Colonel Otto von Fieandt (1762-1823)
Otto von Fieandt was born in 1762 into a military family as his father was a lieutenant at the Savolax regiment. Otto began his military studies early as the customs of the time demanded and after completing these he was made a staff aide under Lieutenant General von Platen. As such he took part in the 1788-90 war with Russia and advanced to Captain at the Tavastehus (Fin. Hämeenlinna) regiment, during that campaign although he had been involved in the Anjala conspiracy as well (the plan by Swedish officers to declare Finland an independent state). For his involvement in the conspiracy he was sentenced to execution, but the king showed mercy. Von Fieandt was later transferred to the famous Björneborg regiment and in 1796 he attained the rank of Major at the Rautalampi battalion.
At the outbreak of the 1808-09 war he was Lieutenant Colonel at the army. During the campaign he was the commander of an own independent unit, with which he time and time again caused the enemy notable losses. He got a wide reputation for his resolute ways of command as well as his own ego. He won many brilliant successes defending the roads between Lintulax, Perho and Karstula and the west coast. But after a 17-hour battle at Karstula on August 21 1808, he was forced to retreat.
After the war he stayed on in Finland, although most of the officers moved over to Sweden. Otto von Fieandt attained the rank of Colonel as he went into retirement in 1810. He died at Kananoja estates in the area of Viborg in 1823.
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