Georg Daniel Gerlach () was a Danish officer. He was the son of Captain Molter Christoph Gerlach of the Schleswig Hunters Corps and Anna Sabine Magdalena . In 1827 he married Caroline Marie Kromayer (1800-1846), who in the marriage gave birth to eight children, one of whom died in infancy.

Military career

He was drafted into the military in December 1808 as a national casualty, and appointed second lieutenant in the Holstein infantry in 1813. In 1822 he became first lieutenant and in 1830 chief of staff. In 1842 he was appointed major and in 1848 lieutenant colonel. He participated in the

First Schleswig War The First Schleswig War (german: Schleswig-Holsteinischer Krieg) was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig-Holstein Question, contesting the issue of who should control the Duchies of Schleswig, ...

, where he excelled in the battles of

Fredericia Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vejle. It was founded in 16 ...

and Isted.Gerlach, G.D., 1797-1865, dansk officer , Grænseforeningen.dk
/ref> In 1850 he was appointed colonel and commander of the 6th Infantry Brigade. In 1851, he was Commander of the Anglia. In 1854 he became commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade in Copenhagen. In 1858 Gerlach became a member of the advisory committee of the

Ministry of War Ministry of War may refer to: * Ministry of War (imperial China) (c.600–1912) * Chinese Republic Ministry of War (1912–1946) * Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria) (1808–1919) * Ministry of War (Brazil) (1815–1999) * Ministry of War (Estoni ...

and in 1859 he was appointed Inspector General of the Infantry. When the

Second Schleswig 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 ...

broke out in 1864, he was given command of the 1st Division,Hans Christian Bjerg, KC Rockstroh : G. Gerlach . In: Svend Cedergreen Bech , Svend Dahl (eds.): ''Dansk biografisk leksikon''. Founded by Carl Frederik Bricka, continued by Povl Engelstoft. 3. Edition. tape 5 : Frille – Hanssen . Gyldendal, Copenhagen 1980, which pushed the Prussians back at

Mysunde Missunde (Danish: ''Mysunde'', Old Norse ''Mjósund'' "narrow strait") is a village on the Schlei coast of Schwansen in Southern Schleswig in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, about 7 miles from Schleswig. It is part of the municipality Kosel. It has ...

on 2 February. He supported

Christian de Meza Christian Julius de Meza (14 January 1792 – 16 September 1865) was the commander of the Danish Army during the 1864 Second Schleswig War. De Meza was responsible for the withdrawal of the Danish army from the Danevirke, an event which shocked th ...

's decision to evacuate the Danevirke position. When de Meza was dismissed as commander-in-chief of the army because of this decision, Gerlach was ordered, against his will, to take command. He did not share the war ministry's position on how to conduct the war and had several clashes. He was opposed to defending the

Dybbøl Dybbøl is a small town with a population of 2,339 (1 January 2022)the loss of the Dybbøl position, Gerlach prepared to lead the defense further from Fredericia, but he was ousted by

War Minister 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 ...

and ordered to evacuate Fredericia. Gerlach tried to change the decision, but he was deprived of the command, which instead went to General

Peter Frederik Steinmann Peter Frederik Steinmann (8 July 1812 – 16 February 1894) was a Danish officer and Minister of War (Denmark), Minister of War who served in the First Schleswig War, First and Second Schleswig War, Second Schleswig Wars. Early Years and Educ ...

. He then, at his own request, received the command of the 1st Division, which he retained the command of the war out. In December 1864 he retired, and the following year he died in Copenhagen. Gerlach became a

Knight of Dannebrog A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1836, the

Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn, also referred to as the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog (post-nominals: D.Ht.), is a meritous award connected to the Danish Order of the Dannebrog. The cross was instituted by King Frederick VI of Denm ...

in 1849, Commander 1853, and received the Grand Cross in 1864. On 6 October 1850 he was awarded the

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Hol ...

, 2nd class. He was buried in Garrison Cemetery. In

Tom Buk-Swienty Tom Buk-Swienty (born July 19, 1966 in Eutin) is a Danish historian, journalist and author, known for his work on the Second Schleswig War. Buk-Swienty was raised in Sønderborg, Denmark. He holds degrees in history and American Studies from th ...

book ''Slagtbænk Dybbøl'', Gerlach was assessed as "no strong leader". In connection with the memorial services on 18 April 2014, descendants of Gerlach gave a journalist insight into documents that, among other things, showed that Gerlach was a stronger critic of government policy than people assumed; but for reasons of principle he chose to comply with the government's order to hold the Dybbøl position, even though he found it erroneous on the basis of a military assessment.

Reference

Bibliography

* *P. Nieuwenhuis: Gerlach gærlak Georg Daniel . In: Christian Blangstrup (Ed.): ''

Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon ''Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon'' is a Danish encyclopedia that has been published in several editions. The first edition, ''Salmonsens Store Illustrerede Konversationsleksikon'' was published in nineteen volumes 1893–1911 by Brødrene Sal ...

''. 2nd Edition. tape 9 : Friele gradient . JH Schultz Forlag, Copenhagen 1920, p. 627–628 (Danish
runeberg.org
- different date of birth August 31, 1798). *P. Nieuwenhuis: Gerlach, Georg Daniel . In: Carl Frederik Bricka (Ed.): ''Dansk biografisk Lexikon: Tillige omfattende Norge for Tidsrummet 1537–1814.'' 1st edition. tape 5 : Faaborg – Gersdorff . Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, Copenhagen 1891, p. 603–605 (Danish

- different date of birth August 31, 1798). * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerlach, Georg 1797 births 1865 deaths 19th-century Danish military personnel People of the First Schleswig War People from Eckernförde People of the Second Schleswig War Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog