44 
ie 
again him. Marfhal Von Buddenbrock 
and General’ Von Flanz, the King’s fa- 
vourite officers, judging more truly of 
Von Zieten’s talents and difpofitions, be- 
came his advocates with their Sovereign. 
Yet, it was fometime before the Monarch 
could be perfuaded to give a new commif- 
fion to a perfon whom he thought of a 
’ temper too quarrelfome to leave peace and 
orderly obedience among his brother of- 
ficers, in any regiment into which he 
fhould be admitted. 
Luckily for Von Zieten, the King 
had begun in the year 1722, to introduce 
huffars into the Pruffian fervice;_ and 
had then formed two companies, his 
experience of which difpofed him, in 
the year 1730, to add a third company. 
He had named the captain and the cor- 
net, when Von Zieten was recommend- 
ed to him to be the lieutenant. He at 
firt refufed, but, at laf with fharp admo- 
nition, gave to the broken dragoon-officer, 
the appointment requefted for him. Von 
Zieten now thirty-one years of age, had 
greatly fubdued the firt hotnefs of his 
temper. His captain failed not to try it 
by many little aéts of teazirg infolerice 
which, but for the hard leffon he had re- 
ceived, Von Zieten could fearce-have pa- 
tiently endured. But he fupprefled every 
warm emotion, and became exemplary in 
facrificing his private refentments. The 
King having his eye much upon the new 
company, foon diftinguifhed, by his own 
obfervation the Jieutenant’s true merits, 
as anofficer. When in the beginning of 
the next year two new companies of huf- 
fars were raifed; the command of the fe- 
cond company of Brenkendorft’s corps 
was given to Yon Zieten. 
In the fpring of the year 1735, Won 
7ieten was fent by his Majelty, ‘at the 
head of one hundred and twenty huffars,: 
to learn under General Von Barennay, the 
perfection of the huffar-difcipline, as it 
was practifed in the Auftrian fervice. On 
his march he and his foldiers were enter- 
tained with fuch profufe hospitality by the 
Duke of Saxe Weimar at Buttfadt, that 
they got all drunk,.and fome very un- 
. pleafant confequences had almoft enfued. 
‘Thefe, Von Zieten recovered from the ef- 
fects of his debauch, in time to prevent. 
But, the leffon was not loft upon him: 
for, he, never after, fufrered himfelf to be 
educed to excefs in drinking. Hearrived 
on the 12th of May, at the Auftrian camp, 
then in the vicinity of Mentz. The cam- 
paign was againft the French, Von Zieten, 
by his zeal, 2&ivity, and prudent conduét, 
foon mede himfeif bighly acceptable to 
General Von Baronnay, and the other 
Life of General Von Zieten. 
[ Feb. 1, 
Auftrian officers. After affifting, in feve- 
ral {kirmifhes, in a manner exceedingly 
honourable to himfelf and his Pruffians ; 
he was entruf%ed by General Von Baror-' 
nay, with the command of a feparate en- 
terprife; in which the mof alert move- 
ments and artifices of the huffar-warfare 
were to be tried; and in which he per- 
fe&tly fucceeded. A report of his fuccefs 
and good conduét being tranfmitted to the 
King of Pruflia, his maiter, the was, on 
the zoth of January, 1736, honoured with 
promotion to the rank of major. Peace 
was foon after conciuded between Aufiria 
and France: and Major Von Zieten re-. 
turned, with his buffars to Berlin. 
About this period, he married Leo-’ 
poldine Judith Von Jurgas, a lady of the 
kindred of his mother, beautiful, fenfible, 
and endowed with the mildeft and with 
the mot exaited virtues. 
In his regiment he was now placed under: 
the intermediate command of Lieutenant 
Colonel Wurm, an officer who had been, 
in Von Zieten’s abfence, advanced trom: 
the infantry, to this rank in the hufiars 
fervice. Brenkendorff, his former captain 
and rival, had been dilmiffed. Wurm was 
tall and fout: noted for his duels at the: 
-univerfity, in which he had killed four or: 
five of his fellow fudents; unfkilled in 
the huffar-difcipline; and poffefled with a 
conceit of his own knowledge and ability, 
which made him defpife every means of” 
improvement. f 
Von Zieten had not long begun to ferve’ 
uncer Wurm, when a dittribution of 
horfes, in which the Lieutenant Colonel 
fhewed undue partiality to his own fqua-. 
dion, excited a fierce difpute between him 
and the Major. They were alone. They 
fattened the door of the room, drew their 
fabres, and fought till Worm was wounded 
in the head, Von Zieten, in the right hand,’ 
Wurm then propofed to finifh the combat 
with piftols. But, Von Zieten, though 
not more averfe than Wurm, to puth the 
matter to any extremity, yet more confi- 
derate of duty, fuggefted, that they might 
end their contention ‘at another time, but 
ought now to have their wounds drefled, 
and» go upon the parade. Wurm com- 
plied. He aifo receded from the injuftice - 
out of which the quarrel had arsfen 5 and 
diftributed the horfes among the two fqua-' 
drons by lot; fo that it was not afterwards 
renewed. 
In 1740, Von Zieten loft, by the death 
of King Frederick William the Firft, » 
a patron whofe confidence he had fully 
cained, after conquering by prudence and 
a&tivity, his early diflike; and whom he 
therefore fincerely and deeply clea 
