Charles, Count Alten
Field Marshal Sir Charles (Carl) August von Alten GCB, GCH (21 October 1764 – 20 April 1840) was a Hanoverian and British soldier who led the famous Light Division during the last two years of the Peninsular War. At the Battle of Waterloo, he commanded a division in the front line, where he was wounded. He later rose to the rank of Field Marshal in the Hanoverian Army.
Sir Charles Alten | |
|---|---|
Alten as Minister of War | |
| Birth name | Carl August von Alten |
| Born | 21 October 1764 Burgwedel, Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Died | 20 April 1840 (aged 75) Bozen, County of Tyrol (now Bolzano in Italy) |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of Hanover |
| Years of service | 1781–1840 |
| Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
| Commands held | Light Division King's German Legion |
| Battles/wars | Napoleonic Wars
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| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order |
Alten was the son of August Eberhard von Alten (1722–1789), a member of an old Hanoverian family, and Baroness Henriette Philippine Marie Hedwig von Vincke-Ostenwalde.
Alten's older brother, Victor Alten (1755–1820) commanded a cavalry brigade in Wellington's army. Unlike his brother Charles, Victor is described as "unsatisfactory".
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