Johann Adam Becker
Johann Adam Becker (born June 24, 1823 in Grünstadt , Palatinate , Kingdom of Bavaria , † January 12, 1871 ibid) was a geodesist in the civil profession . As a soldier in the 2nd Bavarian Jäger Battalion in 1849, during the national campaign against Denmark , he had received the Bavarian Medal of Bravery for extraordinary personal bravery in storming the Düppeler Schanzen ; for non-officers the highest military order in the country.
Life and war effort 1849
Johann Adam Becker came from a poor family and was born as the son of day laborers Philipp Ludwig Becker and Anna Maria. Born wild in Grünstadt.
Because of Denmark's attempt to incorporate or divide the German duchies of Schleswig and Holstein , the Schleswig-Holstein War of 1848–1850 , the main section of which was the federal campaign against Denmark in 1849, formed.
According to a federal decree , an army was set up under the leadership of the Prussian Lieutenant General Karl von Prittwitz . posted to Schleswig-Holstein. It consisted of 3 divisions and a reserve brigade, altogether approx. 35,000 to 40,000 men; including a Bavarian brigade . The Bavarian contingent, in which many Palatinate u. a. also the young Johann Adam Becker from Grünstadt - was composed of 4 battalions of infantry , the 2nd bay. Jägerbataillon, the 6th Royal Bavarian Chevaulegers Regiment and 16 artillery guns with men. These troops formed the brigade of Major General Christian von Schmaltz , within the 1st Federal Division, which was commanded by the Bavarian Lieutenant General Prince Eduard von Sachsen-Altenburg and his Chief of Staff Baron Ludwig von der Tann . On March 12, 1849, the Bavarian brigade received orders to meet in Halle (Saale) on the 24th . About Harburg an der Elbe u. The Bavarians finally reached Altona by rail by April 1, Schleswig , in the vicinity of which the 1st Federal Division gathered.
From there one pushed towards the north u. The first major battle, in which the Bavarian associations took part, was the storming of the entrenchments on the Düppeler Heights on April 13th, 1849. The 2nd Bavarian Jäger Battalion particularly stood out here, with its hunters trained as flexible lone fighters. Soldiers who made up the top . The battlefield own countless Feldumfriedungen, " Knicks " called, influenced practicability, overview u. The effect of weapons was very essential and made it extremely difficult to lead the troops. The hedgerow-like bushes on the approximately 1.50 m high earth walls (knicks) had grown together to make it easier for pasture operations to form almost impenetrable fences. On the central u. highest point of the fortification, visible from afar, as a landmark, was a windmill . The Bavarians attacked the Düppeler Schanzen from the south at 1:45 a.m. At around 6 a.m. the key position was taken and was in German hands. The brigade gathered to the north of the windmill, which, when the light came on, made a good target for the Danish artillery . Because Danish counter-attacks from the direction of Sonderburg , the battles evening evening swayed until 9 o'clock back and forth. The German troops - mainly Bavaria , supported by a few Kurhessian formations - but were able to hold the terrain and won the campaign decisive victory. The own losses were 3 dead officers and 50 dead men; 10 officers and 150 men were wounded.
During this storm on the Düppeler Schanzen , often referred to as the "Day of Honor of the Bavarian Army", the hunter Johann Adam Becker from Grünstadt, as a member of the 2nd Bavarian Jäger Battalion, distinguished himself in such a way that he was awarded the Bavarian Medal for Bravery in silver - the highest order of bravery of the country; combined with an honorary salary.
The 3-volume work The Bavarian Soldier in the Field , published in 1898, devotes a separate chapter to the man from Grünstadt and another decorated comrade with the title: Brave Düppel-Stürmer . The contemporary report states:
“ Becker showed courageous determination and tireless perseverance by hurrying forward in open order with every attack and clearly showing the urge to emerge. In the initial darkness, he encouraged his comrades not to be delayed too long by the various obstacles to approach. When the battalion withdrew on higher orders and had taken position in the area of enemy fire so that the completely tired crew could rest a little, the battalion commander called volunteers to the front to find the wounded who had stayed behind and have them brought to safety. Again Becker stepped forward immediately, in spite of his exhaustion, which were followed by others, so that several injured on 4th and 2nd 8th Infantry Regiment could be brought back. "
After the victorious battles of Düppel , the German troops continued their advance northwards with smaller battles. On July 15, Denmark a. the German Confederation, under pressure from England, an armistice in Berlin; the Bavarians and other non-Prussian federal troops returned to their homeland. King Maximilian II of Bavaria donated a commemorative cross (army memorial) for all Bavarian campaign participants, which Becker also received; In the army order of October 9, 1849, the monarch expressed his appreciation and thanks to all the Bavarian campaigners.
In the national campaign against Denmark there were only 18 awards of the Bavarian Bravery Medal (5 gold, 13 silver), Johann Adam Becker wore one of them.
The war over Schleswig-Holstein flared up again in 1850, but Bavarian units were no longer involved in these battles.
Civil life after the war
According to a note in the marriage act of the registry office , Johann Adam Becker had left the Bavarian army on June 11, 1850 and married his bride Johannetta Althöhn von Kerzenheim on the 26th of the same month in Grünstadt . The connection resulted in 7 children. In his marriage documents and the birth certificates of the first two children, it is stated that Becker is a day laborer . But already when his daughter Elise was born, in 1856, the war veteran was referred to as an “assistant to the district geometer” ; a social advancement, which he certainly owed not least to the enormous reputation of his high order of bravery. Johann Adam Becker died at the age of only 47 on January 12th, 1871. At that time he had apparently started his own business as a surveyor, because the death certificate calls him a "private geometer". His widow survived him by 25 years; she died on December 29, 1896 in Grünstadt.
literature
- Bavarian War Archives: The Bavarian soldier in the field. Volume 2, Munich 1898, p. 13 and 14th
- Joachim Specht: wearing helmets and spiked hoods - Johann Adam Becker from Grünstadt stormed the Düppeler Schanzen in 1849. Home year book of the Bad Dürkheim district administration, 2007, ISBN 3-926775-49-1 , pp. 101-106.
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Bavarian soldier in the field. Volume 2 p. 13 and 14th
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Becker, Johann Adam |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Knight of the Bavarian Bravery Medal |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 24, 1823 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Grünstadt |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 12, 1871 |
| Place of death | Grünstadt |