Christian Adolph Frederick Eben (17731825), better known as Baron Eben, was a Prussian military officer.

Early career

Having reached the rank of captain in Prussian Service, Eben transferred to British Service as a captain in the York Hussars (1801). In 1803, he was a captain in the

10th Light Dragoons The 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the First World War and Second World War but then amalgamated with the 11th Hussars (Prince ...

, a rank he maintained in the

11th Foot The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...

in 1806. That same year he was promoted to Major in Froberg's Levy, a rank he maintained when he transferred to

Roll's Regiment Roll's Regiment (also de Roll's or von Roll's Regiment) was a regiment of the British Army formed of Swiss, French and German soldiers raised in 1794 for service in the French Revolutionary Wars. The regiment's first colonel was Louis de Roll, a ...

in 1807.

Peninsular War

Eben was given the command of the 2nd battalion of the

Loyal Lusitanian Legion The Loyal Lusitanian Legion (LLL) was a foreign volunteer corps of the British Army, organized with Portuguese émigrés in England, that fought in the Peninsular War. The LLL was created by the initiative of Portuguese Army Colonels José Maria ...

,The Legion had been raised by Sir Robert Wilson towards the end of 1808 and was intended to form "the core of a subsidiary Portuguese division in British pay, distinct from the national army." (Oman, 1903, p. 199.) and then sent by the

Bishop of Porto The Diocese of Porto () (Oporto) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Portugal. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Braga. Its see at Porto is in the Norte region, and the second largest city in Portugal. History The dioc ...

, the leading figure of Porto's Junta, to reinforce Bernardino Freire de Andrade's troops and militia at

Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...

.This was contrary to the original orders given Eben, which were, as the 2nd Battalion of Wilson's Legion, and having been unable to advance with Wilson from Porto for lack of uniforms and arms, to join him at Almeida as soon as possible. Wilson was thus deprived of half his proper force. (Oman, 1903, footnote 300.) When the latter fled Braga and was brought back to the camp by the Ordenanza militia, Eben had him thrown into gaol. Members of the Ordenanza later returned, dragged Freire out, and killed him in the street with their pikes. Oman, Charles (1903)
''A History of the Peninsular War'', Vol. II, pp. 198-199, 232-233, 241, Footnote 300.
''Project Gutenberg''. Retrieved 18 February 2023. As second-in-command to Freire, Eben then took command of the Portuguese forces that would be heavily defeated by

Soult Marshal General of France, Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman. He was a Marshal of the Empire during the Napoleonic Wars, and served three times as P ...

's troops at the battle a few days later. At the end of that month, with the remnants of his battalion, Eben again fought as part of the Portuguese forces at

First Battle of Porto In the First Battle of Porto (29 March 1809) the First French Empire, French under Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, Marshal Soult defeated the Kingdom of Portugal, Portuguese, under General Parreiras, outside the city of Porto during the Peninsul ...

(March 1809). With his battalion forming part of General

Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions *5th Division (Australia) * 5th Division (People's Republic of China) * 5th Division (Colombia) * Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War) * 5th Light Cavalry Division (France) * 5th ...

, Eben fought at Bussaco (September 1810). Oman, Charles (1908)
''A History of the Peninsular War'', Vol. III, pp. 546, 556.
''Project Gutenberg''. Retrieved 18 February 2023. At the end of October 1810, he commanded some 2,000 troops of the 7th brigade, incorporated in Campbell's 6th Division that made up Wellington's army within the

Lines of Torres Vedras The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts and other military defences built in secrecy to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War. Named after the nearby town of Torres Vedras, they were ordered by Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, c ...

. In 1811, Eben was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in

. and fought at

Fuentes de Oñoro Fuentes de Oñoro is a village and municipality in the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. It is located from the provincial capital city of Salamanca, and has a population of 1058 people. It ...

(May 1811). In 1813, he served as a commander of the Portuguese militia in the province of Tras-os-Montes.

Post-war career

Eben was involved in a conspiracy against the Portuguese Government in 1817 for which he was dismissed from the army and exiled from Portugal. He later became a brigadier general in the service of the Republic of Columbia (1821-1822).McGuigan, Ron (2008)
"British Generals of the Napoleonic Wars 1793-1815: Eben, Frederick Baron".
''Napoleonseries.org''. Retrieved 18 February 2023.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eben, Baron Portuguese military commanders of the Napoleonic Wars 1773 births 1825 deaths Prussian military officers