Johann Gottlieb Tielke

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Johann Gottlieb Tielke (* July 2, 1731 at the castle in Tautenburg near Jena ; † November 6, 1787 in Freiberg ) was an Electorate of Saxony officer and internationally recognized military writer .

Johann Gottlieb Tielke

military

Due to the sudden death of his father, Tielke had fallen into poverty and an uncertain future. He therefore entered the army in 1751 through mediation with the Duke of Saxony-Weissenfels infantry regiment as a commoner . Because of his small stature and his appearance, his recording was not without problems, but Tielke quickly impressed with his thirst for knowledge and skill, especially when drawing, and his willingness to serve. He was therefore transferred to the "House Artillery Company" in Dresden in 1753 , and the Elector and King had him prepared for an "artillery test". He was also able to attend lectures at the engineering academy there.

In 1756 he was taken prisoner by the Prussian army with the entire army . Due to his small stature, he managed to escape disguised as a milkmaid. He went to Warsaw , where he was able to present the elector with cartographic representations on the basis of incoming reports from theaters of war . This then promoted Tielke to the fireworks and transferred him to Silesia . There he took part in the siege of Schweidnitz . In 1758 he participated in the shelling of Küstrin . When the Austrians had taken Dresden, Tielke brought the news to Prince Xavier. This arranged for Tielke to be promoted to junker .

In 1760 he participated in the battle of Torgau . He was slightly wounded and his horse was killed. The prince's intercession led to a promotion as a sub-lieutenant . In 1761 he belonged to the army of Prince Albrecht of Saxony. In 1762 this unit was stationed in Silesia. After the Seven Years War , the Saxon troops were reorganized. Tielke was promoted to premier lieutenant and staff captain. In the War of the Bavarian Succession , he commanded a battery as the company's head . Its location was mostly Freiberg in Saxony . He died there on November 6, 1787.

Promotions

  • 1753: Constable (lowest non-commissioned officer rank)
  • 1756: Fireworkers (ammunition specialist)
  • 1759: Stückjunker (ensign, lowest officer grade)
  • 1760: Sous lieutenant ( lieutenant )
  • 1762: Premier lieutenant (first lieutenant )
  • 1769: Staff captain (between first lieutenant and captain)

writer

Although Tielke had not received an academic education due to the economic hardship of his parents, he managed to acquire extensive knowledge during his military service not only of the art of war of that time with a focus on fortress construction , pioneering and artillery , but also of military history , military strategy and military tactics . He wrote several writings about it, some of which were published several times and found recognition in other German states, for example by Frederick the Great , and translated several times into English and French. Offers to switch to the service of the Russian Empire and - several times - to that of the Prussian king, Tielke declined, as he felt bound to Saxony.
A volume of poems composed by him was also found in Tielke's estate.

family

Tielke's parents were Johann Melchior Tielke (1699–1748), bailiff and landlord in Tautenburg, and Susanna Christina Kröhne. His first marriage in 1770 was Madeleine Marie Fizeaux (1737–1781) from what was then the French colony in Leipzig. The couple had two sons and five daughters. After Madeleine Marie's death, Tielke married Charlotte Sophia Eleonore von Wobeser in 1782, with whom he (according to his biographer) had a childless, but very happy marriage .

Works (selection)

  • Characteristics and duties of a soldier to test those who are and those who want to enter this class, along with an appendix from Xenophon's retreat of the ten thousand Greeks. From an officer . Dresden and Leipzig, 1773
  • Lessons for officers who want to train to be field engineers, using examples from the 7th year. Wars explained. With 29 seats Dresden and Leipzig, 1774.
    • French edition: Instruction pour les officiers qui se destinent au génie militaire , de Jean Gottlieb Tielke, Capitaine d'artillerie au service de l'électeur de Saxe.
  • Contributions to the art of war and the history of the war from 1756 to 1763. With approx. 50 Krtn. u. Plän . Barthel, Freiberg, 1777, 1st to 6th items (volumes 1–6). Reprint by Archiv-Verlag Braunschweig [1]
    • English edition by Charles Gregan Craufurd & Robert Craufurd : An account of some of the most remarkable events of the war between the Prussians, Austrians, and Russians, from 1756 to 1763; and a treatise on several branches of the military art . 1787
    • English edition by Edwin Hewgill: The field engineer: or instructions upon every branch of field fortification: Demonstrated by examples wich occurred in the Seven Years War between the Prussians, the Austrians, and the Russians; with plans and explanatory notes. Translated from the fourth edition of the German original by JG Tielke, Late Captain of Artillery in the service of HSH the Elector of Saxony . 2 vols., London, 1789
    • Volume 1: The meeting of Maxen
      • French edition: Mémoires pour servir à l'art et l'histoire de la guerre de 1756 jusqu'à 1763, avec les plans et les cartes requises. 1. L'affaire de Maxen, avec un traité de l'attaque et de la défense des hauteurs et montagnes non retranchéesaus, Freyberg, 1777
    • Volume 2: The campaign of the Imperial Russian and Royal Prussian peoples in 1758 . Barthel, Freiberg, 1776. Reprint by Archiv-Verlag, Braunschweig [2]
    • Volume 3: About the campaign of 1761
    • Volume 4: The three sieges and Loudon ascent of the Schweidnitz fortress in the campaigns from 1757 to 1762 . Barthel, Freiberg, 1781, reprint by Archiv-Verlag, Braunschweig [3]
    • Volume 5: About the campaign of the Duke of Württemberg in Pomerania in 1761 with reflections on the art of fortifying fields
    • Volume 6: Considerations on field fortification art
  • Prayers and psalms for men of war. From an officer . Dresden, 1779
  • Lessons for officers who want to become field engineers or who want to attend the campaigns with benefit, explained using examples from the last war and provided with the necessary plans . Dresden 1769, 2nd, with many additions and some plans, probably edition 1774; Gerlach, Dresden and Leipzig, 1779; 4th edition, Vienna 1785. Reprint Marcus von Salisch (ed.), Military History Research Office Potsdam, BoD Norderstedt, 2010, ISBN 9783941571105

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Tielke, Johann Gottlieb
BRIEF DESCRIPTION electoral captain
DATE OF BIRTH July 2, 1731
PLACE OF BIRTH Tautenburg
DATE OF DEATH November 6, 1787
Place of death Freiberg