General von Döbelns farewell speech to the Finnish troops - this day 200 years ago

[Breerman]

This day 200 years ago General Carl von Döbeln, Commander of the Northern Army, received the news of a peace treaty in Fredrikshamn between Sweden and Russia.

Upon receiving the news he gathered the troops in front of the church in the city square in Umeå in Northern Sweden. It was a Sunday, 8 October 1809. A raw and gloomy day. On one side stood the troops from the different Swedish landskap, on the other side the ill clothed and and ragged soldiers from the Finland that now had been lost. Many were severly wounded and would later die.

General von Döbeln rode in carrying the same blood stained coat that he had worn during the whole war. He removed his hat, everyone could see the bandage he wore around his head. With a firm voice he drowned the heavy winds that came from the sea in the east. He then held this speech.

Soldiers! I have gathered the army to announce to you that a preliminary peace treaty between Sweden and Russia have been reached. This peace ends the miseries of a devastating war ...

Finns! With this peace one third of the realms of the Swedish crown is lost, Sweden forever loses the proud Finnish nation, her most powerful support. It doesn't end there. The Swedish army loses the core, the most significant part of it's armed forces. The Motherland is crushed, lowered in sorrow and in missing of unreconcilable sacrifices ...

Soldiers! Comrades! Brothers! You who in the now ended war, despite the numerity of the enemy forces and their superiority in weapons, still with faithfulness and manhood defeated the enemy at Sikajocki, Revolax, Pulckila, Lappo, Kauhajocki, Alavo, Lappfjerd, Etzeri, Numjerfvi, Juthas, Idensalmi and other places ... You who by your own hands retook half of Finland. You who finally were forced by an enemy force many times your size to leave the Finnish border. You have now with steadfastness fought for the Motherland's Swedish soil. You who stand here are the highly appreciated remains of the proud Finnish nation and it's brave men of war - it is to you I convey the Kings's, the Parliament's, the Swedish people's, the Swedish army's, my foremen's, my fellow brothers', my own, yes everybody's sincere gratitude ... Finns! Brothers! Your accomplishments are great and to express what we feel it would take a speaker's entire skills - but I'm a soldier.

Swedes! Be proud over to have seen these Finnish troops! Remember them! Honour them! Look at their decayed bodies and pale faces - they carry traces of their faithful but still fruitless efforts of past years to liberate their homelands. Finns! You return to your home villages with tarnished clothes, shot through or cut off limbs. We wish from people to people to bless you - honour you! I ask of you that you when nearing the places where we defeated our enemies and you see the shoddy piles of sand that cover our fallen comrades - bless their soil - they have died as heroes ... Finns! Brothers! If these words could be sealed with blood tears from my eyes, they would stream and every drop would ensure you of my reverence, my friendship!

When von Döbeln had finished his speech he was crying, and so were most of the troops.

[Breerman]

Translated parts from this article.
http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/ko...icle5824564.ab

The speech have been modernized and somewhat shortened. I don't think my translation gives it justice. Here is the original in Swedish. I am sure an original translation can be found in Finnish too.

http://sv.wikisource.org/wiki/Genera...8_oktober_1809

Tal til Finska Trouppen den 8. October 1809.

Jag har samlat Arméen, at tillkännagifva, det en priliminaer freds Afhandling den 17:de September blifvit gjord emellan Svenska och Ryska magten. – Denna freds tidning slutar ett förhärjande krigs alla olyckor – den bör visserligen vara ett gladt budskap, hälst Sveriges uttömda källor, icke tillåta fortsättning af en strid, börjad af Politiskt misstag, och som i 2:ne hela år aftynat alla dess krafter. Men, Finland frångår Sverige. – Riksgräntsen är Torneå Elf!

Finnar! vid denna fred, förloras Tredjedelen af Svenska kronans område – Sverige förlorar den stolta Finska Nation, sitt kraftigaste stöd, – ej nog därmed, Svenska Arméen förlorar Kjernan och betydligaste delen af dess Krigsmagt; – Moderlandet är Krossat, försänckt i sorg och saknad öfver oersätteliga upoffringar, men den Visa allmagten har beslutat våra Öden, de måste emottagas med Tålamod – med Undergifvenhet.

Soldater! Camerater! Bröder! Nj som under det nyssslutade Krig, med så mycken trohet och Mandom, trots Fiendtliga härars talrikhet, med Vapns sinnliga styrcka; vid Sikajocki, Revolax, Pulckila, Lappo, Kauhajocki, Alavo Lappfjerd, Etzeri, Numjerfvi, Juthas, och Idensalmi m:m: besegrat Fiender. - Nj som på egen hand återtog halfva Finland, – Nj som sluteligen öfvermannadesm att öfverlämna Finska gräntsen, J hafven sedermera med ståndagtighet stridt för Moderlandets Svenska jord. - J, härvarande! ären precieuse qvarlefvor af den Stolta finska Nation, och dess tappra Krigs folck, det är til Eder jag bör och jag skall, med uprördt Hjerta, förkunna Konungens, - Riksens Ständers, – Svenska folckets, – Svenska Armeens – mine medbröders – min egen – det är allas, uprigtiga Tacksamhet.

Konungens Nådiga Välbehag, – Riksens ständers ömmande välvilja – Svenska folckets beundran, – Svenska Arméens vänskapsfulla Högacktning – Mine Medbröders erkänsla – min egen tilgifvenhet för Eder, är det offer, som et Eder helgas, och af mig frambäras!

Finnar! Bröder! Edra bedrifter äro stora, och den tacksamhet jag å allas vägnar förkunnar til eder, är i lika förhållande; – til dennes tolckning fordrades en Vältalares hela förmåga – Men jag är Soldat. – Soldat! hvad stolt benämning? då jag har denna Titel, af Eder – för Eder – och med Eder!

– Emottagen då ett uprört hjertas okonstlade tanckar, och Nj Svenska Troupper, som vid detta högtidligt sorgbundna tilfälle ären Närvarande; Varen lefvande Vittnen til Svenska Moderlandets oinskränckta tacksamhet.

– Svenskar! Varen Stålte öfver, at hafva sedt desse Finska Qvarlefvor! Minnes dem! – Högakten dem! – Se deras aftynade Kroppar, deras bleka ansigten, de bära Vedermälen af deras trogna, änskönt frugtlöse bemödander förflutne År!

Och Nj Finnar! När nj återkommen til Fosterbygden, så framfören Svenska Folckets tacksamhet, til Er Nation! Weten, att J återvänden med utslitne Kläder – Afstympade, eller genomskutne lemmar, men i medfören en rättskaffens Krigsmanna Själs Synbara prydnad. – Fiender til Svenska Moderlandet Kunnen i aldrig blifva – derom är jag förvissad – men förblifven allan tid dess Vänner! skulle det nya Herraväldets magt hindra, önskans och Er viljas utöfning, så låt med hjertats och Tanckars tysta språk, välsignelser tildelas Moderlandet! Påmin Edra barn derom; WJ skola från slägte til slägte, välsigna Er, högackta Er.

Ett ber jag Er! När J nalckens de ställen WJ besegrat våre Fiender, och då Nj där sen, den usla sandhög som betäcker våre stupade Kamerater, gif deras stoft Välsignelsens suck, de hafva dödt Hjeltar, och deras aska vårdas af ärans Vålnader. – J Kännen Mennisko Hjertats mångfalds nycker, dess anlag at hastigt välja föremål, som det tror aldrig förgäta; Men Knapt äro någre Veckor förflutne, förr’n ostadigheten gort ett annat Vahl, tiden förändrar alt – Med den glömmes alt; men det försäkrar jag, och J skolen sjelfve finna det, att Krigsmanna samband, Knutit vid strid, faror, Blod och död, uplöses aldrig; Således ären J och WJ förvissade om hvarandras Kjärlek; Krigsmanna Bröderskapet räcker lefnadens tidlängd, och den tacksamhet jag Er förkunnat, och nu Er förkunnar, har med detta Vårt samband en ouplöslig förening. – Finnar! Bröder! Kunde mina ord beseglas med blods tårar från mine ögon, skulle de strömma, och hvarje droppa försäkra Er min Vördnad, min vänskap!!!

G. v. Döbeln. General Befälhafvare öfver Kongl. Norra Arméen

[joka]

Interesting read, gives some insight in to an era I'm ashamed to say I know little about.

Ye Olde Swedish is somewhat illegible, but..

Och Nj Finnar! När nj återkommen til Fosterbygden, så framfören Svenska Folckets tacksamhet, til Er Nation! Weten, att J återvänden med utslitne Kläder – Afstympade, eller genomskutne lemmar, men i medfören en rättskaffens Krigsmanna Själs Synbara prydnad. – Fiender til Svenska Moderlandet Kunnen i aldrig blifva – derom är jag förvissad – men förblifven allan tid dess Vänner! skulle det nya Herraväldets magt hindra, önskans och Er viljas utöfning, så låt med hjertats och Tanckars tysta språk, välsignelser tildelas Moderlandet! Påmin Edra barn derom;

"If the new rulers should be oppressive then let your thoughts and praises be with Sweden and remind your children of this"?

Also, a Swedish commander calling Finland a nation in 1809 when the view (at least up until then) was that Finland was a Swedish province and the concept of Finnish nationhood properly took hold only in the latter part of the 19th century, interesting.

Was Döbeln trying to sow the seed of secession from Russia to the returning Finnish soldiers, was he one of the first Finnish nationalists?

Anyway, I don't want to spoil the heart warming speech with cynicism, I'm just typing thoughts that come to mind and like I said, I don't know much of this era. Things didn't turn out that bad after all though.

[ren0312]

As an aside how do Swedes nowadays see Charles XII, despite his initial sucesses in the Great Northern War the decline of Swedish power in the Baltic also begun with him, most historian now say that he should have concluded a peace treaty with Russia on terms that would have been very favorable to Sweden while the Swedes were still in a position of strenght and were still capable of winning battles.

[domokun]

"If the new rulers should be oppressive then let your thoughts and praises be with Sweden and remind your children of this"?

Irony is that Russia was far more generous to Finland than Sweden ever was. Independence movement became real after 1890's and 1900s as Russia started to limit autonomy they granted after war of 1809.

[Silent Reader]

Also, a Swedish commander calling Finland a nation in 1809 when the view (at least up until then) was that Finland was a Swedish province and the concept of Finnish nationhood properly took hold only in the latter part of the 19th century, interesting.

nation does not equal state or independence if you are refering to this or even a right to independence. it just refers to a group of people with features that distinguish them from any other group.. like language, tradition etc.. what came later on was the wish to equal nation with state and create or demand nation states

[Breerman]

Edit: Silent Reader said it better

[joka]

nation does not equal state or independence if you are refering to this or even a right to independence. it just refers to a group of people with features that distinguish them from any other group.. like language, tradition etc.. what came later on was the wish to equal nation with state and create or demand nation states

I was probably a bit clumsy in my formulation. I was contemplating that in 1809 many of those soldiers Döbeln spoke to may have seen themselves as Swedes from the Eastern Swedish province called Finland, Finland had after all been Swedish for 600 years at this time. Finland being called a nation wasn't necessarily an everyday thing, especially among high ranking Swedish officers.

Then again, like I said I know little of this era and even less what those soldiers and people were thinking so I'm just thinking out loud.