Prussian General Hoaxed Into Surrendering Strong Fortress to Tiny Force He Outnumbered 20 to 1
In 1806, Prussia declared war on France, only to have its armies swiftly wrecked by the French in the twin battles of Jena-Auerstedt. Napoleon ordered a vigorous pursuit of the routed Prussians, and the reduction of their garrisons to keep them from linking up with and reinforcing their Russian allies, who were still under arms. The once-proud Prussian army, less than two decades removed from its glory days under Frederick the Great, was demoralized. It was in that state that a French cavalry brigade under general Antoine Lasalle approached the Prussian port city of Stettin.
Lasalle had about 500 hussars under his command, and 2 light field guns. Stettin was a strongly fortified port city, with a garrison of nearly 10,000 men, protected by 281 cannons. Their commander was general Friedrich von Romberg, a veteran with over 50 years’ experience, who had fought under Frederick the Great as far back as the Seven Years War. The city was well provisioned by the British Royal Navy, whose vessels sailed in and out of the port with no hindrance.
On the afternoon of October 29th, 1806, Lasalle sent a messenger under flag of truce to demand Stettin’s surrender. Von Romberg refused, vowing 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 negotiated and finalized. The following morning, the garrison marched out in perfect order, and filed past the French to throw their arms down at their feet in a steadily growing pile.
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 agreement. Lasalle became a national hero, while von Romberg became a laughingstock. The Prussian general was tried by court martial in 1809, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment for surrendering without a fight. He died two months later.