For successfully defending the fortress for two months, he received the Commander's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa in August 1796.

The city was strategically important for projecting Austrian power in Italy because it was a well-placed supply center and staging point for soldiers.

The critical line of communications from Austria to Italy began in Innsbruck and traced to Mantua via the Brenner Pass and the Adige River valley.

On 14 May, Canto d'Irles reported that his garrison numbered only 2,154 soldiers and that there were severe shortages of food, money, and artillerymen.

[9] In mid-May, Feldzeugmeister Johann Peter Beaulieu reinforced Mantua's garrison with substantial numbers of soldiers.

Canto d'Irles assigned these troops to guard an outer defense line, to repair the fortifications, and to bring in food from the surrounding area.

So instead, Bonaparte's forces raided the Papal States and the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, extorting large sums of money and seizing siege artillery.

[14] The Mantua garrison foiled a serious French attack on 16 July 1796, though Austrian casualties were 70 killed, 330 wounded, and 64 captured.

Having assembled sufficient siege guns, the French opened a bombardment of Mantua's defenses on 18 July and it continued for many days.

A letter from the new Austrian army commander Field Marshall Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser was smuggled into the city telling Canto d'Irles that he would be relieved by 2 August.

The garrison was reinforced by 7 infantry battalions and 1 cavalry squadron under Generalmajors Ferdinand Minkwitz and Leberecht Spiegel.

[18] On 10 August 1796, Canto d'Irles was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa.

[19] Wurmser evaded all French attempts to keep him from reaching Mantua and appeared before the city with 10,367 infantry and 2,856 cavalry on 14 September.

Wurmser and his generals were allowed to go free with 500 infantry, 200 cavalry, and 6 guns, while 16,324 soldiers became prisoners of war until they could be exchanged.

[22] Gravely ill, Canto d'Irles began to travel to Vienna, but he died on the way at Varaždin in Croatia[5] on 11 April 1797.