38. A Head Case From Early On
Blucher gained significant experience as a cavalry officer during the Seven Years War. He had an abundance of wild courage and an aggressive way about him, that made him a great fighting officer. However, while that kind of high-strung and hard-charging temperament was an asset during wartime, it was a decided liability during peacetime. That became clear in 1772, when then-Captain Blucher subjected an unruly priest to a mock execution.
Even by eighteenth-century standards, mock executing priests was frowned upon – the behavior of a lunatic, not that of a professional officer in the army of a civilized state. As a result, Blucher was passed over for promotion to major in 1773. Never known for being able to keep his temper in check, Blucher submitted an angry letter of resignation from the Prussian Army. An incensed King Frederick the Great responded: “Captain Blucher can take himself to the devil!“
