Alexander of Ledebur

Alexander Friedrich Albrecht Heinrich Freiherr von Ledebur (born June 18, 1774 in Hamm ; † August 18, 1850 there ) was a Prussian lieutenant general .

Life

origin

Alexander came from the Westphalian noble family Ledebur . He was the seventh of nine sons of Christian Heinrich Ernst von Ledebur († 1794) and his wife Dorothea Marie Frederike, born Freiin von Goertz-Wrisberg . His father was chamber president and cathedral capitular in Minden as well as Mr. von Mühlenburg , Crollage and Fiegenburg . The later Prussian general of the cavalry August Ludwig von Ledebur (1776-1852) was his brother.

Military career

After the early death of his mother, Ledebur was brought up by a court master and in 1786 enrolled as a Junker in the "Jung-Woldeck" infantry regiment of the Prussian army in Minden. However, he was not on duty, came to the Pageninstitut in Potsdam in 1787 and was appointed the personal page of King Friedrich Wilhelm II the following year . At his own request, he took up service in his regiment as an ensign on June 7, 1790 and was promoted to second lieutenant on May 26, 1792 . As such, Ledebur took part in the cannonade of Valmy , the siege of Bitsch and the battles near Eschweiler , Herzogshand, Weidenthal, Bubenhausen, Burweiler, the Schänzel, Ruppersberg, Kaiserslautern and the Weißenburg line during the war against France in 1792/95 . He was able to prove himself several times and received the order Pour le Mérite on September 20, 1794 . As Prime Lieutenant he fought in 1806 in the Fourth Coalition War in the Battle of Auerstedt . While in retreat, Ledebur came to Blücher and after Ratkau's surrender he was briefly taken prisoner by the French. He was then made inactive.

After the Peace of Tilsit , Ledebur was aggregated on July 13, 1809 as a captain of the Leib-Infanterie-Regiment . From June 22nd to August 7th, 1810 he was captain and company commander in the 1st Silesian Infantry Regiment . He was then transferred back to the Leib-Infantry Regiment. At the beginning of the Wars of Liberation Ledebur fought with this association in the Battle of Großgörschen , was seriously wounded and was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd class on May 19, 1813 . Shortly thereafter, in mid-June 1813, he was promoted to major and commander of the depot battalion. On August 2, 1813 Ledebur was appointed commander of the fusilier battalion that he led in the battle of Ligny .

With a patent dated October 11, 1815, Ledebur was promoted to lieutenant colonel on October 3, 1815 and appointed commander of the 28th Infantry Regiment . In the same capacity, he took over the 13th Infantry Regiment on December 12, 1815 , which at that time was still stationed in Königsberg . In this position Ledebur advanced to colonel on March 30, 1819 with a patent from April 24, 1819 . This was followed by a position as commander of the 8th Landwehr Brigade in Erfurt on March 30, 1830 and promotion to major general on March 30, 1831. On March 30, 1838 he was appointed commander of Wesel . In recognition of his services, King Friedrich Wilhelm III. him a canon post in Zeitz . On the occasion of his 50th anniversary of service, Ledebur received the Order of the Red Eagle, 2nd class with oak leaves, on June 7, 1840 . On March 24, 1841, he was retired as a lieutenant general with a pension , and on July 15, 1841, he was put up for disposal with a pension . After 50 years of ownership, Ledebur received the crown of the order Pour le Mérite in 1844.

He was a legal knight of the Order of St. John and Lord of Scharfenberg .

family

Ledebur had married Wilhelmine Sophie Johanna Luise von Uslar-Gleichen (1777-1860) on October 18, 1797 in Mühlenburg . She was the daughter of kurhannoverschen Major General Carl August Wilhelm von Uslar (1722-1789). The marriage had twelve children, including:

• Karl Heinrich Ernst Wilhelm Georg (1798–1839), Prussian captain in the 16th Infantry Regiment
• Ludwig Justus Karl Heinrich (1804–1879), Prussian major in the Guard Fusilier Regiment
• Wilhelm Friedrich Karl Franz Alexander Ludwig (1806–1875), Prussian major

literature

• Kurt von Priesdorff : Soldier leadership . Volume 5, Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt Hamburg, undated [Hamburg], undated [1938], DNB 367632802 , pp. 122–125, no. 1453.
• Clemens Kroll: List of officers of the Leib Grenadier Regiment King Friedrich Wilhelm III. (1. Brandenburgisches) No. 8. ES Mittler & Sohn, Berlin 1899, pp. 130-131.