A Named Austrian Military Service Cross, Edward S. Haynes

A Named Austro-Hungarian Military Service Cross

The Austro-Hungarian Militar Verdientskreuz (Military Service Cross) is well known to generalist medal collectors, perhaps so well known that it is no longer taken with the seriousness it deserves. Several years ago, I acquired (in an auction "junk box") a Militar Verdienstkreuz 3. klasse mit der Kriegsdecoration (Military Service Cross, 3rd class, with War Decoration) -- in the 1860-1918 variety -- which, at first, seemed totally pedestrian. It had the standard Austrian trifold mount (although with pin on the back and suspended from a small ribbon length rather than the usual metal "eye and hook" arrangement, gilt War Decoration wreath on the obverse without enamel, and a bit knocked about in the enamel, but otherwise apparently unremarkable):

And more obverse detail:

But then came the reverse, and the happy surprise:

In the center, in the rather banged-about enamel, was a naming inscription:

INDIA.MAGENTA
GM.REISCHACH

Magenta, I knew, the clash on 4 June 1859 between Austro-Hungarian troops under General Gyulai and a rather unbalanced Piedmontese-French alliance which concluded with the commencement of the Austrian withdrawal from northern Italy. But India!?

And who was GM Reischach? A quick trip to the nearest research library (although a three-hour drive away!) yielded the 1865 Army list of the K.u. K. Austro-Hungarian Army, which included an entry for Carl Freiherr von Reischach, Major-General (1865), Grand Cross of the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle (1865), "K.u.K. wirlkicher geheimer Rath, Kämmerer, Vortseller der Kämmer seiner kaiserl. köngl. Höheit des Feldmarschall-Leutnant Erherzogs Franz Karl (in Wien [1865])." (Apologies, perhaps, for the German, but it portrays better than a lame English translation the close courtier relationship of my mystery major general with the Austrian-Hungarian imperial house.)

Beyond that, my sources do not presently allow me to trace Major-General Carl von Resichach, his career, or the origins of this mystery Military Service Cross. Most importantly (at least for this researcher), the "India" still constitutes a mystery, and research is underway to determine his possible services in India. Did he observe the 1857/58 "Mutiny", or was he present on other frontier operations as an observer? Such are the mysteries which sustain us a students of orders, decorations, and medals.

I hope to be able to add a "P.S." to this article as my research progresses.