Hugo von Kottwitz

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Hugo Freiherr von Kottwitz
Fusilier battalion in the battle of Loigny
Grave in the Pragfriedhof Stuttgart

Hugo Karl Ernst Freiherr von Kottwitz (born January 6, 1815 in Wahlstatt , † May 13, 1897 in Stuttgart ) was a Prussian infantry general .

Life

origin

He was the son of Karl Emil Rudolf Freiherr von Kottwitz (1785–1857) and his wife Auguste, née von Birckhahn (1791–1863).

Military career

On his 17th birthday, Kottwitz joined the 11th Infantry Regiment of the Prussian Army in Breslau. He stayed in this regiment until shortly before the German War on April 3, 1866, as a lieutenant colonel, he was appointed commander of the 4th Westphalian Infantry Regiment No. 17 . His regiment belonged to the Elbarmee and distinguished itself at the Battle of Königgrätz through the successful storming of the forest of Bor, which was held by Saxon troops . For this he received the Order of the Red Eagle III. Class with swords.

For the duration of the mobile relationship on the occasion of the war against France , Kottwitz was appointed commander of the 33rd Infantry Brigade on July 18, 1870 . This consisted of the Hanseatic Regiments No. 75 and 76 . The brigade was subordinate to the 17th Infantry Division and part of the VIII Army Corps under the command of the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg . Kottwitz was involved in the enclosure of Metz , Toul and Paris . In November 1870 he was part of the German advance towards Le Mans . The successful attack of his brigade on the place Loigny and the subsequent assertion of this position was decisive for the victory in the battle of Loigny and Poupry on December 2, 1870. After the conquest of Orléans he was involved in the decisive victory over the Loire army at Le Mans .

On the day of the Battle of Loigny, December 2, 1870, he appeared in the morning before the Fusilier Battalion of Infantry Regiment No. 76 and encouraged them to “remember the bravery of the Hanseatic people!” The battalion directed its attack to the north during the other battalions turned to Loigny . This shock surprised the French so much that they were overrun from their flank. They fled to the town of Fougeu and were also expelled from it. When the III. Battalion of the Infantry Regiment No. 76 was later converted to the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Hanseatic Infantry Regiment No. 162 , this event, and thus General von Kottwitz as part of it, formed the identity-giving myth of the Lübeck regiment.

After the end of the war in his position as commander of the 33rd Infantry Brigade, Kottwitz was transferred to the army officers on July 13, 1874 with the rank of division commander and commanded to Württemberg . Initially assigned to lead the 26th Division in Stuttgart , Kottwitz was appointed commander on July 23, 1874 and, as such, promoted to lieutenant general on January 18, 1875 . Released from his command in Württemberg on December 22, 1877, he finally became commander of the 1st division in Königsberg , which Kottwitz commanded until February 4, 1878. He then was awarded the Red Eagle, First Class with Oak Leaves and Swords with pension for disposition made.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Loigny and Poupry, Wilhelm II gave him the character of General of the Infantry on December 2, 1895 . Kottwitz was a knight of honor of the Order of St. John .

family

Kottwitz had married Alwine Adelaide Rosalie Charlotte von Eicke (1819-1892) on October 26, 1839. Several children emerged from the marriage:

  • Hugo Karl Alfred Eugen (1840–1885), captain a. D. ⚭ May 26, 1869 Helene Freiin von Kottwitz (* 1850) from the house of Cossar
  • Alfred Kurt Ludwig (* 1849) ⚭ 1882 Clara Luise Karoline Schnabel (* 1861)

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Hugo von Kottwitz  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Kottwitz, Hugo von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kottwitz, Hugo Karl Ernst Freiherr von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian general of the infantry
DATE OF BIRTH January 6, 1815
PLACE OF BIRTH Election instead
DATE OF DEATH May 13, 1897
Place of death Stuttgart