Dieskau himself never married, but his grand-nephew was Field Marshal Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke.

The bombardiers manned the howitzers and mortars, the most specialized tasks; the cannon companies were distributed throughout the army.

In 1744, two battalions received the title of Field Regiment Artillery, under command of Schmettau, although the aging General Christian Nicolaus von Linger, the artillery master of Frederick Wilhelm I, remained in nominal command.

[4] The expansion of artillery service as well as Frederick's increasing dependence upon it improved Dieskau's opportunities for advancement.

On 9 July 1752, he received the Order Pour le Mérite, and also the king gave him a magnificent tobacco pot.

In this position, he was active during the Seven Years' War, responsible for the preparation and execution of all measures relating to the replacement of armaments, equipment and ammunition.

[2] During this war, Frederick is usually credited with the creation of the first horse artillery, not intended as cavalry but simply as units that could move rapidly around the battlefield and to offer support where necessary.

[6] At the Battle of Leuthen in 1757, Frederick's nascent mobile artillery kept pace with the rapidly-moving infantry and laid devastating barrages upon the Austrian lines.