Yakov Kulnev Yakov Petrovich Kulnev ( Russian : Яков Петрович Кульнев ) ( 6 August 1763 – 1 August 1812 ) was , along with Pyotr Bagration and Aleksey Yermolov , one of the most popular Russia n military leaders at the time of the Napoleonic Wars . Suvorov ' s admirer and participant of 55 battles , he lost his life during Napoleon ' s invasion of Russia . Early campaigns . Kulnev ' s father was a Baltic officer of lesser noble background . The future general was born in Ludza ( present - day Latvia ) and matriculated at the Infantry School for Nobility in 1785 . He joined a hussar regiment and , under Suvorov ' s command , took part in the Russo - Turkish War , 1787 - 1792 and the Polish Campaign of 1794 - 1795 . The following decade of his life is obscure . In 1807 Kulnev was put in charge of the regiment of Hrodna hussars fighting against Napoleon . He made a name for himself at Heilsberg and Friedland , in which he famously fought his way out of an encirclement . Finnish campaign . In the Finnish War against Sweden , Kulnev led Buxhoevden ' s vanguard . For his part in the storm of Jakobstad he was awarded a golden sabre . He encouraged guerrilla fighting and fought with distinction at Lapua , Kuortane , Oravais — three engagements which earned him Order of Saint George and the rank of Major General . Denis Davydov , who fought under his command in Finland , described Kulnev ' s exploits in his memoirs . Kulnev crowned the campaign by leading Bagration ' s vanguard across the frozen Baltic Sea towards the Åland Islands and thence to Grisslehamn , within 70 km from the Swedish capital , Stockholm . This daring manoeuvre forced the Swedes to seek peace at any cost . Turkish campaign . Awarded for his courage with Order of Saint Anna of the 1st Degree , Kulnev was invited to take charge of the vanguard of the Danube Army which fought against the Turks in Bulgaria . During the Turkish Campaign of 1810 , Kulnev was one of Russia ' s ablest generals . His bold leadership made itself felt at Shumla , Nikopol , Rousse , and Batin , giving the campaign a character of decision it had been lacking heretofore . A conflict with the commander - in - chief , Nikolay Kamensky , forced him to leave the army , however . Patriotic War . After Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812 , Kulnev was entrusted with defending the roads leading to the capital , Saint Petersburg . On July 3 , his detachment took prisoner a French general and 200 cavalrymen . On 18 July , he led 5 , 000 cavalrymen — who formed a vanguard of Wittgenstein ' s corps — against Marshal Oudinot in the Battle of Klyastitsy . Taking prisoner 900 enemy soldiers , Kulnev crossed the Drissa River and clashed with a major French contingent . As the Russians came under heavy artillery fire , Kulnev was struck in the legs by a cannon ball and lost both limbs . He died from the effects of wounds received at this engagement . Assessment . Although he didn ' t live to take part in the Battle of Borodino and other famous battles of the Patriotic War , Kulnev was long remembered as a tough , impetuous , hot - tempered fighter . In 1830 , the spot of his death was marked by a monument , with Zhukovsky ' s epitaph inscribed on it . In 1909 , a hussar regiment was given his name . A typical Romantic hero of the Napoleonic Wars , he emancipated his serfs and was reputed to live in poverty , in order to emulate the soldiers of Roman antiquity that were his ideal . It has been suggested that Dubrovsky , a protagonist of Pushkin ' s eponymous novel , was modeled on Kulnev : Dubrovsky is described in the text as " a dark , swarthy 35 - year - old , with a moustache and a beard , a genuine portrait of Kulnev " . The Russian general is also the subject of Runeberg ' s poem " Kulneff " ( 1848 ) , which is part of " The Tales of Ensign Stål " :