Gneisenau, AUGUST WILHELM ANTON, GRAF NEITHARDT VON

Gneisenau, AUGUST WILHELM ANTON, GRAF NEITHARDT VON, one of the Prussian generals of the war of liberation, was born at Schildan, in Prussian Saxony, 27th October 1760. In 1782 he accompanied the German auxiliaries of England to America. On his return he joined (1786) the Prussian army, and twenty years later fought at Saalfeld and in the battle of Jena. He gave convincing proof of his military genius in the defence of Colberg from April to July 1807; and this led to his appointment on the commission for the reorganisation of the Prussian army, in which capacity he lent cordial support to the plans of Stein and Scharnhorst. In the war of liberation he rendered distinguished service at the battle of Leipzig (1813). But his most meritorious work was his share in the Waterloo campaign, in which he was chief of Blücher's staff, and principally directed the strategy of the Prussian army. He had been fifteen years on the retired list when, in 1831, on the outbreak of the Polish rebellion, he was made field-marshal and given command of the Prussian army on the Polish frontier, but he died at Posen on 24th August that same year. See his Life by Pertz (5 vols. 1864-80) and Delbrück (2 vols. 1882).