Fraulein on horseback: Prussian "cavalry maidens" were awarded a specially established order

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

From the history of the Patriotic War of 1812 and the foreign campaign of the Russian army, we know the names of the hussar-partisan Denis Davydov and the cavalry girl Nadezhda Durova. It turns out that similar heroes were in Prussia.

"Herr Lieutenant, I'm a damsel!" - with such an exclamation, the Prussian huntsman August Renz, wounded in the battle of Gerd in 1813, fell. His comrades-in-arms, who captured the French battery, might not have attached importance to what they heard, if it had not been for the paramedic who ran up to the wounded man. He was amazed when, while dressing, he discovered that the young ranger was actually a girl in disguise! She died three weeks later from her wounds. Its commander, Lieutenant Otto Preisse, recalled: “In Sandau, on the Elbe, the huntsman Renz joined our company. Small in stature, downright a teenager, he even had to sew boots to order. But after all - he turned out to be a brave …"

Black huntsmen

The cheerful, friendly recruit often entertained the soldiers with his jokes - apparently, it was not for nothing that he bore the name Augustus. Once in a similar way ("August" meant "majestic", "sacred"), the names of the emperors were supplemented: for example, Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (Octavian). By the 19th century in Germany, this name acquired a completely different meaning - "jester", "fool". The nickname August, for example, was given to the famous clown Tom Belling from the Berlin Renz circus. And now a certain girl Eleanor, the daughter of a military band member NCO Prohaska, takes the clownish name August Renz and joins the ranks of the gamekeepers …

In October 1813, Eleanor was buried with military honors in the cemetery of the town of Dannenberg (Lower Saxony). The municipality of the city has been looking after her grave for 200 years. The heroic death of a girl who fought in the legendary regiment of "black rangers" Major von Lutzoff caused numerous responses in the press. Poems, poems, plays were dedicated to her. One of the Dannenberg squares still bears her name.

In the same regiment, after Eleanor's death, another disguised "soldier", Anna Luring, also fought. When the deception was revealed (also after being wounded), she was allowed to continue her service. Anna ended the war in 1815 and received awards. Along with heroism, she was distinguished by femininity and high moral qualities.

Prussia on her knees

Speaking about their regimental commander, this German Denis Davydov, one cannot at least briefly mention the position of Prussia at that time. At the end of the 18th century, Prussia, thanks to its rather strong army, significantly influenced the balance of power in Europe. Together with Russia and Austria, it tore apart neighboring Poland three times, achieving its destruction as an independent state. During the French Revolution and the reign of Napoleon, Prussia, along with England, Austria and Russia, was part of the anti-French coalition. And there was more than once a beat by Bonaparte. The defeat of the Prussian army at Jena and Auerstedt, as well as the defeat of the Russian army at Friedland dom, led in 1807 to the conclusion of the Peace of Tilsit.

While demonstrating respect for the Russian emperor in every possible way, Napoleon at the same time emphatically disdained the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm. Only after a two-hour private meeting between the French emperor and the Prussian queen Louise, Napoleon heeded the requests and retained the independence of Prussia, making her his ally.

Therefore, when the French invaded Russia in 1812, Prussia supported Napoleon. But as soon as the remnants of the Great Army rolled from Russia to the west, Friedrich Wilhelm, who did not forget the humiliations he had endured, declared war on Napoleon. Queen Louise, revered as the savior of the nation, had died by then. But the patriotic spirit of the late mother was picked up by her princess daughters. Under the slogan "Everything for the good of the Fatherland," they created women's unions, organized fundraising to support the militia. The Prussian treasury was devastated due to many years of wars, the army suffered heavy losses. It was the turn of the militia. But there was nothing to dress and feed them, the king could only give weapons.

Women's unions collected money and jewelry for the maintenance of the militia, helped the families of the victims. A patriotic impulse swept the country. The young Baron von Lutzow, a participant in many battles, led one of the volunteer regiments. He himself chose the uniform for his soldiers: black uniforms, red piping and copper-yellow buttons. For these three colors (now - the colors of the German flag) they began to be called "black rangers". They acted covertly, using partisan methods, similar to the Cossacks of Denis Davydov: they attacked small groups of retreating Frenchmen, captured carts, destroyed bridges and crossings. This occupation was for desperate people. It is all the more surprising that, along with men, all the hardships of military existence were endured by the fair sex.

Ulan blood

The ladies fought not only under the command of Lyuttsov, but also in other regiments. One of them was Esther Kessenich. Esther came from a Jewish family, but at the age of 19 she converted to Christianity, receiving the name Louise. Soon, the girl married a humble apprentice in a jewelry store named Graphemus. This is how Louise Kessenich-Graphemus was born. It is under this name that she is known all over the world.

When the family already had two children, the father of the family volunteered for Russia, where he entered the regiment of lancers. Soon Louise, disguised as a man, joined the lancers and fought bravely against the French. She was seriously wounded (lost her right hand), received the Iron Cross and the rank of non-commissioned officer. When she reached Paris, she met her husband there.

But the joy of the meeting was short-lived - the next day he was killed. Russian Emperor Alexander I invited the heroine to St. Petersburg for rest and treatment. Here she remarried and remained in Russia until the end of her days. Her descendants are still alive. Among them is the great-great-granddaughter, the famous actress Tatyana Piletskaya (her father, Ludwig Urlaub, was German). Remembering some of her shootings, where she had to sit in the saddle, the actress noted that it was always easy for her - after all, the blood of lancers flows in her veins!

In total, the names of twenty-two women who fought in the war can be found in the Prussian archives. King Frederick Wilhelm, in memory of his wife Louise, who died early, established an order named after her especially for the ladies - a small gold cross with the monogram L.

This order was awarded to about 100 women of different classes, including those mentioned by us.