Years of service 1835–72 | Rank Major general | |
Born 19 February 1818
Perkuiken, East Prussia, Prussia ( 1818-02-19 ) Allegiance Prussia (to 1866)
German Empire (to 1872) Spouse(s) Emmeline von Morstein (m. 1851) Bertha von Ostau (m. 1869) Relations Erwin von Kleist, son
Alfred von Kleist (1857–1921), son Died 14 May 1890, Potsdam, Germany | ||
August Christoph Viktor von Kleist (February 19, 1818, Perkuiken - May 14, 1890, Potsdam) was a Prussian Major General
Contents
Ancestry
August von Kleist came from the female line of the dukes of Pomerania. He was the fourth son of the Prussian Rittmeister and lord of Perkuiken, Christoph Albrecht Leopold von Kleist (May 19, 1789, Königsberg - March 25, 1823), and his wife, Emilie (November 21, 1790 - August 5, 1870, Lablacken was from the Steinwehr lineage.
Military career
August von Kleist had chosen a military career not only due his family's precarious financial situation, but also due to the early death of his father. He joined the Prussian Cadet Corps and was part of the Cadet School in Kulm and was further educated in Berlin. He then entered the army as a Second Lieutenant and joined the 1. artillery-brigade on August 12, 1835. From 1842-1847 he was the administrator of the artillery depots in Königsberg. He was then transferred to Memel in 1848, where he constructed the breach batteries which would become feared among the Danish Navy during its attack from Schleswig-Holstein in the First Schleswig War. After completing this task he was then promoted to First Lieutenant and appoint brigade-adjunct. He then gained experience profession during the Mobilization, which saw the disorganization of the Prussian Army, that prompted, the writing of a brochure titled Die Notwendigkeit einer Modification unserer Armeeorganisation ("The Necessity of a modification to our Army's organizational structure"). The brochure was then banned from sale by the army supreme command. Later, in 1851, he was appointted to become an assistant to the Ordinance Examiners Commission and in 1852 was promoted to Captain. After the completion of his work in Berlin he was then sent back to the army and in 1856 was promoted to Captain 1st Class and stationed at Magdeburg. He was then transferred to Wesel and promoted to Major in 1859. In the end, he was transferred to the 3. Artilleriebrigade and soon promoted to Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) and commander of the Prussian Artillery Crew of the Fortress of Mainz.
In 1866 he was promoted to Oberst (Colonel) and commander of the 5. Artillerie-Festungsregiments (5th Artillery Fortress Regiment) and during the Austro-Prussian War was recognized for his outstanding performance at the battles of Glogau, Posen, Thorn and Graudenz. After the war, he became commander of the 2. (pommerschen) Artillerie-Brigade (2nd Pomeranian Artillery Brigade) in 1868 and in this position was promoted to Major General on July 26, 1870. He participated in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870/1871, especially in the Battle of Gravelotte, the Siege of Metz and the Siege of Paris. After that, he joined an expedition in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, where the strains of his career became apparent. He then became classified as invalid and was depositioned from the military in 1872.
Family
Since April 13, 1851, August von Kleist was married with Emmeline von Morstein (1827-1866). They had two daughters and four sons, including the Prussian generals Erwin von Kleist and Alfred von Kleist. After the death of Emmeline, he had a childless second marriage with Bertha von Ostau (1855-1910) since October 15, 1869.