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Ioann ThielmannBaron, Saxon cavalry general.
Date of Birth: 27.04.1765
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
- Biography of Johann Tilman
- Commander in the Saxon Army
- Role in the Russian Campaign
- Later Career and Contributions
Biography of Johann Tilman
Early Life and Military CareerJohann Tilman was born into an aristocratic Saxon family and was the son of an ober-rechnungsrat. He was prepared for a civilian service but decided to join the Kurzland Cavalry Regiment after his father's death in 1782. He was promoted to sub-lieutenant on March 30, 1784, and served in military actions against the French Republic. In 1798, Tilman became a staff-rotmistr and later lived in Thuringia.
Commander in the Saxon Army
In the campaign of 1806, Tilman commanded a squadron in the Hussar Regiment and took part in the battles of Jena and Friedland. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on March 1, 1809, and on March 14, he became a colonel and was appointed as the king of Saxony's general adjutant. Tilman received the rank of major general on July 17, 1807. He participated in the victory in Bohemia with a small Saxon corps and later commanded the vanguard of the French-Westphalian auxiliary corps. On October 26, 1810, he was promoted to lieutenant general.
Role in the Russian Campaign
During the campaign in Russia in 1812, Tilman commanded the Saxon Cuirassier Brigade of General Jean Lorge's division in the 4th Cavalry Corps of the Grande Armée. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Borodino, where he attacked the "Raevsky Battery" from the flank. In early 1813, Tilman played an active role in the reorganization of the Saxon army and was appointed as the governor of Torgau on February 24, 1813. He refused Marshal Davout's request to allow the passage of French troops through the fortress, hoping that Saxony would join the anti-French coalition. Tilman entered negotiations with the allies after the Battle of Lützen on May 2, 1813. Following the king's order to surrender the fortress to the French, Tilman left his Saxon service and joined the main headquarters of the allies. On July 1, 1813, he was accepted into Russian service as a lieutenant general.
Later Career and Contributions
Tilman commanded a Prussian-Austro-Hungarian-Cossack partisan detachment that conducted raids on the French rear in Saxony. He suffered a defeat at Merseburg on September 24, 1813, by General Charles Lebrun-Denoy. However, he achieved success in operations near Weißenfels, Freiburg, Altenburg, and Naumburg, taking around 1,500 prisoners. After the "Battle of Nations" near Leipzig and the liberation of Weimar, Tilman was awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd Class, and received orders from Alexander I to reorganize the Saxon army. In March 1814, he formed the 3rd German Army Corps, which he commanded. On May 31, 1814, Tilman achieved a victory against the French forces at Courtrai. After Napoleon's abdication, he commanded Saxon line troops in Koblenz. In April 1815, Tilman joined the Prussian service as a lieutenant general and led the 3rd Corps in the 1815 campaign under Field Marshal Gebhard Blücher. At the Battle of Waterloo, his corps, consisting of 17,000 men, held the defense near Wavre and Limale against Marshal Emmanuel de Grouchy's army. After Waterloo, Tilman participated in the pursuit of Grouchy, catching up to him at Namur but suffering a defeat. Following the Treaty of Paris in 1816, Tilman was appointed as the commander in Münster and later in Koblenz, where he led the 8th Army Corps.
