Leopold von Rauch

Gustav Adolf Leopold von Rauch (27 February 1787 – 26 November 1860) was a major general in the Prussian Army.

His first posting was as an ensign in Number 36 von Puttkammer Infantry Regiment, then based in Brandenburg an der Havel.

Two years later he was promoted to adjutant and became the commander of the Normal Infantry Battalion, then attached to the Foot Guards Regiment in Potsdam.

In the Battle of Kulm in 1813 he was so badly wounded that he was taken off active service and remained in adjutant posts for the rest of his career.

One of these posts was on the staff of Duke Charles of Mecklenburg, commander of the Guards Brigade and brother of King Frederick William III's queen consort Luise.

Both sons kept in close touch with their mother's sister Ulrike and after her death in 1899 ensured her correspondence with Goethe was kept intact and made available to the public.

He served in the Prussian and Austrian armies and established a collection of minerals and archaeological objects, which in 1912 passed to the city museum in Ústí nad Labem.