1804. | 
with a long tail well ftiffened and pow. 
dered, by a foldier of the garrifon. 
When he was thirteen years of age, his 
yather engaged adomeftic tutor to infru& 
him. But, the pupil had no paffion for 
letters; and wovld not endure corporal 
punifhment. The tutor proved to be ar- 
bitrary in his temper, and carelefs in his 
morals. -And the father, at the fon’s fo- 
citation, very foon difmiffed him. 
Next year, his father {ent him, to ferve, 
with the hope of promotion in the regi- 
ment of Schwendy, then partly in garrifon 
at Spandau. General Schw#endy, — its 
commander, though his father’s old ac- 
quaintance, received the youth when he 
went to pay his duty to him, with a care- 
lefs infolence, which provoked his imme- 
diate, undiflembled refentmenc, and which 
he could never after, with patience think 
of. Buthis military zeal was not to be 
difcouraged ; and he applied with dili- 
gence, to perfect himfelf in the difcipline, 
His ftature being low, and his figure with- 
out martial dignity, he had firft fome dif. 
ficulty to make himfelf refpected among 
his comrades. He  foon taught them, 
however, with his fword, that they were 
not to judge of his {pirit from his perfonal 
afpeét. Ina rencounter with an old fer- 
jeant, he gave his antagonift, a defperate 
wound in the face, and came off himfelf 
unburt. Another of his comrades who 
ventured to make trial of his prowels, was, 
crippled for life in the combat. On the 
7th of July, 1720, he was advanced to 
the rank of enfign, in the fame regiment. 
‘The regiment was in a fhort time, 
given to Count afterwards Field Marfhal 
Von Schwerin from the fervice of the Prince 
Mecklenburg. !Von Schwerin was fol- 
Jowed into the Pruffian fervice, by many 
fellow-countrymen of his own, whom ke 
was willing to patronize and advance. 
In partiality..to them, he accuftomed 
himfelf to ovéilook the jut claims of 
fome of the native Pruffian officers under 
his command. To the puny figure and 
fhrill voice of Von Zieten, he evinced e(pe- 
cial diflike. Von Zieten, after being {our 
times unduly fuperfeded, demanded _per- 
miffion to leave the regiment ; which was 
inflantly given him. 
‘Here feemed to be, at once, an end. 
to the hopes of his military ambision: 
and the difappointment was, no dopbt, 
fevere to fuch an ardent mind. But, he 
_ afterwards owned fome of its immediate 
_ effeéts to have been highly falutary. So 
_ much were the officers of the regiment of 
_ Schwerin, then addi&ted to vulgar and 
foitifh excels in drinking ; that a catk of 
Life of General Van Zieten. 
43 
) 
beer was emptied every day in the guard- 
houfe ; each oficer was obliged by the 
rule of their drinking, to take off a quart- 
mug ata fingle draught; this was to be 
feveral times repeated in the courfe of the 
day : and it was with great difficulty, that 
Von Zieten, on account of the weaknefs 
of his flomach, obtained leave to exchange 
the quart of beer for a {mall glafs of 
brandy. ‘The fame example of his com- 
panions in the reciment, had begun to fe- 
duce him into amorous excefles, {carce 
lefs dangerous to his health and morals. 
But his retreat from the regiment, both 
withdrew him from the contagion of evil 
example, and Jed him to folitary reflexion 
by which his mind was to a great degree, 
unalterably armed againft the grofleft vices. 
His father had died in the year 1719. 
And young Von Zieten’s firft care, upon 
retiring to Wulirau, was to fettle his fa- 
mily affairs, fo as .to fecure in the beft 
manner he could the comfort of his mother 
and fifters. Between two and three years 
thus paffed; while he meditated a return 
to the fervice; but awaited the chance of 
an invitation from his Sovereign, and 
wifhed to be placed in a different regi- 
ment, without lofs of rank, on account of ' 
the time he had been unemployed, 
Having, at length, engaged the King’s 
favourable notice, he was received, as 
fourth lieutenant in Wuthenow’s regiment 
of dragoons, in 1726; he himfelf being 
then feven-and-twenty_ years of ase. A 
law-fuit was, in the end of the fame year, 
terminated in his favour, by which his 
family had been, full forty years, vexa- 
tioufly harraffed. He joined his regiment, 
and found foom occafion to difplay fuch 
activity, prudence, and {pirit as were fuf- 
ficient to recommend him to the efteem 
and friendfhip of almoft all his brother: 
officers. The captain, however, under 
whofe immediate commands he was become 
from envy, and by contentions which that 
excited between them, his mortal enemy, 
Von Zieten was by the malice, cowardice, 
and art of thisman, condemned, firft toa 
year’s imprifonment, and afterwards, on 
account of the circumitances of a perfonal 
combat between him and the captain, dif 
miffed the regiment, by the fentence of a © 
court-martial. 
His difmiffal was not for cowardice, but 
chiefly becaufe he was judged to be tco hot 
headed and impetuous. The diihonour re- 
mained, indeed, with his antagoniit. But 
Von Zieten had now reafon to think himkl£ 
cut off, from all chance of making his for- 
tune in Pruffia, as a foldier; the King being, 
upon partialinformation,highly exaiperated 
G 2 againit 
