Moltke

Moltke, Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von (1800-91), the most celebrated of modern generals, was the son of a captain in the Prussian army who afterwards became a general in the Danish service. In 1833 he became lieutenant, and in 1835 captain. He afterwards went to Turkey, where he became military adviser of the Sultan Mahmud, and saw some serivce. Returning to Berlin after the death of Mahmud, he embodied his Eastern experiences in The Russo-Turkish Campaign of 1828-29 in European Turkey, and Letters on Affairs in Turkey 1835-39. In 1842 he married an English lady, who died in 1868, and some of his most interesting letters were written to her from Paris and elsewhere. In 1859 he became Lieutenant-General, and in 1864 his military genius was the chief cause of the defeat of Denmark, as it was of that of Austria in 1866. Moltke had long foreseen the war which broke out between France and Germany in 1870, and his was the animating spirit of the tactics throughout the war, though he had often great need of tact in causing his views lo recommend themselves to the Emperor William. The fall of Metz brought Moltke honours. He was made Count and Field-marshal, and received a grant. The end of his life was passed in peaceful leisure, and the esteem in which his country held him was shown by the enthusiasm displayed upon the celebration of his 90th birthday. Moltke, though a small talker, was a great linguist. His Essays, Speeches, and Memoirs have been published in two volumes. (London, 1893.)