Carel Frederik Krahmer de Bichin
Encyclopedia
Carel Frederik Krahmer de Bichin (June 28, 1787, Korbach
, Waldeck
— September 23, 1830, Brussels
) was a Dutch artillery officer. He took part in several campaigns of the French Grande Armée in Dutch army units of the Batavian Republic
and the Kingdom of Holland
that were attached to that army. After the United Kingdom of the Netherlands
regained its independence he joined its army. He commanded, as a captain, a battery of horse artillery that played a pivotal role in the Battle of Waterloo
. He died in action as a major during the Belgian Revolution of 1830.
in Germany. He entered the service of the Batavian Republic
as a cadet
with the 2nd Artillery Battalion in January, 1804. He was promoted to second lieutenant on September 29, 1806, and assigned to the first horse battery of that bataillon. This battery was attached to the (Dutch) Armée du Nord of the Kingdom of Holland
that same month and it took part in the campaign of Marshal Mortier
's army corps in Swedish Pomerania
in 1807.
Assigned to gen. Mihaud's first division Krahmer participated in the Battle of Friedland
of 1807. After the battery ran out of ammunition, Krahmer's single 6-pdr gun alone continued firing, with ammunition supplied by a nearby French battery. For this he later received the Légion d'honneur
.
Krahmer was promoted to first lieutenant on August 8, 1808. He earlier participated in the Dutch/Danish attack on Stralsund
, on May 31, 1808, fighting an artillery duel to cover the infantry attack.
After Krahmer transferred to the foot artillery he was promoted to captain on August 31, 1813. He had been integrated into the French army with the rest of the Dutch army after the annexation of the Kingdom of Holland in 1810. He took part in the final German campaign of Napoleon I of France
's army in 1813, was taken prisoner as part of the garrison of Dresden, and imprisoned in Hungary.
) on the eve of the battle of Waterloo.
Initially the Third Division was placed in reserve on the right wing of the Anglo-Allied army of the Duke of Wellington
. Later it was ordered forward, behind the British troops of Sir Colin Halkett
's Fifth Brigade. When Chassé noticed a slackening of the firing of one of the British artillery batteries (apparently due to lack of ammunition), he ordered Krahmer's battery forward to take this battery's place. He came in line behind the hollow road, to the left of Lloyd's battery, where Cleeve's battery had been.
Now the action unfolded that is depicted in Jan Hoynck van Papendrecht's painting, entitled De rijdende artillerie komt in stelling (The horse artillery unlimbers). He immediately engaged a French battery near La Haye Sainte that was enfilading the British artillery at the time, forcing it out of position. Next the battery started pouring a murderous fire into the French Middle Guard division, cutting lanes through its columns. When next the Detmers brigade performed a bayonet attack on the French Guards, Krahmer came forward to support it under the direction of Major Van der Smissen. As a consequence the French Guards faltered and eventually broke. This was the turning point in the battle. During the action, Krahmer's battery lost 27 men dead and 21 wounded.
In the early 1820s Krahmer wrote the words for the regimental song of the Belgo-Dutch horse artillery: Nous sommes tous de francs lurons (We are all likely lads)http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/ginn001hand02/ginn001hand02_011.htm.
On August 1, 1826 Krahmer was promoted to major of horse artillery. He took part in the opening stage of the Dutch campaign to suppress the Belgian Revolution
militarily in August, 1830. He died in action during bloody street fighting in Brussels, on September 23, 1830.
Korbach
Korbach is the district seat of Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany. It is over a thousand years old and a former Hanseatic town. It is located on the German Framework Road.- Geography and geology :...
, Waldeck
Waldeck (state)
Waldeck was a sovereign principality in the German Empire and German Confederation and, until 1929, a constituent state of the Weimar Republic. It comprised territories in present-day Hesse and Lower Saxony, ....
— September 23, 1830, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
) was a Dutch artillery officer. He took part in several campaigns of the French Grande Armée in Dutch army units of the Batavian Republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
and the Kingdom of Holland
Kingdom of Holland
The Kingdom of Holland 1806–1810 was set up by Napoleon Bonaparte as a puppet kingdom for his third brother, Louis Bonaparte, in order to better control the Netherlands. The name of the leading province, Holland, was now taken for the whole country...
that were attached to that army. After the United Kingdom of the Netherlands
United Kingdom of the Netherlands
United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name used to refer to Kingdom of the Netherlands during the period after it was first created from part of the First French Empire and before the new kingdom of Belgium split out in 1830...
regained its independence he joined its army. He commanded, as a captain, a battery of horse artillery that played a pivotal role in the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. He died in action as a major during the Belgian Revolution of 1830.
Early career
Krahmer (he took the name Krahmer de Bichin only after 1815) originally came from the principality of WaldeckWaldeck (state)
Waldeck was a sovereign principality in the German Empire and German Confederation and, until 1929, a constituent state of the Weimar Republic. It comprised territories in present-day Hesse and Lower Saxony, ....
in Germany. He entered the service of the Batavian Republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
as a cadet
Cadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
with the 2nd Artillery Battalion in January, 1804. He was promoted to second lieutenant on September 29, 1806, and assigned to the first horse battery of that bataillon. This battery was attached to the (Dutch) Armée du Nord of the Kingdom of Holland
Kingdom of Holland
The Kingdom of Holland 1806–1810 was set up by Napoleon Bonaparte as a puppet kingdom for his third brother, Louis Bonaparte, in order to better control the Netherlands. The name of the leading province, Holland, was now taken for the whole country...
that same month and it took part in the campaign of Marshal Mortier
Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier
Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier, 1st Duc de Trévise was a French general and Marshal of France under Napoleon I.-Biography:...
's army corps in Swedish Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
in 1807.
Assigned to gen. Mihaud's first division Krahmer participated in the Battle of Friedland
Battle of Friedland
The Battle of Friedland saw Napoleon I's French army decisively defeat Count von Bennigsen's Russian army about twenty-seven miles southeast of Königsberg...
of 1807. After the battery ran out of ammunition, Krahmer's single 6-pdr gun alone continued firing, with ammunition supplied by a nearby French battery. For this he later received the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
Krahmer was promoted to first lieutenant on August 8, 1808. He earlier participated in the Dutch/Danish attack on Stralsund
Stralsund
- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...
, on May 31, 1808, fighting an artillery duel to cover the infantry attack.
After Krahmer transferred to the foot artillery he was promoted to captain on August 31, 1813. He had been integrated into the French army with the rest of the Dutch army after the annexation of the Kingdom of Holland in 1810. He took part in the final German campaign of Napoleon I of France
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
's army in 1813, was taken prisoner as part of the garrison of Dresden, and imprisoned in Hungary.
Battle of Waterloo
After his release he entered the service of the by now again independent Netherlands in the "south Netherlands" (i.e. Belgian) part of its army in 1814. He received command, in the rank of captain, of a horse artillery battery, part of the combined 7th/8th company of the horse artillery corps. This battery was manned by Belgians. The battery was attached to the First Brigade (col. Detmers) of the Third Netherlands Division (general ChasséDavid Hendrik Chassé
David Hendrik, Baron Chassé was a Dutch soldier who fought both for and against Napoleon. He commanded the Third Netherlands Division that intervened at a crucial moment in the Battle of Waterloo...
) on the eve of the battle of Waterloo.
Initially the Third Division was placed in reserve on the right wing of the Anglo-Allied army of the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
. Later it was ordered forward, behind the British troops of Sir Colin Halkett
Colin Halkett
General Sir Colin Halkett GCB GCH GCTE was a British Army officer who became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey.-Family:Halkett came from a military family...
's Fifth Brigade. When Chassé noticed a slackening of the firing of one of the British artillery batteries (apparently due to lack of ammunition), he ordered Krahmer's battery forward to take this battery's place. He came in line behind the hollow road, to the left of Lloyd's battery, where Cleeve's battery had been.
Later career
For his action Krahmer was given the Knight's Cross 4th class of the Military William Order on July 18, 1815. He next took part in the final campaign of the Allied army in northern France until the fall of Paris.In the early 1820s Krahmer wrote the words for the regimental song of the Belgo-Dutch horse artillery: Nous sommes tous de francs lurons (We are all likely lads)http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/ginn001hand02/ginn001hand02_011.htm.
On August 1, 1826 Krahmer was promoted to major of horse artillery. He took part in the opening stage of the Dutch campaign to suppress the Belgian Revolution
Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....
militarily in August, 1830. He died in action during bloody street fighting in Brussels, on September 23, 1830.