Charles Christian Erdmann Ritter and Edler von Le Coq (
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 ...
, 28 October 1767 –
Brig
A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...
, 30 June 1830) was a Saxon officer who rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General and was the commanding officer of the Royal Saxon army.
Biography
Charles was the youngest son of the Saxon Lieutenant-General Jean Louis Le Coq (1719–1789) and brother of General
Karl Ludwig von Le Coq
Karl Ludwig von Lecoq or Karl Ludwig von Le Coq, born 23 September 1754 – died 14 February 1829, of French Huguenot ancestry, first joined the army of the Electorate of Saxony. He later transferred his loyalty to the Kingdom of Prussia and ...
(1754–1829).
When Le Coq was 13 years old he joined the Saxon infantry. On 30 May 1800 he was appointed a major. In the campaigns of 1806, 1807 and 1809, he fought with distinction; and on 22 February 1810 was promoted to lieutenant-general. In 1812 he received the command of the Saxon Corps marching to Russia. In 1813 he was entrusted with the command of the newly formed Saxon detachments, with whom he fought at the battles of
Grossbeeren and
Jüterbogk. In 1814 he commanded the Saxon occupation force in the Netherlands. Without his zeal for the return of the captive King
Frederick Augustus I of Saxony
pl, Fryderyk August Józef Maria Antoni Jan Nepomucen Alojzy Ksawery
, image = Frederick Augustus I of Saxony by Marcello Bacciarelli (ca 1808-1809).png
, caption = Portrait by Marcello Bacciarelli (1809)
, succession = King of Saxony
, coron ...
it is likely that he would have been restored to his throne. With the division of Saxony he was responsible for dividing the army which he accomplished with skill and prudence. After the reconstituted peace of 1815, Le Coq was appointed to the new formation, and made a tremendous contribution to the high command of the army. He died on 30 June 1830 at Brig in the Swiss canton of
Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...
, on a trip to southern Italy.
Notes
References
*
Querengässer, Alexander: LeCoq. Ein sächsisches Soldatenleben ( Beiträge zur Geschichte des Militärs in Sachsen 1) Berlin 2017.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Coq, Karl Christian Erdmann von
Lieutenant generals of Saxony
German commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
1767 births
1830 deaths