Karl von der Esch

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Karl Wilhelm von der Esch (born August 13, 1827 in Mainz , † March 27, 1880 in Karlsruhe ) was a Prussian major general and commander of the 55th Infantry Brigade .

Life

origin

Karl was a son of the Prussian captain Josef von der Esch (1785–1833) and his wife Marianne, née von Kleist (1800–1883). The Prussian infantry general Max von der Esch (1853-1935) was his nephew.

Military career

After attending high school in Mulhouse / Thuringia , preparing Institute in Magdeburg and the cadets houses in Potsdam and Berlin Esch was on July 4, 1844 as uncharacterized Portepeefähnrich the 27th Infantry Regiment of the Prussian Army transferred. He was promoted to secondary lieutenant by mid-December 1844 and from April 1847 was in command of the 4th combined reserve battalion for one year. In 1849, during the suppression of the Baden Revolution , Esch took part in the battles near Graben, Ubstadt , Durlach and Wald-Michelbach . After a command to the rifle factory in Sömmerda , he was appointed adjutant of the fusilier battalion in mid-December 1850 and completed the general war school for further training from October 15, 1853 to July 15, 1856 . Esch was promoted to Prime Lieutenant on August 25, 1857 with a patent from May 16, 1857 in the 26th Infantry Regiment . From July 1, 1858 to February 28, 1859 he was assigned to the topographical department of the Great General Staff and rose to captain at the end of May 1859. During the mobilization on the occasion of the Sardinian War , Esch was a company commander in the 2nd Battalion in the 26th Landwehr Regiment and returned to the topographical department in mid-August 1859. On March 1, 1860, he was assigned as a company commander to the 26th Combined Infantry Regiment, from which the 3rd Magdeburg Infantry Regiment No. 66 emerged in early July 1860 . Esch served briefly as company commander , on July 12, 1860, he was assigned to the general command of the II Army Corps as a general staff officer and was transferred to the general staff at the end of July 1860 . After being employed from March 5, 1863 to April 15, 1864 as a company commander in the Grenadier Regiment "King Friedrich Wilhelm IV." (1st Pomeranian) No. 2 , Esch was transferred to the General Staff of the 4th Division and at the end of June 1864 to the Major promoted. At the beginning of May 1865 he was transferred to Cologne to the General Staff of the 15th Division . In this position, Esch took part in the battles at Hühnerwasser , Münchengrätz and Königgrätz during the war against Austria in 1866 and received the Order of the Red Eagle III for his work . Class with bow and swords.

After the war, Esch rose to lieutenant colonel at the end of March 1868 , was entrusted with the management of business as Chief of the General Staff of the V Army Corps on September 10, 1868 , and was appointed Chief of Staff on October 21, 1869 . In this position promoted to colonel during the mobilization on the occasion of the war against France , he took part in the battles near Weißenburg , Wörth , Valenton , Petit-Bicêtre-St. Cloud , Bellevue , Dame-Rose, Garches , Malmaison, Mont Valerien and the siege of Paris .

Awarded with both classes of the Iron Cross and the Commander of the Bavarian and Württemberg Military Merit Order , Esch was appointed Chief of the General Staff to the newly established XV after the preliminary peace of Versailles on March 20, 1871 . Army Corps transferred to Strasbourg . On January 19, 1873 he received the order Pour le Mérite , and on February 14, 1874 the rank and fees of a brigade commander. He was promoted to major general at the end of October 1874 and on February 2, 1875, he was commander of the 62nd Infantry Brigade, also stationed in Strasbourg . In the summer of 1875, Esch took part in the Russian maneuvers near Warsaw as an observer . On May 15, 1877 he was transferred as commander of the 55th Infantry Brigade to Karlsruhe with a grant of 1500 marks . On September 15, 1877 he received the Order of the Red Eagle, 2nd class with oak leaves and swords on the ring. Esch died surprisingly of pneumonia on March 27, 1880 in Karlsruhe and was taken to the local cemetery, where the officer corps erected a memorial to him.

In the battle of Wörth he saw that the advance of the outposts had to be supported by artillery and ordered the entire corps artillery for reinforcement. The battle was in full swing when the order to cancel was given. Esch decided to ignore this and took part in the assault on the strategically important heights on the Sauer with the fusilier battalion of Infantry Regiment No. 94 . The commanding General Kirchbach, who had arrived in the meantime, supported the decision of his chief of staff and carried on the battle. It was already proposed for Sedan for the Pour le Mérite.

General von Obernitz wrote in his assessment on January 1, 1880: “Major General von der Esch is an eminently talented and capable general who will show himself to be equal to any military task. In leading the detachment exercises assigned to him last year, he received my full recognition. As leader of the brigade on the parade ground and during maneuvers as well as leading detachments of all weapons, he is safe and experienced. As division commander, he will also meet all requirements. "

family

Esch married Nanny von Gerhardt (1832–1908) in Magdeburg on May 29, 1869. The couple had several children:

  • Adolf (1861–1937), Prussian lieutenant general ⚭ 1886 Amelie le Beau (* 1864)
  • Hans (1862–1934), Prussian lieutenant general, knight of the order Pour le Mérite ⚭ Elisabeth Hasenkamp (1874–1926)
  • Luise (* 1864) ⚭ 1885 Bernhard von Minnigerode (1852–1910)

His descendants received the hereditary Prussian nobility on February 3, 1892.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Freiherrlichen Häuser. 1890. 40th year, Justus Perthes, Gotha 1889, p. 541 f.
personal data
SURNAME Esch, Karl von der
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Esch, Karl Wilhelm von der (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian major general and commander of the 55th Infantry Brigade
DATE OF BIRTH August 13, 1827
PLACE OF BIRTH Mainz
DATE OF DEATH March 27, 1880
Place of death Karlsruhe