His great-grandfathers were knights, his father was a gardener, and he himself became famous as an honest and selfless soldier of Russia.
He could be condemned as a rude campaigner, but none of his contemporaries dared to do this. He fell out of favor for arbitrariness, but even the monarchs preferred not to conflict with him, so as not to cause discontent among the soldiers. The biography of Alexander Fock is an example of the life path of a warrior who obeyed, first of all, his own understanding of duty to the Fatherland and the rules of officer honor.
early years
The surname Fock has been listed in the registers of the most distinguished people of Holland since the Middle Ages. Religious wars undermined the economic well-being of a noble family, the descendants of the knights did not want to die on the battlefields in the 16th century. fled to Holstein. A prosperous life under the rule of Prussian monarchs ended with the coming to power of the old man Frederick. Already overgrown with fat, the nobles again sought refuge from the war and found it in the possession of the hospitable Russian empress Elizabeth Petrovna.
Boris Fok got a position that a pacifist could only dream of - he became the chief gardener of the court department. In 1763, his wife gave him a second son, who was named Alexander, the eldest, like his father, was called Boris. Children grew up in Oranienbaum, they could observe the life of the Russian aristocracy and did not seek to continue their father's work. Everyone in the family was surprised when Borya chose a military career, they did not want to let Sasha go to the army.
In search of
The young man grew up smart and attentive, he received a good education at home, so his parents convinced him to choose the diplomatic path. Having entered the College of Foreign Affairs, our hero soon got tired of working with documents. Before his eyes there was always an example of a brother who had already managed to rise to the rank of ensign.
The young man did not have to agitate for a long time - in 1780 Alexander Fock became a sergeant in the bombardier regiment. Three years later, for excellent service, the fellow was promoted to bayonet-junker. In 1788, the hour came to test himself in a real battle. Russia was at war with Turkey and the unit where Sasha served, moved to the front line. He was lucky to be at the walls of Ochakov and personally see how Alexander Suvorov leads the troops to attack the fortress, how Grigory Potemkin is cautious. In the decisive battle, the guy proved himself to be brave.
From victory to victory
Year Fock fought with the Turks, and then received an order to go to the location of the Finnish army. It was not a vacation, but a transfer to another combat area - the border with Sweden was on fire. During the fighting, including on the outskirts of the capital, the young officer distinguished himself and was awarded the Order of St. George.
From north to west of the empire - to Poland, Alexander went in 1792 to suppress the uprising of local aristocrats. In 1794, during the capture of Vilna, the officer was wounded. He arrived in St. Petersburg with the rank of major, beloved by the government and despised by those who sympathized with the Confederates. Instead of looking for supporters of the French Jacobins and all kinds of conspirators, the veteran began to modernize the army - he made a significant contribution to the formation of horse-artillery units.
Fock and tyranny
After the death of Catherine II, the suspicious Paul I ascended the throne. The emperor, obsessed with Prussian discipline, took a fancy to Alexander Fok. He was known as a campaigner with an unsettled personal life and fanatical devotion to command. It was such an officer that the sovereign needed. In 1799 he was promoted to major general and appointed commander of artillery in Finland.
Once Pavel Petrovich arrived at one of the garrisons commanded by his favorite. It was at this time that a young officer got to the guardhouse for a minor offense. Fock, knowing about the evil disposition of the monarch, did not report the incident in his report. Someone denounced him, causing the emperor's wrath. The tyrant was afraid to punish a worthy husband who gave his life to defend the Fatherland. In 1800, the rebel in uniform was dismissed.
Back in the ranks
As soon as Alexander I took the throne, Fock immediately applied for his return to the army. The soldier of the Fatherland wanted to pass on his experience to the young, in 1801 he was reinstated in service and instructed to continue the work on the preparation of the horse-artillery battalion. Excessive loads soon made themselves felt, the officer asked to resign.
It didn't take long for Alexander Fock to rest and recover - the Coalition's war with Napoleon was raging in Europe. The courageous son of the Fatherland returned to the ranks of the armed forces and entered the battle. 1807 turned out to be hot for him - the famous battle at Preussisch-Eylau, St. George's Cross and a severe wound in the chest. The visit to the hospital was short-lived, and from 1810 Fock acted as duty general at the headquarters of Bogdan Barclay de Tolly. He retreated, and then crushed the French army. Well-aimed battery fire under the command of this experienced artilleryman destroyed the crossing over the Berezina and provoked panic in the enemy's ranks.
Retired
Old wounds did not allow our hero to participate in the Foreign campaign. He returned to St. Petersburg, where he continued to train new personnel for the army. In 1819 the old man retired and settled in one of the suburbs of the capital. After 6 years, he was gone.
In the work of such characters, they are often overlooked. A stranger to court intrigues, carefully hiding the details of his personal life, interested, it seemed, only in the performance of his immediate official duties. However, it was people like Alexander Fok who made the Russian army combat-ready.
