Karl von Adorján (1744-1799)

Karl von Adorján (1744 – 4 November 1799) was an officer of the Habsburg k.k. army who rose to the rank of Generalmajor during the War of the Second Coalition and was killed in action at Genola in Piedmont.

He was born at Adony in the County of Stuhlweißenburg (Székesfehérvár), in the Kingdom of Hungary. His recorded promotions were Major (1784), Oberstleutnant (1789), and Oberst (1795). On 2 October 1799 he was promoted provisional brigadier (Generalmajor), with confirmation dated 13 October 1799.

In the 1799 Italian theatre he served with the Austrian forces operating in northwestern Italy. He is described as the former commander of the k.k. 19th Hungarian Line Infantry Regiment (Alvinczy), and in operational orders of battle he appears as a brigade commander under Generalmajor Peter Ott’s division. The brigade is listed with the 19th Hungarian Line (Alvinczy) and elements of the 10th Line Infantry (former Kheul).

In late 1799 he replaced General Morzin in brigade command within the Austrian army under Melas. During the Battle of Genola (also known as Fossano) on 4 November 1799, he was killed by a cannonball while following the Elsnitz division.

Sources

• The Napoleon Series: “A Biographical Dictionary of all Austrian Generals during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars” (entry: Adorján, Karl von)
• The Napoleon Series: “The 1799 Campaign in Italy: The Battle of Genola”
• The Napoleon Series: “The 1799 Campaign in Italy: The Last Battles …”
• The Napoleon Series: “The 1799 Campaign in Italy: The Last Battles & the End of …”
• Wikipedia: “Battle of Genola”