Peter du Moulin

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Peter du Moulin; Contemporary engraving

Peter Ludwig du Moulin (* 1681 in Wesel ; † August 10, 1756 in Stendal ) was a royal Prussian infantry general and served under Frederick II in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748).

Life

Peter Ludwig de Moulin was the son of the Huguenot Theophil du Moulin, who had served in Brandenburg since 1681 . At the age of 14, Peter Ludwig joined the infantry regiment "Prince Leopold von Anhalt-Dessau" (No. 3) as a flag junior . In 1703 he became an ensign . During the Spanish War of Succession (1701-1714) he experienced the siege of Huy and the defeat at Höchstädt (1703), as well as the Second Battle of Höchstädt (1704), Cassano (1705) and Turin (1706). After he was promoted to staff captain on December 6, 1707 , he belonged to the retinue of the Prussian Crown Prince with whom he took part in the Battle of Malplaquet (1709). After taking part in further campaigns, he was given a company as captain in the summer of 1712 . With this he took part in the campaign in Pomerania in 1715 as part of the Great Northern War (1700-1721) . On December 18 of that year he was promoted to major and transferred to the newly established infantry regiment “Prince Leopold von Anhalt-Dessau” (No. 27) in Stendal .

Family coat of arms of General du Moulin
General du Moulin's free house

On March 16, 1722 du Moulin was promoted to lieutenant colonel and on October 26, 1728 to colonel . When the Prussian troops were mobilized in 1729 because of the threat of war, du Moulin was appointed quartermaster general of the field army. There was no armed conflict . For this he was sent to The Hague as a special envoy in 1732 and rose to the command of his regiment on July 21, 1735.

Shortly before the start of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748), King Friedrich II. Du Moulin sent to Austria to investigate the situation, so that he was not with the field troops when the war broke out. However, he returned in February and took part in the Battle of Mollwitz on April 10, 1741 . On June 5, he was promoted to major general and on June 25, he also became the owner of Infantry Regiment No. 37 " Camas ", which was a garrison in Wroclaw . In 1742 he covered the back of the army during the battle of Chotusitz and then became the fortress commander of Glogau . In gratitude for his services, he received the Raden office of Rinteln in addition to that of Kolbatz, which he had held since 1731.

During the second invasion of Bohemia, du Moulin's regiment belonged to the I. Corps, which besieged Prague during the summer of 1744 and finally captured it. On November 14, 1744, he was promoted to Quartermaster General . On May 1, 1745, the king commissioned him to lead a corps of 10 grenadier battalions and 40 squadrons of cavalry with the task of protecting the Bohemian mountain exits. He evaded the main enemy army and united with the main Prussian army. Shortly afterwards he was able to distinguish himself during the Battle of Hohenfriedberg (June 4, 1745) and received the Order of the Black Eagle for it .

After Prussia left the war, du Moulin received the fiefdom Welle in Anhalt as a gift in 1746. On May 19, 1750, he was promoted to general of the infantry . On September 12, du Moulin finally asked for his discharge from military service because of his poor health, which he was granted. On August 10, 1756, the general died in Stendal after a long illness . The family coat of arms can still be seen on his Freihaus there .

family

In Magdeburg he married Marie Sibylle von Huss (1699–1768) on July 19, 1717 , daughter of the mayor of Magdeburg Karl Adolf von Huss , with whom he had two daughters and three sons (two of whom later fell as officers). His eldest son was Friedrich Wilhelm du Molin , who was a captain in the Wiedersheim regiment.

literature

personal data
SURNAME You Moulin, Peter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Du Moulin, Peter Ludwig (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian general of the infantry
DATE OF BIRTH 1681
PLACE OF BIRTH Wesel
DATE OF DEATH August 10, 1756
Place of death Stendal