Von Auffenberg was born in 1744 in
Oettingen, in the
Electorate of Bavaria. In 1766 he joined the
Imperial Army as a Cadet in the Infantry-Regiment No. 45. He served in this unit until 1788 when he became a Captain in a Serbian
Freikorps. Two years later he became a Major on the general staff and in 1791 returned to his old regiment. In 1793 he was made a Lieutenant Colonel in the Infantry-Regiment No. 47, becoming its commander and Colonel in 1794. For him the
War of the First Coalition began in 1793 with the
Austrian Netherlands campaign. He was promoted major general in February 1797 for his service at the
battle of Würzburg and
battle of Wetzlar. During the
War of the Second Coalition he commanded a corps in the Swiss
Graubünden. On 7 March 1799 he was beaten on the
Luziensteig by
André Masséna and his force and he was captured the following day when he withdrew to
Chur. He then fought alongside the Russians at
Saint-Gotthard and
Klöntal. He was freed after the
Treaty of Lunéville and rejoined the Austrian army, commanding a force of 5,500 men as a
Feldmarschallleutnant during the
War of the Third Coalition. From 1803 to 1807 he was owner and honorary colonel of the Infantry Regiment No. 37. At
Wertingen on 8 October 1805 he was beaten by French troops under
Joachim Murat. His defeat there opened the way to Austria's defeat at
Ulm and
Austerlitz and so he was court martialled in 1805, placed on the inactive list and dismissed from the army in 1807. ==See also==