Karl Friedrich August von Seydewitz

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Karl Friedrich August Graf von Seydewitz , born as Curt Friedrich August Graf von Seydewitz , (born May 18, 1769 in Pülswerda , † August 19, 1816 in Munich ) was a Bavarian Major General and Knight of the Military Max Joseph Order .

Life

origin

Curt Friedrich August Graf von Seydewitz came from the old Saxon noble family von Seydewitz . In 1731 the family received the status of imperial baron . In 1743 August Friedrich Freiherr von Seydewitz was raised to the rank of imperial count . Since he died unmarried, Emperor Joseph II transferred the state count to his nephew Curt Gottlob Graf von Seydewitz (1735-1809) on July 10, 1775 . Curt Gottlob, royal Saxon chamberlain and lieutenant colonel , married Dorothea von Nischwitz (1744–1823) in 1765. They were the parents of Karl Friedrich August. His younger brother Alexander Graf von Seydewitz (* 1783) fell during the Russian campaign in 1812 as a royal Saxon cavalry master .

Military career

Seydewitz initially served in the Saxon electoral Garde du Corps . He left this service after 18 years as Rittmeister and was appointed major and wing adjutant in the Bavarian cavalry on August 3, 1799 . On October 12, 1801 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the cuirassier regiment "Minucci" and on October 13, 1803 to colonel . On November 4, 1804 he came with this rank to the 2nd Dragoon Regiment "Taxis" .

With the association he took part in the war against Austria in 1805 . In the battle near Lofer on November 3, 1805, he was able to cover the retreat of his own troops with a cavalry attack and prevent persecution by the Austrians. When the Austrians handed over the Kufstein Fortress , Seydewitz was appointed parliamentarian , where he contributed to the fast and advantageous handover of the fortress. In the battle near Iglau in Moravia on December 5, 1805, he was able to successfully cover the retreat of the Bavarian corps under General Wrede . With two squadrons of dragoons , he managed to repel an attack by Austrian Uhlans . Lieutenant General Wrede thanked Colonel Seydewitz by name in a corps order of December 7, 1805 for his commitment. On May 1, 1806, the officer corps von Seydewitz 2nd Dragoons Regiment, in a petition addressed to the General Command and backed up with certificates, applied for their colonel's admission to the Military Max Joseph Order for his actions during the campaign of 1805. Lieutenant General Deroy , Knight of the Grand Cross of the Military Max Joseph Order, recognized Seydewitz's brave behavior repeatedly, but did not believe he could find sufficient reasons to apply for admission to the order.

In October 1806 Seydewitz led the 2nd Dragoon Regiment in the campaign against Prussia and Russia . On January 1 and 2, 1807 he was able to distinguish himself again in the battle at Weizenrodau and Seiferdau. In the battle near Wartha on February 8, 1807, Seydewitz had driven the Prussian troops out of their entrenchment and brought several prisoners. He is mentioned in the army order of March 15, 1807.

On November 6, 1808, Seydewitz was promoted to major general and brigadier of the cavalry. As such, he led the cavalry brigade of the 3rd Division in the campaign against Austria in 1809 . It consisted of the 2nd Dragoon Regiment "Taxis" and the 4th Chevaulegers Regiment "Bubenhoven" . With both regiments he again covered the retreat of the 3rd Deroy Division from Landshut to Pfeffenhausen and was able to repel numerous attacks by the Austrians. During the fighting, Seydewitz himself was freed from the midst of enemy cavalry by NCOs and soldiers of the 4th Chevaulegers Regiment and thus saved from captivity. General Seydewitz earned a special award in the following battle near Eggmühl on April 22, 1809. An Austrian battery of 16 guns and covered by numerous cavalry detachments prevented the Bavarian and French troops from proceeding. An attack by the French cavalry was ineffective. Napoleon personally then ordered Seydewitz to attack the battery. At the head of the 4th Chevaulegers Regiment, General Seydewitz reached the enemy cannons and was initially able to drive out the cover and the operating crew. A counterattack by the Austrian Chevaulegers forced him to retreat, but in a new attack, supported by a Württemberg cavalry brigade and a French cuirassier regiment, he was able to capture the guns a second time and finally, and thus bring about the decision in the battle.

An army order dated May 9, 1809 expressly praised Seydewitz's behavior and that of his unit. Already in the brevet of May 5, 1809, with an army order of June 25, 1809, Seydewitz received the officer's cross of the French Legion of Honor . He was awarded the Knight's Cross with a brevet from March 5, 1807 and an army order from March 31, 1807. On August 29, 1809, a chapter of the Military Max Joseph Order was held in Rosenheim, chaired by General Vincenti . Based on the certificates issued by Marshal Lefebvre , Division General Douet, Lieutenant General Deroy and the officers of the 2nd Dragoons Regiment and the 4th Chevaulegers Regiment, the Chapter unanimously decided to accept Major General von Seydewitz as a knight in the order . Seydewitz had personally applied for the award. With an army order of November 28, 1809, he was named a Knight of the Military Max Joseph Order because of his award in the Battle of Eggmühl.

In the Russian campaign of 1812 he led the 1st Cavalry Brigade, which included the 1st, 3rd and 6th Chevaulegers Regiment of the 1st Bavarian Army Corps. But on July 11, 1812, he had to return to Bavaria from Ollona due to illness. Seydewitz died on August 19, 1816 at the age of 47 in Munich. On August 5, 1842, a fortress near Germersheim was named after him in memory of him .

Marriage and offspring

Seydewitz married Clementine Countess von Callenberg (1770-1850) in 1799 . The marriage resulted in son Maximilian (1800–1872). He was royal Prussian district administrator of the district of Torgau and in 1867 the Reichstag of the North German Confederation elected. Countess Clementine's first marriage was to Ludwig Carl Hans Erdmann Graf von Pückler . From this marriage came Hermann von Pückler-Muskau , among others .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The name Karl or Carl was mistakenly used during his lifetime, while he - like his father - called himself Curt or Kurt and was also baptized under this name.
personal data
SURNAME Seydewitz, Karl Friedrich August von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Seydewitz, Karl Friedrich August Graf von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bavarian major general
DATE OF BIRTH May 18, 1769
PLACE OF BIRTH Pülswerda
DATE OF DEATH August 19, 1816
Place of death Munich