Anatoly Stessel
Anatoly Mikhaylovich Stessel | |
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General | |
Battles/wars | Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) Boxer Rebellion (WIA) Russo-Japanese War |
Anatoly Mikhaylovich Stessel (Russian: Анато́лий Миха́йлович Сте́ссель; German: Anatolij Stößel; 10 July [O.S. 28 June] 1848–18 January [O.S. 5 January] 1915) was a Russian baron of German descent, military leader, and general.
Biography
Anatoly Stessel, born in 1848 as the son of Lieutenant General Ivan Matveevich Stessel, graduated from the
From 12 August 1903 Stessel commanded the Russian garrison of
The
Following the death of General Roman Kondratenko on 15 December 1904 at Fort Chikuan, Stessel appointed the incompetent Alexander Fok in his place. On 18 December 1904 the Japanese exploded an 1800-kilogram mine under Fort Chikuan (東鶏冠山北堡塁 in Japanese), which fell that night. On 28 December 1904 mines under Fort Erhlung were detonated, destroying that fort as well.
On 31 December 1904 a series of mines were exploded under Fort Sungshu, Port Arthur's sole surviving major fortress, which surrendered that day. On 1 January 1905 Wantai finally fell to the Japanese. On the same day, Stessel and Fok sent a message to a surprised Japanese General Nogi Maresuke, offering to surrender. None of the other senior Russian staff had been consulted, and many were outraged.
General Nogi accepted the offer of surrender, and the two sides signed a ceasefire agreement on 2 January 1905 at
On 6 May 1909 Emperor
Awards
- Order of St. George, 4th class
- Order of St. George, 3rd class
- Order of St. Anne3rd degree, 2nd degree, 1st degree
- Order of St Vladimir4th degree, 3rd degree.
- Order of St. Stanislaus1st degree, 2nd degree, 3rd degree
- Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd degree, (Japan)
- Order of the Red Eagle, (Prussia)
- Pour le Mérite, (Prussia)
- Order of Bravery (Bulgaria)
References
- Connaughton, R.M (1988). The War of the Rising Sun and the Tumbling Bear—A Military History of the Russo-Japanese War 1904–5, London, ISBN 0-415-00906-5.
- ISBN 0-8108-4927-5.
- Jukes, Geoffry. The Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905. Osprey Essential Histories. (2002). ISBN 978-1-84176-446-7.
- Warner, Denis & Peggy. The Tide at Sunrise, A History of the Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905. (1975). ISBN 0-7146-5256-3.
- Nozhin, Evgenii Konstantinovich; Lindsay, Alexander Bertram; Swinton, Ernest Dunlop. The Truth About Port Arthur. London. John Murray, Albemarle Street, W. (1908)
Notes
- ^ a b c d Kowner, Historical Dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War, p. 359-360.
- ^ Herman Bernstein in the New York Times, 15 August 1909 - "[...] the 'hero' of Port Arthur, Gen. Anatoly Stoessel, who had been sentenced to imprisonment for ten years in the Fortress of St. Peter and St. Paul for the surrender of Port Arthur, was pardoned by the Emperor."