Carl Philip Friedemann Maximilian Müller, also knows as Max Müller (22 October 1808–28 October 1884) was a Danish militaryofficer who served during the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and

Second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been di ...

Wars.

Early military career

Müller was born to Christian Vilhelm Carl Müller and Helene F. Strickenbach on 22 October 1884. His father a captain in the Funen Infantry Regiment; He died in 1820 when his son was 12.Max Müller at gravsted.dk
/ref> His mother was from Egernførde and later moved with her five children, of whom Max was the eldest, to

Rendsborg Rendsburg (, also ''Rensborg'', , also ''Rensborg'') is a town on the River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the central part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) of Rendsburg-Eckernförde. , it had a populati ...

. In 1822, Müller joined the

Royal Danish Military Academy The Royal Danish Military Academy () educates and commissions all officers for the Royal Danish Army. The Military Academy function was initiated in 1713 by request of King Frederick IV on inspiration from the Naval Academy. Location The acade ...

and in 1825, after passing the officer's degree, became second lieutenant in the Holstein Infantry Regiment, where he did not serve until New Year's Day 1827, as he was previously first corporal in the Cadet Corps and royal page. The regiment, which in 1842 was renamed the 15th Battalion, was stationed in Rendsburg, and he remained there both as a first lieutenant in 1834 and as a characterized captain in 1841. Müller read a lot, and hardened his body by long walks and all kinds of weapons exercises. It was reported that if someone stepped too close to him or spoke ill of his country, he would not understand the joke, but instead gave the recipient the choice between a duel, or apologizing.

First Schleswig War

In 1846, Müller became a captain 2nd class and was transferred to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

as company commander of the 4th Battalion, with which he also went to the field in 1848. It did not take long before he earned a name as one of the army's most capable officers, leading his company with distinction at Bov,

Nybøl Nybøl () is a small town, with a population of 1,117 (1 January 2024),Dybbøl Dybbøl is a small town with a population of 2,357 (1 January 2024) He was stationed at

Sundeved Sundeved ( German: ''Sundewitt'') is a peninsula on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. It lies between Åbenrå Fjord and Als Fjord to the north, Alssund to the east and Flensborg Fjord to the south. The westernmost par ...

in April 1849 and later fought at Isted. In 1849, he was employed by Krabbes brigade. In the Battle at Vedelspang, he was the head of two companies that recaptured the Katbæk Forest from insurgents with a bayonet charge that caused his opponents to flee. Ever after that day, he retained a great love for the bayonet and had the troops under him practise bayonet attacks. He became a Knight of

Dannebrog Dannebrog (until the mid-20th century often spelled Danebrog) may refer to: Flags and orders * The flag of Denmark * Order of the Dannebrog (), a Royal Danish decoration Places * Dannebrog Island, an island in Greenland * Dannebrog Islands, ...

in 1848. After the war, Müller joined the 1st Reinforcement Battalion and several divisions and in 1852 the 13th Battalion, and became a major in 1853. but received the command of the 1st Battalion in Rendsburg the following year, and also became a lieutenant colonel in 1857.Müller, Max, 1808-1884, Danish officer , Grænseforeningen.dk
/ref> He spent nine years there and hardened his Copenhageners by strenuous exercises. His name was therefore already widely known in the 1850s, when he in his study of tactics was one of those who first had an eye for the advantages of the company column, to whose introduction he contributed significantly. In 1858, he became a

Knight of Dannebrog A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

Second Schleswig War

When the army was mobilized in the autumn of 1863, it was initially provided that Müller would command the 1st Regiment. Instead, he was appointed colonel and commander of the 7th Brigade, consisting of the 1st and 11th Regiments. The brigade came up to

Dannevirke Dannevirke ( "Earthworks (archaeology), work of the Danes", a reference to Danevirke; or ''Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua'', the area where the town is) is a rural service town in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of the North Island, New Zealand. It is the ...

, and two of its battalions took part in the battle at Selk and Königshügel on February 3. When the army withdrew from

on the 5th, he became commander of the 3rd Division under General Peter Frederik Steinmann, consisting of the 7th and 8th Brigades, to cover the retreat, and these then took turns to be closest to the Prussians and Austrians. At the Sankelmark, Müller was ordered to take up position with his brigade to let the 8th Brigade go through and to stop the pursuing Austrians. Thus arose the

Battle of Sankelmark The Battle of Sankelmark (or Battle of Oeversee) was a minor battle during the Second Schleswig War. It took place on 6 February 1864 between Sankelmark and Oeversee, on the road between Schleswig and Flensburg, during the Danish retreat from ...

, in which Müller displayed his best military qualities. "It is not enough that I await the enemy, I must attack him myself," he had stated upon receiving the order to take up a post, and he led both the 1st Regiment, which was at the forefront, and then the 11th Regiment. Denmark lost a total of 17 officers, 28 non-commissioned officers and 783 men, of whom 568 were captured. The Austrian losses amounted to 30 officers and 403 men. Later, the brigade accompanied General

Cai Hegermann-Lindencrone Cai Ditlev Hegermann-Lindencrone (1807–1893) was a Danish general and politician who was the main Danish commander at the Battle of Vejle during the Second Schleswig War as well as the personal adjutant general of Frederik VII. He was also the ...

's division north and then fought at Vejle, but then he did not engage in battle again. During the armistice after the defeat at Dybbøl, Müller became head of a newly formed brigade, the landing brigade, which was stationed on

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

Postwar life

After the war, in which he was honoured with the Commander's Cross of 1st Dannebrog in 1864, Müller continued as brigade commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, and became a member of the Defense Commission in 1866. However, he gained no influence, as he understood far better how to command than to negotiate. In implementing the Army Act of 1867, he was appointed general and commander of the 1st Zealand Brigade, and in this position, he ruled with an iron fist and without ever sparing himself to develop the fighting skills of his troops. In 1870 he was head of the Camp Division at Hald and in 1875, was honoured with the Grand Cross of Dannebrog, while in 1879 due to age he was dismissed from the military service. However, he knew his limitations, should follow from what he wrote in the ''Journal of War Administration of 1865'': He died on 28 October 1884 in

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the region of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of less tha ...

and was buried at the

Frederiksberg Ældre Kirkegård Frederiksberg Ældre Kirkegård is a cemetery in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark. It was established in 1734 behind Frederiksberg Church. Burials * C.F. Gerner Andersen * Kai Normann Andersen * Peter Andersen (ironmaster), Peter Andersen * Ch ...

. His wife was Emilie Thorsen, daughter of merchant Gottborg Thorsen in

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 ...

, whom he had married 11 September 1852.

Legacy

Max Müller is depicted on a painting from Sankelmark by Otto Bache in 1887 at the , reproduced in

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

Hans Peter Hansen Hans Peter Hansen (20 December 1829 – 18 November 1899) was a Danish xylographer who specialized in portraits. Hansen was born in Copenhagen. He first learned the profession of watchmaking before studying woodcutting under Hans Christian Henn ...

and by

Niels Simonsen Niels Simonsen (10 December 1807 – 11 December 1885) was a Danish painter, lithographer and sculptor. Biography Simonsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was the son of Simnon Rasmusson and Bolette Nielsdatter. His parents were sho ...

in 1864. There was also a

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

and woodcut in 1868 and 1879 and was portrayed in the stone engraving titled ''Fædrelandsslykke'' in 1886. In the TV series ''

1864 Events January * January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song "Beautiful Dream ...

'', Müller is portrayed by

Rasmus Bjerg Rasmus Bjerg (born 28 July 1976) is a Danish actor, comedian and singer. He has enjoyed much success alongside Jonas Schmidt, in series like ''P.I.S. - Politiets Indsats Styrke'', '' Wulffmorgenthaler'', '' Dolph & Wulff'' and ''Jul i Verdens ...

.1864
at the Danish Film Institute

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Müller, Max 1808 births 1884 deaths 19th-century Danish army officers People of the First Schleswig War Danish military personnel of the Second Schleswig War Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog