Heinrich von der Lahr

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Heinrich von der Lahr (born October 7, 1734 in Berlin , † October 17, 1816 in Neisse ) was a Prussian lieutenant general in the mine corps in Neisse. He was the author of the Mineurreglement von 1795 as well as several books on the subject of mine warfare , which were not made public at the time for reasons of secrecy.

Heinrich von der Lahr (around 1800)

Life

origin

He comes from the originally Dutch von der Lahr family. His grandfather was the Prussian general Peter du Moulin , his parents the merchant Gottfried von der Lahr from Frankfurt am Main and his wife, a née von Frey-Altenhoven.

Military career

Lahr went to the Berlin secondary school and then learned a businessman in Frankfurt am Main. At the instigation of his grandfather, he came to the cadets in Berlin . In 1751 he became an engineering candidate (designer) with Major Balbi in Potsdam. On August 30, 1755 he was appointed conductor of the engineers. At the beginning of the Seven Years' War , Lahr joined the army of Duke Ferdinand von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel . He sent him to Magdeburg in 1757 to prepare the fortress for defense. During this time he also taught the Prince of Prussia in fortress construction and topographical land survey. In 1758 Lahr was commanded to siege Olomouc and defend Neisse. On April 12, 1758, he became second lieutenant in the mining company of Pioneer Regiment No. 49 . In 1760 he was adjutant to major engineer Lefebvre in Neisse, but was captured on July 26, 1760 during the surrender in Glatz, from which he was released in 1763. He was first transferred to Silberberg , then to Glatz , and finally to Schweidnitz and was promoted to staff captain on October 10, 1773 .

During the War of the Bavarian Succession , he worked with a detachment of miners to straighten and build roads and bugs. In 1780 he wrote a treatise on the use of mines in siege warfare, which he presented to the king. On August 31, 1782 he became captain and company commander in the mine corps in Neisse. There he advanced to major on November 9, 1786 and on June 16, 1789 to lieutenant colonel and commander of the mine corps. On May 20, 1791 he was promoted to colonel with a patent dated June 8, 1791 . During the First Coalition War , Lahr was ordered to siege Mainz . The fortress was besieged according to his plans, for which he received the order Pour le Mérite . On July 23, 1793 he was promoted to major general. Lahr stayed in Mainz until 1795 to repair the fortifications . After the war on February 5, 1795, he returned to Neisse and received an allowance of 1000 thalers. On May 20, 1799 he was promoted to lieutenant general, and in September 1804 he was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle . In the Fourth Coalition War he was no longer to move, with the advance of the French into Prussia, as he had to fight in the defense of Neisse. Nevertheless, the fortress surrendered on June 16, 1807. This is how Lahr was captured. From August 1, 1807, like everyone else, he received only half his salary.

A request for re-employment on April 27, 1809 was rejected, also because the Mineurkorps had now come to the engineer troops. After the war he was on October 22, 1810 demittiert . In addition, he received a pension of 1200 thalers, of which only half was paid out. Since Lahr had a great reputation in the engineering corps, he was commissioned on January 27, 1811 to work out practical lessons for miners. It was not until 1815 that he received his full pension and an allowance of 300 thalers. He died in Neisse on October 17, 1816.

family

Lahr married Christiane Eleonore Schenk (1760–1797) in February 1778.

literature
personal data
SURNAME Lahr, Heinrich von der
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian lieutenant general of the engineering corps in Neisse
DATE OF BIRTH October 7, 1734
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH October 17, 1816
Place of death Neisse