The Other Clausewitz: Findings from the Newly Discovered Correspondence between Marie and Carl von Clausewitz

The instrumental role Marie von Clausewitz played in the life of Carl von Clausewitz and the publication of his seminal work On War is often alluded to but seldom studied. The main reason for this is the fact that although Marie saved and shaped Clausewitz’s legacy, few of her own letters were published and the majority assumed lost. In July 2012, the Prussian Privy State Archives in Berlin received a truly sensational find – the full private correspondence between Marie and Carl von Clausewitz. The most valuable among them are 283 never-before published letters from Marie to her husband. They finally allow her influence over the great military theorist and her contribution to his lifework to be studied in depth. Their intellectually intensive correspondence was often echoed in Carl von Clausewitz’s writings. Marie von Clausewitz’s connections and political activism provided her husband with insight and access into the highest circles of power. Finally, by editing and publishing On War she saw his life work fulfilled.