Friedrich Wilhelm von Woedtke

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Friedrich Wilhelm von Woedtke (* 1736 ; † July 31, 1776 at Lake George ) was a Prussian officer and general in the Continental Army in the American War of Independence . He was the heir to Woedtke, Zirkwitz and Busslar.

He was the son of General Georg Eggert von Woedtke (1698–1756) and Johanna von Grapendorf († 1781).

Life

In January 1753, at the insistence of his father, he was accepted as an ensign in the body cuirassier regiment . He became a lieutenant and in 1758 King Friedrich II. De la Suite assigned. In 1762 he became a Brigade Major. Spending more money than he owned, he sent several requests to the king in 1770 for a promotion and more money. He was rebuked by the king and he vowed to get well soon. In 1771 he was given home leave to check on the Zapplin family estate after a fire . On the way back he stopped in Poznan without a permit , where he wanted to marry the daughter of the banker Siegmund Friedrich Goebel (* 1719; † 1776). He therefore applied for a marriage permit and an extension of leave. Both applications were rejected. When he returned, he was arrested and placed under arrest. At the end of January 1772 he asked for forgiveness for his unauthorized journey and for release from arrest; both were rejected. In the spring of 1773 he escaped from his arrest. His brother Leopold Christian von Woedtke Hauptmann in Dragoon Regiment No. 4 feared he would be taken into kin, so he assured the king of his loyalty, which the king confirmed. Friedrich Wilhelm von Woedtke was wanted because of desertion . His fortune was confiscated, which prompted the merchant Torchiana to quickly submit a bill of exchange from Woedtke for 3600 thalers. He was referred to the judiciary. Woedtke had fled to Switzerland in the meantime and wrote a letter to the king in April 1774, in which he asked for forgiveness.

His brother Leopold Christian also had money problems and wanted to sell the Zapplin estate. In June 1775 Friedrich Wilhelm wrote again to the king, this time from Paris, asking for his departure.

Friedrich Wilhelm von Woedtke came to the American colonies at the beginning of the revolution. There he received a letter of recommendation from Benjamin Franklin , who must have met him in Paris. So on March 16, 1776, Congress appointed him Brigade General and he joined the Northern Army under General Philip Schuyler in New York. The general sent him with John Thomas (General) to Quebec , which was then besieged by General Benedict Arnold . He then commanded the rearguard when the army withdrew under Arnold.

After the Americans' unsuccessful advance into British Canada , he was in a conference with General Schuyler and Horatio Gates at Fort Crown Point . Against the advice of 21 other officers, it was decided to withdraw to Mount Independence .

He died shortly afterwards near Lake George in July 1776. There he was buried with full honors. He seems to have been an alcoholic.

literature

  • Washington And The Generals Of The American Revolution. P. 252f. (Digitized version)
  • Rolf Straubel: "He just wants to know that the army is mine." Friedrich II. And his officers. Berliner Wiss.-Verlag, 2012, ISBN 978-3-8305-3017-6 , p. 305.

comment

  1. ↑ Woedtke. In: Ludwig Wilhelm Brüggemann: Detailed description of the current state of the Königl. Prussian Duchy of Vor and Hinter Pomerania. P. 459. (digitized version )
  2. ^ Goebel family tree
  3. ↑ The king refused and asked him to put his finances in order. In the spring of 1782 there was an investigation in Dragoon Regiment No. 4. Proceedings were opened against its chief and numerous officers. Because of his debts, Leopold Christian von Woedtke had to leave the army. Because of his debts, his portrait was put on the gallows on September 13, 1782 in Landsberg an der Warthe . He fled and died in Turkey.
  4. ^ Benson John Lossing: The pictorial field-book of the revolution. Volume 2, p. 123. (digitized version)
  5. ↑ James Wilkinson: Memoirs of my own times. Volume 1, p. 52, (digitized version)
  6. ↑ George Washington, Jared Sparks: The writings of George Washington. Volume 4, p. 6.
  7. ↑ James Wilkinson: Memoirs of my own times. Volume 1, p. 53, p. 135.
personal data
SURNAME Woedtke, Friedrich Wilhelm von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Woedtke, Frederick William Baron de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian officer, General of the Continental Army in the American War of Independence
DATE OF BIRTH 1736
DATE OF DEATH July 31, 1776
Place of death Lake George (New York)