Johann David Ludwig Graf Yorck von Wartenburg (September 26, 1759 - October 4, 1830) was a Prussian Field Marshal of alleged English ancestry. September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 96 days remaining. ... 1759 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (Old Prussian: Prūsa, German: Preußen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: Prūsai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK...

His father Dawid Jonatan Jark von Gostkowski was born in Rowe near Bytow in Pomerania. This Protestant family can trace their origins from the Kashubs of Pomerania. Hans David changed his name from Jark to Yorck to make it look more English and dropped the "von Gostkowski". Hans David Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg, resized from public domain image at http://www. ... Categories: Poland-related stubs | Towns in Poland ... Historic Western Pomerania (outlined in yellow) on the background of modern country borders. ... Kashubians (also Kassubians, or Cassubians, in Kashubian: Kaszëbi) are a Slavic ethnic group living in modern-day northwestern Poland. ... Historic Western Pomerania (outlined in yellow) on the background of modern country borders. ...

He entered the Prussian army in 1772, but after seven years' service was cashiered for disobedience. Entering the Dutch service three years later he took part in the operations of 1783-84 in the East Indies as captain. Returning to Prussia in 1785 he was, on the death of Frederick the Great, reinstated in his old service, and in 1794 took part in the operations in Poland, distinguishing himself especially at Szczekociny. 1772 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Indies, on the display globe of the Field Museum, Chicago The Indies or East Indies (or East India) is a term used to describe lands of South and South-East Asia, occupying all of the former British India, the present Indian Union, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and... Frederick the Great Frederick II of Prussia (Friedrich der Große, Frederick the Great, January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) was the Hohenzollern king of Prussia 1740–86. ... The Battle of Szczekociny was fought on June 6, 1794 between Poland and the combined forces of Russia and Prussia. ...

Five years afterwards Yorck began to make a name for himself as commander of a light infantry regiment, being one of the first to give prominence to the training of skirmishers. In 1805 he was appointed to the command of an infantry brigade, and in the disastrous Jena campaign he played a conspicuous and successful part as a rearguard commander, especially at Alten-zaun. He was taken prisoner, severely wounded, in the last stand of Blücher's corps at Lübeck. Traditionally light infantry (or skirmishers) were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. ... The Battle of Jena was fought on October 14, 1806, in Jena, in todays Germany, and resulted in a French victory under Napoleon Bonaparte against the Prussians under General Hohenlohe. ... Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (December 16, 1742 in Rostock (Mecklenburg) - September 12, 1819 in Krieblowitz (Silesia) (now Krobielowice in Poland)), Graf (Count), later elevated to Fürst von Wahlstatt, was a Prussian general who led his army against Napoleon I at the Battle of... Lübeck ( pronunc. ...

In the reorganization of the Prussian army which followed the Treaty of Tilsit, Yorck was one of the leading figures. At first major-general commanding the West Prussian brigade, afterwards inspector-general of light infantry, he was finally appointed second in command to General Grawert, the leader of the auxiliary corps which Prussia was compelled to send to the Russian War of 1812. The two generals did not agree, Grawert being an open partisan of the French alliance, and Yorck an ardent patriot, but before long Grawert retired, and Yorck assumed the command. The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by Napoleon I of France in the town of Tilsit in July, 1807. ... 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Opposed in his advance on Riga by the Russian General Steingell, he displayed great skill in a series of combats which ended in the retirement of the enemy to Riga. Throughout the campaign he had been the object of many overtures from the enemy's generals, and though he had hitherto rejected them, it was soon borne in upon him that the Grand Army was doomed. Marshal Macdonald, his immediate French superior, retreated before the corps of Diebitsch, and Yorck found himself isolated. As a soldier his duty was to break through, but as a Prussian patriot his position was more difficult. He had to judge whether the moment was favorable for the war of liberation; and, whatever might be the enthusiasm of his junior staff-officers, Yorck had no illusions as to the safety of his own head. On December 20 the general made up his mind. Riga (Latvian: Rīga), the capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of River Daugava, at 56°58′N 24°8′E. Riga is the largest city in the Baltic states and serves as a major cultural, educational, political, financial, commercial and industrial center... Etienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre MacDonald Etienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre MacDonald (November 17, 1765 - September 7, 1840), duke of Taranto and marshal of France, was born at Sedan, France. ... Hans Karl Friedrich Anton, count von Diebitsch and Narden, called by the Russians Ivan Ivanovich, Count Diebich-Zabalkansky (May 13, 1785 - June 10, 1831), Russian field marshal, was born in Silesia. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Convention of Tauroggen "neutralized" the Prussian corps. The news was received with the wildest enthusiasm, but the Prussian Court dared not yet throw off the mask, and an order was despatched suspending Yorck from his command pending a court-martial. Diebitsch refused to let the bearer pass through his lines, and the general was finally absolved when the Treaty of Kalisch definitely ranged Prussia on the side of the Allies. Yorck's act was nothing less than the turning-point of Prussian history. His veterans formed the nucleus of the forces of East Prussia, and Yorck himself in public took the final step by declaring war as the commander of those forces.

On March 17, 1813, he made his entry into Berlin in the midst of the wildest exuberance of patriotic joy. On the same day the king declared war. During 1813-14 Yorck led his veterans with conspicuous success. He covered Blücher's retreat after Bautzen and took a decisive part in the battles on the Katzbach. In the advance on Leipzig his corps won the action of Wartenburg (October 4) and took part in the crowning victory of October 18. In the campaign in France Yorck drew off the shattered remnants of Sacken's corps at Montmirail, and decided the day at Laon. The storm of Paris was his last fight. In the campaign of 1815 none of the older men were employed in Blücher's army, in order that Gneisenau (the ablest of the Prussian generals) might be free to assume command in case of the old prince's death. Yorck was appointed to a reserve corps in Prussia, and, feeling that his services were no longer required, he retired from the army. His master would not accept his resignation for a considerable time, and in 1821 made him general field-marshal. He had been made Count Yorck von Wartenburg in 1814. The remainder of his life was spent on his estate of Klein-Öls, the gift of the king. A statue (by Rauch) was erected to him in Berlin in 1855. March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... 1813 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Battle of Bautzen was fought on May 21, 1813, and resulted in a French victory under Napoléon Bonaparte against the Kingdom of Prussians and Russians. ... The Battle of Katzbach on 26 August 1813, was an accidental engagement of the Napoleonic Wars which took place in a heavy thunderstorm between the forces of the First French Empire under Marshal MacDonald and a Russo-Prussian army of the Sixth Coalition under Prussian Marshal Graf (Count) von Bl... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in Leap years). ... August Wilhelm Antonius Graf Neidhardt von Gneisenau (en: August Wilhelm Anton, Count Neithardt von Gneisenau) (27 October 1760 – 24 August 1831) was a Prussian field marshal. ... Christian Daniel Rauch (January 2, 1777 - December 3, 1857), German sculptor, was born at Arolsen in the principality of Waldeck. ...

Notes

• Note regarding personal names: Graf is a title, translated as Count, not a first or middle name.

This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, a publication in the public domain. Graf (from the Latin Grafio scribe from the Greek) is a German noble title equal in rank to a count (derived from the Latin Comes, with a history of its own) or a British earl (an original Anglo-Saxon title). ... Look up Count in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Countess redirects here. ... Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

Further reading

• F. W. von Seydlitz: Tagebuch des Preussischen Armee Korps 1812. Berlin, 1823
• J. G. Droysen: Das Leben des Feldmarschalls Grafen York von Wartenburg. Berlin, 1854 (later eds. were published under the title: York von Wartenburg: ein Leben preußischer Pflichterfüllung, most recently: Essen : Phaidon-Verlag, 1996 ISBN 3-88851-160-7