THE story of a great soldier and states

man, whose blood was shed in the cause of American Independence, should be better known to those who to-day reap the harvest of the stormy seedtime. A Swedish hero, who bore the standard of the young Republic through fire and slaughter in the enemy's midst, merits at our hands at least American record. A "bubble," "Reputation," blown at the cannon's mouth in a foreign war for freedom, and soaring in after years high in the Swedish sun, reflects prismatic beauty from a long career of warlike chivalry, patriotism, and everready wisdom in council.

No one of the gallant foreigners who came to our aid attained in after life dignity and honor more elevated at home than Field-Marshal Count von Stedingk. He was a general-in-chief of the armies of his country. He led them in the field to victory and honor, and won in his long career the affection of four successive kings. For a quarter of a century he was their ambassador at courts whose policy and empire pressed hardest upon Sweden. In war and in diplomacy, wherever there was doubt and danger, Stedingk for forty years was ever sumVOL. IV.-23

moned to the lead. When the fortunes of Sweden had sunk in shadow, tottering, it seemed to ruin, Stedingk was named to a Regency, guiding the helm of State. At another time, a soldier again, we find him upholding the fortune of Swedish arms throughout a campaign, disastrous, it seems, every where where he was not; and when later the Northern Nations banded themselves against Napoleon, Stedingk, at the head of thirty thousand Swedes, first of the allied army to force the gates of Leipsic, marched with his crown prince victorious to the Rhine. Selected next to meet the great negotiators of the day, he signed his name to a broad page of history-a memorable peace of Paris. And when at last, surrounded by children and grandchildren, a white-haired patriarch of ninety years lay, down to sleep, his heart and conscience reposed in the memories of almost a century. Heart and conscience reflected almost without a pang upon the long retrospect. He had loved his neighbor; he had lived: among events whose great history bears his name honorably throughout the page; and his weeping sovereign came to lay upon his tomb a wreath of oak and laurel,

The life of Stedingk and its moral should attract us, even if it had no claim upon our gratitude. A career more varied, and a richer experience than his in the great life and society of his time, cannot easily be found. In youth, a favorite of Marie Antoinette and of the great Catherine of Russia, the familiar friend and correspondent of brilliant Gustavus the Third, the graphic narrator of historic scenes in which he bore a part-the story of his life, if it taught no lessons, would at least engage our inte

rest.

With this belief, an American desires to introduce to his countrymen a hero with claims to their acquaintance, and hopes that intervals in official vocation may have been properly employed in compiling the following memoir. The events related, at least those in which Stedingk is concerned, stand upon his own sterling testimony. Much of the narrative is compiled, and all the letter-extracts are

selected from official despatches, private correspondence and other interesting memoranda published some years since by his son-in-law, Gen. Count Björnstjerna. One episode, prcbably the least inexcusable, is gathered from a sort of private history of the election of the Bernadotte dynasty to the crown of Sweden; an event abundantly proved to have been the salvation of Swedish independence. The sketch of this event is drawn from the personal narrative of the young subaltern, who first conceived the project, and who, intrepid and resolute, clung to his great idea through every obstacle and danger. Other historical memoranda added here and there, have been written upon current authorities— Hildreth and Mahon; Thiers, Ségur, and Geffroy; several Swedish annalists, and upon the information of living. observers.

Stockholm, June, 1854.

A

THE earliest traces of the family of Stedingk, are found in what was long known as Swedish Pomerania. Not far from the little town of Anclam, in that ancient province, the barons of Stedingk for five centuries held the castle of Pinnau. Its founder was a Westphalian knight, a refugee from his native country, after the murder of a priest, who, as tradition runs, had impiously retorted upon the Stedingk's parsimony. trifling silver coin was the unmeet church-offering of a wealthy baron; and when his wife knelt to receive the communion wafer, the irreverent priest thrust the paltry gift into the lady's mouth. She fainted with the fright; and her husband sacrilegiously drawing his sword, plunged it into the churchman's heart at the foot of the altar. Escaping into Pomerania, he bought lands and fiefs, and founded the barony of Stedingk.

At the beginning of the seven years' war, the castle of Pinnau had descended to Baron Adam von Stedingk, who married the daughter of the famous Prussian Marshal Schwerin. Their son, the subject of our memoir, and the eldest of four children, was born in the paternal castle, on the 26th of October, 1746. He was baptized Curt Bogislaus Louis Christopher. It was the custom in those

days, in Prussia, for every male child to wear a red collar, as a pledge of future service in the army. Our little Stedingk in Pomerania, the grandson of the military tutor of Frederic the Great, was also thus labelled; and his warlike sponsor, holding him over the baptismal font, exclaimed "May God one day make this infant what I am now! May he bravely serve his country, and win the baton of a marshal!" The child grew up in fame not inferior to his renowned grandfather, and in due time the marshal's baton was his well-earned trophy.

In 1757, war broke out between Sweden and Prussia, and the elder Stedingk repaired to the headquarters of his king. He had previously served under Prussian colors, an aide-de-camp to Schwerin; and Frederic the Great, beset with enemies, Austrian, Swedish, French and Russian, wrote urgently to the son-in-law of his aged marshal to enlist upon the side of Prussia. It appears to have been against the real inclination of Stedingk, that he determined to be a loyal Swede. He confessed in his reply to Frederic that "with four children he must first of all consider their future, and that being a subject of the king of Sweden, he was unable to follow the wishes of his heart." Pomerania was repeatedly ravaged by the Prussians. Young Stedingk, an en

sign of thirteen years, marched with his father; and at Stralsund, when the beleaguered Swedes beat off their assailants, the brave boy, listening to the balls whistling around, held up his colors undaunted and grew familiar with the sight and sound of war.

In the meantime the fortunes of the family were ruined. Pinnau was laid waste, the castle sacked and burnt, and upon the restoration of peace our hero, still a boy, was sent to Sweden to ask relief for his homeless parents. He passed a winter at Stockholm, where his tender years, his misfortunes, and his modest bearing excited general interest. Many prominent families entertained him, and he became the playmate of the young Vasa princess. The intimacy and favor with which he was afterwards distinguished by Gustavas the Third, grew much from this early friendship; but relief for his parents, in their ruined castle across the Baltic, does not appear to have followed.

Stedingk, however, and his younger brother, profited well by their position and a system of education humorously sketched by a late member of his family. Children, at that time, never presumed to sit in the presence of their parents, not even at dinner. Much Latin, much catechism, no wine, no coffee, and the whip every Saturday. "I know not if it was a good system," our authority adds, "but Curt became field-marshal of Sweden; and Victor, his younger brother, grand-admiral of the fleet."

We have already seen the elder of the brothers, a boy ensign at the siege of Stralsund. In the following year, he was appointed lieutenant of infantry, but enjoyed, nevertheless, the good fortune to be sent to the university of Upsala, where great philosophers, Linné and Celsius, were renowned professors. At the age of twenty-one, he was honorably graduated at the Swedish Alma Mater, and went forth well prepared for the stirring scenes, and all the great variety of his career.

The condition of Sweden at this time was deplorable. The state was divided in two great political factions, alike sordid and corrupt. Bribes from abroad were received unblushingly by senators through the hands of the king's most confidential officers. It was the period of the "Hats" and "Caps"; "France and Commerce" against "Agriculture and Russia." It is scarcely possible to exaggerate the corruption amongst all

connected with government. The kingdom was at the mercy of the highest bidder, and nothing could have arrested the sale, but the firmness and promptness of Gustavus the Third;-a great "coup d'état" as it would now be terined, which rendered his reign one of the most remarkable in history.

Our hero arrived in Stockholm from Upsala some short time before this crisis, and was domesticated in the family of his father's ancient friend, Count Charles de Sparre, the governor of the city, a senator, and the leader of the Hats. The youth was often the reluctant bearer of 'packages of money sent by this personage to various members of the Diet; and whatever was under discussion was usually decided by the weight or lightness of the packages with which he was charged. These things made a lasting impression upon young Stedingk; inspiring him with disgust for the Diet of his own country, and probably preparing his mind for no great friendship for representative assemblies in general. Greater minds than his have been warped and cheated by single experiences less sad than this. His early predilections for military life were therefore rendered by no means less ardent by the contemplation of senatorial proceedings. Under most other circumstances, the necessity of seeking employment under foreign colors might have weighed against his choice of profession, but it had become one of those melancholy cases when love and respect for native country could be better cherished abroad; and Stedingk resolved to take service in France. He carried with him excellent recommendations, and almost immediately received from the French Ministry a subaltern's commission in the "Royal Regiment of Swedes."

A singular incident occurred soon after, which was not without its influence upon the fortunes of Stedingk. Baron Trenck, the famous hero of captivity and misfortune, was the editor of a newspaper in the city of Trèves, and early in August, 1772, he astonished his readers with an announcement that the King of Sweden had accomplished a revolution, that the Senate and Diet had been overpowered by the royal troops, and that the king had assumed absolute power. The Swedish officers in the service of France, quartered at the time in Strasburg, called upon Stedingk now one of their captains, and charged him with the composition of an address congratulating

the king. It was immediately done; the signatures of all were affixed, and the letter was hurried off by special courier. It reached Stockholm on the 19th, the very day on which the king marched upon the Senate House, and was therefore the first offering of felicitation from abroad. How Trenck became informed of the plot remains to this day among the unexplained mysteries of his life.

It should be understood that while in foreign service, Stedingk still remained nominally in the Swedish army. Gustavus the Third did not forget his playmate, nor did he forget the felicitation and loyal haste of the Swedes in France. The promotion of Stedingk at home kept equal pace with his promotion abroad. He was made lieutenant colonel in France, and four years later was appointed simultaneously colonel of Swedish cavalry and of French infantry. He remained however on duty at Versailles, where he lived in intimate friendship with Count Fersen, another Swedish volunteer in the cause of American Revolution. It was the same gallant hero who drove the carriage of Louis Sixteenth and Marie Antoinette on the night of their flight and seizure; and who, in after life attaining high Swedish dignities, was torn in pieces by a Stockholin mob in the mad belief that he had poisoned the crown prince. Stedingk, no less than his brilliant comrade, became remarkably a favorite of the unfortunate Marie Antoinette, whose gaiety and heedless friendship for the all-admired "beau Fersen," scandal did not hesitate to color indelicately and falsely. *

Stedingk was less handsome than his superb friend, but was distinguished for that thorough-bred look which imposes more than actual beauty, and which, with much grace of demeanor, and a physiognomy no less remarkable for an expression of kindness than of his characteristic manliness, never failed to attract and win. His letters at this period already exhibit literary talent. Graphic sketches of military events, and army discipline in France, show him to have become well acquainted with the theory of his profession, and to have been seriously alive to its realities; while, at the same time, his trifle-writing to the elegant gossip upon the throne of Sweden, was skilfully adapted to the taste

The queen

has a dauphin-born this afternoon, twenty-five minutes after one. She was perfectly well last evening, played and talked as usual; and this morning, at nine o'clock, after a quiet night, she went into the bath, where she remained somewhat more than an hour. * * The king, with Monsieur and the Count d'Artois, was ready for the hunt. The carriages were at the gate, and many people had already gone. The king went into the queen's room, and although she would not admit it, he saw she was suffering, and instantly countermanded the hunt. This was the signal for everybody to run to the queen's apartments; the ladies all in déshabillé-the men in hunting coats. The doors of the antechamber were closed, and strict order preserved. I called at the Duchess de Polignac's. She had gone to the queen, but I found the Duchess de Guiche, Madame de Polastron, the young Countess de Grammont, and Monsieur de Châlons. It was a cruel quarter of an hour before one of the queen's women, dishevelled and quite beside herself, rushed in screaming 'a dauphin! a dauphin! but not a word must be said about it!' This was impossible. We all sprang from the room into the hall of the queen's guards, and the first person I met was Madame flying to the queen. A dauphin, Madame,' I cried out, what a blessing!' It was all an accident, and my excessive joy, but it has become a great joke, and the story is told in so many ways that I fear Madame will bear ine no great love hereafter. She had not been in the queen's room. There was no one there but Monsieur, the Count d'Artois, the ministers, and a few of the great officers. Everybody else had gone to hunt. The The Duke of Orleans returned first,

then the Prince de Condé, and the Duc de Chartres in the evening. The antechamber of the queen was a charming picture. The joy was excessive. Everybody's head was turned. People laughed, and then cried. Men and women jumped upon each other's necks, and even people who don't love the queen were glad in spite of themselves.

The

"Presently, the folding doors of the queen's chambers were flung open, and Monsieur le Dauphin' was announced. Madame de Guéméné, radiant with joy, held him in her arins and passed through into her own apartment. Cries of delight and clapping of hands followed, and I think must have penetrated her majesty's heart. It was now who should touch the child, or even the little cushion on which he lay. He was worshipped. The archbishop was for decorating him with a cordon bleu; but the king said they must first make him a Christian, and at half-past three he was baptized. It was a most august ceremony; there were crowds of people of rank, and the whole assembly was touched and rejoicing. The king and the princes took places in the middle of the church, and Madame de Guéméné entered by the great door with the dauphin in her arms. church resounded with applause, and, in spite of the guards, she could scarcely move for the people crowding about her. Cardinal Rohan performed the ceremony in his gorgeous pontifical robes. The joy of the king was delicious. During the whole ceremony his eyes were glued upon the baby, and now and then he laid his hand upon it to make sure his eyes did not deceive him. Count d'Artois proved that his love for their majesties was stronger than self-interest or disappointment for his own children. Everything about him spoke happiness and joy. Monsieur and Madame looked composed. She remained seated throughout the ceremony, claiming to be in an interesting situation, while Monsieur and Madame Elizabeth acted as sponsors for the emperor and Madame de Piedmont. All the royal personages signed the act of baptisin; and, after a grand Te Deum, the Court retired to the apartments of the infant. Everybody was free to enter his chamber, and, as I am very intimate with Madame de Guéméné, I remained there the whole afternoon. All France seemed to be at the palace. I was sorry to see the little princess, the king's daughter, quite piqued at being now somewhat secondary. She is without

exception the prettiest child I ever saw, but to-day looked to disadvantage, in her efforts to draw attention upon herself.

"The dauphin is a fine large child. He has not cried yet, a good sign of being well. Indeed nothing was ever more lucky, and it is all attributed to the good regime of the queen, and to her daily baths for the last seven or eight months. Monsieur Vernon has gone contrary to custom in all this, and seems to be very proud of it. Everybody had been anxious; the poor queen had not had a happy experience, and she was herself alarmed.

*

*

*

*

* *

"They thought best not to tell her immediately that it was a dauphin, fearing the effect of too much emotion. Everything around, therefore, was kept quiet; and observing in this a sort of constraint, she felt sure it was a girl. She said, 'You see I am resigned-I ask no questions.' The king's eyes overflowed, as he rose and exclaimed, 'Monsieur le Dauphin demands admittance!' Those who saw what followed describe the scene as beyond everything touching. The child was brought to his mother, who at last said to Madame Guéméné, take him, he belongs to the State, but I must have my daughter.'

*

*

*

**

*

*

But it is high time I finish this bulletin. I beg your majesty's pardon humbly for its incoherence. I heard a courier was to set off for Sweden, and I have no time to collect myself. I cannot deny myself the opportunity of placing myself at your majesty's feet, it is so long since anything may have recalled me to your mind.

"I write this at the Prince de Poix's. He would also place himself at your majesty's feet, as well as Madame de Deux-ponts, and Edward Dillon. "I am, etc., etc., etc.,

"CURT V. STEDINGK."

The king's replies were usually punctual. He acknowledged "infinite pleasure" in all this gossip. "I laughed," said he, "at your gallant manner of announcing to Madame that her husband's hopes of being King of France were at an end." He made his reply, as usual also, an occasion of advising Stedingk to return to his own country, and like a sterling friend as indeed he knew how to be, wrote some sound sense upon this point. "I know well the attractions and seductions of Paris;