Wilhelm Gustav Friedrich Wardenburg

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Wilhelm Gustav Friedrich Wardenburg (1781–1838)
Grave column at the Gertrudenfriedhof in Oldenburg

Wilhelm Gustav Friedrich Wardenburg (* 15. May 1781 in Fedderwarden ; † 29. May 1838 in Oldenburg ) was a Oldenburg shear career officer, the critical to the construction of the Oldenburg military during the War of Liberation and the Oldenburg contingent in Armed Forces in the period of German Bunds responsible was. Wardenburg was also active as a collector, researcher and military historian.

Origin, education and service abroad

He was the son of the pastor Adam Levin Wardenburg and his second wife Gesche Magdalene, née Ohmstede. After training by a private tutor, Wardenburg attended the Oldenburg grammar school from 1795 , but left the school after only two years to join the small Oldenburg guard company for an officer career. In 1799 he left the company as an ensign and tried to join the army of the Russian general Alexander Suvorov in northern Italy , but failed. Thereupon he joined the Austrian army, was wounded during the campaign in northern Italy and promoted to lieutenant in 1800 . After the Peace of Lunéville he came with his regiment to Bohemia and stayed in the local garrison until 1805. Through the mediation of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig , he succeeded in switching to the Russian army and he again joined the Azov regiment as a lieutenant. He took part in the campaigns in Austria in 1805 , in East Prussia in 1807 and in Finland in 1808 and was wounded several times. In 1810 he became adjutant to Prince Peter Friedrich Georg von Oldenburg , who served as governor in Russia. He was now promoted to first lieutenant and was transferred to the staff of the Russian commander-in-chief after Napoleon I invaded Russia. He again distinguished himself through bravery in several battles and was promoted to staff captain.

In 1813 he joined the organized by Peter Friedrich Ludwig Russian-German Legion and was in May to lieutenant colonel in January 1814. Colonel promoted.

Activity in the Oldenburg military

In August 1814 Wardenburg entered the Oldenburg military service as a colonel and built up the Oldenburg regiment with which he took part in the campaign against Napoleon as early as 1815. Back in Oldenburg, Wardenburg began to systematically build up a modern, professional military. Above all, this included the establishment of a military school including a military library ( Grand Ducal Oldenburg Military Library ) for the training of NCOs and officers. The construction of the infantry barracks on the horse market , which today houses parts of the city administration, also goes back to Wardenburg . Wardenburg's plans were repeatedly restricted by the strict thrift of Peter Friedrich Ludwig.

In 1816 he married Helene Elisabeth Wilhelmine Hegeler (1792–1872). The marriage remained childless.

When Grand Duke Paul Friedrich August took office in 1829, a new phase began in the Oldenburg military system, as the new ruler himself was very interested in the military system. On December 31 of that year Wardenburg was promoted to major general. In 1834 a military convention was concluded between the Grand Duchy and the Hanseatic cities of Hamburg , Lübeck and Bremen in accordance with the Federal War Constitution of 1820/21 . The Oldenburg-Hanseatic Brigade was then formed from troop contingents from all four contracting parties . The Oldenburg Half-Brigade consisted of two infantry regiments set up by Wardenburg and an artillery unit. Wardenburg then became the first commander of the brigade, whose leadership he held until his death on May 29, 1838.

In addition to his military activities, Wardenburg was also active as a researcher and military historian. His collections z. B. finds from old fortifications later formed the basis for the Grand Ducal Collection of Antiquities and the Museum of Natural History and Prehistory (now the State Museum for Nature and Man ). He wrote several military historical studies, including the regiment's participation in the campaign against France in 1815 .

Wardenburg's estate is in the Lower Saxony State Archives (Oldenburg location) , his documentation on the participation of the Oldenburg regiment in France is in the State Library of Oldenburg . In memory of him, Wardenburg-Strasse was named in Oldenburg.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Wardenburg, Wilhelm Gustav Friedrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Oldenburg major general
DATE OF BIRTH May 15, 1781
PLACE OF BIRTH Fedderwarden
DATE OF DEATH May 29, 1838
Place of death Oldenburg