born Dec. 16, 1742, Rostock, Mecklenburg
died Sept. 12, 1819, Krieblowitz, near Kanth, Silesia, Prussia
Prussian military leader.
He joined the Prussian army in 1760 and commanded troops against the French (1793–94) and in the Napoleonic Wars . In 1813 he came out of retirement to command Prussian troops against the French, defeating them at Wahlstatt and assisting in the allied victory at the Battle of Leipzig . In 1815 he again commanded Prussian forces in the Battle of Wellington to bring about Napoleon's defeat.