' 



•^)i{) 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[I'KUIOD IV. 



tion on the military forces of tliosc coimtrics at his 

 epoch. His other vvorks are all ou military subjects. 

 His "Campagnes dc Frederick II Roi de Prusse de 1756 

 a 1 762 " has been very severely criticised, but yet con- 

 tains a great number of instructive and interestinj; 

 details. 



Warnery had an intense admiration for Seidlitz. He 

 calls him " this grand man " when he refers to him, and 

 says tliat it was impossible to push the cavalry to greater 

 perfection than did Seidlitz. Speaking of Seidlitz's own 

 regiment, Warnery says, that it served as a model 

 to all the cavalry in the universe. Frederick was par- 

 ticularly fortunate in his choice of officers, his generals 

 Seidlitz and Ziethen being men of extraordinary capacity. 

 The ergy and promptness of decision of the former, 

 was *, oil evinced by an incident which occurred when he 

 was quite a young officer, and which is a splendid illus- 

 tration of the spirit which should animate a cavaliy 

 commander. It is translated from Comte de Rochfort's 

 " Idees Pratiques sur la Cavalerie." " Seidlitz, to whom 

 Frederick owed the greater part of his success, was so 

 skilful, so vigorous a horseman, that he could not con- 

 ceive how an officer of cavalry could be made prisoner if 

 his horse was not killed. 



" Once he expressed this opinion while escorting the 

 king when he was captain of the guard. Frederick, 

 whom nothing escr^ped, was struck v/ith his remarks, and 

 decided to put him to the proof. The opportunity £oon 

 presented itself. 



" The escort was obliged to pass over a bridge ; the 

 king stopped in the middle of it, and turning towards 

 Seidlitz, who was surrounded in front and rear, said to 

 him : 



" ' You pretend, Monsieur Seidlitz, that an officer of 

 cavalry ought never to be made prisoner ; certainly it is 

 the idea of a brave man, nevertheless there are occasions 

 where one could surrender without dishonour. Suppose, 

 for instance, that we were enemies, you would not at- 

 tempt to pass by force. What would you do then ? ' 



" Seidlitz, prompt as thought, drove in his spurs and 



