24. That Time When Blucher Ticked Off Frederick the Great
Even by eighteenth century standards, mock executions of priests were frowned upon. It was seen as the behavior of a barbarian, 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. He was never able to keep his temper in check, so he 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!” Blucher retired to the countryside to become a farmer. He was good enough at it to gain financial independence.
However, after the heated passion of the moment that led him to resign from the Prussian Army had passed, Blucher had second thoughts about what he had done. He pined for his days as a soldier, and sought to rejoin his regiment. Unfortunately for him, Frederick the Great had a long memory, and knew how to hold a grudge. The Prussian monarch did not forget Blucher’s rude resignation, and did not forgive. He blocked Blucher’s return to the Prussian military – a ban that remained in place for the next fifteen years. It was only a year after Frederick the Great’s death in 1786, that Blucher was allowed to rejoin his regiment, the Red Hussars, as a major.
