The Capitulation of Stettin
This episode is just so strange it’s hard to believe that it’s actually true. Especially since it involves the Prussians, a kingdom noted for their prowess at war. And the French, who have (wrongly) developed a reputation as being averse to war. It’s a complete role-reversal.
Today is October 30, 2017, and on this date, 211 years back, in 1806, a fortified force of over 5,000 Prussian soldiers surrendered to fewer than 800 French soldiers at Stettin (Szczecin), Poland during the War of the Fourth Coalition, part of the Napoleonic Wars.
Two weeks prior, Napoleon and his Grande Armée routed the Prussians at the Battle of Jena-Auerstadt. During the battle, the Prussians lost two of their top commanders to serious injuries, leaving command to less experienced and talented men. Mere days later, after joining with a Reserve Corps, the Prussians were again crushed at the Battle of Halle.
The main Prussian army was scattered, and Napoleon divided his forces to mop up the remnants. On October 28, Marshal Joachim Murat bluffed an equal size Prussian force into surrender by claiming to have far more numbers than he actually did at the Battle of Prenzlau. The next day, General Antoine Lasalle forced another surrender at Pasewalk.
Lasalle and his 800 men arrived at Stettin on the afternoon of the 29th, and demanded that Lt. Gen. Friedrich Romberg surrender his forces and the fortress. He refused.
Lasalle rebutted, stating that the entire 30,000 man V Corps were present outside the fortress. (They weren’t.) And he again demanded complete surrender.
Romberg, who was 77 years old at the time, entered into negotiations with Lasalle which lasted through the night. The surrender was finalized on the 30th. Romberg ceded 5,300 troops, 281 guns, and the fortress of Stettin to the French.(800 Cavalrymen and 2 guns.)
It was a devastating loss for the Prussians, as they could have easily withstood a siege in the fortress, or fled east (across the River Oder) to join with Russian allies. The Prussians were completely demoralized and too disorganized to launch any meaningful counteroffensives.
Napoleon had first engaged the Prussians in battle on October 9th, and in less than a month had roundly defeated them. At the outset, the Prussian army stood at 250,000 against 160,000 French soldiers. The French inflicted 65,000 casualties on Prussia, and took 150,000 prisoners of war. French casualties were limited to only about 15,000.
The extent of the French dominance helps to explain the helplessness the Prussian generals must have felt, causing them to surrender so willingly to inferior forces.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to check back tomorrow for the completion of an iconic monument fourteen years in the making.
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