Fyodor Engelhardt
Encyclopedia
Fyodor Engelhardt (March 18, 1762, Riga
, Russian Empire
- June 29, 1831, Riga) was a Russian Brigadier General
and a hero of the storming of Izmail
during the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792.
. He entered the army in the Life Guards Regiment of the Transfiguration
on June 25, 1781 (or on March 3, 1781 according to some sources). He was appointed on January 2 of the following year an adjutant in the headquarters of Prince Grigory Potemkin. Engelhardt, who was also carried on the roll of the Novotroitskoye Cuirassier Regiment, was often used as a courier of messages between ministers of the Russian Cabinet and their counterparts in Germany and England.
In April of 1784, Engelhardt was made Potemkin's Adjutant General, and on June 26 of that year was transferred to the Smolensk Dragoon Regiment.
front under Lieutenant General Pavel Potemkin
, Engelhardt fought the Chechens
at the Terek River during the Russian conquest of the Caucasus
, then took part in the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792. He was at the conquest of the cities of Bender
and Kiliya, in a battle with a Turkish fleet on the Danube, and in the storming and capture of Izmail. On March 25, 1791, he was promoted to colonel and awarded the Order of St. George
, fourth degree.
, he destroyed the Polish insurgents at Bialystok
in May 1794. In October he took part in the Battle of Maciejowice
which resulted in the capture of Kościuszko
and all his staff, and for which he was awarded the Golden Sword with the inscription "For Bravery" on October 26. In November came the storming of the Warsaw suburb of Praga
and the fall of Warsaw. For protection of a bridge during this battle, Engelhardt was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir
, third degree.
.
During the 1806 War of the Fourth Coalition
against Napoleon, Engelhardt was commander of the Livonia
Zemstvo
police guarding the border with East Prussia. During the 1812 campaign
, Engelhardt led a force of volunteers and participated in the defense of Riga
against the French under Marshal Macdonald; in recognition of his service, he was awarded the Order of St. Anne
, second degree with diamonds.
Engelhardt died of cholera in Riga on June 29, 1831.
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
- June 29, 1831, Riga) was a Russian Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
and a hero of the storming of Izmail
Izmail
Izmail is a historic town near the Danube river in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Izmail Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast....
during the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792.
Early career
Engelhardt was born a member of the noble family EngelhardtEngelhardt family
Engelhardt is a Baltic-German Russian noble and baronial family. The family name is sometimes given as "von Engelhardt".-History:The legendary founder of the Engelhardt dynasty, Carl Bernhard Engelhardt , served as a knight in the Third Crusade, launched to liberate the Holy Sepulchre...
. He entered the army in the Life Guards Regiment of the Transfiguration
Preobrazhensky regiment
The Preobrazhensky Regiment was one of the oldest and elite regiments of the Russian army. Along with the Semenovsky regiment also served as a gendarmie unit for the state Secret Chancellery in the 18th century, headed by the Prince Fyodor Romodanovsky.It was formed by Peter the Great in the late...
on June 25, 1781 (or on March 3, 1781 according to some sources). He was appointed on January 2 of the following year an adjutant in the headquarters of Prince Grigory Potemkin. Engelhardt, who was also carried on the roll of the Novotroitskoye Cuirassier Regiment, was often used as a courier of messages between ministers of the Russian Cabinet and their counterparts in Germany and England.
In April of 1784, Engelhardt was made Potemkin's Adjutant General, and on June 26 of that year was transferred to the Smolensk Dragoon Regiment.
Second Turkish War
Sent on January 1787 to serve on the CaucasusCaucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
front under Lieutenant General Pavel Potemkin
Pavel Potemkin
Count Pavel Sergeevich Potemkin, also Potyomkin , was a Imperial Russian statesman, soldier and writer.He was a cousin of Grigori Alexandrovich Potemkin, a well-known military and political figure of Catherine II’s Russia. He took part in the wars with the rebel adventurer Pugachev, the Ottoman...
, Engelhardt fought the Chechens
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
at the Terek River during the Russian conquest of the Caucasus
Caucasian War
The Caucasian War of 1817–1864, also known as the Russian conquest of the Caucasus was an invasion of the Caucasus by the Russian Empire which ended with the annexation of the areas of the North Caucasus to Russia...
, then took part in the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792. He was at the conquest of the cities of Bender
Bender, Moldova
Bender or Bendery, also known as Tighina is a city within the internationally recognized borders of Moldova under de facto control of the unrecognized Transnistria Republic since 1992...
and Kiliya, in a battle with a Turkish fleet on the Danube, and in the storming and capture of Izmail. On March 25, 1791, he was promoted to colonel and awarded the Order of St. George
Order of St. George
The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George (also known as Order of St. George the Triumphant, Russian: Военный орден Св...
, fourth degree.
Polish uprising
Engelhardt fought in Lithuania during the 1792 Polish campaign. Commanding a detached corps during the Kościuszko UprisingKosciuszko Uprising
The Kościuszko Uprising was an uprising against Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in Poland, Belarus and Lithuania in 1794...
, he destroyed the Polish insurgents at Bialystok
Bialystok
Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Located on the Podlaskie Plain on the banks of the Biała River, Białystok ranks second in terms of population density, eleventh in population, and thirteenth in area, of the cities of Poland...
in May 1794. In October he took part in the Battle of Maciejowice
Battle of Maciejowice
The Battle of Maciejowice was fought on October 10, 1794, between Poland and the Russian Empire.The Poles were led by Tadeusz Kościuszko. Kościuszko with 6,200 men planned to prevent the linking of two larger Russian armies, 12,000 under Iwan Fersen and 12,500 under Alexander Suvorov...
which resulted in the capture of Kościuszko
Tadeusz Kosciuszko
Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko was a Polish–Lithuanian and American general and military leader during the Kościuszko Uprising. He is a national hero of Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Belarus...
and all his staff, and for which he was awarded the Golden Sword with the inscription "For Bravery" on October 26. In November came the storming of the Warsaw suburb of Praga
Battle of Praga
The Battle of Praga or Battle of Warsaw of 1794 was a Russian assault of Praga, the easternmost suburb of Warsaw, during the Kościuszko Uprising in 1794. It was followed by a massacre of the civilian population of Praga.-Eve of the battle:After the Battle of Maciejowice General Tadeusz Kościuszko...
and the fall of Warsaw. For protection of a bridge during this battle, Engelhardt was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir
Order of St. Vladimir
The Cross of Saint Vladimir was an Imperial Russian Order established in 1782 by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of the Kievan Rus....
, third degree.
Napoleonic wars
January 20, 1795, by decision of the State Military Board, Engelhardt was dismissed from the service for ill health with the rank of BrigadierBrigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
.
During the 1806 War of the Fourth Coalition
War of the Fourth Coalition
The Fourth Coalition against Napoleon's French Empire was defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. Coalition partners included Prussia, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, and the United Kingdom....
against Napoleon, Engelhardt was commander of the Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
Zemstvo
Zemstvo
Zemstvo was a form of local government that was instituted during the great liberal reforms performed in Imperial Russia by Alexander II of Russia. The idea of the zemstvo was elaborated by Nikolay Milyutin, and the first zemstvo laws were put into effect in 1864...
police guarding the border with East Prussia. During the 1812 campaign
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
, Engelhardt led a force of volunteers and participated in the defense of Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
against the French under Marshal Macdonald; in recognition of his service, he was awarded the Order of St. Anne
Order of St. Anna
The Order of St. Anna ) is a Holstein and then Russian Imperial order of chivalry established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp on 14 February 1735, in honour of his wife Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great of Russia...
, second degree with diamonds.
Engelhardt died of cholera in Riga on June 29, 1831.