eling
in most of the regiments. The disgraceful prostration of Prussia was
not owing to the bad material of the army, nor especially to the
obsolete tactics. Nay, in the struggle it was shown how great was the
capacity of both the men and officers who were so shamefully
sacrificed. Amidst the lawlessness, coarseness, and rapacity which
inevitably come to light among a demoralised soldiery, we rejoice in
finding the most worthy soldier-like feeling often amongst the meanest
of them. One of the many unworthy proceedings of the stupid campaign of
1806, was the surrender of Hameln. How the betrayed garrison behaved
has been related in the letter of an officer. The narrator was the son
of an emigrant, a Frenchman by birth, but he had become an inestimable
German, of whom our people are proud; he had done his duty as a
Prussian officer, but at every free moment he devoted himself to German
literature and science; he had no satisfaction in carrying on war
against the land of his birth, and had sometimes wished himself away
from the ill-conducted campaign; but when a bad commander betrayed his
brave troops, the full anger of an old Prussian was kindled in the
breast of the adopted child of the German people, he assembled his
comrades, and urged them to a general rising against their incapable
commander; all the juniors were as indignant as himself; but in vain.
They were deceived, and the fortress, in spite of their resistance,
delivered over to the French. Fearful was the despair of the soldiers;
they fired their cartridges into the windows of the cowardly commander;
they shot one another in rage and drunkenness; they dashed their
weapons on the stones, that they might not be carried with more renown
by strangers, and the old Brandenburgers wept when they took leave of
their officers. In the company of Captain von Britzke, regiment von
Haack, were two brothers, Warnawa, sons of soldiers; they mutually
placed their muskets to each other's breast, drew the triggers at the
same time, and fell into each other's arms, that they might not survive
the disgrace.[40]

But those who were the leaders, but not men, who were they? Experienced
Generals from the school of the great King, men of high birth, loyal
and true to their King, grown old in honours. But were they too old?
They undoubtedly were grey-headed and weary. They had come into the
army as boys, perhaps from the teaching of the cadet colleges, where
they had been trained; the