HL Deb 12 July 1864 vol 176 cc1366-7
THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY

wished to ask the noble Earl the Foreign Secretary, Whether he had received any further information relative to a statement made by him (the Earl of Shaftesbury), a few days since, that a certain number of Swedes, lying on the ground, were massacred by the Prussians after the battle of Duppel?

EARL RUSSELL

said, that since the answer he had given to the noble Earl on a former evening he had received a further account from the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Prussia. His statement was that, as far as could be ascertained, there were not more than seventy Swedes altogether in the Danish army, and that of these all who were known to be engaged at Duppel were five, who were taken prisoners. The total loss of the Danes in that encounter was not more than 400 killed altogether; so that the story in the newspapers respecting the massacre of 400 Swedes was altogether false.

THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY

said, that on the former occasion he had simply asked a question, but at the time he asked it he expressed an opinion that the story was perfectly true. He had since received a letter in which that opinion was supported, and it really appeared to be true that Swedish soldiers were fired at by the Prussians after the conflict was over. The letter was dated from Admiral Dacres, of Her Majesty's ship Edgar, who, writing to his (the Earl of Shaftesbury's) son, said— H.M.S. Edgar, Spithead, July 11. Dear Mr. Ashley,—I now hasten to give you all the information in my power, which is contained in a note from Lieutenant Nordenfalk, a Swedish lieutenant serving in the Edgar, which details as dastardly conduct as one could well hear of; but the fact of this officer being in Danish uniform will give a colouring to any defence that the Prussian Government might choose to set up that they were indistinguishable from Danish troops; but I have yet to learn that firing on wounded men, whatever colours they may fight under, is justifiable. Lord Shaftesbury may make any use of Lieutenant Nordenfalk's or this note.—Yours, very truly, J. S. DACRES. The note referred to in Admiral Dacres' letter was as follows:— My brother, Otto Nordenfalk, aged 21, in the beginning of the year joined the Danish army, and in the present war was volunteering as officer in the 3rd Regiment (2nd company) of a Danish corps. In the forenoon of the 18th, the day when the Duppel forts were taken, he was at the head of a body of soldiers defending the retreat of a part of the retreating army, and having been wounded in his face by a projectile entering on one side, and hurting tongue, jaws, &c., and swooned, he, on recovering his senses, found himself lying on the ground among a crowd of wounded and dead men, and saw Prussian soldiery standing at a few paces distance. He rose now on his elbow, and these men fired at him a volley at this very short distance, after which they left him for dead. Many bullets passed through his cloak and coat, but did not hurt him. He fell down again, and kept quiet until he heard a voice he knew belonged to another Swedish officer in the Danish service, who now assisted him to escape, closely pursued by the advancing troops. Many instances of the cruelty of the Prussian troops against the country people I have heard from my brother, but not so as to relate them in detail. E. NORDENFALK, Royal Swedish Navy. He thought, then, he was fully justified in the statement that he made, that a wounded officer lying on the ground, after the conflict, was selected by the Prussian soldiers and fired at. The Moniteur du Soir had registered an order of the day issued by Prince Charles Frederick of Prussia, in virtue of which Any foreigner made prisoner in the Danish ranks, and unable to substantiate his Danish nationality, or to prove that he has been regularly enrolled in the army of Denmark, is to be dealt with as a brigand, brought before court-martial, and on conviction duly shot. This showed that the Prussian Government had no desire to mitigate the horrors of war.

EARL RUSSELL

said, he had reason to believe that it was not the intention of the Prussian Government to carry that order into effect.