Nebenprojekt 2025: Alexander Felix Freiherr von Dalwigk-Lichtenfels zu Camp

Major zur Dienstleistung im Hauptquartier Wellington's

My quest to re-enact the story of a kurhessian officer in the Headquarters of the Duke of Wellington during the 1815 Campaign against Napoleon.

Reenactment

Why this officer? The main body of the kurhessian army was part of the Nort German Army and tasked to encircle the fortresses occupied by the french army in the Sedan area. Although the men fought bravely, there courage is not specifically re-enacted at the moment as far as I know.
As my main interest involves the history of the kurhessian army, it made it hard for me to take part in re-enacting events. Untill I found this kurhessian officer who was attached to Wellington's HQ and wrote letters home.

Background story

The career of the subject of this project is quite well researched and documented.
His entry in my data derives from his entry in the history of the Hausorden vom Goldenen Löwen of which he was awarded the Commanders Cross I. Class as a pension gift on 21.07.1821. His was only the fourth award in the first investiture after the ascension of Wilhelm II. as Kurfürst after the death of his father on February 27th 1821. His other awards included the Knighst Cross of the Orden vom eiserne Helm in the first investiture of the Order on September 22nd 1814. The Denk- und Ehrenzeichen was therefore automatically award in 1821. Next to his own country's orders he received the foreign ones name, the Commanders Cross I. Klass of the Ludwig Order of the Grandduchy of Hessen und bei Rhein and the Knights Cross of the Prussian Order of St. John.

'Alexander Felix Freiherr von Dalwigk
(geboren Arolsen 26.06.1776, gestorben Arolsen 16.08.1839). pensionirter Hofmarschall und Kammerherr.
Orden und Ehrenzeichen: 22.09.1814 OEH3; 1821 DE; 1817 GHLO2a; 1823 PJO.'

Alexander Felix Freiherr von Dalwigk-Lichtenfels zu Camp was born in the Summer of 1776, in Arolsen, residence of the Fürst von Waldeck as the son of Johann Georg Friedrich Heinrich v. Dalwigk, the prince's privy Councillor (Geheimerat) and Hofmarschall and his wife, Henriette Wilhelmine von Berner.
Alexander was an avid letter writer. We know this, because many of them were published or are yet to be published, as the list of literature and other sources at the end of this article proof. When put in a chronological order, the earliest letters date from around his 18th birthday in 1794 describe the entirity of his active career as a prussian officer in 1807.

1794 Junker in the Infantry-Regiment 'von Kalckstein', (renamed 'von Kleist' in 1800). With this regiment he saw action during the first of the Wars of the Coalitions. In peacetime, his regiment was garrisoned at Magdeburg. In 1806 he stood as a Secondelieutenant in the battle of Jena on October 14th. August 28 1807 saw his accelerated promtion to Kapitän with special permission to choose his own place of living. He resigned from prussian service in 1810.

By 1810, Alexander entered the service of his by then late, father's Lord, Friedrich Karl August von Waldeck. In Waldeck, Alexander served as Major, Generaladjutant (aide de camp) Hofmarschall for almost 3 years. For these years, information about his life could be derived from the data in the Staatsarchiv Marburg, file 125, which describes the details of the court in Arolsen.

By December 1813, Alexander entered kurhessian military service as a Major in the Regiment Kurprinz. When the campaign of 1814 started, he commanded the Reserve Bataillon (Ersatz-Bataillon) of the Regiment. During the use of the Briefkopialbuch of 1814, Alexander was given the honour of being asked to present himself to the Kurfürst with letter of the 23rd of June which reached Hanau at the 29th. During the absence of Major von Dalwigk, Oberstlieutenant von Bassewitz was in charge of the Ersatz-Bataillon. Whilst in Kassel in the Kurfürst's presence he was appoint as one of His Electoral Highness aide de camps (Flügeladjutante). As these officers could be given special assignments, one of his first was to present a letter to the Prussian command in Berlin, by which Kurfürst Wilhelm I. requested to abstain from the most recent displacement orders of the retreat of the main body of the IV German Army Corps through kurhessian territory, as the country's approaching harvest season would be feared to meager to supply for an entire Army Corps.

When with the return of Napoleon from Elba the next year war broke out anew, Major Alexander von Dalwigk was attached by the Elector to the General Staff of the North German Armycorps, whilst at the same time being attached to the Headquarters of the overall Commander, Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington. From this position, we find the the last series of letters written by Alexander. They will in time be transribed and published by me.
By December 18, 1815 Major and Flügeladjutant von Dalwigk was placed at the Court in Kassel.

The next year Alexander left military service and entered the service of the electoral Court as Hofmarschall of Wilhelm I. When his master died in 1821, von Dalwigk left this position.
By 1825 he is named as Kammerherr and described as handling the financial management of the sister of the Kurfürst, Caroline geschiedene Herzog von Anhalt-Bernburg.

By 1839, Alexander had lived at Arolsen in Waldeck again for years, dying on August 19th of that year, aged 63.

Uniform

No re-enactment without a decent uniform. As for Alexander Felix Freiherr von Dalwigk-Lichtenfels zu Camp, he was a Major in the Regiment Kurprinz. To put it very simple and uncomplicated: he basically wore the Uniform which looked a lot like the one of the prussian 21. Infanterie Regiment. The uniforms of the kurhessian Regiments differed for collar and cuffs only: Gold for Regiment Kurfürst, Silver(i.e. white) for Regiment Kurprinz, Red for the Regiment Landgraf Carl.

Nebenprojekt 2025: Alexander Felix Freiherr von Dalwigk-Lichtenfels zu Camp

Reenactment

Background story

Uniform

Waterloo

Sources

Literatur