IV. KRAFT, prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (1827-1892), soldier and
military writer, son of Prince Adolf of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen
(1797-1873), was born at Koschentin in Upper Silesia. He was a nephew of
the Prince Hohenlohe noticed above, who commanded the Prussians at Jena.
Educated with great rigour, owing to the impoverishment of the family
estates during the Napoleonic wars, he was sent into the Prussian army,
and commissioned to the artillery at the least expensive arm of the
service. He joined the Prussian Guard artillery in 1845, and it was soon
discovered that he had unusual aptitudes as an artillery officer. For a
time his brother officers resented the presence of a prince, until it
was found that he made no attempt to use his social position to secure
advancement. After serving as a military attache in Vienna and on the
Transylvanian frontier during the Crimean War, he was made a captain on
the general staff, and in 1856 personal aide-de-camp to the king,
remaining, however, in close touch with the artillery. In 1864, having
become in the meanwhile successively major and lieut.-colonel, he
resigned the staff appointments to become commander of the new Guard
Field Artillery regiment and in the following year he became colonel. In
1866 he saw his first real active service. In the bold advance of the
Guard corps on the Austrian right wing at Koniggratz (see SEVEN WEEKS'
WAR), he led the Guard reserve artillery with the greatest dash and
success, and after the short war ended he turned his energies, now
fortified by experience, to the better tactical training of the Prussian
artillery. In 1868 he was made a major-general and assigned to command
the Guard artillery brigade. In this capacity he gained great
distinction during the Franco-German war and especially at Gravelotte
and Sedan; he was in control of the artillery attack on the
fortifications of Paris. In 1873 he was placed in command of an infantry
division, and three years later was promoted lieutenant-general. He
retired in 1879, was made general of infantry in 1883 and general of
artillery in 1889. His military writings were numerous, and amongst
them several have become classics. These are _Briefe uber Artillerie_
(Eng. trans. _Letters on Artillery_, 1887); _Briefe uber Strategie_
(1877; Eng. trans. _Letters on Strategy_, 1898); and _Gesprache uber
Reiterei_ (1887; Eng. trans. _Conversations on Cavalry_). The _Briefe
uber Infanterie_ and _Briefe uber Kavallerie_ (translated into English,
_Letters on Infantry_, _Letters on Cavalry_, 1889) are of less
importance, though interesting as a reflection of prevailing German
ideas. His memoirs (_Aus meinem Leben_) were prepared in retirement near
Dresden, and the first volume (1897) created such a sensation that eight
years were allowed to elapse before the publication was continued.
Prince Kraft died near Dresden on the 16th of January 1892.
(C. F. A.)
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