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registered for service, but there were many categories of exemption, such as skilled tradesmen. Considerably more than half the army were foreigners, again recruited by each regiment separately (this would explain why Bräker saw five Prussian recruiting officers in Schaffhausen at the same time). Many men may have joined the Prussian colours from love of adventure or from economic necessity, but the process of trickery combined with force undergone by Bräker was by no means unusual.

It is important to remember, however, that mercenary soldiers were one of the mainstays of Switzerland's economy, and had been so ever since Roman times if not earlier. They had a reputation to lose, not only for fighting well, but also for staying loyal to whoever had hired them. Although Bräker makes it clear that he did not enlist of his own free will, the charge of "desertion" was many times levelled at him during his lifetime, and even after his death; his sensitivity on the subject is not hard to understand.

In peacetime the training of a recruit took about a year, and occupied most of the recruit's time; experienced men had more leisure and were encouraged to take part-time jobs to supplement their meagre pay. Bräker was probably drilled more intensively because the army was expected to go out on campaign very soon. Recruits were lodged with more experienced soldiers who carried out part of their training and ensured that their charges did not try to escape.

At that time an infantry regiment numbered about 1700 men, of which about 50 were officers, about 160 NCOs, about 1430 rank and file and the rest clerks, medical staff and bandsmen. Regiments were known officially only by numbers, but unofficially referred to by the name of the commander-in-chief. So Bräker's regiment, the 13th infantry, was known as Itzenblitz after General Itzenblitz who had commanded it since 1750. Most Prussian regiments wore blue coats, of a colour still known to artists as "Prussian blue", but the colour of coat-facings, waistcoat, breeches and stockings varied from one regiment to another. Duffy (p. 239) gives the Itzenblitz uniform as "light straw" colour, but Bräker says that it was white. Possibly there was also some variation from one company to another. The coats were very skimpily cut, to facilitate fighting in very close order, that is, with each man jammed tightly shoulder to shoulder with his neighbour. Infantry soldiers wore small three- cornered hats, and their footgear was not the infamous Prussian jackboots but stout square-toed shoes. There was also a regulation hairstyle, which, as Bräker says, took some getting right - the back hair was waxed and powdered and braided into a long pigtail coming well below waist level (extended by artificial hair if necessary), and the sides were curled, with one fewer curl on the right side since the hat was worn slightly to one side.

Each soldier carried a sword and a bayonet besides his flintlock musket. The Prussian muskets were incapable of accurate fire, but their effect was assumed to depend on numbers and speed of reloading rather than on aiming; in fact it appears that soldiers were ordered not to attempt to aim them. Bräker may very well be justified in his claim that he never hurt anyone in battle. Many of the manoeuvres with the gun that Bräker had to learn were probably only ceremonial, but he would have learnt also, for example, how to reload while on the move, and the complicated footwork needed to change from line of march to battle order. The Prussian "goose-step" was not introduced till later (in the 18th century marching in step at all was quite a new thing and the Prussians excelled in it), but there were regulation paces for slow and quick march.

Discipline was very strict, and Bräker's regiment had a reputation for severity. Officers used their fists and canes freely, all the more so, perhaps, because many of them were "Junkers" or poor country squires only a cut or two socially above their men. Infringements of discipline were severely punished, the most common penalty being "running the gauntlet". "Running" is somewhat misleading, the victim was not allowed to run (and might be hobbled to prevent him doing so) but forced to walk between the two lines of men who beat him with hazel rods. Twelve runs were allotted for minor offences such as being drunk or answering back while on duty; but attempts at desertion might result in 36 runs, which was often fatal. Ringleaders of attempted mass desertion were generally hanged or shot, sometimes after torture. Bräker has been accused

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