(1800-1891)
[Illustration: Count von Moltke. [TN]]
Suddenly, but quietly and painlessly, on the evening of April 24,
1891, passed away one of the most remarkable men of the present
century. Hellmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke was born, October 26, 1800,
at Parshim, in Mecklenburg, where his father, previously a captain in
the Prussian army, had retired, impoverished in circumstances, to an
estate which he inherited. When little Hellmuth was three years old,
his father, Baron Moltke, settled at the free town of Lubeck, the once
famous head of the Hanseatic League. Here, in 1806, on the retreat
from the disastrous battle of Jena, Marshal Bluecher, who like Von
Moltke was of Mecklenburg origin, sought refuge with his shattered
troops; and little Moltke was a witness of the sack and plunder of the
town by the troops of Napoleon, his father's house being one of those
that suffered most severely. It is said that the incidents of this
event made a lasting impression upon the mind of the boy. At the age
of nine, with his elder brother Fritz, young Hellmuth was placed under
the care of Pastor Knickbein, at Hohenfelde, near Horst, a scholarly
man of a kindly and genial disposition, for whom he always retained a
deep regard. His sense of indebtedness appears in the inscription
which he wrote on the title-page when forwarding to him a copy of his
first work, his "Letters from Turkey;" "To my dear teacher and
fatherly friend to whom I owe so much, I send this, my first work, as
a slight testimony of respect."
The favorite recreation of the two brothers while here at school was
playing at war, as perhaps was natural at such a period. They were
accustomed to collect the peasant boys of the village and divide them
into two rival armies, Fritz commanding the one, and Hellmuth the
other. Once, when the mimic warfare was at its height, the weaker
force of Hellmuth was routed, and some were taken prisoners. Called
upon to surrender, Hellmuth cried out, "All is not lost!" and hastily
rallying his men he marched them straight to a pond in Pastor
Knickbein's garden, and hurried them to a little island which the boy
himself had constructed with great labor, and accessible only by a
single plank. Facing the enemy with a few of his strongest men, he
kept them at bay until all his troops had passed into the fortress, he
himself being the last to enter. Then the drawbridge was raised and
the victory won. The island, preserved by the good pastor, long since
gone to his rest, still exists, and is pointed out with great pride by
the villagers to curious visitors as the scene of one of the early
exploits of Germany's greatest strategist.
His experiences at the Royal Academy at Copenhagen, to which he was
sent at the age of twelve, were not of the happiest. Relating his
reminiscences of that period, in reply to the question, "Do you retain
pleasant recollections of cadet life?" he remarked, "I have little
reason to do so. Without relations or acquaintances in a strange city,
we spent a joyless youth. The discipline was strict, even hard, and
now, when my judgment of it is unprejudiced, I must say that it was
too strict, too hard. The only benefit we received from this treatment
was that we became accustomed to deprivations."
Passing over the period of his service in the Danish army, and his
entrance into that of Prussia, we find him, after making heroic
efforts on his scanty pay to acquire foreign languages, in which he
attained in after-life so remarkable a proficiency, attached to a
commission for topographical surveys in Silesia and the Grand Duchy of
Posen.
Consolidating and extending his knowledge of military science and of
foreign peoples, as in the case of his visits to the East, Russia,
Rome, and elsewhere, Moltke rose steadily in his profession. In 1845,
he became aide-de-camp to the invalid Prince Henry of Prussia, uncle
of the king; and subsequently, after holding commands of increasing
importance, he was made first aide-de-camp to the Crown Prince
Frederick. Ultimately, in 1859, he was appointed permanent chief of
the staff. His later military career, and brilliant successes against
the Danes, Austrians, and the French, and the various honors accorded
him, are so well known and have been so often and so recently
narrated, that any further reference to them in this present sketch is
unnecessary, the purpose of our notice being to briefly indicate some
of the leading points of the great field-marshal's character. One fact
is memorable, that he had passed the age when men frequently retire
from the public service before the time of his greater achievements.
His splendid career began to the eye of the world at sixty-five.
The guiding principle of his life is well illustrated by the ancient
motto of his family, _Caute et candide_ (warily and gently), and by
his own favorite maxim, _Erst waegen, dann wagen_ (first weigh, then
venture). He was slow, cautious, and careful in laying his plans, but
having formed his design, he was bold, daring even to the verge of
apparent recklessness in its execution. The same calm, immovable
spirit characterized him even in moments when most ordinary
mortals--he was a man _sui generis_--might, with some show of reason,
be perturbed or excited. Even in the most critical period of the
Franco-German war his unruffled quietness remained the same, sterner
perhaps in look, more silent than ever. Though the warrior king,
amidst the carnage of the battle-field might feel depressed; though
Bismarck, man of "iron and blood," might be anxious at the progress
of events, Moltke, seated on his great black horse, calmly surveyed,
telescope in hand, the movements of the troops, or later, resting
quietly in his room at Versailles, awaited the result undismayed. When
war was declared, a friend met him with the remark: "You must indeed
be overworked at present." "No," replied the General, "the work was
done beforehand; all orders are gone out; I really have nothing to
do."
Married in 1842, shortly after his return home from the East, to Miss
Burt, an English lady, he lived with her in the bonds of a rare union
of happiness, concord, and mutual sympathy. On the occasion of her
death, which took place Christmas Eve, 1868, he withdrew still more
from public life, and found in quiet, studious, and laborious life
some slight relief for his grief. Very touching was his devotion to
the memory of his wife. Upon his estate at Kreisau he built a little
mausoleum, situated on a beautiful eminence, embowered in foliage.
This little chapel, constructed of red brick and sandstone, was lined
inside with black and white marble, and in front of the altar was
placed the simple oak coffin in which the remains of his wife reposed,
covered at all seasons of the year with wreaths. Sculptured in the
apse was a finely carved figure of our Lord in an attitude of
blessing, copied from Thorwaldsen. Above were inscribed the words of
St. Paul, "Love is the fulfilment of the Law." When at his
country-seat the aged warrior visited the tomb morning and evening.
Now at her side slumbers the veteran, awaiting with her the signal of
the resurrection.
Of his bearing in the time of his bereavement, the following incident
was related by the late Mr. George Bancroft, the distinguished
historian, at that period United States Minister at Berlin. Mr.
Bancroft was one of the favored few who were accustomed to accompany
Von Moltke in his daily rides in the Thiergarten or to the Grunewald.
Seeing the general on horseback, "my first impulse," said Mr.
Bancroft, "was to trot into another lane. On second thoughts, however,
I turned my horse alongside his, remembering that it was for him to
talk or be silent. To my surprise, he forthwith began a lively
conversation, describing the happiness with which Miss Burt had
blessed her husband, and expatiating upon her manifold virtues as one
crushed by an overwhelming, irreparable loss. Then of a sudden he grew
silent, as if a new current of thought had carried him sheer away. 'Do
you know,' he said, when his lips were again opened, 'it has just been
brought home to me that, after all, perhaps it was better that this
happened now than at another time? You see, I am convinced that a
French invasion is impending; it will burst upon us sooner or later,
whatever the plea may eventually be. Now think if the fortune of war
was to be adverse to our arms! Why, her grief over the country's
adversities must have cut her life short. No, no; that would have been
worse!'"
Von Moltke was a passionate lover of children, and is said to have
been quite the slave to the caprices of his little grandnephew, the
son of Major Hellmuth von Moltke, the aide-de-camp of the count, whom
the emperor, as a special mark of his royal favor, immediately after
the funeral of his chief, made one of his own aides-de-camp.
As far as Count von Moltke's religious views could be ascertained,
they were of a simple type, and characterized by a strict adherence to
the path of duty and virtue. Daily was he accustomed to read his
Bible, one of ancient date, its well-marked pages indicating how
frequently its owner was in the habit of consulting its inspired
pages. An extract from a letter the aged field-marshal wrote on the
eve of his eightieth birthday is peculiarly interesting. "I stand,"
said he, "close upon the end of my life; but how different from that
here will be the measure in a future world according to which our
earthly actions will be judged! Not the brilliancy of success, but the
purity of our endeavors and faithful perseverance in duty, even when
the result was scarcely visible, will decide as to the value of a
man's life. What a wonderful displacement of high and low will be
witnessed at that great review! We do not even know ourselves what we
have to ascribe to ourselves, to others, or to a higher will. It will
be well not to set too great a value on externals." In a passage in
one of his books, referring to our Lord's life here upon earth, he
remarks: "His life was humble. He was the descendant of a people in
bondage, and He had not a place where to lay His head. To the
fishermen He talked in parables about God; He healed the sick, and
died the death of an evil-doer. And yet there has never been anything
on this earth that could be purer, more elevated, and also--even seen
from the worldly point of view--more successful than His conduct, His
teaching, and His death."
The old soldier's habits of life were, like those of the majority of
really great men, extremely simple and singularly free from
ostentation of any kind. Very characteristic of the late field-marshal
are the following data of his life, written by himself on the occasion
of his ninetieth birthday. An Austrian Association for the Promotion
of Popular Knowledge addressed a number of interrogatories to various
European celebrities of great age, which were to explain the
circumstances and conditions under which an exceptionally long life
might be attained. The answers received were collected in a book and
subsequently published.
Field-Marshal von Moltke answered the questions submitted to him in
his own peculiarly laconic manner, as follows:
_Q._ In which year of your life and on which date did you begin to
learn, and for how many hours a day?--_A._ 1808, in my eighth year,
with four; after 1810, with ten hours a day.
_Q._ Was your health in your youth delicate or robust?--_A._ Tough
nature.
_Q._ Did you grow up in the country or in town?--_A._ Up to my tenth
year in the country.
_Q._ How many hours did you spend in the open air? Regularly?--_A._
Irregularly, and but few hours.
_Q._ Did you cultivate hardening games and other exercises?--_A._ Not
methodically.
_Q._ How many hours did you sleep in childhood?--_A._ Ten hours.
_Q._ Special remarks?--_A._ Joyless youth, scanty nourishment, absence
from the paternal home.
_Q._ Where did you complete your studies--in town or in the
country?--_A._ In town.
_Q._ How many hours a day do you devote to mental work?--_A._ Very
different.
_Q._ Do you attribute to any particular habit of your life a favorable
influence upon your health?--_A._ Moderation in all habits of life. In
all weathers exercise in the open air. No day altogether at home.
_Q._ How long did you sleep at a mature age?--_A._ From eight to nine
hours on an average.
_Q._ What alterations have you made at an advanced age in your mode of
life?--_A._ None.
_Q._ How long did you work daily in your fiftieth, sixtieth,
seventieth, eightieth years?--_A._ Quite as circumstances required it;
often, therefore, very long.
_Q._ What were your recreations?--_A._ Riding on horseback up to my
eighty-sixth year.
_Q._ How many hours do you spend in the open air?--_A._ Now, in summer
on my estate, half the day.
_Q._ How long do you sleep at present?--_A._ Always eight hours still.
_Q._ What are your habits with regard to eating, etc.?--_A._ I eat
very little, and take concentrated food.
_Q._ To what circumstances do you particularly attribute your stalwart
old age (which may God long preserve!)?--_A._ To God's grace and
temperate habits.
An interesting anecdote is related, apropos of his dislike to display,
on the occasion of the opening of new barracks at Frankfort-on-the-Oder,
to which, as the oldest and most distinguished officer of the regiment
in which he first served, he was invited. His acceptance of the
invitation was accompanied by the stipulation that no ceremony should be
made; but the officers, desiring to do honor to their illustrious guest,
had provided the best carriage that the town afforded to meet him at the
station. On his arrival, the field-marshal thanked the officer in
waiting, took a common cab, and with his nephew, who was with him as
aide-de-camp, drove off to the barracks, to the astonishment of the
honest burghers.
His favorite recreations were chess, in which he excelled; music,
especially that of the school of Schubert and Mozart--he entertained
very decided opinions about the "music of the future"--and whist,
which he rarely missed playing after dinner, even when at the seat of
war. The count was an authority on the culture of roses, and at
Kreisau, where he spent most of his time after his retirement from
more active service, he possessed one of the finest and most unique
collections of roses in Germany, a fact which lends an additional
grace to the tribute of respect paid to the field-marshal's memory,
when, the day after his death, the empress visited the head-quarters
of the General Staff and placed a magnificent wreath of his favorite
flower upon the bed of the departed hero.
Had not his reputation as a military strategist overshadowed his other
gifts, the count would have gained distinction in the world of
letters. In the twenties, while engaged in the Topographical
Department, he wrote a pamphlet, published at Berlin, entitled
"Holland and Belgium," by H. von Moltke, in which he calls the
attention of Europe to the Belgian Revolution; this was followed, in
1845, by a critical military work of great merit, "The Russo-Turkish
Campaign of 1828-29 in European Turkey," which created a deep
impression in military circles, and proved of considerable service in
the Russo-Turkish campaign of 1877-78. Moltke's pithy and laconic
style was founded on the model of his chief, General von Mueffling, his
instructor in practical and theoretical tactics, in which the members
of the German General Staff are required to excel. He was a graphic
writer and shrewd observer of men and things, as his charming letters
from Russia, France, Turkey, and other places show. Especially
sagacious were his observations on the Turks, made to his sister,
married to Mr. John Burt, an Englishman settled at Holstein, in which
he affirms that the kingdom is rotten, that Turkey had fallen under a
ban, and that ban the Koran, which teaches so warped a doctrine that
its laws and decrees must of necessity oppose all social progress. His
views on Russia, as indicated in his letters written in the form of a
diary to his wife on the occasion of his visit in 1856, when
accompanying Prince Frederick William at the coronation of the Czar
Alexander II. at Moscow, show the same keen powers of observation. He
considered that Russia had a great future before her, but this could
only be realized when her officials became more honest. "Honesty among
Russian officials," he thinks, "can only be brought about by many
years of iron severity." Of the difficulty of governing the French
nation, he wrote, when visiting the court of Napoleon III.: "It would
be as impossible to allow the liberty of the press in France as to
admit discussion of the orders given by generals to their armies when
in the field." We have not the advantage of knowing his views on
England and the English on the three occasions, in 1856, 1858, and
1861, when he visited the country in company with the crown prince to
be present at his betrothal and marriage to the princess royal, and
again at the funeral of the prince consort. How highly his opinion as
an authority was esteemed as early as 1867, is seen by an incident
which occurred during the Universal Exhibition, when Count Moltke, in
company with King William of Prussia and Count Bismarck, dined with
Napoleon III. at St. Cloud. Subsequently, the emperor and Moltke
engaged in an animated conversation apart from the rest. At this
moment Marshal Randon, Minister of War, walked across the room, and
the emperor, noticing him, raised his voice, saying, "Come here,
marshal. General Moltke says that with the needle-gun he would be
strong enough to fight even the French army." Marshal Randon drew
near, and, turning toward Moltke, said, in a tone loud enough to be
heard by all in the room, "Pardon me, general; but, in spite of the
high opinion I have of your judgment, I cannot share your belief. I
venture to affirm, that even with the needle-gun, the French army
would not suffer the fate of the Austrian army;" and the conversation
continued without the bystanders being able to follow it. But after
the departure of the King of Prussia and his suite, Napoleon III.,
struck by these words, energetically busied himself in overhauling
the equipment of the French army. He examined various models of guns
that were submitted to him, and among these the Martini rifle, which
he found excellent, but which was after all rejected for the
Chassepot. The making of this gun was pushed forward so actively that
the French army was provided with it by 1870.
[Illustration: Moltke at Versailles, 1870.]
In respect of his literary efforts, as of his military achievements,
Moltke was singularly modest. Herr G. von Bunsen tells us how,
"meeting the general one day at a dinner-party, I expressed my regret
at his having neglected to write some letter-press to accompany his
well-known map of the environs of Ancient Rome. 'But a companion book
for it was written,' he replied; 'or rather,' correcting himself, 'he
had begun writing one at Rome, and was prevented from finishing the
MS. when the Government ordered him to convey Prince Henry's body to
Berlin, and there set him engrossing tasks to do.' Hereupon I ventured
to ask him for a loan of this fragment. Of course he believed it to be
lost; but, as a matter of course likewise, it was brought to my door
by an orderly at an early hour next morning. When returning the MS., I
advised the publication of parts of it, which would be found
acceptable independently of his being the author; and if my humble
advice should be followed, would he accept my humble services as
editor? His reply," adds Herr von Bunsen, "has been carefully
preserved. Its purport was that he must lay down three conditions:
First, I must omit what I pleased; secondly, transpose at my pleasure;
and thirdly, _alter the text_ wherever it seemed desirable." "Will any
editor in the world," Herr von Bunsen pithily remarks, "hesitate to
confirm my belief that no MS. of the last unfledged stripling of an
author was ever offered on similar conditions?"
Fitting tributes of respect and admiration were paid to the aged
field-marshal on the occasion of his celebrating his ninetieth
birthday, on October 26, 1890. Telegrams from all sorts and conditions
of men poured in upon him, including, among the princes and sovereigns
of Europe, one from Queen Victoria, who held Count von Moltke in high
esteem. The 26th falling upon Sunday, the schools throughout the
length and breadth of Germany were closed on the previous Saturday to
enable the scholars to add their quota to the general rejoicing. In
Berlin a torchlight procession of vast extent, composed of 20,000
students, artists, members of trades and guilds, marched with banners
and groups of historically dressed personages and impersonifications,
from the old gray Schloss down the Linden, through the Brandenburg
Gate to the Koenigsplatz, where are situated the buildings of the Grand
Staff. Here addresses were presented to Von Moltke.
On the following day, in the Conference Hall of the General Staff, the
emperor, surrounded by the military magnates of the Reichsrath, the
generals of the twenty army corps specially summoned to be present,
the officers of the General Staff, Chancellor von Caprivi, successor
to Prince Bismarck, the King of Saxony, the grand dukes and the Duke
of Connaught, addressed the marshal in the following terms:
"I thank you in the name of those who have fought together with you,
and whose most faithful and devoted servant you have been. I thank
you for all you have done for my House and for the greatness of the
Fatherland. We greet in you not only a Prussian leader who has won for
the army the reputation of being invincible, but one of the founders
of the German Empire. The presence of the King of Saxony, who has made
a point of personally congratulating you, recalls the time when he and
you fought for Germany's greatness. The distinctions conferred upon
you by my grandfather leave nothing in which I can personally show my
thanks to you.... I call upon all those present to express their
feelings of gratitude that Field-Marshal von Moltke has known how not
to stand alone in his greatness, but to form a school of leaders of
the army for time to come, and for all future generations, by giving
cheers for his excellency."
This, the last occasion on which public honors were accorded to the
field-marshal during his life, appropriately emphasized the universal
esteem in which "Father Moltke," as he was affectionally designated by
the army, was held as one of the founders of the German Empire.