Johann Paul von Werner (11 December 1707 – 25 January 1785) was chief of the Prussian Hussar Regiment No.

The Prussian playwright Gotthold Lessing modeled the character of the sergeant in his Minna von Barnhelm on Werner.

[1] In August 1741, Field Marshal Count Neipperg sent a petition to the Hofkriegsrat, asking for a promotion for Werner but it was refused.

[2] Dissatisfaction with his lack of career progress extended throughout the war between Austria and Prussia and opened the door for other opportunities.

These probably occurred during a spa stay in Karlsbad, where he met Prussian General Hans Karl von Winterfeldt.

Ever the opportunist, Winterfeld reported to King Frederick that Werner, at the beginning of the First Campaign of the Silesian Wars, had made a coup when, with 60 Hussars, he had routed several larger units.

By 1756 he was second in commend of the Brown Hussars in the army of Feldmarschall Kurt Christoph, Graf von Schwerin, who greatly appreciated Werner's prudence and vigilance.

[1] Werner's first assignment in the Seven Years' War was to advance with 300 riders from Glatz around the rear of the Austrian army commanded by Octavio Piccolomini.

In February 1757 he became Inhaber (Proprietor) of the Brown Hussars and, in the Battle of Prague, he was part of the left wing reserve commanded by Hans Joachim von Zieten.

On 22 November 1757, at the Battle of Breslau, he was again on the left wing under Hans Joachim von Zieten, where he fought in the area of Kleinburg.

[1] In the Battle of Leuthen, he was able to defeat and disperse the enemy outposts commanded by General von Nostitz, including two Saxon and two Austrian hussar regiments.

In October, the Habsburg General Karl Marquis de Ville laid siege to the Neisse fortress.

He marched the 382 kilometers (237 mi) from Glogau to Kolberg from 5 to 18 September and upon arrival, he surprised the Russians by attacking immediately.

In 1761, he joined the army of the Prince of Wurttemberg, which was to resume efforts to relieve the besieged fortress of Kolberg but had hardly any supplies.