Ferdinand's first military service was in the Hessian Army, then as a volunteer in the
Austrian army in the
war against the Netherlands. He took part in the 1792–93 campaigns against the French and, after the
Treaty of Campo Formio on 17 October 1797, he was offered a post as major in the
Imperial Russian Army. In 1800 the Austrian army gave him permission to fight in the
war in Italy.
Napoleonic Wars He became a major general and general
aide-de-camp to
Alexander I of Russia in 1802 and was entrusted with diplomatic missions over the following years. Also, in 1805 in Berlin, he negotiated with Austria and Great Britain on behalf of the Prussians to form the three nations into an alliance against France. On 11 November 1805, at
Dürenstein, he received the
Order of St. George. He returned to the Austrian army in 1809, where he was made field marshal. He led the advance guard of the first brigade of general Bellegarde's army on 20 May at
Aspern, where he was wounded in the right leg. He returned to the Russian army in 1812 to face the
French invasion of Russia. In it he was made lieutenant general and grand cross of the
Military Order of Maria Theresa. On 21 October 1812 he led a unit of Cossacks trying to reach the
Kremlin by challenging several French posts at the head of a Cossack unit, but he and his aide-de-camp Narichzin were captured by lieutenant Leleu de Maupertuis of the 5th
Imperial Guard Chasseurs Regiment. He was freed by general
Alexander Chernyshyov and led the Russian Advance Guard Corps under
Kutuzov fighting at the in February 1813. He fought at the
battle of Lützen before being promoted to
General of the cavalry at the
battle of Leipzig in 1813. He followed the army of the North into Holland, fighting at
Hoogstraten, then rejoined the Prussian army under
Blücher and fought in the
Six Days' Campaign in 1814; his forces were involved in the next engagements of
Craonne,
Laon and
Saint-Dizier as well. ==Family==