Blücher was born in Rostock on the northern Baltic coast of Germany in 1742. By 1758 he was a young hussar in the service of Sweden which had occupied the region. After being taken prisoner by the Prussians in 1760, he joined the Prussian Army, but was forced to resign for insubordination. A farmer until 1786, he returned to the army, rising in rank to lieutenant-general by 1801, to fight the armies of revolutionary, and subsequently Napoleonic, France. Driven by genuine hatred, he fought relentlessly despite many setbacks and his advancing years. In 1813 at Leipzig, the 'Battle of the Nations', an allied army under his command achieved a long awaited victory. Napoleon's fortunes were in decline and in 1814 Blucher and his Prussians pressed on through north-eastern France to bring about the downfall of the First Empire of the French. Field Marshal Blücher is primarily remembered for his cooperation with the Duke of Wellington during the 'Hundred Days' campaign in 1815, which resulted in the allied victory at Waterloo and the final downfall of Napoleon. This book is an excellent and intimate biography of Blucher's military career to 1815 by one who knew him well. It has been enhanced in this Leonaur edition by the inclusion of many illustrations, many by the renowned British military illustrator Richard Caton-Woodville, making this book ideal reference material for modellers, uniform and costume students etc.

Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.