337 FREDERICK AND WARmade him an officer, and on his first day of duty in this capacity he
deserted. Now there's something for your philosophers to chew on!'
(Catt, 1884, 242).
Industrious and intelligent soldiers escaped the punishments
altogether, and if their careless comrades were punished severely it is
worth emphasising that as recruits they had all undergone a training
that was noted for its gentleness and patience (Riesebeck, 1784, II,
135; Mirabeau-Mauvillon, 1788, 116; Toulongeon (1786), 1881, 291).
Individual monsters, like Lieutenant-Colonel Scheelen of the First
Battalion of the Garde, were capable of driving their miserable
soldiers to suicide. They had their counterpart in every army, but
they did not necessarily represent what Frederick desired for his own.
As governor of Berlin, Mollendorff declared in 1785: 'It is not rascals,
scum, dogs and ruffians that His Majesty wishes to have in his service,
but honest soldiers - the same people as ourselves, even if the chance
of birth has favoured us with higher rank' (Schnackenburg, 1883b,
94).
Whereas drill is prized in modern times for its spiritual worth, in
the eighteenth century it formed an inherent part of tactics. It was
this utilitarian aspect that was stressed by Frederick: 'In Prussia, the
soldier is trained to do precisely what he will execute on the day of
battle, and nothing superfluous' (Toulongeon (1786), 1881, 392).
Expert observers noted that the Prussian troops had an easy bearing
under arms, and that on manoeuvres Frederick looked for a satisfac-
tory performance of the essentials of each movement, and not an
absolute precision of timing and alignment.
The bleakness of military life was alleviated by the very salutary
distinctions which the Prussian army observed between the periods
that were spent on and off duty. The parades in Berlin were held only
on Sundays and feast days, which was less frequently than in Paris.
With the exception of the Garde, the troops throughout the mon-
archy were accommodated in civilian billets, not barracks, and they
were not disturbed overmuch by military demands. Outside the
seasons for reviews and manoeuvres the native men went back to
their villages. The foreigners, once they had been put through their
paces on the square for a couple of hours each morning, were left to
pursue whatever private occupation they wished. Likewise on cam-
paign Frederick did not fatigue his troops by drills, when he was
satisfied that they had acquired the basic tactical proficiency.
Such differences were respected by the men. The king enjoyed the
informalities of the march, but
as soon as the army reached the place of assembly Frederick
turned into a different person, his adjutants sped in all