6 – Alexsandr Suvorov – (1729 – 1800)
Alexsandr Suvorov was born in Moscow in 1729 and is yet another incredible general who also became a national hero. He was the Prince of Italy, Count of the Holy Roman Empire and the last Generalissimo of the Russian Empire. Suvorov has the distinction of being one of the few military commanders who never lost a battle; a remarkable feat since he was involved in over 60!
It certainly didn’t seem as if Suvorov would go on to great things. While he was born into a noble family, he was considered weak and sickly by his father who thought he would never be able to follow anything other than a civilian career. Suvorov had other ideas and what he lacked in physical ability, he more than made up for in intellect and determination. He was obsessed with all things military from a very young age and impressed Abram Gannibal so much that the famed general asked Suvorov’s father for permission to develop his son’s obvious potential. Suvorov lied about his age to get into the Semyonovskiya Life Guards Regiment aged 13 and studied the works of great tacticians in history along with several languages.
He began his military career in 1748, and by 1759, he was a major. Suvorov became a colonel in 1762; it was the year that Empress Catherine the Great took the throne and the commander once claimed that the first meeting with Catherine was his first step on the path to glory. During the War of the Bar Confederation, Suvorov displayed his brilliance by pushing back the attacking Polish and French soldiers despite being outnumbered 5:1.
Suvorov was promoted to the rank of major-general and was sent to fight the Turks during the First Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774). One of the most significant wins of his career came at the Battle of Kozluca where his 8,000 man army defeated a 40,000 strong Ottoman force. However, he was sentenced to death after being found guilty of ‘unauthorized actions against the Turks.’
Fortunately for him, the Empress had no intention of upholding the verdict and Suvorov was free to defeat the Turks in the Second Russo- Turkish War (1787-1792). At the Battle of Rymnik in 1789, Suvorov’s army of 25,000 defeated the 100,000 man force of the Ottomans. In 1790, he took the supposedly unconquerable fortress of Izmail; a victory which played a significant role in the Russian victory in the conflict.
The seemingly indefatigable Russian crushed a Polish revolt in 1794 and was later awarded the title of Field-Marshal. When Catherine died in 1796, her son Paul dismissed Suvorov and placed him under surveillance. However, he was reinstated in 1799 due to concerns over the rise of Napoleon and quickly won victories over French forces. Suvorov was sent to Switzerland to aid a Russian army, but it was defeated before the Field-Marshal could arrive. He was obliged to withdraw and led a masterful retreat through the Alps. While he lost several thousand men, his actions saved the army from annihilation and for this feat; he was awarded the title of Generalissimo.
The Tsar ordered the army to return home, and Suvorov’s planned hero’s welcome was canceled. The exhausted veteran became ill and died in 1800. The Generalissimo was brave, fearless and a stickler for discipline. He famously said “Train hard, fight easy” and was adored by his soldiers. Suvorov believed in communicating his ideas to the men in an easy to understand manner and always took it upon himself to ensure his army was well treated. With an estimated total of 63 major battles and no defeats, Suvorov deserves his reputation as one of history’s greatest ever military commanders.