Their favourite title was “Luetzow’s Wilde Verwegene Schaar” (Luetzow’s Wild Bold Troop).  Amongst the volunteers were many distinguished men; for instance, the poet Koerner, whose volume of war poetry, much of it written during the campaign, is still a great favourite.  One of the poems, “Luetzow’s Wilde Jagd” ("Luetzow’s Wild Chase"), is of world-wide fame through the musical setting of the great composer Weber.  In June 1813 came the armistice of which Froebel presently speaks.  During the fresh outbreak of war after the armistice the corps was cut to pieces.  It was reorganised, and we find it on the Rhine in December of the same year.  It was finally dissolved after Napoleon’s abdication and exile to Elba, 20th April, and the peace of Paris 30th May, 1814.

[80] Die Grafschaft Mark. The Mark of Brandenburg (so called as being the mark or frontier against Slavic heathendom in that direction during the dark ages) is the kernel of the Prussian monarchy.  It was in the character of Markgraf of Brandenburg, that the Hohenzollern princes were electors of the German Empire; their title as king was due not to Brandenburg, but to the dukedom of Prussia in the far east (once the territory of the Teutonic military order), which was elevated to the rank of an independent kingdom in 1701.  The title of the present Emperor of Germany still begins “William, Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia.  Markgraf of Brandenburg,” etc., etc., showing the importance attached to this most ancient dignity.  The Mark of Brandenburg contains Berlin.  Middendorff seems to have been then living in the Mark.  Froebel cannot have forgotten that by origin Wilhelm Middendorff was a Westphalian.

[81] Of Bauer little further is to be known.  He was afterwards professor in the Frederick-William Gymnasium (Grammar School) in Berlin, but has no further connection with Froebel’s career.  On the other hand, a few words on Langethal and Middendorff seem necessary here.  Heinrich Langethal was born in Erfurt, September 3rd, 1792.  He joined Froebel at Keilhau in 1817.  He was a faithful colleague of Froebel’s there, and at Willisau and Burgdorf, but finally left him at the last place, and undertook the management of a girls’ school at Bern.  He afterwards became a minister in Schleusingen, returning eventually to Keilhau.  One of the present writers saw him there in 1871.  He was then quite blind, but happy and vigorous, though in his eightieth year.  He died in 1883.  Wilhelm Middendorff, the closest and truest friend Froebel ever had, without whom, indeed, he could not exist, because each formed the complement of the other’s nature, was born at Brechten, near Dortmund, in Westphalia, September 20th, 1793, and died at Keilhau November 27th, 1853, a little over a year after his great master. (Froebel had passed away at Marienthal July 21st, 1852.)