E. Babel, The Old Prussian Army before 1806. Its Composition and Its Nature. Oldenburg n.d.

The old collapses, the times change, and new life blooms from the ruins. Schiller.

The truth of this poet's words was also experienced by the Prussian army.

It was on 14 October 1806 that fate took its course: the glorious, proud Prussian army, the army of Frederick the Great, succumbed to Napoleon's genius and the overwhelming numbers of his peoples at Jena and Auerstädt. And then one crushing blow followed another. Only a few detachments survived those days of deep humiliation. The King of Prussia disbanded all those formerly so proud regiments that had been involved in a capitulation. Even the few remaining units were given different names. A new Prussian army arose, which soon washed away the shame with its blood and by new deeds of glory once again won respect and honor for the Prussian name. "To fall is no disgrace," says a proverb, "but to lie still is." Well, Prussia rose again by its own strength. It was indeed paralyzed, but not broken. And today our army stands once more, equally or perhaps even more respected than before. It has so far avoided the mistake of resting and rusting. It does not rest on well-earned laurels. Constant labor and the king's care keep the Prussian arms bright and sharp.

History is a good teacher. Its study shows us how to avoid past mistakes. Therefore it may be worthwhile to compare Prussia's army before 1806 with that of the present and to recall how the old army looked at the beginning of the 19th century according to its time.

In the Middle Ages and up through the Thirty Years' War there were no standing units. Regiments were raised as needed. The territorial ruler granted a commission to an experienced leader. Soon the recruiting drum sounded and the Landsknechte "the pious Landsknecht" hastened to the call. Ten companies usually made up a regiment. Each was led by a captain, who had a stout lieutenant and a bold ensign as officers at his side. Three sergeants or corporals, three "Landpassaten" (local recruits), a quartermaster, a corporal of the non-commissioned officers, a number of other NCOs, the provost, one to three "foolish drummers"—at once jesters, barber-surgeons and bawd-sergeants—usually one or two side-pipers joined. Some 100 arquebusiers or musketeers and 200 spearmen, later increasingly more musketeers and fewer spears, filled the ranks. When the campaign was over, the war folk dispersed and wandered through the land seeking other service, often begging and sometimes plundering.

One sang the old song:

"The war has a hole. What shall we pious Landsknechts do?"

Only small bodyguards remained constantly together. Since the Elector George William (1619–1640), however, troops in Brandenburg were kept under the banners at all times, though of very varying strength. There were bodyguards, trabants, life dragoons and kitchen dragoons, the latter for the protection of the princely household, especially on journeys, regiments on foot and regiments on horseback. The present Grenadier Regiment King Frederick the Great (3rd East Prussian) No. 4 can trace its history back to 1626. Furthermore, in time of war the militias in the towns and the Wibranzen in the countryside were called up as Landwehr for the defense of the country. Pikes and scythes, pitchforks and morning stars were their weapons. The harried peasantry, often conscripted into the Landsturm, usually fought with bitter determination.

"We are peasants of little means, and we serve our elector with our blood,"

had the Märkisch Landsturm written on its banner when it marched against the Swedes before the battle of Fehrbellin — and woe to the Swedish rider who fell into their hands! Even in 1813 one could still see many such scythe-men among the Landwehr.

The Great Elector in the year 1655 had under arms only 2 companies of the foot guard and 54 horsemen, as well as 29 garrison companies in his fortresses. The other troops were at that time in part disbanded because of their unreliability and rebelliousness. He now began, following the example of other states, to establish permanent regiments. By this he raised his power and his reputation and soon became a respected and feared, a sought-after and desirable ally, but always faithful to his motto:

"Remember that you are a German!"

He also freed his subjects from the scourge of the land that consisted in discharged mercenaries wandering through the country and not only brazenly exercising their beggar's rights but sometimes plundering, burning and robbing. Every peasant was obliged to give travelling former soldiers food and a penny. This beggar's right persisted for a long time and even after 1840 in Austria military invalids were granted it instead of a pension.

At the death of the Great Elector the Brandenburg army — which could look back on glorious campaigns against the French on the Rhine, against the Turks in Hungary, as well as against the Swedes and Poles and on the victories of Fehrbellin and Warsaw — already consisted of the life guard with 12 companies, furthermore 12 regiments on foot, several garrison troops, a naval battalion of three companies, 2 companies of mounted trabant guard, the Guard du Corps, 2 companies of Grand Mousquetaires and 8 regiments on horseback, as well as an artillery corps together with garrison artillery. The generals Derflinger, the "(the tailor's journeyman)" Sparr, Barfuß, Henniges von Treffenfeld had helped to establish the glory of the Brandenburg-Prussian arms. Their names are still preserved in the regiments named after them to the memory of posterity.

Under Elector Frederick William III, who on 18 January 1701 made himself King in Prussia, the army expanded considerably. Its uniforms became more colorful and better. But its strength and its fame also continued to grow. Mostly in service, not only for Prussia, but as under the Great Elector, for Emperor and Empire, Prussia's warriors often won glorious victories under the command of Prince Eugene of Savoy. The song of Prince Eugene, the noble knight, is today, as a well-known soldier's song of the Prussian army, testimony to this. On the battlefields of Salankemen, at Peterwardein, before Ofen, at Höchstädt, before Landau, Kaiserswerth, Bruges, Ghent, at Oudenarde and Malplaquet, before Namur and Charleroi, at Zenta, Cassano and Turin, on Rügen and on many other famous battlefields the flags of the Brandenburg-Prussian troops had been unfurled. Rich laurels of victory were theirs. The Emperor in Vienna and Prince Eugene were full of praise in their letters to the King about the achievements and heroics of the Prussian troops. At the end of 1712 the Prussian army numbered 9 regiments of horse, 6 dragoon regiments, which at that time were also mounted but mostly fought on foot, 16½ regiments on foot, besides 32 garrison companies, in all over 36,000 men.

Then came Frederick William I, the Soldier King, with the Old Dessauer, Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau. The Potsdam guard parade was instituted. The King's regiment of the Giant Guard in Potsdam arose. The iron baton was introduced. It was an army with wonderful discipline, indeed strict and harsh as the times required. But it remains the great merit of the often misunderstood Frederick William to have brought not only strict order and economy into the Prussian military system, but indeed the whole state and above all the Prussian finances and the entire civil service were led by him into a model order for which we are still indebted to him. His son Frederick II, the Great, who had suffered so much under his father's severity, always gratefully and gladly acknowledged this. One may scoff at queues and wigs, which were common at the time, but the Prussian army nevertheless inspired respect in friend and foe alike. To his son the morally strict and wise King Frederick William I left a filled state treasury, and though not rich, yet on the whole prosperous, a people educated in industry and integrity in orderly civic relations, a capable, ready, well-trained army of 75,000 men, consisting of 76 infantry battalions of 5 companies each, 20 cavalry regiments with 114 squadrons, 1 battalion of field artillery, 4 companies of garrison artillery and 36 garrison companies. In addition each infantry battalion had 2 guns. Added to this were the cadet corps, engineers, invalids, etc.

Frederick the Great would soon show what the army, what Prussia could achieve. And in making Prussia a great power and earning honor and renown for the Prussian name, he prepared the way for Germany's future and unity. Throughout Germany, after the victory at Rossbach, people joyfully sang the song that at last breathed German national pride:

"And when the great Frederick comes

And merely taps his breeches, then the whole imperial army runs

Pandours and Frenchmen."

Frederick immediately after the funeral of his father dismissed his beloved regiment, the dear Giant Guard, and used the funds thus freed to increase the army by 7 foot regiments and 3 corps of hussars. Then the first Silesian War began. The victories of Mollwitz and Czaslau founded the young hero's fame. The Jäger regiment and several garrison regiments and battalions, also an uhlan regiment, were formed, though the latter was soon converted into hussars. From the Breslau city regiment a 7th garrison regiment von Rampusch soon became a field regiment. The second Silesian War followed with the capture of Prague and the victories of Hohenfriedberg and Soor. The years of peace until 1756 the King used to further increase the army. In Silesia new infantry regiments and 9 hussar regiments were raised (partly already in 1743). A horse artillery was established. One third of the Prussian army lay in garrison in Silesian towns. The fortresses of Breslau, Brieg, Schweidnitz, Glatz, Neisse and Cosel were built, war materiel prepared and stored. When the third Seven Years' War over Silesia broke out, this care paid off. Unexpectedly quickly Prussia's army was prepared, and the "monkey-like" speed of the Prussians, which also showed itself in 1866, astonished the enemy. Saxony's army was captured at Pirna after it had vainly awaited relief by Austrian troops. Frederick clothed the Saxons in Prussian uniforms and formed from them 10 infantry regiments, of which so many men, even whole companies, deserted that after a year only three regiments remained. Of these too, after the peace of 1763, only one regiment continued to exist until 1806. The others had to be formed anew again.