Kerber Prussian Military History
in the time of Peter Kerber & his sons
It is most likely
that sons, Herman, Frederick and Heinrich were involved in the Prussian military
during this period
- Until 1730 the common soldiers consisted largely of
peasantry recruited or
impressed from Brandenburg-Prussia, leading many to flee to neighboring
countries.[23]
In order to halt this trend, Frederick William I divided Prussia into
regimental cantons. Every youth was required to serve as a soldier in
these recruitment districts for three months each year; this met agrarian
needs and added extra troops to bolster the regular ranks.[2
- The Prussian Army crushed
Danish
forces in the
Battle of Dybbøl during the
Second Schleswig War (1864), allowing Prussia and Austria to claim
Schleswig and
Holstein,
respectively. Disputes orchestrated by the
Prussian Prime Minister,
Otto von Bismarck, led to the
Austro-Prussian War (1866). The needle guns of the Prussian infantry
were highly successful against the Austrians, who were defeated at
Königgrätz. Under the leadership of Moltke, the Prussian Army then
proved victorious over
France in the
Franco-Prussian War (1870). Unlike the Austrians, the French had the
powerful
Chassepot rifle, which outclassed the Prussian needle gun. However, the
Prussian artillery was effective against the French, who were frequently
flanked or surrounded by the mobile Prussians. Patriotism in Prussia from
the victories began to undermine liberal resistance to absolutism.[68]
The battlefield successes of Prussia allowed the
unification of Germany in 1871 and the crowning of King William I of
Prussia as
William I, German Emperor. The Prussian Army formed the main component
of the
Reichsheer, the army of the
German Empire.
This information
copied from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_Army
American Kerber Military Pages
I would like to honor all of those Kerber kousins who have served
all of us living today and throughout our history
