I've done the work
9th grade student "A"
Kanafeev Timurlan
City of Elektrogorsk
Introduction
Heroes of the War of 1812
Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich
Family and clan of Kutuzov
Russo-Turkish wars
War with Napoleon 1805
During the war with Turkey in 1811
Patriotic War of 1812
Start of service
Bagration
Pedigree
Military service
Patriotic War
Personal life of Bagration
Gerasim Kurin
Nadezhda Durova
Biography
Literary activity
Conclusion
Applications on the topic
Bibliography
Introduction
I chose this topic for research because the Patriotic War of 1812, a just national liberation war of Russia against Napoleonic France that attacked it. It was a consequence of deep political and economic contradictions between bourgeois France and feudal-serf Russia.
In this war, the people of Russia and its army showed great heroism and courage and dispelled the myth of Napoleon's invincibility, freeing their Fatherland from foreign invaders.
The Patriotic War left a deep mark on the social life of Russia. Under its influence, the ideology of the Decembrists began to take shape. The striking events of the Patriotic War inspired the work of many Russian writers, artists, and composers. The events of the war are captured in numerous monuments and works of art, among which the most famous are the monuments on the Borodino Field (1) Borodino Museum, monuments in Maloyaroslavets and Tarutino, Triumphal Arches in Moscow (3) Leningrad, Kazan Cathedral in Leningrad, "War Gallery" of the Winter Palace , panorama "Battle of Borodino" in Moscow (2).
Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich
Family and clan of Kutuzov
The noble family of Golenishchev-Kutuzov traces its origins to a certain Gabriel, who settled in the Novgorod lands during the time of Alexander Nevsky (mid-13th century). Among his descendants in the 15th century was Fyodor, nicknamed Kutuz, whose nephew was called Vasily, nicknamed Boots. The sons of the latter began to be called Golenishchev-Kutuzov and were in the royal service. M.I. Kutuzov’s grandfather only rose to the rank of captain, his father already became a lieutenant general, and Mikhail Illarionovich earned hereditary princely dignity.
Illarion Matveevich was buried in the village of Terebeni, Opochetsky district, in a special crypt. Currently, there is a church at the burial site, in the basement of which in the 20th century. a crypt was discovered. The expedition of the TV project “Seekers” found out that Illarion Matveyevich’s body was mummified and thanks to this it was well preserved.
Kutuzov got married in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Golenishchevo, Samoluksky volost, Loknyansky district, Pskov region. Nowadays, only ruins remain of this church.
Mikhail Illarionovich's wife, Ekaterina Ilinichna (1754-1824), was the daughter of Lieutenant General Ilya Aleksandrovich Bibikov, the son of Catherine's nobleman Bibikov. She married thirty-year-old Colonel Kutuzov in 1778 and gave birth to five daughters in a happy marriage (the only son, Nikolai, died of smallpox in infancy).
Praskovya (1777-1844) - wife of Matvey Fedorovich Tolstoy (1772-1815);
Anna (1782-1846) - wife of Nikolai Zakharovich Khitrovo (1779-1826);
Elizabeth (1783-1839) - in her first marriage, the wife of Fyodor Ivanovich Tizengauzen (1782-1805); in the second - Nikolai Fedorovich Khitrovo (1771-1819);
Catherine (1787-1826) - wife of Prince Nikolai Danilovich Kudashev (1786-1813); in the second - I. S. Saraginsky;
Daria (1788-1854) - wife of Fyodor Petrovich Opochinin (1779-1852).
Two of them (Liza and Katya) had their first husbands die fighting under the command of Kutuzov. Since the field marshal did not leave any descendants in the male line, the surname Golenishchev-Kutuzov was transferred to his grandson, Major General P. M. Tolstoy, the son of Praskovya, in 1859.
Kutuzov also became related to the Imperial House: his great-granddaughter Daria Konstantinovna Opochinina (1844-1870) became the wife of Evgeniy Maximilianovich of Leuchtenberg.
Start of service
The only son of Lieutenant General and Senator Illarion Matveyevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov (1717-1784) and his wife, née Beklemisheva.
The generally accepted year of birth of Mikhail Kutuzov, established in literature until recent years, was considered to be 1745, indicated on his grave. However, the data contained in a number of formal lists of 1769, 1785, 1791. and private letters indicate the possibility of attributing this date to 1747. The year 1747 is indicated as the year of birth of M.I. Kutuzov in his later biographies.
From the age of seven, Mikhail studied at home; in July 1759 he was sent to the Noble Artillery and Engineering School, where his father taught artillery sciences. Already in December of the same year, Kutuzov was given the rank of 1st class conductor with an oath of office and a salary. A capable young man is recruited to train officers.
In February 1761, Mikhail graduated from school and with the rank of ensign engineer was left with it to teach students mathematics. Five months later he became the aide-de-camp of the Revel Governor-General of Holstein-Beck. Efficiently managing the office of Holstein-Beck, he managed to quickly earn the rank of captain in 1762. In the same year, he was appointed commander of a company of the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment, which at that time was commanded by Colonel A.V. Suvorov.
Since 1764, he was at the disposal of the commander of the Russian troops in Poland, Lieutenant General I. I. Weimarn, and commanded small detachments operating against the Polish Confederates.
In 1767, he was brought in to work on the “Commission for the Drafting of a New Code,” an important legal and philosophical document of the 18th century that established the foundations of an “enlightened monarchy.” Apparently Mikhail Kutuzov was involved as a secretary-translator, since his certificate says “he speaks French and German and translates quite well, he understands the author’s Latin.”
In 1770 he was transferred to the 1st Army of Field Marshal P. A. Rumyantsev, which was located in the south, and took part in the war with Turkey that began in 1768.
Russo-Turkish wars
Of great importance in the formation of Kutuzov as a military leader was the combat experience he accumulated during the Russian-Turkish wars of the 2nd half of the 18th century under the leadership of commanders P. A. Rumyantsev and A. V. Suvorov. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-74. Kutuzov, as a combat and staff officer, took part in the battles of Ryaboya Mogila, Larga and Kagul. For his distinction in battles he was promoted to prime major. As chief quartermaster (chief of staff) of the corps, he was an active assistant to the commander and for his successes in the battle of Popesty in December 1771 he received the rank of lieutenant colonel.
In 1772, an incident occurred that, according to contemporaries, had a great influence on the character of Kutuzov. In a close circle of comrades, 25-year-old Kutuzov, who knows how to imitate everyone in his gait, pronunciation and grip, allowed himself to imitate Commander-in-Chief Rumyantsev. The field marshal found out about this, and Kutuzov received a transfer to the 2nd Crimean Army under the command of Prince Dolgoruky. As they said, from that time on he developed restraint, isolation and caution, he learned to hide his thoughts and feelings, that is, he acquired those qualities that became characteristic of his future military leadership.
According to another version, the reason for Kutuzov’s transfer to the 2nd Crimean Army was the words of Catherine II repeated by him about His Serene Highness Prince Potemkin, that the prince was brave not in his mind, but in his heart. In a conversation with his father, Kutuzov was perplexed about the reasons for the anger of his Serene Highness, to which he received an answer from his father that it was not for nothing that a person was given two ears and one mouth, so that he would listen more and talk less.
In July 1774, in a battle near the village of Shumy (now Kutuzovka) north of Alushta, Kutuzov, who commanded the battalion, was seriously wounded by a bullet that pierced the left temple and exited near the right eye, which forever stopped seeing. The Empress awarded him the Military Order of St. George, 4th class, and sent him abroad for treatment, bearing all the costs of the trip. Kutuzov used two years of treatment to complete his military education.
Upon returning to Russia in 1776, he again entered military service. At first he formed light cavalry units, in 1777 he was promoted to colonel and appointed commander of the Lugansk pikeman regiment, with which he was in Azov. He was transferred to Crimea in 1783 with the rank of brigadier and appointed commander of the Mariupol Light Horse Regiment. In November 1784 he received the rank of major general after successfully suppressing the uprising in Crimea. From 1785 he was the commander of the Bug Jaeger Corps, which he himself formed. Commanding the corps and training the rangers, he developed new tactical fighting techniques for them and outlined them in special instructions. He covered the border along the Bug with the corps when the second war with Turkey broke out in 1787.
In the summer of 1788, with his corps, he took part in the siege of Ochakov, where in August 1788 he was seriously wounded in the head for the second time. This time the bullet pierced the cheek and exited at the base of the skull. Mikhail Illarionovich survived and in 1789 took over a separate corps, with which Akkerman occupied, fought near Kaushany and during the assault on Bendery.
In December 1790 he distinguished himself during the assault and capture of Izmail, where he commanded the 6th column that was going on the attack. Suvorov outlined the actions of General Kutuzov in his report:
“Showing a personal example of courage and fearlessness, he overcame all the difficulties he encountered under heavy enemy fire; jumped over the palisade, forestalled the Turks' aspirations, quickly took off onto the ramparts of the fortress, captured the bastion and many batteries... General Kutuzov walked on my left wing; but he was my right hand.”
According to legend, when Kutuzov sent a messenger to Suvorov with a report about the impossibility of holding on to the ramparts, he received an answer from Suvorov that a messenger had already been sent to St. Petersburg with news to Empress Catherine II about the capture of Izmail. After the capture of Izmail, Kutuzov was promoted to lieutenant general, awarded George 3rd degree and appointed commandant of the fortress. Having repelled the attempts of the Turks to take possession of Izmail, on June 4 (16), 1791, he defeated a 23,000-strong Turkish army at Babadag with a sudden blow. In the Battle of Machinsky in June 1791, under the command of Prince Repnin, Kutuzov dealt a crushing blow to the right flank of the Turkish troops. For the victory at Machin, Kutuzov was awarded the Order of George, 2nd degree.
In 1792, Kutuzov, commanding a corps, took part in the Russian-Polish war, and the following year he was sent as ambassador extraordinary to Turkey, where he resolved a number of important issues in favor of Russia and significantly improved relations with it. While in Constantinople, he visited the Sultan's garden, visiting which was punishable by death for men. Sultan Selim III chose not to notice the insolence of the ambassador of the powerful Catherine II.
In 1795 he was appointed commander-in-chief of all ground forces, flotillas and fortresses in Finland, and at the same time director of the Land Cadet Corps. He did a lot to improve officer training: he taught tactics, military history and other disciplines. Catherine II invited him to her company every day, and he spent the last evening with her before her death.
Unlike many other favorites of the empress, Kutuzov managed to hold out under the new Tsar Paul I. In 1798 he was promoted to infantry general. He successfully completed a diplomatic mission in Prussia: during his 2 months in Berlin he managed to win her over to the side of Russia in the fight against France. He was Lithuanian (1799-1801) and upon the accession of Alexander I was appointed military governor of St. Petersburg (1801-02).
In 1802, having fallen into disgrace with Tsar Alexander I, Kutuzov was removed from his post and lived on his estate, continuing to be listed in active military service as the chief of the Pskov Musketeer Regiment.
War with Napoleon 1805
In 1804, Russia entered into a coalition to fight Napoleon, and in 1805 the Russian government sent two armies to Austria; Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief of one of them. In August 1805, a 50,000-strong Russian army under his command moved to Austria. The Austrian army, which did not have time to unite with the Russian troops, was defeated by Napoleon in October 1805 near Ulm. Kutuzov's army found itself face to face with an enemy with significant superiority in strength.
Retaining his troops, Kutuzov in October 1805 made a retreat march of 425 km from Braunau to Olmutz and, having defeated I. Murat near Amstetten and E. Mortier near Dürenstein, withdrew his troops from the looming threat of encirclement. This march went down in the history of military art as a wonderful example of strategic maneuver. From Olmutz (now Olomouc), Kutuzov proposed to withdraw the army to the Russian border so that, after the arrival of Russian reinforcements and the Austrian army from Northern Italy, go on a counter-offensive.
Contrary to the opinion of Kutuzov and at the insistence of Emperors Alexander I and Franz I of Austria, inspired by the slight numerical superiority over the French, the allied armies went on the offensive. On November 20 (December 2), 1805, the Battle of Austerlitz took place. The battle ended in the complete defeat of the Russians and Austrians. Kutuzov himself was slightly wounded by a bullet in the face, and also lost his son-in-law, Count Tizenhausen. Alexander, realizing his guilt, did not publicly blame Kutuzov and awarded him the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st degree, in February 1806, but never forgave him for the defeat, believing that Kutuzov deliberately framed the Tsar. In a letter to his sister dated September 18, 1812, Alexander I expressed his true attitude towards the commander: “from memory of what happened at Austerlitz because of the deceitful character of Kutuzov.”
In September 1806, Kutuzov was appointed military governor of Kyiv. In March 1808, Kutuzov was sent as a corps commander to the Moldavian Army, but due to disagreements regarding the further conduct of the war with the Commander-in-Chief, Field Marshal A. A. Prozorovsky, in June 1809, Kutuzov was appointed Lithuanian military governor.
During the war with Turkey in 1811
In 1811, when the war with Turkey reached a dead end and the foreign policy situation required effective action, Alexander I appointed Kutuzov as commander-in-chief of the Moldavian army instead of the deceased Kamensky. In early April 1811, Kutuzov arrived in Bucharest and took command of the army, weakened by the recall of divisions to defend the western border. He found less than thirty thousand troops throughout the conquered lands, with which he had to defeat one hundred thousand Turks located in the Balkan Mountains.
In the Battle of Rushchuk on June 22, 1811 (15-20 thousand Russian troops against 60 thousand Turks), he inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy, which marked the beginning of the defeat of the Turkish army. Then Kutuzov deliberately withdrew his army to the left bank of the Danube, forcing the enemy to break away from their bases in pursuit. He blocked part of the Turkish army that crossed the Danube near Slobodzeya, and in early October he himself sent General Markov’s corps across the Danube in order to attack the Turks remaining on the southern bank. Markov attacked the enemy base, captured it and took the main camp of the Grand Vizier Ahmed Agha across the river under fire from captured Turkish cannons. Soon hunger and disease began in the surrounded camp, Ahmed Agha secretly left the army, leaving Pasha Chaban-oglu in his place. On November 23, 1811, Shepherd Oglu surrendered a 35,000-strong army with 56 guns to Kutuzov. Even before the capitulation, the tsar granted Kutuzov the dignity of count of the Russian Empire. Türkiye was forced to enter into negotiations.
Concentrating his corps to the Russian borders, Napoleon hoped that the alliance with the Sultan, which he concluded in the spring of 1812, would bind the Russian forces in the south. But on May 4 (16), 1812 in Bucharest, Kutuzov concluded a peace according to which Bessarabia and part of Moldova passed to Russia (Bucharest Peace Treaty of 1812). This was a major military and diplomatic victory, which shifted the strategic situation for Russia for the better at the beginning of the Patriotic War. After peace was concluded, the Danube Army was headed by Admiral Chichagov, and Kutuzov, recalled to St. Petersburg, remained out of work for some time.
Patriotic War of 1812
At the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, General Kutuzov was elected in July as the head of the St. Petersburg and then the Moscow militia. At the initial stage of the Patriotic War, the 1st and 2nd Western Russian armies rolled back under the pressure of Napoleon's superior forces. The unsuccessful course of the war prompted the nobility to demand the appointment of a commander who would enjoy the trust of Russian society. Even before the Russian troops left Smolensk, Alexander I was forced to appoint infantry general Kutuzov as commander-in-chief of all Russian armies and militias. 10 days before the appointment, the tsar granted (July 29) Kutuzov the title of His Serene Highness Prince (bypassing the princely title). The appointment of Kutuzov caused a patriotic upsurge in the army and the people. Kutuzov himself, as in 1805, was not in the mood for a decisive battle against Napoleon. According to one piece of evidence, he expressed himself this way about the methods he would use against the French: “We will not defeat Napoleon. We will deceive him." On August 17 (29), Kutuzov received an army from Barclay de Tolly in the village of Tsarevo-Zaimishche, Smolensk province.
The enemy's great superiority in forces and the lack of reserves forced Kutuzov to retreat into the interior of the country, following the strategy of his predecessor Barclay de Tolly. Further withdrawal implied the surrender of Moscow without a fight, which was unacceptable from both a political and moral point of view. Having received minor reinforcements, Kutuzov decided to give Napoleon a general battle, the first and only one in the Patriotic War of 1812. The Battle of Borodino, one of the largest battles of the Napoleonic Wars era, took place on August 26 (September 7). During the day of the battle, the Russian army inflicted heavy losses on the French troops, but according to preliminary estimates, by the night of the same day it itself had lost almost half of the regular troops. The balance of power obviously did not shift in favor of Kutuzov. Kutuzov decided to withdraw from the Borodino position, and then, after a meeting in Fili (now a Moscow region), left Moscow. Nevertheless, the Russian army showed itself worthy at Borodino, for which Kutuzov was promoted to field marshal general on August 30.
After leaving Moscow, Kutuzov secretly carried out the famous Tarutino flank maneuver, leading the army to the village of Tarutino by the beginning of October. Finding himself south and west of Napoleon, Kutuzov blocked his routes to the southern regions of the country.
Having failed in his attempts to make peace with Russia, Napoleon began to withdraw from Moscow on October 7 (19). He tried to lead the army to Smolensk by the southern route through Kaluga, where there were supplies of food and fodder, but on October 12 (24) in the battle for Maloyaroslavets he was stopped by Kutuzov and retreated along the devastated Smolensk road. Russian troops launched a counteroffensive, which Kutuzov organized so that Napoleon's army was under flank attacks by regular and partisan detachments, and Kutuzov avoided a frontal battle with large masses of troops.
Thanks to Kutuzov's strategy, Napoleonic's huge army was almost completely destroyed. It should be especially noted that the victory was achieved at the cost of moderate losses in the Russian army. Kutuzov was criticized in pre-Soviet and post-Soviet times for his reluctance to act more decisively and aggressively, for his preference for certain victory at the expense of great glory. Prince Kutuzov, according to contemporaries and historians, did not share his plans with anyone; his words to the public often differed from his orders for the army, so the true motives for the actions of the famous commander give rise to different interpretations. But the final result of his activities is undeniable - the defeat of Napoleon in Russia, for which Kutuzov was awarded the Order of St. George, 1st class, becoming the first full Knight of St. George in the history of the order.
Napoleon often spoke contemptuously about the commanders opposing him, without mincing words. It is characteristic that he avoided giving public assessments of Kutuzov’s command in the Patriotic War, preferring to blame the “harsh Russian winter” for the complete destruction of his army. Napoleon's attitude towards Kutuzov can be seen in a personal letter written by Napoleon from Moscow on October 3, 1812 with the aim of starting peace negotiations:
“I am sending one of My adjutant generals to you to negotiate many important matters. I want Your Lordship to believe what he tells you, especially when he expresses to you the feelings of respect and special attention that I have had for you for a long time. Having nothing else to say with this letter, I pray to the Almighty that he will keep you, Prince Kutuzov, under his sacred and good protection.”
In January 1813, Russian troops crossed the border and reached the Oder by the end of February. By April 1813, troops reached the Elbe. On April 5, the commander-in-chief caught a cold and fell ill in the small Silesian town of Bunzlau (Prussia, now the territory of Poland). Alexander I arrived to say goodbye to the very weakened field marshal. Behind the screens near the bed on which Kutuzov was lying was the official Krupennikov who was with him. Kutuzov’s last dialogue, overheard by Krupennikov and relayed by Chamberlain Tolstoy: “Forgive me, Mikhail Illarionovich!” - “I forgive, sir, but Russia will never forgive you for this.” The next day, April 16 (28), 1813, Prince Kutuzov passed away. His body was embalmed and sent to St. Petersburg, where it was buried in the Kazan Cathedral.
They say that the people pulled a cart with the remains of the national hero. The Tsar retained Kutuzov’s wife to keep her husband’s full maintenance, and in 1814 he ordered Finance Minister Guryev to issue more than 300 thousand rubles to pay off the debts of the commander’s family.
Awards
The last lifetime portrait of M. I. Kutuzov, depicted with the St. George Ribbon of the Order of St. George, 1st class. Artist R. M. Volkov.
Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (1800) with diamonds (12/12/1812);
M.I. Kutuzov became the first of 4 full St. George Knights in the entire history of the order.
Order of St. George 1st class. bol.kr. (12/12/1812, No. 10) - “For the defeat and expulsion of the enemy from Russia in 1812”,
Order of St. George 2nd class. (03/18/1792, No. 28) - “In honor of the diligent service, brave and courageous exploits with which he distinguished himself in the battle of Machin and the defeat of the large Turkish army by Russian troops under the command of General Prince N.V. Repnin”;
Order of St. George, 3rd class. (25.03.1791, No. 77) - “In respect for the diligent service and excellent courage rendered during the capture of the city and fortress of Izmail by attack with the extermination of the Turkish army that was there”;
Order of St. George, 4th class. (11/26/1775, No. 222) - “For the courage and bravery shown during the attack of the Turkish troops who landed on the Crimean shores near Alushta. Having been dispatched to take possession of the enemy’s retangement, to which he led his battalion with such fearlessness that a large number of the enemy fled, where he received a very dangerous wound”;
He received:
Golden sword with diamonds and laurels (10/16/1812) - for the battle of Tarutino;
Order of St. Vladimir 1st class. (1806) - for battles with the French in 1805, 2nd Art. (1787) - for the successful formation of the corps;
Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (1790) - for battles with the Turks;
Holstein Order of St. Anne (1789) - for the battle with the Turks near Ochakov;
Knight Grand Cross of John of Jerusalem (1799)
Austrian Military Order of Maria Theresa 1st class. (1805);
Prussian Order of the Red Eagle, 1st class;
Prussian Order of the Black Eagle (1813);
This is what A.S. Pushkin wrote about him
In front of the saint's tomb
I stand with my head bowed...
Everything is sleeping all around; some lamps
In the darkness of the temple they gild
Pillars of granite masses
And their banners are hanging in a row.
This ruler sleeps under them,
This idol of the northern squads,
The venerable guardian of the sovereign country,
Suppressor of all her enemies,
This rest of the glorious flock
Catherine's Eagles.
Delight lives in your coffin!
He gives us a Russian voice;
He keeps telling us about that time,
When the voice of the people's faith
Called to your holy gray hair:
“Go and save!” You stood up and saved...
Listen today to our faithful voice,
Rise up and save the king and us,
O terrible old man! For a moment
Appear at the door of the grave,
Appear, breathe in delight and zeal
To the shelves left by you!
Appear to your hand
Show us the leaders in the crowd,
Who is your heir, your chosen one!
But the temple is immersed in silence,
And the silence of your grave
Undisturbed, eternal sleep...
Biryukov
Major General Sergei Ivanovich Biryukov 1st was born on April 2, 1785. He came from an ancient Russian noble family in the Smolensk region, the ancestor of which was Grigory Porfirievich Biryukov, who established the estate in 1683. The Biryukov family tree dates back to the 15th century. The Biryukov family is recorded in Part VI of the Noble Family Book of the Smolensk and Kostroma provinces.
Sergei Ivanovich Biryukov was a hereditary military man. His father, Ivan Ivanovich, married to Tatyana Semyonovna Shevskaya, was a captain; grandfather - Ivan Mikhailovich, married to Fedosya Grigorievna Glinskaya, served as a second lieutenant. Sergei Ivanovich entered the service in the Uglitsky Musketeer Regiment at the age of 15 in 1800 as a non-commissioned officer.
With this regiment he was in campaigns and battles in Prussia and Austria in 1805–1807 against the French. He took part in the battles of Preussisch-Eylau, Gutstatt, Helsburg, Friedland with the rank of lieutenant. For his courage and distinction, in 1807 he was awarded the Officer's Gold Cross for participation in the Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, the Order of St. Vladimir, IV degree with a bow, and the Order of St. Anne, 3rd degree.
From the Uglitsky Musketeer Regiment he was transferred to the Odessa Infantry Regiment with the rank of captain, and on May 13, 1812 he was promoted to major. The Odessa Infantry Regiment was part of the 27th Infantry Division under Lieutenant General D.P. Neverovsky as part of the 2nd Western Army of P.I. Bagration. In 1812 S.I. Biryukov took part in the battles near Krasnoye and Smolensk; on the eve of the Battle of Borodino he defended the Kolotsky Monastery and the advanced fortification of the Russian troops - the Shevardinsky redoubt. The last battalion to leave the Shevardinsky redoubt was the Odessa Infantry Regiment. On August 26, 1812, Major S.I. Biryukov. participated in the general battle against French troops near the village of Borodino, fought for the Semyonovsky (Bagrationov) flushes, towards which the tip of Napoleon’s attack was directed. The battle lasted from 6 o'clock in the morning until three o'clock in the afternoon. The Odessa infantry regiment lost 2/3 of its personnel killed and wounded. Here Sergei Ivanovich once again showed heroism and was wounded twice.
Here is the entry in his form list: “As a reward for zealous service and distinction in the battle against French troops near the village of Borodino on August 26, 1812, where he courageously attacked the enemy, who was strongly striving for the left flank, and overthrew him, setting an example of courage to his subordinates, and he was wounded by bullets: the first shot right through the right side and into the right shoulder blade, and the second shot right through into the right arm below the shoulder, and the last one broke the dry veins, which is why he can’t use his arm freely at the elbow and hand.”
For this battle S.I. Biryukov received the high Order of St. Anne, 2nd degree. He was also awarded a silver medal and a bronze medal “In memory of the Patriotic War of 1812.”
The wounds received by Sergei Ivanovich in the Battle of Borodino forced him to undergo treatment for two years, and on January 2, 1814, at the age of 29, he was dismissed from service “with a uniform and a pension of full pay with the rank of lieutenant colonel.” Then, for many years, he worked in various departments, but the dream of returning to the army did not leave him. His past life, natural will and determination take over, and he seeks the return of the epaulet of a combat lieutenant colonel to him.
In 1834, by the Highest Order, he received the position of caretaker of the buildings of the Government Senate in St. Petersburg. On August 7, 1835, Sergei Ivanovich, who in 1812 received the Order of St. Anne, 2nd degree, for military merits, but without decorations, this time, in recognition of his diligent service, received the same badge with the imperial crown.
In 1838 he was promoted to colonel, and in 1842, on December 3, he was awarded a Knight of the Order of St. George, 4th class, for 25 years of impeccable service in officer ranks. To this day, in the St. George Hall of the Moscow Kremlin, on the wall there is a marble plaque with the name S.I. Biryukov - Knight of St. George. In 1844, His Imperial Majesty awarded him a diamond ring, which indicated the personal respect of Nicholas I.
Time passed, years and wounds made themselves felt. Sergei Ivanovich writes a petition for dismissal from service, to which the Highest ordered: “Colonel Biryukov is to be dismissed from service due to illness, with the rank of major general, uniform and full pension of 571 rubles. 80 k. silver per year, February 11, 1845.” Sergei Ivanovich served in the army for more than 35 years.
His brother, Lieutenant Biryukov 4th, served in the Odessa Infantry Regiment with Sergei Ivanovich. In the newly recreated Cathedral of Christ the Savior - a monument to the wars of 1812, there is a marble plaque on the 20th wall “The Battle of Maloyaroslavets, the Luzha River and Nemtsov on October 12, 1812”, where the surname of Lieutenant Biryukov of the Odessa Regiment, who was wounded in this war, is written in gold letters. battle.
Sergei Ivanovich was a deeply religious man - his patron saint was Sergius of Radonezh. The field icon of Sergius of Radonezh was always with him in all campaigns and battles. Having acquired the village in 1835 from the princes of Vyazemsky. Ivanovskoye, Kostroma province, he added warm winter chapels to the stone Church of the Presentation, one of which was dedicated to Sergius of Radonezh.
S.I. died Biryukov 1st at the age of 69.
Sergei Ivanovich was married to Alexandra Alekseevna (nee Rozhnova). Had 10 children. Three of them graduated from the Pavlovsk Cadet Corps, served in the army, and took part in wars. All rose to the rank of general: Ivan Sergeevich (b. 1822) - major general, Pavel Sergeevich (b. 1825) - lieutenant general, Nikolai Sergeevich (b. 1826) - infantry general (my direct great-grandfather).
Bagration
Pedigree
The Bagration family originates from Adarnase Bagration, in 742-780 eristav (ruler) of the oldest province of Georgia - Tao Klarjeti, now part of Turkey, whose son Ashot Kuropalat (died in 826) became the king of Georgia. Later, the Georgian royal house was divided into three branches, and one of the lines of the eldest branch (princes Bagration) was included in the number of Russian-princely families, when Emperor Alexander I approved the seventh part of the “General Armorial” on October 4, 1803.
Tsarevich Alexander (Isaac-beg) Jessevich, the illegitimate son of the Kartalian king Jesse, left for Russia in 1759 due to disagreements with the ruling Georgian family and served as a lieutenant colonel in the Caucasian division. His son Ivan Bagration (1730-1795) moved after him. He joined the commandant's team at the Kizlyar fortress. Despite the statements of many authors, he was never a colonel in the Russian army, did not know the Russian language, and retired with the rank of second major.
Although most authors claim that Peter Bagration was born in Kizlyar in 1765, archival materials show otherwise. According to the petitions of Ivan Alexandrovich, the parents of the future general Bagration moved from the principality of Iveria (Georgia) to Kizlyar only in December 1766 (long before Georgia joined the Russian Empire). Consequently, Peter was born in July 1765 in Georgia, most likely in the capital, the city of Tiflis. Pyotr Bagration spent his childhood years in his parents' house in Kizlyar.
Military service
Pyotr Bagration began his military service on February 21 (March 4), 1782, as a private in the Astrakhan infantry regiment, stationed in the vicinity of Kizlyar. He acquired his first combat experience in 1783 during a military expedition to the territory of Chechnya. In an unsuccessful foray of a Russian detachment under the command of Pieri against the rebel highlanders of Sheikh Mansur in 1785, Colonel Pieri's adjutant, non-commissioned officer Bagration, was captured near the village of Aldy, but then ransomed by the tsarist government.
In June 1787 he was awarded the rank of ensign of the Astrakhan regiment, which was transformed into the Caucasian Musketeer Regiment.
Bagration served in the Caucasian Musketeer Regiment until June 1792, successively passing through all levels of military service from sergeant to captain, to which he was promoted in May 1790. From 1792 he served in the Kiev Horse-Jager and Sofia Carabinery Regiments. Pyotr Ivanovich was not rich, had no patronage, and by the age of 30, when other princes became generals, he barely rose to the rank of major. Participated in the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-92 and the Polish Campaign of 1793-94. He distinguished himself on December 17, 1788 during the storming of Ochakov.
In 1797 - commander of the 6th Jaeger Regiment, and the following year he was promoted to colonel.
In February 1799 he received the rank of major general.
In the Italian and Swiss campaigns of A.V. Suvorov in 1799, General Bagration commanded the vanguard of the allied army, especially distinguished himself in the battles on the Adda and Trebbia rivers, at Novi and Saint Gotthard. This campaign glorified Bagration as an excellent general, whose characteristic was complete composure in the most difficult situations.
Active participant in the war against Napoleon in 1805-1807. In the campaign of 1805, when Kutuzov's army made a strategic march from Braunau to Olmutz, Bagration led its rearguard. His troops conducted a number of successful battles, ensuring the systematic retreat of the main forces. They became especially famous in the battle of Shengraben. In the Battle of Austerlitz, Bagration commanded the troops of the right wing of the allied army, which staunchly repelled the onslaught of the French, and then formed a rearguard and covered the retreat of the main forces.
In November 1805 he received the rank of lieutenant general.
In the campaigns of 1806-07, Bagration, commanding the rearguard of the Russian army, distinguished himself in the battles of Preussisch-Eylau and Friedland in Prussia. Napoleon formed an opinion about Bagration as the best general in the Russian army.
In the Russian-Swedish war of 1808-09 he commanded a division, then a corps. He led the Åland expedition of 1809, during which his troops, having crossed the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia, occupied the Åland Islands and reached the shores of Sweden.
In the spring of 1809 he was promoted to general of the infantry.
During the Russian-Turkish War of 1806-12, he was commander-in-chief of the Moldavian Army (July 1809 - March 1810), and led the fighting on the left bank of the Danube. Bagration's troops captured the fortresses of Machin, Girsovo, Kyustendzha, defeated a 12,000-strong corps of selected Turkish troops at Rassavet, and inflicted a major defeat on the enemy near Tataritsa.
Since August 1811, Bagration has been the commander-in-chief of the Podolsk Army, renamed in March 1812 into the 2nd Western Army. Anticipating the possibility of Napoleon's invasion of Russia, he put forward a plan that provided for advance preparation to repel aggression.
Patriotic War of 1812
At the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, the 2nd Western Army was located near Grodno and found itself cut off from the main 1st Army by the advancing French corps. Bagration had to retreat with rearguard battles to Bobruisk and Mogilev, where, after the battle near Saltanovka, he crossed the Dnieper and on August 3 united with the 1st Western Army of Barclay de Tolly near Smolensk. Bagration advocated involving broad sections of the people in the fight against the French and was one of the initiators of the partisan movement.
Under Borodin, Bagration's army, forming the left wing of the battle formation of the Russian troops, repelled all attacks of Napoleon's army. According to the tradition of that time, decisive battles were always prepared as if for a show - people dressed in clean linen, shaved carefully, put on ceremonial uniforms, orders, white gloves, sultans on shakos, etc. Exactly as shown in the portrait - with a blue St. Andrew's ribbon, with three stars of the orders of Andrei, George and Vladimir and many order crosses - were seen by Bagration's regiments in the Battle of Borodino, the last in his glorious military life. A cannonball fragment crushed the general's tibia in his left leg. The prince refused the amputation proposed by the doctors. The next day, Bagration mentioned the injury in his report to Tsar Alexander I:
“I was rather slightly wounded in the left leg by a bullet that shattered the bone; but I don’t regret this in the slightest, being always ready to sacrifice the last drop of my blood for the defense of the fatherland and the august throne...”
The commander was transported to the estate of his friend, Prince B. A. Golitsyn (his wife was Bagration’s fourth cousin), to the village of Sima, Vladimir province.
On September 24, 1812, Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration died of gangrene, 17 days after being wounded. According to the surviving inscription on the grave in the village of Sima, he died on September 23. In 1839, on the initiative of the partisan poet D.V. Davydov, the ashes of Prince Bagration were transferred to the Borodino field.
Personal life of Bagration
After the Swiss campaign with Suvorov, Prince Bagration gained popularity in high society. In 1800, Emperor Paul I arranged the wedding of Bagration with his 18-year-old maid of honor, Countess Ekaterina Pavlovna Skavronskaya. The wedding took place on September 2, 1800 in the church of the Gatchina Palace. Here is what General Langeron wrote about this alliance:
“Bagration married the grandniece of the prince. Potemkin... This rich and brilliant couple did not approach him. Bagration was only a soldier, had the same tone, manners and was terribly ugly. His wife was as white as he was black; she was as beautiful as an angel, she shone with intelligence, the liveliest of the beauties of St. Petersburg, she was not satisfied with such a husband for long...”
In 1805, the frivolous beauty left for Europe and did not live with her husband. Bagration called the princess to return, but she remained abroad under the pretext of treatment. In Europe, Princess Bagration enjoyed great success, gained fame in court circles in different countries, and gave birth to a daughter (it is believed that she was the father of the Austrian Chancellor, Prince Metternich). After the death of Pyotr Ivanovich, the princess briefly married an Englishman again, and then returned to her surname Bagration. She never returned to Russia. Prince Bagration, nevertheless, loved his wife; shortly before his death, he ordered two portraits from the artist Volkov - his and his wife's.
Bagration had no children.
Davydov
Davydov, Denis Vasilievich - famous partisan, poet, military historian and theorist. Born into an old noble family, in Moscow, July 16, 1784; Having been educated at home, he entered the cavalry regiment, but was soon transferred to the army for satirical poetry, to the Belarusian Hussar Regiment (1804), from there he transferred to the Hussar Life Guards (1806) and participated in campaigns against Napoleon (1807), the Swedish (1808) ), Turkish (1809). He achieved wide popularity in 1812 as the head of a partisan detachment, organized on his own initiative. At first, the higher authorities reacted to Davydov’s idea with some skepticism, but the partisan actions turned out to be very useful and brought a lot of harm to the French. Davydov had imitators - Figner, Seslavin and others. On the great Smolensk road, Davydov more than once managed to recapture military supplies and food from the enemy, intercept correspondence, thereby instilling fear in the French and raising the spirit of the Russian troops and society. Davydov used his experience for the wonderful book “The Experience of the Theory of Guerrilla Action.” In 1814, Davydov was promoted to general; was chief of staff of the 7th and 8th army corps (1818 - 1819); In 1823 he retired, in 1826 he returned to service, participated in the Persian campaign (1826 - 1827) and in the suppression of the Polish uprising (1831). In 1832, he finally left service with the rank of lieutenant general and settled on his Simbirsk estate, where he died on April 22, 1839. - The most lasting mark left by Davydov in literature is his lyrics. Pushkin highly valued his originality, his unique manner of “twisting verse.” A.V. Druzhinin saw in him a writer “truly original, precious for understanding the era that gave birth to him.” Davydov himself speaks about himself in his autobiography: “He never belonged to any literary guild; he was a poet not by rhymes and footsteps, but by feeling; as for his exercise in poetry, this exercise, or, better to say, the impulses of it they consoled him like a bottle of champagne "... "I am not a poet, but a partisan, a Cossack, I sometimes visited Pinda, but in a hurry, and carefree, somehow, I set up my independent bivouac in front of the Kastal current." This self-assessment is consistent with the assessment given to Davydov by Belinsky: “He was a poet at heart, for him life was poetry, and poetry was life, and he poeticized everything he touched... His wild revelry turns into a daring but noble prank ; rudeness - into the frankness of a warrior; the desperate courage of another expression, which is no less than the reader himself is surprised to see himself in print, although sometimes hidden under dots, becomes an energetic outburst of a powerful feeling. .. Passionate by nature, he sometimes rose to the purest ideality in his poetic visions... Of particular value should be those poems by Davydov, the subject of which is love, and in which his personality is so chivalrous... As a poet, Davydov decisively belongs to the most bright luminaries of the second magnitude in the firmament of Russian poetry... As a prose writer, Davydov has every right to stand alongside the best prose writers of Russian literature. epigrams and the famous "Modern Song", with the proverbial caustic remarks about the Russian Mirabeau and Lafayette.
Gerasim Kurin
Gerasim Matveevich Kurin (1777 - June 2, 1850) - leader of a peasant partisan detachment that operated during the Patriotic War of 1812 in the Vokhonsky volost (the area of the present city of Pavlovsky Posad, Moscow region).
Thanks to the historian Alexander Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, wide public attention was attracted to Kurin’s detachment. He was awarded the St. George Cross, first class.
A street in Moscow was named after Gerasim Kurin in 1962.
Monument to the famous partisan of 1812 Gerasim Kurin. It is located behind Vokhna, opposite the bell tower of the Resurrection Cathedral. Here, under his leadership, the largest partisan formation in Russia was created. Untrained, almost unarmed peasants were able not only to resist the selected dragoons of Marshal Ney, but also to become winners in this confrontation... Near the village of Bolshoy Dvor, one of the French detachments clashed with local residents. In a short skirmish that ended with the flight of the confused enemy, the peasants acquired not only captured weapons, but also confidence in their abilities. Peasant partisans fought continuously for seven days. But there were losses, there were victories. Kurin's detachment, which initially consisted of two hundred people, after 5-6 days numbered almost 5-6 thousand, of which almost 500 were mounted and all were local. The short guerrilla war, just a week, brought significant damage. The partisans managed to block the path to Vladimir, and it is still unknown where Marshal Ney’s military career would have ended if he had not missed the Kuro partisans, who entered Bogorodsk immediately after the French retreat, in just a few hours. This event took place on October 1 (14), on the Intercession of the Virgin Mary.
Gerasim Kurin was a man of personal charm and quick intelligence, an outstanding commander of the peasant uprising. And - most importantly - for some reason everyone obeyed him, although he was practically a serf. (Although this is strange, because in the village of Pavlovskoye, it seems, there were no serfs).
Nadezhda Durova
Biography
Nadezhda Andreevna Durova (also known as Aleksandr Andreevich Aleksandrov; September 17, 1783 - March 21 (April 2), 1866) - the first female officer in the Russian army (known as a cavalry maiden) and writer. Nadezhda Durova served as the prototype for Shurochka Azarova, the heroine of Alexander Gladkov’s play “A Long Time Ago” and Eldar Ryazanov’s film “The Hussar Ballad.”
Born on September 17, 1783 (and not in 1789 or 1790, which is usually indicated by her biographers, based on her “Notes”) from the marriage of the hussar captain Durov with the daughter of the Little Russian landowner Alexandrovich, who married him against the will of her parents. The Durovs from the first days had to lead a wandering regimental life. The mother, who passionately wanted to have a son, hated her daughter, and the latter’s upbringing was almost entirely entrusted to Hussar Astakhov. “The saddle,” says Durova, “was my first cradle; horse, weapons and regimental music were the first children's toys and amusements.” In such an environment, the child grew up to the age of 5 and acquired the habits and inclinations of a playful boy. In 1789, his father entered the city of Sarapul, Vyatka province, as a mayor. Her mother began to teach her to do needlework and housekeeping, but her daughter did not like either one or the other, and she secretly continued to do “military things.” When she grew up, her father gave her a Circassian horse, Alcis, riding which soon became her favorite pastime.
At the age of eighteen she was married off, and a year later her son was born (this is not mentioned in Durova’s “Notes”). Thus, by the time of her military service, she was not a “maid,” but a wife and mother. The silence about this is probably due to the desire to stylize oneself as a mythologized image of a warrior maiden (such as Pallas Athena or Joan of Arc).
She became close to the captain of the Cossack detachment stationed in Sarapul; Family troubles arose, and she decided to fulfill her long-standing dream - to enter military service.
Taking advantage of the departure of the detachment on a campaign in 1806, she changed into a Cossack dress and rode on her Alkida behind the detachment. Having caught up with him, she identified herself as Alexander Durov, the son of a landowner, received permission to follow the Cossacks and in Grodno entered the Horse-Polish Uhlan Regiment.
She took part in the battles of Gutshadt, Heilsberg, Friedland, and showed courage everywhere. For saving a wounded officer in the midst of a battle, she was awarded the soldier's St. George's Cross and promoted to officer with transfer to the Mariupol Hussar Regiment.
At the request of her father, to whom Durova wrote about her fate, an investigation was carried out, in connection with which Alexander I wished to see Sokolov. The Emperor, struck by the woman’s selfless desire to serve her homeland in the military field, allowed her to remain in the army with the rank of cornet of the hussar regiment under the name Alexandrov Alexander Andreevich derived from his own, and also contact him with requests.
Soon after this, Durova went to Sarapul to visit her father, lived there for more than two years, and at the beginning of 1811 she again reported to the regiment (Lithuanian Uhlans).
During the Patriotic War, she took part in the battles of Smolensk, the Kolotsky Monastery, and Borodino, where she was shell-shocked in the leg by a cannonball, and went to Sarapul for treatment. Later she was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and served as an orderly under Kutuzov.
In May 1813, she again appeared in the active army and took part in the war for the liberation of Germany, distinguishing herself during the blockade of the Modlin fortress and the cities of Hamburg and Harburg.
Only in 1816, yielding to her father’s requests, she retired with the rank of headquarters captain and a pension and lived either in Sarapul or in Yelabuga. She always wore a man's suit, got angry when people addressed her as a woman, and was generally distinguished by great oddities, among other things - an extraordinary love for animals.
Literary activity
Her memoirs were published in Sovremennik, 1836, No. 2 (later included in her Notes). Pushkin became deeply interested in Durova’s personality, wrote laudatory, enthusiastic reviews about her on the pages of his magazine and encouraged her to become a writer. In the same year (1836) they appeared in 2 parts of “Notes” under the title “Cavalryman-Maiden”. An addition to them (“Notes”) was published in 1839. They were a great success, prompting Durova to write stories and novels. Since 1840, she began to publish her works in Sovremennik, Library for Reading, Otechestvennye Zapiski and other magazines; then they appeared separately (“Gudishki”, “Tales and Stories”, “Angle”, “Treasure”). In 1840, a collection of works was published in four volumes.
One of the main themes of her works is the emancipation of women, overcoming the difference between the social status of women and men. All of them were read at one time, even aroused praise from critics, but they have no literary significance and attract attention only with their simple and expressive language.
Durova spent the rest of her life in a small house in the city of Elabuga, surrounded only by her numerous dogs and cats she had once picked up. Nadezhda Andreevna died on March 21 (April 2), 1866 in Yelabuga, Vyatka province, at the age of 83. At burial she was given military honors.
Conclusion
The events of 1812 have a special place in our history. More than once the Russian people rose up to defend their land from invaders. But never before has the threat of enslavement given rise to such a rallying of forces, such a spiritual awakening of the nation, as happened during the days of Napoleon’s invasion.
The Patriotic War of 1812 is one of the most heroic pages in the history of our Motherland. Therefore, the thunderstorm of 1812 again and again attracts attention.
Yes, there were people in our time
Not like the current tribe:
The heroes are not you!
They got a bad lot:
Not many returned from the field...
If it weren't God's will,
They wouldn't give up Moscow!
M.Yu.Lermontov
The heroes of this war will remain in our memory for many centuries, if not for their courage and dedication, who knows what our Fatherland would have been like. Every person who lived at that time is a hero in his own way. Including women, old people: in general, everyone who fought for the freedom and independence of the Russian Empire.
Bibliography
1. Babkin V.I. People’s militia in the Patriotic War of 1812. M., Sotsekgiz, 1962.
2. Beskrovny L.G. Partisans in the Patriotic War of 1812 - questions of history, 1972, No. 1,2.
3. Beskrovny L.G. Reader on Russian military history. M., 1947. S. 344-358.
4. Borodino. Documents, letters, memories. M., Soviet Russia, 1962.
5. Borodino, 1812. B. S. Abalikhin, L. P. Bogdanov, V. P. Buchneva and others. P. A. Zhilin (responsible editor) - M., Mysl, 1987.
6. V.O. Punsky, A.Ya. Yudovskaya “New History” Moscow “Enlightenment” 1994
7. Heroes of 1812 / comp. V. Levchenko. – M.: Mol. Guard, 1987
8. Children's encyclopedia Moscow “Enlightenment” 1967
9. E. V. Tarle. Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov - Commander and diplomat
10. Sat. “Journals of the Committee of Ministers (1810-1812)”, vol. 2, St. Petersburg, 1891.
12. Kharkevich V. “1812 in diaries, notes and memoirs of contemporaries.”
13. Orlik O. V. “The Thunderstorm of the Twelfth Year...”. - M. Education, 1987.
14. "Patriotic War of 1812" Materials of the VUA, vol. 16,., 1911.
15. “Collection of materials”, ed. Dubrovina, vol. 1, 1876.
I offer my top list, top 5 Heroes of the War of 1812 and their exploits.
Every battle of that war was bloody and led to great casualties. Initially, the forces were not equal: on the French side - about six hundred thousand military, on the Russian side - more than half as much. The War of 1812, according to historians, posed a question for Russia - a choice: either win or disappear. In the war against Napoleonic troops, many worthy sons of the Fatherland showed themselves in battle, many of them died on the battlefield or died from wounds (like, for example, Prince Dmitry Petrovich Volkonsky, we wrote).The exploits of the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812:
1. Kutuzov Mikhail IvanovichA talented commander, perhaps one of the most famous heroes of the War of 1812. Born in St. Petersburg, into a noble family, his father was a military engineer, a participant in the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-74. Since childhood, the strong and healthy boy was talented in science, received a special education, and graduated with honors from artillery engineering school. After graduating from school, he was presented to the court of Emperor Peter III. During his years of service, Kutuzov had to carry out various assignments - he was a commander and fought in Poland with opponents of a supporter of Russia elected to the throne of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in Poland, fought and proved himself in battles in the Russian-Turkish war under the command of General P.A. Rumyantsev, took part in storming the fortress in Bendery, fought in the Crimea (where he was wounded, costing him an eye). During his entire service, Kutuzov gained extensive command experience. And during the second Russian-Turkish war of 1787 -1791, he fought together with Suvorov against a five-thousand-strong Turkish landing force. The Turkish detachment was destroyed, and Kutuzov received a second wound to the head. And even then, the military doctor who performed the operation on the commander said that fate, by not allowing Kutuzov to die after two wounds to the head, was preparing him for something more important.
Kutuzov met the War of 1812 when he was already quite mature. Knowledge and experience made him a great strategist and tactician. Kutuzov felt equally comfortable both on the “battlefield” and at the negotiating table. At first, Mikhail Kutuzov opposed the participation of the Russian army along with the Austrian army against Austerlitz, believing that this was largely a dispute between two monarchs.
The then Emperor Alexander I did not listen to Kutuzov, and the Russian army suffered a crushing defeat at Austerlitz, which became the first defeat of our army in a hundred years.
During the War of 1812, the government, dissatisfied with the retreat of Russian troops from the borders into the interior of the country, appointed Kutuzov as Commander-in-Chief instead of Minister of War Barclay de Tolly. Kutuzov knew that the skill of a commander lies in the ability to force the enemy to play by his own rules. Everyone was waiting for a general battle, and it was fought on the twenty-sixth of August near the village of Borodino, one hundred and twenty kilometers from Moscow. During the battle, the Russians chose a tactic - to repel enemy attacks, thereby exhausting them and forcing them to suffer losses. And then on the first of August there was the famous council in Fili, where Kutuzov made a difficult decision - to surrender Moscow, although neither the tsar, nor society, nor the army supported him.
4. Dorokhov Ivan Semyonovich
Before the start of the War of 1812, Major General Dorokhov had serious military experience. Back in 1787, he took part in the Russian-Turkish war, fighting in Suvorov’s troops. Then he fought in Poland and took part in the capture of Prague. Dorokhov began the Patriotic War of 1812 as the commander of the vanguard in Barclay's army. At the Battle of Borodino, a bold attack by his soldiers drove the French back from Bagration's fortifications. And after they entered Moscow, Dorokhov commanded one of the created partisan detachments. His detachment inflicted enormous damage on the enemy army - one and a half thousand prisoners, of which about fifty were officers. The operation of Dorokhov’s detachment to capture Vereya, where the most important French deployment point was located, was absolutely brilliant. At night, before dawn, the detachment burst into the city and occupied it without firing a single shot. After Napoleon's troops left Moscow, a serious battle took place near Maloyaroslavets, where Dorokhov was seriously wounded in the leg by a bullet right through, and in 1815 he died, the lieutenant general of the Russian army was buried in Vereya, according to his last will.
5. Davydov Denis Vasilievich
In his autobiography, Denis Davydov would later write that “he was born for 1812.” The son of a regiment commander, he began military service at the age of seventeen in a cavalry regiment. He took part in the war with Sweden, the battle with the Turks on the Danube, was Bagration’s adjutant, and served in Kutuzov’s detachment.
He met the War of 1812 as a lieutenant colonel of the Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment. Denis Davydov perfectly understood the situation on the front line and proposed to Bagration a scheme for waging guerrilla warfare. Kutuzov reviewed and approved the proposal. And on the eve of the Battle of Borodino, Denis Davydov and his detachment were sent behind enemy lines. Davydov’s detachment carried out successful partisan operations, and following his example, new detachments were created, which especially distinguished themselves during the French retreat. Near the village of Lyakhovo (now - partisan detachments, among which was a detachment under the command of Denis Davydov, captured a column of two thousand French. For Davydov, the war did not end with the expulsion of the French from Russia. He, already with the rank of colonel, fought valiantly near Bautzen, Leipzig , and with the rank of major general - in the battle of Larotiere. Denis Davydov gained fame and recognition as a poet. In his works, he mainly glorifies the hussarship, "Lieutenant Rzhevsky" - this, by the way, is “the work of his hands.” Creativity Davydov was valued by Pushkin, Denis Davydov died suddenly in 1839.
On December 27, the outstanding Russian commander Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly was born. It was he who commanded the entire Russian army at the initial stage of the Patriotic War of 1812. We decided to remember other great commanders of the Patriotic War of 1812
The feat of Raevsky's soldiers near Saltanovka. N. S. Samokish, 1912
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Michael Barclay de Tolly
He commanded the entire Russian army at the initial stage of the Patriotic War of 1812, after which he was replaced by Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov. In the foreign campaign of the Russian army of 1813-1814, he commanded the united Russian-Prussian army as part of the Bohemian Army of the Austrian Field Marshal Prince Schwarzenberg.
In Russian history he is remembered as a commander who was forced to make a strategic retreat before Napoleon in the Patriotic War of 1812 and for this was unfairly condemned by his contemporaries. In the Battle of Borodino he commanded the center and right wing of the Russian troops. In the Foreign Campaigns of the Russian Army of 1813-1814, he led the united Russian-Prussian army, defeated Napoleon's troops, and entered Paris with his allies.
Barclay de Tolly became the second of four full Knights of St. George in the entire history of the order. He was also awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and had more than ten military awards.
Mikhail Kutuzov
Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov - Russian field marshal general from the Golenishchev-Kutuzov family, commander-in-chief during the Patriotic War of 1812.
With the outbreak of the war of 1812, he was elected head of the St. Petersburg and then Moscow militia; from August, Kutuzov was the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, which defeated the French army of Napoleon I. He raised Russian military art to a higher level of development. Kutuzov became the first of four full Knights of St. George in the entire history of the order. He also had the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky and St. Andrew the First-Called.
Peter Bagration
Russian infantry general, chief of the Life Guards of the Jaeger Regiment, commander-in-chief of the 2nd Western Army at the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812.
In the Battle of Borodino, his army formed the left wing of the Russian troops and repelled all attacks of the French. In battle he was mortally wounded. His motto is “ To defend the Motherland at the cost of any sacrifice, to fall upon the enemy with all the people, or to defeat, or to lie down at the walls of the Fatherland».
He was awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky with diamonds and the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called.
Nikolai Raevsky
Nikolai Nikolaevich Raevsky - Russian commander, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, cavalry general. During thirty years of impeccable service, he participated in many of the largest battles of the era.
In the Battle of Borodino, the corps staunchly defended the central redoubt, against which large forces of the French army were brought into battle. The redoubt entered Russian military history under the name “Raevsky’s Battery.” He distinguished himself in the battles of Maloyaroslavets and Krasny.
He was awarded the Order of St. George, the Order of St. Vladimir and the Order of St. Anne.
Alexander Tuchkov
Alexander Alekseevich Tuchkov - Russian commander, major general. At the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, he commanded a brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division and distinguished himself in battles near Vitebsk and Smolensk. In the Battle of Borodino, inspiring the Revel Regiment, which was faltering under the hurricane of enemy fire, he rushed forward with the regimental banner in his hands and was mortally wounded in the chest by a grapeshot bullet near the middle Semyonov flush. They could not take him out of the battlefield, which was plowed by artillery shells and swallowed up the hero without a trace.
Awarded the Order of St. George, 4th class, and St. Vladimir, 4th class.
Alexander Khristoforovich was born on June 23, 1783 in the family of a nobleman. He was educated at the Jesuit school of Abbot Nocol. In 1798, Benckendorff began military service with the rank of non-commissioned officer in the Semenovsky regiment. Already in December 1798 he became an aide-de-camp with the rank of ensign. In 1803-1804, he took part in military operations in the Caucasus under the leadership of Tsitsianov. For distinction in the battles for Ganja, as well as in the battles with the Lezgins, he was awarded the fourth degree and the fourth degree.
left a variety of people in many exploits. Among the year there are simple peasant partisans, soldiers, officers, and even Russian clergy. Now we will talk about the Russian priest Vasily Vasilkovsky.
Our hero was born in 1778. In 1804 he graduated from theological seminary, became a priest and was sent to serve in the Elias Church in the city of Sumy. The priest's life was not easy. His wife died, the priest was left alone with his young son. In the summer of 1810, Vasilkovsky was appointed regimental shepherd of the 19th Jaeger Regiment. The head of the regiment, Colonel Zagorsky, could not get enough of the new priest and noted his excellent education. Vasilkovsky was strong in physics, mathematics, history, geography, and knew several foreign languages. In general, he was a talented and versatile person.
K, Stepan Balabin already had considerable combat experience:from 1778, that is, from the year of his entry into service, and to 1785fought with the “non-peaceful” highlanders beyond the Kuban. Participated in the militaryexpeditions, in protecting the state border, which passed alonglines of Russian fortifications in the North Caucasus. Was well knownwith a camp life.
Stepan Fedorovich took part in and for military distinctions received the rank of centurion. He distinguished himself in the battle on the Kinburn Spit, in which Suvorov's troops almost completely destroyed the Janissary landing. He bravely and bravely took the fight, participating in hand-to-hand combat.
Stepan Fedorovich took part in the battles for the Bendery fortress in the GZD year, one of the strongest strongholds of the Ottoman Porte in the Northern Black Sea region. Then the Don Cossack received a saber wound in the shoulder, but remained in the regimental ranks.
In 1790, he marched in a Cossack assault column already with the rank of centurion. Then he received a bullet wound in the leg. The Cossack officer received the Golden Cross “For Izmail”, which was given to those who distinguished themselves by command on the St. George Ribbon, as a reward for the Izmail cause, which was glorious for Russian weapons. In the same year, Stepan Fedorovich received the rank of army lieutenant.
Mikhail Arsenyev's baptism of fire occurred in the wars against Napoleonic France. For his valor, his regiment received standards of a special type “For Distinction” with a ribbon and the inscription “For the capture of the enemy’s banner at Austerlitz.” Then the cavalry guards distinguished themselves in attacks on the fields of Gutstadt and Friedland. The chief of the regiment was Tsarevich (heir to the throne) Konstantin Pavlovich.
In August 1807, Mikhail Arsenyev was promoted to colonel of the guard. His service went well, and in March 1812 he was appointed commander of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, with which he joined. A regiment containing four squadrons; 39 officers, 742 lower ranks, was part of the 1st Cuirassier Division of the 5th Infantry Corps.
The Life Guards Horse Regiment became one of the heroes of Borodin's day, being among those troops who courageously defended the center of the Russian position. When Emperor Napoleon finally decided to break the resistance of the enemy army at any cost, he ordered the entire mass of his cavalry to break through the center of its location. French and Saxon warriors began to deliver “ramming” attacks.
Nikolai Nikolaevich Raevsky - famous,.
Nikolai Raevsky was born on September 14, 1771, in Moscow. Nikolai was a sickly boy.
Raevsky was raised by his mother's parents; he spent a lot of time in their house. Here he received his education and knew French perfectly.
Nikolai Raevsky began serving in the Russian army in 1786, at the age of 14, in the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment.
A year later, in 1787, the war with Turkey began. Raevsky is sent to the theater of operations as a volunteer. Nikolai was assigned to the active Russian army, to the Cossack detachment, under the command of Orlov.
During this time, Raevsky proved himself to be a brave and courageous warrior, and participated in many difficult battles of that military campaign.
In 1792, he was awarded the rank of colonel in the Russian army. For his participation in the Russian-Polish War of 1792, Raevsky received a fourth degree and a fourth degree award.
Matvey Ivanovich Platov is a famous Russian military commander, a participant in many campaigns, one of the heroes.
He was born in 1751, in the village of Starocherkasskaya, in the family of a military foreman. Matvey Ivanovich received a regular primary education, and at the age of 13 he entered military service.
At the age of 19 he went to the first war in his life with Turkey. In battles with the Turks, he showed bravery and courage, for which he was promoted to captain of the Russian army, and became the commander of the Cossack hundred.
The war continued - new battles, new exploits, new successes. Platov became a military foreman and commanded a regiment. But he was still very young, he was just over 20 years old.
In 1774, Matvey Ivanovich gained fame in the Russian army. His soldiers were surrounded by the Crimean Khan, accompanied by transport convoys.
Platov set up a camp, erected fortifications, and managed to repel several dashing enemy attacks. Soon reinforcements arrived. After this event he was awarded a gold medal.
Ivan Ivanovich Dibich is famous, one of the heroes.
Unfortunately, few people know the name of Dibich today, although there is one very remarkable fact in the biography of this wonderful man.
Ivan Dibich is a full holder of the Order of St. George, and there are only four of them in Russian history - Paskevich and Dibich.
Ivan Ivanovich Dibich was the son of a Prussian army officer who transferred to Russian service. Diebitsch was born in the spring of 1785 in Silesia, and grew up there.
Ivan Ivanovich received his education in the Berlin cadet corps. During his studies, Dibich showed himself to be an extraordinary person.
In 1801, Dibich's father achieved serious success in his service in the Russian army and became a lieutenant general. At the same time, the father assigned his son to the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment, with the rank of ensign.
Soon a series of wars broke out with Napoleonic France. Ivan Dibich received his first combat experience on the battlefields of Austerlitz.
It was lost, but the courage and perseverance of Russian soldiers and officers in this battle could only be envied.
There are many examples in Russian history when women, on an equal footing with men, defended Russia from enemy hordes with weapons in their hands.
We will talk about a simple Russian woman - Nadezhda Andreevna Durova, who dedicated her life to serving the Motherland.
The name of Nadezhda Durova is also reflected in art. In the film “The Hussar Ballad” there is a heroine Shura Azarova, who initially went to fight the French. The image of Shura was copied from Durova.
Nadezhda Andreevna was born in 1783 in Kyiv. Her father, Andrei Durov, was an officer in the Russian army.
Mother Anastasia Alexandrovna was the daughter of a Ukrainian landowner. When she was 16, she fell madly in love with Andrei and, without her parents' permission, married the officer. Ivan Paskevich is an indicative figure in Russian history. With his sweat and blood, he was able to make a glorious path from an unknown warrior to one of the most authoritative and significant people in the Russian Empire.
Ivan Fedorovich was born in 1782, into a family of humble Belarusian and Ukrainian nobles who lived in Poltava. Ivan had four younger brothers, who, like him, later became famous and respected people.
The brothers should be grateful to their grandfather, who in 1793 took his grandchildren to the capital of the Russian Empire. Two brothers Stepan and Ivan were enrolled in the Corps of Pages.
Ivan Fedorovich becomes the emperor's personal page. Soon, having the rank of lieutenant in the Preobrazhensky Regiment, he was promoted to adjutant wing.
The first military campaign in which Paskevich participated was the Russian-Turkish War of 1806-1812. He was an adjutant to the changing commanders-in-chief of the Russian army.
He was the son of a court councilor who lived in the Tver province. Born in 1780. And he always had an example to follow.
The future hero received his military skills in the Artillery and Engineering Gentile Cadet Corps, and four of his brothers also trained there.
After graduation, Alexander Nikitich served in the horse artillery and participated in the wars with France and Turkey. In them he showed himself as a brave warrior of the Russian Earth.
He received his first baptism of fire in 1807 in battles with the armies of Napoleon. For his courage shown in the battle of Heilsberg, he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir. In the same battle he receives a bullet wound.
Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, famous Russian commander, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, savior of the Fatherland. He first distinguished himself in the first Turkish company, but then, in 1774, he was seriously wounded near Alushta and lost his right eye, which did not prevent him from remaining in service. Kutuzov received another serious wound during the second Turkish company during the siege of Ochakov in 1788. Under his command, he takes part in the assault on Ishmael. His column successfully captured the bastion and was the first to break into the city. He defeated the Poles in 1792 as part of Kakhovsky's army.
He proved himself to be a subtle diplomat while carrying out assignments in Constantinople. Alexander I appoints Kutuzov military governor of St. Petersburg, but in 1802 he dismisses him. In 1805 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army. The failure at Austerlitz, when Russian soldiers turned out to be only cannon fodder for the Austrians, again brought disfavor to the sovereign, and before the start of the Patriotic War, Kutuzov was in a supporting role. In August 1812, he was appointed commander-in-chief instead of Barclay.
Kutuzov's appointment lifted the spirit of the retreating Russian army, although he continued Barclay's retreat tactics. This made it possible to lure the enemy deep into the country, stretch its lines and make it possible to strike the French from two sides at once. Forced the enemy to retreat along the devastated Smolensk road, completely demoralized the enemy. He was not a supporter of shedding the blood of Russian soldiers for the liberation of Europe, so he was in no hurry to catch up with Napoleon. Field Marshal Kutuzov died in the Silesian town of Bunzlau. His ashes were transported to his homeland and buried in the Kazan Cathedral.
Prince Barclay de Tolly
Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly, prince, famous Russian commander, best known for his command of the Russian army in the Patriotic War of 1812. Barclay de Tolly's career is similar to that of his namesake Kutuzov. They took part, and equally successfully, in the same military companies. In the war with Napoleon, they turned out to be unwitting rivals, although they were commanders of the Russian army. Barclay de Tolly's military abilities were not always appreciated by his contemporaries, and even less so by his descendants. But he was a great smart guy, this one came from a Scottish princely family!
This is confirmed by his actions in 1806 at Gough, when he had to confront almost the entire army of Bonaparte. As a result of the brilliantly carried out march through Kvarken and the capture of the city of Umeå, Russia made peace with Sweden, and this allowed it not to fight on two fronts in the future. While serving as Minister of War in 1810, Barclay de Tolly made enormous efforts, which made it possible to almost double the army, bring fortresses to combat readiness, and replenish arsenals and food supplies. But the forces of the Napoleonic army were far superior to the Russian one, even after quite decent preparation.
The ingenious plan for a retreat to lure the enemy deep into the vast Russian territories was proposed by Barclay. But at a time of acute danger for the Fatherland, public opinion wanted to see its own Russian commander in the post of commander-in-chief. After the transfer of the post of commander-in-chief, Barclay de Tolly remained in the front echelon. In charge of the right flank, he showed miracles of heroism and personally led the soldiers into the attack. After the sudden death of Kutuzov, he led the Russian-Prussian army.
In the Battle of Nations near Leipzig he was one of the winners, for which he was awarded the rank of field marshal and elevated to princely dignity.
Prince Bagration P.I.
A descendant of a glorious Georgian family, he took part in many military companies under the leadership of Suvorov himself, and was a fairly well-known military commander at the beginning of the French company. Behind him were the capture of Ochakov, the famous crossing of the Alps. The name of Bagration is still remembered by the Swiss. After all, this legendary Russian knocked out the French from Saint Gotthard, crossed the Devil's Bridge with his fellows, and pursued the enemy to Lake Lucerne, where he captured them. In all military campaigns he showed not only personal courage, but also management and talent as a commander. Obeying public opinion, although he did not agree with it, he supported the attacks on Barclay de Tolly, which he could not forgive himself.
In the Battle of Borodino he proved himself to be a skilled commander and a true hero, but was mortally wounded and died on September 12. His ashes rest on the Borodino field.
Denis Davydov - poet and partisan
The brave, desperate, reckless colonel of the Life Hussar Regiment Denis Vasilyevich Davydov was a participant in the first campaign against Napoleon. After the outbreak of World War II, on his own initiative, he created the first partisan detachment from his hussars. The detachment inflicted great damage on the French, and when Napoleon crossed the Berezina, only chance prevented Davydov from capturing the French emperor. For his successful participation in the war, Davydov received the rank of general, and this despite his freethinking and penchant for anarchy.
