Konstantin Bernhard von Voigts-Rhetz

Who was Konstantin Bernhard von Voigts-Rhetz?

Konstantin Bernhard von Voigts-Rhetz was a Prussian general who served in the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War.

Voigts-Rhetz entered the Prussian 9th Infantry Regiment in 1827 and was made an officer in 1829. Between 1833 and 1835 Voigts-Rhetz attended the Prussian Military Academy. In 1837 he was attached to the topography division. He joined the General Staff in 1839 and was promoted to captain in 1841 and major in 1847.

Voigts-Rhetz joined the staff of the V Corps in 1847. When revolutions broke out in 1848 he helped suppress the insurrection at Posen. After the insurrection was quelled Voigts-Rhetz engaged in a dispute with the royal commissioner for Posen, General Karl Wilhelm von Willisen. Both Voigts-Rhetz and Willisen used the press to justify their actions.

In 1852 Voigts-Rhetz became chief of staff of the V Corps. After being promoted to colonel in 1855 he was given command of the 9th Infantry Brigade in 1858, with the rank of a major-general. In 1859 he became a director in the Prussian War ministry. In 1860 he was given command of the Fortress of the German Confederation in Luxembourg. In 1863 he was promoted to lieutenant-general and given command of the 7th Infantry Division. In 1864 he became commander in chief of the garrison at Frankfurt am Main.