Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt

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Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt (23 October 1753 – 11 January 1818) was a Danish-Norwegian army officer who rose to lieutenant general. Born in Kenz, Swedish Pomerania, he lost his parents as a child and grew up in Denmark. He joined the army in 1770 and spent much of his career in Norway.

Staffeldt moved up the ranks quickly. He became a captain in 1785 and, in 1787, commanded the Kongsvinger light infantry in Norway. In 1788 he joined the Norwegian Jäger corps and fought in the Theater War against Sweden, including the skirmish at Kvistrum Bridge. He learned sharpshooting in Holstein and helped start Norway’s first non-commissioned officer school for Jägers. He married Karen Birgitte Herford in 1797.

During the 1801–1803 conflict with Britain, he commanded a brigade protecting Fredriksvern. After being promoted to colonel in 1803, he returned to Norway to command at Kongsvinger and nearby units. In 1807–1808, he helped reorganize coastal defenses and, in early 1808, led the Norwegian left-wing brigade (about 1,300 men) defending border crossings from Elverum to Kongsvinger. On 24 April 1808 his forces won a key victory at Trangen, forcing the Swedes to retreat. He then defended the fortress at Kongsvinger and was promoted to major general and later named Commander of the Dannebrog in 1809.

After peace with Sweden in 1809, Staffeldt helped reorganize the Norwegian Army in 1810 and commanded brigades in 1813. In 1814, as Norway fought for its independence, he became supreme commander of the southern army east of the Glomma River, with about 4,000 men. The war ended with Norway rejecting union with Sweden, but Staffeldt faced criticism for the leadership. He was convicted after the war and sentenced to death in December 1816, a sentence later reduced to imprisonment. He was released for health reasons in May 1817 and died at his home in Hedrum, Norway, on 11 January 1818.