Lassi biography

To offer a commander, please register. He gave the Russian army 50 years and, dying, could say that his whole life was given “to the demand of the military” of his second homeland. He came from the ancient Norman family of Lassi, who was overcome in Ireland, fought for the French, Austrians, the British, in the city under the command of the Duke de Croa Lassi took part in the battle of Narva.

In the city of Lassi he was appointed commander of the so -called "noble company" with whom he participated in hostilities in Livonia. Career Lassi in Russia began with a cruel defeat near Narva. Starting with G. in a battle at Pirogov, he was seriously injured, but the system did not leave. He was repeatedly wounded in the Battle of Poltava, but, despite this, he led the regiment in the army of B.

Sheremetev in Riga. He was the first to enter the city and became here the first Russian commandant. And in the future, the biography of Lassi is densely saturated with combat affairs. In general, during his life, in his own words, he was everywhere on military demands, namely: in 31 campaigns, on general battles, 15 promotions and 18 sieges and when taking fortresses, where he was not enough and wounded.

Lassi served honestly, regularly and bravely. Then, as a participant in the Prut campaign, he was promoted to foremen, and in the city later Peter I used the units entrusted to Lassi as a prototype of sea landing. The Astrakhan regiment and two regiments of the guard under the command of Peter Petrovich Lassi made the transition to Vismar on galleys, where they landed on the shore and participated in the siege of the fortress.

A similar transfer of troops was committed under Copenhagen. In July, two landing detachments, one of which was commanded by Apraksin, and the other - Lassi, defeated the military forces of the Swedes collected against them, destroyed iron plants, weapons workshops, mills, forestry. Such raids were practiced in the city of devastations, produced by the Russians on the east coast of Sweden, forced the Queen of Ulrik-Eleanor to resume negotiations about the world.

For the merits shown courage and fearlessness Lassi was encouraged by the production of Lieutenant General. After the death of Peter I in the city of Lassi, he performed a military and a diplomatic case together: he was sent with the corps of troops to the borders of Courland, so as not to allow Morits of Saxon to establish himself in the duchy, and at the same time, to prevent the Poles with their influence too much there.

Lassi acted energetically and quite deftly and fulfilled the assignment assigned to him. Under Anna Ioannovna, Lassi received complete independence in actions on the battlefield and, as a result, showed his talents in full. It was she who later in the city of he proved himself as a subtle diplomat who especially skillfully prepared such military enterprises that were associated with the difficulties of the army’s movement and food supply in wild, sparsely populated places.

In the summer of July, he spent on the final structure of the food part, the collection of horses, ammunition, etc. Lassi had to get out of great difficulty: to go through the country, without armed the civilian population against Russia. In addition, the Russian government increased this difficulty by ordering Lassi for everything to pay Russian money; When the Poles refused to accept them, it commanded to take everything by force, paying with a Russian coin.

When the army approached, the Polish Pans left their estates and fled to Warsaw. The peasantry remained, and the commander in chief managed to restrain the order in the army so much that the population did not suffer from him. Soon after the start of the campaign, Polish nobles, supporters of Russia, for support and patronage began to arrive at him. This was by the way, since the army was in a difficult position.

Her movement was slow and hard. The army was connected by the Rasputer, and the spilled rivers and forests were barely passable. Lassi overcame them and, conducting relations with pro -Russian magnates, faithfully, although slowly, sparing the soldier, moved to Grodno. He reported to the Cabinet of Ministers about all his actions. However, due to bad roads, bad weather reports were often delayed.

The Cabinet of Ministers considered a way out of the situation to transport Lassi reports through the ambassador to Poland K. Lovenolda, ordering him to report to him “in a frequency”. Not all Poland, however, recognized him, and above all, Warsaw, who was in the hands of Leshchinsky's supporters. Having crossed the troops near Sokhotin, Lassi forced the enemy to retreat to Krakow and on October 5 took his detachments the capital and its environs.

An experienced, undaunted commander, ”the historian D. Bantysh -Kamensky characterized Lassi,“ was distinguished by his speed on the military field, connected a good heart with an enlightened mind, elevated feelings ... The enemy was crushed, but Lassi did not have gripped the troubles and worries. All his orders and enterprises were delayed and spoiled by the intervention of Levenwold.

The lower ranks were especially suffering from this. The army was weakened and upset. In addition, the office sent a decree of October 30 to hurry with the end of the Polish campaign, more often to convey and act, according to rescript sent by Levenwold.Leshchinsky with a thousandth army settled in Danzig, so the fighting in the winter - in the spring of next year moved to this fortress.

Lassi, who surrendered the main command of B. Minikh, successfully provided the rear of the army, which, after four months of the siege, forced Danzig to surrender. During the assault on Danzig, the enormous influence of Lassi on the soldier was discovered. In the storming column, all the officers were killed, and she stopped under the murderous fire of the enemy.

Minich ordered to retreat, but no one obeyed him. Only the personal appearance of Lassi and his persuasion acted, and the soldiers retreated in order. Picture Danzig. Lassi, at the head of the troops, was sent to the Rhine to help the Austrian army of Prince Yevgeny Savoy, who fought with the French. In view of the conclusion of the world, by the end of the year, the Russians returned to winter apartments in Moravia.

On the way from Vienna in February, Peter Petrovich received a Field Marshal rod through the courier, and with him the order of the empress immediately move towards Azov: the military leader was required at the theater of the Russian-Turkish war. Anna Ioannovna sought to destroy the Pruto Treaty humiliating for Russia. Lassi took possession of Azov on July 20. The reward became him the Order of St.

Andrew the First -Called. But his main participation in the war was in the next two years. Twice in and gg. And in both cases, the commander showed a tendency to non -standard tactics. Khan was waiting for him on Perekop, but Lassi took a bypass maneuver on the Arabat Strelka. The deep entry of the Russians into the rear brought horror to the Tatars, their army dispersed, and Lassi was able to occupy the entire peninsula.

But the lack of food and the threat to be locked in the Crimea forced him to go to North Tavria. Lassi also used bypass maneuvers, introducing troops into the Crimea through Sivash and forcing the garrison of the Perekop fortress to surrender. But for the same reasons - supply and threat from the rear - the Russians could not hold the peninsula. Seeing the suffering of the troops in the Crimean campaigns, Peter Petrovich asked for permission to not take them anymore, while the army as a whole, including its rear structures, would not be ready for actions at the theater.

At the Turkish Theater of Military operations, the main figures at the head of the army were Lassi and Minich. The style of the behavior of the commanders is strikingly different: Minich always tried to be in sight, received the first roles, and Lassi remained in the shade. Nevertheless, the comparison of military skills has always been released in favor of Lassi. It was impossible to shut up the merits of Peter Petrovich and in the city, already in July, Field Marshal Lassi became Russian commander in chief.

In less than two weeks after the declaration of the war, he had a haste to defeat the corps of General Wrangel near Wilmandrand. The Swedish war is largely owed by Lassi - his energy, administration and caring about the army. Wondering the war, he showed himself to be the faithful and smart student of Peter the Great. Discipline in the troops and the ability to get along with the population, he acquired in Finland many well -wishers and supporters of Russia.

The opinion of the military historian A. Kersnovsky about Lassi: this is a noble soldier's figure, an old honest and brave warrior, always standing aside from court intrigues, who lived with the interests of the army and needs of his subordinates.

The battle of Leo and Orel - Sweden with Russia. The eagle won. The war with Sweden ended Lassi’s combat activities, but he continued to be a prominent military figure, and he turned to him for advice in complicating external affairs. At the end of the war, the empress sent her own yacht for Lassi so that the Honored Commander could solemnly arrive from Finland to St. Petersburg, granted the spray and snuffbox-crumbled with diamonds, and increased the amount of annual monetary content.

Elizaveta Petrovna was convinced of the absolute fidelity of Lassi. But immediately after the palace coup, as a result of which she ascended the throne, there were certain doubts whether the “foreigner” would support it. It is said that when Field Marshal woke up in the middle of the night and demanded to answer which side he stands on, which party belongs to, Peter Petrovich demonstrated an outstanding mind and endurance.

He gave a simple and clear, so-lawsian laconic and therefore a win-win answer: "To the now reigning."