Hugo von Kirchbach

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General Hugo von Kirchbach

Hugo Ewald von Kirchbach , from 1880 Count von Kirchbach (born May 23, 1809 in Neumarkt ; † October 6, 1887 Niesky ) was a Prussian infantry general .

Life

origin

He was the son of Franz Karl Helmuth von Kirchbach and his wife Babette, née Weiland († 1834). His father had died of a fever as the Prussian captain and adjutant of Major General Losthin during the campaign in France on May 12, 1814 near Neuville-Saint-Vaast .

Military career

From 1820 Kirchbach visited the cadet houses in Kulm and Berlin and on April 5, 1826 was transferred to the 26th Infantry Regiment of the Prussian Army in Magdeburg as Portepeefähnrich. A year later, on March 29, 1827, he received his officer license . In 1831/34 Kirchbach graduated from the General War School and was a battalion adjutant from January 1, 1835. At the beginning of June 1838 he was assigned to the topographic office. As a prime lieutenant , Kirchbach was adjutant of the 7th Division for four years from March 1841 and was then promoted to captain adjutant of the 8th division . In October 1845 Kirchbach was given seven months' leave to travel to France , Italy , Austria and southern Germany .

In late November 1848 came to Erfurt to revolutionary unrest , was involved in the crackdown Kirchbach. For this he was awarded the Red Eagle Order IV Class with Swords. Promoted to major on December 28, 1850 , he was transferred six months later as an adjutant to the General Command of the Guard Corps in Berlin. This was followed by an activity as a teacher at the General War School from October 1, 1855 to June 30, 1858. In the meantime, Kirchbach had been promoted to lieutenant colonel on October 15, 1856 . In addition to his teaching activities, he was from December 30, 1856 to December 9, 1857 department chief in the Great General Staff and then chief of the General Staff of the Guard Corps. In April 1858 he was also appointed a member of the study commission of the General War School.

After being used as Chief of the General Staff of the III. Army Corps , Kirchbach was appointed commander of the 36th Infantry Regiment in Halle on October 13, 1859 . From July 1, 1860, he commanded the 66th Infantry Regiment . In position à la suite of his regiment, Kirchbach was appointed commander of the 19th Infantry Brigade on January 19, 1863 and promoted to major general on March 17, 1863 .

In the German-Danish War of 1864 he commanded the mobile 21st Infantry Brigade in Schleswig. Promoted to lieutenant general in the mobilization in 1866 , he led the 10th division with great distinction in the German War . For his successful part in the battles of Nachod and Skalitz and in the battle at Schweinschädel , he received the order Pour le Mérite . During the Battle of Königgrätz he was not used, the V Army Corps did not reach the battle in time despite a forced march.

When the war against France broke out , Kirchbach was given command of the 5th Army Corps on July 18, 1870 and was appointed General of the Infantry on August 10, 1870 . He took an excellent part in the battle of Weissenburg and in the battle of Wörth , where he was slightly wounded in the neck. In the Battle of Sedan (September 1, 1870), he was given the task of closing the ring to the north which embraced the French army by making contact with the Maas army coming from the east and by paving the way for the French army. By occupying Versailles on September 19, 1870, he completed the siege of Paris in the south-west and had to cover the headquarters of King William I and the Crown Prince in Versailles until February 9, 1871 . He fought back all sorts of Parisians, including the last major sabotage on January 19, 1871 ( Battle of Mont Valérien ). In February he marched with his corps to Orléans , in March to Vesoul . On May 16, 1871 he was appointed commanding general of the 5th Army Corps. For his services in this war he was awarded the oak leaves for Pour le Mérite, the Grand Cross of the Württemberg Military Merit Order and the Commander's Cross of the Military Max Joseph Order . In addition, the Prussian king granted him an endowment of 100,000 thalers.

In March 1872 he bought an estate in Moholz in the Rothenburg district in Upper Lusatia from the endowment . After almost 54 years of service as a Prussian officer, Kirchbach was put up for disposal on February 3, 1880 while simultaneously being raised to the hereditary count primogenitur with pension .

Kirchbach was a legal knight of the Order of St. John .

Hugo von Kirchbach died in 1887 at the age of 78 and was buried in the Old St. Matthew Cemetery in Schöneberg near Berlin. The grave has not been preserved.

family

Kirchbach had married Anna Karoline Davide Schwartz (1826-1905) on March 11, 1844 in Magdeburg. The following children were born from the marriage:

  • Agnes Luise Davide (born April 25, 1845) ∞ Albert von Wolff (born May 4, 1832), Prussian colonel, son of Karl von Wolff
  • Hugo Philipp Robert (1846–1870), Prussian Second Lieutenant in the Guard Fusilier Regiment
  • Elisabeth Ida Mathilde (born December 20, 1847) ∞ Otto Theodor von dem Knesebeck (1832–1910), Prussian major general
  • Günther Emanuel (1850–1925), Prussian Colonel General

Awards, honors

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels , Adelslexikon. Volume VI, p. 237. Volume 91 of the complete series, CA Starke Verlag, Limburg (Lahn) 1987.
  2. ^ Hans-Jürgen Mende: Lexicon of Berlin tombs . Haude & Spener, Berlin 2006. p. 304.
personal data
SURNAME Kirchbach, Hugo von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kirchbach, Hugo Ewald from
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian general of the infantry
DATE OF BIRTH May 23, 1809
PLACE OF BIRTH Neumarkt
DATE OF DEATH October 6, 1887
Place of death Niesky