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 United Kingdom |
| Years of service | 1781–1840 |
| Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
| Commands | Light Division King's German Legion |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order |
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.
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.[1]
Alten's older brother, Victor Alten (1755–1820) commanded a cavalry brigade in Wellington's army.[2] Unlike his brother Charles, Victor is described as "unsatisfactory".[3]
- ^ Burnham, Robert; McGuigan, Ron (2017). Wellington's Brigade Commanders: Peninsula and Waterloo. Pen & Sword Military. p. 8. ISBN 9781473850828. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ McGuigan 2011.
- ^ Glover 1974, p. 341.