Gneisenau, August, Count Neidhardt von

Gneisenau, August (Wilhelm Anton), Count Neidhardt von

(born Oct. 27, 1760, Schildau, near Torgau, Saxony—died Aug. 23, 1831, Posen, Prussia) Prussian field marshal and military reformer. Along with Gerhard J.D. von Scharnhorst, he remolded the Prussian army shattered by Napoleon (1806) from a mercenary force into an instrument of modern warfare, introducing universal military service. In 1811–12 he traveled on secret missions to negotiate a new war against Napoleon, which was renewed in 1813. As chief of staff to Gebhard von Blücher, he planned Prussian, and sometimes Russian, strategy. Gneisenau's insistence on the decisive battle and relentless pursuit proved successful at the Battle of Waterloo.