Blucher, Gebhard Leberecht Von

Blücher, Gebhard Leberecht Von 

Born Dec. 16, 1742, in Rostock; died Sept. 12, 1819, in Krieblowitz, Silesia. Prussian general field marshal. Prince of Wahlstatt.

Blücher joined the Swedish army in 1758 but fell captive to the Prussians during the Seven Years’ War, 1756–63, and transferred to their service in 1760. He was taken prisoner in 1807 by the French during the Russo-Prussian-French war of 1806–07. He later commanded Prussian troops in Pomerania. Blücher was an advocate of army reform. He was removed from his post in 1812 because of his openly expressed hatred of Napoleon. In 1813 he commanded the Russo-Prussian army in Silesia; in 1815 he was commander in chief of the Prussian-Saxon army which acted successfully at Waterloo. He was nicknamed “Marshal Advance” for his energy and resoluteness. Marx and Engels had a high opinion of his courage, indefatigability, and talents in the area of tactics (see “Bliicher,” in Soch., 2nd ed., vol. 14, pp. 178–95).