Alexander Tormasov

Count Alexander Petrovich Tormasov (Russian: Алекса́ндр Петро́вич Торма́сов; 22 August [O.S. 11 August] 1752 – 25 November [O.S. 13 November] 1819) was a Russian cavalry general prominent during the Napoleonic Wars.

Alexander Tormasov was born on 22 August 1752 into an old ethnic Russian noble family. At the age of ten, he entered service as a Page of Honour, then, aged 20 in 1772 he began military service as a lieutenant of the Vyatka infantry regiment. Within a few weeks he joined the staff of Yakov Bruce as aide-de-camp. Three years later Tormasov formed and headed the Finland Chasseur regiment with the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1782 Prince Potemkin charged to him an operation in the Crimea. Following that Tormasov commanded the Dalmatsky Hussars, on the base of which he formed and led the Aleksandriysk Light Cavalry Regiment with the rank of colonel.

Tormasov was a Freemason, dedicated no later than 1785.

In 1788–1791 he took part in the Russo-Turkish War, serving at the Siege of Ochakov and the Danube river raids, and was promoted to major general on 21 March 1791. He commanded the left flank cavalry at the storm of Machin, for which he received the Order of St. George 3rd Class. In 1792 and 1794 he [in general] successfully acted against the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Polish–Russian War of 1792 and Kościuszko Uprising, being at Maciejowice and commanding a column under Suvorov in the assault on Praga, awarded Golden Weapon for Bravery. He was also commanding at Racławice, a failed engagement.

Like many other generals of this time, he was dismissed by Emperor Paul I on 11 July 1799 and was imprisoned in the Dünamünde fortress for several months. On 16 November 1800 he was restored in the army. On 15 September 1801, on the day of the coronation of the new Emperor Alexander I he was promoted to Full General of cavalry. Later he took up an administrative post until 1803.

From 1803 Tormasov served as governor of Kiev, Minsk, and from 1807 Riga. From 1809 to 1811, he served as a Viceroy of Georgia and as the commander-in-chief in the Caucasus during the Russo-Persian War (1804–1813). Ensured the inclusion of the Kingdom of Imereti into the Russian Empire (1810).

After the French invasion of Russia began, Tormasov became the Chief Commander of the 40,000-man Third Reserve Army of Observation on 27 March 1812. Advancing North against Jean Reynier in mid July, he overwhelmed Klengel's Saxon brigade at Kobryn 27th, marking the first Russian victory in the campaign. Tormasov received the Order of St. George 2nd Class for this. Defeated in turn by Reynier and Schwarzenberg at Gorodetschna (Podobna, Prujany) 12 August, he then withdrew to Ratno to join with the corps of Pavel Chichagov, meeting him on the Styr River 18 September. The combined command then acted under the orders of Mikhail Kutuzov, and fought at Brest-Litovsk 9 October. Ordered to envelop the Grande Armée at Lyady, Tormasov commanded the combined forces of the 1st and 2nd Western armies at the 2nd Battle of Krasnoe 15 November, awarded the Order of St. Andrew. Appointed by Kutuzov with internal management of all troops in December, he was then temporarily made overall commander of the Russian main Army after Kutuzov's death.

In 1813 he commanded the Russian army forces at the Battle of Lützen, but then resigned due to failing health.