Dr. Ferdinand Neuhaus
Regimental Doctor
by Edgar Lawrence, UK
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My wife comes from Werden near Essen, in Germany. In the history of the town I found this account of the early years of Ferdinand Neuhaus, who was the first doctor of Werden.
"Essen, in whose administrative area Werden lays, was an independent abbey within Westphalia until 1803, and was then acquired by Prussia. After Prussia"s defeat in 1807, the abbey was taken over by the Duchy of Berg, which had become independent of Bavaria the year before. Prussia reconquered the area in 1813, when it also took over the Duchy of Berg." - John Henderson
Neuhaus was born in 1792, he went to the medical school in Dusseldorf. and at the age of eighteen qualified as a military surgeon. He was posted to the 2 Bergischen Infantry Regiment, which had been stationed in Spain since the autumn of 1808.
However his stay wasn't very long. He had a patron, the Graf von Nesselrode who had known Ferdinand's parents, and arranged for the young surgeon to go to the Medical College in Wurzburg.
Posting
In 1812 he qualified as Doctor of Medicine, and was posted to the 1 Bergischen Infantry Regiment for duty as Regimental Doctor. However the Regiment was on its way from Dusseldorf to Russia as part of Napoleon's Grand Army. So the twenty year old had to chase after his regiment, eventually catching up with it at Labiau (between Königsberg and Tilsit)
Later Ferdinand said 'the marching and marching was killing'. And so came the high point, in September 1812 Napoleon started his siege of Moscow. But the Russians had set fire to their city, which burnt for five days. Eventually Napoleon got into the Kremlin where he stayed for five weeks. But Tzar Alexander I was not prepared to negotiate a peace deal.
And so, in the burned out and therefore unfriendly Moscow, with the winter approaching, with its cold and snow, Napoleon decided to return from Russia. It wasn't the Russians, but the hunger and cold that forced them out. The first problem the Army met was the Beresina.
Neuhaus had just arrived at the Beresina as the Pioniere (called Pontoniers in Napoleon's army) had built two bridges, one for foot troops and the other for artillery. It was, in the opinion of Lt. Zimmermann of the 1 Bergischen Infantry Regiment, - in the extreme cold, a great wonder and one tenth of the Pontoniers had perished. The 1 Bergischen Regt had been the cover regiment during the building of the bridges.
The artillery bridge suddenly broke up as it was being crossed, throwing every thing into the ice cold swollen river. This meant, of course that there was now only one bndge, the smaller one, out of Russia, and complete chaos followed. Unknown numbers died, wagons ran over men - men pulled men from the broken bridge back into the flood - screams and shrill cries-wounded fought for their lives - you or me - everyone for themselves - a hand hold on the bndge - held by the legs from behind - hands slashed at with sabres. It was an inferno! Fleeing, wailing, arguing, groans, moans - and into it all fell cannon balls, and grenades exploded.
The 9 Corps were in heavy fighting with the pursuing Russians. Wagons were piling up and looked like heaps of rubble, making a route through impossible. "The terrible state of affairs caused by this undisciplined pile was made worse by heavy munitions wagons trying to get through, every thing became squashed and mashed into the ground" It all came to a stand still and was lost beyond rescue. It was impossible to find anyone. Every thing was upside down, men became wild animals. So ended the 28 November.
By evening there were only 150 men left from six Bergischen Battalions. These together with 200 Badensern and other troops held the Russians from the bridge. Three brave doctors, under the young Dr. Neuhaus, tended to the wounded through the whole night as best they could. In the early morning of the 29th November, the bridgehead was given up. Ferdinand Neuhaus was with the rearguard, eventually the bridge was set alight. "A violent hill arose on the banks of the river" wrote Lt Zimmermann "with the remains of the fallen, 20,000 to 30,000 men that the Grand Army had lost".
Full Retreat
That was the beginning of a terrible and suffering way. The Grand Army was in full retreat. Everyone was looking after themselves in the barbaric cold, the hungry laid down in the road , and froze to death, the final price given. Dr. Neuhaus was also at the end of his power and sank from his horse. That he did not freeze to death, he could thank a Bergischen soldier, Theodor Wintgen, who had a bottle of korn in his rucksack. The exhausted doctor took a mouthful of the korn, then ate a mixture of oats and brandy, which Wintgen had chewed for him, and waited until he had enough strength to remount his horse. Neuhaus said later that it was a "wonderful recovery".
Later Dr. Neuhuas wrote of his time in Russia "What I suffered in this campaign was lots of cold, lots of hunger and so much grief that I cannot describe. Only can I with truth swear that for two months I lived only from horse flesh, and the only clothing was sackcloth, I was still dressed in that when I returned to Dusseldorf".
New Posting
He had hardly time to rest before he was posted to a newly formed regiment, which was sent on a march to Cherbourg. But as the they had come from the area that had been the Grand Duchy of Berg now newly taken over by the Prussians, the French made the Bergischen soldiers prisoners of war. In the camp were prisoners from all German States, side by side. The young Dr. Nuehaus said, as he took pity on the ill prisoners, doing what he could for them. "It was out of pure love for the unlucky men". He received many testimonials from the prisoners for his work in making life a little easier.
In April 1814 the last of the prisoners of war were released. Dr. Neuhaus was detained in Paris with a nervous illness, and was home by the end of June. The new Prussian governor, Justus Gruner, gave orders that Neuhaus was not to leave Dusseldorf, then relented and allowed him to go to the Duisburg University. However almost immediately he had to return, as Senior Military Doctor. He was responsible for a number of field hospitals, and at Longwy received a musket ball wound to his right thigh when the hospital there was overmn bv a surprise attack from the French. An attendant and a surgeon were awarded the Iron Cross, but because of his service in the Bergischen regiments, he was disqualified from any award.
After finishing his studies in Berlin, still only 25 years of age, he set up his own practice in Werden.
I find it ironic, that because his home area changed hands while he was away, Neuhaus should be taken prisoner by the French, after almost giving his life for Napoleon. Then because he had served with the French, through no fault of his own, his heroism was not recognised for an award by the Prussians.
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