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194. RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.
him; and when the chances turn, they turn with them. In the mean time they mult of
courfe always {tand one adlion in the place where they are.
With regard to the interior government and tactics of the Pruffian army, all I can tell
you about them is, that no foreigners know any thing of the matter. Mr. Guibert, the
celebrated French writer on the fubject, is looked upon here as the moft miferable dri-
veller in the whole world ; and they pointed out feveral things to me, which he had en-
tirely miftaken. I will give you only one fpecimen, which I happen to recolleé&t. He
fays that the cylindrical rammer of the Pruffians deprefles the gun too much when they
prefent. ‘This is not only falfe in fa&t, but Mr. Guibert overlooked fomething here,
which the Pruffians confider as a remarkable advantage. They always lower the guna
little when they prefent, becaufe they have obferved that it is always raifed a little by
the natural fhaking of the foldier, efpecially when he fees himfelf within the enemies’
fire. They fay we loft 1 know not what battle in Flanders, by our men always firing too
high, whereas the Englith took fuch care to make their people fire lower, that fome of
the officers even lowered the guns of the foldiers with their arms and fticks.
In my opinion, the fame thing is to be obferved in this, as in every other part of the
Pruffian government. It is not fo much the myftery which obtains, as the fimplicity of
things, which people overlook, and judge falfely about. They feek for artifice where
there really is none, and fet up myftery becaufe things are too near their nofes to be
feen. I was aflured by feveral officers, that in marches (which they confider as one of
the moft important parts of the art of war, though they do not make a whole regiment
ftand for fome minutes on one leg, in order to teach them how to preferve the equili-
brium of the body) there are certain little things, which people do not obferve, on which
the whole depends. The King fuffers no perfon to be prefent at the grand maneuvres,
without particular permiffion; but this is probably done more to prevent the troops
being dilturbed by a {warm of fpedtators, than to make a myftery of any thing. It re-
quires indeed a very nice and well-accuftomed eye, as well as a very favourable fituation
in the field, to fee and underftand a Pruffian maneuvre ; fo that among{t twenty pro-
feffional men, who are fpectators, there fhall hardly be one that can compafs it. ‘This is
the true caufe why the Pruffian officers themfelves can give fo little account of theiz own
art. Every man has too much to do upon his own {pot, to be able to attend to what is
pafling round him.
As wonderful as the Pruffian infantry is, it is ftill infinitely furpaffed by the cavalry,
according to the teftimony of all the officers I have fpoken with. Even Englifh travellers,
who are not apt to give any favourable accounts of what they meet with in other countries,
and who are fo proud of their own cavalry, confefs that this part of the Pruffian army
goes beyond all that can be conceived of it. The King himfelf fays of them, that they
always {tand to advantage between him and the enemy he expects. He {pends immente
fums upon them, and fends for horfes as far as Tartary. ‘The Pruffian officers, though
not given to boatting, affert, that in all the hiftory of the art of war, there is not an in-
{tance of the cavalry’s ever having been brought to the point of perfection it is now
brought to in Pruffia. They ride always full gallop; but their evolutions are as exact
as any of thofe of the infantry.
They look upon the attack of the cavalry as not to be ftood by the infantry. The
King’s cavalry is above eighty thoufand ftrong, and he every year ules five thoufand freth
horfes. ‘The Emperor takes all poffible pains to rival the King in this refpect; but he
is {till at a great diftance from him, though his cavalry is beyond comparifon the beft in
Europe alter the Pruffian,
A great
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