Nils von Schoultz

Nils von Schoultz was born as Nils Gustaf Ulrik von Schoultz on October 7, 1807, as the second surviving child to Nils Fredrik von Schoultz, a mid-ranking government official for the Kingdom of Sweden, and his wife Johanna Henrika Gripenberg. His younger sister was Johanna von Schoultz, who became comparatively famous in her own right as a talented opera singer described as being a “perfect soprano.” She was the first opera singer from Finland to travel internationally around Europe, and famed Italian composers like Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Vincenzo Bellini all composed pieces with her voice in mind.

Only a few months after his birth, in February 1808, war broke out between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire, the latter of which was an ally of Napoleonic France at the time. Although Nils von Schoultz Sr. stayed behind to take up arms as an officer in the war, the family fled to Stockholm for the time being. Following the war, and the loss of Finland to Russia in September 1809 as signed over with the Treaty of Fredrikshamn, the family remained in Stockholm and was soon after reunited with Nils von Schoultz Sr., who then died seven years later in 1816.

Following the footsteps of his father and grandfather, and in alignment with the expectations of young gentlemen in the early 19th-century, von Schoultz enlisted in the military, and passed his artillery officer's examination in May 1829. He excelled academically, especially with mathematics and sciences. Given his charming personality and his handsome appearance, he also frequented balls and other events of the high society of Stockholm at that time. By October 1830, however, at the age of 23, von Schoultz requested permission to resign his commission, and he was granted an honourable discharge. Rumours exist that this was perhaps due to serious gambling debts which von Schoultz had acquired. Regardless, he soon found himself in Poland, and on the side of the rebelling force which was engaged in a bloody insurrection against the Russian Empire. Little is known about von Schoultz’ time in Poland, but by his account he partook in the defence of Warsaw and was there when the city fell to the Imperial Russian forces on September 8, 1831, from which he was captured, although he managed to escape captivity soon after.

By some way or another, von Schoultz made his way to France and enlisted with the newly established French Foreign Legion. As France had just begun its takeover of Algeria in 1830, von Schoultz was sent across the Mediterranean and participated in the ongoing conquest. By his account, von Schoultz claimed to have had some terrible experiences there and found himself to be disgusted with what was occurring. By the springtime of 1832, however, and again by some way or another, von Schoultz managed to leave the ranks of the French Foreign Legion, and he made his way to Florence, where he happily reunited with his mother and sister.

In 1838, von Schoultz was recruited by John Ward Birge to take part in the attack against Prescott in Upper Canada. Birge felt von Schoultz would be a welcome addition to the campaign because he believed von Schoultz had been an officer in the Polish army for a time and therefore had some experience with leadership and invasion tactics.[1]

On November 11, 1838, Birge, von Schoultz and roughly four hundred other Hunters left the shores of New York and proceeded down the St. Lawrence River to put their attack plan into motion. Von Schoultz was placed in charge of a schooner called the Charlotte of Toronto, the only original vessel that would reach the Upper Canadian shore. On November 12, von Schoultz and his crew of about one hundred and fifty men landed three kilometres east of Prescott and worked to construct fortifications in the hamlet of Newport. When the men reached one of the main structures in community, the windmill, they elected von Schoultz as their leader. He helped arrange a solid defence which held up against the British forces for nearly five days, but on November 16, von Schoultz and his men surrendered to the British.[2]

The captured invaders were transported to Kingston by boat where the older prisoners (including von Schoultz) were tried by a military court martial at the end of November 1838. Von Schoultz was able to gain a legal adviser and employed future Prime Minister John A. Macdonald, but the rules of the court required von Schoultz to conduct his own defence.[3] Von Schoultz maintained that he misunderstood the desires of the Canadian people and was misinformed about their situation. Although Macdonald advised against it, von Schoultz told the court that he felt as if he had to pay for his crimes. He was the only one of the captives to actually plead guilty to his violations of law. He also placed some of the blame of his defeat at Prescott on Birge as he had not done anything to help von Schoultz and his men and had also not sent any reinforcements to the town.[4] Von Schoultz's demeanour throughout the trial made him appear to be a respectable man who was filled with regret over what he had done. He won over many of the people he came in contact with during the course of the trial and some of them even attempted to get Sir George Arthur (the lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada) to spare his life.[5] Nevertheless, von Schoultz was convicted and hanged at Fort Henry on December 8, 1838.[6]

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• Heritage Minute: The Trial of Nils Von Schoultz on YouTube
• John Ward Birge at RootsWeb/Ancestry.com