He was the son of a Saxon lieutenant General, Gottlob Bernhard. He joined at the age of 13 years in the Saxon army, as a Unterleutnant, in the "Kurfürst" Infantry Regiment. He participated in the campaigns of 1796 to 1812, including the Battle of Saalfeld. Notably, in the Russian Campaign in 1812, he was head of the General Staff of the VII (Saxon) Corps. After the return of the Saxon Corps from Russia, the King appointed him Adjutant-General.