Friedrich William Adalbert von Bredow (24 May 1814 – 3 March 1890) was a German cavalry officer.

Military career

Born at Briesen near

Friesack Friesack (; also Friesack/Mark) is a town in the Havelland district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated northeast of Rathenow, and southwest of Neuruppin. It is known for its Mesolithic archaeological site. Film shot in Friesack * 192 ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...

, to Friedrich von Bredow (1787–1878) and Bernhardine Sophie () (1792–1859), he joined the in 1832 as a junior officer. By 1859, he had been given command of the 4th Dragoon Regiment. As a colonel, Bredow led the 2nd Cavalry Brigade in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, and was promoted to major general. He is best known as a hero of the Franco-Prussian War after the

Battle of Mars-la-Tour The Battle of Mars-la-Tour (also known as the Battle of Vionville or Battle of Rezonville) was fought on 16 August 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, near the village of Mars-La-Tour in northeast France. One Prussian corps, reinforced by t ...

on 16 August 1870. During this battle he commanded the Prussian 12th Cavalry Brigade on one of the last successful massed cavalry charges in warfare. Before his assault Bredow stated of that "it will cost what it will". "Von Bredow's Death Ride" resulted in massive casualties on the Prussian forces but he managed to defeat a French force that outnumbered them four to one. The event was used in the following decades by military tacticians to argue that cavalry charges could still win battles.Michael Howard: The Franco-Prussian War. The German Invasion of France, 1870–1871. London 2001. pp. 156–157. Bredow was promoted to lieutenant general and given command of the 18th Infantry Division. Bredow was awarded the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

on 2 December 1873.

References

Literature

* Michael Howard: The Franco-Prussian War. The German Invasion of France, 1870–1871. London 2001. 1814 births 1890 deaths Lieutenant generals of Prussia Members of the Prussian House of Lords People from the Province of Brandenburg German untitled nobility German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Military personnel from Brandenburg {{germany-army-bio-stub