Joachim Friedrich von Stutterheim („Alt-Stutterheim“), (2 November 1715–26 August 1783). He was known as the ''Old Stutterheim'' to distinguish him from his younger brother, Otto Ludwig (1718–1780), also a

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 ...

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

's army.

Family

His parents were Joachim Friedrich von Stutterheim (1683–1745) and Johanne Eleonore von Hacke (1687–1737). His father was a

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 Polish-Saxon army, and a landowner. His brother, Otto Ludwig (1718-1780), was also a Prussian lieutenant general. He was born 2 November 1715 in Sellendorf,

Lower Lusatia Lower Lusatia (; ; ; szl, Dolnŏ Łużyca; ; ) is a historical region in Central Europe, stretching from the southeast of the German state of Brandenburg to the southwest of Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Like adjacent Upper Lusatia in the sou ...

.Bernhard von Poten
Stutterheim, Joachim Friedrich von
''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie,'' herausgegeben von der Historischen Kommission bei der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Band 37 (1894), S. 74–75, Digitale Volltext-Ausgabe in Wikisource, URL: (Version vom 8. März 2017, 18:54 Uhr UTC) He married Sophie Therese von Lettow (1719–1807) and they had two sons, one of which, Ludwig August von Stutterheim, became a lieutenant general.Biographisches Lexikon aller Helden und Militairpersonen, welche ..., Volume
Joachim Friedrich von Stutterheim
Wever, 1791.

Military career

After a chance encounter with King Frederick William I, whom Stutterheim liked, he was admitted to the Berlin Cadet corps in 1729. From 1732 he entered the "Regiment Kröcher zu Fuss" as a flag-bearer. In 1735, he was promoted to

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

and in 1739, to

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 ...

. As such, he went to the

First Silesian War The First Silesian War (german: Erster Schlesischer Krieg, links=no) was a war between Prussia and Austria that lasted from 1740 to 1742 and resulted in Prussia's seizing most of the region of Silesia (now in south-western Poland) from Austria. T ...

and at the

Battle of Mollwitz The Battle of Mollwitz was fought by Prussia and Austria on 10 April 1741, during the First Silesian War (in the early stages of the War of the Austrian Succession). It was the first battle of the new Prussian King Frederick II, in which both si ...

, Stutterheim demonstrated his command abilities and a keen sense of the battlefield. Always ready to encourage initiative in his officers, Frederick awarded him the Order of

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 ...

, and gave him a position at the cathedral in Cammin, and a

cy in a company in the Regiment La Motte zur Fuss. Stutterheim then fought in the battles of Chotusitz, Hohenfriedberg, and Soor, where, he was wounded. In the year 1747, Stutterheim was promoted to the

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 ...

and, at the

Battle of Lobositz The Battle of Lobositz or Lovosice also Lowositz on 1 October 1756 was the opening land battle of the Third Silesian War and the wider Seven Years' War. Frederick the Great's 28,000 Prussians were prevented by 33,000 Austrians under Maximilian Ul ...

, he again demonstrated his leadership; the king gave him an extraordinary pension of 500

thaler A thaler (; also taler, from german: Taler) is one of the large silver coins minted in the states and territories of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy during the Early Modern period. A ''thaler'' size silver coin has a diameter of ...

s a year. In May, 1757, Stutterheim commanded an infantry regiment as a

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 ...

. In this year, in which Stutterheim was also promoted 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 ...

, he fought at

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

Kolín Kolín (; german: Kolin, Neu Kolin, Collin) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 32,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation. Administra ...

, and Breslau; he concluded the year at the

Battle of Hochkirch The Battle of Hochkirch took place on 14 October 1758, during the Third Silesian War (part of the Seven Years' War). After several weeks of maneuvering for position, an Austrian army of 80,000 commanded by Lieutenant Field Marshal Leopold Josef ...

. On 1 January 1759 Stutterheim was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

and received his own infantry regiment. In 1760 he took part in the battles at

Liegnitz Legnica (Polish: ; german: Liegnitz, szl, Lignica, cz, Lehnice, la, Lignitium) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River (left tributary of the Oder) and the Czarna Woda. Between 1 June 1975 a ...

and

Torgau Torgau () is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen. Outside Germany, the town is best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies forces first ...

, where, at the latter, he led a battalion of grenadiers in the initial assault. He was severely wounded at Torgau. In 1761 he returned to the army of Prince Henry, who sent him with 1,600 men to protect the Mark against an invasion of the Swedes. He also made the last campaign, in 1762, under Prince Henry; In the

Battle of Freiberg The Battle of Freiberg was fought on 29 October 1762 and was the last great battle of the Third Silesian War (and of the wider Seven Years' War). Background Prince Henry of Prussia, younger brother of King Frederick II of Prussia, although c ...

, on 29 October 29, he commanded the left wing of the attacking line. In recognition of his share of the victory, he received a canon at St. Nicolas in

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...

. When the peace was concluded, King appointed Stutterheim as inspector of the East Prussian infantry and sent him to Königsberg. In 1768, after becoming

on 24 August 1767, he received the

Black Eagle Order The Order of the Black Eagle (german: Hoher Orden vom Schwarzen Adler) was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I, King ...

and another regiment, the former "Regiment Kaunitz zu Fuss". He was also appointed governor of Konigsberg, Pillau, and Memel. In the

War of Bavarian Succession The War of the Bavarian Succession (; 3 July 1778 – 13 May 1779) was a dispute between the Austrian Habsburg monarchy and an alliance of Saxony and Prussia over succession to the Electorate of Bavaria after the extinction of the Bavarian bran ...

, he was attached to the King's army at the point of a special corps from Upper Silesia. On 16 August 1778, his corps took possession of the city of

Troppau Opava (; german: Troppau, pl, Opawa) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Opava. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia. It was a historical capital of ...

Accolades

Shortly before his death, Frederick wrote a short poem, ''Alt Stutterheim''

''Ihr könnt versichert seyn daß Euer Schicksal keinen bessern Händen als den meinigen anvertraut sein kann, Eure Dienste bleiben meinem Herzen unvergeßlich.''
''You can be assured that your fate can not be entrusted to better hands than mine, your services will remain unforgettable to my heart.''

He died on 26 August 1783 in Königsberg; his name is memorialized on the

Equestrian statue of Frederick the Great The Equestrian statue of Frederick the Great on Unter den Linden avenue in Berlin's Mitte district commemorates King Frederick II. of Prussia. Created from 1839 to 1851 by Christian Daniel Rauch, it is a masterpiece of the Berlin school of scu ...

.Denkmal König Friedrichs des Grossen: enthüllt am 31. Mai 1851, Verlag der Deckerschen Geheimen Ober-Hofbuchdruckerei, 1851, p. 8.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stutterheim, Joachim Friedrich 1715 births 1783 deaths Lieutenant generals of Prussia German military personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession Prussian military personnel of the Seven Years' War Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Prussian military personnel of the War of Bavarian Succession