The Loser General Who Got Snookered Into Surrendering to a Far Smaller Force
General Lasalle sent a subordinate under flag of truce on the afternoon of October 29th, 1806, to demand Stettin’s surrender. He promised to treat its garrison with all the honors of war. Von Romberg refused, and vowed to defend the city to the last man. An hour later, the emissary returned, this time with a more ominous message: “If by 8AM you have not surrendered, the town will be bombarded by our artillery and stormed by 50,000 men. The garrison will be put to the sword, and the town will be plundered for 24 hours“. An alarmed von Romberg consulted with the town leaders, who urged capitulation. That night, the details of the surrender were finalized.
Early the next day, the garrison marched out in perfect order, and filed past the French to throw their arms down at their feet. When von Romberg discovered just how tiny a force he had surrendered to, it was too late, and he had little choice but to stick to the negotiated agreement. Lasalle became a national hero, while von Romberg became a laughingstock loser. The Prussian general was tried by court martial in 1809, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He died two months later.