Charles, Count Alten
Sir Charles August von Alten | |
|---|---|
Alten in 1818 | |
| 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 |
| Allegiance | 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 |
Sir Charles August von Alten GCB, GCH (21 October 1764 – 20 April 1840), better known as Charles, Count Alten, was a German army officer and politician who led the 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.
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".