A minor French victory at Feistritz delayed Austrian expansion into the Illyrian Provinces but could not prevent France's eventual withdrawal from Illyria.
Key Facts
- Date
- 6 September 1813
- Distance from Klagenfurt
- 16 km southwest km
- River
- Drava River (right bank)
- Conflict
- War of the Sixth Coalition
- Outcome for Austria
- Defeated and forced to retreat
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
When Austria resumed hostilities with Imperial France, General Johann von Hiller led an Austrian army into the Illyrian Provinces. After France's viceroy Eugène de Beauharnais eliminated Austria's first bridgehead across the Drava River at Villach, Hiller established a second bridgehead at Feistritz, prompting Eugène to dispatch General Paul Grenier to destroy it.
On 6 September 1813, Grenier's Imperial French corps attacked the Austrian brigade commanded by August von Vécsey at Feistritz im Rosental. Despite determined resistance, the outnumbered Austrians were defeated and compelled to retreat, handing France a minor tactical victory in Carinthia.
Although the French repulsed the Austrian bridgehead at Feistritz, the victory was short-lived. Within weeks, Eugène de Beauharnais was forced to abandon Illyria entirely and withdraw to the borders of the Kingdom of Italy, rendering the engagement strategically inconsequential.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Paul Grenier, Eugène de Beauharnais.
Side B
1 belligerent
August von Vécsey, Johann von Hiller.