Hellmuth von Lepel (1773-1812)
Command Ratings
Eugen August Hellmuth Freiherr von Lepel was born on 7 March 1773 in Ludwigsburg. He entered Prussian military service in 1791 and remained an officer until 1800. After leaving Prussian service, he joined the army of Württemberg, rising to the rank of Oberst by the end of his tenure in that service. He transferred to the service of the Kingdom of Westphalia in late 1807 and was appointed Premier Stallmeister of King Jérôme Bonaparte in January 1808. On 10 January 1810 he was ennobled as Graf von Lepel under the Westphalian nobility. On 9 June 1810 he became aide-de-camp to the King, and on 24 November 1811 he was promoted to Brigadegeneral.
During the Russian campaign of 1812 he commanded the Westphalian cuirassier brigade, serving as part of the 2nd Brigade of the 4th Cavalry Division within IV Corps of the Grande Armée. He was wounded at the Battle of Borodino when a canister shot severed his left arm at the shoulder. The wound necessitated amputation, but proved fatal; he died in the field hospital at Moschaisk. He was posthumously awarded the Croix de la Légion d’Honneur on 15 October 1812.
Sources
X 12 Borodino (KIA)