Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt
| Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Dethloff Berend von Staffeldt |
| Born |
23 October 1753 Swedish Pomerania |
| Died | 11 January 1818 (aged 64) Hedrum, Norway |
| Allegiance |
 Denmark–Norway Norway
|
| Service/branch | Army |
| Years of service | 1770–1814 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Battles/wars | Swedish-Norwegian War of 1814 |
| Awards | Grand Cross of the Dannebrog Order |
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.
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.
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