Who was the Prussian commander at the Battle of Waterloo?

The Prussian commander at the Battle of Waterloo was Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher.

A Prussian field marshal, Blücher commanded the Prussian Army during the Waterloo campaign of 1815. Napoleon first defeated Blücher’s forces at Ligny on 16 June, but the Prussians withdrew toward Wavre rather than abandoning their British and allied partners under the Duke of Wellington.

Blücher’s army marched toward Waterloo and began arriving late on 18 June, joining the battle while Wellington’s troops were under intense French pressure. Prussian attacks around Plancenoit threatened Napoleon’s flank and helped turn the engagement into a decisive coalition victory. Blücher and Wellington coordinated their movements during the campaign, although they commanded separate armies.

Blücher was known to his soldiers as “Marschall Vorwärts,” or “Marshal Forward,” a reference to his aggressive style and determination to keep advancing. The names Scharnhorst and Clausewitz are associated with Prussian military reform and staff work, while Moltke belonged to a later generation. None was the Prussian army commander at Waterloo.