Prussian General Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst (before 1813) From 1807 to 1810, Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst (1755-1813) played a central role as chairman of the Prussian military reorganization committee. He advocated the creation of a national army based on universal service. Among other changes, Scharnhorst’s policies opened the army officer corps to bourgeois candidates and made advancement contingent upon merit. By 1813, Prussia had introduced compulsory military service. Oil on canvas by Johann Friedrich Bury (1763-1823), before 1813.