Christoph Hermann von Manstein

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Christoph Hermann von Manstein (born September 1, 1711 in Saint Petersburg , † June 27, 1757 at Welemin ) was a Prussian major general .

Life

origin

Christoph Hermann was the son of Ernst Sebastian von Manstein (1678–1747) and his wife Dorothea von Ditmar. His father was a Russian lieutenant general and governor of Reval .

Military career

Manstein was tutored by private tutors and was intended for Russian military service. But when the Prussian Major General Christian Ludwig von Kalsow visited the Mansteins on a trip to St. Petersburg, Manstein changed his mind and was persuaded to remain in Prussian service . He came to the cadets, where he stayed for three years. He then became a flag junior in the "Friedrich von Braunschweig" regiment and in 1730 an ensign . As such, he spent some time advertising .

Russian services

During a visit to his parents in Reval, his father advised him to take up Russian services with the prospect of getting ahead more quickly. But only a conversation with Tsarina Anna convinced him, and so he became captain of the grenadier in the St. Petersburg regiment. 1735 the regiment moved to the Crimea in the war against the Turks. Manstein distinguished himself in the assault on the enemy lines at Perekop and was wounded twice. The Tsarina appointed him second major for this. In 1737 he took part in the conquest of Oczakow , was injured in the foot and promoted to premier major. He took part in two more campaigns against the Tatars and the Turks. After the peace agreement in 1739, Manstein was appointed lieutenant colonel and adjutant general to Field Marshal Münnich by the tsarina .

When the Tsarina died in 1740, the Duke of Biron was given guardianship over the future Tsar, but his mother wanted to depose Biron. She turned to Field Marshal Münnich. It was decided to arrest the duke. The dangerous enterprise was entrusted to Lieutenant Colonel Manstein. He did it with great skill. After the successful enterprise, he was promoted to colonel and given command of the Astrakhan Regiment. The reward included four large estates in Ingermanland . In 1741 war broke out with Sweden . Manstein led a brigade there into the battle of Villmanstrand . During the war he was wounded several times, including a shot in the loin, forcing him to abandon the campaign and return to St. Petersburg for treatment. In the meantime Elisabeth became tsarina and Manstein took his regiment and his goods. He had to leave St. Petersburg within 24 hours and was assigned to a garrison in St. Anna on the Siberian border. After many requests and interventions, he came to Livonia to join the Second Moscow Regiment. He was transferred to the Russian fleet in 1743, until the peace of July 27, 1743.

Then he came with his regiment to the city ​​of Weissenstein in Livonia. Accused of treason by a disapproving court officer, he was arrested but an investigation found his innocence. But events had ruined his service. He applied for dismissal, which was denied. But he got a six-month vacation. In 1744 he was in Berlin. There he tried to convince the Russian ambassador von Gernischeff to effect his dismissal, but he refused. In 1745 he entered Prussian services without being dismissed. The Russian court first tried unsuccessful threats and then arrested his father, but that didn't impress him either.

Prussian services

Manstein was appointed adjutant general by Friedrich II on March 15, 1745 . He remained in this position until the Peace of Dresden . After the war he was engaged in various state affairs and was appointed major general on September 12, 1754.

With the Seven Years' War he joined the army of the Duke of Braunschweig , was able to conquer Tetschen Castle and collect contributions. In October 1756 the former Saxon regiment "Minckwitz" was handed over to him, which he trained over the winter. In 1757 he went to Prague via Neustadt in Bohemia , where he was still able to follow Austrian troops. In the subsequent Battle of Kolin , he fought on the right wing and was injured in the left arm. With his unauthorized attack on the left Austrian wing, he was largely responsible for the loss of the battle.

After the battle he was ordered to Dresden to cure his injuries. The king gave him a guard of a hundred men, but on June 27, near Welmina (now Velemín ), the convoy of 800 Croatians and Pandours were attacked. Since he did not want to surrender, Manstein was shot after violent resistance.

He was also known through his book Mémoires historiques, politiques et militaires sur la Russie par le Général de Manstein (Paris 1771), which gives a deep insight into the conditions in the Russian army.

family

Manstein married Christiane Juliane von Finck (1723–1767) in Saint Petersburg on January 21, 1741. The couple had three sons and five daughters, including:

  • Hermann Johann Ernst (1742–1808), Prussian lieutenant general
  • Dorothea Elisabeth (* 1743)
  • Juliane Sophia Luise (* 1746)
  • Sophia Charlotte Albertine (* 1749)
  • Eleonore Hedwig (* 1750)
  • Karl Ferdinand Hans (* 1754)

He also adopted Ludwig von Steinmann (approx. 1730-1815) of Turkish origin, who died as a Prussian colonel.

General Friedrich August von Finck (1718–1766) was his brother-in-law.

One of his descendants, Gustav von Manstein (1805–1877), commanded the IX in the Franco-German War in 1870/71 . Army Corps . This in turn was the adoptive grandfather of Erich von Lewinski, called von Manstein , Field Marshal General in World War II.

literature

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personal data
SURNAME Manstein, Christoph Hermann von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian major general
DATE OF BIRTH September 1, 1711
PLACE OF BIRTH St. Petersburg
DATE OF DEATH June 27, 1757
Place of death at Welmina