August Karl von Goeben | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1816-12-10)10 December 1816 |
| Died | 12 November 1880(1880-11-12) (aged 63) |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Prussia German Empire |
| Branch | Prussian Army Imperial German Army |
| Service years | 1833–1836 1844–1880 |
| Rank | General of the Infantry |
| Commands | 13th Division VIII (Rhineland Province) Corps First Army |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards | Grand Cross of the Iron Cross |
August Karl Friedrich Christian von[a] Goeben (10 December 1816 – 13 November 1880), was aPrussianinfantry general, who won theIron Cross for his service in theFranco-Prussian War of 1870–71.
Born atStade 30 km west ofHamburg in the Kingdom ofHannover, he aspired from his earliest years to the Prussian service rather than that of his own country, and at the age of seventeen, enlisted in the24th Infantry Regiment, being commissioned as Lieutenant two years later. But there was little scope for the activities of a young and energeticsubaltern.Leaving the service in 1836, he enlisted in theCarlistarmy fighting theFirst Carlist War in Spain. In the five campaigns in which he servedDon Carlos, he had many turns of fortune. He had not fought for two months when he fell, severely wounded, into the hands of theSpanish royalist troops. After eight months' detention, he escaped, but it was not long before he was captured again. This time his imprisonment was long and painful, and on two occasions, he was compelled to draw lots for his life with his fellow captives.[1]
When released, Goeben served until 1840 with distinction. In that year, he made his way back, a man without means, to Prussia. The Carlistlieutenant colonel was glad to be re-admitted into thePrussian Army as asecond lieutenant, but he was still young, and few subalterns could claim five years meritorious war service at the age of twenty-four. In a few years, he was a captain on theGreat General Staff, and in 1848, he was transferred to the staff of theIV Corps, where his immediate superior was MajorHelmuth Graf von Moltke.The two men became fast friends, and their mutual esteem was never disturbed. During theBaden Revolution, Goeben distinguished himself on the staff ofPrince William, the future emperor. He alternated staff and regimental duty in the Prussian service for some years after this, until in 1863, he was promoted to major-general commanding the 26th Infantry Brigade.[1]
In 1860 he served as military observer with the Spanish troops during theSpanish-Moroccan War, and was present at theBattle of Tetuan.[1]
In 1864, during theDanish-Prussian War, he distinguished himself at the head of his brigade atRackebüll andSonderburg. In the 1866Austro-Prussian War, Lieutenant-General von Goeben commanded the13th Division, of which his old brigade formed part, and, in this higher sphere, once more displayed the qualities of a born leader and skilful tactician. He held almost independent command with conspicuous success in the actions ofDermbach,Kissingen,Laufach,Aschaffenburg,Gerchsheim,Tauberbischofsheim andWürzburg.[1]
The mobilization of 1870 at the start of theFranco-Prussian War placed him at the head of theVIII (Rhineland Province) Corps, forming part of the First Army underKarl Friedrich von Steinmetz. It was his resolute and energetic leading that contributed mainly to the victory at theBattle of Spicheren on 6 August, and von Goeben won the only laurels gained on the Prussian right wing atGravelotte on 18 August. UnderEdwin Freiherr von Manteuffel, the VIII Corps took part in the operations aboutAmiens andBapaume, and on 8 January 1871, Goeben succeeded that general in the command of the First Army.[1]
Two weeks later, he brought the campaign in northern France to its conclusion by the decisive victory at theBattle of St. Quentin (19 January 1871). The close of the Franco-Prussian War left Goeben one of the most distinguished men in the victorious army. He was namedcolonel-in-chief of the28th (2nd Rhenish) Infantry Regiment, and was awarded theGrand Cross of the Iron Cross. He commanded the VIII Corps at Koblenz until his death in 1880.[1]
General von Goeben left many writings. His memoirs are to be found in his works:
The former Frenchfort de Queuleu atMetz was renamed Goeben after him, and the 28th Infantry bears his name. A statue of Goeben byFritz Schaper was erected atKoblenz in 1884.[1] TheSMS Goeben, aMoltke-classbattlecruiser of theKaiserliche Marine (German Navy) launched in 1911, was also named after him.[2]
Kingdom of Prussia:[3]
Spain:[3]
Baden:[8]
Ernestine duchies: Commander of theSaxe-Ernestine House Order, 1st Class,November 1857[9]
Oldenburg: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Swords,29 July 1866[10]
Mecklenburg-Schwerin:Military Merit Cross, 2nd Class[3]
Schaumburg-Lippe: Military Merit Medal[3]
Württemberg: Grand Cross of theMilitary Merit Order,20 November 1870[11]
Russian Empire:[3]
Kingdom of Saxony: Commander of theMilitary Order of Saint Henry, 1st Class,1871[13]
Austria-Hungary: Grand Cross of theImperial Order of Leopold, with War Decoration,1872[14]In the Danish miniseries1864, Goeben was portrayed by Czech actorKarel Dobrý.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Goeben, August Karl von".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 180.{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| International | |
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