Karl von Schmidt
Encyclopedia
Karl von Schmidt was a Prussian
cavalry
general
.
Schmidt was born at Schwedt
on the Oder
in the Province of Brandenburg
, and entered the 4th Ulans as a second lieutenant in 1834.
Schmidt's long regimental service was varied by staff service and instructional work, and in the mobilization
of 1859 he had the command of a landwehr
cavalry regiment. In 1863 he was made colonel of the 4th Cuirassiers, which he commanded in the, for the cavalry arm, uneventful campaigns in the Second Schleswig War of 1864 and the Austro-Prussian War
of 1866. He then commanded a newly raised regiment of Schleswig-Holstein
troops, the 16th Hussars, but at the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War
he was still an obscure and perhaps a mistrusted officer, though his grasp of every detail of cavalry work was admitted. But an opportunity for distinction was grasped in the cavalry fighting around Mars-la-Tour
(August 16), in which he temporarily led a brigade and was severely wounded. He was soon promoted major-general and succecded to the temporary command of his division on the disablement of its leader.
In this post Schmidt did brilliant work in the campaign on the Loire
, and even in the winter operations towards Le Mans
, and earned a reputation second to none amongst the officers and men of his arm. After the war he took a leading part in the reorganization of the Prussian cavalry, which in ten years raised its efficiency to a point far beyond that of any other cavalry in Europe. In 1875, though his health was failing, he refused to give up the conduct of certain important cavalry manoeuvres with which he had been entrusted. But a few days of heavy work in the field brought on a fatal illness, and he died at Danzig on the 25 August 1875. In 1889 the 4th Ulans, in which his regimental service was almost entirely spent, were given the name “von Schmidt”.
Schmidt's drill and maneuvre instructions were codified and published after his death by his staff officer, Captain von Vollard Bockelberg, who was authorized by Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia
to do so. An English translation, Instructions for Cavalry, was published by the War Office. Schmidt himself wrote a pamphlet, Auch ein Wonber die Ausbsldung den Cavallenie (1862). The original German edition of the Instructions for Cavalry is prefaced by a memoir of Schmidt's life and services, written by Major Kaehler.
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
.
Schmidt was born at Schwedt
Schwedt
Schwedt is a city in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the largest city of the district Uckermark near the Oder river on the border with Poland.-Overview:...
on the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
in the Province of Brandenburg
Province of Brandenburg
The Province of Brandenburg was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:The first people who are known to have inhabited Brandenburg were the Suevi. They were succeeded by the Slavonians, whom Henry II conquered and converted to Christianity in...
, and entered the 4th Ulans as a second lieutenant in 1834.
Schmidt's long regimental service was varied by staff service and instructional work, and in the mobilization
Mobilization
Mobilization is the act of assembling and making both troops and supplies ready for war. The word mobilization was first used, in a military context, in order to describe the preparation of the Prussian army during the 1850s and 1860s. Mobilization theories and techniques have continuously changed...
of 1859 he had the command of a landwehr
Landwehr
Landwehr, or Landeswehr, is a German language term used in referring to certain national armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large scale, low strength fortifications...
cavalry regiment. In 1863 he was made colonel of the 4th Cuirassiers, which he commanded in the, for the cavalry arm, uneventful campaigns in the Second Schleswig War of 1864 and the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
of 1866. He then commanded a newly raised regiment of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
troops, the 16th Hussars, but at the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
he was still an obscure and perhaps a mistrusted officer, though his grasp of every detail of cavalry work was admitted. But an opportunity for distinction was grasped in the cavalry fighting around Mars-la-Tour
Mars-la-Tour
Mars-la-Tour is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in northeastern France.-History:The Battle of Mars-La-Tour was fought on 16 August 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War near the town of Mars-la-Tour....
(August 16), in which he temporarily led a brigade and was severely wounded. He was soon promoted major-general and succecded to the temporary command of his division on the disablement of its leader.
In this post Schmidt did brilliant work in the campaign on the Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
, and even in the winter operations towards Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
, and earned a reputation second to none amongst the officers and men of his arm. After the war he took a leading part in the reorganization of the Prussian cavalry, which in ten years raised its efficiency to a point far beyond that of any other cavalry in Europe. In 1875, though his health was failing, he refused to give up the conduct of certain important cavalry manoeuvres with which he had been entrusted. But a few days of heavy work in the field brought on a fatal illness, and he died at Danzig on the 25 August 1875. In 1889 the 4th Ulans, in which his regimental service was almost entirely spent, were given the name “von Schmidt”.
Schmidt's drill and maneuvre instructions were codified and published after his death by his staff officer, Captain von Vollard Bockelberg, who was authorized by Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia
Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia
Prince Friedrich Carl Nicolaus of Prussia was the son of Prince Charles of Prussia and his wife Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach . Prince Frederick Charles was a grandson of King Frederick William III of Prussia and a nephew of Frederick William IV and William I...
to do so. An English translation, Instructions for Cavalry, was published by the War Office. Schmidt himself wrote a pamphlet, Auch ein Wonber die Ausbsldung den Cavallenie (1862). The original German edition of the Instructions for Cavalry is prefaced by a memoir of Schmidt's life and services, written by Major Kaehler.