August Karl Friedrich Christian von Goeben (10 December 181613 November 1880), was a
Prussian infantry general, who won the
Iron Cross for his service in the
Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71.
Early career
Born at
Stade
Stade (), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (german: Hansestadt Stade, nds, Hansestadt Stood) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the district () which bears its name. It is l ...
30 km west of
Hamburg in the Kingdom of
Hannover, he aspired from his earliest years to the Prussian service rather than that of his own country, and at the age of seventeen, obtained a commission in the 24th Regiment of Prussian infantry. But there was little scope for the activities of a young and energetic
subaltern
Subaltern may refer to:
*Subaltern (postcolonialism), colonial populations who are outside the hierarchy of power
* Subaltern (military), a primarily British and Commonwealth military term for a junior officer
* Subalternation, going from a univer ...
.
Leaving the service in 1836, he enlisted in the
Carlist army fighting the
First Carlist War in Spain. In the five campaigns in which he served
Don Carlos, he had many turns of fortune. He had not fought for two months when he fell, severely wounded, into the hands of the
Spanish royalist
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
troops. After eight months' detention, he escaped, but it was not long before he was captured again. This time his imprisonment was long and painful, and on two occasions, he was compelled to draw lots for his life with his fellow captives.
When released, Goeben served until 1840 with distinction. In that year, he made his way back, a man without means, to Prussia. The Carlist
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
was glad to be re-admitted into the Prussian service as a
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
, but he was still young, and few subalterns could claim five years meritorious war service at the age of twenty-four. In a few years, he was a captain on the
Great General Staff
The German General Staff, originally the Prussian General Staff and officially the Great General Staff (german: Großer Generalstab), was a full-time body at the head of the Prussian Army and later, the German Army, responsible for the continuou ...
, and in 1848, he was transferred to the staff of the
IV Corps, where his immediate superior was Major
Helmuth Graf von Moltke.
The two men became fast friends, and their mutual esteem was never disturbed. In the
Baden insurrection, Goeben distinguished himself on the staff of
Prince William, the future emperor. He alternated staff and regimental duty in the Prussian service for some years after this, until in 1863, he was promoted to major-general commanding the 26th Infantry Brigade.
In 1860, he was present with the Spanish troops in
Morocco, and took part in the Battle of
Tetuan.
Military commands
In the first of Prussia's great wars, the 1864
Danish-Prussian War
The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. T ...
, he distinguished himself at the head of his brigade at
Rackebüll and
Sonderburg. In the 1866
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), (; "German war of brothers") and by a variety of other names, was fought in 186 ...
, Lieutenant-General von Goeben commanded the 13th
Division, of which his old brigade formed part, and, in this higher sphere, once more displayed the qualities of a born leader and skilful tactician. He held almost independent command with conspicuous success in the actions of
Dermbach
Dermbach is a municipality in the Wartburgkreis district of Thuringia, Germany. The former municipalities Brunnhartshausen, Diedorf, Neidhartshausen, Stadtlengsfeld, Urnshausen
Urnshausen is a village and a former municipality in the Wartburgk ...
(in
Wartburgkreis
Wartburgkreis is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the west of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) the districts Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis, Gotha, Schmalkalden-Meiningen, and the districts Fulda, Hersfeld-Rotenburg and Wer ...
),
Laufach
Laufach is a community in the Aschaffenburg district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') in Bavaria, Germany.
Geography Location
The community lies in northwest Bavaria east of Aschaffenburg. Laufach lies in the h ...
(in
Aschaffenburg),
Kissingen
Bad Kissingen is a German spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and seat of the district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is one of the health resorts, which be ...
,
Aschaffenburg,
Gerchsheim,
Tauberbischofsheim and
Würzburg.
The mobilization of 1870 at the start of the
Franco-Prussian War placed him at the head of the
VIII (Rhineland Province) Corps, forming part of the First Army under
von Steinmetz. It was his resolute and energetic leading that contributed mainly to the victory at the
Spicheren
Spicheren (; ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is located on the German border, lying next to the city of Saarbrücken.
See also
* Communes of the Moselle department
The following is a list of ...
on 6 August, and von Goeben won the only laurels gained on the Prussian right wing at
Gravelotte on 18 August. Under
Manteuffel
The House of Manteuffel is the name of an old and influential German Pomeranian noble family, which later also resided in Brandenburg, Prussia, Silesia, Mecklenburg, Poland, the Baltics and in Russia.
History
Manteuffel family was first ment ...
, the VIII Corps took part in the operations about
Amiens and
Bapaume, and on 8 January 1871, Goeben succeeded that general in the command of the First Army.
A fortnight later, he brought the campaign in northern France to a brilliant conclusion, by the decisive victory at the
Battle of St. Quentin (19 January 1871). The close of the Franco-Prussian War left Goeben one of the most distinguished men in the victorious army. He was colonel of the 28th Infantry, and was awarded the
Grand Cross of the Iron Cross. He commanded the VIII Corps at Coblenz until his death in 1880.
Writings
General von Goeben left many writings. His memoirs are to be found in his works:
* ''Vier Jahre in Spanien'' (Four Years in Spain) (Hanover, 1841),
* ''Reise-und Lagerbriefe aus Spanien und vom spanischen Heere in Marokko'' (Hanover, 1863) and
* ''Darmstadt Allgemeine Militärzeitung''.
Legacy
The former French
fort de Queuleu
The Fort de Queuleu is a fortification to the southeast of Metz, near Queuleu, France. Construction began while part of Lorraine was under French rule in 1868. After the interruption of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, the fort was improved b ...
at
Metz was renamed Goeben after him, and the 28th Infantry bears his name. A statue of Goeben by
Fritz Schaper was erected at
Koblenz
Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary.
Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...
in 1884.
The , a of the
Kaiserliche Marine (German Navy) launched in 1911, was also named after him.
Honours and awards
Portrayal in media
In the Danish miniseries
1864
Events
January–March
* January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song " ...
, Goeben was portrayed by Czech actor
Karel Dobrý.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goeben, August Karl Von
1816 births
1880 deaths
People from Stade
People from the Kingdom of Hanover
German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War
Military personnel of the First Carlist War
Generals of Infantry (Prussia)
Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)
Recipients of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross
Recipients of the Military Merit Cross (Mecklenburg-Schwerin)
Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree
Recipients of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand