William von Voigts-Rhetz

Karl Ferdinand William von Voigts-Rhetz (born April 9, 1813 in Höxter , † June 2, 1902 in Montreux , Switzerland ) was a Prussian infantry general .

General William von Voigts-Rhetz. The Hallwyl Museum.

Life

origin

William was a son of the Forestry, Government and Department Council Victor von Voigts-Rhetz (1775-1841) and his wife Dorothea, born von Uslar (1782-1865). His brothers Konstantin Bernhard (1809–1877) and Julius (1822–1904) also became generals in the Prussian army.

Military career

After his upbringing in his parents' house as well as attending high schools in Bückeburg , Minden and Stettin , Voigts-Rhetz joined the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the Prussian Army as a musketeer on May 2, 1829 . By the end of November 1831, he was promoted to redundant secondary lieutenant and on Christmas Eve 1831 he was assigned to the regiment. From the beginning of September 1841 to the end of September 1844 Voigts-Rhetz was in command as adjutant and accounting officer of the 2nd Battalion in the 2nd Landwehr Regiment in Stralsund . At the end of February 1846 he was promoted to prime lieutenant and in March 1848 took part in the suppression of the revolutionary unrest in Berlin. On November 12, 1850, while being promoted to captain, he was appointed chief of the 7th Company. This was followed on July 13, 1858 as a major and commander of the 2nd battalion in the 2nd Landwehr Regiment. On August 11, 1859 Voigts-Rhetz was initially commissioned with the command of the 2nd Battalion and on July 1, 1860 was appointed battalion commander in the 5th Pomeranian Infantry Regiment No. 42 . In this position he received the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Sword in August 1862 and advanced to lieutenant colonel in mid-March 1863 . On August 14, 1865 he became the commander of the King's Grenadier Regiment (2nd West Prussian) No. 7 in Liegnitz , which he led as a colonel in 1866 during the war against Austria in the battles near Nachod , Skalitz , Schweinschädel , Gradlitz and Königgrätz . After the peace treaty , Voigts-Rhetz received the highest award for bravery in Prussia, the order Pour le Mérite .

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of King Wilhelm I as head of the regiment , he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern at the end of June 1867 . In autumn Voigts-Rhetz was commanded to take place at Christiana maneuvers of the Norwegian army and received the commander of the Order of Saint Olav . In position à la suite of his regiment, he was appointed commander of the 18th infantry brigade in Glogau on July 14 and promoted to major general on July 26, 1870 . Voigts-Rhetz led his brigade in the battles near Weißenburg , Wörth , and Sedan . During the siege of Paris he was in command of Versailles and took over his brigade again after the preliminary peace on March 9, 1871 . For his work, Voigts-Rhetz received, in addition to both classes of the Iron Cross, the Order of St. George IV Class, the Grand Commander of the Bavarian Order of Military Merit and the Oldenburg Order of House and Merit of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, and the Commander of the Württemberg Military Order of Merit .

On April 12, 1872 Voigts-Rhetz gave up his brigade and took over the 21st Infantry Brigade stationed in Breslau . At the end of April 1873, accompanied by the general of the Blumenthal infantry, he was commanded to attend the coronation of King Oskar II in Stockholm . On December 12, 1873, Voigts-Rhetz was initially commissioned to lead the 20th division in Hanover, and on January 15, 1874, he was appointed commander of this large unit . In this position he advanced to lieutenant general at the end of March 1874 and was commanded to take part in the St. George's festival in St. Petersburg in November / December . On the occasion of the autumn maneuvers in Silesia , he was ordered to do honorary service with the Saxon King , who then awarded him the Grand Cross of the Order of Albrecht . King Wilhelm I paid tribute to Voigts-Rhetz on his 50th anniversary with the Grand Commander of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. Under awarding of the character he was on 12 March 1881 as General of Infantry board for disposition made.

After his departure, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Red Eagle Order with Oak Leaves on March 22, 1897 .

On June 6, 1902 , Colonel General von Hahnke took part in the burial at the Berlin Invalidenfriedhof on behalf of the Kaiser .

Family mausoleum in the Berlin Invalidenfriedhof

family

Voigts-Rhetz married Agnes Countess von Wachtmeister (1817–1843) on January 6, 1837 in Stralsund. After her untimely death, he married Albertine Wallis (1826–1916), daughter of the merchant Albrecht Wallis, on May 12, 1846 in Stockholm. The following children emerged from the marriages:

• Clement (* 1838), Prussian colonel a. D. and legal knight of the Order of St. John ⚭ Marie von Sponeck (* 1841)
• Hilda (1841–1862) ⚭ Karl von La Fort († 1893), Prussian major a. D. and Mr. on Papendorf
• Agnes (1843–1882) ⚭ Karl von La Fort († 1893), Prussian major a. D. and Mr. on Papendorf
• William (* 1849), former Prussian Colonel D. and Knight of Honor of the Order of St. John ⚭ Marie von Homeier (* 1866)
• Albrecht (1850–1915), retired Prussian captain. D. and German envoy ⚭ Alma, widowed Zimmermann, née Thieme (1857–1906)
• Magnus (* 1852), former Prussian Colonel D.

literature

• Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Briefadeligen houses. 1907. First year, Justus Perthes , Gotha 1906, pp. 792–793.
• Kurt von Priesdorff : Soldier leadership . Volume 8, Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt Hamburg, undated [Hamburg], undated [1941], DNB 367632837 , pp. 319-322, no. 2620.
• Kurt von Priesdorff: Officer master list of the Grenadier Regiment King Friedrich Wilhelm IV. (1st Pomeranian) No. 2. ES Mittler & Sohn , Berlin 1906, p.

Web links

• Voigts-Rhetz, William von. Index entry: German biography. [16. February 2019].