The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-16
THE NEW GERMAN COMMANDER
a Few Points About His American
Wife,

| Count Won Waldersee, who has been ap-
| pointed to succeed Won Moltke as chief of
the general staff of the German army, says
the New York Tribune, was born at Pots
dam, in April, 1882, of noble family. He
began his military career in 1850, as second
lieutenant in the artillery and nine years
later was made first lieutenant In 1862 he
was put in command of a battery, did bril-
liant service in the campaign of 1864, and
the following year was transferred TO the
| Brandenburg field artillery regiment with
the right to ante-date his captaincy three
years. On the outbreak of the Prusso- Aus
trian war he received staff appointment
with the active army, and with the rank of
major was placed at the service of the provi-
sional government of Hanover. In October,
| 1866, he was transferred to the staff of the
| Tenth army corps, and in January, 1870,
was made military attache of Prussia at
Paris. When the war with France broke
out the count became colonel and chief of
staff to the grand duke of Mecklenburg
| Sch werin. In August, 1871, he took COM
maud OF tho Hanoverian Uhlans, and in
1873 he was made chief of staff to his army
corps. In 1875 he was appointed a briga-
| der, and in 1876 divisional general. In
1882 the Office of quartermaster general
was created for him, and he became the as
sistant and direct representative of Field
| MARSHAL Won Moltke.
| Count Won Waldersee married in 1865 the
| Countess Won Noer, an American lady with
a romantic history. The countess was born
about 1910, in New York. where her father,
| David Lea, was wholesale grocer. He
| died. leaving wife and four children, son
and three daughters, with only small for
tune to divide among them. In course of
time the eldest daughter married Baron
| Wachter, and when he was sent as the am
| bassador of the king of Wurtemberg to
| Paris, Mrs. Lea and the three children went
o YER to visit him. Soor after their arrival
in Paris the second daughter married Capt.
| Murray of the British army. Miss Mary
Lea, the third daughter, made the
acquaintance of the Princess Louise
of Schlesweig- Holstein, whose father, the
| prince, had been driven off his throne by
the Prussians. The two young women be-
| came intimate, and Mss Lea met the old
prince, who fell in love with her, and laid
aside his title Of serene highness in order to
marry her. He then accepted from the
| Austrian emperor the title of Count vol
| Noer After the wedding the pair started
| for the east. the count dying in Egypt only
two months later, and leaving his young
| bride a fortune. The countess returned TO
| Vienna and soon won the esteem of the en-
peror, who raised her to the rank of
| princess After the Austro- Prussian war
she married the Count Won Waldersee.
AT Berlin the countess has had a strong
influence in political society, especially with
! the BiSmarckian party. She was never
popular with the Dowager Empress Victo-
| ria, buthaS obtained a complete ascendancy
over the new empress and the Emperor
| William. She is one Of the few really
| brilliant women at the court of Berlin, and
| has built up there a salon" something after
the Paris model.