Jakob von Colong

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Gravestone of General Jakob Clapier de Colongue in the Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin

Jakob von Colong (actually: Clapier de Colongue , born October 22, 1724 at Arrohof , † November 30, 1806 in Berlin ) was a Prussian infantry general and director of the 3rd Department in the Oberkriegskolleg.

Life

Origin and family

Jakob von Colong was a member of the Baltic noble family Clapier de Colongue . He was the fourth son of Alexander Clapier de Colongue (1685-1743) and his wife Anna Sophie, née von Caden († 1741). His father was a French captain and came to Russia in 1712. There he rose in the tsarist army to lieutenant general of engineers and was knight of the Alexander Nevsky Order . The Russian lieutenant general and governor general of Siberia Johann Clapier de Colongue (1719–1789) was his brother.

Military career

Colong was a cadet in Saint Petersburg in 1740 and wanted to take part in the First Silesian War . With the help of the chief of the Russian cadet corps von Tettau, he turned to the Prussian ambassador in Petersburg Axel von Mardefeld, who sent him to the king's adjutant general, Colonel von Borcke. The latter introduced him to King Friedrich II . So it came about that Colong was employed as an ensign in the infantry regiment "Prince Heinrich" in 1745 . During the Seven Years' War in 1758 he was given his own company and in 1762 became a major . He fought in the battles near Breslau , Leuthen , Kunersdorf and Torgau . He was wounded at both Kunersdorf and Torgau. He also took part in the sieges of Prague, Wroclaw and Olomouc, as well as in the last siege of Schweidnitz . On September 25, 1772 he received his resignation as major. He moved to Dessau where he lived on a pension from Prince Heinrich and the Duke of Anhalt-Dessau.

When the War of the Bavarian Succession broke out, Colong was appointed commander of the free regiment "Stein". The king also promoted him to lieutenant colonel, but the regiment was abdicated in the same year. On the king's orders, Colong remained in Potsdam until he was reinstated. In 1780 he was promoted to colonel with a patent dated January 8, 1780, and he also became director of the army as the successor to Colonel Karl Gottfried von Görne . In 1786 Frederick II promoted him with a patent on May 25, 1784 to major general and on June 25, 1787 also to director of the 7th Department of the Higher War College (Invalidenkasse). On August 17, 1790 he became lieutenant general, in 1796 director of the 3rd department and in 1798 with a patent from May 25, 1798 he was also promoted to general of the infantry, plus the Great Red Eagle Order .

Colong died unmarried on November 30, 1806 and was buried in the Invalidenfriedhof .

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personal data
SURNAME Colong, Jakob von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Clapin from Colong, Jakob; Clapier de Colongue, James
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian general of the infantry, director of the 3rd department in the Oberkriegskolleg
DATE OF BIRTH October 22, 1724
PLACE OF BIRTH Arrohof
DATE OF DEATH November 30, 1806
Place of death Berlin