Scharnhorst, General Gerhard von (1755–1813) and Gneisenau, Field Marshal August Neidhart von (1760–1831)

Abstract The names of Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, two of the most famous generals in Prussian service, are generally linked together. For many, the men as individuals remain some what opaque. There are good reasons for the German veneration of these two men. They were at the forefront of a renaissance of professional military reform in the Prussian army after Prussia's disastrous defeat at the hands of Napoleon in 1806. Nonetheless, neither man was actually a Prussian, or even a Brandenburger, despite the very Prussian von that both used in their names. Gerhard Johann David Scharnhorst was from Hanover, a German possession of the British crown, while August Wilhelm Anton Niedhart von Gneisenau was from Saxony, historically an electorate (and later kingdom) at odds with the Hohenzollern monarchy in Berlin. It is true that the men were close friends, but the real unifying thread for them can be found in a key friend they shared in common — the Prussian Carl von Clausewitz. These two German patriots were key to Clausewitz's rise. Both men mentored and protected him, seeing in him an intellect and passion of great value. Clausewitz returned the favor, writing hagiographically about both of his friends, especially Scharnhorst.