xii Editor's Introduction 



age still retained much of the time of Mme. de 

 Sevigne, a century before, when her letters were 

 circulated in the salons of the chateaux of France, 

 letters that forgot even to mention the fact that 

 outside of the windows, in near-by fields, soldiers 

 were slaughtering starving peasants, their coun- 

 trymen. 



Piickler, the bov, spent four years when he 

 was seven with the Moravians in their Herrnhut 

 School at Uhyst, in the Pedagogium at Halle, 

 and then, after studying with a tutor for some 

 years, he entered the University of Leipsic in 

 1800. Here, he took a general course, specializ- 

 ing in law. Soon, however, he gave up law and 

 chose a military career as better suited to his en- 

 terprising spirit. He came to excel in physical 

 accomplishments and was a daring and skillful 

 horseman. Tales of a combat come to us, where 

 he, a champion, met and vanquished a French 

 rival, in the presence and amid the plaudits of 

 the assembled armies of both sides. These and 

 other stories serve to indicate to us his reckless 

 daring and energy. Later, Puckler proved him- 

 self a skillful and experienced officer at Antwerp 

 under Bulow. Afterwards, under Geismar, he 

 was at the assault and taking of Cassel, where he 

 helped to capture several cannon. He received 

 many decorations for brilliant services and was 

 made a colonel. Later, he raised a regiment of 

 chasseurs and afterwards commanded at Bruges 

 as civil and military governor. In 18 14, when 

 the Allied Armies entered Paris, he was sent by 



