Stefan, Gustav Fedorovich

Gustav Fedorovich Stefan (1796-1873) - military engineer, topographer, lieutenant general, head of the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff.

Gustav Fedorovich Stefan
Lieutenant General G.F. Stefan
Date of Birth	April 25, 1796 ( 1796-04-25 )
Date of death	February 18, 1873 ( 1873-02-18 ) (aged 76)
Place of death	St. Petersburg
Affiliation	Russian empire
Type of army	General base
Rank	lieutenant general
Commanded	Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff
Battles / wars	The Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829
Awards and prizes	Order of St. Vladimir 4th art. (1829), Order of St. Stanislav of the 1st Art., Order of St. Anna of the 1st Art., Order of St. Vladimir of the 2nd Art., Order of St. George of the 4th Art. (1840), Order of the White Eagle (1868).

He came from the nobility of the Moscow province , was born on April 25, 1796, the son of the class inspector of the Ground Cadet Corps of the State Councilor F. Stefan. He spent his childhood and youth in his parents' house, where he received a very solid education for his time.

Initially, he was, despite his youth, a mathematics teacher in the Petersburg Forestry Corps, but in 1816 he decided to be a column-monger in His Majesty's retinue for the quartermaster unit, and two years later he was promoted to ensign .

From the very beginning of his military service, he established himself as a skilled tenant and knowledgeable mathematician. Filming with his active participation in Finland and in the environs of St. Petersburg , despite the novelty of the case, was extremely accurate.

The Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829 required Stefan to apply his military topographical experience in the theater of unfolding military operations. In 1828, he was seconded to the main apartment of the 2nd Army, located near Shumla , and here, in the space between the Varna estuary and Kulevcha , and next year near Silistria , he made continuous and continuous shootings, to a large extent helping them to guide the people in the area and occupy more comfortable positions. In May of that year, being at the forefront, he personally participated in the case near Kulevcha, which ended in the defeat of the army of the High Vizier, and for the difference made in this battle, he was promoted to the rank of headquarters captain .

In general, during the entire Turkish campaign, Stefan, taking pictures of the route and the surrounding area, at the same time, carried away by personal courage and fighting ardor, often put his instruments aside and became in the ranks of active warriors. Repeatedly participated in various matters, and for the difference in the case near Slivnaya and when taking this city he was awarded the Order of St. 4th degree Vladimir with a bow and promoted to captain. About this time, Stefan subsequently wrote notes “Two Years in Turkey (from July 1828 — September 1830)” published in the Engineering Journal, (1878, No. 1, unofficial part, section II, pages 1–42, No. 2, pages 43–74).

At the end of the Turkish campaign, Stefan, who declared himself to be an excellent officer of the General Staff, was appointed to the number of officers put on special orders at the disposal of the Minister of War and the General Quartermaster of the General Staff. In this title, Stefan performed important assignments and business trips regarding the production of topographic surveys in the North-Western Territory. These works, as well as some of Stefan’s inventions, for example, his compass and mensula systems — the latter was even named after the inventor, “Stephan’s mensula”, and in 1835 was awarded the attention of Emperor Nicholas I — all taken together brought to the attention of the Imperial Military academy , and in 1834 he was invited there as a teacher of military geography .

Since then, Stefan has devoted all his strength to this academy and for 23 years he has been successively acting as headquarters officer in charge of training officers, then vice-director (since September 17, 1848) and, finally, in 1854 (since February 4), with the transformation of the academy, its head. Being in his last position, he correctly set up the shooting and courses of higher and lower geodesy at the academy; subsequently, at his request, the officers of the geodesic department, on a special program, were seconded for two years to the Pulkovo Observatory .

During his 23-year career at the academy, Stefan not only gained the respect and love of many generations of studying military youth, but at the same time strengthened his reputation as an excellent connoisseur of shooting and cartography. Acting as the head of the academy, Stefan was at the same time appointed head of the department of the Military Scientific Committee of the General Staff.

In 1858, when under the new staging of the academy with unlimited admission of officers, management was beyond the power of Stefan, dejected by illness and labor, he left the post of head of the academy and was appointed a member of its council, and at the same time a member of the educational committee of military schools and the advisory committee of the General Directorate of the General Staff (later transformed into the Military Scientific Committee of the General Staff).

During pedagogical activities, Stephen was promoted to major general (in 1848), lieutenant general (in 1857) and received the Order of St. Stanislav 1st degree, St. Anna of the 1st degree and St. Vladimir of the 2nd degree, and in 1868, on the day of the 50th anniversary of his service in officer ranks, he was awarded the Order of the White Eagle . In addition, on December 11, 1840, for the immaculate length of service of 25 years in officer ranks, Stephen was awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree (No. 6234 according to the cavalier list of Grigorovich - Stepanov).

Of Stefan’s printed works, the most notable is his translation from German of Strenner’s pamphlet “General Staff practically agreed with the army” (St. Petersburg, 1850) and the fundamental article “On Eye-Shooting” (1854).

His name is engraved on the anniversary medal “In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Corps of Military Topographers . 1872. "

Stephen died on March 18, 1873, was buried in the Smolensk Evangelical Cemetery. He was married to Natalia Charlotte, nee Tannenberg, their daughter Catherine, their sons Nikolai and Alexander (both were real state advisers).