In 1688, as a 19-year-old, he entered the Prussian Artillery as a Bombardier. During the campaign against France 1689–1697, he served in the sieges at Bonn and Namur, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1696. In October 1701, he was promoted to captain and company chief, the highest position available to non-royal, non-aristocratic young men. A year later, in the War of the Spanish Succession, he examined and experimented with different artillery positions. For his service, Frederick I raised him to the Prussian nobility, awarded him the rank of major, and, in 1709, lieutenant colonel.