Christian Friedrich Wilhelm von Ompteda
Encyclopedia
Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Ompteda (26 November 1765, Ahlden an der Aller - 18 June 1815, La Haye Sainte
) was a Hanoverian officer of the Napoleonic Wars
.
(1746–1803) and in 1777 he joined the Royal Corps of Pages at Hannover. In 1781 he became a lieutenant in the foot-guards. In 1793 he rose to command a grenadier company in the French Revolutionary Wars
, being badly wounded at Mont Cassel, and then in 1794 he came to England with Field Marshal Wilhelm von Freytag.
In 1803 he was a major in the Hanoverian guards-regiment and, when the Convention of Artlenburg
dissolved the Hanoverian army on 5 July that year, he was one of the first to join what became the King's German Legion
. In 1805 he led an unsuccessful expedition to northern Germany during the War of the Third Coalition and a year later he and his battalion moved to Gibraltar
. In 1807 they moved again, to Zeeland
, where they fought against Denmark in the Gunboat War
(also known as the English Wars
). On the return journey his ship sank off the coast of the Netherlands and he was held prisoner in Borkum
until being freed in a prisoner exchange in 1808.
In 1812 he was made Oberstleutnant and in 1813 he was put in command of the Legion’s 1st Light Battalion. In 1815 he was an oberst
and a brigade commander in general Charles Alten
’s division within Wellington
’s army. Ompteda was killed at after being ordered by the Prince of Orange
into a counter-attack in column with the 5th Line Battalion to retake La Haye Sainte
.
La Haye Sainte
La Haye Sainte is a walled farmhouse compound at the foot of an escarpment on the Charleroi-Brussels road. It has changed very little since it played a very important part in the battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815...
) was a Hanoverian officer of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
Life
In 1771, aged six, he was sent to be educated by his uncle Dietrich Heinrich Ludwig von OmptedaDietrich Heinrich Ludwig von Ompteda
Dietrich Heinrich Ludwig von Ompteda was a Hanoverian jurist and government minister.- Life :...
(1746–1803) and in 1777 he joined the Royal Corps of Pages at Hannover. In 1781 he became a lieutenant in the foot-guards. In 1793 he rose to command a grenadier company in the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, being badly wounded at Mont Cassel, and then in 1794 he came to England with Field Marshal Wilhelm von Freytag.
In 1803 he was a major in the Hanoverian guards-regiment and, when the Convention of Artlenburg
Convention of Artlenburg
The Convention of Artlenburg or Elbkonvention was the surrender of the Electorate of Hanover to Napoleon's army, signed at Artlenburg on 5 July 1803 by Oberbefehlshaber Johann Ludwig von Wallmoden-Gimborn...
dissolved the Hanoverian army on 5 July that year, he was one of the first to join what became the King's German Legion
King's German Legion
The King's German Legion was a British Army unit of expatriate German personnel, 1803–16. The Legion achieved the distinction of being the only German force to fight without interruption against the French during the Napoleonic Wars....
. In 1805 he led an unsuccessful expedition to northern Germany during the War of the Third Coalition and a year later he and his battalion moved to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. In 1807 they moved again, to Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
, where they fought against Denmark in the Gunboat War
Gunboat War
The Gunboat War was the naval conflict between Denmark–Norway and the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The war's name is derived from the Danish tactic of employing small gunboats against the conventional Royal Navy...
(also known as the English Wars
English Wars (Scandinavia)
The English Wars were a series of conflicts between Sweden and Denmark-Norway as part of the Napoleonic Wars. It is named after the most prominent region of its other main participant, the United Kingdom, which declared war on Denmark-Norway due to disagreements over the neutrality of Danish trade...
). On the return journey his ship sank off the coast of the Netherlands and he was held prisoner in Borkum
Borkum
Borkum is an island and a municipality in the Leer District in Lower Saxony, northwestern Germany.-Geography:Borkum is bordered to the west by the Westerems strait , to the east by the Osterems strait, to the north by the North Sea, and to the south by the Wadden Sea...
until being freed in a prisoner exchange in 1808.
In 1812 he was made Oberstleutnant and in 1813 he was put in command of the Legion’s 1st Light Battalion. In 1815 he was an oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
and a brigade commander in general Charles Alten
Charles Alten
Sir Charles Alten , Hanoverian and British soldier, son of Baron Alten, a member of an old Hanoverian family, entered the service of the elector as a page at the age of twelve. He led a famous Anglo-Portuguese division during the Peninsular War. At the Battle of Waterloo, he commanded a division...
’s division within 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...
’s army. Ompteda was killed at after being ordered by the Prince of Orange
William II of the Netherlands
William II was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg from 7 October 1840 until his death in 1849.- Early life and education :...
into a counter-attack in column with the 5th Line Battalion to retake La Haye Sainte
La Haye Sainte
La Haye Sainte is a walled farmhouse compound at the foot of an escarpment on the Charleroi-Brussels road. It has changed very little since it played a very important part in the battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815...
.
External links
- Bernhard von Poten: Christian Freiherr von Ompteda. In: ‘’Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie’’ (ADB). Volume 24, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1887, S. 353 f.