Johann de Kalb
| Jean (Johann) de (von) Kalb | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
June 19, 1721 Erlangen, Bavaria Holy Roman Empire (now Erlangen, Germany) |
| Died | August 19, 1780 (aged 59) Camden, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Buried at | Bethesda Presbyterian Churchyard Camden, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of France United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
French Army Continental Army
|
| Years of service | 1777–1780 |
| Rank |
 Major general (U.S.) |
| Battles/wars |
War of Austrian Succession |
| Spouse(s) | Anna Elizabeth Emilie van Robais |
| Signature |  |
War of Austrian Succession
Seven Years' War
American Revolutionary War
Johann von Robais, Baron de Kalb (June 19, 1721 – August 19, 1780), born Johann Kalb, was a Bavarian-French military officer who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and was killed in action while fighting the British Army during the Battle of Camden.
Kalb was born in Hüttendorf, a village near Erlangen, Bavaria, the son of Johann Leonhard Kalb and Margarethe Seitz. He learned French, English, and the social skills to earn a substantial military commission in the Loewendal German Regiment of the French Army. He served with distinguished honor in the War of the Austrian Succession in Flanders. During the Seven Years' War, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and made assistant quartermaster general in the Army of the Upper Rhine, a division created by the disbanding of the Loewendal Regiment. He won the Order of Military Merit in 1763, and was elevated to the nobility with the title of baron.
In 1764, he resigned from the army and married Anna Elizabeth Emilie van Robais, an heiress to a fortune from cloth manufacturing.
In 1768, he traveled to America on a covert mission for de Choiseul, on behalf of France, to determine the level of discontent among colonists. During the trip, he gained a respect for the colonists and their "spirit of independence".
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Wikipedia