Original Anecdotes of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia; And of His Family, His Court, His Ministers, His Academies, and His Literary Friends Volume 2 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1806 edition. Excerpt: ... MILITARY GOVERNMENT. BEFORE treating of the military anecdotes in which Frederick is personally concerned, it is necessary to make the reader acquainted with the organization of the Prussian army. In general, all that relates to this branch of the administration is in the hands of the monarch solely; the minister of the war department being at Berlin no more than a sort of superintendent, charged with the details concerning clothing, subsistence, magazines, the children of the soldiers, and other objects of a similar nature. For this reason it is that this minister forms a part of the grand directory, with which, however, the army has no manner of relation, and on which no soldier has the least dependence. This minister has no power of nominating to any rank, nor exercising any authority over persons; and one may associate for a long time with military men without hearing even his name mentioned. There are in Prussia two modes of enlisting soldiers. The first is, that every regiment has a certain district assigned it, out of which are taken as many men as may be required. For this purpose the majors go over the district once in every year, in the month of February. On arriving in each village they call an assembly of the heads, who furnish them with the registers of all the marriages, births, and funerals J the majors take down the names of such persons upon the registers as are of an age to serve as soldiers, whom they proceed to examine, rejecting those deficient in the necessary qualifications, and choosing those among the former who are of the least use to agriculture and their families. This choice renders him on whom it falls a soldier for the rest of his life; and the form of his engagement consists of the following words: "You will set...