Prince August of Württemberg

Friedrich August Eberhard, Prince of Württemberg (German: Friedrich August Eberhard Prinz von Württemberg; 24 January 1813, in Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg12 January 1885, in Ban de Teuffer, Zehdenick, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia) was a royal Prussian Colonel General of the Cavalry with the rank of Generalfeldmarschall and Kommandierender General of the Guards Corps for more than 20 years. August was a member of the House of Württemberg and a Prince of Württemberg by birth.

August was the fifth and youngest child of Prince Paul of Württemberg, brother of William I of Württemberg, and his wife Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

After 16 years of military service to the Kingdom of Württemberg in 1831, August was promoted to Rittmeister in the 1st Cavalry Regiment. In April 1831, August was granted permission by his uncle William I of Württemberg to serve in the Prussian Army.

In the Prussian Army, August was assigned initially to the Gardes du Corps and a year later he was promoted to Major. In 1836, August was further promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and in 1838 to Colonel. He served as commander of the Guards Cuirassier Regiment. In 1844, as Major General, August assumed the leadership of the 1st Guards Cavalry Brigade and as early as 1850 he was promoted to Lieutenant General. From 1854 to 1856 he commanded the 7th Division in Magdeburg. In September 1857, August served as Commanding General of III Corps, but as of 3 June 1858 became commanding general of the Guards Corps. He held the position for 20 years.

In the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, August, by now a General of the Cavalry, and his corps belonged to the Army of Frederick, Crown Prince of Prussia. He led it into the victorious battles of Soor and Burkersdorf. The Battle of Königgrätz on 3 July 1866 witnessed the decisive occupation of Chlum (now part of Všestary, known for its cemetery) by his units. However, a significant share of their victories were attributed to August's chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand von Dannenberg. After the campaign, William I of Prussia awarded August the Order of Pour le Mérite, and appointed him honorary Colonel-in-Chief of the Posen Ulan Regiment Number 10 in Züllichau, that bore its name until its dissolution in 1919. In the Franco-Prussian War, the Guard Corps participated in the Battle of Gravelotte-Saint Privat on 18 August 1870. The attack on the broad plain was made hastily and without supporting artillery fire. Even the subsequent envelopment of the enemy by the Royal Saxon Army troops could not therefore be exploited. The Guard Corps, under the leadership of August, was assigned to Albert, Crown Prince of Saxony, and even participated in the Battle of Sedan, and in part in the Siege of Paris. Chief of Staff during the later campaign was still Ferdinand von Dannenberg, by now promoted to Major General.

After the war ended, August von Württemberg he continued to command his corps. For his war service the king awarded him the Oak Leaves of the Pour le Mérite and both classes of the Iron Cross. On 2 September 1873, he was appointed Colonel General of the Cavalry with the rank of Field Marshal. In the place of Field Marshal Friedrich Graf von Wrangel, August was transferred in June 1878to the Oberkommando der Marken and remained in this position for another four years. On 24 August 1882, he asked for his discharge from active duty, which was granted to him by making him a Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle.

During a hunting trip in Zehdenick near Berlin, August died on 12 January 1885. His funeral was held four days later at Berlin's Garnisonkirche. He was transferred to Ludwigsburg Palace where he was interred at the palace chapel. Fort August von Württemberg, one of the inner belt of fortifications of the Fortifications of Metz, was named in his honor.

As a prince of the Royal House of Württemberg since 1830, August was one of the lords in the Württembergische Landstände, but never took part in their meetings. He was represented by other members of the chamber, the last one being Andreas Renner.

August married morganatically to Marie Bethge on 14 November 1868. August and Marie had one daughter:

• Catharina Wilhelmine Helene Charlotte Auguste Hedwig von Wardenberg (Berlin 18 April 1865– Potsdam 25 September 1938)

∞ Berlin 2 October 1884, General Dedo von Schenck (Mansfeld Castle 11 February 1853– Wiesbaden 28 April 1918)

• Albrecht von Schenck (20 September 1885– 10 June 1888)
• Eberhard von Schenck (born 15 Nov 1887) ∞ 14 September 1918, Irmgard Ecker (with issue)
• Freda von Schenck (21 March 1890– 2 March 1946)
• Dedo von Schenck (23 July 1892– 15 August 1892)

Titles and styles

• 24 January 1813 – 12 January 1885: His Royal Highness Prince August of Württemberg

• Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves (c.1871)
• Iron Cross of 1870, 1st and 2nd class (c. 1871)
• Order of the Black Eagle with Diamonds (1882)

• Wolfgang Hausen: Königlich Preußischer Generaloberst der Kavallerie mit dem Range eines Generalfeldmarschalls Prinz August von Württemberg. In: Deutsches Soldatenjahrbuch 1985; Schild Verlag, München 1985; ISBN 3-88014-082-0.