Nikolai Mikhailovich Kamensky came from a not very noble, but very well-deserved family. His father, Mikhail Fedotovich Kamensky (1738-1809), holder of many military orders, was a famous military leader who served under the command of Rumyantsev and Potemkin.
As a young man, he went to France for two years (1757-1759), where he volunteered for military service "to gain experience in the art of war." As part of the French army, he took part in the Seven Years War. In 1765 he was chosen as a military agent in the army of Frederick II, where he was sent to familiarize himself with the training program for the troops. Frederick II later called him "a young Canadian", although he was "quite erect". Frankly, not too flattering comparison in those days - of course, not quite a savage, but something very close. As part of the Russian army, M. F. Kamensky took part in two wars with Turkey, fought against the troops of the Bar Confederation in Poland. In addition to military service, he served as governor of the Ryazan and Tambov provinces and even St. Petersburg. In 1797 he rose to the rank of field marshal. In the same year, Paul I granted him the title of count. Segur spoke about M. F. Kamensky as a general who is not afraid of death, but considered a cruel and hot-tempered person. Other contemporaries also point to the extremely irritable and eccentric character of M. Kamensky. A. V. Suvorov recognized his military ability, saying that Kamensky "knows tactics." Some even considered him the only rival of Suvorov, whom he clearly imitated: he sang in the kliros and demanded that only the simplest and coarse food be served at the table, and tied his hair with a rope in the back in the form of a bun. At the same time, Mikhail Kamensky was very jealous of the glory of his great contemporary, it constantly seemed to him that his military merits were underestimated, and he did not hesitate to publicly show his displeasure. When Catherine II gave him 5,000 gold rubles as a gift, M. Kamensky, offended by the "insignificance" of the amount, demonstratively spent this money on breakfasts in the Summer Garden, to which he invited everyone who caught his eye. It is not surprising that the empress did not like him too much, calling him "the most boring person in the world." Moreover, she once said that "Kamensky is not good for anything." Nevertheless, Derzhavin in his poems called M. F. Kamensky “damask, braced in battles, the remaining sword of Catherine …” However, the last high-profile appointment of the field marshal ended in a scandal: after the defeat at Austerlitz, he was sent to command the Russian army, but after 7 days he fled from its location, ordering to retreat. In this regard, F. Vigel in his memoirs sarcastically remarked that "the last sword of Catherine lay in the scabbard for too long and therefore rusted." Sent to the village, M. Kamensky led the life of a typical "wild landowner" and was killed by one of his courtyard people. According to a rather convincing version, the initiator of his murder was the Count's young mistress, who, apparently, could not endure the "courtship" of the hateful old man. The government's revenge was terrible: 300 serfs were sent to hard labor and recruits. It was M. F. Kamensky became the prototype of the old prince Bolkonsky in the novel by L. N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace".
The sons of the count also experienced the weight of his character. They were very afraid of the reprimands and punishments of their father, until the end of their lives in his presence they did not dare to smoke or sniff tobacco. The eldest of them, Sergei, already being an officer, was once publicly beaten by his father arapnik. It is curious that he was his mother's favorite, but his father always singled out the youngest - the hero of our article. Many contemporaries report that the relationship between the brothers was not close, but rather they could be called hostile.
Both sons of the field marshal became generals. Sergei (Kamensky I), already mentioned by us, inherited many unpleasant traits of his father's character. He lived a long life, fought a lot, but after a quarrel with the commander of the Third Western Army AP Tormasov, from October 19, 1812, he went on indefinite leave "to cure the disease." On his estate, he behaved in much the same way as his father, but with great sophistication. So, under the guise of a theater, he got himself a harem of serf girls (a fairly common practice, by the way, and there were also choirs) - it's nice to spend the night with Titania today, and tomorrow with Cleopatra. Feels like some shabby pot-bellied gentleman, either the king of the elves, or Julius Caesar, and self-esteem rises right before our eyes. Sergei escaped the revenge of the serfs and the tragic fate of his father, and died a natural death.
The character of the youngest son of the field marshal, Nicholas (Kamensky II, born in 1776), was also very difficult. With the officers subordinate to him, he was cold, he did not try to please anyone, which is why many did not like him. But he was very popular among the soldiers of his regiments, because, on the one hand, he always took care of their contentment, constantly quarreling with the thieving quartermasters, and on the other hand, he was demanding not only in relation to the lower ranks, but also to the officers.
In his military career, he was ahead of his older brother, having received the rank of general a year earlier, and even was his boss during the campaign of 1810 (Russian-Turkish War).
Like his older brother, Nikolai studied at the Imperial Land Nobility Corps. He began his army service with the rank of a cornet in the Novotroitsk cuirassier regiment. At one time he served as an adjutant in his father's headquarters, which, given the character and exactingness of the elder Kamensky, can hardly be called a "sinecure". In 1795, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, he was transferred to the Simbirsk Grenadier Regiment, then to Ryazan, and in 1799, having received the rank of Major General, was appointed to command the regiment, which from 1801 would become the Arkhangelsk Musketeer Regiment (until then, regiments in the Russian army were named after their commander). It was with this regiment that he became famous during the Italian (for the battle of Trebia the regiment was awarded the "grenadier march"), and, especially, the Swiss campaigns of Suvorov.
The Swiss campaign of A. V. Suvorov
As you know, at the end of the summer of 1799, Suvorov was ordered to go to Switzerland, where, according to the plan drawn up by the notorious Weyrother, three relatively small separate armies (Suvorov, Rimsky-Korsakov and Austrian Friedrich von Gotz) were to defeat the troops of the French general (later he will become Marshal) André Massena. For some reason, it was assumed that this commander, who in France in those years was called 'Enfant chéri de la Victoire ("beloved child of victory"), would stand quietly, waiting for all the allied armies to unite.
Massena, of course, did not stand and took advantage of the chance to smash opponents in parts. So, when Suvorov's troops were drawn into the mountain gorges of the Alps, they had no one to connect with: the army of Rimsky-Korsakov was defeated, the army of von Gotz received an order to withdraw from Switzerland. In addition, it turned out that the roads indicated on the issued maps mainly exist only on maps, and the real ones are reliably blocked by the French. In general, the Russian army of Suvorov was trapped, any other commander would probably try to break through back to Italy. But Suvorov continued his campaign, while he, in essence, "advancing", retreated. And there are historians who compare the campaign of the Russian army through the Alps with Napoleon's breakthrough through the Berezina: in both cases, the retreating armies suffered heavy losses, and in both cases the enemy, who was in a much more advantageous position, failed to stop and destroy the retreating army. However, the losses of the French, both in quantitative and percentage terms, were much higher, moreover, unlike Napoleon, Suvorov did not leave his banners to the enemy and even brought about 1,500 French prisoners with him. Therefore, in France, the expression "C`est la Berezina" is a symbol of collapse and defeat, and Suvorov's Swiss campaign in military schools and academies is studied as an example of high military art. And even Massena himself, upon hearing of the death of the Russian generalissimo, said: "I would give all my 48 battles for 17 days of Suvorov's Swiss campaign." Another thing is Paul I and his entourage, who were very unhappy with the finale of Alexander Vasilyevich's European campaign. The emperor did not even receive the returning commander and did not appoint any celebrations. And three weeks later, Suvorov died, having said before his death to Kutaisov: “I don’t even want to think about the sovereign now.”
But let us return to Switzerland at the end of August-beginning of September 1799. On September 12, the left column of Suvorov's troops under the command of General V. Kh. Derfelden (about 15,000 people, including N. Kamensky's regiment) went to the Saint-Gotthard pass. It is curious that during the Russian-Turkish War of 1770-1774. Derfelden served under the command of the father of our hero - M. F. Kamensky. The right column (commander - A. G. Rosenberg, about 6,000 soldiers) approached the village of Ursern in the rear of General Guden's French brigade. The vanguard of the left column was commanded by P. I. Bagration, right - M. I. Miloradovich. Rosenberg's troops attacked the French on Mount Crispal and forced them to withdraw. Bagration's detachment, supported by General Baranovsky, operating on the Saint Gotthard Pass, also pushed the enemy back - not too far: higher up the slope, the new French position looked completely impregnable. Nevertheless, the next day, on the third attempt, the Saint Gotthard Pass was taken, and the retreating French left all their artillery.
However, ahead was the Unzern Loch (Unzern hole) - the first tunnel built in the Alps. Its length was about 67 meters, width - only 2 meters. And 400 meters below it, the same "Devil's" bridge was thrown across the gorge. They were to be taken by the detachment of A. G. Rosenberg (a talented Russian general of the Suvorov school, from the Courland Germans). In the Unzernskiy tunnel, the enemy installed a cannon for firing buckshot, which made it impossible for Miloradovich's soldiers to advance. However, it was foolish to beat the enemy in the forehead in such unfavorable conditions. And so Suvorov sent three detachments to bypass. It was the actions of these detachments that determined the success of the operation. 200 soldiers, led by Major Trevogin, crossed Reis up to their waist in icy water and, climbing the rocks, reached the left bank in the rear of the French troops. Another 300 Russian soldiers of the Oryol Musketeer Regiment, wearing spiked sandals on their boots, walked around Unzern-Lokh. Seeing them descending from the top, the French, fearing the encirclement, hastened to leave the tunnel and retreat to the bridge.
Many memoirists recall the incomprehensible and disturbing roar they heard when approaching Unzern-Loch. It was the Devil's noise
Throwing the cannon into the river, the French retreated to the other side of the Reis River, trying to blow up the bridge behind them, but only its central span collapsed. The Russian soldiers pursuing them were forced to stop. Lined up in a row, the opponents standing on opposite banks of the river literally shot each other.
It was at this moment that N. Kamensky's regiment came to the left bank of the Reis - the main surprise of Suvorov. Kamensky managed to bypass the enemy positions through the village of Betzberg, as a result of which his regiment was behind enemy lines. During a combat clash with the enemy, N. Kamensky for the first time in his military career was on the verge of death: a bullet pierced his hat. Memoirists note that "the movement of Count Kamensky's regiment coincided with a decisive turn in the battle in favor of the Russians." It was for these actions in the battle for the Devil's Bridge that N. Kamensky received the Order of St. Anna 1 st. Suvorov wrote to his father: "Your young son is an old general." From that time on, Nikolai Mikhailovich himself, hinting at his merits in this battle, he began to call the Devil's General.
Meanwhile, having dismantled some shed that turned out to be nearby, the Russians, under continuous enemy fire, tied the logs with officers' scarves, blocked the destroyed bridge span. Major Meshchersky was the first to step onto the opposite bank - and was immediately mortally wounded. The major's last words are noteworthy: "Friends, do not forget me in the report!" The comrades have not forgotten why this phrase and the circumstances of Meshchersky's death went down in history. In the future, the crossing to the other side was carried out, of course, not along these, tied with scarves, wobbly boards: the bridge was restored by Austrian sappers who were with the Russian army.
After the army crossed the Reis, Suvorov intended to move to Schwyz. And here it turned out that the road to it exists only on the map. Now there was only one way - through the snow-covered Kinzig-Kulm pass of the Rostok ridge. The army set out on the morning of September 16, traditionally Bagration's units were in front, Rosenberg's units were moving in the rearguard, which during the journey repelled two attacks by the French troops of General Lecourbe. Rosenberg's detachment arrived in Muten only on the evening of 18 September. It was here and on this day that news of the defeats of Rimsky-Korsakov and von Gotze came. It was now pointless to continue moving towards Schwyz, and the exits from the valley were already blocked by Massena. The situation was so desperate that at the military council Suvorov cried, addressing his generals. His speech is known to us from the recording of P. Bagration:
“We are surrounded by mountains … surrounded by a strong enemy, proud of victory … Since the time of the Prut, under the Emperor Peter the Great, the Russian troops have never been in such a death-threatening position … No, this is no longer treason, but a clear betrayal … a reasonable, calculated betrayal us, who shed so much blood for the salvation of Austria. Now there is no one to wait for help, one hope is in God, the other is for the greatest courage and the highest self-sacrifice of the troops led by you … We are faced with the greatest, unprecedented labors in the world! We are on the edge of the abyss! But we are Russians! God is with us! Save, save the honor and heritage of Russia and her Autocrat! Save his son (Tsarevich Konstantin Pavlovich)."
After these words, Suvorov burst into tears.
Through the Pragel Pass, Suvorov's army moved into the Klentalskaya Valley, Kamensky's regiment marched as part of the vanguard units commanded by Bagration, Rosenberg's corps moved in the rearguard. On September 19, the advance units of the Russian troops were attacked by the French, but overturned them and pursued them for 5 km. On this day, Kamensky, with a battalion of his regiment, managed to cross to the right bank of the Linta River, occupying the village of Molis and capturing 2 cannons, a banner and 106 prisoners. The main battle took place the next day, André Massena took a personal part in this battle. However, the counterattack of the Russians was so fierce that the French fled, and Massena himself was nearly captured, being pulled off his horse by non-commissioned officer Ivan Makhotin, who still had a golden epaulette in his hands (his authenticity was confirmed by the captured General La Courque). Having then won another victory at the Battle of Glarus (September 30), the Russian army withdrew from the Alpine trap.
Military campaign 1805-1807
The next big battle, in which N. M. Kamensky, became the famous battle of Austerlitz. According to the plan of the same ill-fated Wereuter, the allied Russian-Austrian troops were divided into 6 columns. The main role was assigned to the first three (under the command of F. F. Buksgewden), which were supposed to strike at the insignificant right flank of the enemy. Moreover, they also had to bypass it, walking up to 10 versts and stretching the front by 12.
The Pratsen heights dominating the area were occupied by the 4th column, from which Kutuzov was located.
The 5th and 6th columns (the 6th was commanded by P. I. Bagration) were supposed to play a secondary role, while Napoleon attached great importance to this direction - because the failure on this flank closed his army's only possible route of retreat to Brunn. Therefore, the Santon Hill, which covered this road, was ordered to defend to the last soldier.
On the morning of this fateful day, Napoleon, who was standing on the Shlaponitsky Hill, watched with great pleasure the senseless and useless movement of the first three columns, impatiently awaiting the liberation of the Prazen Heights by the 4th column. The Russian troops walked carelessly, without combat protection, and at the foot of the hills, the advanced units were literally swept away by the fire of the French who were waiting for them. Kutuzov later complained that the Novgorod regiment "did not hold out a little", but it should be admitted that he himself was partly responsible for the defeat of the Russian avant-garde and the panic that arose, since, realizing the significance of these heights, he still weakly fulfilled the order of Alexander I, who had arrived to him, did not while ordering reconnaissance in the direction of travel. With great difficulty, Miloradovich managed to restore relative order, but the battle was already almost lost. The three columns of Buxgewden, instead of turning back, were still moving forward, tragically moving away from the rest of the army. The corps of Bernadotte and Lannes, with the support of Murat's cavalry units, tied the fifth and sixth columns in battle. The 4th column, which descended from the Prazen Heights, perished under the blows of the French forces significantly superior to it. The famous, which ended in huge losses, the attack of the Russian guard was virtually unsuccessful. Already at 11 o'clock, another (besides Weyrother) evil genius of that day, Alexander I, gave the order for a general retreat. At that moment, N. Kamensky's brigade was the only one that still retained some kind of connection between the 4th column and the retreating columns of Buxgewden. Naturally, she could not maintain her position. Several times during this battle, she was surrounded by enemy cavalry units, under the blows of enemy artillery, she lost about 1600 people, a horse was killed near N. Kamensky, and only the timely help of the battalion adjutant Zakrevsky saved him from death or captivity in that battle. Nevertheless, Kamensky's brigade managed to break out of the encirclement. Buxgewden began to withdraw his troops only at about one o'clock in the afternoon, when the French troops were already in the rear of the 2nd and 3rd columns. The only bridge across the Litava River was destroyed by the enemy, the third column was almost completely destroyed, others, retreating through the gorges between the lakes, suffered huge losses. Despite the heavy defeat of the Russian army, for the courage shown in this battle, N. Kamensky was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 3 tbsp.
The military campaign of 1807 began for Kamensky with a battle at the crossing of the Alla River (January 22). In the battle of Preussisch-Eylau (January 26-27, old style), Kamensky commanded a division of 5 regiments, which took part in one of its episodes - a heavy battle for the village of Southgarten, which changed hands twice. About this battle that ended in a "draw" M. Ney said: "What a massacre, and without any benefit!" For participation in this battle, N. Kamensky was awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd degree.
Later, Kamensky was sent to help the besieged Danzig, but with the available forces (4475 Russian and 3500 Prussian soldiers) he could not achieve success. In view of the obvious unrealistic nature of the task, no claims were presented to him, on the contrary, Kamensky was informed that "the Tsar was pleased with everything he had undertaken."
On May 29 of the same year, in the battle of Heilsberg, Kamensky's division threw the French away from Redoubt No. 2 and even pursued the retreating, but was forced to return to their positions, faced with fresh enemy troops.
As a result of this military campaign, N. Kamensky was promoted to lieutenant general.
On December 15, 1807, Kamensky's division was transferred to Finland.
Russian-Swedish war 1808-1809
The next year, 1808, during the war with Sweden, Kamensky replaced the unsuccessful N. N. Raevsky (the future hero of 1812) and won victories at Kuortan and Oravais, which contributed a lot to the conquest of Finland. In 1809 he took part in the hostilities to repel the Swedish landing at Rotan and at Sevara. For this campaign N. Kamensky received 2 orders at once - St. Alexander Nevsky and then St. George 2 tbsp. A sign of recognition of his merits was also the rank of General of Infantry, which, contrary to tradition, he received earlier than others who were higher in the list for promotion (including his older brother). Commander of the Finnish Army, M. B. Barclay de Tolly, who himself, as a result of this campaign, bypassed many of his colleagues in the ranks, in his report called N. Kamensky "the most skillful general." Therefore, the appointment of N. Kamensky to the post of commander-in-chief of the Danube army, which was operating against Turkey, seemed quite logical and did not surprise anyone. And he replaced not just anyone, but his former commander in previous campaigns - P. I. Bagration! N. Kamensky arrived at the location of the army in March 1810. Here he met with his older brother, Sergei, whose detachment was located as the vanguard of the Russian forces in Dobrudja.
Military campaign against Turkey in 1810
Nicholas entrusted his brother with the command of one of the columns, which moved towards Bazardzhik and defeated the corps of the Turkish commander Pelivan, and then captured the fortress of Razgrad. He himself at this time, after a 7-day siege, took Silistria (40 banners and 190 guns became trophies). However, further failures followed: Nikolai Kamensky did not manage to take possession of the Shumla fortress, and then he got stuck under the walls of Ruschuk, his brother, under pressure from superior enemy forces, was forced to retreat to Silistria with battles. But soon N. Kamensky managed to defeat the seraskir Kushakchi at Batyn, who was moving to the aid of the besieged fortress Ruschuk. The result of this victory was the surrender of Ruschuk, Nikopol, Severin, Prisoner, Lovcha and Selvi, the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the territory of Northern Bulgaria. In addition, the 12-thousandth detachment of General Zass was sent to Serbia, which led to the defeat of Turkey in this direction. These events became the pinnacle of the military career of Nikolai Kamensky, who at that time was revered by everyone as the best student of Suvorov and the most talented general in Russia. As a result of the campaign, he received the Order of St. Vladimir 1 st. and the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. Despite the fact that the emperor ordered 5 divisions of the Danube army to be withdrawn to Russia, practically no one doubted that the military campaign of 1811 would end with a brilliant victory for N. Kamensky and the complete surrender of Turkey.
Disease and death of N. M. Kamensky
Military operations began already in January 1811, when a detachment of E. F. Saint-Prix defeated the vanguard of the Turkish army under the command of Omar Bey at Lovcha. Alas, this was the last victory of N. M. Kamensky, in February of the same year he fell ill and in March, having transferred the command to A. F. Lanzheron, was forced to leave for treatment in Odessa. He was brought to this city in a serious condition. Some kind of fever, accompanied by hearing loss and impairment of consciousness, progressed every day. On May 4, 1811, at the age of 35, Nikolai Kamensky died. In the place of the commander-in-chief, he was replaced by M. I. Kutuzov, who will end this war by signing the Bucharest Peace Treaty in May 1812.
In 1891 g. The Sevsk Infantry Regiment was assigned to N. M. Kamensky. Now the name of this talented and outstanding commander is practically forgotten and is known only to specialists.
