Johann Heinrich August Heros von Borcke (July 23, 1835 – May 10, 1895) was a

Prussian 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 e ...

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

and writer. Today, he is best known for his enduring memoir, ''Memoirs of the Confederate War for Independence'' (1866), which recounts his two years' service (1862–1864) as a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

officer in the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Family and education

Heros von Borcke came from the old Pomeranian noble family von Borcke. His father Theodor von Borcke (1805-1878) was the owner of a manor on Giesenbrügge in the New Mark district of Soldin and since 1856 a member of the Prussian manor house. His mother Therese was born Adloff (1815-1847). He was educated at the ''

Franckesche Stiftungen The Francke Foundations (Franckesche Stiftungen), also known as Glauchasche Anstalten were founded in 1695 in Halle, Germany as a Christian, social and educational work by August Hermann Francke The Francke Foundations are today a non-profit e ...

''. Heros von Borcke married Madalene Honig (1845-1883), the daughter of the Gralow landowner Edmund Honig and his wife Karoline, née von Klitzing, in Gralow in the Landsberg an der Warthe district in 1867. In his second marriage in 1885 he married their younger sister Tony Honig (1849-1928), also at Gut Gralow.

Military career

Von Borcke became a Prussian cavalry officer in 1855, served with the

Guards Cuirassiers The Guards Cuirassiers (german: Garde-Kürassier-Regiment) were a heavy cavalry regiment of the Royal Prussian Army. Formed in 1815 as an Uhlans regiment, it was reorganized as a cuirassiers unit in 1821. The regiment was part of the Guards Cava ...

and until 1862 in the 2d Brandenburg Dragoons. Financial difficulties forced him to quit the service, whereupon he emigrated to the

Confederate States The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

in 1862.Biography
Borcke left service in 1858 but was soon reactivated at the outbreak of the War in Italy. He then served in the 2d Brandenburg Dragoons, the "Black Dragoons"

American Civil War

Von Borcke brought with him a massive

Solingen Solingen (; li, Solich) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located some 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and, with a 2009 population of 161,366, ...

straight sword, which would become famous during his ensuing career.15th Regimental Report
/ref> By the end of the month, he had made his way to

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, capital of the Confederate States. He was given the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States on June 1 of that year and assigned to Major-General J. E. B. Stuart by the order of Secretary of War

George W. Randolph George Wythe Randolph (March 10, 1818 – April 3, 1867) was a Virginia lawyer, planter, politician and Confederate general. After representing the City of Richmond during the Virginia Secession Convention in 1861, during eight months in ...

. Von Borcke was conspicuous on the battlefield for his large height and girth and the extremely large sword he wielded, became known as the "giant in gray." Borcke-landmark

Stuart soon was impressed by the new arrival, and the two became fast friends. Following the cavalry's famed "ride around McClellan's army", General Stuart wrote, "Capt. Heros von Borcke, a Prussian cavalry officer, who lately ran the blockade, assigned me by the honorable Secretary of War, joined in the charge of the First Squadron in gallant style, and subsequently, by his energy, skill, and activity, won the praise and admiration of all". In August of the year, Von Borcke was promoted to the rank of

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 ...

, an appointment confirmed by the

Confederate States Congress The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly of the Confederate States of America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Its actions were for the most part concerned with measures to establish a new nat ...

on September 19. He rode with General Stuart as his

adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

during the

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is a widespread region radiating westward and southward from Washington, D.C. Wit ...

and the

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

campaigns, further adding to his reputation for bravery in the face of the enemy. Stuart detailed him to accompany the body of fallen horse artillerist John Pelham to Richmond for burial following Pelham's death at Kelly's Ford. During the

Battle of Middleburg The Battle of Middleburg took place from June 17 to June 19, 1863, in Loudoun County, Virginia, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, screening Robert E. Lee's invasion route, sparr ...

, Von Borcke suffered a significant wound from a bullet in his neck and was incapacitated for the remainder of the year. He recovered enough to resume staff duties in the spring of 1864, and was present at

Yellow Tavern The Battle of Yellow Tavern was fought on May 11, 1864, as part of the Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan was detached from Grant’s Army of the Potomac to conduct a raid on Richmond, ...

in which General Stuart was killed. In December of that year, he was promoted again, this time 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 colonel. ...

and voted the official thanks of Congress. Von Borcke was then sent by President

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

on a diplomatic mission to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

Austro-Prussian War

With the collapse of the Confederate States in the spring of 1865 and the ensuing surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, Von Borcke returned to Prussia. He resumed his career and fought in the

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 ...

on the staff of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, receiving the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

for his gallantry. He married Madalene Honig and raised three sons.

Later life

Suffering from war wounds, Von Borcke retired from the Prussian Army in 1867 and bought an estate at Sichts ( pl, Żychce). After his father's death he returned home to Giesenbrügge ( pl, Giżyn), where he is said to have regularly hoisted the

Confederate flag The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...

on his estate. He published his memoirs, on the Army of Northern Virginia, in 1866. In 1883, Von Borcke's wife died, and two years later, he married her sister Tony. They named their daughter Karoline Virginia in honor of Borcke's adopted state. In between, in 1884, he sailed back to revisit the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

and was reunited with many former comrades and friends, including

Wade Hampton Wade Hampton may refer to the following people: People *Wade Hampton I (1752–1835), American soldier in Revolutionary War and War of 1812 and U.S. congressman *Wade Hampton II (1791–1858), American plantation owner and soldier in War of 1812 *W ...

, William H. F. Lee, and

Matthew C. Butler Matthew Calbraith Butler (March 8, 1836April 14, 1909) was a Confederate soldier, an American military commander and attorney and politician from South Carolina. He served as a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American ...

. He died 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 ...

in 1895 due to a

sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

caused by the remaining projectile which had wounded him in the Battle of Middleburg on 19 June 1863. His headstone over his grave in ''Giesenbrügge'' was destroyed by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The

Sons of Confederate Veterans The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the militar ...

(SCV) purchased a new headstone, which was reinstalled in 2008.

In popular culture

"Johann Heros von Borcke" was played by Matt Lindquist in '' Gods and Generals'', a 2003 American

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

based on Jeffrey Shaara's 1996

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

of the same name.

References

External links

*
"Heros von Borcke: Prussian Confederate and his Sword"
October 2008 on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

; 5:34 minutes. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Borcke, Heros Von 1835 births 1895 deaths 19th-century German male writers 19th-century German writers 19th-century memoirists Burials in Poland Confederate States Army officers Deaths from sepsis Foreign Confederate military personnel German-language writers German male non-fiction writers German memoirists Infectious disease deaths in Germany People from Chojnice County People from Myślibórz County Military personnel from the Rhine Province Pomeranian nobility Prussian Army personnel Prussian people of the Austro-Prussian War Military personnel from Rhineland-Palatinate