A military man from Mecklenburg-Schwerin: Major Helmuth von Moltke

Written for the MFP by Dr. Klaus-Ulrich Keubke, Military historian, Schwerin

Major Helmuth von Moltke Aquarell by Erna Keubke according an old painting, 24 x 30 cm

185 years ago, in 1812, many families in both countries of Mecklenburg were thrown into a formerly unknown terror of war. In May 1812, Kaiser Napoleon I had rallied the army that he had built up for the war against Russia, in order to advance against Great Britain in order to accomplish the Continental System there too.

Soldiers from Mecklenburg also had to serve in this enormous and yet insufficient army from just about all european nations. The "Mecklenburg - Schweriner Kontingent - Regiment" (regiment of Mecklenburg - Schwerin) combined 48 officers and military office-holders as well as 1652 non-commissioned officers (N.C.O.s) and soldiers. Before January 5th, 1813 another two officers and 221 soldiers were added. Out of the 209 men who left the army 180 deserted. Only 26 officers and 128 men returned from this campaign, 17 officers and 25 men out of those with the colors.

One of those who didn't survive, was Major Helmuth von Moltke, an uncle and godfather of the later so famous prussian general field marshall with the same name. His behaviour in the catastrophe of 1812 justifies a short biography. Born in 1766, he entered the grenadier regiment of Both as second lieutenant on February 4th, 1782.

Slowly, as it was common in former times, he climbed the army list up. On February 29th, 1788 he was transferred to the infantery regiment of Gluer as first lieutenant,

Until the end of 1790 he stayed in the Netherlands with a subsidies-corps of 1000 men of the troops from Mecklenburg-Schwerin, in order to return to the old regiment as field officer on December 10th that year.

Another four years later he was again promoted to captain and company commander in the regiment of Pressentin and had to go back to the Netherlands once more, where he stayed until the return of the corps in January 1796. Starting in 1797 until the disbandment of the Mecklenburg - Schweriner Military in 1806 he served under the command of the French occupation army in the grendier regiment Winter (later von Hobe respectively Leib - Grenadier - Regiment).

When the military in Mecklenburg-Schwerin was built up again in 1808 by the "Rheinbund" which was formed by Napoleon, the (now) major became commander of the 4th battalion. In 1809 he was in command of the Mecklenburg contingent troops, parts of which were inferior to the rebels of Major von Schill on May 24th.

In 1812 Major von Moltke accompanied the campaign against Russia as commander of the 1st battalion in the contingent-regiment. His wife Friederike (nee: von Strahlendorf; died in 1842 in Ribnitz) accompanied him until March 1812. In fall that year the regiment was involved totally into the retreat of the so-called Great Army.

On October 21st, the commander of the regiment, general major von Fallois, left his soldiers with the doubtful explanation that he had to personally fetch clothing for the winter. Many officers, this was handed down to posterity, didn't hold with that.

Major von Moltke got the command, cared excellently for the rest of the soldiers, N.C.O.s, and officers, until his strength was exhausted. Strong frost-bites and weakening by lack of food ended his life on December 18th close by the east-prussian Gumbinnen.

A surviving officer, the first lieutenant von Stein, told in his diary: "In a very sad condition we found our dear major (16. Dec. - the author), when we took the blanket off. Hands, face and feet were totally frost-bitten and partially black, and he couldn't say anything but "food! food!". That however was hard to get, Arnim and I quickly cooked the little bit of flour that we still had, and gave it to the unfortunate, whose eyes started glowing of happiness; let alone his frozen hands grabbed for the bowl with such greediness, so that he spilled it and burnt himself with the hot mash. Then he started crying so bitterly, his condition was horrifying; a number of comrades were helping now, even more careful than we had been. The next day he was brought to his sledge again and was missing that same evening. The loyal N.C.O. (called Winterfeldt, was promoted major later on - the author) came back alone a couple of days later with the message that he had found the major dead still holding a snowball in his mouth, when he took the blanket off the sledge in the evening.

The tradition of his first battalion was later taken over by the grand- duchess Grenadier - Regiment No. 89 of Mecklenburg. His staff, the first and third battalion were lying in garrison in Schwerin and the second battalion in Neustrelitz.

A number of (especially) personal notes can be found the the "Landeshauptarchiv" in Schwerin as well as in the regiment's stories, which were pushlished around the turn of the century.

Translation by Daniela Garling