August de la Motte | |
|---|---|
 August de la Motte,John Singleton Copley | |
| Born | (1713-11-17)17 November 1713 |
| Died | 29 August 1788(1788-08-29) (aged 74) |
| Allegiance |  Electorate of Hanover |
| Branch | Hanoverian Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Battles / wars | Seven Years' War |
August de la Motte (17 November 1713 – 29 August 1788) was aHanoverian Army officer who served in theGreat Siege of Gibraltar.
De la Motte was born on 17 November 1713 in thePrincipality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. He served in theHanoverian Army during theSeven Years' War, notably participating in theSecond Siege of Cassel.[1] In 1775 the Duke andPrince-elector of Hanover wasGeorge III, who also ruled theKingdom of Great Britain in personal union. King George had to deal with theAmerican Revolution and the outbreakingAmerican Revolutionary War and prepared to ready Hanoverian troops for garrison duty so that British troops would be freed for service in America.[1]
On 16 October de la Motte, by now a colonel, was given command of a Hanoverian brigade and sent toGibraltar for garrison duty.[1] His unit totalled three battalions with 15 companies of infantry and three companies ofGrenadiers.[2] In the next year he was promoted to major general. During theGreat Siege of Gibraltar, de la Motte served as third-in-command of the British garrison. They held out for three years and seven months before the siege was finally lifted. De la Motte, who had been promoted to lieutenant general in 1781 while still being besieged, was highly praised by his commanding officer afterwards.[1] To commemorate their bravery Motte's troops were awarded thebattle honour "Gibraltar", acuff title which their successor formations in theImperial German Army would eventually wear duringWorld War I.[citation needed]
Returning home from Gibraltar to Hanover in 1784 the exhausted de la Motte retired, dying four years later on 29 August 1788.[1]
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