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Birthday anniversary of Lieutenant-General Modest I. Bogdanovich, historian of war
August 26 (September 7), 1805 in Sumy, Kharkov Province, in the family of nobles was born Modest Ivanovich Bogdanovich, military historian, lieutenant-general.
Modest Ivanovich was educated in the Noble Regiment. After graduation in June 1823, he was appointed an ensign to the 1st Grenadier Artillery Company of the reserve corps. In 1827, Bogdanovich was transferred to the 24th (later 13th) Artillery Brigade, which suppressed the Polish uprising of 1830-1831. For the merits in the battle near Grokhov and Debe Wielki, he was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 4th class, with the inscription "For Bravery" and granted the rank of lieutenant. But soon, in one of the battles Bogdanovich was severely wounded in the right leg with a cannonball and captured. Thus, he remained prisoner until the end of August 1831.
In 1835, Modest graduated from the Military Academy and served in the Office of the Quartermaster General of the General Staff, and a year later, by the imperial order, was attached to the faculty of military history and strategy of the Military Academy. In 1838, Captain Bogdanovich became an associate professor, while engaging in teaching tactics in the Noble Regiment and participated in the publication of "War Journal" and "Military Encyclopedic Dictionary." Soon, in the rank of lieutenant colonel, he was appointed staff officer leading of the officers undergoing training at the academy. In February 1843 he was granted the rank of professor of military history and strategy. Four years later, Bogdanovich became a member of the military-scientific committee of the department of the General Staff. In 1849, he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th class for his seniority, and in September 1855 - promoted to major general.
In 1863, Bogdanovich, remaining an honorary member of the Academy of the General Staff and professor emeritus, was attached at the disposal of the Minister of War and General quartermaster of the General Staff, becoming the official historiographer of war, and was promoted to lieutenant general. Soon, he was appointed a member of the advisory committee of the General Staff, and in 1873, in honor of the 50th anniversary of his service, was awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. In 1881, Bogdanovich was appointed a member of the military council and remained in that position until his death.
Bogdanovich is known for his numerous works devoted to various pages of the military history of Russia in the 18th -19th centuries, including Russian-Turkish wars in the reign of Catherine II, the Polish Campaign of 1830-1831 and the Crimean War. Special place in his bibliography occupy the 3-volume "History of the War of 1812" (awarded with the Demidov Prize) and the 6-volume "History of the Reign of Emperor Alexander I and of Russia at That Time" (awarded with Uvarov Prize). In addition, Bogdanovich had also written works on the history of military art of antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, as well as numerous works devoted to biographies of prominent military leaders of Russia and Europe. In 1852-1858, edited by Bogdanovich, was issued the second, revised edition of 14 volumes "Military Encyclopedic Dictionary" - the largest and most important military encyclopedia of the time.
Modest Ivanovich Bogdanovich died July 25 (August 6), 1882 in Oranienbaum, aged 76.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials: