Apollon Galafeyev

Apollon Vasilyevich Galafeyev (russian: Аполлон Васильевич Галафеев) (1793–1853) was a decorated

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

. Apollon Galafeyev was born into a noble family in

Tambov Tambov (, ; rus, Тамбов, p=tɐmˈbof) is a city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, central Russia, at the confluence of the Tsna and Studenets Rivers, about south-southeast of Moscow. Population: 280,161 ( 2010 Census); 29 ...

guberniya. After having received his education at the 1st Cadet Corps, he graduated in the rank of

podporuchik ''Podporuchik'' ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, потпоручник, potporučnik, cs, podporučík, pl, podporucznik, russian: подпору́чик, bg, подпоручик, sk, podporučík) is the most Junior officer in some Slavic armed forces, an ...

on December 26, 1811, and was assigned to the Tula Infantry Regiment. In 1812, Apollon Galafeyev served in Count

Peter Wittgenstein , title = 1st Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Ludwigsburg-Berleburg , image = Pjotr-christianowitsch-wittgenstein.jpg , image_size = , caption = Portrait by George Dawe , birth_date = , birth_place = Pereias ...

’s unit and took part in the Battle of Sivoshino, Battle of Svolnya,

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and

Second Battle of Polotsk The Second Battle of Polotsk (18–20 October 1812) took place during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. In this encounter the Russians under General Peter Wittgenstein attacked and defeated a Franco-Bavarian force under Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr. ...

(promoted to poruchik and awarded the

Order of St. Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holst ...

, 4th Class), Battle of Czasniki, and Battle of Smolyanka (promoted to

staff captain Staff captain is the English translation of a number of military ranks: Historical use of the rank Czechoslovakia In the Czechoslovak Army, until 1953, Staff Captain ( cs, štábní kapitán, sk, štábny kapitán) was a senior captain ran ...

). In 1813, Apollon Galafeyev participated in the siege of

Pillau Baltiysk (russian: Балти́йск; german: Pillau; Old Prussian: ''Pillawa''; pl, Piława; lt, Piliava; Yiddish: פּילאַווע, ''Pilave'') is a seaport town and the administrative center of Baltiysky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, Ru ...

and the Free City of Danzig, the blockade of

Wittenberg Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the River Elbe, north o ...

Battle of Luckau The Battle of Luckau was fought at Luckau in Brandenburg on 4 June 1813 during the War of the Sixth Coalition. Prussian and Russian forces under General Friedrich Wilhelm von Bülow defeated part of a French-Allied corps under Marshal Nico ...

(promoted to captain), Battle of Leipzig, capturing of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

and repelling of the enemy from Breda. In 1814, Apollon Galafeyev took part in the blockade of Jülich,

Battle of Craonne The Battle of Craonne (7 March 1814) was a battle between an Imperial French army under Emperor Napoleon I opposing a combined army of Imperial Russians and Prussians led by Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. The War ...

Battle of Laon The Battle of Laon (9–10 March 1814) was the victory of Blücher's Prussian army over Napoleon's French army near Laon. During the Battle of Craonne on 7 March, Blücher's army was forced to retreat into Laon after a failed attempt to ...

, and occupation of Paris. On April 23, 1817, Apollon Galafeyev was promoted to the rank of major and then lieutenant colonel (September 15, 1819). On December 8, 1820, he was transferred to the Velikolutsky Infantry Regiment. On December 12, 1823, Galafeyev was appointed commander of the 20th Jaeger Regiment. On January 28, 1828, he was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

and then sent to the

Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histo ...

. For his performance in several battles, Apollon Galafeyev was awarded the

Order of St. Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptize ...

(4th class),

(2nd class), a gold sabre inscribed "For Bravery", and another Order of Saint Anna with

diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

s. Besides this, Galafeyev took part in the siege of

Shumla Shumen ( bg, Шумен, also romanized as ''Shoumen'' or ''Šumen'', ) is the tenth largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and economic capital of Shumen Province. Etymology The city was first mentioned as ''Šimeonis'' in 1153 by t ...

and

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria **Varna Province **Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna **Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis *Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy *Varniai, a city in Lithuania * Varna (Šaba ...

. On October 23, 1829, he was also awarded the

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

(4th class). In 1831, Apollon Galafeyev participated in the

Russo-Polish War Armed conflicts between Poland (including the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth) and Russia (including the Soviet Union) include: Originally a Polish civil war that Russia, among others, became involved in. Originally a Hungarian revolution ...

, mainly fighting against the units of

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

Józef Dwernicki Józef Dwernicki (March 19, 1779 in Warsaw – November 23, 1857 in Lopatyn near Lwów) was a General of Cavalry in the Polish Army, and a participant in the November Uprising (1830–1831). Biography Dwernicki was born in a szlachta, nobl ...

and General

Samuel Różycki Samuel Różycki (1781–1834) was an officer in the Polish Legions of the Napoleonic period, then in the army of the Duchy of Warsaw and later of Congress Poland. He joined the insurgents during the November Uprising and was one of its genera ...

. For his service in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, he was awarded the Order of Saint Vladimir (3rd class), promoted to the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

(December 6), and assigned to the commander-in-chief of the 1st Army. On August 19, 1833, Apollon Galafeyev was awarded the Order of Saint Stanislaus (1st class) and then Order of Saint Anna (1st class) a year later. On October 19, 1834, he was appointed chief-of-staff of a detached

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

n Corps. On December 6, 1838, Galafeyev was appointed commander of the 20th Infantry Division. Also, Apollon Galafeyev participated in the Caucasian War of 1817-1864. As infantry commander, he took part in

Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

Pavel Grabbe Count Pavel Khristoforovich Grabbe (December 2, 1789 - July 15, 1875) was a Russian cavalry general who led Russian armies in the Caucasus.Алексей Петрович Ермолов, бывший при Барклае начальником � ...

’s Dagestan campaign against

Imam Shamil Imam Shamil ( av, Шейх Шамил, Şeyx Şamil; ar, الشيخ شامل; russian: Имам Шамиль; 26 June 1797 – 4 February 1871) was the political, military, and spiritual leader of North Caucasian resistance to Imperial Russia in ...

from April to September 1839. Galafeyev was awarded the imperial crown to his Order of Saint Anna (1st class) for defeating Tashev-hadji (Shamil’s associate) and Order of Saint Vladimir (2nd class) with a promotion to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

for capturing Shamil’s mountain stronghold of Akhoulgo. From March to December 1840, Apollon Galafeyev participated in a military campaign against the mountaineers, commanding the so-called Chechen unit. On July 11, the famous Battle of the Valerik River took place, in which

Mikhail Lermontov Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov (; russian: Михаи́л Ю́рьевич Ле́рмонтов, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ˈjurʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲɛrməntəf; – ) was a Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called "the poet of the Caucas ...

took part (later he would describe this event in his poem called "The Valerik"). In October 1841, Galafeyev participated in military action in the Chechen unit under the command of Pavel Grabbe and was wounded in upper

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the to ...

with a rifle bullet. On September 7, 1842, he was shell-shocked in his right shoulder by a cannonball. On November 3, 1844, Apollon Galafeyev was appointed governor of

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

, but had to remain in the Caucasus due to his illness until 1846. On October 1, 1852, he was removed from his post and court-martialed for administrative abuses. On December 15, 1853, Apollon Galafeyev was dismissed from military service. He died later that same year. {{DEFAULTSORT:Galafeyev, Apollon 1793 births 1853 deaths Russian military leaders Russian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd class