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peace, however, his ardent spirit led him into excesses of all kinds, and being passed over for promotion he sent in his resignation, to which See also:

Frederick replied, " See also:

CAPTAIN (derived from Lat. ca put, head, through the Low Lat. capitanus)

Captain Blucher can take himself to the See also:

DEVIL (Gr. &a,3oXos, " slanderer," from &ctflisXX sty, to slander)

devil " (1773). He now settled down to farming, and in fifteen years he had acquired an See also:

HONOUR (Lat. honos or lwnor, honoris; in English the word was spelled with or without the u indifferently until the 17th century, but during the 18th century it became fashion-able to spell the word " honor "; Johnson's and Webster's Dictionaries stereoty

honour-able See also:

independence. But he was unable to return to the See also:

army until after the See also:

DEATH

death of Frederick the See also:

GREAT

Great. He was then reinstated as See also:

major in his old See also:

REGIMENT (from Late Latin regimentum, rule, regere, to rule, govern, direct)

regiment, the Red Hussars. He took part in the expedition to See also:

Holland in 1787, and in the following year became See also:

LIEUTENANT

lieutenant-See also:

COLONEL (derived either from Lat. column, Fr. colonne, column, or Lat. corona, a crown)

colonel. In 1789 he received the See also:

order pour le ;Write, and in 1794 he became colonel of the Red Hussars. In 1793 and 1794 he distinguished himself in cavalry actions against the See also:

French, and for his success at Kirrweiler he was made a major-general. In 18oi he was promoted lieutenant-general.

He was one of the leaders of the war party in See also:

Prussia in 1805—1806, and served as a cavalry general in the disastrous campaign of the latter year. At Auersthdt Blucher repeatedly charged at the See also:

head of the Prussian cavalry, but without success. In the See also:

RETREAT (O. Fr. retrete, mod. retraite, from Lat. retrahere, to draw back)

retreat of the broken armies he commanded the rearguard of Prince See also:

HOHENLOHE

Hohenlohe's See also:

CORPS (pronounced as in French, from which it is taken, being a late spelling of tors, from Lat. corpus, a body; cf. " corpse ")

corps, and upon the See also:

CAPITULATION (Lat. capitulum, a little head or division; capitulare, to treat upon terms)

capitulation of the See also:

main See also:

BODY

body of See also:

PRENZLAU, or PRENZLOW

Prenzlau See also:

lie carried off a remnant of the Prussian army to the northward, and in the neighbourhood of See also:

LUBECK

Lubeck he fought a See also:

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of combats, which, however, ended in his being forced to surrender at Ratkau (See also:

NOVEMBER (Lat. novem, nine)

November 7, 18o6). His adversaries testified in his capitulation that it was caused by " want of provisions and See also:

AMMUNITION

ammunition." He was soon exchanged for General See also:

Victor, and was actively employed in See also:

POMERANIA (German, Pommern)

Pomerania, at See also:

Berlin, and at See also:

KONIGSBERG (Polish Krolewiec)

Konigsberg until the conclusion of the war. After the war, Blucher was looked upon as the natural See also:

LEADER, BENJAMIN WILLIAMS (1831– )

leader of the patriot party, with which he was in See also:

close See also:

TOUCH (derived through Fr. toucher from a common Teutonic and Indo-Germanic root, cf. " tug," " tuck," O. H. Ger. zucchen, to twitch or draw)

touch during the See also:

period of See also:

NAPOLEONIC

Napoleonic domination. His hopes of an See also:

ALLIANCE

alliance with See also:

Austria in the war of 1809 were disappointed. In this year he was made general of cavalry. In 1812 he expressed himself so openly on the alliance of See also:

Russia with See also:

France that he was recalled from his military governorship of Pomerania and virtually banished from the See also:

court. When at last the Napoleonic domination was ended by the outbreak of the War of Liberation in 1813, Blucher of course was at once placed in high command, and he was See also:

PRESENT

present at Liitzen and See also:

BAUTZEN (Wendish Budissin, " town ")

Bautzen. During the See also:

ARMISTICE (from Lat. arma, arms, and sistere, to stop)

armistice he worked at the organization of the Prussian forces, and when the war was resumed Blucher became See also:

COMMANDER

commander-in-See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief of the Army of Silesia, with See also:

GNEISENAU, AUGUST WILHELM ANTON, COUNT

Gneisenau and See also:

MUFFLING, FRIEDRICH KARL FERDINAND, FREIHERR

Muffling as his See also:

PRINCIPAL

principal See also:

STAFF (O. Eng. staef, cf. Du. staf, Ger. Stab, &c.; Icel. stafr meant also a written letter, and O. Eng. stafas, the letters of the alphabet; " stave," one of the thin pieces of wood of which a cask is made, is a doublet)

staff See also:

OFFICERS

officers, and 40,000 Prussians and 50,000 Russians under his See also:

CONTROL (Fr. contrdle, older form contre rolle, from Med. Lat. contra-rotulus, a counter roll or copy of a document used to check the original; there is no instance in English of the use of " control " in this, its literal, meaning)

control. The autumn campaign of 1813 will be found described in the See also:

ARTICLE (from Lat. articulus, a joint)

article NAPOLEONIC See also:

CAMPAIGNS

CAMPAIGNS, and it will here be sufficient to say that the most conspicuous military quality displayed by Blucher was his unrelenting See also:

ENERGY (from the Gr. ivipyela; iv, in, ipyov, work)

energy. The irresolution and divergence of interests usual in allied armies found in him a restless opponent, and the knowledge that if he could not induce others to co-operate he was prepared to See also:

ATTEMPT (Lat. adtemptare, attentare, to try)

attempt the task in See also:

hand by himself often caused other generals to follow his See also:

lead.

He defeated Marshal See also:

Macdonald at the Katzbach, and by his victory over See also:

MARMONT, AUGUSTE FREDERIC LOUIS VIESSE DE, DUKE OF RAGUSA (1774–1852)

Marmont at Mockern led the way to the decisive overthrow of See also:

NAPOLEON

Napoleon at See also:

LEIPZIG

Leipzig, which See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place was stormed by Blucher's own army on the evening of the last See also:

day of the See also:

BATTLE

battle. On the day of Mockern (See also:

OCTOBER

October i6, 1813) Blucher was made a general field marshal, and after the victory he pursued the routed French with his accustomed energy. In the See also:

winter of 1813—1814 Blucher, with his chief staff officers, was mainly instrumental in inducing the allied sovereigns to carry the war into France itself. The combat of Brienne and the battle of La Rothiere were the chief incidents of the first See also:

STAGE (Fr. 6/age; from Lat. stare, to stand)

stage of the celebrated campaign of 1814, and they were quickly followed by the victories of Napoleon over Blucher at Champaubert, Vauxchamps and Montmirail. But the courage of the Prussian leader was undiminished, and his great victory of See also:

LAON

Laon (See also:

March 9 to io) practically decided the See also:

FATE

fate of the campaign. After this Blucher infused some of his own energy into the operations of Prince See also:

Schwarzenberg's Army of Bohemia, and at last this army and the Army of Silesia marched in one body See also:

DIRECT

direct upon See also:

Paris. The victory of Montmartre, the entry of the See also:

ALLIES, THOMAS WILLIAM (1813-1903)

allies into the French See also:

capital, and the overthrow of the First See also:

EMPIRE

Empire were the direct consequences. Blucher was disposed to make a severe See also:

RETALIATION

retaliation upon Paris for the calamities that Prussia had suffered from the armies of France had not the allied commanders intervened to prevent it. Blowing up the See also:

BRIDGE

bridge of See also:

JENA

Jena was said to be one of his contemplated acts. On the 3rd of See also:

JUNE

June 1814 he was made prince of Wahlstadt (in Silesia on the Katzbach battlefield), and soon afterwards he paid a visit to See also:

England, being received everywhere with the greatest See also:

ENTHUSIASM

enthusiasm. After the peace he retired to Silesia, but the return of Napoleon soon called him to further service. He was put in command of the Army of the See also:

LOWER

Lower See also:

RHINE (Lat. Rhenus, Ger. Rhein, Fr. Rhin, Dutch Rhyn, or Rijn)

Rhine with General Gneisenau as his chief of staff (see See also:

WATERLOO

WATERLOO CAMPAIGN).

In the campaign of 1815 the Prussians sustained a very severe defeat at the outset at Ligny (June 16), in the course of which the old field marshal was ridden over by cavalry charges, his See also:

LIFE

life being saved only by the devotion of his aide-de-See also:

CAMP (from Lat. campus, field)

camp, See also:

COUNT (Lat. comes, gen. comitis, Fr. comte, Ital. conte, Span. conde)

Count Nostitz. He was unable to resume command for some See also:

HOURS, CANONICAL

hours, and Gneisenau See also:

drew off the defeated army. The relations of the Prussian and the See also:

ENGLISH

English headquarters were at this See also:

time very complicated, and it is uncertain whether Blucher himself was responsible for the daring See also:

RESOLUTION

resolution to march to See also:

Wellington's assistance. This was in fact done, and after an incredibly severe march Blucher's army intervened with decisive and crushing effect in the battle of Waterloo. The great victory was converted into a success absolutely decisive of the war by the relentless pursuit of the Prussians, and the allies re-entered Paris on the 7th of See also:

JULY

July. Prince Blucher remained in the French capital for some months, but his See also:

AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age and infirmities compelled him to retire to his Silesian See also:

RESIDENCE (Latin residere, to remain behind, to dwell, reside)

residence at Krieblowitz, where he died on the 12th of See also:

SEPTEMBER (Lat. septem, seven)

September 1819, aged seventy-seven. He retained to the end of his life that wildness of See also:

CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character and proneness to excesses which had caused his dismissal from the army in his youth, but however they may be regarded, these faults sprang always from the ardent and vivid temperament which made Blucher a dashing leader of See also:

HORSE (a word common to Teutonic languages in such forms as hors, hros, ros; cf. the Ger. ross)

horse. The qualities which made him a great general were his patriotism and the hatred of French domination which inspired every success of the War of Liberation. He was twice married, and had, by his first See also:

MARRIAGE

marriage, two sons and a daughter. Statues were erected to his memory at Berlin, See also:

BRESLAU (Polish Wraclaw)

Breslau and Rostock. Of the various lives of Prince Blucher, that by Varnhagen von Ense (1827) is the most important. His war diaries of 1793--1794, together with a memoir (written in 18o5) on the subject of a See also:

NATIONAL

national army, were edited by Golz and Ribbentrop (Campagne See also:

Journal 1793—4 von Gl.

Lt. v. Blucher).

End of Article: BLUCHER, GEBHARD LEBERECHT VON (1742—1819)

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