View source for Gerhard von Scharnhorst

{{Short description|Hanoverian-born general (1755–1813)}}
{{Infobox Officeholder
| honorific_prefix     = ''[[Generalleutnant]]''
| name                 = Gerhard von Scharnhorst
| office1 = [[List of war ministers of Prussia|Prussian Minister of War]]
| term_start1          = 1 March 1808
| term_end1            = 17 June 1810
| predecessor1         = ''Position Established''
| successor1           = [[Karl Georg Albrecht Ernst von Hake|Karl von Hake]]
| office2 = [[German General Staff|Chief of the Prussian General Staff]]
| term_start2          = 1 March 1808
| term_end2            = 17 June 1810
| predecessor2         = ''Position Established''
| successor2           = [[Karl Georg Albrecht Ernst von Hake|Karl von Hake]]
| term_start3          = March 1813
| term_end3            = 28 June 1813
| predecessor3         = [[Gustav von Rauch]]
| successor3           = [[August Neidhardt von Gneisenau|August von Gneisenau]]
| honorific_suffix     =
| birth_name           = Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst
| birth_date           = {{Birth date|1755|11|12|df=yes}}
| birth_place          = [[Bordenau]], [[Electorate of Hanover]], [[Holy Roman Empire]]
| death_date           = {{Death date and age|1813|6|28|1755|11|12|df=yes}}
| death_place          = [[Prague]], [[Kingdom of Bohemia]], [[Austrian Empire]]
| resting_place        = [[Invalidenfriedhof]]
| image                = Friedrich Bury - Bildnis des Generals von Scharnhorst.jpg
| signature            = Signatur Gerhard von Scharnhorst.PNG
| caption              = Portrait by [[Friedrich Bury]], {{circa}} 1810s
| nickname             = 
| allegiance           = {{flagicon|Prussia|1803}} [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]
| branch               = {{army|Kingdom of Prussia}}
| serviceyears         = 1778–1813
| rank                 = ''[[Generalleutnant]]''
| commands             = 
| unit                 = 
| battles              = 
{{tree list}}
* '''[[Napoleonic Wars]]'''
** '''[[War of the Fourth Coalition]]'''
*** [[Battle of Jena–Auerstedt]]
*** [[Battle of Eylau]]
** '''[[War of the Sixth Coalition]]'''
*** [[Battle of Lützen (1813)|Battle of Lützen]]{{DOW}}
{{tree list/end}}
| awards               = ''[[Pour le Mérite]]''
| relations            = 
| laterwork            = 
| spouse               = 
| children             = 
}}
'''Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst''' (12 November 1755 – 28 June 1813) was a Hanoverian-born [[general]] in [[Prussia]]n 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 punishment]]s, established promotion for merit, abolished the enrollment of foreigners, began the organization of a reserve army, and organized and simplified the military administration.

==Life and career==
Born at Bordenau (now a part of [[Neustadt am Rübenberge]], [[Lower Saxony]]) near [[Hanover]], into a minor landowning family,{{sfn|Tucker|2010|page=1298}} Scharnhorst succeeded in educating himself and in securing admission to the military academy of [[William, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe]], at the [[Steinhude Lake|Wilhelmstein]] fortress. In 1778 he received a commission into the [[Electorate of Hanover|Hanoverian]] service. He employed the intervals of regimental duty in further self-education and literary work. In 1783 he transferred to the [[artillery]] and received an appointment to the new artillery school in Hanover. He had already founded a military journal which, under a series of names, endured until 1805, and in 1788 he designed, and in part published, a ''Handbook for Officers in the Applied Sections of Military Science'' (''Handbuch für Offiziere in den anwendbaren Teilen der Kriegswissenschaften''). He also published in 1792 his ''Military Handbook for Use in the Field'' (''Militärisches Taschenbuch für den Gebrauch im Felde'').{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=313}}

[[File:Scharnhorst-tomb.JPG|thumb|180px|Scharnhorst's grave at the Invalidenfriedhof, Berlin]]

The income he derived from his writings provided Scharnhorst's chief means of support, for he still held the rank of lieutenant, and though the farm of Bordenau produced a small sum annually, he had a wife, Clara Schmalz (a sister of [[Theodor Schmalz]], the first director of [[Berlin University]]) and family to maintain. 

His first military campaign took place in 1793 in the [[Netherlands]], in which he served with distinction under the [[Prince Frederick, Duke of York|Duke of York]]. In 1794 he took part in the defence of [[Menen]] and commemorated the escape of the garrison in his ''Defence of the Town of Menen'' (''Verteidigung der Stadt Menin'', Hanover, 1803), which, apart from his paper on "The Origins of the Good Fortune of the French in the Revolutionary War" (''Die Ursachen des Glücks der Franzosen im Revolutionskrieg'') remains his best-known work. Shortly thereafter he received promotion to the rank of major and joined the staff of the Hanoverian contingent.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=313}}

After the [[Peace of Basel]] (5 March 1795) Scharnhorst returned to Hanover. He had by now become so well known to the armies of the various allied states that he received invitations from several of them to transfer his services.  In January 1797, he turned down an invitation to join the Prussian Army when Hanover offered a promotion to lieutenent colonel and a raise in pay.  In 1801 the Prussian offer was made again, at twice his pay from Hanover, and this time Scharnhorst accepted, on the condition that he retain his seniority, was provided with a good pension, and received a [[patent of nobility]].  He thus engaged himself to King [[Frederick William III of Prussia]]. <ref>[[Trevor N. Dupuy|Dupuy, T. N.]] (1984) ''A Genius for War: The German Army and General Staff, 1807-1945'' p.18. Falls Church, Virginia: Nova Publications. {{isbn|0-9638692-1-3}}</ref> 

The [[Prussian Military Academy]] employed him, almost as a matter of course, in important instructional work ([[Carl von Clausewitz|Clausewitz]] was one of his students) and he founded the [[Berlin Military Society]]. In the mobilizations and precautionary measures that marked the years 1804 and 1805, and in the war of 1806 that ensued, Scharnhorst served as chief of the general staff (lieutenant-quartermaster) of the [[Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick|Duke of Brunswick]], received a slight wound at [[Battle of Jena-Auerstedt|Auerstedt]] (14 October 1806) and distinguished himself by his stern resolution during the retreat of the Prussian army. He attached himself to [[Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher|Blücher]] in the last stages of the disastrous campaign, went into captivity with him at the capitulation of [[Battle of Lübeck|Ratekau]] (7 November 1806), and, quickly exchanged, had a prominent and almost decisive part in leading [[Anton Wilhelm von L'Estocq|L'Estocq]]'s Prussian corps, which served with the Russians. For his services at [[Battle of Eylau|Eylau]] (February 1807) he received the highest Prussian military order ''[[Pour le Mérite]]''.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=313}}

It was apparent that Scharnhorst's skills exceeded those of a merely brilliant staff officer. Educated in the traditions of the [[Seven Years' War]], he had by degrees, as his experience widened, divested his mind of antiquated forms of war, and realised that only a "national" army and a policy of fighting decisive battles could give an adequate response to the political and strategic situation brought about by the [[French Revolution]]. He was promoted to major-general a few days after the [[Peace of Tilsit]] (July 1807), and became the head of a reform commission that included the best of the younger officers, such as [[August von Gneisenau|Gneisenau]], [[Karl von Grolman|Grolman]], and [[Hermann von Boyen|Boyen]]. [[Heinrich Friedrich Karl, Baron von und zum Stein|Stein]] himself became a member of the commission and secured Scharnhorst free access to King Frederick William III by securing his appointment as ''[[aide-de-camp]]-general''. But [[Napoleon]] quickly became suspicious, and Frederick William repeatedly had to suspend or cancel the reforms recommended.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=313}}

By slow and labored steps, Scharnhorst converted the professional long-service army of Prussia, wrecked at [[Battle of Jena|Jena]] (1806), into a national army based on universal service.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=313}} Universal service was not secured until his death, but he laid down the principles and prepared the way for its adoption. Enrollments of foreigners were abolished, [[corporal punishment]]s were limited to flagrant cases of insubordination, promotion for merit was established, and the military administration organized and simplified. The organization of the ''Landwehr'' (army reserves) was begun.

[[File:Scharnhorststatue.JPG|thumb|Statue of Scharnhorst on the [[Unter den Linden]], Berlin]]

In 1809, the war between France and Austria roused premature hopes in the patriots' party, which the conqueror did not fail to note. By direct application to Napoleon, Scharnhorst evaded the decree of 26 September 1810, which required all foreigners to leave the Prussian service forthwith, but when in 1811–1812 France forced Prussia into an alliance against Russia and Prussia despatched an auxiliary army to serve under Napoleon's orders, Scharnhorst left Berlin on unlimited leave of absence. In retirement he wrote and published a work on firearms, ''Über die Wirkung des Feuergewehrs'' (1813). But the retreat from [[Moscow]] (1812) at last sounded the call to arms for the new national army of Prussia.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=313}}

Scharnhorst, recalled to the king's headquarters, refused a higher post but became chief of staff to Blücher, in whose vigour, energy, and influence with the young soldiers he had complete confidence. Russian Prince [[Peter Wittgenstein|Wittgenstein]] was so impressed by Scharnhorst that he asked to borrow him temporarily as his chief of staff, and Blücher agreed. In the first battle, [[Battle of Lützen (1813)|Lützen]] or Gross-Görschen (2 May 1813), Prussia suffered defeat, but a very different defeat from those Napoleon had inflicted before. The French army, largely made up of teenage [[conscripts]] by 1813 and no longer the juggernaut military it once was in before 1807, suffered significant casualties and, due in part to a severe shortage of cavalry, failed to follow up, rendering it an incomplete victory. In this battle, Scharnhorst received a wound in the foot, not in itself grave, but soon made mortal by the fatigues of the retreat to [[Battle of Dresden|Dresden]], and he succumbed to it on 28 June 1813 at [[Prague]], where he had travelled to negotiate with [[Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg|Schwarzenberg]] and [[Joseph Radetzky von Radetz|Radetzky]] for the armed intervention of [[Austria]]. Shortly before his death he had received promotion to the rank of lieutenant-general. [[Frederick William III]] erected a statue in his memory, by [[Christian Daniel Rauch]], in Berlin.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=313}} Scharnhorst was buried at the [[Invalidenfriedhof Cemetery]] in Berlin.

== Legacy ==
Scharnhorst became the namesake for several objects, places and groups:

* [[SMS Scharnhorst|SMS ''Scharnhorst'']], a 1906 German [[armored cruiser]] during [[World War I]].
* [[German battleship Scharnhorst|''Scharnhorst'']], a 1936 German [[battleship]] during [[World War II]] and lead ship of the {{sclass|Scharnhorst|battleship|4}}, which also included the ''Gneisenau''.
* [[Infantry Division Scharnhorst (Wehrmacht)|Infantry Division Scharnhorst]], a 1945 German [[Infantry Division|infantry division]] and one of the last new [[Wehrmacht]] formations of World War II.
* [[Scharnhorst Order]], highest military order of the former [[East German]] [[National People's Army]] (NVA).
* [[German frigate Scharnhorst (F 213)|''Scharnhorst'' (F 213)]], a 1943 British [[Sloop-of-war|sloop]], initially known as HMS ''Mermaid'', transferred to [[West Germany]] in 1959.
* Many streets in German cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Cologne, among others.

[[Hans von Seeckt|General Hans von Seeckt]] has been compared to Scharnhorst, mainly for his part in preparing the [[Wehrmacht|German Army]] of the [[Weimar Republic]], which was severely limited by the [[Treaty of Versailles]], for its eventual rearming, adapting secret doctrines, and preparing a [[German General Staff|General Staff]]. He has been credited with their unparalleled success in the campaigns of [[Second World War|1939-1940]]. After the rise of the [[Nazi Germany|Nazis]] in Germany, Field Marshal [[August von Mackensen]] compared von Seeckt to Scharnhorst, saying "The old fire burnt still, and the Allied Control had not destroyed any of the lasting elements of German strength." [[Winston Churchill]] also subscribed to this theory, believing von Seeckt was vital in the return of Germany to its place in the military world as rapidly as it had.<ref>Churchill, Winston S. 'The Gathering Storm' pg. 44-46</ref>

== See also ==
*[[German General Staff]]

== References ==
'''Notes'''
{{reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Tucker|editor1-first=Spencer C.|editor-link1=Spencer C. Tucker|title=A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East|date=2010|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1851096725}}
*{{Cite NIE|wstitle=Scharnhorst, Gerhard Johann David von|year=1905}}
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Scharnhorst, Gerhard Johann David von|volume=24|pp=313–314}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Britannica|527047|Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box |
before = New ministry |
years = 1808–1810 |
title = [[German General Staff|Chief of the Prussian General Staff]]<br> [[Prussian Minister of War]] |
after = [[Karl Georg Albrecht Ernst von Hake|Karl von Hake]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Prussian Ministers of War}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scharnhorst, Gerhard Von}}
[[Category:1755 births]]
[[Category:1813 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Neustadt am Rübenberge]]
[[Category:Prussian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:People from the Electorate of Hanover]]
[[Category:Lieutenant generals of Prussia]]
[[Category:Prussian politicians]]
[[Category:German untitled nobility]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)]]
[[Category:Burials at the Invalids' Cemetery]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Lower Saxony]]
[[Category:German military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars]]
[[Category:18th-century German politicians]]