COMMANDER // 1755–1813
Gerhard von Scharnhorst
Lifespan
1755 – 1813
Active service 1806 — 1 battle across 1 war; first command at age 51.
Profile
Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst was a Hanoverian-born general in Prussian service from 1801. As the first Chief of the Prussian General Staff, he was noted for his military theories, his reforms of the Prussian army, and his leadership during the Napoleonic Wars. Scharnhorst limited the use of corporal punishments, established promotion for merit, abolished the enrollment of foreigners, began the organization of a reserve army, and organized and simplified the military administration.
Battles (1)
1806
Battle of Jena–AuerstedtNapoleonic Wars · Prussia