Rudolph von Rex

Rudolph von Rex
Birth name	Rudolph Franz Curt von Rex
Birth date	7 January 1817(1817-01-07)
Place of birth	Paderborn, Province of Westphalia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Confederation
Death date	7 February 1892 (aged 75)
Place of death	Wiesbaden, Province of Hesse-Nassau, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Allegiance	Kingdom of Prussia German Confederation North German Confederation German Empire
Service/branch	Prussian Army
Years of service	1834–1874
Rank	Lieutenant General z. D.
Commands held	32. Infanterie-Brigade
Battles/wars	First Schleswig War (1849) German-Danish War (1864) German War of Brothers (1866) German-Franco War (1870/71)
Awards	Red Eagle Order Iron Cross
Relations	∞ 1857 Klara von Briesen

Rudolph Franz Curt von Rex (7 January 1817 – 7 February 1892) was a German officer of the Prussian Army, finally Lieutenant General and commander of a brigade.

Life

Rudolph von Rex attended cadet schools in Potsdam and Berlin. He was subsequently assigned to the 15th Infantry Regiment of the Prussian Army as a Second Lieutenant on 14 August 1834. In 1849, during the campaign against Denmark, he participated in the battles of Donsmühle, Vejle, and Aarhus. King Friedrich Wilhelm IV commended him for his brave conduct on 31 July 1849. In the following years, Rex held various assignments as company leader in the Landwehr. As a Captain, he served as company commander in the 15th Infantry Regiment from 23 February 1853 to 13 June 1859. Promoted to Major, von Rex subsequently commanded the mobile III Battalion of the 15th Landwehr Regiment in Bielefeld during the Sardinian War. Following the completion of mobilization, the war was over before Prussia could intervene, he was entrusted with the continued command of the battalion. On 1 July 1860, he was transferred to the newly formed 6th Westphalian Infantry Regiment (No. 55), and on 18 August 1860, he was appointed commander of the Fusilier Battalion. In this capacity, Rex participated in the war against Denmark in 1864. He participated in the Siege of the Düppel Redoubts and was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle, IV Class with Swords, for the Battle of Rackebüll. The Allied Austrians honored Rex for his actions in the capture of Als by awarding him the Order of the Iron Crown, II Class with War Decoration.

After the armistice, von Rex was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. During the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, he led his battalion in the Main Campaign in the battles of Wiesenthal and Zella, Lausenbach, Aschaffenburg, and Tauberbischofsheim. For his services, von Rex received the Order of the Crown, III. Class with swords. On 15 July 1866, he was transferred to Trier and appointed commander of the 3rd Rhenish Infantry Regiment No. 29. With the outbreak of the German-Franco War, von Rex was appointed commander of the 32nd Infantry Brigade in Trier. He led this large unit in the Battle of Spichern, where he was wounded in his left upper arm by a grenade splinter. Rex remained with his troops and took part in the fighting at Vionville and Gravelotte. During the Siege of Metz, he fell ill and was therefore unable to participate in the rest of the war. Awarded both classes of the Iron Cross, Rex was promoted to Major General on the day of the Imperial Proclamation in Versailles. Due to new illnesses, he resigned and was placed at disposal on 15 October 1874 with the rank of honorary Lieutenant General and a statutory pension.

Family

Descent

Rudolph was the son of Royal Saxon Major, later Prussian Major General Karl August Wilhelm von Rex (1774–1834) and his wife Marianne Auguste, née von Heßler aus dem Hause Vitzenburg (1793–1869). He had four siblings:

• Karl Friedrich Ernst (1811–1877), Imperial Post Director
• Ottilie Marianne Konstanze (1818–1844)
• Hermann Gustav Klemens (1820–1886), Prussian Major General
• Elise Auguste Marianne (1823–1881)

Marriage

On 9 May 1857 in Bielefeld, Captain von Rex married his fiancée Klara von Briesen (b. 15 May 1835 in Düsseldorf; d. 19 November 1920 in Bayreuth), daughter of Lieutenant General Amos Hermann Reinhold von Briesen (1805–1882). They would have seven children:

• Elise Karoline Hermine Marianne Ida Agnes (b. 11 March 1858 in Bielefeld); ⚭ 1877 Otto Edler von der Planitz (1839–1919), President of the Saxon Chamber of Auditors
• Martha (1859–1861)
• Anna Olga Hermine Adolfine (b. 7 March 1862 in Herford); ⚭ 1885 Emmo Bernhard Wilhelm von Dewitz (1858–1946), Lieutenant General
• Agnes Dorothea Reinholdine (b. 12 October 1863 in Herford); ⚭ 1888 Wilhelm Freiherr von Waldenfels
• Hermann Reinhold (1865–1895)
• Rudolf (b. 7 January 1867 in Trier; d. 12 April 1867)
• Viktoria Hermine Klara Elise (b. 13 August 1870 in Koblenz); ⚭ 1905 Gustav Adolf von Briesen, Major

Promotions

• 14 August 1834 Seconde-Lieutenant (2nd Lieutenant)
• 12 August 1848 Premier-Lieutenant (1st Lieutenant)
• 22 June 1852 Hauptmann (Captain)
• 14 June 1859 Major
• 25 June 1864 Oberst-Lieutenant (Lieutenant Colonel)
• 20 September 1866 Oberst (Colonel)
• 18 January 1871 General-Major (Major General)
• 15 October 1874 Charakter als General-Lieutenant z. D. (Honorary Lieutenant General at disposal)

Awards and decorations

• Commendation for honorable conduct before the enemy by the Supreme Cabinet Order of 31 July 1849
• Hohenzollern Commemorative Medal for Fighters 1848–1849
• Prussian Long Service Cross for 25 years (Königlich Preußisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz; DA)
• Red Eagle Order (Roter Adlerorden), 4th Class (PRAO4/PrA4) in c. 1862
• Swords to his Red Eagle Order, 4th Class (PRAO4⚔/PrA4⚔) in 1864
• Knight of the Austrian-Hungarian Order of the Iron Crown, 2nd Class with War Decoration or Kriegsdekoration (ÖEK2.KD) in 1864
• War Commemorative Medal of 1864 (Kriegs-Denkmünze für 1864; KD64)
• Prussian Order of the Crown (Preußischer Kronenorden), 3rd Class with Swords on 20 September 1866
• Commemorative Cross for the Campaign of 1866 (Erinnerungs-Kreuz für den Feldzug von 1866)
• Red Eagle Order, 3rd Class with the Bow (mit der Schleife) and Swords on Ring on 18 January 1869
• Iron Cross (1870), 2nd and 1st Class
• War Commemorative Medal of 1870–1871 (Kaiserliche Kriegsdenkmünze 1870/71; KD70/71)
• House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis, Ehren-Großkomturkreuz or Grand Commanders Cross (OV2a)