Werner Hans Frederik Abrahamson Læssøe (1811-1850) was a Danish officer known for his service in the
First Schleswig War
The First Schleswig War (), also known as the Schleswig-Holstein uprising () and the Three Years' War (), was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig–Holstein question: who should control the Du ...
. He was the son of Margrethe Juliane Signe Læssøe and the brother of the priest Kristian Frederik Læssøe, the painter Thorald Læssøe and the numismatist Ludvig Læssøe.
Biography
Læssøe became a lieutenant in an infantry regiment in 1830, was a student at the
War College
A war college is a senior military academy which is normally intended for veteran military officers and whose purpose is to educate and 'train on' senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders. It is also often the place where advanced tac ...
in 1832-1836 and was then employed in the general staff, where he was promoted to captain in 1842. For several years he was engaged in measurement and mapping work, which in recent times benefited Hedeselskabet's water supply plans, and served 1844-1845 as a teacher at the war academy, but was removed from this place, because his excessive independent ideas made him less popular with foremen, especially as he was politically leaning towards the National Liberal Party.
At the outbreak of
First Schleswig War
The First Schleswig War (), also known as the Schleswig-Holstein uprising () and the Three Years' War (), was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig–Holstein question: who should control the Du ...
, Læssøe was chief of staff at the army command. He participated in the battles at Bov,
Nybøl
Nybøl () is a small town, with a population of 1,117 (1 January 2024),Dybbøl Banke. On this occasion, Læssøe came into conflict with the Minister of War, who questioned the competence of the army's leadership. And as a result of the Defeat at Egernførde, the hunt for a scapegoat began. Minister of War Hansen then used the defeat to remove the commander of the high command, General
Christoph von Krogh
Christoph is a male given name and surname. It is a German variant of Christopher.
Notable people with the given name Christoph
* Christoph Bach (1613–1661), German musician
* Christoph Büchel (born 1966), Swiss artist
* Christoph Dientzenh ...
and his chief of staff Frederik Læssøe.
But when General
Olaf Rye
Olaf Rye (16 November 1791 – 6 July 1849) was a Norwegian-Danish military officer. He died in battle during the First Schleswig War and is considered to have been a Danish war hero.
Biography
Olaf Rye was born at Bø in Telemark, Norway. ...
was given the task of leading the withdrawal of the Danish army in 1849, he got Læssøe with him in his staff, and he participated in the Battle of Kolding . Læssøe was appointed colonel in 1850 and led the 12th battalion in the
Battle of Isted
The Battle of Isted (; ) took place on 25 July 1850 near the village of Idstedt (Danish: ''Isted''), in what is today Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The battle was part of the First Schleswig War. The Danes won the battle.
The battle began early ...
Flensburg
Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein.
Flensburg's ...
.
Læssøesgade in both Aarhus, Copenhagen and Læssøegade in Kolding is named after him.
Dansk biografisk leksikon
''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon'' (usually abbreviated DBL; title of first edition written ''Dansk biografisk Lexikon'') is a Danish biographical dictionary that has been published in three editions. The first edition, ''Dansk biografisk Lexikon, til ...