Alexander Bogdanovich Engelhardt () (1795–1859) was a Russian baron,

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

, and chief of Russian southern

military settlement Military settlements () represented a special organization of the Russian military forces in 1810–1857, which allowed the combination of military service and agricultural employment. The beginning of the reform The Emperor Alexander I of Rus ...

s. Engelhardt was born a member of the noble and baronial

Engelhardt family The House of Engelhardt (; ) is a Baltic-German noble and baronial family of the former Russian Empire. The family name is sometimes given as von Engelhardt. History The legendary founder of the Engelhardt dynasty, Carl Bernhard von Engelhardt ...

, and part of the nobility of the

Courland Courland is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. Courland's largest city is Liepāja, which is the third largest city in Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland as they were ...

province (in

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

Military career

On May 27, 1813, he was appointed a cadet in the Life Guards Dragoon Regiment, and immediately took part in the

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition () (December 1812 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation (), a coalition of Austrian Empire, Austria, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia, Russian Empire, Russia, History of Spain (1808– ...

against Napoleon. He was awarded the Kulmsky Cross, an award essentially identical to the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

, which was given by the Prussians to all participants in the 1813

Battle of Kulm The Battle of Kulm was fought near the town Kulm () and the village Přestanov in northern Bohemia. It was fought on 29–30 August 1813, during the War of the Sixth Coalition. A French corps under General Dominique Vandamme attacked Ale ...

. He was promoted

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in 1814. Two years later, at his own request, he was transferred with the rank of lieutenant to the Mitavsky Dragoon Regiment, in which he served until March 17, 1820, when he retired due to illness. He returned to the service on June 7, 1821, with the Starodub

Cuirassier A cuirassier ( ; ; ) was a cavalryman equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as man-at-arms, men-at-arms and demi-lancers discarding their ...

Regiment. Promoted in 1828 to the rank of major, he was made commander of the Starodubskii Regiment, a

. He commanded this settlement for about five years, being promoted to lieutenant colonel on June 18, 1830. On March 31, 1833, Engelhardt was transferred to the cavalry, and in May 1834 was appointed commander of the Ordenskim Currasier Regiment (13th Dragoons Military Order of Field Marshal Count Minich Regiment). On December 3, 1842, Englehardt was awarded the

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George () is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. It was originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) as the highest military decoration of the Russian Empire for commiss ...

, fourth degree, in recognition of his 25 years of irreproachable service as an officer. On June 25, 1845, Englehard was promoted to Major General, and on February 6, 1847, was appointed commander of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Currasier Division.

Commander of military settlements

On September 37, 1846, he was appointed commander of the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Cavalry Districts in the

system. From that time until his he death he served in the administration of military settlements. In April 1850 he was appointed commander of eight districts, on March 30, 1855, he was promoted to lieutenant general, and on January 15, 1856, he was made overall commander of all the southern military settlements. Engelhardt died in early 1859. His brother Basil was also a lieutenant general and commander of the Life Guards Dragoon Regiment and later governor of

Kovno Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

Other sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Engelhardt, Alexander 1795 births 1859 deaths Alexander Bogdanovic Russian military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Imperial Russian Army generals