That was my case at least; others may have seen better and clearer than
I.
I gained one clear benefit from the campaign; in the course of the
actual soldier life I became enthusiastic upon the best interests of the
German land and the German people; my efforts tended to become national
in their scope. And in general, so far as my fatigues allowed, I kept
the sense of my future position always before me; even in the little
skirmishes that we had to take part in I was able to gather some
experiences which I saw would be useful to me in my future work.
Our corps marched through the Mark,[83] and in the latter part of August
through Priegnitz, Mecklenburg, the districts of Bremen and Hamburg, and
Holstein, and in the last days of 1813 we reached the Rhine. The peace
(May 30th, 1814) prevented us from seeing Paris, and we were stationed
in the Netherlands till the breaking up of the corps. At last, in July
1814, every one who did not care to serve longer had permission to
return to his home and to his former calling. Upon my entrance into
a corps of Prussian soldiers I had received, through the influence
of some good friends, the promise of a post under the Prussian
Government--namely, that of assistant at the mineralogical museum of
Berlin, under Weiss.
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