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Karl Ludwig von Lecoq or Karl Ludwig von Le Coq, born 23 September 1754 – died 14 February 1829, of French Huguenot ancestry, first joined the army of the Electorate of Saxony. He later transferred his loyalty to the Kingdom of Prussia and fought during the French Revolutionary Wars, earning a coveted award for bravery. While serving variously as a staff officer and diplomat, he became renowned as an expert cartographer. In 1806 he was entrusted with command of the forces in northwest Germany. Cut off from the main body of the Prussian army after the disaster at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt, he concentrated his troops in the fortress of Hameln. After a brief siege, he surrendered his troops to an inferior force of enemies. For this, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. However, he was later pardoned and continued his map-making until he went blind. ==Early career== Lecoq was born on 23 September 1754 to a French Huguenot family in Eilenburg in the Electorate of Saxony. His father Johann Ludwig Lecoq (1719–1789) was a Lieutenant General in the Saxon army〔Krauss, Georg. ''150 Jahre preußische Meßtischblätter''. In: Zeitschrift für Vermessungswesen, 94. 1969, Verlag Konrad Wittwer, Stuttgart. 125〕 (Karl Ludwig's younger brother Karl Christian Erdmann von Lecoq (1767–1830) also rose to become a Lieutenant General in the Saxon army). Joining the ''Riedesel'' Infantry Regiment # 10 as a junior Leutnant in 1770,Lecoq rose to the rank of Captain by 1779. He transferred to the Prussian army in 1787. Promoted to Major, he was appointed to lead the ''Legat'' Fusilier battalion # 20, based in Magdeburg.〔 In 1792 he joined the staff of Feldmarschall Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick and fought in the War of the First Coalition at the Battle of Valmy and other actions. For his courageous actions during the Siege of Mainz from 14 April to 23 July 1793, Lecoq was awarded the Pour le Mérite.〔 After the Peace of Basel in 1795, Brunswick's army guarded the Prussian frontier in northwest Germany. Lecoq was promoted to Oberstleutnant and appointed Brunswick's Quartermaster General, the equivalent of Chief of Staff. While performing his military duties, he began mapping Westphalia. Having earned the confidence of King Frederick William II and his successor King Frederick William III, Lecoq was sent in 1801 on a diplomatic mission to Saint Petersburg in the Russian Empire. In 1802, he negotiated the transfer of Gerhard von Scharnhorst from the Electorate of Hanover to Prussian service.〔 Inspired by the French cartographer Dominique, comte de Cassini, Lecoq completed his ''Große Karte von Westfalen'' (Great Map of Westphalia) between 1795 and 1805. Already celebrated as a talented map-maker in his own right,〔 the king named him commander-in-chief of the ''Grenadier Garde'' Infantry Regiment # 6 in 1801. He was also appointed to a board to examine general staff officer candidates. In 1803, he received promotion to General-Major and the following year founded the Junker School.〔Grosser Generalstab: ''1806. Das Preussische Offizierkorps und die Untersuchung der Kriegsereignisse''. Berlin, 1906. 46〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Karl Ludwig von Lecoq」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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