Mikhail Fedotovich Kamensky was born in 1738 in the capital of the Russian Empire, St. Petersburg. He was trained in the Land Cadet Corps and graduated in 1756. By that time, he became a lieutenant. For several years, he served as a volunteer in the French army, then he was an officer in the Russian army.

At the end of the Seven Years’ War, Mikhail Kamensky was appointed commander of the 1st Moscow Infantry Regiment. Drawing on his experience in the Prussian army, he wrote the work “Description of the Prussian Camp”. As he was a highly qualified officer, Kamensky was appointed commander of the 4th brigade in the army of Prince Alexander Mikhailovich Golitsyn.

During the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774, Mikhail Kamensky took part in the siege of Khotyn (1769), the battle near the village of Yanchintsy, and the storming of Bender. In June 1773, he defeated the Turkish corps near Giurgiu, after which he was appointed commander of the left flank of the army.

In 1774, the troops of Mikhail Fedotovich Kamensky fought together with the corps of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov near Kozludzha, where they defeated the Turkish side. For his excellent service in the Russo-Turkish War, he received the rank of lieutenant general, as well as the Orders of St. Anna, St. George 2nd Class, and St. Alexander Nevsky.

At the beginning of the second Russo-Turkish War (1787–1791), Kamensky was appointed commander of the 2nd corps in the army of Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev. However, soon he was dismissed for forming a conspiracy against the Field Marshal General. As commander of the 4th Division, he defeated the enemy at Gangura in 1788.

In 1791, Kamensky was sent to the army of Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin, but he did not receive a specific assignment. After Potemkin’s death, Mikhail Kamensky took command of the army without authorization and refused to transfer control to Mikhail Vasilyevich Kakhovsky, whom Potemkin appointed as his successor. In October 1791, Kamensky was dismissed.

After Paul I ascended to the throne, Mikhail Kamensky returned to the service, but only until December 1797. He shortly took part in the War of the Fourth Coalition as commander-in-chief of the army, which he eventually left and went to Ostrolenka. Kamensky spent the last years of his life in his estate.