Anton Antonovich Skalon (Russian - Антон Антонович Скалон; 6 September 1767, in

Biysk Biysk ( rus, Бийск, p=bʲijsk; , ) is a city in Altai Krai, Russia, located on the Biya River not far from its confluence with the Katun River. It is the second largest city of the krai (after Barnaul, the administrative center of the krai ...

fortress – 1812) was a Russian commander during the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, rising to the rank of major general in the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

Early life and ancestry

Anton was born as the son of Georg Anton de Skalon (1720-1777),

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 ...

in the

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

and his first wife, Karoline von Oettingen. He was a descendant of the

French Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

George de Skalon, whose sons Stepan and Daniel had moved to Russia in 1710.

Career and death

He and his regiment of dragoons, combined with a detachment of cossacks, were in the Rachenskoe suburb. On 5 August 1812, aiming to prevent the French attack, Skalon attacked quickly, but was killed on the spot in the Battle of Smolensk, which pushed his force into retreat. His body fell into enemy hands and at

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's personal command it was buried with full military honours three days after the French occupation of Smolensk.

External links

Museum.ru
People from the Russian Empire of French descent 1767 births 1812 deaths Russian military personnel killed in the Napoleonic Wars Russian people of French descent {{Russia-mil-bio-stub