August Von Kanitz

Graf August Karl Wilhelm von Kanitz (29 October 1783 – 22 May 1852) was a

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

and was also the

Minister of War A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

from 26 April to 16 June 1848 (without party affiliation) in the Camphausen- Hansemann government. Kanitz became an officer-cadet in 1798, and an Ensign one year later. In 1801 he was made 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 ...

. In 1806 he took part in the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt. In 1810 he was promoted to

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

and to '' Stabskapitän'' in 1811. In 1812 Kanitz received the

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by Frederick the Great, King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Or ...

award. In 1813-14 he took part in the

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States defeated F ...

. In 1813 he was made a

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. Two years later he was assigned to be

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...

. In 1819 he was promoted to

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 ...

and in 1825 to

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. From 1832 Von Kanitz was commander of the ''1. Landwehrbrigade'', after 1840 commanded the 1st Division and after 1841 the 15th Division. Between 1841 and 1848 Von Kanitz was the interim commander in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

. In 1843 he became a

and in 1848 was made a general officer commanding (''Kommandierender General'') on an interim basis. Camphausen had originally planned to make Colonel

Hans Adolf Erdmann von Auerswald Hans Adolf Erdmann von Auerswald (1792 – September 18, 1848) was a Prussian general and politician. Biography Auerswald was born in Faulen, West Prussia where the family possessed the estates of Plauth and Tromnau. He entered the Prussi ...

his Minister of War. However, as part of an early power struggle over the right to decide on military matters, King

Frederick William IV Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...

refused to appoint him and instead chose Kanitz. His predecessor as War Minister was

Karl von Reyher Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Reyher (from 1828 von Reyher) (21 June 1786, in Groß Schönebeck – 7 October 1857, in Berlin) was a Prussian officer who served as Prussian Minister of War in the government of Gottfried Ludolf Camphausen during the ...

, he was succeeded by General

Ludwig Freiherr Roth von Schreckenstein Ludwig Johann Karl Gregor Eusebius Freiherr Roth von Schreckenstein (16 November 1789, in Immendingen – 30 May 1858, in Münster) was a Prussian General of the cavalry and Minister of War. Biography Her was the son of Friedrich Freiherr Ro ...

. Von Kanitz was a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and belonged to the Grand Lodge "Zu den drei Weltkugeln" in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanitz, August Wilhelm Graf Von 1783 births 1852 deaths Lieutenant generals of Prussia Prussian Ministers of War People from East Prussia People from Elbląg County Prussian Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Von Kanitz family