too far advanced in life." Agreeable to this wise decision was I
made an Austrian invalid, and an invalid have always remained; a
judgment like this would have been laughed at, most certainly, at
Berlin.

If I mistake not, the famous battle of Soor, or Sorau, was fought on
the 14th day of September. The King had sent so many detachments
into Saxony, Bohemia, and Silesia, that the main army did not
consist of more than twenty-five thousand men. Neglecting advice,
and obstinate in judging his enemy by numbers, and not according to
the excellence of discipline, and other accidents, Prince Charles,
blind to the real strength of the Prussian armies, had enclosed this
small number of Pomeranian and Brandenburg regiments, with more than
eighty-six thousand men, intending to take them all prisoners.

It will soon be seen from my narrative with what kind of secrecy his
plan was laid and executed.

The King came into my tent about midnight; as he also did into that
of all the officers, to awaken them; his orders were, "Secretly to
saddle, leave the baggage in the rear, and that the men should stand
ready to mount at the word of command."

Lieutenant Studnitz and myself attended the King, who went in
person, and gave directions through the whole army; meantime, break
of day was expected with anxiety.

Opposite the defile through which the enemy was to march to the
attack eight field-pieces were concealed behind a hill. The King
must necessarily have been informed of the whole plan of the