evidence: Mikhail Kutuzov’s name is synonymous with the Russian army’s defeat of Napoleon’s ill-fated 1812 campaign, especially for those who have read Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. Born in St Petersburg in 1747 (it had been received wisdom that he was born in 1745), Kutuzov had spent most of his military career fighting against the Ottomans serving under famed generals Pyotr Rumyantsev and Alexander Suvorov. During these campaigns he suffered two near-fatal head wounds (in 1774 and 1788) which disfigured his right eye. Kutuzov regarded his miraculous survival on both occasions as a sign that his life was being preserved to accomplish a great deed. Kutuzov was well-regarded by Suvorov, who referred to him as his 'right arm.' Kutuzov led a column during the storming of the Ottoman fortress of Izmail in 1790.