The future commander Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly was born on December 16, 1761. * His ancestors came from an old Scottish family that settled in Livonia in the middle of the XVIII century. Barclay spent his childhood in St. Petersburg at the home of his uncle, Brigadier von Werden, a participant in the Seven Years ' War. Barclay began his service at the age of 14 in the Pskov Carbine Regiment. At the age of 16, he received his first officer rank, and soon a new appointment-adjutant to Lieutenant General Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg.

The baptism of fire of the future field Marshal took place on December 6, 1788 during the storming of the Ochakov fortress. One of the columns of Russian troops was commanded by the Prince of Anhalt. After a hard and bloody bayonet battle, during which Barclay was at the forefront, the attackers broke into the citadel. For his courage during the assault, he received the first military award-the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree and was promoted to the rank of Major General.

After a few years of his successful military career, Barclay de Tolly was assigned to the newly formed St. Petersburg Grenadier Regiment, with which he went to a new theater of military operations - to Poland. Here, commanding the battalion, he participated in numerous battles with Polish insurgents and was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, promoted to lieutenant colonel. Four years later, Barclay became Colonel and commander of the 4th Jaeger Regiment. In 1799, Barclay de Tolly was promoted to Major General for the excellent condition of the regiment.

In September 1806, large-scale operations of the armies of the 4th anti-French coalition against Napoleonic France began. In November 1806, Russia entered the war. The first major battle between Russian and French troops took place near Pultusk on December 14, 1806. Largely thanks to the skillful actions of Major General Barclay de Tolly, who commanded the advanced detachment (three Jaegers, Tenginsky Musketeers and Polish Cavalry regiments), the Russian troops not only managed to hold off the onslaught of Marshal Lannes ' French regiments, but also inflicted significant damage on them. For his bravery in the battle of Pultusk, Mikhail Bogdanovich was awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd class. Barclay de Tolly's actions earned high praise from the command and strengthened its authority in the troops.

The general especially distinguished himself in the campaign of 1807, when, commanding one of the vanguard detachments of the army, he covered the march of Russian troops to Yankov. The commander withstood the battle with four times the strength of the enemy, which, moreover, was commanded by Napoleon himself. The general ended the campaign of 1807 with the battle of Preisisch-Eylau, during which he received a severe wound and was carried out of the battlefield by the non-commissioned officer of the Izyum Hussar Regiment S. Dudnik. For the battle of Preisisch Eylau, Barclay was awarded the Order of St. John the Baptist. Vladimir, 2nd class, Prussian Order of the Red Eagle and awarded the rank of Lieutenant General. After his recovery, he was reassigned to the post of chief of the 6th Infantry Division, with which he took part in the war with Sweden in 1808-1809.

In January 1810, Alexander I appointed Barclay de Tolly Minister of War. Becoming the head of the military department, he held a number of events on the military-economic preparation of the country for war, improving the systems of military command and training of troops. He paid great attention to the preparation of the future theater of military operations. Having studied the deployment of troops, Mikhail Bogdanovich came to the conclusion that the Western territories, where Russia "will have to fight a bloody war for its existence, are least prepared for reliable defense."

The Minister of War began to reconstruct and strengthen the defensive line in the west: bridge fortifications were built at Bobruisk, Borisov and Dinaburg, the old fortifications of Kiev and Riga were improved, and a large military camp was built near Drissa.

During his two years as Minister of War, Barclay de Tolly managed to do a lot. According to objective estimates of contemporaries, Mikhail Bogdanovich played a major role in preparing the Russian army to fight a strong and dangerous enemy.

On the night of June 12, 1812, Napoleon's" grand army " began crossing the Neman River near Kovno. Barclay de Tolly was appointed commander-in-chief of the 1st Western Army, which consisted of 127 thousand people with 558 guns. He also retained the post of Minister of War.

The first weeks of the war showed the gravity of the situation. Against each of the three Russian armies and individual Russian corps, the French put up a superior force. In addition, the king did not approve

* All dates are given in the old style.

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There was no general plan for the war, and there was no unified command. All three army commanders were on an equal footing, communicating directly with the emperor. Barclay's only advantage was that, as Minister of War, he could declare the "highest will" on behalf of Alexander I. Barclay's already difficult situation was further complicated by the numerous schemers and careerists in the army. "Never," Mikhail Bogdanovich later wrote, " has the commander-in-chief of any army been in such an unpleasant position as I was."

Meanwhile, the situation was becoming critical. Napoleon, taking advantage of the disjointed position of the Russian armies, moved against them, planning to break them up separately. Given the current situation, Barclay de Tolly decided to retreat before the superior forces of the enemy, not giving the French the opportunity to achieve a decisive success. He was going to join up with the 2nd army under the command of Bagration. On July 22, both armies, retaining their main forces, joined at Smolensk. This was a great achievement of Mikhail Bogdanovich.

After joining the armies, everyone expected that the long-awaited victorious general battle would finally be given. At Smolensk, Napoleon's 180,000-strong army was opposed by 120,000 Russians. However, Alexander I did not show sufficient determination. Moreover, not wanting to connect his name with the possible failures of the further course of the war, he left the 1st army. At the parting audience, the emperor said to Barclay de Tolly: "I entrust you with my army. Don't forget that I don't have another one, and don't let that thought ever leave you."

Barclay, conscious of his great responsibility, had to proceed with the utmost caution. He was well aware that it was too risky to engage prematurely in a general battle with an opponent like Napoleon, and one who had the advantage of his forces. It was necessary to gain time and, by conducting an active defense, achieve a change in the balance of forces in favor of Russia. Barclay ordered Bagration to leave Smolensk, while he remained to cover the withdrawal of the 2nd Army. This decision required exceptional courage and firmness from him, as it caused discontent both in the army and in society. He was accused of indecision, cowardice, and even treason. All the blame for the advance of Napoleon's army into the depths of Russia was laid on Barclay de Tolly.

Soon, under pressure from public opinion, Alexander I appointed M. I. Kutuzov commander-in-chief of all forces operating in the theater of war. On August 17, 1812, the field Marshal took command of the troops. At the same time, Barclay was dismissed from the post of Minister of War. Mikhail Bogdanovich felt deeply about the unfair charges brought against him.

Despite the distrust of a part of society and the hostility of many Russian military leaders, in the Battle of Borodino, Barclay was entrusted with the command of the right flank and center of the Russian army. Dressed in a gold-embroidered general's uniform, with all the orders and stars, and a hat with a huge black plume, he was clearly visible to the enemy. But, despising death, Barclay appeared in the most dangerous places, while demonstrating a model of endurance and courage. Almost all of his aides-de-camp and orderlies were killed or wounded, but the brave general remained alive. At Borodino, Barclay de Tolly's dedication was appreciated. He regained the trust of the army. Barclay de Tolly was awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd class,for his skilful leadership of the troops at the Battle of Borodino and for his bravery.

After the abandonment of Moscow and the Tarutino maneuver, relations with the high command of the Russian army became complicated at Barclay de Tolly. Therefore, in September 1812, he resigned due to illness and went to his estate Bethof in the Baltic States. Only in February 1813, at the request of Alexander I, the general returned to the ranks and headed the 3rd army. On May 19, 1813, Barclay was appointed commander - in-chief of the allied Russian-Prussian troops in place of the deceased M. I. Kutuzov.

During the subsequent campaign, Barclay defeated French troops at the Battle of Kulm (August 18, 1813), for which he was awarded the Order of St. George, 1st class, thus becoming the second full Cavalier of St. George. Then he distinguished himself in the" battle of the nations " near Leipzig, in the battles of Brienne, Arcissur-Both and Fer-Champenau, and for skilful leadership of the troops during the storming of the suburbs of Paris on March 18, 1814, right on the battlefield, he was promoted to General Field marshal.

When the troops returned to Russia, Mikhail Bogdanovich continued to be the commander-in-chief of the 1st Army. Prince of the Russian Empire, Field Marshal General of the Russian troops, member of the State Council, awarded the Orders of St. Andrew the First-Called, St. Alexander Nevsky with diamonds, St. George 1st class, Austrian Maria Theresa, Commander's Cross, French Legion of Honor and St. Louis, English Bath, Prussian Black Eagle and The Red Eagle, the Swedish Sword, the Dutch Wilhelm, the Saxon St. Henry Cavalier Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly May 14, 1818 in Insterburg, near Konigsberg. His ashes were moved to his estate in Jychevaste in Estonia and buried there, later a mausoleum was erected. In 1837, a monument to M. I. Kutuzov and M. B. Barclay de Tolly, two generals who broke the backbone of Napoleon's seemingly invincible army, was unveiled in front of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

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