The Patriotic War of 1812 was distinguished by a huge front of the Russian partisan movement. A characteristic feature of the partisan struggle against the French was the fact that the people's detachments were the leaders of the military movement, decisive and courageous officers, guided by the hand of Field Marshal M. I. Kutuzov himself. The partisans were commanded by such famous heroes of that war as F. F. Vintzengerode, A. P. Ozherovsky, I. S. Figner.
Alexander Samoilovich Figner was a descendant of the ancient German family name Figner von Rutmersbach. Alexander's father, having started military service as a private, managed to rise to the rank of staff officer, and after his resignation was appointed head of the Imperial glass factories. He finished this service as a state councilor, having numerous orders, was awarded hereditary noble dignity and in 1809 he was appointed to the post of vice-governor in the Pskov province.
Alexander Figner was born in 1787 and grew up as a modest child who loves loneliness, who, however, already then raved about the thirst for glorious military campaigns and admired his idol A. V. Suvorov.
At the age of 15, Alexander entered the 2nd Cadet Corps, which he graduated brilliantly, graduating in 1805 with the rank of second lieutenant. In the same year, Figner undertook a trip to the Mediterranean Sea as part of an Anglo-Russian expedition. During this trip, Alexander Samuilovich learned Italian quite well, he spoke German, French and Polish quite well, which was very useful to him in the future.
After returning to the Russian Empire, Figner received the rank of lieutenant and transferred to the 13th artillery brigade.
Alexander Figner received his first combat experience during the Russian-Turkish campaign. Having entered the service in the Moldavian army in 1810, he, as part of the detachment of General Zass, attacks the Turtukay fortress, and a little later - heroically takes part in the blockade and the capture of the Ruschuk fortress. For the difference in these matters, Figner receives the Order of St. George, 4th degree, right on the battlefield under the Ruschuk fortress, and a little later - the personal Most-Merciful Rescript.
In 1811, Alexander Samuilovich received the rank of staff captain, transferred to the 11th artillery brigade and took command of the light 3rd company in this brigade.
With the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, Figner first of all distinguished himself by the protection of the guns on the left flank of the Russian troops on the Stragani River, while he managed to recapture one of the guns they had captured from the French and received the rank of captain for this.
When the Russian troops retreated to Moscow, Alexander Figner received a secret instruction from Kutuzov - disguised as a peasant, to get into Moscow, occupied by the enemy, and somehow, making his way to Napoleon, to kill him. Alas, Figner does not succeed in this unheard-of insolence act, however, his stay in Moscow gave Napoleon a lot of trouble. Gathering a partisan detachment from the city dwellers, Figner periodically raided the French from ambushes, and the unpredictability of his actions brought panic to the enemy. It was here that his knowledge of European languages came in handy: dressing in foreign dresses, he wandered among the French soldiers during the day, listening to their conversations. So, with various information received, Figner got out of Moscow and arrived at the headquarters of the commander-in-chief, in Tarutino.
Information has been preserved that once the French still managed to capture Figner. Alexander Samuilovich fell into their hands at the Spassky Gate, disguised as a beggar, was immediately captured and interrogated. The hero was rescued by a high degree of self-control and a talent for reincarnation: pretending to be a madman in the city, Figner confused the Napoleon's head and was released.
The information received by Kutuzov from Alexander Figner turned out to be very important. Figner's partisan experience was taken into account by the commander-in-chief, and soon several partisan detachments were formed (in addition to the Figner one, the groups of Dorokhov and Seslavin operated). Alexander Samuilovich himself gathered two hundred daredevils and went with them to the Mozhaisk road.
Figner's strategy of actions was unchanged: driving around during the day in French, Polish or German clothing around the vicinity of enemy outposts, Figner remembered the location of the enemy troops. With the onset of night, he and his detachment flew into the French positions, mercilessly smashing them and taking the enemies prisoner. With his periodic raids on the French, Figner irritated Napoleon so much that he even appointed a prize for his head. This, however, did not in the least frighten the valiant partisan, on the contrary, having received 600 selected cavalrymen and Cossacks from Kutuzov, a dozen brilliant officers, Alexander Figner forms a new detachment.
The actions of this detachment only intensified the hatred of the Napoleonites towards Figner: Alexander Samuilovich constantly disturbed enemy camps, smashed foragers' wagons, intercepted couriers with reports and was a real disaster for the French. Figner's courage is evidenced by such a remarkable case: once, near Moscow itself, he attacked Napoleon's cuirassier guards, wounded their colonel and captured him and another 50 soldiers.
Many times the French overtook the detachment of Alexander Samuilovich, surrounded him, and the death of the brave partisans seemed inevitable, but Figner managed to confuse the enemy and get out of the encirclement with cunning, deceptive maneuvers.
Guerrilla warfare intensified even more with the beginning of Napoleon's withdrawal from Russia, and Figner also played an important role in it. So, once, having united with the detachment of Seslavin, he recaptured a large transport train with jewelry. Later, meeting with a detachment of the enemy near the village of Kamenny, he defeated it too, putting up to 350 people in place and taking about the same number of lower ranks prisoner. Finally, on November 27, joining up with the partisan groups of Count Orlov-Denisov, Denis Davydov and Seslavin, he inflicted a crushing defeat on the French general Augereau near the village of Lyakhovo. The French general who fought to the last, nevertheless, was forced to surrender, laying down a significant amount of weapons in front of Figner, who appeared in front of him as envoy. Here is what Kutuzov wrote about this feat of the valiant partisan: "This victory is all the more famous because for the first time in the continuation of the current campaign the enemy corps laid down weapons in front of us."
This feat of Figner was admired by the Emperor Alexander himself, who awarded Alexander Samuilovich with the rank of colonel, 7,000 rubles (a lot of money at that time) and transferred him to the guards artillery.
Amazing curiosities of the difficult partisan life awaited Figner in the campaign of the Russian army abroad. Acting underground on behalf of General Wittgenstein in besieged Danzig, Alexander Figner was captured by the French and languished for two months behind bars in the fortress, tortured almost daily by interrogations. Knowledge of foreign languages and natural cunning and resourcefulness saved him this time too: having managed to turn the seemingly disastrous case by 180 degrees, Figner became so credible to the French military authorities that he was sent with important reports to Napoleon. Which he, of course, delivered to the Russian military headquarters, after which he again received a promotion, becoming a colonel.
In the future, Figner forms from the French deserters (mostly Spaniards, with a small group of German volunteers) the so-called "legion of death", and again inspires awe on the French with raids and carefully thought-out military provocations.
The death of this one of the most worthy people, a true hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, is as valiant as his entire struggle against the French invaders.
In the fall of 1813, Figner, together with his "death squad", crossed the Elbe River near the city of Dessau. The detachment, however, did not succeed in sneaking into the city unnoticed - a large detachment of enemy French forces came across Figner. Having started an unequal battle, the Russians had no choice but to hastily retreat, crossing the river back. And already this crossing, under fierce artillery fire, Alexander Samuilovich Figner could not master - trying to save one of his hussar subordinates, he drowned …
And it is not at all surprising that it was this man who became the prototype of one of the heroes of the novel by L. N. Tolstoy - Fedor Dolokhov, and the wonderful Russian poet V. A. Zhukovsky dedicated the following lines to him:
“… Our Figner is an old man in the camp of enemies
Walks in the darkness of the night;
Like a shadow, he crept around the tents.
All were quick eyes …
And the camp is still in deep sleep, The bright day did not overlook -
And he already, knight, on horseback, Already broke out with the squad!"
