Georg Wilhelm von Hofmann

Georg Wilhelm von Hofmann (born December 24, 1777 in Wetzlar , † November 30, 1860 in Neuwied ) was a Prussian infantry general .

Life

origin

His parents were the court procurator and lawyer Kasper Friedrich von Hofmann and his wife Elisabeth Johannette, née Freudenberg.

Military career

Hofmann was brought up in his parents' house and came in March 1796 as a private corporal in the infantry regiment "Ferdinand of Prussia" . On October 1, 1797 he came as a second lieutenant in the newly established infantry regiment "de Courbière" and from there on February 11, 1800 in the infantry regiment "von Larisch" . On March 20, 1803 Hofmann was transferred to the General Staff as an adjutant . In the Fourth Coalition War he fought in the battle of Auerstedt and in the battles near Heilsberg and Braunsberg. He was wounded near Braunsberg and received the Order of St. Vladimir IV Class.

After the war, he joined the General Staff on June 19, 1807 as Chief of Staff. Hofmann took his leave as captain on November 30, 1807 to go into Russian service. There he became a major in the General Staff in 1810 and a lieutenant colonel in 1811 . During Napoleon's Russian campaign in 1812 , he fought in the battles near Vitebsk , the Battle of Smolensk , Borodino , Tarutino , Vyasma and Krasnoye . In Borodino he earned the Order of St. Anne . During the Wars of Liberation , Hofmann fought in the battles near Großgörschen , Bautzen , Kulm , Leipzig , Bar-sur-Aube , Arcis-sur-Aube , Paris , Ligny , Belle Alliance and at the siege of Platzburg and the blockade of Kehl. During that time he received the order Pour le Mérite on May 18, 1813 , a sword of honor for Leipzig, the Austrian Leopold Order at Bar-sur-Aube , and the Order of Saint Vladimir III for Paris. Class and finally the Iron Cross 2nd class at Belle Alliance . On May 5, 1813, he was promoted to colonel and appointed chief of the general staff of the 2nd Russian Infantry Corps. On August 11, 1814, he returned to the Prussian service, where he was initially a colonel without a patent.

On March 23, 1815 he joined the 1st Army Corps as an interim brigade commander, and on September 17, 1815 he was appointed chief of the 3rd Brigade. From October 5, 1815, he was employed as a commander of the fortress of Koblenz and Ehrenbreitstein . In this position Hofmann received the patent for his rank on August 12, 1816 . On March 30, 1820, he was promoted to major general with patent from April 3, 1820. On January 5, 1826, he was transferred to the 13th Infantry Brigade as commander. On January 18, 1830 he received the Order of the Red Eagle III. Class and on December 8, 1830 he was commander of the 16th Infantry Brigade and on March 10, 1832 commander of the 10th Infantry Brigade. On January 18, 1833, he was awarded the Red Eagle Order III. Class and on March 30, 1833 he was promoted to lieutenant general. On October 1st, 1834 Hofmann was entrusted with the business as 1st Commander of Posen . On September 9, 1835 he was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle II. Class with Oak Leaves, and on September 30, 1835 he was awarded the Order of Saint Anne II. Class. On March 26, 1838, he received his departure with a pension of 3430 thalers. Shortly thereafter, Hofmann was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle First Class on April 21, 1838 and the character of General of the Infantry on May 14, 1850 . He died on November 30, 1860 in Neuwied.

family

Hofmann married on December 11, 1818 in Heddersdorf (Neuwied district) Emilie von Runckel (* March 22, 1800, † February 13, 1868), the daughter of the captain and mayor of Heddersdorf. The daughter Marie Elisabeth Friederike Wilhelmine Sophie (* October 5, 1819, † December 26, 1890) emerged from the marriage and later married the Prussian captain Alfred Friedrich Max von Chappuis (* August 16, 1810).

He was the last member of the Hofmann family, which was ennobled in 1778 . Therefore, on March 4, 1854, a coats of arms and name association of Hofmann and Chappuis was approved and thus the line of Hofmann-Chappuis was created.

Works

• On the history of the campaign of 1813. Posen 1838, digitized
• The battle near Leipzig. Posen 1835, digitized
• Edged. Koblenz 1859, digitized

literature

• Kurt von Priesdorff : Soldier leadership . Volume 4, Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt Hamburg, undated [Hamburg], undated [1937], DNB 367632799 , pp. 329-330, no. 1337.
• Marcelli Janecki : Handbook of the Prussian Nobility. Volume 1, p. 219.
• Alfred von Hofmann-Chappuis (ed.): The postponed correspondence between Duke Eugen von Württemberg and the chief of his staff during the war years of 1813 and 1814, the then Colonel in Russian service Georg Wilhelm von Hofmann, as well as a sketched life picture of the latter. Cannstatt 1883.
• Richard von Meerheimb :  Hofmann, Georg Wilhelm von . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 12, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1880, p. 629.