pyotr shchebalsky was born in 1810 into a noble pskovian family. in 1829 he joined the artillery college, in 1830 became a junker and after the graduation in 1834 remained at the college in the rank of praporshchik to receive the extended course of studies. in 1836-1842 he served in the guards artillery, then on july 17, 1842, for taking part in a duel was lowered in rank to a cannoneer and got transferred to the field artillery unit of the caucasian grenadiers' brigade. schebalsky took part in several major operations in chechnya and dagestan and was rewarded the soldier's order of st. george. after six years of the service in the caucasus he was reinstated in ranks and in january 1848 was returned to the guards to join in december of the same year the emperor's battery of his majesty grand duke mikhail pavlovich. at the same time he took the posts of the head of the division's school of artillery and the special class of don's ' tutor.