![Wilhelm von Freytag](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Wilhelm_von_Freytag.jpg)
Heinrich Wilhelm von Freytag (17 March 1720, Estorf – 2 January 1798, Hannover ) was an officer in the service of the
Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg
The Electorate of Hanover (german: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as ...
(Hanover).
Career
B.1720 in Estorf, Freytag rose to prominence during the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...
, organising & commanding a corps of light infantry, the ''Freytag Jägers''. At the
Battle of Bergen 17 April 1759 he commanding 9 companies of Jägers & 2 squadrons of Prussian Hussars.
Promoted Field Marshal in 1792, he was appointed to raise and command the 3,873 man Hanoverian electoral contingent to the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
. This force was absorbed into the general army mobilization at the end of 1792. Freytag commanded the Hanoverian troops and the 13–15,000 man Austro-Hanoverian corps under the
Duke of York in the
Flanders Campaign in 1793, seeing action at Rüme (St.Amand) 1 May,
Famars
FAMARS, or Fabbrica Armi d’Abbiatico e Salvinelli, is an Italian gunmaker that manufactures bespoke shotguns and rifles. The company is best known for its patented detachable-lock designs and handcrafted woodwork and engraving. FAMARS is consi ...
23rd, the
siege of Valenciennes 13 June-28 July, and Cæsar's Camp 7/8 August. In the
Siege of Dunkirk he commanded the left wing covering column. On 6 September he was driven back by
Houchard at the
Battle of Hondschoote
The Battle of Hondschoote took place during the Flanders Campaign of the Campaign of 1793 in the French Revolutionary Wars. It was fought during operations surrounding the siege of Dunkirk between 6 and 8 September 1793 at Hondschoote, Nord, ...
, where he was wounded and captured, but rescued the following day by
Wallmoden
Wallmoden is a village and a former municipality in the district of Goslar in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 November 2021, it is part of the town Langelsheim, of which it is an ''Ortschaft Ortschaft is a term in German speaking countries for a hu ...
’s counter-attack. He resigned soon after due to poor relations with the Duke of York & was replaced by Wallmoden.
Freytag died on 2 January 1798 in
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
.
Assessment
He knew the Duke of York from when the Prince studied in Hanover in the 1780s. Relations between the two were seriously strained right from the beginning of the campaign. At St. Amand 1 May York tried to locate him & Bussche to bring their troops forward, "but found neither at home, because they too had ridden out to reconnoitre, which annoyed the Duke very much, because he had expected to find them in their quarters. The Duke then went to Rüme, but first ordered the Light Dragoons to advance. The Field Marshal, however, forbade their marching, and it was only after fresh orders that they set out, but arrived too late… The Field Marshal declined to sit by the Duke at his table that day, and left before the joints were served".
Fortescue
Fortescue may refer to:
People
* Fortescue (surname), a British surname ''Includes list of name-holders''
* Fortescue Ash (1882–1956), Anglican bishop in Australia
* Fortescue Graham (1794–1880), British Royal Marines general
Places
* Fo ...
claims that his 21-mile front in advance of Hondschoote was badly chosen, stamped him as a believer in the
cordon system, and that a shorter front around the village would have been better. But
Burne
Burne (variations: Byrnes, Byrne, O'Byrne, O'Byrnes, Burns, Beirne, Bourne) is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Alfred Burne (1886–1959), soldier and military historian
* Charlotte Sophia Burne (1850–1923), author and edi ...
persuasively challenges this by citing 5 reasons for the weakness of Hondschoote – "it is difficult to see on what grounds Fortescue asserts that ‘the position at Hondschoote would have covered the besiegers quite as efficiently and with less risk’. In my opinion Freytag occupied the best possible position; his mistake was that he was forgetful of the principal of maintenance of the objective – namely, to cover the besieging army – till pulled up sharply and rightly by the Duke... The fact that even without the Duke's aid Freytag very nearly held up the French is a clear indication that with it the victory would almost certainly have gone to the Allies".
The Duke of York criticised his actions in the battle thus: "On the 6th of September, the day of the first attack upon the Field Marshal’s Corps, He never would believe that the Enemy had forced the post on His left and turned His left flank in spite of repeated reports that were sent to Him, nor was it till six in the evening, that he consented to retreat, which he did in two Columns. Instead however of sending the Artillery and baggage with General Count Walmoden's Column which was the furthest from the Enemy, He chose to take them in the rear of His own Column. I shall not touch upon the subject of His and my brother Adolphus’s being taken prisoners. I do not imagine there can be two opinions on the subject. I will only say that in consequence of this misfortune, everything would have been lost if it had not been for the presence of mind and coolness of Count Walmoden".
[York's correspondence, quoted in Burne p.76]
References
*
Burne
Burne (variations: Byrnes, Byrne, O'Byrne, O'Byrnes, Burns, Beirne, Bourne) is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Alfred Burne (1886–1959), soldier and military historian
* Charlotte Sophia Burne (1850–1923), author and edi ...
, Alfred, ''The Noble Duke of York: The Military Life of Frederick Duke of York and Albany'', London: Staples Press (1949).
* Coutanceau, Michel Henri Marie, ''La Campagne de 1794 a l'Armée du Nord'', (1903–08 5 Volumes) Paris: Chapelot .
*
Fortescue
Fortescue may refer to:
People
* Fortescue (surname), a British surname ''Includes list of name-holders''
* Fortescue Ash (1882–1956), Anglican bishop in Australia
* Fortescue Graham (1794–1880), British Royal Marines general
Places
* Fo ...
, Sir John, ''British Campaigns in Flanders 1690–1794 (extracts from Volume 4 of A History of the British Army)'', London: Macmillan (1918).
*
Ompteda, CF ''In the King's German Legion. Memoirs of Baron Ompteda, Colonel in the King's German Legion During the Napoleonic Wars''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freytag, Wilhelm von
Field marshals of Germany
German military personnel of the Seven Years' War
German military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars
People from Nienburg (district)
1720 births
1798 deaths