Hans Georg von Hammerstein (1771-1841)
Command Ratings
Hans Georg von Hammerstein‑Equord was born on 17 September 1771 at Equord near Hildesheim and died on 9 December 1841 in Hildesheim. He attained the rank of Generalleutnant in the Kingdom of Westphalia. From 1790 he attended the Universität Göttingen. On 21 April 1809 his regiment famously overran enemy infantry on the orders of Napoleon. During the Russian campaign of 1812 he commanded the leichte Kavalleriebrigade of the 8. Corps. In the later stages of the struggle, as his brother William fled to the Austrians, he was arrested and imprisoned until 1814 by French authorities. After release, he returned to Equord and attempted to manage his diminished estates but later went bankrupt. He married Adelgunde von Bernstorff of Lasahn in 1824. No further military commands or engagements are recorded after his wartime service. He died in Hildesheim on 9 December 1841.
Sources
X 93-94 (Hanover Army); XX (Temp.) 94 (Hanover Army) – W; transferred to Westphalian army after it was formed to include Hanover; X 12 Russia - Lubino; XX 13 Dresden The cavalry indication may be confused with his nephew William Friedrich, who gained fame leading the cavalry