FREDERICK CHARLES, PRINCE OF PRUSSIA

born March 20, 1828, Berlin died June 15, 1885, Klein Glienicke, near Potsdam, Ger. byname The Iron Prince, German Friedrich Karl, Prinz Von Preussen, or Der Eiserne Prinz Prussian field marshal, victor in the Battle of Kniggrtz (Sadowa) on July 3, 1866. The eldest son of Prince Charles of Prussia and nephew of the future German emperor William I, Frederick Charles was educated from childhood for a military career. He became a colonel in 1852 and a major general in 1854, in which year he married Princess Marie Anne of Anhalt. In 1861 he was made a general of cavalry and in 1864 fought capably against Denmark. At Kniggrtz on the Bohemian front in the Seven Weeks' War, he commanded the Prussian 1st Army, which had the major responsibility for the decisive victory over Austria. During the Franco-German War of 187071, Frederick Charles commanded the 2nd Army. In the early fighting he drove Marshal A.F. Bazaine's French forces back into Metz, and on Oct. 27, 1870, he received the capitulation of that city. He was promoted to field marshal the following day. Subsequently he captured Orlans, thoroughly disrupted the French Army of the Loire, and broke up Gen. A.E.A. Chanzy's part of that force at Le Mans. Despite the success of the Metz operations, they were costly in German manpower and were otherwise open to criticism. The Prince's forceful character and tactlessness, moreover, resulted in friction with Gen. K.F. von Steinmetz, commander of the 1st Army. Whatever his personal shortcomings, Frederick Charles is remembered for his genuine military ability.