Karl Friedrich Franciscus von Steinmetz

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Karl Friedrich Franciscus von Steinmetz

Karl Friedrich Franciscus von Steinmetz (born October 26, 1768 in Namslau , † March 11, 1837 in Potsdam ) was a Prussian lieutenant general and cartographer . He was the uncle of Field Marshal Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz .

Life

origin

He was the son of Johann Werner von Steinmetz (1727–1778), born in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel and the knighthood of Eichsfeld , and Maria Magdalena from Breslau , née Held (1736–1796). They had four children, two sons and two daughters. His father fought in the Prussian army in the Seven Years' War . After several injuries, he was in a garrison - Battalion added. When the War of the Bavarian Succession broke out , he received permission to set up a free battalion and command it as a lieutenant colonel . On November 24, 1778 he fell at the head of his battalion in a battle near Komeise near Jägerndorf . In recognition of his services, King Friedrich II personally reported the loss to the widow with regret and granted her a pension . At the same time he ordered that the two sons be accepted into the cadet corps and brought up. In honor of his father, a poem was dedicated to him that hung in Steinmetz's apartment and has the following wording.

“The brave stonemason fights and falls as a hero and patriot,
Berlin laments this hero, laments his death!
He leads his brave battalion quite fearlessly,
expects victory and fame as reward and falls as hero and man.
He is not frightened by a cannon
bang , not a sword that flashes murderously, Not even the case of the worthy warrior who loyally splattered his blood,
He fights and wins, but alas! he falls, a deadly lead hits him,
and Fama says that as a hero he is worthy of laurels!
So a stonemason died, noble, bold, splashed his blood
and posterity still praises him and his heroism.
The Fama writes his fame here in the book of heroes
And his property will be wonderful in higher spheres "

education

Steinmetz was tutored at home by a court master and came to the cadet institute in Berlin on September 30, 1781, as the king ordered . The fame of the father, the recognition of his services by the king, as well as the frequent inquiries of high officers of the old army and even of the later king Friedrich Wilhelm III. whether he was the son of the lieutenant colonel who stayed with Komeise was his incentive to follow in his father's footsteps and become a righteous officer. He met all the requirements in the scientific field, but not the physical ones, as he was lacking in height. So he was rejected at all presentations for entry into the army. In March 1787 Steinmetz came to Potsdam as a cadet in the battalion King Grenadier Guard of General von Rohdich . On June 15 of the same year, however, he was transferred to the Fusilier Battalion of Bork in Treuenbrietzen because of a favorable report from his commanding officer, General von Rohdich . There he went from cadet to second lieutenant , without having previously been a junker .

The off-duty life of the officer corps in the Treuenbrietzen garrison, where General von Scholten founded an academy in 1781 and the Society of Friends of Science and Good Taste , encouraged his inclinations to occupy himself with science, painting and music. So he learned to play the violin perfectly. This life was interrupted in 1790 by a mobilization with a subsequent march to the border of Bohemia and in 1791 with a second mobilization and subsequent march to Pomerania . Here Steinmetz made his first military experience outside the garrison.

Campaign 1794

In May of 1794, his battalion marched on the Rhine in the campaign of that year without being involved in any warlike activity worth mentioning. In return he got the opportunity to get to know a large part of Germany. In the winter of 1794 his unit stood near Mainz and, in addition to military service, he found a muse to devote himself to the arts. So he saw Die Zauberflöte in Frankfurt , which inspired him to learn to play the flute himself, since his violin was difficult to transport. With the Peace of Basel in 1795, his battalion belonged to the demarcation troops in the Duchy of Westphalia and was stationed extensively near Feuchtwangen in the winter of 1795 to 1796 .

Survey of the Duchy of Westphalia

Map of the Westphalian Circle by General Le Coq 1804

From 1796-1805 he was, with a few interruptions, busy with the surveying of the Duchy of Westphalia, led by General von Le Coq . Here he was able to apply his spiritual knowledge and ability for the first time. The measurements of the counties of Rietberg and Steinfurt and the principalities of Paderborn and Waldeck were his work. He spent the winter of 1799 in Ringenberg , where he was active as an author in statistical and military writings, mainly about Westphalia. These writings were later discussed in the Association Military Society , of which Steinmetz was a member. In 1800 he had his family join them and began teaching his daughters as he had time. Fearing a British landing on the North Sea coast , troop corps were brought together and so Steinmetz came to Harlingerland via Lingen (Ems) and Aurich . But he was able to return to surveying in July. Employed in Warburg , he was appointed to the General Staff Examination in Potsdam in 1804 . Knowing that with such a large family and no wealth, entry into the general staff was not acceptable, he nevertheless submitted to the exam and passed.

Campaigns 1806/12

When the survey was completed in autumn 1805, he was transferred to Hildesheim . But as soon as he arrived, Steinmetz, meanwhile promoted to Premier Lieutenant, had to take over the formation of a depot for his battalion in Magdeburg and on January 1, 1806, he was transferred to the staff of the Berlin cadet institute , with the rank of captain , as vice-commander. His wife passed away a month later. Since Berlin was occupied by Napoleonic troops in October 1806 as a result of the 1806 campaign , the cadets were relocated to Königsberg . Steinmetz received the order in Fischhausen to set up the 2nd Pomeranian Reserve Battalion with which he moved to Memel to secure the royal house . When the siege of Kolberg was imminent in March 1807 , he and his battalion were supposed to strengthen the garrison of the fortress. In order for his inexperienced soldiers to gain experience, Steinmetz initiated the embarkation for Pomerania on March 23 with a maneuver .

Arrived on April 26, 1807 in Kolberg, which had been besieged since March 14, with fourteen officers and 540 men, his battalion was sent into action on April 29. It took over the defense of part of the Lauenburger suburb and the Cörliner dam. On May 17th it contributed to the recapture of the Wolfsbergschanze. After the death of Waldenfels on June 15th, the fortress commander appointed Major von Gneisenau Steinmetz as second in command.

Gneisenau wrote to the king:

“The captain v. I have a stonemason on an interim basis until Ew. Royal Send Your Majesty Another, Appointed Vice-Commander. This measure is of the utmost necessity if I should be sick or killed. "

After successfully repelling the siege, he was confirmed with the cabinet order as second in command and awarded the order Pour le Mérite . On August 16, 1807, after Gneisenau's departure to reorganize the army , he was appointed by the king to command the fortress.

On July 25th, the king wrote to Gneisenau from Memel:

"... For the time being, you can hand over the commanding business at Colberg to the sub-commanding officer, Capitain v. Transfer stonemason. I am your well-trained King
Friedrich Wilhelm. "

His battalion was taken over as the 1st battalion in the Leibgrenadierregiment . After being appointed commander, he was promoted to major . Since the end of the siege, there were more and more disputes between the citizens and the military, for example soldiers were housed in houses, and Joachim Nettelbeck also expressed himself critically about individual incidents, people and officers. When individual officers did get things wrong, the unwillingness to reconcile both sides increased.

In November Nettelbeck wrote to Gneisenau:

"... the unity of the two estates is out of the question."

Steinmetz tried to solve the problem, but he had no influence on the citizens and received no help in his military position from his superior General von Blücher . Whether it was that the general was averse to him at the time, or what he thought about it,

"... in the Blücher'schen headquarters the successes, the awards and rewards, which the Colberg garrison received, have become the object of envy ..."

but this did not solve them. In order to punish the guilty officers, he sent an application to Blücher, but the approval with the words,

"In order not to weaken the respect for the military stand even more by such punishment,"

refused. In the garrison, alcohol was awarded, so that stonemasons were called to account by the king. Gneisenau then wrote harsh words to all battalion commanders , which also worked. As the newspapers printed more and more reports about the disputes in Kolberg, the king sent a commission to Kolberg in June 1808. On July 1, after a thorough investigation, the decision was made in favor of the military and against the citizens. From then on, the relationship relaxed and Steinmetz and Gneisenau were accepted as members of the citizenry. In September 1808, tired of his office as commandant, he applied for his transfer, which took place before the end of the year. In June 1810 he was given command of the Colberg Infantry Regiment , which was supposed to maintain the continental barrier from the Peenestrom to Rügenwalde .

At the beginning of the Russian campaign in 1812 , he was given command of the newly assembled Infantry Field Regiment No. 3 from the 2nd and the Fusilier Battalion of the 2nd Grenadier Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the Colberg Infantry Regiment and the brigade of the Subordinate to Lieutenant Colonel von Horn . On March 19, 1812, the regiment marched off for Russia. The regiment fought successfully in numerous skirmishes in the Russian Baltic provinces . For this, Steinmetz was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle III. Class excellent. On December 30th, the fusilier battalion separated and went to Stargard via Memel, while Steinmetz went with the two musketeer battalions via Tilsit on January 1, 1813 and arrived in Stargard on March 11th. The regiment was disbanded on March 10, 1813.

Campaign 1813

Memorial stone to the battle near Gersdorf

After the Tauroggen Convention , he arrived in Berlin on March 17, 1813 with the von Yorck corps . From Breslau , the king appointed him lieutenant colonel and sent him to Wittenberg under General von Kleist as an avant-garde , which consisted of Prussian and Russian troops . When Kleist and his vanguard were recalled, Steinmetz was left with only two battalions of infantry , a squadron of cavalry and a mounted battery of artillery . He had the order to evacuate the suburbs. However, for fear of showing the enemy his weakness, he maintained the stretched position with his few troops. Through troop movements that the cavalry and artillery had to carry out, he faked the enemy a much larger number of troops. So he was able to hold Wittenberg against a numerically superior enemy for three days until he was relieved.

On April 28th he fought in the battle of Halle , where he was appointed commander of the city by Kleist, and on May 2nd in the battle of Großgörschen , where he filled the gap between the village of Rhana and the cavalry and defended it against the French. On the retreat of the allies he commanded, although first lieutenant colonel, as chief of the 1st brigade of General York's corps (Steinmetz led the brigade on behalf of the wounded General Hünerbein ) in the battle near Gersdorf . That would have been a job for a general, but Steinmetz was able to hold his own against the French. General Miloradowitsch , threatened in his right flank, supported him with Russian troops in good time before the impending defeat. This taught his brigade and Russian troops to pursue the French alone. Next, the brigade fought in the Battle of Bautzen . Here she had suffered heavy losses

"Of the 2000 men, says Steinmetz, with whom his brigade went into action, he had only 950 left in the evening."

His brigade also took part in the battle near Siergersdorf on the retreat to Silesia . After the armistice he took part in the battle near Jühnsdorf . He then led the formation of the 2nd Guards Regiment on foot and was appointed Colonel and Brigade Chief of the 1st Grenadier Brigade in the York Corps. Four grenadier battalions , eight Landwehr battalions, a cavalry regiment and a battery of artillery were now under his control . He was also awarded the Iron Cross II. Class and the Order of St. Vladimir III. Class excellent. Steinmetz also played a decisive role in the victory in the Battle of the Katzbach . When Langeron's Russian corps was in a retreating movement, he suggested opposing the current and getting Langeron's troops to halt. This succeeded after he walked with two battalions through the swollen waters of the Angry Neisse . In the battle of Wartenburg he had the task of leading the first attack with his brigade, but it failed. The brigade was on fire for seven hours and had 992 dead and wounded. General York said about it:

"Colonel Steinmetz did not act so violently, had to spare his people more;"

but in his report to the king he expresses his admiration:

“On that day, Colonel Steinmetz asserted the most difficult post with the cold-bloodedness peculiar to him; Faced with his brigade against the Wartenburg, which was invulnerable by ramparts, morass and barricades, he was the head of the enemy during an eight-hour battle and only in this way was it possible to bypass the village from Bleddin, by the enemy using his forces against Colonel Steinmetz concentrated. "

In the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig , his brigade was thrown into the fray on October 16, 1813 as a reserve shortly before the end of the fighting that day near Möckern, but even he did not succeed in taking the place completely. He was so badly wounded by a bullet in his left arm that he had to leave the battlefield and travel to Halle to recover and later to Berlin. With that the campaign of 1813 and 1814 was over for him. In December 1813 Steinmetz was appointed major general and he was given the task of completing the formation of the Landwehr between the Weser and the Rhine, with a strength of 20 battalions and 10 eskatrons.

Campaign 1815

After the First Peace of Paris in 1814, Steinmetz was appointed commander of the Wesel Citadel , while maintaining his brigade command, and when a new war against France was imminent, he was given the 1st Brigade in the 1st Corps from General von Zieten . With this brigade he had already been involved in engagements the day before the battle of Ligny . In the Battle of Waterloo on July 2nd and 3rd, 1815, he and his brigade captured the village of Issy. For his achievements in this campaign he received the Iron Cross 1st Class, the Oak Leaves for the Order Pour le Mérite and in Wesel the Russian Order of St. Anne I Class and the Order of St. George III. Class.

Retirement

After the Second Peace of Paris in 1815, he was garrison chief of the brigade in Trier , but because of an ailment in the stomach, he asked the king to leave the army. This was granted to him on March 16, 1817 as lieutenant general with a pension of 1000 thalers. He said goodbye to his officer corps in Trier with the following words:

“In the time of peace he could have served even longer, but if the officer had to tell himself that he was no longer fit for field service, it would be his duty to resign from the peace service, which is not recommended enough in the interests of the Supreme Service could be. "

As a pension he received the income from the Schönwalde domain near Silberberg , which he managed and which he bought in 1818. Steinmetz sold the property again in 1821 and moved to a villa in Potsdam, where he died in 1837.

family

Steinmetz had married Magdalene Dorothee Vigny La Rosière (1776-1806) on February 17, 1793. She was the daughter of Major General Count d 'Heinze († 1810). The following children were born from the marriage:

  • Emilie Juliane Albertine (* 1793)
  • Caroline (* 1796)
  • Wilhelmine Julie Elisabeth Margarete (1801–1863) ⚭ Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz (1796–1877)
  • Emma (1803–1855) ⚭ 1842 Albrecht von Sydow (1799–1861)
  • Wilhelmine Franziska (1804-1806)
  • Antoinette Wilhelmine (* / † 1806)

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Society for Pomeranian History and Archeology: Baltic Studies. Volume 36: Leon Saunier's bookstore, 1934, p. 232.
  2. ^ Ludwig von Vincke: The diaries of the Oberpräsident Ludwig Freiherrn Vincke: 1813-1818 . Edited by Ludger Graf von Westphalen. In: Publications of the Historical Commission of Westphalia . tape 7 . Aschendorff Verlag, Münster in Westphalia 1980, ISBN 3-402-05933-9 , p. 746 .
  3. ^ A b Hans von Krosigk : Field Marshal General von Steinmetz. from the family papers, Berlin 1900, p. 5.
  4. ↑ Anton Balthasar König : Biographical lexicon of all heroes and military figures who made themselves famous in Prussian service. Part 4: Sel – Z. Arnold Wever, Berlin 1791, p. 35.
  5. ^ Leopold von Zedlitz-Neukirch : New Prussian Adels Lexicon . Volume 4: P-Z. Reichenbach Brothers, Leipzig 1837, p. 234.
  6. ↑ Anton Balthasar König : Biographical lexicon of all heroes and military figures who made themselves famous in Prussian service. Part 4: Sel – Z. Arnold Wever, Berlin 1791, p. 36.
  7. ^ Kurd Wolfgang von Schöning : The Bavarian War of Succession. Ferdinand Riegel, Berlin / Potsdam 1854, p. 15.
  8. ^ A. Straehle: Lexicon of battles, meetings, skirmishes, skirmishes, recontres, sieges etc., in which Kurbrandenburg and Royal Prussian troops have taken part since the middle of the seventeenth century. E. Kobligk, Berlin 1866, p. 52.
  9. ^ Kurd Wolfgang von Schöning : The Bavarian War of Succession. Ferdinand Riegel, Berlin / Potsdam 1854, p. 241.
  10. ↑ A. von Crousaz: History of the Royal Prussian Cadet Corps after its creation, its development and its results. Heinrich Schindler, Berlin 1857, supplements, p. 37.
  11. ^ Leopold von Zedlitz-Neukirch: The state forces of the Prussian monarchy under Friedrich Wilhelm III. Vol. 3, Maurersche Buchhandlung, Berlin 1830, p. 132.
  12. ^ Memories of the Military Society in Berlin. Vol. 1, 1st St., Gebrüder Wegener, 1802, p. 299.
  13. ^ Leopold von Zedlitz-Neukirch: The state forces of the Prussian monarchy under Friedrich Wilhelm III. Vol. 3, Maurersche Buchhandlung, Berlin 1830, p. 196.
  14. ^ Prussian War Ministry: Ranking list of the Royal Prussian Army for the year 1806 , Ernst Siegfried Mittler, Berlin 1827, p. 346.
  15. ^ A b Eduard von Höpfner : The war of 1806 and 1807. A contribution to the history of the Prussian army. Vol. 4, part 2, Simon Schropp & Comp. Berlin 1851, p. 576.
  16. ^ Kurd Wolfgang von Schöning: Historical-biographical news on the history of the Brandenburg-Prussian artillery. Part 3, Ernst Siegfried Mittler, Berlin 1845, p. 114.
  17. ^ Karl von Bagensky: History of the 9th Infantry Regiment called Colbergsches. Kolberg 1842, p. 23.
  18. ↑ GH Pertz: The life of Field Marshal Count Neithardt von Gneisenau. Volume 1: 1760-1810. Georg Reimer, Berlin 1864, p. 228.
  19. ↑ Arthur von Horn: History of the Royal Prussian Leib-Infanterie-Regiment , Rudolf Wagner, Berlin 1864, p. 68.
  20. ↑ GH Pertz: The life of Field Marshal Count Neithardt von Gneisenau. Volume 1: 1760-1810. Georg Reimer, Berlin 1860, p. 265.
  21. ↑ GH Pertz: The life of Field Marshal Count Neithardt von Gneisenau. Volume 1: 1760-1810. Georg Reimer, Berlin 1864, p. 289.
  22. ^ Gerhard von Scharnhorst : Private and official writings. Vol. 5, Prussia 1808–1809, Böhlau Verlag, Cologne / Weimar / Vienna 2009, ISBN 978-3-412-20066-4 , p. 147.
  23. ↑ GH Pertz: The life of Field Marshal Count Neithardt von Gneisenau. Volume 1: 1760-1810. Georg Reimer, Berlin 1864, p. 287.
  24. ↑ Arthur von Horn: History of the Royal Prussian Leib-Infanterie-Regiment. Rudolf Wagner, Berlin 1864, p. 34.
  25. ↑ a b G. H. Pertz: The life of Field Marshal Count Neithardt von Gneisenau. Volume 1: 1760-1810. Georg Reimer, Berlin 1864, p. 313.
  26. ↑ GH Pertz: The life of Field Marshal Count Neithardt von Gneisenau. Volume 1: 1760-1810. Georg Reimer, Berlin 1864, p. 314.
  27. ↑ Friedrich Förster: Prussia's heroes in war and peace. Vol. 4, Gustav Hempel, Berlin 1863, p. 286.
  28. ↑ Anton von Mach: History of the Royal Prussian Second Infantry - called King Regiment since its foundation in 1677 until December 3, 1840. Ernst Siegfried Mittler, Berlin / Posen / Bromberg 1843, p. 187.
  29. ↑ a b Anton von Mach: The Second Infantry (King) Regiment for the Illustrated Tribe Ranking and Quarters List of the Royal Prussian Army. Alexander von Duncker, Berlin 1854, p. 13.
  30. ^ Johann Gustav Droysen : The life of Field Marshal Count York von Wartenburg. Vol. 2, Veit & Comp, Leipzig 1863, p. 53.
  31. ^ Franz von Kausler: Atlas of the strangest battles, meetings and sieges of the old, middle and modern times in 200 sheets. Herdersche Kunst- und Buchhandlung, Karlsruhe / Freiburg 1831, p. 867.
  32. ^ Johann Gustav Droysen: The life of Field Marshal Count York von Wartenburg. Vol. 2, Veit & Comp, Leipzig 1863, p. 70.
  33. ^ A. Straehle: Lexicon of battles, meetings, skirmishes, skirmishes, recontres, sieges etc., in which Kurbrandenburg and Royal Prussian troops have taken part since the middle of the seventeenth century. E. Kobligk, Berlin 1866, p. 235.
  34. ↑ a b A. Straehle: Lexicon of battles, meetings, skirmishes, skirmishes, recontres, sieges etc., in which Kurbrandenburg and Royal Prussian troops have taken part since the middle of the seventeenth century. E. Kobligk, Berlin 1866, p. 140.
  35. ^ Franz von Kausler: Atlas of the strangest battles, meetings and sieges of the old, middle and modern times in 200 sheets. Herdersche Kunst- und Buchhandlung, Karlsruhe / Freiburg 1831, p. 641.
  36. ^ Franz von Kausler: Atlas of the strangest battles, meetings and sieges of the old, middle and modern times in 200 sheets , Herdersche Kunst- und Buchhandlung, Karlsruhe / Freiburg 1831, p. 258.
  37. ^ A b Johann Gustav Droysen: The life of Field Marshal Count York von Wartenburg. Vol. 2, Veit & Comp, Leipzig 1863, p. 157.
  38. ↑ Jodocus Donatus Hubertus Temme : Eyewitness reports of the German revolution 1848/49. A Prussian judge as a champion for democracy. Scientific Book Society, 1996, ISBN 3-534-12756-0 , p. 352.
  39. ↑ All letters to Pestalozzi. Critical Edition, Vol. 4, 1814 – July 1817, Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zurich 2012, ISBN 978-3-03823-757-0 , p. 225.
  40. ^ Heinrich Beitzke: Described writings of Dr. Carl Friccius. GA van der Beek, Neuwied 1853, p. 86.
  41. ^ Military weekly paper . No. 40 of March 29, 1817, Berlin 1817, p. 3. (in the book on p. 99.)
  42. ↑ Max Rudolph von Busse: History of the Royal Prussian twenty-third infantry regiment. Heinsche Buchhandlung, Görlitz 1859, p. 207.
  43. ↑ Alexander August Mützell: New topographical-statistical-geographical dictionary of the Prussian state. Vol. 4: P-S. Karl August Kümmel, Halle 1823, p. 352.
  44. ^ New necrology of the Germans. 15th year, part 2, Voigt, Weimar 1839, p. 1222.

Remarks

  1. ↑ In the book by Dr. Otto Titan von Hefner : J. Siebmacher's large and general book of arms in connection with several new editions and accompanied by historical, genealogical and heraldic notes. Vol. 3, compartment. 3, Bauer and Raspe, Nuremberg 1857, p. 392 says:

    “This family is in all nobility lexicis with the Eichsfeld family v. S., which also usually v. Stonemasons means, been confused, ... "

  2. ↑ a b In the book by A. von Crousaz: History of the Royal Prussian Cadet Corps after its creation, its development and its results. Heinrich Schindler, Berlin 1857, supplements, p. 37 reads:

    "He joined the army in 1786 with the charge as ensign to the Bork Regiment"

personal data
SURNAME Steinmetz, Karl Friedrich Franciscus von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Steinmetz, Carl Friedrich Franciscus von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian lieutenant general and cartographer
DATE OF BIRTH October 26, 1768
PLACE OF BIRTH Namslau
DATE OF DEATH March 11, 1837
Place of death Potsdam