Alexander Kaulbars Baron Alexander Vasilyevich Kaulbars ( ) ( May 14 , 1844 - January 25 , 1925 ) was a general in the Imperial Russian Army during the late 19th and early 20th centuries , and a noted explorer of Central Asia . Biography . Kaulbars was born in Mõdriku , present - day Estonia , and grew up in St . Petersburg . He came from a Baltic German noble family descended from the Swedish aristocratic family von Kaulbars of Swedish origin , which remained in Estonia after the country was ceded to Russia . Both his father and his brother rose to the rank of general in the Imperial Russian Army . He was educated at the Nikolaev Cavalry School . His first experience in combat was in 1861 , while serving with the Egersky Guards Regiment in the suppression of the Polish Uprising . After graduating from the Nicholas General Staff Academy , Kaulbars was commissioned as a lieutenant , and was assigned to serve on the staff of the Turkestan Military District . He was promoted to senior aide in 1870 , to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1871 , and to colonel in 1872 . Soon after his arrival in Russian Turkestan , he explored the country beyond the Issyk - Kul into the Tien Shan mountains . His report was published as “ Materials on the Geography of the Tien Shan ” , and was awarded the gold medal by the Imperial Russian Geographical Society In 1870 , he explored the Russian - Chinese border , surveying the summit of Khan Tengri and looking for mountain passes into Kashgar , which he visited in 1872 for negotiations on a commercial treaty with its ruler , Yaqub Beg . In 1873 , Kaulbars participated in the Russian conquest of the Khanate of Khiva under General Konstantin von Kaufman . During this expedition , he explored the delta and riverbed of the Amu Darya river , and located a navigatable route to the Aral Sea . He also explored the dry riverbed of the Syr Darya , and the connections between both rivers , the Caspian Sea and Aral Sea , and the now dry Uzboy River . His research on these topics resulted in technical papers which were awarded a second gold medal by the Imperial Russian Geographical Society . In 1874 , Kaulbars was made Chief of Staff of the 8th Cavalry Division , a position which he held until his return to the General Staff in 1875 . He participated in the Russo - Turkish War ( 1877 - 1878 ) , and was promoted to major general in 1879 , and given command of the 1st Brigade of the 14th Cavalry Division . From 1878 - 1879 , he was a member of the committee for the demarcation of the borders of the new Kingdom of Serbia . In 1882 , Kaulbars became the Minister of War for the Principality of Bulgaria , then a client state of the Empire of Russia . This state , semi - autonomous since the Russian victory sanctioned by the Treaty of San Stefano , was fighting for its independence from the Ottoman Empire . He also concurrently commanded the 1st Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division . The following year , became commander of the 15th Cavalry Division . Kaulbars was promoted to lieutenant general in 1891 . In 1894 , he was assign command of the 2nd Cavalry Corps . This assignment was followed by command of the 2nd Siberian Army Corps in 1900 , during which time he participated in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion and Russian occupation of Manchuria . He was further promoted to General of Cavalry in 1901 and made Assistant Commander of the Odessa Military District . In October 1904 , during the Russo - Japanese War , he became commander of the Russian 3rd Manchurian Army , and was transferred to command the Russian 2nd Manchurian Army in January 1905 , which was defeated at the Battle of Mukden , by the Imperial Japanese Army . He returned to command the Odessa Military District after the end of the war until December 23 , 1909 . During this period , he was noted for his strong support of the monarchy during the 1905 Russian Revolution . In December 1909 , he returned to St . Petersburg as a member of the Military Council . With the start of World War I , he was assigned as a commander of the Northwestern Front , and from October 1914 was placed in charge of all Russian military aviation activities . However , at the end of 1915 , he was dismissed from military service . In 1916 he was appointed military governor of Odessa . After the October Revolution , he moved to South Russia , where he joined an anti - Bolshevik Volunteer Army on October 15 , 1918 despite his advanced age . He entered the reserves in 1919 . With the collapse of the Armed Forces of South Russia , he was evacuated to Constantinople , and subsequently lived in exile in Bulgaria and France . He worked as an employee of a telegraph company in Paris until his death in 1925 . His grave is at the Sainte - Geneviève - des - Bois Russian Cemetery .