Johann Christian Fischer (officer)
Johann Christian Fischer (born January 17, 1713 in Stuttgart , † July 1, 1762 near Kassel ) ( French Jean-Chrétien Fischer ) was a brigadier des armées du roi and leader of a French free corps.
Life
Johann Christian Fischer was the son of Georg Albrecht Fischer, accountant in a Stuttgart tobacco factory, and his wife Magdalene Christine, née Faber. After the death of his father in 1737, he entered French service and appears for the first time under Louis de Conflans, marquis d'Armentières in the Régiment d'Anjou . He fought in 1741 under François-Marie de Broglie in Bavaria and Bohemia . He then became an orderly officer under the Marshal of Saxony . He may have asked him to set up a hussar corps. Such a corps was established in 1743 outside Prague.
The Fischer Corps moved into Hesse with Marshal Jean-Baptiste Desmarets in the War of the Austrian Succession in 1744 . It was able to steal 60 wagons of supplies from the Arnsburg monastery . In 1746 he was taken prisoner in Austria, from which he was released on October 18, 1748 after the peace treaty. He was then transferred to French India , where he was colonel of the German troops in Pondicherry in 1755 .
Seven Years War in Europe
In the Seven Years' War in 1757 he was active again in Europe and was assigned a corps of over 3,000 German hussars and hunters. In July 1757 it fought near Hildesheim and moved to Hanover via Marburg , Ziegenhain , Göttingen and Einbeck . Here there was heavy fighting with the Hanoverian hunters. At the end of September he fought near Halberstadt . On October 1, the corps moved into Nordhausen and on December 15 it was in Buchholz and Schwarmstedt .
He was able to distinguish himself on June 23, 1758 in the battle of Krefeld . When the Brunswick Marshal Ferdinand von Brunswick wanted to encircle the French troops, Fischer was able to warn the French troops under Louis de Bourbon . In the battle, Fischer was hit in the back and shot in the leg. In September 1758 he was in Northeim, where he extorted contributions for General Foullon. On April 13, 1759, the unit fought in the Battle of Bergen . There they defeated the rearguard, smashing two grenadier battalions and two escadrons Finckenstein dragoons. Three more escadrons of the regiment could be captured. Two standards and the war chest could be captured.
For this, Fischer was promoted to Brigadier des armées du Roi on April 21, 1759 .
His unit then fought in the Battle of Minden , which ended in defeat for the French.
On May 20, 1760 the unit was at Elberfeld and moved on to Duisburg on June 5. In the Battle of Warburg on July 31, 1760, Fischer's corps was almost destroyed. On October 15, 1760, they formed the French vanguard in the battle of Kampen Monastery and suffered heavy losses again. The troops then had to retreat to their winter quarters in Mettmann and the surrounding area.
Having fallen out of favor with the king, he was withdrawn from his corps by royal instruction on April 27, 1761 and transferred to the Duke of Conflans on May 14, 1761 . Fischer only remains the rank of lieutenant colonel and the deputy command authority. He then limited himself to educational tasks; Here, too, he was provided with a "second man" in the person of a certain Goldberg and Fischer, poorly informed by him, was unable to warn his leaders in good time of the enemy moving in the battle of Wilhelmsthal . His self-esteem was deeply affected by accusations from the French leadership and he fell into bed on June 28th and died on July 1st.
On July 3, the Maréchal de Subise wrote to the Minister of War:
«Nous le regrettons beaucoup et je crois avec raison. »
"We are very sorry and I think for good reason."
The Napoleonic General Jean Claude Pajol remarked about Fischer:
"Sa vie devrait être écrite avec details and répandue dans l'armée pour servir d'exemple et d'encouragement. »
"His life should be detailed and widely used in the army to serve as an example and encouragement."
literature
- Theodor Schön: Fischer, Johann Christian . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 48, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1904, p. 568 f.
- René Chartrand, Eugène Lelièpvre: Louis XV's Army (4): Light Troops and Specialists. P. 15.
- New monthly magazine. Volume 123, p. 496 ( Google books ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hannoversche Geschichtsblätter. Volume 7, p. 525 ( Google books ).
- ↑ Bernhard Schönneshöfe: history of Bergisch country. P. 348 ( Google books ).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Fischer, Johann Christian |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Fischer, Jean-Chrétien |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French general of German origin and leader of a French volunteer corps |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 17, 1713 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Stuttgart |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 1, 1762 |
| Place of death | kassel |