GORGEI, ARTHUR (1818-1916), Hungarian soldier, was born at Toporcz, in Upper Hungary, on Jan. 3o, 1818, of a Saxon family. In 1837 he entered the Hungarian bodyguard, trans ferring in 1842 to the Palatine Hussars. In the revolutionary war of 1848, Gorgei offered his sword to the Hungarian Govern ment. Entering the Honved army with the rank of captain, he was employed in the purchase of arms, and soon became major and commandant of the national guards north of the Theiss. After various successes over the Croatian forces, notably at Ozora, where Io,000 prisoners fell into his hands, Gorgei was ap pointed commander of the army of the Upper Danube, but when Windischgratz advanced across the Leitha (Dec. 15), he retreated, despite the remonstrances of Kossuth, whom he disliked; and on Jan. 5, 1849 he issued a public manifesto, blaming the Govern ment for Hungary's recent failures. After conducting operations independently and with Klapka, he was appointed Hungarian commander-in-chief after the battle of Kapolna (Feb. 1849) and won a series of brilliant victories. The relief of Komoru (April 22) forced the Austrian troops to evacuate Hungary, and on May 21 Gorgei took Buda.
Meanwhile Kossuth at Debreczen had proclaimed Hungary a republic. Gorgei, who had, strangely enough, a strong dislike of Magyars, refused a field-marshal's baton but consented to be come minister of war, while retaining the command of the troops in the field. The Russians had now intervened in the struggle, the allies were advancing into Hungary on all sides, and Gorgei was defeated by Haynau at Pered (June 2o-21) . Kossuth re signed his position as dictator. Gorgei took his place, and find ing the military position hopeless, surrendered at Vilagbs to the Russian commander (Aug. 13) . Alone of the ex-Austrian officers in his force, Gorgei escaped court-martial, at the tsar's personal intervention. He was interned at Klagenfurt till 1867, when he was pardoned and returned to Hungary, but took no part in pub lic life, as his surrender and the personal pardon granted him led the Hungarians to accuse him of treason. After some years work as a railway engineer he retired to Visegrad, where he lived in retreat until his death on May 21, 1916.
Gorgei wrote a justification of his operations (Mein Leben and Wirken in Ungarn 1848-1859 (Leipzig, 1852), an anonymous paper under the title Was verdanken wir der Revolution? (1875), and a reply to Kossuth's charges (signed "Joh. Demar") in Budapesti Szemle, 1881, 25-26. See also A. G. Horn, Gorgei, Oberkommandant d. ung. Armee (Leipzig, 185o) ; Kinety, Gorgei's Life and Work in Hungary 0853) ; and HUNGARY: History.