Wilhelm von Ditfurth

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wilhelm von Ditfurth

Wilhelm Heinrich Carl Ludwig Arthur von Ditfurth (born June 29, 1780 in Minden ; † August 20, 1855 at Gut Dankersen near Rinteln ) was a Prussian infantry general , an honorary citizen of Magdeburg, and a squire on the Dankersen family estate and a legal knight of the Order of St. John .

Life

origin

Wilhelm came from the old aristocratic family Ditfurth from the Harzgau and was the son of the Prussian war and domain council Georg von Ditfurth (1742-1815) from Cosel , Kurhessischer District and head of the Schaumburg knighthood , and his wife Helene Marie, born from the Asseburg (1742 –1793) from Meisdorf . Ditfurth was baptized on July 4, 1780 in the Protestant St. Marienkirche in Minden. He was a half-brother of the poet and writer Franz Wilhelm von Ditfurth (1801-1880).

Military career

Ditfurth was employed on September 25, 1795 as a private corporal in the infantry regiment "Duke of Braunschweig" of the Prussian Army . On June 1, 1796, he came with his unit to the Observation Corps in Westphalia and advanced to secondary lieutenant by mid-February 1798 . In the fourth coalition war he was wounded in the battle of Auerstedt .

After the Treaty of Tilsit , he joined the 1st Pomeranian Reserve Battalion on November 5, 1807. On December 6, 1809, he was aggregated to the regiment and on June 13, 1809, he was assigned to the regiment. On January 5, 1810 he was staff captain and on February 10, 1812 captain and company commander . During the Wars of Liberation he was major and commander of the 2nd battalion in the 1st Guards Regiment on foot . He was wounded in the battle of Großgörschen and received the Iron Cross, 2nd class. He fought at Bautzen , Dresden , Leipzig , Brienne , Arcis-sur-Aube , Paris , Ligny and in the battles at Wavre and St. Germain. For Paris he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir IV Class and the Iron Cross First Class. For his work at Wavre and St. Germain, Ditfurth received the order Pour le Mérite with oak leaves on October 2, 1815 . As early as May 31, 1815, he was transferred to the 30th Infantry Regiment as commander and promoted to lieutenant colonel on October 9, 1815 .

On March 30, 1821, he became a colonel with a patent from April 3, 1821 . As such, he was from March 30 to December 7, 1830 commander of the 12th Landwehr Brigade and then the 16th Landwehr Brigade. In this position he advanced to major general at the end of March 1832. On March 30, 1838, he was appointed commander of the 7th Division and at one point he was entrusted with the management of business as the commander of Magdeburg . His health was already bad and on April 18, 1838 Ditfurth received a three-month vacation with his salary for a spa stay in Nenndorf and Pyrmont . In October 1838 he was awarded the Order of St. Stanislaus 1st Class. On May 30, 1840 he was released from his post as Commandant of Magdeburg and promoted to Lieutenant General on September 10, 1840. On October 3, 1844, he was appointed Commandant of Berlin and Chief of the Landgendarmerie . On the occasion of his 50th anniversary in service, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV awarded him the Order of the Red Eagle 1st class with oak leaves and diamonds on September 29, 1845 for his long service . On May 31, 1847, Ditfurth was again granted a two-month spa vacation.

During the March Revolution , Ditfurth was city ​​commander of Berlin in 1848 until he was replaced by Major General Wilhelm von Thümen (1792-1856). Ditfurth then submitted his departure , which was approved on April 11, 1848 with an annual pension of 4,000 thalers .

On June 15, 1852 Ditfurth received the character of General of the Infantry. He died on August 20, 1855 at Gut Dankersen (Rinteln district) and was buried on the local Helenenberg.

family

Ditfurth married on July 31, 1810 in Silligsdorf Florentine von Brederlow (1789-1870). The following children were born from the marriage:

  • Arthur Alexander Ferdinand Eduard Detleff (1813–1878), Prussian Colonel and Commander of Koblenz and Ehrenbreitstein ∞ Elisabeth Wilhelmine Charlotte von Schack (1825–1868), parents of Hans von Ditfurth
  • Florentine (* 1815), canoness in Obernkirchen
  • Helene Berta (1815–1890), canon in Obernkirchen
  • Anna Maria Luise Helene (1816–1865) ∞ Emil von Schwartzkoppen , Prussian infantry general
  • Ottilie Clementine (1817–1847)
  • Ferdinande Karoline Wilhelmine Anna (1819–1847)
  • Virginia Franziska Bettina (1823–1863)
  • Hans Bernhard Rudolf Alexander (* / † 1825)
  • Barthold Burchard Bernhard Busso Hoimar (1826–1902), Prussian infantry general ∞ Helene von Kleist (1844–1920) from the house of Damen . Their adoptive son Sigismund founded the Ditfurth-Kleist line.

Publications

  • From stormy times. Letters from the estate of the General of the Infantry von Ditfurth. 1810-1815. published by Hoimar von Ditfurth (1826–1902), Verlag A. Hofmann & Comp., Berlin 1895, 2nd edition: Verlag A. Hofmann & Comp., Berlin 1912.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Church book. 1687–1916 of the Evangelical Church of St. Mary in Minden.
  2. ↑ Jodocus Donatus Hubertus Temme, Michael Hettinger: Eyewitness reports of the German revolution 1848/49. A Prussian judge as a champion of democracy. S. 320, Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1996, ISBN 3534127560 or ISBN 9783534127566 ( excerpt )
personal data
SURNAME Ditfurth, Wilhelm von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ditfurth, Wilhelm Heinrich Carl Ludwig Arthur von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian general of the infantry
DATE OF BIRTH June 29, 1780
PLACE OF BIRTH Minden
DATE OF DEATH August 20, 1855
Place of death Rinteln