Mikhail Fedotowitsch Kamensky

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Mikhail Fedotowitsch Kamensky

Count Mikhail Kamensky ( Russian Михаил Федотович Каменский ; born May 8 jul. / 19th May  1738 greg. In St. Petersburg ; † August 12 . Jul / 24. August  1809 . Greg in Saburowo, Oryol Governorate ) was a Russian Field Marshall during the reign of Tsarina Catherine II.

Life

Seven Years War

Mikhail Fedotowitsch left the Cadet Corps as a lieutenant in 1756 and served a short time in the construction office. In 1757 he joined the Russian artillery as sub- paymaster . From 1758 to 1759 he served in the French army and was promoted to captain. On his return he received an artillery company in Moscow. On February 25, 1761 he switched to infantry at his own request with the rank of premier major , and in the same year became colonel and quartermaster general in Count Rumyantsev's corps . He took part in the closing stages of the Seven Years' War and then commanded the 1st Moscow Infantry Regiment. In 1765 he was sent to Prussia to study the local military and met Friedrich II there. After his return, he submitted his report entitled Opisanije prusskogo lagerja (English: Description of the Prussian camp), in which he was the Prussian army and their regulations praised. In 1766 he was appointed brigadier general and in 1769 major general.

Russo-Turkish War 1769–1771

During the Russo-Turkish War 1769–1771, Kamenski commanded the 4th Brigade at Chotyn and Janchintsy , for which he was awarded the Order of St. Anne in 1769 . The next year he commanded the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division and received the Order of St. George for his role in the battle for Bender . After he had a command in Poland for a short time in 1772, he returned to the Danube and took part in the military operations against the Turks between Banat and Craiova . For this he received the Order of St. George 3rd Class and was appointed lieutenant general in 1773 . In 1774 he was given command of the left wing of the Russian army and participated in the operations in Pazardzhik , Kozludji , Yeni Bazaar and Shumla part. For his achievements he received the Order of St. George 2nd Class and the Alexander Nevsky Order . His intrigues against Suvorov resulted in his being recalled from his post in the army.

From 1775 to 1791

From 1775 to 1785 Kamenski held various positions. In 1779, during the War of the Bavarian Succession , he was a military attaché in the Prussian army and from 1783 to 1785 Governor General in the Governments of Ryazan and Tambov . During the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1790 he was in command of the 2nd Corps, but was again relieved of his post because of intrigues - this time against Field Marshal Rumyantsev. He went to the 4th Division (Reserve Corps) and took part in the operations at Chotyn and Bender. In December 1788 he distinguished himself at Gankur and received the Order of St. Vladimir 1st Class . For a short time he commanded the army in the Ukraine , but came into conflict with Prince Potjomkin . After his death (1791) Kamenski claimed command of the army for himself and, citing his seniority, refused to hand it over to his successor General Kachowski . Only when his corps commanders refused to obey him and declared themselves for Kachowski did he resign.

Reuse under Paul I.

Having fallen out of favor with Tsarina Katharina, he withdrew to his estates and spent the next five years there. He did not return to active service until 1796 when Tsar Paul I , with whom he had been friends since his time in the Moscow regiment, gave him command of the Finland division and appointed him chief of the Ryazan Musketeer Regiment. Kamenski was promoted to General of the Infantry on December 14, 1796 . The next year he received the Order of St. Andrew the First Called (March 15) and was raised to the rank of count. On April 16, 1797 he was appointed field marshal. Nevertheless, he quickly lost the favor of the Tsar and was released from his position in the army on January 4, 1798. The new Tsar Alexander I appointed him military governor of Saint Petersburg in 1802 , but dismissed him that same year due to incompetence. He spent the next year on his estate in Saburowo in Oryol .

In the war against Napoleon

Since Kutuzov was no longer in favor after the devastating defeat at Austerlitz and in the face of the conflict between the two German corps commanders Buxhöwden and Bennigsen , Tsar Alexander, under the pressure of public opinion, was forced to give Kamensky the supreme command of the Russian army (22 November 1806). But Kamenski's health was very poor. When he got to the army, he was almost blind and could hardly move. Several times he asked the tsar in letters to provide him with a suitable general who should lead the army instead, since he himself no longer saw himself in a position to do so.

As the French under Napoleon were getting closer and closer, Kamenski was forced to issue orders. His misjudgment of the situation and his incapacity were very evident during the operations. He rejected Bennigsen's plan of operations and ordered all forces to be concentrated at Pultusk in order to fight a great battle there. He himself left his post and retired to a military hospital in the city of Ostrolenka , far behind the Russian lines, from where he again asked the tsar for his replacement. From Ostrolenka he continued to give orders to his commanders, who largely ignored them. Shortly before he wanted to return to his post in December, he finally received his dismissal as commander-in-chief and Alexander's order to go to Grodno . He was later given permission to retire to his Saburowo estate in the Oryol governorate.

The last few years

The next three years were spent in Kamenski Saburowo where he his, because of the extremely poor treatment serf was notorious farmers. On August 24, 1809, he was killed there by one of his farmers. He was buried in the church in Saburowo.

progeny

His two sons, Nikolai Michailowitsch Kamenski (1776-1811) and Sergei Michailowitsch Kamenski (1771-1834) were also important Russian generals in the war against the Turks and against Napoleon. He is also a direct ancestor of actress Helen Mirren .

See also

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kamensky, Michail Fedotowitsch
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Каменский, Михаил Федотович (Russian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Russian field marshal
DATE OF BIRTH May 19, 1738
PLACE OF BIRTH St. Petersburg
DATE OF DEATH August 24, 1809
Place of death Saburowo, Governorate Oryol , Russia