Moritz Franz Kasimir von Wobersnow (5 March 1708 in Kamissow–23 July 1759 at

Kay The name Kay is found both as a surname (see Kay (surname)) and as a given name. In English-speaking countries, it is usually a feminine name, often a short form of Katherine or one of its variants; but it is also used as a first name in its own ...

) was a Prussian major general of infantry and a general-adjutant of Frederick the Great. He died at the

Battle of Kay The Battle of Kay (german: Schlacht bei Kay), also referred to as the Battle of Sulechów, Battle of Züllichau, or Battle of Paltzig, was an engagement fought on 23 July 1759 during the Seven Years' War. It occurred near Kay (Kije) in the Neu ...

; a lifelong friend of the King, his name is included on the Equestrian statue of Frederick the Great.

Family

Moritz Franz Kasimir came from the old Pomeranian noble family of Wobersnow. He was a son of Moritz Georg von Wobersnow (1677–1759), heredity lord of Kamissow and his wife, Anne Elisabeth, née Manteuffel, of the House of Popelow.Bernhard von Poten, "Wobersnow, Moritz Franz Kasimir von", von Bernhard von Poten in: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, herausgegeben von der Historischen Kommission bei der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Band 43 (1898), p. 700, Digitale Volltext-Ausgabe in Wikisource
Wobersnow
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Military service

In 1723, Wobersnow entered the Prussian military service in the infantry regiment "Grumkow" as a ''fahnenjunker''. With Crown Prince Frederick, he transferred to the regiment Moulin, where he remained for the remainder of the reign of Frederick William II and for the first seven years of Frederick's reign, through the War of Austrian Succession. He was promoted to major in 1747. In August 1751, he received for his service a prebendary to the cathedral in Minden, which gave him a regular income. In March 1752 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed to the adjutant to the king. He was also given control of the light Jaeger Corps. He also accompanied the king to his campaign to Saxony.

Seven Years' War

He was wounded in the Battle of Prague, but soon recovered to fight at the battles of Rossbach and Leuthen. Frederick sent him and his light troops to support

Christoph von Dohna Burgrave Christopher von Dohna (German: ''Burggraf Christoph von Dohna''; 27 June 1583 – 1 July 1637) was a German politician and scholar during the time of the Thirty Years' War. He came from the Prussian family of the Burgraves of Dohna. ...

against the Russians. In August 1758 he fought in the Battle of Zorndorf and helped to expel the Russians from Landsberg an der Warthe (Gorzów Wielkopolski) in September. In February 1759 he received his own corps; he and

Georg Ludwig von Puttkamer Georg Ludwig of Puttkamer (11 April 1715 in Versin – 12 August 1759 at Kunersdorf) was a Prussian major general and squire of Pawonków and Pietrowice in Upper Silesia; he came from the Pomeranian noble family of Puttkamer. Family Georg Ludw ...

moved from Silesia to Poland, where they were commissioned to destroy Russian magazines. In June 1759, as the Russians, however, shifted their forces to western Poland, and marched toward the

Oder river The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...

, a move that threatened the Prussian heartland, Brandenburg, and potentially Berlin. Frederick sent an army corps commanded by

Friedrich August von Finck Friedrich August von Finck (1718 – February 24, 1766) was a Prussian general and writer. Biography Finck was born in Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He first saw active service in 1734 on the Rhine, as a member of the suite of Anton Ulrich, Duke of Brunsw ...

to contain the Russians; he sent a second column commanded by

Christoph II von Dohna Christoph II, Burggraf and Count of Dohna-Schlodien (25 October 1702 in Schlodien – 19 May 1762 in Berlin) was a Prussian general. He was the son of Christopher I, Burgrave and Count of Dohna-Schlodien (1665–1733). He served in t ...

to support Finck.

David T. Zabecki David T. Zabecki (born 1947) is an American military historian, author and editor. Zabecki served in the U.S. Army both in the Vietnam War and in United States Army Europe in Germany attaining the rank of major general. Zabecki holds PhDs in eng ...

, ''Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History.'' ABC-CLIO, 2014, pp. 231–233. Wobersnow was at the vanguard of the second column. At

, in an effort to break the Russian line, Wobersnow led eight battalions and six squadrons from Züllichau against the Russian right wing. His cavalry penetrated the enemy's infantry line, but the Russian cavalry, supported by gun-fire, drove them back. He fell in the Kay on 23 July 1759.Henry Lloyd, ''The History of the Late War in Germany,'' T. and J. Egerton, 1790, pp. 136–137.

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wobersnow, Moritz Franz Kasimir 1759 deaths 1708 births People from the Province of Pomerania People from Białogard County Prussian military personnel of the Seven Years' War People of the Silesian Wars