The age of Napoleon is the age of worship of the genius of war. The military history of France acquired many famous names at that time. The famous marshals, led by their emperor, conquered almost all of Europe and won the reputation of the best European army. The Prussian army also could not resist French power - the “heirs of Frederick II” were defeated in the battles of Jena and Auerstadt. But, having gone through defeat, the Prussian army began the path to its revival, which is associated with the name of the remarkable commander Gebhard Blucher von Wallstadt.

The Blucher family has been known since the 13th century. Its founder came to the lands of Mecklenburg from Lower Saxony. He was a knight and in the fight against the Slavs he managed to conquer these lands and settle on them. Almost all members of the family in the male line were military men. They served in different armies and different sovereigns. Some, having fought in a foreign land, returned to their native lands.

Christian Friedrich Blücher traditionally chose a military career. He fought a lot, and then settled in the city of Rostock, where he received a civilian position. Here, in Rostock, Gebhard Blucher was born, becoming the ninth child in the family.

The Blucher family paid great attention to raising children. The father was strict with them, but spent all his free time with the children. From an early age, children engaged in physical exercise, so they were in excellent health. They learned the biblical commandments from their pious mother. The family did not have much wealth, but was friendly and content with a simple, unpretentious life. The children's friends were simple peasant children, with whom they, devoid of caste prejudices, willingly spent time in games and amusements.

When Gebhard was 12 years old, he began to live with his older sister's family on the island of Rügen, in Sweden. There was a military garrison here, and observing the life of the soldiers serving in the garrison became the main and, one might say, favorite activity of the children. Imitating the military, they often played war, where young Gebhard showed leadership abilities for the first time.

Learning school sciences was not easy for him, and he did not really strive to master them. Subsequently, the field marshal admitted that in his youth he missed the opportunity to study and his education was limited to private lessons.

With the outbreak of the Seven Years' War, Gebhard and his brother decided that they should begin a military career on the battlefield, and joined the Swedish army that fought against Frederick II. Blücher was captured by the Prussians, but fortunately for him, the commander of the unit that captured him was his maternal uncle von Belling. Instead of punishment, he suggested that his nephew go into Prussian service. In von Belling's regiment, during the era of the Seven Years' War, Blücher received the leaven of hussar valor and courage, which distinguished him until old age. Von Belling contributed to Gebhard's promotion. Blucher recalled: “The irreplaceable Belling was a real father to me and loved me endlessly.” But Belling was replaced by a new commander - General von Lossow. Blucher did not have a good relationship with him. The general did not want to turn a blind eye to the “tricks” of the young wayward officer and in 1772 he even made an effort to prevent him from receiving another rank. Bypassed, Blucher submitted a sharp resignation, which aroused the anger of the Prussian monarch. “Captain Blucher has been dismissed and can get the hell out,” read the resolution of Frederick II.

For the next 15 years, Gebhard Blücher led a settled life as a landowner. In 1773, he married the general's daughter Caroline von Melling, and became a caring husband, a good father and a zealous owner. But he dreamed of returning to military service and from 1778 he wrote letters to the king asking him to return him to the army. But all his requests were refused by the vindictive monarch.

Only in 1787, after the death of the king, Blücher returned with the rank of major to his former regiment, and five years later, for his outstanding military service in the Rhine campaign, he was placed at the head of the cavalry observation corps on the Lower Rhine.

Hating Napoleon, Blucher loudly spoke out in favor of declaring war on him. In 1806, at the Battle of Auerstadt, commanding an advanced cavalry detachment, Blucher persistently advised the king to act offensively, energetically, and he and his cavalry repeatedly rushed into attacks against Davout’s cavalry and infantry. When the Prussian army retreated from Jena and Auerstadt, Blucher, uniting the remnants of his cavalry, the troops of Eugene of Württemberg and the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, took command of the vanguard and tried to break through to Prenzlau to join the troops of Prince Hohenlohe. However, he was surrounded and, after stubborn resistance, was forced to surrender with the remnants of his detachment. “I surrender because I have no more bread or ammunition” - Blucher wrote these words into the surrender document. Napoleon praised his actions, saying: "This fugitive held back almost half the army."

After returning from captivity in the spring of 1807, Blücher hid his hatred of Napoleon so poorly that King Frederick William was forced to dismiss him. By the way, Napoleon also insisted on removing the obstinate general from the Prussian army.

Having gone through the shame of defeat, Prussia embarked on the path of national revival. Society realized the need for reforms, and the work to implement them was led by the talented organizer and far-sighted politician Stein. Reforming the army became the most important task, and the commission for army reform was headed by Scharngorst. Blucher became his closest assistant. For political reasons, he could not officially become a member of the commission and conveyed all his proposals through the chief of staff von Gneisenau.

Blucher considered the introduction of universal conscription to be the main thing. Each Prussian had to serve his stipulated term in the army, and then regularly undergo military training. This would make it possible to obtain a powerful and combat-ready army, and a national one at that.

Blucher tried with all his might to help his fatherland in difficult years for him and was very homesick for his service. True, in 1807 he was appointed to the post of Governor-General of Pomerania. But Napoleon, who closely followed the anti-French manifestations of his activities, obtained from the weak-willed Prussian monarch the complete removal of Blucher from any activity. And in 1811, General Blucher was removed from all posts.

The offensive of the Russian army in 1812 again called Blücher to activity. He was appointed commander of the Southern Army (27 thousand Prussian and 13 thousand Russian troops), concentrated in Silesia, and immediately began to show his energy.

In the first half of March, Blücher occupied Dresden. At the battle of Lutzen, he commanded the first line, which was supposed to cross Flusso-Groben, abruptly changing front, and then begin the offensive. This maneuver resulted in the defeat of the Allies. But with his dashing attack at the head of the cavalry, the wounded Blucher delayed the French infantry division and forced it to stand under guns all night. For this feat, Blucher was awarded by Emperor Alexander I the Order of St. George, 2nd degree. Near Bautzen, Blücher defended the central section of the position - the Krekvitsky Heights, and during the retreat to Schweinitz, he inflicted significant damage on the French with an attack at Gainau.

In the autumn campaign of 1813, Blücher, at the head of the Silesian army, energetically advanced against Ney, but avoided battle with Napoleon himself. The consequence of such a cautious course of action was Blucher’s major victory over MacDonald on the Katzbach River on August 14 (26), which brought him great fame and the title of Prince of Wallstadt.

On September 21, the Silesian army forced the crossing of the Elbe near the village of Wartemburg and on October 4 defeated Marshal Marmont near the village of Meckern.

On October 6, she energetically fought her way from the Parta River, and the next day she was the first to break into Leipzig.

The campaign of 1814 most sharply highlighted the positive and negative traits of Blücher as a commander.

In January, he crossed the Rhine with an army of 75,000, pushing Marmont in front of him, and, leaving about two-thirds of the forces of his army in the rear to blockade the fortresses, he quickly went through Nancy to Paris, neglecting concentration and close communication with the main army.

Taking advantage of this, Napoleon defeated Blucher at Brienne on January 15 (27), 1814. However, having received reinforcements, Blücher won a victory at La Rotière four days later and again rushed towards Paris.

However, this time too, he disregarded the danger, stretched his forces and within five days (February 10–14) suffered several defeats from Napoleon at Champaubert, Montmiral, Chateau-Thierry and Vau-Shac. Having lost 30 percent of his army, Blucher ordered Gneisenau: “We need to move forward again!” - and for the third time he began an offensive towards Paris, hoping there to unite with Bülow and Winzengerode.

At Soissons he again almost fell into a trap, but was able to escape from it. Napoleon, irritated by this failure, energetically pursued Blücher, but achieved only some success with Craon. Napoleonic troops were again defeated at Laon. Blucher decisively marched towards Paris and with his offensive provided significant assistance to the main army in the victorious battle on the Montmartre Heights.

In 1815, Blücher, at the head of the Prussian-Saxon army concentrated in the Netherlands, was defeated by Napoleon at Ligny. But with his usual energy, he managed to quickly recover from the defeat and arrived at Waterloo in time to help the attacked Wellington. The appearance of the Prussian army on the French right flank decided the outcome of the battle in favor of the Allies. Without stopping or resting, Blucher immediately followed on the heels of Napoleon to Paris, flatly rejecting any negotiations, and forced the capital of France to capitulate.

Only the presence of Emperor Alexander I saved Paris from the defeat that Blucher was preparing to inflict on it for all the humiliations suffered by Prussia from the French. For his services in the 1815 campaign, Blücher received a special, specially established symbolic insignia for him alone: ​​the Iron Cross with a golden glow.

After peace was concluded, Blucher retired. Very soon Germany will rise, unite and stand on a par with the leading world powers. Blucher also played a significant role in this. But he was not destined to see the revival of Germany.

On September 12, 1819, troops marched past the house of Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher and saluted the old warrior, nicknamed Old Man Forward by the soldiers. On the evening of the same day, Blucher died.

Hero of the Civil War, first holder of the Order of the Red Banner and Red Star, one of the five first marshals of the USSR, Vasily Konstantinovich Blucher is the most mysterious person among the Red commanders. During the Civil War and right up to his death in the internal prison of the NKVD in our country and abroad, the most incredible myths circulated about him.

It should be noted that glimpses of these myths sometimes appear in the media and fiction even now. However, we must not forget that the legendary marshal himself often gave reasons for this - it was not for nothing that during his lifetime Blucher was called “General Nemo” and “commander under a pseudonym.”

In the late 1990s, filmmakers from Germany came to visit the widow of Marshal Glafira Lukinichna Bezverkhova-Blyukher, who lived in Moscow on Izmailovskaya Street in a standard high-rise building. Foreign guests asked “Frau Glafira” to tell everything she knew about her husband. But after the 80-year-old woman finished, she was asked strange questions, such as whether Vasily had a foreign accent and whether he called himself a count. Blucher's widow recalled how one day, while relaxing in the company of friends, one of them jokingly called out to her husband: “Hey, Count!” - to which the marshal’s face changed.

In 1938, information appeared in the Soviet and foreign press about the arrest of Marshal V.K. Blucher. Having seen his photograph, one person in Germany said that this was the captain of the Austro-Hungarian army, Ferdinand von Galen, who was allegedly declared dead in 1915 on the Russian front. The news coming from the former orderly Galen began to acquire new sensational details. After the October Revolution of 1917, Captain Galen allegedly took the side of the Bolsheviks and, under the name of Vasily Blucher, made an incredible military career in the Red Army. As his pseudonym, von Galen, as a sign of respect, chose the surname of the hero of the wars with Napoleon, Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher.

The author of a recently published biography of Marshal Blucher, writer Nikolai Velikanov, reported that the Russian archivist V.N. Batalin “was approached by the German producer Thomas Kufus with an offer to become a consultant in the sensational film he was creating about the history of the transformation of captain Ferdinand von Galen into Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasily Konstantinovich Blucher.” . The project was financed by a Berlin relative of von Galen.

The confidence of the German side was based on “three pillars” - 1. on the statement (more than half a century ago) of the ex-batman von Galen; 2. on the fact that during his work in China Blucher had a passport issued on January 26, 1927 to Zoya Vsevolodovich Galin and 3. on the conclusion of Professor, Candidate of Medical Sciences Richard Helmer from the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the University of Bonn, who conducted a comparative photographic study of images of the captain von Galen and Marshal Blucher.

At the request of Berliner Michael von Galen in 1991 to the USSR Ministry of Defense with a request to search for documentary materials relating to the life and work of V.K. Blucher, the head of the historical, archival and military memorial center of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces, Colonel I. Venkov responded, that “Soviet archivists conducted a search and study of documentary materials relating to the life and work of V.K. Blucher. He was born in 1890, called up for service in 1914, served in the 19th Kostroma Regiment, and was dismissed in September 1915 to the reserve due to injuries received..."

From 1924 to 1927 Blücher was the chief military adviser to the National Revolutionary Government of China. For secrecy, it was necessary to take a pseudonym. The name Zoy is from the name of his daughter Zoya, the patronymic Vsevolodovich is from the name of his son Vsevolod, and the surname Galin is from the name of his wife Galina. Galin, but not Galen.

Professor Helmer compared individual features in three photographs of von Galen with three photographs of Blucher and came to the conclusion that “it is possible to prove a total of 42 matching features in the photographs of the captain and marshal. Of these, 31 features, relative to their meaning, are leading, since we are talking about immutable features, which, however, are not recognized or are not equally well recognized in each case in all photographs...

Significant overlap of features is observed in the following areas: body type, facial contour, eyebrow shape, eye location, eyelid shape, nose shape, lip and mouth shape, chin contour. The shape and appearance of the ears in the photographs match. True, the ears can only be recognized from one perspective at a time: obliquely from the front, so comparison of finer details cannot be made with sufficient confidence."

However, the meticulous research carried out by V.N. Batalin left no stone unturned from the “three pillars”. The Germans were forced to agree and stopped filming the film.

For a long time they lived in the Yaroslavl region, in the villages of Barshchinka and Blyukhery. There were even two branches of them: “Cold Bluchers,” i.e., poor, and “Hot Bluchers,” i.e., rich. According to legend, the local serf Feklist returned after the war with Napoleon as a full Knight of St. George. Landowner Kozhin looked at him and said with admiration: “Well, a true Field Marshal Blucher!” So the nickname grew on Feklist, and after 1861 it became a surname. The wealthy head of the family, Leonty Blucher, had five daughters and two sons. His eldest son Pavel raised 18 children, while the youngest Fyodor had only four. This inequality determined the stratification of the family: the offspring of Pavel Leontyevich became poor, and Fyodor Leontyevich - people with means.

Blücher Gebhard Leberecht was born on December 16, 1742 in Teutenwinkel, Poland. After several years of school, in 1756, against the wishes of his parents, he enlisted in the Swedish hussars. Participated in hostilities against Prussia.

In 1760, in a skirmish with the Prussian hussars at Friedland, he was captured. In captivity, in the same year, after the persuasion of Colonel von Belling, a relative of Blucher on his mother's side, he entered Prussian service with the rank of cornet in von Belling's Eighth Hussar Regiment.

At various times, Blücher served as a second lieutenant, a prime lieutenant, von Belling's adjutant, and a headquarters captain of the Eighth Hussars. In 1772, von Belling was replaced by a new regiment commander, General von Lossow, with whom the wayward Blucher did not have a good relationship, as a result of which the latter was forced to resign, which caused the sharp indignation of King Frederick II the Great himself. Only in 1787, a year after Frederick's death, Blücher was able to return to the Black Hussars regiment with the rank of major.

The lack of upbringing and very meager education in him was compensated by natural common sense, an unquenchable thirst for activity and outstanding energy.

In 1787 he took part in an expedition to the Netherlands. Two years later he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Since 1790 he commanded the Eighth Hussar Regiment with the rank of colonel. Next he fights against the French on the Rhine. At the Battle of Kirrweiler on May 28, 1794, he defeated the French, capturing 6 guns and 300 prisoners, after which he was promoted to major general. The following year he was appointed commander of the cavalry corps on the border with France. In 1801, for his numerous exploits, Blücher was promoted to lieutenant general.

During the campaign of 1806, after the battle of Auerstedt, Blucher with a handful of soldiers led by him and General York managed to leave for Lubeck, but here, finding himself in a hopeless situation, he was forced to surrender, having initially done everything to save the honor of the weapon.

In the spring of 1807, after returning from captivity, he was appointed governor general of Pomerania. Two years later he received the rank of general from the cavalry. In 1812, due to poorly concealed hatred of Napoleon, King Frederick William III was forced to dismiss him.

Until the end of the year he was doomed to inactivity, but as soon as there was hope of overthrowing the Napoleonic yoke, Blucher, at the age of seventy, but still full of strength and energy, became the head of the national movement in Germany.

At the beginning of 1813, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Prussian troops. At the end of March 1813, without meeting resistance, he entered Dresden, abandoned by the French. Participated in the battles of Lützen and Bautzen. He received command of the united Russian-Prussian troops in Silesia, which covered themselves with glory in the battles of Katzbach and Wartenburg. Blucher's actions during the Battle of Leipzig were especially skillful and energetic. In October 1813 he received the rank of Field Marshal.

In the campaign of 1814, happiness betrayed Blücher more than once, but did not make him lose heart. He suffered a setback at Brienne on January 17, but then, having received reinforcements, won a victory at La Rotière on January 20. At the beginning of February, Blücher moved through Chalons to Paris, but Napoleon, taking advantage of the disunited and stretched position of his troops, defeated them in parts and forced the Silesian army, which had suffered huge losses, to retreat to Chalons. At the end of February, Blucher won a victory at Laon. And on March 18 he occupied the Montmartre Heights near Paris. The next day his troops entered Paris.

In 1815, after Napoleon's return from the island of Elba, Blücher took command of the Prussian-Saxon troops in the Netherlands. Partially defeated at Ligny, pursued by Grouchy, could not make it in time for the start of the Battle of Waterloo. However, the approach of the vanguard of the Prussian army became the turning point of the battle. Gneisenau decided the victory with his brilliant maneuver, in Napoleon's opinion, after which, relentlessly pursuing the French, British and Prussian troops approached Paris and forced it to surrender on July 7, 1815.

For Blucher's services in the Battle of Waterloo, Frederick William III granted him his palace near the Brandenburg Gate on Paris Square in Berlin.

At the end of the war, Gebhard Leberecht Blücher retired to his Silesian estate Kriblowitz, where he died on September 12, 1819.

Gebhard Blücher Awards

Order of the Black Eagle (April 1807)
Order of the Red Eagle
Order "Pour le Mérite" (4 June 1789)
Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (1813)
Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (31 August 1813)
Iron Cross 1st class (1813)
Order of Saint John of Jerusalem
Military Order of Maria Theresa, Grand Cross (Austria)
Sword set with diamonds, from the City of London (UK, 1814)
Order of the Elephant (Denmark)
Military William Order, Grand Cross (Netherlands, 28 July 1815)
Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (Russia, October 11, 1813)
Order of St. George, 1st class (Russia, October 8, 1813)
Order of St. George, 2nd class (Russia, May 20, 1813)
Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (Russia, October 11, 1813)
Order of the Seraphim (Sweden, April 28, 1814)

Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher, Prussian military leader, field marshal general, Prince of Wallstadt, participant in the Napoleonic wars and hero of Waterloo, was born on this day 275 years ago. The Prussian King Frederick II the Great in his youth sent a dashing, energetic and decisive man to the devil, Emperor Napoleon called Old devil And Sausage maker, and Russian and Prussian soldiers of the Silesian army gave him the nickname General Forward!

Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht Blücher
Simon MEISTER

In the old noble family of the Bluchers, almost all the men were military men, serving in different armies and various sovereigns. Christian Friedrich Blucher also fought a lot, rose to the rank of captain, and then, settling in Rostock, started a family, into which our hero was born as the ninth child. The family was quite modest in income, but friendly. From an early age, children did not shy away from household work, loved physical exercise, had excellent health, and in their free time they communicated and played with peasant children, not paying attention to prejudices. At the age of 12, Gebhard moved to live with his older sister on the Swedish island of Rügen. The young man did not study very willingly and diligently, which he later regretted, since he had to make up for lost time with private lessons. But he spent most of his free time at the nearby military garrison, where, imitating the military, the children played war and already at that time young Gebhard showed his leadership abilities.

Prussian cavalry general Wilhelm Sebastian von Belling. From a series from the times of King Frederick. Heroes of War and Peace
Adolf von Menzel

It’s no wonder that Gebhard dreamed of becoming a military man, so together with his older brother he decided that they had enough of playing war, it was time to start a military career on the battlefield. The brothers joined the Swedish hussar regiment, which fought against the army of Frederick II the Great in the Northern War. During the campaign during the Battle of Friedland, he fought heroically. Surrounded by Prussian hussars, Blücher fought until the horse under him was killed, he was crushed by its body, so he could no longer resist and was captured by the Prussians (luckily for his relative, maternal uncle, Wilhelm von Belling) .

Gebhardt Blücher in 1762–1763
Book illustration

Instead of punishment, Belling suggested that his nephew go into Prussian service. In the Prussian regiment black hussars the young cornet Blucher received the leaven of hussar valor and courage, which distinguished him until old age. Von Belling contributed to Gebhard's career; after several months of service in the new regiment, the young cavalryman received the rank of second lieutenant, then prime lieutenant; Along the way, he gained staff experience, since for a short time he served as adjutant to the regiment commander. Blucher recalled: The irreplaceable Belling was a real father to me and loved me endlessly..

Hussar Captain Gebhardt Blücher
Wilhelm Campausen

But Belling was replaced by a new commander - General von Lossow. Blucher did not have a good relationship with him. The hussar fought gloriously, but he caroused, gambled, and courted ladies, which was unacceptable for a noble officer. The general did not want to turn a blind eye to the tricks of the young wayward hussar and in 1772 he even made an effort to prevent him from receiving another rank. And when Captain von Jägersfeld, the illegitimate son of Margrave von Schwedt, was appointed to the vacant position of major for which our hero was applying, Blucher was indignant and wrote to the king: The sovereign, Jägersfeld, who has no merit other than being the son of Margrave von Schwedt, is preferred to me. Please, Your Majesty, deign me to resign

In response to this, the angry Frederick the Great ordered the presumptuous captain to be put in prison, but when, despite a rather long imprisonment, the obstinate Blucher refused to take back his letter, the monarch agreed to satisfy his request with a resolution with the following content: Captain von Blucher can go to hell...

Gebhardt Blucher moved to Polish Silesia where he began to lead a settled life as a landowner, engaged in agriculture. With money set aside from his salary, he acquired the small Grocc-Radd estate in Pomerania; in 1773, he married the general's daughter Caroline von Melling, becoming a caring husband, a good father and a zealous owner. But the trumpet was calling our hero, he dreamed of returning to military service and since 1778 he wrote letters to the king more than once asking him to return him to the army. But the vindictive monarch was inexorable, and Blucher’s requests continued to be refused.

Gebhardt Blücher in 1793
Book illustration

Only after the death of King Frederick the Great in 1787 was the former captain Blücher able to return to the army. He was immediately promoted to the rank of major and joined his native hussar regiment, with which he successfully fought in revolution-torn France. After a short Dutch campaign in 1789, Blücher became a lieutenant colonel, also awarded Prussia's most honorable military award, the Order of Pour le Merite (For merit), awarded only for military valor demonstrated in battle. In 1790 he was appointed commander of the 8th Hussar Regiment with the rank of colonel, and in 1791 he was widowed (Blücher remarried in 1795 to Amalia Colomb, the sister of the Prussian cavalry general Peter Colomb). Five years later, for his outstanding military service in the Rhine campaign, he was put in charge of the cavalry observation corps on the Lower Rhine. On May 28, 1794, in the battle of Kirrweiler, Gebhard Blucher and his regiment captured 300 French in a swift attack and captured 6 guns. This feat earned Blücher the rank of major general and appointment as commander of an observation corps in the Netherlands on the border with France.

Gebhardt Blücher in 1803–06
Book illustration
In 1803, King Frederick William III appointed Lieutenant General Blücher as governor of Prussia
with headquarters in Munster and leaving him as chief of the 8th Hussars.

Queen Louise and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher at the court ball in Berlin

In 1806, the descendants of Frederick the Great, led by the charming Queen of Prussia, Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz - the only man in the Hohenzollern family, they decided to show the whole world what the Prussian army was capable of. The brave Prussian officers flexed their muscles, boasting of their former valor and power, assuring their subjects that they would teach this upstart Bonaparte a lesson and smash his vaunted army to smithereens. On October 2, King Frederick William III (not without the persistent recommendations of our hero) issued an ultimatum to Napoleon: remove all French troops from German territories. In response to this, Napoleon declared war on Prussia and his army began to cross the Saxon border in three columns through the Thuringian Forest. This adventure ended disastrously: the Prussians were completely defeated, which later allowed Heinrich Heine to say: Napoleon blew on Prussia and it ceased to exist...

It was an unprecedented defeat, the only one in the history of modern times, within a few days of a first-class European power with glorious military traditions, such as military history had never known. Napoleon encountered this for the first time. He was perplexed because he always met resistance, more or less fierce: the Mamelukes in Egypt, the Italians in both campaigns, the Austrians, the Russians at Austerlitz fought like lions... But here there was panic, confusion, and submission of the authorities and the population. All of Europe was shocked and scared. Thus ended this amazing war...

Lieutenant General Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher in 1803–06
Color engraving by unknown author

We must pay tribute to General Blucher, who almost single-handedly, after the double defeat of the Prussians at Auerstedt and Jena, uniting the remnants of his cavalry, the troops of Eugene of Württemberg and the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, taking command of the vanguard, tried to break through to Prenzlau to join the troops of Prince Hohenlohe. His retreat to the neutral city of Lübeck (where Blücher hoped to embark on English ships and leave in order to save troops for the subsequent fight) under the onslaught of the combined forces of Marshals Soult, Bernadotte and Murat was one of the few glorious episodes of this era of German humiliation, practically the only example of persistent resistance to the enemy. But there was no English fleet in Lübeck. Surrounded, Blucher was forced to surrender with the remnants of his detachment on November 7, 1806, testifying in writing in the surrender document: I capitulate because I have no more bread or ammunition. Napoleon praised the actions of the Prussian general, saying: This fugitive held almost half the army.

Exchange of General Blücher for the French General Victor, March 1807
Karl RÖCHLING

Released on parole, Blucher went to Hamburg, where, in the company of his sons, he killed time playing cards and drinking, at every opportunity, gathering an audience around him, caring little about expressions, loudly scolded Bonaparte, knowing full well that his words would be conveyed to the addressee. On March 8, 1807, Blücher was exchanged for Brigadier General Victor (captured by Prussian rebels on the road to Stettin on January 23, 1807)

It was difficult to find at that time a military leader who so devoutly hated and despised Napoleon as Blucher. Some were afraid of the emperor, afraid to the point of trembling knees or goosebumps, others bowed, treating his military genius with sacred awe. In 1807, Blücher was appointed Governor-General of Pomerania and awarded the Order of the Black Eagle, but poorly concealed anger towards Napoleon led to the fact that the prudent King Frederick William III was forced to dismiss him.

Blücher joined the German national movement, once again becoming a fierce advocate of war with France. But he understood that the main reason for Prussia’s defeat was the condition of its army, therefore, together with the Minister of War, General Scharnhorse, and the engineer, Lieutenant Colonel Gneisenau, he developed and implemented a reform of the Prussian army, which contributed to increasing its combat effectiveness. All subsequent successes and victories of the Prussian troops are equally the merit of these three military leaders.

Portrait of Gebhard Leberech von Blücher. German miniature on ivory

So five years passed. Having learned in 1812 that Napoleon had moved his huge army to Russia, 70-year-old Blucher prophetically declared:
This is where he will bury his glory!

And so it happened. On the vast fields of Russia, the legend of the invincibility of the great army was dispelled. The retreat began. As soon as Russian troops entered Europe, an uprising broke out in Prussia against the rule of Napoleon. Happy Blucher at the beginning of 1813 gathered a 27,000-strong army in Silesia, and at the same time he received two Russian regiments (13,000 bayonets) as reinforcements from Kutuzov. In March she crossed the Silesian border and moved to Saxony. Endlessly in doubt, King Frederick William III finally decided to officially declare war on France and appointed Gebhart Blucher as commander-in-chief of the Prussian troops. Already in March 1813, the vanguard of the Russian army under the command of the cavalry general Baron Ferdinand Winzingerode, with the support of the Prussian hussars Gebhard Blucher, occupied the capital of Saxony, the city of Dresden.

It was in vain that European monarchs hoped that Napoleon would not be able to quickly form a new army. But the emperor again demonstrated his art of concentration in an extreme situation. Even during his stay in Russia, the prudent Bonaparte gave the order to begin the early conscription of the conscripts of 1813, thereby gaining time and by spring not only mobilization was carried out, but also the training of recruits began. The only big problem for the army remained the cavalry; horses, almost completely destroyed in the campaign of 1812, were sorely lacking. Nevertheless, in mid-April 1813, the French army moved to the theater of war in Saxony.

General Forward!
Lithograph from a painting by Moritz Blankaerts

As for the entire allied army, in the ranks of which Blucher's corps fought, in the campaign of 1813 defeats were replaced by victories, large and local. In the battles of Lützen and Bautzen, which were unsuccessful for the Allied armies, Blücher acted very honorably. With his dashing attack at the head of the cavalry, the wounded Blucher delayed the French infantry division and forced it to stand under guns all night. For this feat, the general was awarded by Emperor Alexander I the Order of St. George, 2nd degree.

Blücher and the Cossacks in Bautzen in May 1813
Bogdan VILLEVALDE

Near Bautzen, Blücher defended the Krekvitsky Heights, and during the retreat to Schweinitz, he inflicted significant damage on the French at Gainau. He set up an ambush and suddenly attacked the division of General N.Zh. Maison, captured about one and a half thousand soldiers and recaptured 11 guns. After this, the French began to advance more slowly and cautiously, and General Blucher gained unprecedented popularity among Prussian officers.

Lieutenant General Blücher greets the Prussian infantry before the Battle of Katzbach on August 26, 1813
Karl RÖCHLING

In August, after the end of the Pleiswitz Truce, Blücher was appointed commander of the 100,000-strong Silesian Army and successfully led Napoleon by the nose in accordance with the Allied Trachenberg plan, aimed at starving the enemy and forcing him to accept battle in unfavorable conditions for him. The result of such actions was the major victory of Blücher's Silesian army over Marshal MacDonald on the Katzbach River on August 26, which brought him great fame and the title of Prince of Wallstadt.

Blücher in Glogau after the Battle of Katzbach on 26 August 1813
Richard KNETHEL

At the same time, when Blucher was crushing MacDonald's corps, the Bohemian army managed to suffer a crushing defeat at Dresden, win a victory at Kulm and begin to retreat to Leipzig. At the beginning of October, Napoleon, in turn, rushed to the aid of the defeated MacDonald in the hope of punishing the completely disgusted Old devil. However, Blucher skillfully avoided battle with the superior forces of Bonaparte and began moving north to join the Northern Army of Crown Prince Bernadotte.

Prussian Life Grenadiers at the Battle of Wartenburg on October 3, 1813
Richard KNETHEL

Along the way, having crossed the Elbe, the corps of Blucher's army near the village of Wartenburg immediately overturned and put to flight the corps of General Bertrand. October 10 General Forward! managed to retreat in time from the town of Duben, which Napoleon attacked with all the might of his troops. But... the shot turned out to be a blank... As happened more than once during this campaign, the emperor did not find the Silesian army in Dyuben: it melted away like smoke, and with it the hope of its destruction evaporated.

General Gebhardt Leberecht Blücher
Lithograph from a drawing by Wilhelm Kamphausen

Brandenburg Hussars near Möckern, Leipzig, October 16, 1813
Richard KNETHEL

Blucher's actions were especially skillful and energetic during the Battle of Leipzig, on the eve of which he received the rank of field marshal. The Prussians distinguished themselves already on the first day of the battle: without waiting for the approach of the lagging Northern Army, Blucher threw his troops into the attack. Having broken the fierce resistance of the corps of Dombrowski and Marmont, the Prussians knocked out the enemy from well-fortified positions near the villages of Wiederitz and Mökern; at the same time, Marmont's corps was virtually completely destroyed. Thus, the front of the French troops north of Leipzig was broken, which forced Napoleon to throw two new corps against Blucher, easing the pressure on the troops of the Bohemian Army near the village of Wachau, where French success had already begun.

Field Marshal Blucher in battle

Subsequently, the troops of Field Marshal Blucher continued the offensive on the approaches to Leipzig, its suburbs and the city itself, and participated in the capture of the French who did not have time to leave Leipzig. For his great contribution to the overall victory, Emperor Alexander awarded Blucher the highest military order of Russia - the Order of St. George, 1st degree. It must be said that Field Marshal Karl von Schwarzenberg did not move much faster than his Serene Highness Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, who accompanied the French during their retreat from Moscow... And Napoleon, as usual, always won in the speed of movement of troops. Therefore, the battle of Hanau became a kind of German Berezina, Napoleon’s army demonstrated great courage and resilience, finding itself backed up against the wall. But Blucher did not take part in this battle.

Field Marshal Blücher crosses the Rhine River near Kaub on New Year's Eve 1814
Wilhelm KAMPHAUSEN

Field Marshal Blücher crosses the Rhine
Ludwig BURGER

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher and his 75,000-strong Silesian army spent New Year's Eve from December 31 to January 1, 1814 on the banks of the Middle Rhine, crossing which for two days near Mannheim, Kaub and Koblenz, and finally ended up in France. Unlike the commander-in-chief Karl Philipp zu Schwarzenberg, who moved with the Bohemian army at a pace one step forward, two steps back, Blucher quickly rushed towards the enemy, pushing Marshal Marmont's corps in front of him and leaving about two-thirds of the forces of his army in the rear to blockade the fortresses. Therefore, by January 26 he found himself in the vanguard of the main forces. Napoleon, in turn, advanced to the southeast, hoping to overtake and destroy the troops of the hated Old devil, which caused him a lot of trouble in 1813, before he had time to unite with Schwarzenberg’s army.

Battle of Brienne
Lithograph by Charles Mott from a drawing by Victor Adam

Their first meeting took place in the vicinity of Brienne, an area, every path of which was perfectly familiar both to the emperor himself and to many of his officers - graduates of the Brienne military school. Here Blucher was attacked by superior French forces on January 29. Cavalry battles lasted until midnight, the city was set on fire.

Blücher in Brienne's castle destroys the triumphal ballots of the empire
Lillian and Fred FUNKEN

Blucher's headquarters was located in the castle (where the military school had previously been located) and had an excellent overview of the positions, but the French, who managed to pass unnoticed by the Russian troops, quickly burst into Brienne Castle, almost capturing Field Marshal Blucher and his headquarters: The enemy occupied the city and captured the castle, breaking through the garden from behind; Field Marshal Blucher, who occupied his main apartment, barely managed to save himself; several of his officials were captured, which must be attributed to carelessness, for they missed to take the road leading around the village to the garden(from the Memoirs of General A.G. Shcherbatov) Napoleon himself was also almost captured by the Cossacks, but was saved by his orderly, Baron Gaspard Gourgaud.

Oleg PARKHAEV

But this defeat did not at all bother Field Marshal Blucher. Having carried out a skillful maneuver, he withdrew his troops from the battle of Brienne, retreating to the south, and three days later he settled accounts with the French: on February 1, 1814, at the battle of La Rotière, largely thanks to Blucher’s orders, the French army was defeated.

And here's what's next General Forward! relaxed and lost vigilance. He decided to encircle and destroy the corps of Marshal MacDonald at Chalons, for which, having undertaken a complex maneuver, he scattered his four corps in the Marne River valley over more than 70 km, at a distance of one or two days' march, which made it impossible to jointly repel the French.

Battle of Montmiral. French cavalry attacks a square of Russian troops
Wojciech KOSSAK

Napoleon Bonaparte could not help but take advantage of such a royal gift from Field Marshal Blucher and made every effort to defeat the Silesian army piece by piece. Thus began the Six-Day War, which became another victory in the series of brilliant victories of Napoleon Bonaparte, who seemed to have found his boots in the Italian campaign...

The Imperial Guard salutes Napoleon at Champaubert (fragment)
G. CHARTIER

From February 9 to 14, in the battles of Champaubert, Montmiral, Chateau-Thierry and Vauchamps, Napoleon, thanks to the rapid actions of his troops, inflicted a crushing defeat on the army, which he considered the best army of the coalition, depriving it of a third of its personnel, weakening and humiliating it. This enabled him to write to Brother Joseph: The enemy's Silesian army no longer exists, I have completely dispersed it...

Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher
Adolf von MENZEL

But our field marshal was not like that to give up so easily. He remained true to his principle, told to Prince Schwarzenberg: We must go to Paris. Napoleon paid visits to all the capitals of Europe; shall we really yield to him in politeness? In short, he must relinquish the throne, and we will not rest until we dethrone him. Having cleaned the feathers, General Forward! ordered his chief of staff Gneisenau: We need to move forward again!- and for the third time he launched an attack on Paris. In addition, he received additional powers from the military council and personally from the Russian Emperor Alexander I to act independently and join the fresh corps of generals Wintzingerode and Bülow to the Silesian army. And again Napoleon stood in the way of our hero.

Battle of Craon
Theodor JUNG

Napoleon returns to Soissons after the Battle of Laon.
Following Napoleon are Marshals Ney and Berthier, Generals Drouot and Gerard
Jean-Louis-Ernest MEASONNIER

And the swing began again: victory - defeat. At Soissons, Blucher almost fell into a trap, but was able to escape from it, avoiding battle and crossing to the northern bank of the Aisne River. Napoleon, irritated by this failure, energetically pursued Blücher, but achieved only some success with Craon. Despite the fact that, under pressure from Napoleon's superior forces, Blucher's divisions had to withdraw, the withdrawal of troops was carried out brilliantly - under the cover of intense artillery fire and cavalry counterattacks, which drove back the French pursuing them. And at Laon, Napoleonic troops again suffered defeat, which almost became a defeat.

Portrait of Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher
Lithograph by Theodor Mayerhofer

But Napoleon was lucky. The unprecedented overstrain of the last two months of the campaign and Blucher’s advanced age provoked a nervous breakdown in him, aggravated by photophobia. The field marshal fell ill, and General Gneisenau, who took command of the army, did not act very decisively and allowed Napoleon to retreat to Soissons. In addition, the Silesian army had problems with the supply of food and gunpowder, so for a time the Prussian army significantly reduced its combat effectiveness.

Only on March 25, 1814, Field Marshal Blucher's health improved somewhat; he rode with his troops in a carriage, in full view of everyone, wearing a lady's hat made of green silk with a very wide brim that covered his eyes from the light. The weather was beautiful, the morale of the coalition troops increased, both the command and subordinates were in a fighting mood, and the attack on Paris was resumed.

Gebhard von Blücher Prussian field marshal
Unknown artist

During the capture of Paris, Gebrard von Blücher briefly appeared on the battlefield, riding a horse, shielding his eyes from the light. But after the surrender of the French capital, under the pretext of illness, General Forward! resigned. However, the real reason for this demarche was the protest of Blucher, who did not hide his hatred of the French and Napoleon, against the policy of appeasement that all allied monarchs adhered to. He was in Paris as a private citizen.

Field Marshal Prince von Blücher
George DOW

After the signing of the Treaty of Paris in May 1814, Blücher accompanied the Russian Emperor Alexander I and the Prussian King Frederick William III on their tour of England. The field marshal was celebrated as a hero, English dandies and young ladies applauded at his appearance. He took part in parades, high-level receptions, holidays, banquets and balls.

Field Marshal Gebhard Leberchert von Blücher in 1814
Thomas LAWRENCE

The best artists painted portraits of Gebhard von Blücher, he was showered with the highest military awards of European houses, the English Prince Regent presented him with his portrait, and Oxford University awarded him the degree of Doctor of Canon and Civil Law. The simple-minded field marshal, who believed that this doctor was the one who only treated the sick, interceded on behalf of his chief of the general staff: If you really want me to be a doctor, then at least make Gneisenau a pharmacist...

General Blücher with his officers at the table Wilhelm ALTAYM

It would seem, what else does a veteran military leader who has retired to a well-deserved retirement need? Enjoy life, meet friends and comrades over a glass of beer, tell your grandchildren about past victories or write memoirs... But a captive vulture fluttered from the island of Elba, which, having landed for a while in France, gathered a new flock and again rushed for prey...

Field Marshal von Blücher in 1815

And our field marshal was again called to serve by the King of Prussia, Frederick William, in 1815 and appointed head of the Prussian-Saxon army, concentrated in the Netherlands. Blucher never ceased to lament the fact that he always warned the British and the Russian Emperor, the smartest of monarchs, that, having overthrown the usurper, it was necessary to try him and shoot him. But who listened to him?

Blücher in Linyi
Wood engraving by Johann Jacob Kirchhoff

The opponents met near the Belgian town of Ligny on June 16, 1815; During the battle, Blucher was defeated by his longtime counterpart. At the same time, the field marshal almost fell into captivity, since a horse was killed under him; he collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness from the blow, but his adjutant, risking his life, carried the unconscious body from the battlefield. Having come to his senses, Blucher ordered the Army of the Lower Rhine to retreat north to Wavre. This decision subsequently predetermined the outcome of the entire campaign.

Blücher at Waterloo June 18, 1815
Georg BLEIBTREY

Despite the shell shock, the Old Prussian Fox quickly recovered from defeat, having performed a brilliant maneuver, he was able to lead the pursuing corps of Marshal Grouchy away from the main forces of the French army, and then, breaking away from his pursuers, rushed without rest or stop to the aid of the bleeding army of the Duke of Wellington under Waterloo. The appearance of the Prussian army on the afternoon of June 18 on the French right flank decided the outcome of this fierce and bloody battle in favor of the Allies.

After the Battle of Waterloo. The captured orders, hat and saber of Napoleon are delivered to Blücher in Genappe
Wood engraving from a painting by Rudolf Eichstadt

And then Blucher's army drove the enemy back to the roar of drums from Waterloo, without giving him a moment's respite. This was a response to Napoleon's shameful persecution of the Prussians from Jena to Stettin in 1806. Napoleon and his retinue retreated in confusion, abandoning almost all their property: the remains of artillery, weapons, the emperor’s luxurious carriage, carts, baggage trains, money, jewelry, which were going to be used to cover the costs of celebrating the emperor’s triumph in Brussels.

Portrait of Gebhard Leberech von Blücher, 1817
Lithograph from a painting by Friedrich Karl Gröger

The war was over. On July 7, the horseshoes of the Prussian cavalry were already knocking on the pavements of Paris. This time Blücher entered the capital triumphant at the head of the Prussian army and appointed his quartermaster general Müfling as military governor of Paris. Gebhard Blücher demanded that Napoleon be shot, the Jena Bridge on the Seine blown up, and the treasures looted by the French in various European capitals returned to their owners. His first wish was thwarted by Wellington, the second by the allied monarchs, and only the last was realized. Only the presence of Emperor Alexander I saved Paris from the defeat that Blucher was preparing to inflict on it for all the humiliations suffered by Prussia from the French. He stayed in Paris for three months, appearing mainly at the gambling tables in the gambling card rooms. rouge et noir (red and black)

Portrait of Gebhard Leberech von Blücher, 1815
Johann Karl Bock

For his services in the 1815 campaign, Blücher received a special, specially established symbolic insignia for him alone: ​​the Iron Cross with a golden glow.

General Gebhard Lebereth von Blücher
Illustration for the book The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte by William Milligan Sloane, 1896

Having experienced the main triumph of his life, after the conclusion of peace, Gebhard von Blucher retired. He retired to his estate, where he lived almost without leaving the rest of his days. In August 1819, on the sixth anniversary of the victory of the Silesian army under Katzbach, Blücher visited his hometown of Rostock, where residents erected a monument in his honor with funds raised by them.

Kriblowitz. The castle where Field Marshal Gebhart Leberecht von Blücher spent his last years and died

On September 12, 1819, troops marched past his house and saluted the old honored commander, warrior, General Go! On the evening of the same day, Blucher died. On the occasion of his death, the entire Prussian army wore eight days of mourning.

Blücher Memorial Coin, Gebhard Leberecht, Prussian Field Marshal, 1816
thin Karl Friedrich Schinkel Medalist Friedrich König

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher remained in the history of Russia the only foreign military leader who became a Knight of the Order of St. George of the two highest degrees - the most honorable, beloved and coveted award of Russian officers and generals.

Monument General Go! in Kaub (thanks to Sergei, aka vagant for the photo).

This is how the life of the incomparable hussar-slasher, cavalry general Gebhard von Blücher, turned out. He was popular among the people for his plebeian sympathies, his common sense, simplicity of manners and roughness of speech, although if necessary he could become a fiery orator. Blucher was an example of a soldier, combining severity, exactingness, justice with concern for his subordinates. Desperate courage, subtle ability to assess the properties of the terrain (with the inability to read maps), the ability to quickly make decisions in difficult situations, energy in the offensive and tenacity in defense made him an indispensable military leader in the hostilities of 1813–1815.

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher

The age of Napoleon is the age of worship of the genius of war. The military history of France acquired many famous names at that time. The famous marshals, led by their emperor, conquered almost all of Europe and won the reputation of the best European army. The Prussian army also could not resist French power - the “heirs of Frederick II” were defeated in the battles of Jena and Auerstadt. But, having gone through defeat, the Prussian army began the path to its revival, which is associated with the name of the remarkable commander Gebhard Blucher von Wallstadt.

The Blucher family has been known since the 13th century. Its founder came to the lands of Mecklenburg from Lower Saxony. He was a knight and in the fight against the Slavs he managed to conquer these lands and settle on them. Almost all members of the family in the male line were military men. They served in different armies and different sovereigns. Some, having fought in a foreign land, returned to their native lands.

Christian Friedrich Blücher traditionally chose a military career. He fought a lot, and then settled in the city of Rostock, where he received a civilian position. Here, in Rostock, Gebhard Blucher was born, becoming the ninth child in the family.

The Blucher family paid great attention to raising children. The father was strict with them, but spent all his free time with the children. From an early age, children engaged in physical exercise, so they were in excellent health. They learned the biblical commandments from their pious mother. The family did not have much wealth, but was friendly and content with a simple, unpretentious life. The children's friends were simple peasant children, with whom they, devoid of caste prejudices, willingly spent time in games and amusements.

When Gebhard was 12 years old, he began to live with his older sister's family on the island of Rügen, in Sweden. There was a military garrison here, and observing the life of the soldiers serving in the garrison became the main and, one might say, favorite activity of the children. Imitating the military, they often played war, where young Gebhard showed leadership abilities for the first time.

Learning school sciences was not easy for him, and he did not really strive to master them. Subsequently, the field marshal admitted that in his youth he missed the opportunity to study and his education was limited to private lessons.

With the outbreak of the Seven Years' War, Gebhard and his brother decided that they should begin a military career on the battlefield, and joined the Swedish army that fought against Frederick II. Blücher was captured by the Prussians, but fortunately for him, the commander of the unit that captured him was his maternal uncle von Belling. Instead of punishment, he suggested that his nephew go into Prussian service. In von Belling's regiment, during the era of the Seven Years' War, Blücher received the leaven of hussar valor and courage, which distinguished him until old age. Von Belling contributed to Gebhard's promotion. Blucher recalled: “The irreplaceable Belling was a real father to me and loved me endlessly.” But Belling was replaced by a new commander - General von Lossow. Blucher did not have a good relationship with him. The general did not want to turn a blind eye to the “tricks” of the young wayward officer and in 1772 he even made an effort to prevent him from receiving another rank. Bypassed, Blucher submitted a sharp resignation, which aroused the anger of the Prussian monarch. “Captain Blucher has been dismissed and can get the hell out,” read the resolution of Frederick II.

For the next 15 years, Gebhard Blücher led a settled life as a landowner. In 1773, he married the general's daughter Caroline von Melling, and became a caring husband, a good father and a zealous owner. But he dreamed of returning to military service and from 1778 he wrote letters to the king asking him to return him to the army. But all his requests were refused by the vindictive monarch.

Only in 1787, after the death of the king, Blücher returned with the rank of major to his former regiment, and five years later, for his outstanding military service in the Rhine campaign, he was placed at the head of the cavalry observation corps on the Lower Rhine.

Hating Napoleon, Blucher loudly spoke out in favor of declaring war on him. In 1806, at the Battle of Auerstadt, commanding an advanced cavalry detachment, Blucher persistently advised the king to act offensively, energetically, and he and his cavalry repeatedly rushed into attacks against Davout’s cavalry and infantry. When the Prussian army retreated from Jena and Auerstadt, Blucher, uniting the remnants of his cavalry, the troops of Eugene of Württemberg and the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, took command of the vanguard and tried to break through to Prenzlau to join the troops of Prince Hohenlohe. However, he was surrounded and, after stubborn resistance, was forced to surrender with the remnants of his detachment. “I surrender because I have no more bread or ammunition” - Blucher wrote these words into the surrender document. Napoleon praised his actions, saying: "This fugitive held back almost half the army."

After returning from captivity in the spring of 1807, Blücher hid his hatred of Napoleon so poorly that King Frederick William was forced to dismiss him. By the way, Napoleon also insisted on removing the obstinate general from the Prussian army.

Having gone through the shame of defeat, Prussia embarked on the path of national revival. Society realized the need for reforms, and the work to implement them was led by the talented organizer and far-sighted politician Stein. Reforming the army became the most important task, and the commission for army reform was headed by Scharngorst. Blucher became his closest assistant. For political reasons, he could not officially become a member of the commission and conveyed all his proposals through the chief of staff von Gneisenau.

Blucher considered the introduction of universal conscription to be the main thing. Each Prussian had to serve his stipulated term in the army, and then regularly undergo military training. This would make it possible to obtain a powerful and combat-ready army, and a national one at that.

Blucher tried with all his might to help his fatherland in difficult years for him and was very homesick for his service. True, in 1807 he was appointed to the post of Governor-General of Pomerania. But Napoleon, who closely followed the anti-French manifestations of his activities, obtained from the weak-willed Prussian monarch the complete removal of Blucher from any activity. And in 1811, General Blucher was removed from all posts.

The offensive of the Russian army in 1812 again called Blücher to activity. He was appointed commander of the Southern Army (27 thousand Prussian and 13 thousand Russian troops), concentrated in Silesia, and immediately began to show his energy.

In the first half of March, Blücher occupied Dresden. At the battle of Lutzen, he commanded the first line, which was supposed to cross Flusso-Groben, abruptly changing front, and then begin the offensive. This maneuver resulted in the defeat of the Allies. But with his dashing attack at the head of the cavalry, the wounded Blucher delayed the French infantry division and forced it to stand under guns all night. For this feat, Blucher was awarded by Emperor Alexander I the Order of St. George, 2nd degree. Near Bautzen, Blücher defended the central section of the position - the Krekvitsky Heights, and during the retreat to Schweinitz, he inflicted significant damage on the French with an attack at Gainau.

In the autumn campaign of 1813, Blücher, at the head of the Silesian army, energetically advanced against Ney, but avoided battle with Napoleon himself. The consequence of such a cautious course of action was Blucher’s major victory over MacDonald on the Katzbach River on August 14 (26), which brought him great fame and the title of Prince of Wallstadt.

On September 21, the Silesian army forced the crossing of the Elbe near the village of Wartemburg and on October 4 defeated Marshal Marmont near the village of Meckern.

On October 6, she energetically fought her way from the Parta River, and the next day she was the first to break into Leipzig.

The campaign of 1814 most sharply highlighted the positive and negative traits of Blücher as a commander.

In January, he crossed the Rhine with an army of 75,000, pushing Marmont in front of him, and, leaving about two-thirds of the forces of his army in the rear to blockade the fortresses, he quickly went through Nancy to Paris, neglecting concentration and close communication with the main army.

Taking advantage of this, Napoleon defeated Blucher at Brienne on January 15 (27), 1814. However, having received reinforcements, Blücher won a victory at La Rotière four days later and again rushed towards Paris.

However, this time too, he disregarded the danger, stretched his forces and within five days (February 10–14) suffered several defeats from Napoleon at Champaubert, Montmiral, Chateau-Thierry and Vau-Shac. Having lost 30 percent of his army, Blucher ordered Gneisenau: “We need to move forward again!” - and for the third time he began an offensive towards Paris, hoping there to unite with Bülow and Winzengerode.

At Soissons he again almost fell into a trap, but was able to escape from it. Napoleon, irritated by this failure, energetically pursued Blücher, but achieved only some success with Craon. Napoleonic troops were again defeated at Laon. Blucher decisively marched towards Paris and with his offensive provided significant assistance to the main army in the victorious battle on the Montmartre Heights.

In 1815, Blücher, at the head of the Prussian-Saxon army concentrated in the Netherlands, was defeated by Napoleon at Ligny. But with his usual energy, he managed to quickly recover from the defeat and arrived at Waterloo in time to help the attacked Wellington. The appearance of the Prussian army on the French right flank decided the outcome of the battle in favor of the Allies. Without stopping or resting, Blucher immediately followed on the heels of Napoleon to Paris, flatly rejecting any negotiations, and forced the capital of France to capitulate.

Only the presence of Emperor Alexander I saved Paris from the defeat that Blucher was preparing to inflict on it for all the humiliations suffered by Prussia from the French. For his services in the 1815 campaign, Blücher received a special, specially established symbolic insignia for him alone: ​​the Iron Cross with a golden glow.

After peace was concluded, Blucher retired. Very soon Germany will rise, unite and stand on a par with the leading world powers. Blucher also played a significant role in this. But he was not destined to see the revival of Germany.

On September 12, 1819, troops marched past the house of Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher and saluted the old warrior, nicknamed Old Man Forward by the soldiers. On the evening of the same day, Blucher died.