Adam Veyde began his military career in the so-called
poteshnye voiska. He participated in both of the
Azov campaigns, being a major of
Preobrazhensky Lifeguard regiment in charge of engineer works during the siege of the
Azov fortress. Enjoying Peter the Great's great confidence, Adam Veyde was frequently sent abroad on different important assignments and accompanied the
tsar during all of his trips. For example, Veyde was dispatched to
Hungary and
Saxony in 1696 to notify their leaders of the falling of Azov. In 1698, he was sent to France and England to study military science. Upon his return, Adam Veyde presented a military charter composed by him (; also known as the Veyde Charter), in which he had set forth administrative and military rules for infantry regiments under formation, responsibilities of all military ranks (from
private to
commander-in-chief inclusively), the rules of conduct for all ranks under any circumstances, and
drill procedures. Adam Veyde composed his charter under the influence of
Louis XIV's legal provisions of military nature and organization of
Eugene of Savoy's army, which had already earned fame by that time. The Veyde Charter formed the basis for the Peter the Great's Charter of 1716. Upon the disbandment of the
streltsy regiments, General
Avtonom Golovin and Adam Veyde were ordered to form 18 infantry and 2
Dragoon regiments in Moscow in autumn 1699. Also, Veyde was put in charge of teaching the marching drill to
stolniks,
stryapchiys (
butlers), and
zhiltsys (lowest category of the
service class people). During the
Great Northern War, Adam Veyde was assigned to command one of the 10-regiment
divisions as part of
Field Marshal Charles Eugène de Croÿ's army in 1700. After having approached
Narva, Veyde's inexperienced division succumbed to the attacks of the
Swedish army, albeit it managed to keep battle formation the longest among other Russian units. Adam Veyde himself was taken prisoner and sent to
Stockholm, where he would remain until 1710 and then be exchanged for General
Niels Jonsson Stromberg. While in captivity, Veyde observed the
Swedes and the way their army was organized. During the
Russo-Turkish War of 1710–1711, Adam Veyde commanded an 8-regiment division. In 1714, he was put in charge of 7 infantry and 3
cavalry regiments and dispatched to
Finland. There, Veyde participated in the
Battle of Gangut and commanded a
galley with Peter the Great on board. For this victory, Adam Veyde was awarded the
Order of St. Andrew and appointed commander of a
grenadier regiment. Also, he assisted Peter the Great in his composing of the Military Charter of 1716 and two years later was appointed president of
College of War, for which he would elaborate the table of organization and charter. ==Death==