Carl von Clausewitz

Clausewitz served as aide-de-camp to Prince August of Prussia during the disastrous double battle against Napoleon. The Prussian army was shattered, leading to the collapse of the Prussian state and Clausewitz's capture. This defeat profoundly shaped his later theories on war and the need for a strong state.

Refusing to serve Napoleon after Prussia's forced alliance, Clausewitz joined the Russian Imperial Army. He participated in the 1812 campaign, including the Battle of Borodino, and witnessed the French army's catastrophic retreat from Moscow. This experience provided firsthand insight into the nature of war and the role of chance and friction.

As a Prussian officer in Russian service, Clausewitz helped negotiate the Convention of Tauroggen, a secret agreement between Prussian General Yorck and Russia. This neutralized the Prussian corps allied with Napoleon, effectively breaking the Franco-Prussian alliance and sparking the Prussian War of Liberation.

Clausewitz's unfinished magnum opus, Vom Kriege (On War), was published posthumously by his wife Marie von Br