Friedrich August von Erlach

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Friedrich August Freiherr von Erlach (born May 11, 1721 in Altenburg ; † November 17, 1801 in Groß Sürding near Breslau ) was a Prussian lieutenant general and chief of a regiment named after him. He was a (two-time) knight of the Pour le Mérite and heir to Ober- and Nieder- Groß Sürding and Bogenau .

origin

Friedrich August von Erlach from the old Bernese patrician family von Erlach was the second son of the Court Marshal of Anhalt-Bernburg , August Leberecht von Erlach (* January 12, 1680 - December 16, 1754), and Dorothea Elisabeth von Schenk from the Flechtingen family ( * March 23, 1692; † June 6, 1762). His sister Sophie Eleonore Friederike († December 1781) was married to Lieutenant General Karl August von Backhof .

Life

In 1740 he joined the “Marnitz on foot” regiment in Halberstadt as a flag junior . In the same year he became an ensign . In 1744 he became Second Lieutenant and in 1756 Premier Lieutenant . In 1750 he was promoted to staff captain and in 1753 to real captain . In 1759 he became a major .

During the Seven Years' War he fought in the battles of Hohenfriedberg , Kesselsdorf (shot in the arm), Kolin , Roßbach , Kunersdorf (badly injured in the hip) and Torgau .

In the battle of Lobositz he acquired the order Pour le Mérite . During the siege of Prague he was able to distinguish himself again; in the fighting for Sankt Sebastiansberg he led a company of 400 volunteers. He succeeded in overcoming the entrenchment on the left wing. For this success he received the Pour le Mérite again. However, he gave this back and rose in his regiment further.

After his serious injury in Kunersdorf , he was brought to Stettin and was able to recover there. Then he received the order to restore his regiment with recovered and new recruits. With this regiment he occupied the city of Nordhausen and was able to collect 200,000 thalers contribution for his king .

Unlike many others, he was able to continue his career after the battle of Maxen . In 1765 he became a lieutenant colonel and commander of the regiment. In 1770 he became a colonel and in June 1777 chief of the former regiment "Gablentz on foot" . In August of the same year he became major general . On March 3, 1787, he was appointed lieutenant general. From 1790 he lived in retirement on his estate in Groß Sürding, where he also died.

family

In 1763 he married Friederike Wilhelmine Christiane von Wallwitz (* June 16, 1739; † April 26, 1803). She was the widow of forester Wilhelm Gustav Rauchhaupt (* December 12, 1727, † September 25, 1762). The marriage resulted in two sons and three daughters:

  • Friedrich Ernst Johann (born June 9, 1764)
  • Carl Ferdinand Friedrich (* July 16, 1765; † (1841?)), Officer in the Prussian service
  • Luise Friederike Wilhelmine (* September 22, 1766) ⚭ May 14, 1790 Friedrich Ernst Christoph Ferdinand von Roëll (* November 30, 1767; † 1830), 1800–1804 heir to the small and large rich in the Lüben district , 1813 Rittmeister and adjutant in the 2nd Silesian Landwehr Cavalry Regiment, 1816 a. D., 1820 District Administrator of the Trebnitz District , son of the Prussian Major General Christoph Moritz von Roëll (* November 11, 1711 - April 27, 1797) and Ernestine Henriette von Hock from the House of Groß-Reichen († June 11, 1809)
  • Christine Auguste Charlotte (* November 7 (1767/1769); † February 22, 1817) ⚭ October 17, 1784 Count Friedrich von Pückler (* January 26, 1756 - November 11, 1806), parents of the later Prussian Lieutenant General Friedrich von Pückler
  • Helene Friederike Johanne (* July 31, 1770) ⚭ April 22, 1788 Otto Ferdinand von Zedlitz , heir to Teichenau (* September 1, 1753; † May 22, 1831)

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wilhelm Gustav von Rauchhaupt
  2. ^ 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. 250 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).
  3. ↑ Family tree
  4. ↑ Wedding announcement
  5. ↑ Family tree
personal data
SURNAME Erlach, Friedrich August von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian Lieutenant General and Chief of Infantry Regiment No. 40
DATE OF BIRTH May 11, 1721
PLACE OF BIRTH Altenburg
DATE OF DEATH November 17, 1801
Place of death Groß Sürding near Breslau