Friedrich von Waldersee

Grave of Friedrich Graf von Waldersee in the old cemetery in Potsdam

Friedrich Gustav Graf von Waldersee (* July 21, 1795 in Dessau , †  January 15, 1864 in Potsdam ) was a Prussian lieutenant general , minister of war and military writer.

Life

origin

Friedrich was a son of Franz Graf Waldersee , a son of Prince Leopold III. Friedrich Franz of Anhalt-Dessau . His brother was Franz Heinrich Graf von Waldersee .

Military career

Waldersee started his military career in 1812 as a junker in the Guards Regiment on foot and in 1813 became a portepeefähnrich . As such, he took part in the Wars of Liberation and acquired the Iron Cross 2nd class in the battle of Großgörschen . In 1827 he became commander of the regiment's school department and in 1841 commander of the training infantry battalion. Since March 9, 1848 he was interim commander of the Kaiser Alexander Guard Grenadier Regiment No. 1 . With this he participated in the suppression of the March Revolution in Berlin in 1848 , and in the same year in the campaign against Denmark . Waldersee was awarded the order Pour le Mérite on September 18, 1848 for his services in the battle near Schleswig . In 1849 he commanded the Prussian and Saxon troops in the suppression of the Dresden May uprising . In 1850 he was a member of the state house of the Erfurt Union Parliament .

From May 1, 1850 to April 17, 1851 he was commander of the cadet corps . He then became commander of the 14th Landwehr Brigade. He retained this command even after his appointment on May 15, 1851 as an authorized representative at the Federal Military Commission in Frankfurt am Main . On January 3, 1852, he was appointed commander of the 14th Infantry Brigade and was promoted to major general on March 22, 1853. As such, on March 30, he was given high command of the federal troops stationed in Frankfurt am Main.

On May 5, 1854, Waldersee was initially charged with managing the affairs of the Minister of War. He received his appointment as Minister of State and War three months later. At the same time he was also head of the board of directors of the Great Military Orphanage in Potsdam. After he was promoted to lieutenant general on April 9, 1857, he retired from active service the following year on November 6 at his request with a pension and was put up for disposal under the award of the Order of the Red Eagle First Class with Oak Leaves . Another job he was offered as a commanding general of an army corps, he turned down with reference to his poor health.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the day of the Battle of Großgörschen, Waldersee was awarded the Order of the Crown, First Class, on May 2, 1863 .

family

On July 2, 1823, Waldersee married Ottilie von Wedel in Silligsdorf (* July 27, 1803 in Silligsdorf; † September 1, 1882 in Potsdam). He had the following children with her:

• Gustav Ludwig Otto Eduard (born February 6, 1826 in Potsdam, † April 18, 1861 in Wittenberg), Prussian major in Infantry Regiment No. 67

⚭ 1854 Anna von Redern (born January 26, 1830 - † October 8, 1888)

• Rudolf Karl (born November 15, 1827 in Potsdam, † August 11, 1870 in Altenstadt), Prussian major and commander of the Jäger Battalion No. 5

⚭ 1863 Anna von Redern (born January 26, 1830 - † October 8, 1888)

• Helene (June 1, 1830 - June 25, 1869)

⚭ Hans Friedrich Philipp Viktor Sigismund von Eisenhart-Rothe (* January 16, 1822 - November 24, 1886), son of Major General Friedrich von Eisenhart

• Bertha (born June 24, 1833 - † December 25, 1884)

Works

• The battle in Dresden in May 1849. Described and militarily illuminated with special consideration for the participation of the Prussian troops. Berlin 1849.
• The service of the infantry sergeant. Berlin later edition. 1895
• Guide to teaching the infantryman. Berlin 1903

literature

• Kurt von Priesdorff : Soldier leadership . Volume 6, Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt Hamburg, undated [Hamburg], undated [1938], DNB 367632810 , pp. 341-343, no. 1967.
• Bernhard von Poten :  Waldersee, Friedrich v. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 40, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1896, pp. 698-700.
• Jochen Lengemann : The German Parliament (Erfurt Union Parliament) from 1850. A manual: Members, officials, life data, parliamentary groups (= publications of the Historical Commission for Thuringia. Large series, Vol. 6). Urban & Fischer, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-437-31128-X , pp. 327-328.

Web links

Wikisource: Friedrich von Waldersee  - Sources and full texts

Commons : Friedrich von Waldersee  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Works by and about Friedrich von Waldersee  in the German Digital Library
• Friedrich Engels via Waldersee via the French army. (1861)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} August Gärtner: Bensberg und seine Kadettenhaus , Siegen 1862, p. 127 f.