Heros von Borcke
| Johann Heinrich August Heros von Borcke | |
|---|---|
Heros von Borcke
|
|
| Nickname(s) | Giant in Grey |
| Born |
23 July 1835 Festung Ehrenbreitstein, Koblenz, Prussia |
| Died | 10 May 1895 (aged 59) Berlin, German Empire |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Prussia (1853–1862, 1866–1867) Confederate States (1862–1865)
|
| Service/branch |
Prussian Army Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1853–1867 |
| Rank |
Rittmeister (Captain) (Prussia) Lieutenant colonel (CSA) |
| Battles/wars |
American Civil War Austro-Prussian War |
| Awards | Order of the Red Eagle |
Johann August Heinrich Heros von Borcke (23 July 1835 – 10 May 1895) was a Prussian cavalry officer who served in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War. Following the Confederacy's collapse in 1865, von Borcke rejoined the Prussian Army for the Austro-Prussian War, but retired in 1867 due to lingering wounds he had suffered during his service to the Confederacy.
Borcke was born in Festung Ehrenbreitstein, where his father Otto Theodor Heros von Borcke (1805–1878) served as a second lieutenant in the Prussian Infantry Regiment 19. His father left service in 1836 to administer his family's estates of Wangerin in Pomerania and later Giesenbrügge (New March) (now Giżyn, Myślibórz County, Poland). Borcke was educated at the local school of Giesenbrügge, the gymnasium in Cölln (today a district of Berlin) and the Franckesche Stiftungen in Halle and joined the Prussian Army at the Gardes du Corps Cuirassier Regiment in Berlin.
A tall man at 6' 4" and weighing in at more than 240 pounds, he was a lieutenant in the 2nd Brandenburg Regiment of Dragoons when news arrived of the beginning of the American Civil War. He eventually secured his release from his duties in the Prussian Army and sailed for the Bermuda, finally slipping into Charleston (South Carolina) Harbor on a blockade runner in May 1862. He brought with him a massive Solingen straight sword, which would become famous during his ensuing career. By the end of the month, he had made his way to Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy. He was given the rank of captain in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States on June 1 of that year and assigned to Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart by the order of Secretary of War George W. Randolph. Von Borcke became a close confidant and aide to Stuart and, conspicuous on the battlefield for his large height and girth and the extremely large sword he wielded, became known as the "giant in gray."
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