Kamensky, Nikolai Mikhailovich

Born on December 27, 1776 ( January 7, 1777 ). The youngest son of Field Marshal M.F. Kamensky , who was known for his heavy, oppressive disposition. Mother Anna Pavlovna (by birth of Princess Shcherbatova ) did not cherish a soul in her firstborn Sergei . Father preferred the eldest to the younger, but he did not avoid harsh punishments. Since childhood, the brothers did not get along.

June 2, 1779 he was enlisted as a cornet in the Novotroitsky cuirassier regiment . Educated in the Imperial land gentry cadet corps . On April 15, 1785 he was appointed adjutant to Lieutenant General Gantwig , and on July 4, 1787 to his father. From April 23, 1789, the adjutant general . April 23, 1795 transferred to lieutenant colonel in the Simbirsk grenadier regiment . From April 28, 1796 he served in the 10th Jaeger battalion, from February 15, 1797 in the Ryazan Musketeer Regiment . On June 23, 1799 he was promoted to major general and appointed chief of the Arkhangelsk Musketeer Regiment (In 1799-1801, the regiment was called Major General Count Kamensky of the 2nd Regiment ).

Since August 20, 1799 in Italy. Together with his regiment involved in the Swiss campaign of Suvorov ^[1] . He became famous for his brave and administrative actions: he distinguished himself in the battles on the St. Gotthard Pass (September 13), the Devil's Bridge (September 14), at Altdorf (September 15), in the Murten Valley (September 19–20). Suvorov wrote to Field Marshal Kamensky: “Your young son is an old general” ^[2] .

Upon returning to Russia, continuing to command his musketeer regiment. In 1802, Field Marshal Kamensky received positive reviews about his son from Emperor Alexander I and General AM Rimsky-Korsakov .

In the campaign of 1805, the Kamensky regiment became part of the corps of F.F. Buksgevden . As part of the vanguard, P.I. Bagration participated in the battle of Austerlitz , in which his regiment lost 1.6 thousand people, and he almost died, falling from a horse killed by a nucleus, but was saved by ensign Zakrevsky .

In the 1807 campaign, he commanded the 14th Infantry Division . He participated in the battle of Bergfried ^[3] and the battle of Price-Eilau . In April, the 8000th Kamensky detachment was sent for the deblocade of Danzig . In the first half of May, he fought stubborn battles, losing about 1,500 people, trying to help the Danzig garrison. Despite all efforts, the expedition ended in failure and Danzig surrendered. He participated in the battle of Heilsberg , where its units suffered the largest losses - about 1.7 thousand people. December 12, 1807 promoted to lieutenant general. Since December 15, the commander of the 17th Infantry Division .

He became famous for his actions during the war with Sweden : in 1808 in Finland he defeated the Swedish troops at Kuortan (August 19-21) and Oravais (September 2). Since June 1809, he commanded the Uleaborg Corps. Since November 17, 1809 - the general from infantry .

Having earned the reputation of “the most skilled general” from the Commander of the Finnish Army and the Governor-General of Finland, Barclay de Tolly , Kamensky was appointed Commander of the Danube Army in the war with Turkey on February 4, 1810. “The appointment of Kamensky as the Commander-in-Chief of the Moldavian Army made everyone happy: everyone loved him, everyone respected him, everyone knew his military talents; no one knew his morbid condition, - Vigel testifies. “In early February, blessed by all of Russia, Kamensky went to Bukarest .”

Trying to provide the soldier with food and free him from the petty hardships of peacetime - exercises, parades, cleansing of ammunition, he at the same time inspired the commanders that "whoever finds impossibility will be replaced by another." The arrogance and arrogance of the 34-year-old commander-in-chief greatly harmed him ^[4] . The chiefs did not tolerate him so much as the soldiers idolized Kamensky, who shared all the hardships with them.

He took the Turkish fortress Silistria , Razgrad , Bazardzhik , but failed to storm Shumla and Ruschuk . August 26, 1810 won a brilliant victory in the battle of Batin . In the autumn of the same year, the Turkish fortress Ruschuk and Nikopol were taken.

Overly self-confident, Kamensky tried to achieve everything at once with a furious impudence and was lost in front of the " cunning " (careful tactics) of the enemy ^[4] .

On February 4, 1811, he contracted a severe debilitating fever. March 12, transferring command to Langeron , went to Odessa . On the way, he lost his hearing and showed signs of mental distress. He died on May 4 ( 16 ), 1811 in Odessa and was buried in the village of Kamensky, Orel Province, next to his father.

Inspiring his exploits of Russian romantics, Count Kamensky was not married; they said that he was the bridegroom of Countess A. A. Orlova-Chesmenskaya , but this wedding did not take place, although the bride forever retained warm feelings for him.

The personality of the young Kamensky is not easy to assess. Kind by nature, but terribly quick-tempered, he sometimes showed cold cruelty ^[4] . Able to bind loved ones to himself, he insulted strangers with suspicion and distrust, repelled them with envy and arrogance. From fearlessness and mad courage, he quickly turned to extreme indecision ^[4] . Thanks to the constant tension of nerves, he could endure the labors and hardships of war, success revived him, failure acted depressingly both morally and physically. People who knew Kamensky closely (such as A. A. Zakrevsky ) forgave him for his shortcomings, appreciated his merits and were deeply devoted to him. Skeptical of his military talent and even personal courage gr. P. A. Stroganov , Prince V.S. Trubetskoy , Prince S. G. Volkonsky ^[4] .

The death of a young brilliant commander saddened the whole of Russia, but one cannot help but see God's mercy in this sad circumstance. If Kamensky successfully ended the campaign with the Turks, he would certainly have been appointed commander in chief of the army against the French (in 1812), would not have agreed to wait and see retreat, would go directly to Napoleon , would have been defeated, and the whole new history of Russia and Europe would take a different look - and which one - can easily be said now, after half a century. The ways of God are dark and mysterious! The fate of the kingdoms and peoples depended on the impatience of the young Russian general on the banks of the Danube in 1810.

- Nikolay Grech ^[5]

• Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (1810)
• Order of St. George , 2nd degree, for successful actions in Finland in the war of 1808 (11/19/808) ^[6]
• Order of St. George , 3rd degree, "In retribution of the excellent courage and courage shown in the battle against the French troops on January 26 and 27 at Preisisch-Eylau " (8.04.1807)
• Order of St. Vladimir 1st degree (1810)
• Order of St. Vladimir 3rd degree (1805)
• Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (1.09.1808)
• Diamond signs to the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (1809)
• Order of St. Anne 1st Class (1799)
• Order of St. John of Jerusalem , Commander's Cross
• Sardinian Order of the Saints of Mauritius and Lazarus , large cross
• Prussian Order of the Red Eagle

• Geisman P. Kamensky 2nd, Nikolai Mikhailovich // Russian Biographical Dictionary : in 25 volumes. - SPb. - M. , 1896-1918.
• Kamensky, Nikolai Mikhailovich, Count // Military Encyclopedia : [in 18 vol.] / Ed. V.F. Novitsky [et al.]. - SPb. ; [ M. ]: Type. t-va I. D. Sytin , 1911-1915.
• Kamensky, famous people // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.