Karl von Grolman (General)

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Karl Wilhelm Georg von Grolman (1777–1843) after a contemporary lithograph

Karl Wilhelm Georg Grolman , from 1786 von Grolman (born July 30, 1777 in Berlin , † September 15, 1843 in Posen ) was a Prussian general of the infantry , chief of the general staff and a Prussian reformer.

Life

origin

Karl von Grolman came from originally Westphalia, raised in the Prussian nobility family Grolman . His father was the Berlin High Tribunal President and co-author of the Prussian General Land Law Heinrich Dietrich von Grolman . His mother was Maria Susanna, née Maercker (1744–1825), the daughter of criminal inspector Arnold Georg Maercker († 1758).

Military career

Grolman joined the infantry regiment "von Möllendorf" of the Prussian Army on April 1, 1791 and was promoted to second lieutenant until the beginning of April 1797 . At the end of March 1804 he became Prime Lieutenant of the Army and Adjutant of the Berlin Infantry Inspection under General Field Marshal Möllendorf . At the end of September 1805 he was promoted to staff captain and was a member of the renowned military society in Berlin. During the Fourth Coalition War , Grolman took part in the Battle of Auerstedt in 1806/07 and after the defeat of the Prussian army became adjutant to the Prince of Hohenlohe . With messages to the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III. dispatched, Grolman escaped the surrender of Prenzlau and escaped to the army in East Prussia . It was used in the staff of General L'Estocq's Prussian corps . In this capacity he took part in the Battle of Preussisch Eylau on February 8 and received his promotion to major after the Battle of Heilsberg .

After the war Grolman belonged to the Military Reorganization Commission of Scharnhorst and was on March 1, 1809 Director of the first department of the War Ministry involved in the work to reorganize the army. At the same time he rose to head the newly created military cabinet .

However, since he absolutely wanted to fight against the French occupation of Germany, he took the opportunity to enter Austrian service in 1809 and participated in the campaign in Franconia and Saxony in the corps of General von Kienmayer . This war was unsuccessful, however, and Grolman fled via England into the Spanish army (1810), where he served as a major and commander of a foreign battalion. He took part in the war against the French troops, but in January 1812 he was captured during the siege of Valencia . He escaped to Switzerland in June and then went from Bavaria as a student to the university in Jena .

In the spring of 1813 Grolman was again employed as a major in the Prussian army. In the following campaigns he served as a general staff officer in various corps and took part in the most important battles of the wars of liberation at Großgörschen , Bautzen and the battle at Haynau . After the armistice of Pläswitz Grolman received his promotion to lieutenant colonel and a post as general staff officer in the II Army Corps. He was seriously wounded in the Battle of Kulm , but still fought as a colonel in the Battle of Leipzig and then took part in the campaign from 1814 until the Peace of Paris . In 1814 he was sent to the Congress of Vienna , but in March 1815 he was made Quartermaster General of General Blücher's army . In this capacity he served in the campaign of 1815.

After the war, Grolman served in the topographical department of the General Staff. He advanced to major general and chief of the general staff (at that time still 2nd department of the war ministry). But already in 1819 he left the army under the pressure of the restoration of the Prussian monarchy. He did not even receive a pension. He moved to the small village of Gosda (east of Cottbus ). Five years later, Prince August of Prussia persuaded him to return to active service. Grolman served as lieutenant general and commander of the 9th division in Glogau . In 1830, at the time of the Polish uprising , he commanded troops under Gneisenau on the Prussian border. At the end of March 1832 he was entrusted with the management of the business as commanding general of the 5th Army Corps in Poznan and on September 9, 1835 appointed commanding general. At the same time he was appointed by King Friedrich Wilhelm III. to the chief of the 6th Infantry Regiment . In 1837 he was promoted to general of the infantry and on the occasion of the festival of the order he became a knight of the Black Eagle Order in January 1839 . In 1843 Grolman died in the course of his service.

family

Grolman was married twice. His first wife was Sophie von Gerlach (1787–1807) in Berlin on October 30, 1804, daughter of the Berlin mayor Carl Friedrich Leopold von Gerlach . After her untimely death, he married on October 26, 1816 in Rentweinsdorf Hedwig von Rotenhan (1796–1864), the daughter of Freiherr Siegmund von Rotenhan (1761–1826) and Antoinette von Lenthe (1778–1806). The following children emerged from the marriages:

  • Louise (1806–1878) ⚭ August 15, 1829 Count Felix von Stosch (1795–1871)
  • Antonie (1818-1832)
  • Bertha (1820-1836)
  • Sophie (1821–1901) ⚭ May 15, 1848 in Berlin Ulrich Freiherr Prätorius von Richthofen (1814–1878) (brother of Karl von Richthofen ), parents of Wolfram von Richthofen
  • Adelheid (* / † 1823)
  • Carl (1824–1895), Prussian lieutenant colonel ret. D. , President of the District Court in Neisse ⚭ May 7, 1847 in Bonn Geraldine Freiin von Steinäcker (1828–1896), daughter of the infantry general Friedrich von Steinaecker
  • Adolf (1826-1827)
  • Wilhelm (1829–1893), Prussian infantry general ⚭ July 12, 1864 in Berlin Elisabeth von Block
  • Julius (1831-1835)
  • Julie (* / † 1831)

memory

With Boyen he advocated the fortification of East Prussia . A bastion of the fortification buildings of Königsberg between Königstor and Roßgärter Tor was named after Grolman .

From 1889 a regiment last stationed in Osterode was named Infantry Regiment "von Grolmann" (1st Posensches) No. 18 . A fort in the Poznan Fortress bore Grolman's name until 1918.

Grolmanstrasse in Berlin-Charlottenburg, which leads from Uhlandstrasse via Savignyplatz to Goethestrasse, was named after him in 1874.

Fonts

Grolman contributed significantly to two works published by Carl von Damitz:

  • History of the campaign of 1815 in the Netherlands and France. (2 volumes, Berlin 1837–38). Volume 1 , Volume 2
  • History of the campaign from 1814 in eastern and northern France to the capture of Paris. (4 volumes, Berlin 1842-43) Volume 1 , Volume 2 , Volume 3a Volume 3b

literature

Web links

Commons : Karl von Grolman  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ History of the Rotenhan family of the older line. Volume 2, 1865, p. 573 f.
  2. ↑ Genealogical paperback of the German count's houses to the year 1840. Thirteenth year, Justus Perthes, Gotha 1839, p. 482.
  3. ↑ Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Freiherrlichen Häuser. 1886. Sixth and thirtieth year, Justus Perthes, Gotha 1885, p. 752.
  4. ^ Robert Albinus: Königsberg Lexicon. Würzburg 2002, ISBN 3-88189-441-1 .
  5. ↑ https://www.berlin.de/ba-charlottenburg-wilmersdorf/ueber-den- Bezirk/freiflaechen/strassen/artikel.177423.php /
personal data
SURNAME Grolman, Karl von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Grolman, Karl Wilhelm Georg von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian general of the infantry, commanding general of the 5th Army Corps
DATE OF BIRTH July 30, 1777
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH September 15, 1843
Place of death Poses