Johann von Mayr

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Johann von Mayr (born May 1, 1716 in Vienna ; † January 5, 1759 in Plauen ) (also: Mayer, Mayr, Meyr ) was chief of a Prussian free battalion ("F 2") that was established during the Seven Years' War in 1756 until 1759 was deployed on the southern front of the Prussian army.

Life

Johann von Mayr was the son of Count Stella. His mother then married a billiard owner named Mayr. He grew up there too, but was later raised by Jesuits. In 1732 the commandant of Temesvar , General von Engelhofen, noticed his violin playing , and so he became chief boist in the Lorraine infantry regiment. He fought in the Turkish Wars from 1736 to 1739. In April 1741 he fought in the Battle of Mollwitz . On November 26, 1741, he was taken as a sergeant in French captivity outside Prague. After his release he was an officer in the Bavarian and Saxon service. In 1745 he fought in the battle of Kesselsdorf as a dragoon lieutenant. From 1746 to 1748 he fought under General Batthyány in the Netherlands. After a duel he had to retire and went first to Russian and then Prussian services.

Lieutenant Colonel von Mayr established the headquarters of his free battalion in Freiberg in Saxony in 1756 . The battalion was set up partly from unemployed Saxons. On October 28, 1756, von Mayr had houses searched for Saxon deserters in Freiberg .

Mayr became known primarily for his advance from Prussian-occupied Saxony to Franconia in May / June 1757. Although he only had 1,500 infantry, 300 hussars and 5 cannons, it caused some uncertainty because he had it explained he was merely leading the vanguard of a larger army. The troops' route led via Pilsen , Vilseck , Nuremberg (which, however, remained loyal to the emperor) to Fürth in Bamberg , which was plundered, and on to Franconian Switzerland . Another foray into Franconia took place in 1758, with Mayr forcing the city of Bamberg to surrender. The later General Inspector of the American Continental Army Steuben served as Adjutant Mayrs, and the later Prussian Field Marshal Courbière was a young captain as a company commander in the free battalion. The battalion was able to distinguish itself in the battle of Rossbach .

In the spring of 1758 he made a successful advance, burning the Hof magazine and plundering an arms store in Suhl . During the summer and autumn of 1758, von Mayr was entrusted with several particularly dangerous jobs in Saxony. In November he had distinguished himself with particular bravery in the defense of the city of Dresden against Count Daun . Meanwhile a Prussian major general , he died of a chest fever in Plauen in 1759 and was buried in the local Luther Church. His free battalion became the Collignon Free Battalion .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cf. Bleckwenn 1986 Vol. IV: 99f.
personal data
SURNAME Mayr, Johann von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mayer, Johann von; Mayr, Johann von; Meyr, Johann von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Chief of a Prussian free battalion
DATE OF BIRTH May 1, 1716
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH January 5, 1759
Place of death Plauen