Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt was born on 23 October 1753 in Kenz , Swedish Pomerania as the son of Lieutenant Bernt von Staffeldt , of Pomeranian nobility , and Catherine Eleonore von Platen . Both his parents died in 1755 while he was still a child so he was raised at his married sisters estate in Denmark , and was taken into the court of Queen Sophia Magdalene of Brandenburg - Kulmbach in 1767 . Early years . At Queen Sophie ' s death in 1770 , Staffeldt joined the military and traveled to Norway , where he in 1771 was promoted to Second Lieutenant . His stay in Norway , however , was to be short , because in 1773 he was transferred back to Copenhagen as part of the Life Grenadier regiment . This however , opened up more opportunities since he from 1776 where to be regarded as a part of the Danish nobility , and he rose rapidly through the ranks and was promoted to First Lieutenant in 1782 and Captain in 1785 . In 1787 he returned to Norway as commander of the Kongsvinger light infantry . When his company in 1788 were included in the newly formed Norwegian Jäger corps , Staffeldt was promoted to Major . In the same year he participated with his new unit , in the skirmish at Kvistrum bridge during the Theater War against Sweden . After the war he went to Holstein , where he in 1790 and 1792 learned about the contemporary sharpshooting tactics , and later established the first non - commissioned officer school for Jäger Corps in Norway . After his stay in Holstein , he returned to Norway and married Karen Birgitte Herford in Moss in 1797 . Military career . When war broke out against the United Kingdom in 1800 , Staffeldt received command of the brigade that would cover Fredriksvern against an English invasion . But since the war against Britain in the first phase calmed down after the battle of Copenhagen , Staffeldt and his Jäger Corps was transferred back to Kongsvinger , where he for a while became provisional commander on Kongsvinger Fortress . He also received command over Ullensaker light infantry battalion and the southern skier battalion . In 1803 he was promoted to Colonel . When the war against England broke out again in 1807 after the bombardment of Copenhagen , Staffeldt was located in Holstein . But he was quickly sent to Altona to confiscate English property , and later to Sjælland where he was commissioned to reorganize the coastal defense . The following winter he returned to Norway and took command over the brigade assembled at Hedrum , and when Denmark – Norway declared war against Sweden in the spring of 1808 , he received commanded the left wing brigade , which was to defend the border crossings from Elverum towards Kongsvinger with about 1 , 300 men . The Swedish western army ' s right wing under Colonel Carl Pontus Gahn , who had orders to advance to Glomma from northern Värmland , therefore met Staffeldt ' s forces as they moved across the border on 24 April , and were surrounded and forced to surrender at Trangen . After this victory , Staffeldt could concentrate most of his troops around Kongsvinger against Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt ' s advance . Here he was again given the post as commander of the fortress at the same time as his brigade was reinforced . The fighting that followed led to varying success , but the Swedes retreated back across the border in early June 1808 . Staffeldt ' s and his brigade attracted much attention during this war , and won great acclaim . This was reflected by Staffeldt ' s promotion to Major General and the appointment to Commander of Dannebrog in 1809 . When peace was concluded with Sweden in 1809 , Staffeldt was given the command over the troops who were drawn together at Hedrum . From there he took responsibility for much of the reorganization that was done of the Norwegian Army in 1810 . In 1813 he received charge of a brigade in Smaalenenes Amt , and when Prince Christian Frederik in the winter of 1814 traveled to Trondheim , Staffeldt became supreme commander of the southern army with the authority to take measures for the countries security . After Denmark - Norway ' s final defeat during the Napoleonic Wars in 1814 , the Treaty of Kiel was finalized by representatives from Denmark , Sweden and the United Kingdom , and it was determined that Norway should be ceded to Sweden . This however , was something the Norwegians opposed , and instead declared themselves independent and appointed Prince Christian Frederick to Norwegian king . This further led to the outbreak of war between Sweden and Norway in the summer of 1814 . On 22 May that year Staffeldt was appointed to Lieutenant General , was intended to lead an important role in Norway ' s defense during the subsequent campaigns against the Swedes . He was given command of a brigade of around 4 , 000 men who was to lead an active defense east of Glomma . The active defense would , however , prove unsuccessful since King Christian Frederik drew the Norwegian troops back across Glomma against von Staffeldt ' s advice . The responsibility for the army ' s weak leadership and the subsequent withdrawal was largely put on von Staffeldt , who had to relinquish his position in favor of Major General Arenfeldt and was instead assigned to ensure the front ' s left flank . The war was from the Norwegian side also affected by confusion and unclear orders from the headquarters , and after the war Staffeldt was one of those who was convicted . Death . Staffeldt nevertheless was not found guilty by the war commission , but when the verdict was presented for the Supreme Court he was sentenced to death on 17 December 1816 . This sentence was already then considered unfair by the Norwegian population , and Crown Prince Charles John reduced the sentence to imprisonment in Fredriksten Fortress . Here he sat from February to May 1817 , but because of his health he was released and moved to his property at Hedrum , where he died January 11 , 1818 .