The processes of colonization of the southern provinces of the Russian Empire in the 19th century attract the attention of many historians in Russia and abroad. These studies are important for the analysis of the mechanisms of migration, the problem that has become ever more urgent in the early 21st century. In these mechanisms, apart from social, economic and political factors, an important role belongs to the human element, i.e. the personality of the leader who organizes a mass migration to another country. In the present paper, these general problems are considered based on the specific analysis of the first attempts of a group of Swiss settlers to move to the southern regions of Russia during the rule of Alexander I. This attempt, undertaken by Caspar Escher, a Swiss Major of the Moscow Dragoon Guards, is mentioned in archival documents, but it has not been the subject of prior investigation by historians. The introduction of new documents from the Russian state historical archive and the Russian state military historical archive permits a detailed study of the relocation of a group of Swiss citizens and the subsequent assessment of the role of Major Escher himself.