It was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, in honour of the Grande Chartreuse near Grenoble, and was known as Sankt Johannisberg or St. Johannes des Täufers Berg ("St John's Mount" or the "Mount of St. John the Baptist").
He was a successful commander during the War of the First Coalition in the region of Piemont 1797 and also during the War of the Second Coalition around Taufers (South Tyrol) and Susch (Engadin) in 1799 against Napoleon Bonaparte’s army.