Eduard von Pestel

Eduard von Pestel

Franco-German garden , Pestelgrab in Ehrental

Eduard von Pestel (born May 18, 1821 in Münster , † March 24, 1908 in Wiesbaden ) was a Prussian lieutenant general . He was an honorary citizen of Saarbrücken and Sankt Johann and was considered by the city population as a war hero of the Franco-German War of 1870/71 .

Life

origin

He was a grandson of the Prussian Chamber Councilor Christoph Heinrich von Pestel (1736–1794). It was not until he was appointed director of the Märkische War and Domain Chamber that the entire family was ennobled in 1787 . His father was the government councilor Georg von Pestel (1783–1846), his mother Sabine Melusine Wilhelmine Magdalene Christiane, née Countess von Hardenberg (1781–1850). Eduard married Julie Eichhorn in July 1862, and the couple had a son and three daughters. He was a member of the Düsseldorf Freemason Lodge "To the three allies".

His grave is in the cemetery of the Ehrental in Saarbrücken, today part of the Franco-German garden .

Military career

After joining the Prussian Army as an officer candidate , Pestel first passed the Portepee- Ensign examination. He joined the 11th Hussar Regiment as an ensign in 1838 . In 1849 he participated in the Prussian-Danish War . His promotion to Rittmeister followed in 1856. In 1866 he took part in the war of German unification and became a staff officer in the Westphalian Dragoon Regiment No. 7 . From 1869 to 1874 he commanded the 7th Uhlan Regiment stationed in Saarbrücken at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 . On July 26, 1870, Pestel was promoted to lieutenant colonel there. On September 6, 1870 his unit relocated and he took part in the siege of Metz , on November 27, 1870 in the battle of Longpré near Amiens . His promotion to colonel followed on August 18, 1871. In 1874 he was transferred to Wiesbaden for the last time, where his active career also ended.

After his departure , Pestel was given the character of Lieutenant General in 1890 .

Defense of Saarbrücken in 1870

Major von Pestel achieved local fame as the commander of the 7th Uhlan Regiment in the Franco-German War defending Saarbrücken in July 1870. With a regimental strength of only 900 men and without a shot of ammunition, he succeeded with pretense, with the active participation of the townspeople a secure defensive position to prevent the overpowering French opponent with 20,000 men from taking Saarbrücken for 14 days. In the further course, the French only reached a hasty march through, which is why the civilian population was spared looting and Pestel advanced to the (popular) "Heroes of Saarbrücken". In gratitude, he was made an honorary citizen 25 years after the end of the war.

Honors

Ulanendenkmal at Saarbrücker Staden

• Iron Cross 2nd class on September 6, 1870
• Iron Cross 1st Class and Knight's Cross of the Military Karl Friedrich Order of Merit on December 28, 1870
• Commander's Cross 2nd class with swords of the Order of the Zähringer Löwen on August 18, 1871
• Order Pour le Mérite on January 19, 1873
• Appointed honorary citizen of the cities of Sankt Johann and Saarbrücken on September 24, 1896
• Unveiling of a portrait memorial in the Ehrental in Saarbrücken on March 25, 1910
• The Pestelstrasse in the Saarbrücken district of Alt-Saarbrücken was named after him
• The Großherzog-Friedrich-Strasse , located in the Saarbrücken district of Sankt Johann, was named after the namesake of his Uhlan regiment

literature

• Rolf Straubel : Biographical manual of the Prussian administrative and judicial officials 1740–1806 / 15 . In: Historical Commission to Berlin (Ed.): Individual publications . 85. KG Saur Verlag, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-598-23229-9 , pp. 724 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
• History of the 2nd Westphalian Hussar Regiment No. 11 and its main troops, part 3, p.372

Web links

• Eduard von Pestel on Saarland biographies
• The guard of Saarbrücken. Poem by Hugo Gaedcke in: Max Dittrich, Deutsche Heldengräber im Reichslande. online ; Rabenstein 1895; P. 51. (last accessed on November 10, 2014)