1804.] 
the enemy, with many efforts, cut in 
pieces the regiments of Saxe-Gotha and 
Obyern, and continuing to difperfe the 
Auftrian and “Saxon {quadrons as they 
‘attempted to form and advance, prepared 
an eafy victory for the king when he 
‘caine up with the artillery and the beavy- 
armed troops. ‘The kettle-drums of the 
regiment of Saxe-Gotha were afligned to 
the future ufe of Von Zieten’s Huffars, 
by whom they had been taken, as perpe- 
tual trophiés of their viétory. Von 
Zieten by an accidental wound in the 
Jeg, was difabled from farther aétive 
fervice, till the end of this war. It 
terminated “in the Peace of Drefden, 
figned on the 25th of December, that 
dame year, 
A’ new rival jhad begun to intercept 
Prederick’s favour from~ General Von 
Zieten, towards the: clofe of the war; 
General Von Winterfeldt, who was much 
a private favourite’ with the monarch. 
He envied Von Zicten’s merits; and was 
anduftrious to detrast from them as much 
as poflible, in his mafter’s eftimation. 
During the war, while Von Zieten was 
exhibiting, every day, new proofs of 
the moft daring heroifm, and of a genius 
for ftratagem the moft profound and fer- 
tile, it would have been difficult to per- 
fuade Frederick to ufe him abfolutely ill. 
in peace, this was lefs hard for’an artful 
enemy to accomplifh; as Von Zieten was 
not a man of a fupple, infinuating {pirit, 
was not, in any degree, an admirer of 
French wit and philofophifm, was more a 
“merely practical foldier than one endea- 
vouring to render the art of war as much 
as poffible a matter of literature, erudi- 
tion, and philofophy. Befides, it was 
Frederick’s paffion to make his army, as 
it were, one grand machine, of. which 
the component parts fhould be formed by 
difcipline, to aét with the fame mechanical 
correfpondence of movements, as if they 
aad been without all power of voluntary 
aberration or difobedience. It was his 
favourite amufement in .peace, to train’ 
his troops to this perfection of difcipline. 
He was, in this, partly to the admira- 
tion, and in fome part, alfo, to the ridi- 
cule of all Europe, eminently fuccefsful, 
But, the eflential nature of the Huaffar- 
fervice required thefe troops to preferve 
more than the heavy-armed cavalry or 
the infantry of the line, of individual, 
independent, voluntary. motion, even in 
the moft confummate regularity of their 
difcipline.. This the King could, not or 
would not underftand. He was tempted 
to deipile, in time of peace, as nothing 
_ Life of General Von Zieten, 
47 
better than diforderly marauders. Hence 
the fecret principle of his difcontent witix 
Von Zieten. It was eafy, when he was 
in this mind, for an infidious favourite 
to perfuade him; that the difcipline of 
the Auftrian light troops was better thaa 
that of his own; and that Von Zieten’s 
chief merits had been in temerity and 
good foriune. During the whole interval 
till the commencement of the feven years 
war, Von Zieten was coldly and unkind- 
ly treated by his royal mafter. He en- 
dured the flights to which he was ex- 
pofed, with manly filence, but ‘not with- 
out, much fecret indignation and dif. 
content, i 
His domeftic and private enjoyments 
were, in this period, of the moft pleafing 
and honourable nature. He built a noble 
houfe at Wuftrau, for.which the King 
prefented him with the lime and timber. 
He made great agricultural improvements 
on his paternal eftate. He employed a por- 
tion of his leifure in the ftudy of military 
and architectural plans in his clofer. . He 
lived in much domeftic endearment with’ 
his wife and children. He often enter- 
tained his friends at a hofpitable and plen- 
titul table, fuitabl-, in iis expence, to his 
condition and emoluments. His wife was 
taken from him by death, not long before 
the breaking out of the feven year’s wars 
His own health was about the fame time 
fo much in decline, that what with this, 
what with his refentment of the King’s 
unkindnefs, he had refolved to afk Jeave 
of his Majetty to refign, and to retire from 
the fervice. In his diftrefs, his grand re- 
fource was in the confolations of picty. 
“« T have loft every thing,’” faid he, over 
the cold remains of his wife; “ beauty, 
virtue, prudence, piety, all thefe the pol- 
f-fled; but it is the Almighty who hath 
taken her from me.” 
At the commencement of the feven 
year’s war, Frederick felt himlelf {ud 
denly compelled, by fentiments of involun- 
tary confidence and efteem, to do ample 
juftice at once to Von Zieten for all the 
wrongs of opinions by which he had tor- 
tured the feelings of this gallant and faith- 
ful fervant during the peace. No fooner did 
he fee war to be unavoidable, than he 
judged it indifpenfibly requifite cordial'y 
to reconcile himfelf to General Von Zieten. 
Von Winterfeldt undertook the tafk of 
conciliation: but Von Zieten was not to 
be: talked into content by the plaufibie 
words of the man whole infidious and ma~ 
licious arts he believed to have poifoned 
his Sovereign’s mind againft him. Frede- 
nick then paid Von Zieten a vilit in ae 
‘ an 
