main
Austrian army. Engaged and defeated on April 21 at the
Battle of Landshut, he became
separated from the main army.
After Archduke Charles's defeat
at the Battle of Eckmuhl, von
Hiller took overall command of V and VI Armee Korps and retreated
in good order toward Linz
from April
25 to May 3. On the latter date he fought a savage action
with
André Masséna's corps
at the
Battle of Ebersberg. This
defeat forced von Hiller to withdraw across the Danube at
Mautern.
In the
Battle of
Aspern-Essling, von Hiller commanded the extreme right of the
Austrian line. His corps fought well during the desperate
two days of fighting in the town of Aspern and contributed
materially to the Austrian victory.
He resigned his command shortly before the
Battle of
Wagram
. In August 1809
Francis II of Austria appointed him
Feldzeugmeister.
Following
peace with France, von Hiller was made commanding general of
Croatia
and, in 1811, of Slavonia and Styria. In
1813 he commanded the Italian theater, opposing the army of
Eugène de Beauharnais.
While von Hiller was not defeated, his cautious operations failed
to achieve a decisive victory, and he was recalled.
References
- Chandler, David. The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York:
Macmillan, 1966.
External references
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