Friedrich Wilhelm Rüstow
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Wilhelm Rüstow (25 May 1821 – 14 August 1878) was a Prussian
-born Swiss
soldier
and military writer
.
Rüstow was born in Brandenburg an der Havel in the Province of Brandenburg
. He entered the Prussian Army
and served for some years, until the publication of Der deutsche Militärstaat vor und während der Revolution (Zürich, 1850). He was sentenced by a court-martial
to a long term of fortress imprisonment, but succeeded in escaping to Switzerland, where he obtained a military posting. By 1857 he was a major on the engineer staff.
Three years later Rüstow accompanied Giuseppe Garibaldi
in the famous expedition
against the Two Sicilies as colonel and chief of the staff, and to him must be ascribed the victories of Capua (September 10, 1860) and Volturno
(October 1, 1860). At the end of the campaign he settled down in Zürich
. At the outbreak of the 1870 Franco-Prussian War
, he offered his services to Prussia, but was rejected. In 1878, on the foundation of a military professorship at Zürich, Rüstow applied for the post, and, on its being given to another officer, lost heart and committed suicide at Aussersihl
near Zürich.
Two of Rüstow's younger brothers were distinguished Prussian soldiers, Alexander Rüstow
and Caesar Rüstow
. He was also the great-uncle of the sociologist Alexander Rüstow
.
He also wrote Annalen des Königreichs Italien (Zürich, 1862-63). See Zernim, "F. W. Rüstow," in Unsere Zeit. vol. 2 (Leipzig, 1882).
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
-born Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and military writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Rüstow was born in Brandenburg an der Havel in the Province of Brandenburg
Province of Brandenburg
The Province of Brandenburg was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:The first people who are known to have inhabited Brandenburg were the Suevi. They were succeeded by the Slavonians, whom Henry II conquered and converted to Christianity in...
. He entered the Prussian Army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
and served for some years, until the publication of Der deutsche Militärstaat vor und während der Revolution (Zürich, 1850). He was sentenced by a court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
to a long term of fortress imprisonment, but succeeded in escaping to Switzerland, where he obtained a military posting. By 1857 he was a major on the engineer staff.
Three years later Rüstow accompanied Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
in the famous expedition
Expedition of the Thousand
The Expedition of the Thousand was a military campaign led by the revolutionary general Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860. A force of volunteers defeated the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, leading to its dissolution and annexation by the Kingdom of Sardinia, an important step in the creation of a newly...
against the Two Sicilies as colonel and chief of the staff, and to him must be ascribed the victories of Capua (September 10, 1860) and Volturno
Battle of Volturnus (1860)
The Battle of Volturnus or Volturno refers to a series of military clashes between Giuseppe Garibaldi's volunteers and the troops of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies occurred around the river Volturno, in northern Campania, in September and October 1860...
(October 1, 1860). At the end of the campaign he settled down in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. At the outbreak of the 1870 Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, he offered his services to Prussia, but was rejected. In 1878, on the foundation of a military professorship at Zürich, Rüstow applied for the post, and, on its being given to another officer, lost heart and committed suicide at Aussersihl
Aussersihl
Aussersihl is a district in the Swiss city of Zurich. It is District number 4. The district is colloquially known as Chreis Cheib, cheib being the Zurich German word for an animal cadaver; the area historically contained pits for the deposition of dead animals.The district comprises the quarters...
near Zürich.
Two of Rüstow's younger brothers were distinguished Prussian soldiers, Alexander Rüstow
Alexander Rüstow (soldier)
Alexander Rüstow was a Prussian soldier and military writer from Brandenburg an der Havel. The brother of Friedrich Wilhelm Rüstow and Caesar Rüstow, he is remembered for his work Der Kustenkrieg...
and Caesar Rüstow
Caesar Rüstow
Cäsar Rüstow was a Prussian soldier and military writer.The brother of Friedrich Wilhelm Rüstow and Alexander Rüstow, Cäsar Rüstow was one of the foremost experts of his time in the design and construction of military rifles, and the writer of several treatises on that subject, notably Die...
. He was also the great-uncle of the sociologist Alexander Rüstow
Alexander Rüstow
Alexander Rüstow was a German sociologist and economist. He originated the term neoliberalism meant as a synonym for Ordoliberalism but the term has undergone a change of meaning. He was one of the fathers of the "Social Market Economy" that shaped the economy of West-Germany after World War II...
.
Works
Amongst Rüstow's works, which covered nearly every branch of the military art, a large number must be mentioned.Historical
- Heerwesen und Kriegführung Julius Casars (Gotha, 1855; 2nd ed., Nordhausen, 1862)
- Kommentar zu Napoleon III's Geschichte Julius Cäsars (Stuttgart, 1865-67)
- Geschichte des griechischen Kriegswesens (in collaboration with Hermann August Theodor Köchly, Aarau, 1852)
- Militar. Biographen (David, XenophonXenophonXenophon , son of Gryllus, of the deme Erchia of Athens, also known as Xenophon of Athens, was a Greek historian, soldier, mercenary, philosopher and a contemporary and admirer of Socrates...
, MontlucBlaise de Lasseran-Massencôme, seigneur de MontlucBlaise de Lasseran-Massencôme, seigneur de Montluc was a marshal of France.He was born at the family seat near Condom in the modern département of Gers. Despite being the eldest son of a good family, he had, like most gentlemen of Gascony, to rely on his sword. He was the brother of Jean de...
) (Zürich, 1858) - Geschichte der Infanterie (Gotha, 1857-58; 3rd ed., 1884)
- Die Ersten Feldzuge Napoleons 1796-1797 (Zürich, 1867)
- Der Krieg von 1805 in Deutschland und Italien (Frauenfeld, 1854)
- Geschichte des Ungarischen Irisurrektionkrieges 1848-49 (Zürich, 1860)
- reminiscences of 1860 in Italy (Leipzig, 1861)
- monograph on the campaigns of 1848-49 in Italy (Zürich, 1849)
- monograph on the Crimean WarCrimean WarThe Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
(Zürich, 1855-56).
Critical and general
- Allgemeine Taktik (Zürich, 1858; 2nd ed., 1868)
- Kriegspolitik und Kriegsgebrauch (Zürich, 1876)
- Militar-Handworterbuch (Zürich, 1859)
- Die Feldherrenkunst des 19. Jahrhunderts (Zürich, 1857; 3rd ed., 1878-79)
- Der Krieg und seine Mittel (Leipzig, 1856).
He also wrote Annalen des Königreichs Italien (Zürich, 1862-63). See Zernim, "F. W. Rüstow," in Unsere Zeit. vol. 2 (Leipzig, 1882).