Ziet(h)en, Generallieutenant Wieprecht Hans Karl Friedrich Ernst Heinrich Graf von (1770-1848)

Zieten hailed from a famous Prussian military family. Indeed, he is not to be confused with the many other military Zietens of the era. He joined his father’s hussar regiment as a cadet in 1785, but first experience of combat was in the Revolutionary Wars. Zieten then fought at Auerstaedt in 1806 and in many major battles of the Befreiungskreige (Wars of Liberation), distinguishing himself particularly at Leipzig in October 1813. Under General Kleist’s orders, he was made head of a brigade in 1813. For the 1815 campaign, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and commanded the 1st Corps, which suffered the heaviest casualties of all four corps. During the subsequent occupation of France, he replaced Blücher as Prussian Commander-in-Chief, and was made Field Marshal in 1835.