Gebhard von Blucher (16 December 1742-12 September 1819) was a Prussian general during the Napoleonic Wars. Blucher commanded the powerful Army of Silesia, an army of Prussian and Russian troops that fought against Emperor Napoleon I of the First French Empire during the War of the Sixth Coalition in 1813-1814. Blucher was one of Europe's most talented commanders during the Napoleonic era, and he played a critical role in the Battle of Waterloo, during which his Prussian army assisted Arthur Wellesley's British army in destroying Napoleon's army.
Biography[]
As a young man, Blucher joined the Swedish army, then switched to the Prussian side after they took him prisoner in 1760. For a long spell he retired from military life but, by the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, he was back in the saddle as a cavalry commander. A prominent figure in Prussia's disastrous war against Napoleon in 1806, he led spirited but vain cavalry charges in the defeat at Auerstedt. In the following years, he became a symbol of Prussian patriotism and, when war with France resumed in 1813, he commanded the powerful Russo-Prussian Army of Silesia.
Tower of Strength[]
Von Blucher in 1815
Blucher defeated the French at Katzbach in August and contributed to the coalition victory at Leipzig in October. In 1814, his army fought across France to Paris, taking much of the credit for forcing Napoleon's abdication. Blucher then retired with the title Prince of Wahlstatt, only to be called back precipitately when Napoleon escaped from Elba in 1815. Facing the French commander at Ligny, the 72-year-old Blucher had his horse shot from underneath him and was trapped beneath its corpse for two hours. After recovering, he overruled his chief-of-staff, August von Gneisenau, and marched to join Wellington at Waterloo, arriving in time to turn the battle decisively against Napoleon and end his career with a glorious victory.
Gallery[]
