Fabian Gottlieb von Osten Sacken

Fabian Gottlieb von Osten-Sacken was a prominent Russian field marshal who served in the Crimean War and the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). He learned strategic and tactical techniques from General Aleksandr Suvorov, whom he served for six years in Crimea. He was promoted to colonel in 1777 and by 1784 had become a major general. He received severe head wounds and lost an eye in 1774 and 1788, but he continued his military career. He held various diplomatic and administrative posts, but he fell into disgrace in 1802 and retired to his country estate. He was recalled by Emperor Alexander I in 1805 and given command of the joint Russian-Austrian army that opposed the French advance on Vienna. He skillfully retreated after defeating the French at Dürenstein, but he was overruled by Alexander and engaged the French army in battle at Austerlitz, suffering a disastrous defeat. He was partly blamed for the disaster and removed from his command. He returned to active duty as commander of an army in Moldavia in 1806 and fought against the Turks until 1812, when Napoleon invaded Russia. He was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian forces and adopted a strategy of avoiding direct confrontation with the French army and retreating into the interior of Russia, while harassing the enemy with guerrilla tactics and scorched-earth policy. He finally confronted Napoleon at the Battle of Borodino, where he inflicted heavy casualties on the French, but was forced to withdraw. He continued to retreat until Napoleon reached Moscow, which was burned by the Russians. He then pursued the French army as it retreated from Russia, defeating it at the battles of Tarutino, Maloyaroslavets, Krasnoi, and Berezina. He entered Paris in 1814 as a national hero and a liberator of Europe. He died in 1837 at the age of 84, after a long illness.