About Aleksandr Aleksandrov
Alexander Andreevich Alexandrov (born Nadezhda Andreyevna Durova; 17 September 1783 – 21 March 1866) was a Russian cavalry soldier and writer who participated in the Napoleonic Wars. Alexandrov was assigned female at birth, but solely presented as a man in adulthood. At twenty-three, Alexandrov fled his home, and enlisted in an uhlan (light cavalry) regiment, dressing as a male soldier and taking on the name Alexander Sokolov. He served from 1806 to 1816, and received the Cross of St. George for bravery. After his service, he published a memoir, originally titled, "Notes of Alexsandrov", one of the earliest autobiographies in the Russian language. To his outrage, publishers disregarded the chosen name and title, re-titling it "Notes of N.A. Durova", and eventually The Cavalry Maiden. Historians have traditionally regarded him as a female wartime cross-dresser, while several modern scholars describe him as a transgender man. Public records recording him as Aleksandrov include his military pension accounts, his will, and the record of his death in the parish registry books. Petersburg, where he was awarded the Cross of St.
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