Baron (from 1789) Johann Möller-Sakomelsky (

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: Иван Иванович Меллер-Закомельский, ''Ivan Ivanovich Möller-Zakomelsky''; 1725 – 10 October 1790) was a General of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. An artillery expert, he gained fame during the Turkish Wars of the late 18th century.

Biography

Born Johann Möller to a family of

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

German burghers, he entered the Russian artillery in 1739 as a rank private, and by 1752 had been commissioned as an officer. By 1759 he was a lieutenant-colonel, and saw action in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. At the Siege of Kolberg in 1761 he gained distinction as commander of the artillery under

Rumyantsev The Rumyantsev family () is an old and prominent Russian noble family, whose members were involved in imperial politics in the 18th and early 19th century. They were granted the title of Count in Russia. History The family claimed descent fro ...

, and was later entrusted with organizing and commanding one of the army's first

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

units. In the following years Möller would continue to be promoted, reaching the rank of lieutenant-general in April 1773. As a senior officer of Russia's artillery branch, Möller was made a member of the Main Chancellery for Artillery and Fortifications in 1772 and soon became its preeminent member. After the death of Prince

Grigory Orlov Prince Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov (; 17 October 1734 – 24 April 1783) was a favourite of the Empress Catherine the Great of Russia, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (1772), state and military figure, collector, patron of arts, and General-in ...

in 1783 Möller succeeded him as General Feldzeugmeister, the titular head of the Imperial Army's artillery corps (he had been ''de facto'' head for several years before that), and was promoted to the rank of

general-in-chief General-in-chief has been a military rank or title in various armed forces around the world. France In France, general-in-chief () was first an informal title for the lieutenant-general commanding over other lieutenant-generals, or even for some ...

. With the outbreak of war with the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in 1787, Prince

Grigory Potemkin Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (A number of dates as late as 1742 have been found on record; the veracity of any one is unlikely to be proved. This is his "official" birth-date as given on his tombstone.) was a Russian mi ...

asked Möller to join his field army based out of

Ekaterinoslav Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

, and assist in the planning of besieging

Ochakov Ochakiv (, ), also known as Ochakov (; ; or, archaically, ) and Alektor (), is a small city in Mykolaiv Raion, Mykolaiv Oblast (region) of southern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Ochakiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. ...

. After the strategic fortress was taken, Möller was awarded with both the Orders of St. Andrew and

St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

in the 2nd class alongside the title of baron. During the campaign of 1790, he was given command of his own field corps assigned to seize the fortress of

Kiliya Kiliia or Kilia (, ; ; ) is a city in Izmail Raion, Odesa Oblast, southwestern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Kiliia urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Kiliia is located in the Danube Delta, in the historic Bessarabian dist ...

. During an attempted storming of the city, Möller was mortally wounded and died on October 10. General

Ivan Gudovich Count Ivan Vasilyevich Gudovich (, tr. ; 1741–1820) was a Russian noble and military leader of Ukrainian descent. His exploits included the capture of Khadjibey (1789) and the conquest of maritime Dagestan (1807). Ivan's father was an inf ...

took over command and captured the city a few days later. Möller-Sakomelsky was considered a critical reformer of Russia's artillery forces in the 1770s and 80's. He oversaw the recasting of guns so that they were significantly lighter and more easily moved in battle, but not any less powerful. He removed weapon types like the

Secret howitzer The 95 mm howitzer M1753, called secret howitzer or Shuvalov's secret howitzer, was an 18th-century Russian cannon, a type of muzzle-loading howitzer, devised and introduced into service by artillery commander, General Peter Ivanovich Shuval ...

from service to simplify logistics and training. In June 1788 he composed a ''Supplement'' for gunners explaining how to best use their weapons against Turkish forces, updating tactics that had not been revised in three decades.Duffy, Christopher. Russia’s Military Way to the West: Origins and Nature of Russian Military Power, 1700-1800. London, 1981. pg. 183 The name Möller-Sakomelsky came from the general's elevation to the rank of baron in 1789, Sakomelsky being derived from his granted estate in the

volost Volost (; ; ) was a traditional administrative subdivision in Kievan Rus', the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and the Russian Empire. History The '' Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary'' (1890–1907) states that the origins of the concept is unc ...

of Zakomelsky located near Usvyaty. He had numerous offspring, two of whom became prominent generals in Russian Army. Yegor (1767-1830) was a cavalry commander during the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, participating in many critical battles of the invasion in 1812. His elder brother Pyotr (1755-1823) was Minister of War from 1819 to 1823. The family continued to provide officers to the military service up until the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

References

Sources

*Военная энциклопедия / Под ред. В. Ф. Новицкого и др. — СПб.: т-во И. В. Сытина, 1911—1915. — Т. 15.
Бароны Меллер-Закомельские герба собственного (по-белорусски)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moller-Sakomelsky, Ivan Ivanovich 1725 births 1790 deaths Imperial Russian Army generals 18th-century military personnel from the Russian Empire Barons of the Russian Empire

Biography

See also

References

Sources