Gentlemen,

Thanks so much for your delightful commentary on this issue. I really appreciated your participation.

To answer your questions, Oliver: Scharnhorst received his Titularkapitän on 19 October 1792 [Georg Heinrich Klippel, Das Leben des Generals von Scharnhorst, 1:174]. In Appendix 2 of Gerhard von Scharnhorst: Privat und dienstliche Schriften, 1:813, the editors state that the term “Titular” meant Scharnhorst held the rank of captain in title only, without the corresponding income.

This is what Hans-Karl noted in his response, and is what Linnebach explains in Scharnhorsts Briefe, pp. 21 and 40. Scharnhorst himself confirms this in his letters to his wife Klara, when he laments the loss of pay he is receiving as a titular versus a wirklicher captain.

After studying the sources Oliver and Paul provided, I decided to translate Titularkapitän as “captain, in title only” initially (with a footnote so the reader sees the real meaning), and later in my text as Captain Scharnhorst.

Thanks again for your assistance, Gentlemen. Have a great day! Take care and God bless!

Chuck White