Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration was born on July 10, 1765. He came from an ancient family of Georgian tsars. In 1766 parents of the future general moved to Kizlyar (Russia), where the boy spent his childhood. Men of several generations in the Bagration family were military. Young Pyotr started his military service in March, 1782 as a private in the Astrakhan infantry regiment. In 1783 Pyotr Bagration got his first fighting experience in the territory of Chechnya.
Two years later as a corporal already, he was taken prisoner to rebellious mountaineers near Aldy Settlement, but then was redeemed by the imperial government. In 1787 Bagration became an ensign of the Astrakhan regiment, which was subsequently transformed into the Caucasian musketeers’ regiment. There he served till 1792 and as a result received the rank of a captain. Pyotr took part in the Russian-Turkish War (1787-1792), and in 1797 became the commander of the 6th regiment of chasseurs and soon received the rank of a colonel. In 2 years he got the rank of a major-general. In the same 1799 Pyotr Bagration took part in A.V. Suvorov's Italian and Swiss campaigns and commanded the vanguard of the allied army. Then Bagration became famous as an excellent general who skillfully combined strategy and tactics. He also participated in the war against Napoleon in 1805-1807. His armies carried out a number of successful fights and became especially famous after the battle at Shengraben. In Austerliz battle Bagration commanded regiments of the right wing of the allied army, which at the end of a failed battle for the Russian army made a rear guard and covered withdrawal of main forces of the army under the leadership of Mikhail Kutuzov. Subsequently the talented military man distinguished himself in the battles at Preysish-Eylau and Friedland in Prussia. Napoleon responded about Bagration as about the best general of the Russian army. In spring 1809 Pyotr Bagration was made an infantry general. In August 1811 he became the commander-in-chief of the Podolsk army renamed in 1812 into the 2nd Western army. During Patriotic War of 1812 Bagration especially excelled in the Borodino Battle. Bagration’s army warded off all attacks of the Napoleon’s army.
The general himself was wounded in this battle and after 17 days – on September 24, 1812 - died of gangrene.