Stepan Nikolaev is a famous lieutenant general who devoted his whole life to the battles for Russia. After the war of 1812, he was appointed ataman of the Caucasian Linear Cossack Army.
Stepan Nikolaev: biography
In 1789, he was born in the village of Skorodumovskaya. His father was a Cherkasy Cossack, the commander of a military unit. And Stepan Nikolaev followed in the footsteps of his father. In 1803, he already entered the service. At first he was an ordinary Cossack. Not even a year had passed before he was put into shock.
Stepan Nikolaev arrived in St. Petersburg in 1809. There he spent a year in military service. And then he was transferred to the troops that defended the shores of the Gulf of Finland. His career progressed quickly, and in 1811 he was promoted to cornet.
War of 1812
Starting in 1812, Stepan began active combat activities. Finally, his skills came in handy at the front. Against the French, he participated in the following battles:
- under Vilna;
- at the city of Trokah;
- in Vilna;
- near Smolensk;
- with Sventsins;
- near Vitebsk;
- in the battle of Borodino;
- at the village of Tarutin;
- at the village of Chirikov;
- at the village of Voronova, which is located near Vyazma.
This is not the whole list of battles and battles where Stepan Nikolaev took part. He was under Lieutenant General Orlov-Denisov. Personally, he took part in the complete extermination of enemy regiments. One of them went to Lyakhov. Himself participated in the capture of General Augereau. It was here that the fighter was injured.
In the summer of 1813, the emperor personally awarded Stepan Nikolaev a gold saber. On it was written "For courage." Since then, he was transferred to His Majesty's own convoy. However, this did not prevent him from taking part in some foreign battles. He fought with the French in Leipzig, Lucerne, Bayzen, actively participated and distinguished himself in the capture of Paris.
After the war
When Stepan Nikolaev returned to Russia, he did not give up military service, but continued it in the Don Cossack army, which was based on the Caucasian line. In 1831 he received the rank of major general, and after another 4 years he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree.
Since 1833, Stepan Stepanovich was appointed chief of staff of the Don army. And in 1836 he became the chieftain of all Cossack Don regiments, which were located on the Caucasian line. He held this position until his death.
According to recollections, he was an incredibly active administrator. He especially cared about the internal improvement of the troops. Therefore, he tried to establish the correct combat organization of each military unit.
A family
There was an incredibly seasoned and modest man, Lieutenant General Stepan Nikolaev. Photos of him are almost not preserved. And you can learn about his appearance from paintings that were painted by his contemporaries.
Nikolaev had a family. His wife, Evdokia Petrovna, gave her son Peter. The boy also went along the military line and served in the Cossack Regiment, continuing the work of his father.
The lieutenant general died in January 1849. He was buried in the church, which is located in the village of Mikhailovskaya. It was rumored that Stepan Stepanovich was a schismatic and secretly adhered to the old faith from everyone.