Ludwig von Wittich

He was the son of the later Prussian major general Karl August von Wittich (1772–1831) and his wife Christiane Johanna Friederike Elisabeth, née von Redern (1780–1842).[1]

Wittich received his education in the cadet corps and joined the Prussian Army in 1835 as a second lieutenant. In 1844 he became adjutant in the 2nd Division and in 1852 in the General Command of the V Army Corps. Promoted to major in 1857 , he was transferred to the General Staff of the 9th Division and in 1861 to that of the V Army Corps, and on October 18, 1861 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

In 1863 Wittich became Chief of the General Staff of the II Army and in 1864, he was head of the IV Army Corps. As a colonel in this position, he took part in the Austro-Prussian War with great honors and received the order Pour le Mérite for this. On March 22, 1868 he became major general and commander of the 49th Infantry Brigade (1st Grand Ducal Hessian), which he commanded in the Franco-Prussian War in the battles of Vionville, Gravelotte and Noisseville. On September 22, he was appointed lieutenant general, command of the 22nd division. At the head of which he took part in the arduous and long operations on the Loire and against Le Mans from October 1870 to January 1871. In the course of these battles he fought under General von der Tann on October 10 in the Battle of Artenay, on the 11th at Orléans and on the 18th in the assault on Châteaudun. On October 21 he occupied Chartres and then fought under the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on December 2 at the Battle of Loigny–Poupry, on 3 and 4 again at Orléans, from 8 to 10 at Battle of Beaugency and contributed significantly to the Victories in the battle of Le Mans (January 10 to 12) and at Alençon (January 15).

On March 18, 1872 appointed commander of the 31st division in Strasbourg, he took his leave in April 1873. In 1889 the infantry regiment "von Wittich" (3rd Kurhessisches) No. 83 was named after him in his honor.

From 1879 to 1881 Wittich was a member of the German Reichstag for the German Conservative Party and the Landsberg constituency.

He married Johanna Albertine Luise Anna Hiller von Gaertringen on June 16, 1863 (* October 21, 1833). She was the widow of Anton von Bredelow (1818–1861)[2] and daughter of Chamberlain Rudolf Hiller von Gaertringen († October 27, 1866) and Sophie von Motz. The later MP Hans Joachim von Brederlow was his stepson.

• Ludwig von Wittich biography in Heinrich Best, Datenbank der Abgeordneten der Reichstage des Kaiserreichs 1867/71 bis 1918 (Biorab – Kaiserreich)