August von Stockhausen

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August Wilhelm Ernst Stockhausen , von Stockhausen since 1798 (born February 19, 1793 in Berlin ; † March 31, 1861 there ) was a Prussian lieutenant general and minister of war in 1850/51 .

Life

origin

He was the fifth child of Lieutenant Colonel Christian Ludwig Stockhausen (1746-1820) from the Thuringian noble family Stockhausen , who was raised to the Prussian nobility in 1798, and his wife Johanna Susanne Friederike, née Lütcke (1761-1840).

Military career

In July 1804 Stockhausen joined the Prussian Army Feldjägerregiment on foot as a Junker . He took part in the battle of Jena in 1806 , was captured and, on orders from Napoleon , was taken to Berlin on Napoleon's staff and handed over to his mother. Promoted to Second Lieutenant on January 1, 1808 , Stockhausen joined the Guard Jäger Battalion at the end of December that year . During the Wars of Liberation in 1813/14 Stockhausen took part in the battles near Großgörschen , Bautzen and Paris . In the meantime promoted to prime lieutenant, he received the Iron Cross 2nd class for his services in the battle near Königstein on April 5, 1814 . After the peace treaty he rose to captain and company commander in mid-March 1816 and was promoted to major on March 13, 1824 . As such, he was transferred to the General Staff at the end of March 1830.

Between 1840 and 1842 he was Chief of the General Staff of the Guard Corps , which was then commanded by Prince Wilhelm . In 1845 he was appointed major general. A short time later he became inspector of the garrisons of the federal fortresses . In 1848 he was given command of the 9th Infantry Brigade in Poznan . Before he could take up this post, he became Chief of Staff of the Troops under General Friedrich von Wrangel in the war for Schleswig and Holstein . When Stockhausen arrived with the troops, the Danish units had already withdrawn to the islands.

In July 1848 he was appointed commander of the 1st division in Königsberg . However, he himself strove to become Minister of War and tried to campaign for himself in Berlin. When this was unsuccessful, he asked for retirement. This was approved for him when he was granted the character of lieutenant general with pension .

Furthermore, there were political forces who wanted to see Stockhausen as minister of war. For this reason, among other things, Stockhausen was elected to the second chamber of the Prussian state parliament . He was a member of parliament from 1849 until his resignation on May 9, 1849. There he belonged to the extreme right without being tied to any faction.

After the resignation of Karl Adolf von Strotha on February 27, 1850, he was appointed Minister of War. At times Stockhausen also had hopes for the office of Prime Minister. However, there were personal and factual differences with King Friedrich Wilhelm IV. Personally, the latter accused Stockhausen of being an "enemy of Pietism " and thus of Christianity. In fact, like his predecessor, Stockhausen was of the opinion that royal cabinet orders relating to personnel matters such as promotions had to be constitutionally countersigned by the Minister of War.

After Joseph von Radowitz was appointed Foreign Minister, Stockhausen tried to prevent an impending war with Austria. He was wrongly accused of deliberately delaying the preparations. Relations with the king remained tense and Stockhausen asked for his release several times. The king delayed this because there was no suitable replacement candidate. When Stockhausen refused to represent higher wages for officers of some guard regiments in parliament, he was dismissed on December 31, 1851. After that he held the post of President of the General Order Commission until 1853. Stockhausen was also a member of the First Chamber of Parliament in 1852/53.

After his death he was buried in the Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin.

family

Stockhausen married on November 18, 1824 in Angelroda Emilie Charlotte Sophie von Witzleben (born February 21, 1788 in Quedlinburg , † May 4, 1858 in Berlin), a daughter of Major General Heinrich Günther von Witzleben . The marriage remained childless.

literature
personal data
SURNAME Stockhausen, August von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Stockhausen, August Wilhelm Ernst from
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian Lieutenant General, Minister of War
DATE OF BIRTH February 19, 1793
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH March 31, 1861
Place of death Berlin