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Monthly Archives: June 2017

Kamenskoi (Kamensky) – Russian or Prussian?

29 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by paulskin in Books, Events

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Books, geschichte, heroes, history, marwitz, prussia, schlacht

Russian or Prussian? Hero or Villain?

Marwitz states in his memoirs (Seite 210), apparently relating what he had heard from Major (later Field Marshall) von Knesebeck regarding Kamenskoi, commander of the Russian troops in Prussia in 1806:

Kamenskoi war ein preußischer Offizier, im 7jährigen Kriege von den Russen gefangen, und in ihre Dienste übergtreten, also eigentlich ein Deserteur, der sich durch seine Tapferkeit, vorzüglich unter Suvarow, emporgeschwungen hatte.

So, a Prussian officer, captured in the 7 Years War who went over to the Russians and rose through the ranks due to his bravery.

Wikipedia however, clearly states that he was a Russian, with Russian forenames, born in St. Petersburg. Strange that Marwitz got it so wrong, particularly since Marwitz assures us that he got the story from Knesebeck who had had private meetings with Kamenskoi, couldn’t he tell a Russian from a Prussian?

The standard account surrounding the Battle of Pultusk seems to be that Kamenskoi lost his grip, possibly his mind, left the army, General Bennigsen particularly, in the lurch, and was removed from his command.

The account from Knesebeck and Marwitz is that Kamenskoi went out to reconnoitre the left flank of his troops, got separated and lost in the dark and the terrible weather and, getting on in years, became ill. However he managed to retain enough of his wits to order a regrouping of the army near Novograd, in order to prepare for a large scale offensive against the French.

This order was obeyed by General Buxhöwden but ignored by Bennigsen, who saw an opportunity to attack a weak French force, and thereby increase his own prestige, furthermore, by writing a scathíng report about both Kamenskoi and Buxhöwen he hoped to take command of the army. As indeed happened.

If Helen Mirren (a descendant apparently?) is reading this, which I doubt, then if it’s any consolation Marwitz seemed to think Kamenskoi was a decent man and that the confusion around the battle of Pultusk was not down to him, but to the “greedy” and “arrogant” Bennigsen.

Even more curiously Marwitz says that Kamenskoi died shortly after this event (Seite 216), not murdered by one of his mistreated serfs as stated by Wikipedia:

Wo dieser in dem Augenblick gewesen? weiß man nicht, wahrscheinlich todtkrank, denn er starb bald darauf, vermuthlich aus Aerger über seinen Fehlgriff.

Marwitz’s account differs wildly from the received one, personally I trust him more than Wikipedia, but I don’t suppose we’ll ever know the complete truth.

So to partially put the record straight, or confuse it even more, here’s Marwitz’s conclusion (Seite 217/218):

So war also zuerst Kamenskoi, der noch ein Preußisches Herz hatte, und den Zweck des Krieges erkannte, dann der tapfere Buxhöwden beseitigt, der Kaiser war betrogen, und der hochmüthige, geldgierige Intriguant (Bennigsen) führte die Armee nach seinen, nicht nach des Krieges Zwecken.

Friedrich III – Wilhelm II

15 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by paulskin in Events, Politics

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geschichte, history, hohenzollern, prussia

Today is the the 129th (only 129, how the world changes) anniversary of the untimely death of Frederick III and the ascension of Wilhelm II. You could say, and plenty have, that this heralded the end of Prussia, although I think laying the blame for WW1 on Kaiser Bill is a little too convenient.

Bellona and the Magic Stick

14 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by paulskin in Books, Events

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Books, folklore, geschichte, history, marwitz, prussia

Time for another Marwitz instalment, this time a couple of small, superstitious observations from 1806.

In the lead up to the war with Napoleon (der Pferdedieb), Berlin and the surrounding area were apparently shook up by the bad omen of the head of the statue of Bellona (Minerva) being blown off the top of the Zeughaus in a storm and crashing to the ground. It wasn’t restored until 1817. It’s the group on the left in the photo below.

Zeughaus

Later in 1806 when Marwitz returned to his estate at Friedersdorf, badly neglected in his absence, there was a big fire, allegedly set by Gypsies. Almost all the stables were destroyed, apart from one, apparently saved by magic (Füßnote, Seite 160/161):

Ein kleiner Stall blieb mitten in der Brandstelle stehen. An selbigem stand ein Stock. Wie ich mich wunderte, das dieses kleine Ding von Holz und Stroh mitten in den Flammen unversehrt geblieben, sagte man mir:

“Ja, das macht der Stock!”

“Wie so?”

“Es kam ein alter Mann, sah das Feuer an, murmelte einige Worte setzte den Stock gegen den Stall, sprach: laßt den Stock da stehen! — und ging fort.”

— So viel war Wahr, der Stock stand da und der Stall war wunderbarer Weise nicht mitverbrannt.

Seems unlikely.

Hauptmann von Blumenstein

02 Friday Jun 2017

Posted by paulskin in Books

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Books, german, geschichte, history

Hauptmann von Blumenstein, billeted with Marwitz in Dresden in 1805 seems like quite the character. Although stereotypically French (lively, quick-witted and educated, angeblich), he maintained nonetheless that Blumenstein was his real name.

After leaving France (where he served in the Royal Musketeers) because of the revolution he becomes a dedicated Prussian officer, complete with, if Marwitz’s transcription is anything to go by, a rather curious accent.

When the French garrison he was besieging at Glogau in 1813 wanted to negotiate, he refused to speak in French and made them use an interpreter:

Ick bin ein Deutscher! Ick verstehe der verfluchten Kerlen ihre Sprake nick. Wollen sie mit einem Deutschen Offizieren reden, können Deutsch lernen! Müssen wir wohl Französisch lernen, wenn nach Frankreich kommen!

Later he retired to a small estate near Breslau  where he apparently speculated unsuccessfully with a new type of brick(?), and ended up on his uppers.

Aus dem Nachlasse Friedrich August Ludwig’s von der Marwitz, Volume 1, Pages 138-139.

Der Tag ist Angebrochen #2

01 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by paulskin in Books, Politics

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Tags

Books, collecting, german, geschichte, history, ideas, prussia

Today I received a copy of Der Tag ist Angebrochen! in the post, via AbeBooks as usual.

TagAngebrochen

2nd edition, 1852, a little tatty but solid. I’m confident that it will provide the opportunity for a few more blogposts yet…

*Edit: Now sandwiched in my bookcase between Bismarck’s Gedanken und Erinnerungen and a book of his speeches. You can feel the spinning in the Bismark Mausoleum.

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