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Birthday anniversary of Mikhail B. Barclay de Tolly, Minister of War of the Russian Empire
16 (27) December 1761 in the Pamushis estate, Livonia Province, was born Mikhail B. Barclay de Tolly, Russian commander, Field Marshal General (1814), prince (1815), Minister of War of the Russian Empire (1810-1812), Commander in Chief of the Russian-Prussian Army in foreign campaigns.
From the age of three, Barclay de Tolly was brought up in the family of his uncle, the Russian Army brigadier E. von Vermel. He began his regular service in 1776 in the Pskov Carabineer Regiment, in the rank of sergeant. Two years later, Barclay de Tolly was promoted to the rank of cornet, and in 1783-1790 held the post of adjutant serving a number of generals. Baptism of fire he got in the army of Field Marshal Grigory Potyomkin during the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791 during the assault of Ochakov (1788); then he took part in Russian-Swedish War of 1788-1790 and in suppressing the Polish uprising of 1794, for which he was awarded the Order of St. George.
In 1798, Barclay de Tolly becomes a colonel, and a year later – Major General. After the campaign of 1806-1807 against Napoleon, he was appointed commander of the division. The general led the rearguard of the Russian army at Pultusk and Preussisch Eylau, where he was wounded and taken away from the field unconscious. For the anti-Napoleonic campaign he was granted the rank of lieutenant general, and for his distinguished service in the Russian-Swedish War of 1808-1809 was awarded the rank of General of Infantry, and was soon appointed Commander in Chief of the army in Finland and its Governor-General.
Emperor Alexander I praised the military and administrative skills of Barclay de Tolly entrusting the general in January 1810 with the post of minister of war and preparations for the impending war with Napoleon. Minister of War managed to do the following: the construction of engineering structures, creating logistics bases, improvement of the division system and creation of the corps system, adjustment of staff services, creation of intelligence agencies, reform of the field and the highest military command. Under the general the new principles of combat training - teaching marksmanship and action on rough terrain - were put into practice. Based on the intelligence service information about the numerical superiority of the French forces, Barclay de Tolly proposed the operational plan for the future military campaign which consisted in delaying the combat in time and into the depth of Russian territory.
In the first period of the Patriotic War of 1812, Barclay served as Commander in Chief of the 1st Western Army, and despite the resistance of some generals and officers succeeded in implementing his plan into action. With the outbreak of hostilities, he organized the withdrawal of Russian troops, thus his troops could avoid the attacks by superior enemy forces. After the two Western Armies joined near Smolensk, Commander in Chief took the command of both of them, continuing the retreat. After the arrival of General Mikhail Kutuzov to the Russian army, Barclay de Tolly handed him overall command, but remained at the head of the 1st Western Army. In the Battle of Borodino, Barclay commanded over the center and the right flank of the Russian position, he took part in repelling the enemy attack in its most dangerous areas. His skillful leadership of the troops at Borodino was praised by Kutuzov, who believed that owing mostly to his firmness, the attack of the superior enemy at the center of the Russian position was deterred. As a reward, Barclay de Tolly was awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd class.
In September 1812, Barclay de Tolly left all his posts and left the army. During the foreign campaigns of the Russian Army in 1813-1814 he exercised command of the 3rd Army. The troops under his command took the fort Thorne, distinguished themselves in the Battle of Königswartha, and also participated in the Battle Bautzen. In 1813 Barclay was appointed Commander in Chief of the Russian-Prussian troops, and after Austria joined the Allies, commanded the Russian-Prussian forces in the Bohemian Army. In August 1813, under his leadership was won the battle of Kulm, which brought the commander the Order of St. George, 1st class.
Barclay de Tolly was one of the heroes of the victory in the Battle of Leipzig (1813) and together with his descendants was elevated to the dignity of a count. In the campaign of 1814 he successfully commanded the troops at Fère-Champenoise, and during the capture of Paris, for which he was granted the rank of Field Marshal. After the end of hostilities, Barclay led the 1st Army, at the head of which he made an expedition to France in 1815. After the review of the Russian troops near the town of Vertu, he received a princely title and returned to Russia.
In early 1818, Mikhail B. Barclay de Tolly went to Germany for treatment but died during the trip. He was buried in his estate in Livonia. In 1823 at his grave was erected a monument-mausoleum by the Russian sculptor Vasily Demuth-Malinovsky.
Lit.: Афанасьев В. А. Подлинные документы о Бородинском сражении 26 августа 1812 г. М., 1912; Барклай-де-Толли М. Б. Изображение военных действий 1812 года. СПб., 1912; Бартенев А. Биографии генералиссимусов и генерал-фельдмаршалов Российской Императорской армии (кн. М. И. Кутузов и кн. М. Б. Барклай-де-Толли). 1812-1912. СПб., 1912; Горшман А. М. Опыт определения года рождения военнослужащих русской армии (по материалам о военной службе М. Б. Барклая де Толли) // Советские архивы. 1989. № 1; Михайловский-Данилевский А. И. Князь М. Б. Барклай-де-Толли // А. И. Михайловский-Данилевский. Император Александр I и его сподвижники в 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815 годах. Т. 5. СПб., 1849. С. 13-112; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://runivers.ru/lib/book4718/58069/; Тартаковский А. Г. Неразгаданный Барклай. М., 1996; Тотфалушин В. П. М. Б. Барклай де Толли в Отечественной войне 1812 г. Саратов, 1991; Хабибуллин В. Н. М. Б. Барклай де Толли — государственный деятель, полководец, военный теоретик: дис. ... к. и. н. Владимир, 2001; Харкевич В. И. Барклай-де-Толли в Отечественную войну после соединения армий под Смоленском: С приложением переписки с императором Александром I. СПб., 1904.
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