Sergei Mikhailovich Kamensky
Encyclopedia
Sergei Mikhailovich Kamensky (November 5, 1771 – December 8, 1834) was a Russia
n infantry
general
who served in the Napoleonic wars
.
and brother of General Nikolai Kamensky (in military histories he is known as Kamensky-1 and his younger brother as Kamensky-2). Like many sons of nobles, he was enlisted as an infant in a regiment and received his education in a cadet school.
. In 1797 he was promoted to colonel and in 1798 to major general, but he was disgraced by Paul I
and discharged from the army in 1798.
He returned to service after Paul's death in 1801 and was appointed commander of the Fanagoria Grenadier Regiment on August 31 of that year. He participated in the War of the Third Coalition and fought in Langeron
’s column at Austerlitz
, where he was awarded the Order of St. Anna
, 1st Class; a historian of the battle says "Kamensky-1's brigade over-achieved in a very difficult situation... [He] stands out for his rare example of initiative and effective intervention at a critical point in the battle." On June 27, 1806, he was promoted to lieutenant general and given command of the 12th Division. He joined the Army of Moldavia and participated in another Russo-Turkish War, in which he took part in actions at Brăila
, Constanţa
, Babadag
, and Varna
. In 1810, he served under his younger brother, General Nikolai Kamensky, and distinguished himself in the battle at Pazardzhik
, for which he was promoted to general of infantry. He defeated the Turkish army at Shumla on August 4 and was awarded the Order of St. George
(2nd Class). He commanded the Russian left wing in the battle of Batin in northern Bulgaria
on September 7, 1810. In 1812, Kamensky commanded a corps in the army of General Alexander Tormasov
and took part in the battles of Kobryn
and Gorodechna. However, he had a falling-out with Tormasov and took a prolonged furlough late in the year.
He was discharged from the army in 1822 and spent the rest of his life at Orel
.
theater that had been created by his father; he brought it to Orel, where he was cruel to his serfs but generous to the poor and "lived in unspeakable squalor."
's story "The Thieving Magpie."
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
who served in the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
Early life
Sergei Kamensky was the son of Field Marshal Mikhail KamenskyMikhail Kamensky
Count Mikhail Fedotovich Kamensky was a Russian Field Marshal prominent in the Catherinian wars and the Napoleonic campaigns....
and brother of General Nikolai Kamensky (in military histories he is known as Kamensky-1 and his younger brother as Kamensky-2). Like many sons of nobles, he was enlisted as an infant in a regiment and received his education in a cadet school.
Military career
In 1789, he became a lieutenant colonel in the Ekaterinoslav Grenadier Regiment and participated in the Russo-Turkish War; in 1792-1794, he served in the Russo-Polish War and was wounded in the stomach at Praga, across the river from WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. In 1797 he was promoted to colonel and in 1798 to major general, but he was disgraced by Paul I
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
and discharged from the army in 1798.
He returned to service after Paul's death in 1801 and was appointed commander of the Fanagoria Grenadier Regiment on August 31 of that year. He participated in the War of the Third Coalition and fought in Langeron
Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron
Count Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langéron , born in Paris, was a French general in the service of the Imperial Russian Army during the Napoleonic Wars.-Early life:...
’s column at Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
, where he was awarded the Order of St. Anna
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...
, 1st Class; a historian of the battle says "Kamensky-1's brigade over-achieved in a very difficult situation... [He] stands out for his rare example of initiative and effective intervention at a critical point in the battle." On June 27, 1806, he was promoted to lieutenant general and given command of the 12th Division. He joined the Army of Moldavia and participated in another Russo-Turkish War, in which he took part in actions at Brăila
Braila
Brăila is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County, in the close vicinity of Galaţi.According to the 2002 Romanian census there were 216,292 people living within the city of Brăila, making it the 10th most populous city in Romania.-History:A...
, Constanţa
Constanta
Constanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....
, Babadag
Babadag
Babadag is a town in Tulcea county, Romania, located on a small lake formed by the Taiţa river, in the densely wooded highlands of northern Dobruja. Its name means "the mountain of the father" in Turkish...
, and Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
. In 1810, he served under his younger brother, General Nikolai Kamensky, and distinguished himself in the battle at Pazardzhik
Pazardzhik
Pazardzhik is a city situated along the banks of the Maritsa river, Southern Bulgaria. It is the capital of Pazardzhik Province and centre for the homonymous Pazardzhik Municipality...
, for which he was promoted to general of infantry. He defeated the Turkish army at Shumla on August 4 and was 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...
(2nd Class). He commanded the Russian left wing in the battle of Batin in northern Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
on September 7, 1810. In 1812, Kamensky commanded a corps in the army of General Alexander Tormasov
Alexander Tormasov
Count Alexander Petrovich Tormasov was a Russian cavalry general prominent during the Napoleonic Wars....
and took part in the battles of Kobryn
Kobryn
Kobryn or Kobrin is a city in the Brest voblast of Belarus and the center of the Kobryn Raion. The city is located in the southwestern corner of Belarus where the Mukhavets River and Dnepr-Bug Canal meet. The city lies about 52 km east of the city of Brest. Kobryn is located at Latitude...
and Gorodechna. However, he had a falling-out with Tormasov and took a prolonged furlough late in the year.
He was discharged from the army in 1822 and spent the rest of his life at Orel
Oryol
Oryol or Orel is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow...
.
Personal life
Kamensky was both famous and notorious as the owner of a serfSERF
A spin exchange relaxation-free magnetometer is a type of magnetometer developed at Princeton University in the early 2000s. SERF magnetometers measure magnetic fields by using lasers to detect the interaction between alkali metal atoms in a vapor and the magnetic field.The name for the technique...
theater that had been created by his father; he brought it to Orel, where he was cruel to his serfs but generous to the poor and "lived in unspeakable squalor."
This short, fat, bald dandy, the owner of seven thousand souls, created an elaborate complex on Cathedral Square with residence, church, theater, and actors' dorms — housing altogether about four hundred people. Sparing no expense, Kamensky engaged a German ballet master; bought an acting couple and their six-year-old tap-dancing daughter for 250 souls; maintained a well-trained serf orchestra and horn band... In a regiment-like operation, actors took their meals standing up and were marched back and forth to the music of drum and horn. A jail cell was on hand for infractions. Kamensky closely monitored actresses and had them flogged for leaving their quarters at night, corresponding with officers, or even looking at spectators. He dictated stage gestures as if from a lexicon, had actors memorize lines without a prompter, and beat them between the acts when they fumbled.Though the theater was popular and influential, its expense eventually ruined Kamensky, whose cruelty to his serf actress Kuzmina inspired Alexander Herzen
Alexander Herzen
Aleksandr Ivanovich Herzen was a Russian pro-Western writer and thinker known as the "father of Russian socialism", and one of the main fathers of agrarian populism...
's story "The Thieving Magpie."