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Which war did Leo Tolstoy fight in as a young army officer?

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Portrait of Leo Tolstoy with a long white beard, wearing a dark shirt and looking slightly to the side. — Leo Tolstoy Russian writer Leo Tolstoy is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest novelists. His masterpieces are *War and Peace* (1865–69) and *Anna Karenina* (1875–77).

As a young army officer, Leo Tolstoy served in the Caucasus, where he participated in campaigns against native peoples. Subsequently, he served during the Crimean War (1853–56), an experience that inspired his famous sketches about the Siege of Sevastopol.12