Heinrich August Friedrich von Reitzenstein

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Heinrich August Friedrich von Reitzenstein (born December 22, 1747 at Schwarzenstein Castle , Naila , † April 18, 1823 in Berlin ) from the Unter-Schwarzenstein family was a Prussian major general and last chief of the cuirassier regiment of the same name .

Life

origin

His parents were Freiherr Christoph Heinrich Erdmann von Reitzenstein (1702–1778) and his wife Sophie Elisabeth, née von Kommerstedt. His brothers were also in the military: Karl August was in imperial service, Christoph Ludwig Rudolph was in Ansbacher, and later in Prussian service .

Military career

Heinrich von Rei (t) zenstein, Primier Lieutnant, painted by JM Schwabeda in 1788

Reitzenstein came to the court of the Margrave of Bayreuth as a page at a young age . In 1768 he joined the Prussian Army and was transferred to the newly established infantry regiment in 1771 . In 1776, Margrave Karl Alexander von Ansbach-Bayreuth transferred him to his dragoon regiment as prime lieutenant . There he became captain in 1786 and on February 26, 1787 major and commander of the 2nd battalion. Reitzenstein fought in the First Coalition War against France in 1793/94 on the Rhine . For his behavior in the Battle of Pirmasens on September 14, 1793, he received the order Pour le Mérite .

In 1797 Reitzenstein became lieutenant colonel and commander of the Gensdarmes regiment in Potsdam. In 1802 he was appointed major general and in 1804 he became chief of the cuirassier regiment "von Borstell". He was used in unrest in the Altmark , which earned him the nickname "strict lord of the Altmark". Reitzenstein took part in the Fourth Coalition War with his regiment . On October 14, 1806 he fought in the battle of Auerstädt and attacked the French Davout corps near Hassenhausen on orders from Blücher . Reitzenstein was wounded in the attack and taken prisoner. During the liberation war in 1813 he was inspector of the Vorpommerschen Landwehr. Reitzenstein retired in 1815 and died on April 18, 1823 in Berlin.

family

Reitzenstein was married to Henriette Amalie Dorothea von Heyden-Linden (1771-1823) since February 6, 1790 . The couple had several children including:

  • Karl Friedrich Ludwig Moritz (1793–1846), Prussian major general ⚭ Albertine (Bertha) Countess von Chasot (1795–1858), daughter of Ludwig von Chasôt
  • Heinrich Hans Wilhelm (1796–1865), Prussian infantry general ⚭ May 24, 1822 Johanna von Baumann (1802–1855)
  • Richard Heinrich Friedrich (born January 1, 1798; † April 22, 1843) ⚭ July 25, 1835 Christiane Frederike Sophie Erdmuthe von Wolff von Endenberg (born June 14, 1809; † September 29, 1870)

literature

personal data
SURNAME Reitzenstein, Heinrich August Friedrich von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian major general, chief of the cuirassier regiment of the same name
DATE OF BIRTH December 22, 1747
PLACE OF BIRTH Schwarzenstein Castle , Naila
DATE OF DEATH April 18, 1823
Place of death Berlin