Canada. Rottenburg, given his usual low pro-
file in command decisions, escaped the tor-
rent of criticism over the handling of the late
invasion. When Prevost temporarily departed
Upper Canada that fall, he again assumed
complete civil and authority over Lower
Canada, competently and without contro-
versy. By the time Rottenburg was recalled to
England in the summer of 1815, he concluded
a lackluster six years of service in Canada,
neither seriously flawed nor conspicuously
flattering. His final, ironic duty was officiating
as president of the court-martial of General
Proctor, who vociferously blamed both him
and Prevost for his defeat.
Rottenburg returned to England, where he
spent the rest of his life. He received various
awards for his many years of service to the
Crown, including knight commander of the
Royal Hanoverian Order in 1818. The follow-
ing year he made lieutenant general, although
another active command was never tendered.
Rottenburg, the cautious, conscientious bu-
reaucrat, died in Portsmouth on April 24, 1832.
He was a competent administrator overall and
useful to the defense of Canada, but his im-
pact on military events proved negligible.See also
TecumsehBibliography
Chartrand, Rene.British Forces in North America,
1793–1815.London: Osprey, 1998; Chartrand, Rene.
Canadian Military Heritage.2 vols. Montreal: Art
Global, 1994–2000; Elting, John R. Amateurs to
Arms! A Military History of the War of 1812.
Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press,
1991; Errington, Jane C.The Lion, the Eagle, and
Upper Canada: A Developing Colonial Ideology.
Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1987;
Sheppard, George. Plunder, Profit, and Paroles: A
Social History of the War of 1812 in Upper Canada.
Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 1994;
Suthren, Victor J.H. The War of 1812.Toronto: Mc-
Clelland and Stewart, 1999; Turner, Wesley. British
Generals in the War of 1812: High Command in the
Canadas.Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press,
1999.RUNDSTEDT, GERDVON
Rundstedt, Gerd von
(December 12, 1875–February 24, 1953)
German General
A
ged, stiff-necked Rundstedt was the
embodiment of Prussian military val-
ues, which included never questioning
orders. Although antagonistic toward Nazism,
he could not bring himself to confront the
maddening directives of Adolf Hitler. Rund-
stedt was nonetheless the most respected
German field officer of World War II, and he
performed capably on several fronts.
Gerd von Rundstedt was born in Ascher-
sleben, Germany, on December 12, 1875, the
son of a ranking Prussian general. As part of
an ancient aristocratic family with long ties to
the army, he was groomed for military service
in childhood. Rundstedt passed through the
Main Cadet School in 1883, and the Lichter-
felde Cadet Academy in 1893, before being
commissioned a second lieutenant in 1900. He
proved himself to be dutiful and attentive, so
in 1902 Rundstedt was chosen to attend the
prestigious Kriegsakademie (war college),
graduating three years later with distinction.
Having fulfilled a number of important duties
with the General Staff, he next functioned as
chief of staff with the 22nd Reserve Division.
When World War I broke out in August 1914,