Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Seydlitz ( 3 February 1721 – 27 August 1773 ) was a Prussian soldier and one of the greatest German cavalry general s . Early life . Seydlitz was born in Kalkar in the Duchy of Cleves , where his father Daniel Florian von Seydlitz , a major of Prussian cavalry , was stationed . After his father ' s death in 1728 his mother brought him up in straitened circumstances , but at the age of fourteen he went as a page to the court of the Margrave Frederick William of Brandenburg - Schwedt , who had been his father ' s colonel . During this time under the " Mad " Margrave , Seydlitz conceived his passion for tobacco , women , and feats of daredevil horsemanship . He acquired a superb mastery of horsemanship , and many stories tell of his feats , the best known of which involved riding between the sails of a windmill in full swing . Early career . In 1740 Seydlitz received a commission as a cornet in the margrave ' s regiment of Prussian cuirassier s . Serving as a subaltern in the First Silesian War , he was taken prisoner in May 1742 after so gallant a defence that King Frederick II of Prussia offered to exchange an Austrian captain for him . In 1743 the king made him a captain in the 4th Hussars , and he brought his squadron to a state of conspicuous efficiency . He served through the Second Silesian War , and after Hohenfriedberg won promotion to major at the age of twenty - four . At the close of the war Seydlitz had an opportunity of successfully handling 15 squadrons in front of the enemy , and this , with other displays of his capacity of leading cavalry in the searching tests of Frederick ' s reviews , secured his promotion in 1752 to the rank of lieutenant - colonel and in 1753 to the command of the 8th cuirassiers . In his hands this regiment soon became a pattern to the rest of the Prussian Army . In 1755 he was made colonel . Seven Years ' War . The next year , the Seven Years ' War broke out . In May 1757 , regardless of the custom of keeping the heavy cavalry in reserve , he brought his regiment forward to join the advance guard at the Battle of Prague ; he nearly lost his life attempting to ride through a marshy pool . Also , at Kolin in June 1757 , at the head of a cavalry brigade , he distinguished himself in checking the Austrian pursuit by a brilliant charge . Two days later , the king made him major - general and awarded him the " Orden Pour le Mérite " . He felt he had deserved the promotion for a long time , for he responded to Hans Joachim von Zieten ' s congratulations by saying , " It was high time , Excellency , if they wanted more work out of me . I am already thirty - six . " Excepting this , Seydlitz was generally admired for his modesty and his virtues , both private and military , with a supreme coup d ' œil that allowed him to utilize the cavalry to its full potential . In the dismal weeks that followed the disaster of Kolin , Seydlitz asserted his energy and spirit in cavalry encounters on four occasions . On the morning of the Battle of Rossbach ( 1757 - 11 - 05 ) , Frederick superseded two senior generals and placed Seydlitz in command of the whole of his cavalry . The battle resulted in the complete rout and disorganization of the enemy , and in achieving the result only seven battalions of Frederick ' s army had fired a shot - the rest had been the work of Seydlitz and his 38 squadrons . The same night , the king awarded him the Order of the Black Eagle , and promoted him lieutenant - general . Unfortunately , during the melee he had received a wound , and remained out of action for four months . Seydlitz ' health was a frequent problem , undermined by his notorious promiscuity under the Margrave , and even the slightest wound incapacitated him . Seydlitz rejoined the king in 1758 , and at the Battle of Zorndorf , Seydlitz ' s cavalry again saved the day . At Hochkirch , with 108 squadrons he covered the Prussian retreat , and in the disaster of Kunersdorf , he received a severe wound in a hopeless attempt to storm a hill held by the Russians . During his convalescence he married Countess Albertine Hacke . He rejoined the army in May 1760 , but his health was so impaired that Frederick sent him home again . While in the capital , he helped organise a defence of the city during the Austro - Russian Raid on Berlin . Although he was unable to prevent the enemy from briefly occupying the city , Frederick later praised him for his conduct . Seydlitz did not reappear at the front until 1761 . He received command of a wing of Prince Henry ' s army , composed of troops of all arms , and many doubts were expressed as to his fitness for this command , as his service had hitherto been with the cavalry exclusively . He answered his critics with his conduct at Freiberg on October 29 , 1762 , in which , leading his infantry and his cavalry in turn , he decided the day . Later life . After the Treaty of Hubertusburg ( 1763 ) he became inspector - general of the cavalry in Silesia , where eleven regiments were permanently stationed and where Frederick sent all his most promising officers to be trained by him . In 1767 , Seydlitz was made a general of cavalry , but his later years were clouded by domestic unhappiness . His wife was unfaithful to him , and his two daughters , each several times married , were both divorced , the elder once and the younger twice . Some misunderstanding brought to an end his formerly close friendship with the king , and only in his last illness , a few weeks before his death , did the two meet again . Seydlitz died of paralysis at Ohlau in Silesia in 1773 .