The heroic feat of the cruiser "Varyag" in the battle with the Japanese squadron near the port of Chemulpo (1904)

Preparing for war with Russia, Japan had first of all and at any cost to gain dominance at sea. Without this, all her further struggle with her mighty northern neighbor became absolutely meaningless. A small island empire, deprived of mineral resources, would not only not be able to transfer troops and reinforcements to the battlefields in Manchuria in this case, but would not be able to protect its own naval bases and ports from bombardment by Russian ships, would not be able to and ensure normal shipping, and the work of the entire Japanese industry depended on the regular and uninterrupted delivery of goods. The Japanese could protect themselves from a very real threat from the Russian fleet only by inflicting a preemptive, unexpected strike on the places where enemy ships were concentrated. Such strikes, even before the official declaration of war, began hostilities in the Sea of ​​Japan.

On the night of January 27, 1904, 10 Japanese destroyers suddenly attacked the Russian squadron of Vice Admiral Stark, stationed on the outer roads of Port Arthur and torpedoed the battleships Retvizan and Tsesarevich, as well as the cruiser Pallada. The damaged ships were out of action for a long time, providing Japan with a tangible superiority in forces.

The second blow of the enemy was inflicted on the armored cruiser "Varyag" (commanded by Captain 1st Rank Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev) and the gunboat "Koreets" (commander Captain 2nd Rank Grigory Pavlovich Belyaev) located in the Korean port of Chemul. Against two Russian ships, the Japanese threw a whole squadron of Rear Admiral Sotokichi Uriu, which included the Asama heavy armored cruiser, 5 armored cruisers (Tieda, Naniwa, Niitaka, Takatiho and Akashi), advice note * "Chihaya" and 7 destroyers.

On the morning of January 27, the Japanese issued an ultimatum to the commanders of Russian ships demanding that they leave the neutral port before 12 o’clock, threatening to attack the Varyag and Koreets right in the roadstead if they refused. The commanders of the French cruiser Pascal, the English Talbot, the Italian Elba, and the American gunboat Vicksburg, who were in Chemulpo, received a Japanese notification of the upcoming attack of his squadron on Russian ships the day before. Their protest against the violation of the neutral status of the port of Chemulpo ** by the commander of the Japanese squadron was not taken into account. The commanders of the ships of the international squadron did not intend to protect the Russians by force of arms, and informed V.F. Rudnev, who bitterly replied: “So my ship is a piece of meat thrown to the dogs? Well, they will impose a fight on me - I will accept it. I'm not going to give up, no matter how big the Japanese squadron is." Returning to the Varyag, he announced to the team. "The challenge is more than bold, but I accept it. I do not shy away from the fight, although I do not have an official report on the war from my government. I am sure of one thing: the Varyag and Koreyets teams will fight to the last drop of blood, showing everyone an example of fearlessness in battle and contempt for death."

10 hours 30 minutes. The teams "Varyag" and "Korean" had lunch, the signal sounded: "All up to the formation!"

11 o'clock. The entire team of "Varyag" is built on the upper deck. Rudnev announced to the crew that Japan had begun military operations against Russia: “Of course,” he said, “we are going to break through and engage in battle with the squadron, no matter how strong it is. There can be no question of surrender. ships, nor ourselves, and we will fight to the last opportunity and to the last drop of blood.Fulfill your duties accurately, calmly, without haste, especially gunners, remembering that each projectile must harm the enemy..." !", everyone took their fighting places.

11 hours 20 minutes. The cruiser weighed anchor and headed for the exit from the raid. The gunboat "Koreets" followed in the wake.

11 hours 25 minutes. Sounded the combat alert. Rudnev once again confirmed his order to strictly comply with the clause of the Naval Charter drawn up by Peter the Great: "Russian ships should not lower their flag in front of anyone." At the exit from the bay, on the beam of the island of Iodolmi, the Japanese squadron, which outnumbered the Varyag by more than five times in artillery weapons and seven times in torpedoes, blocked the Russian cruiser's path to the open sea. Six first-class Japanese cruisers Asama, Panina, Takachiho, Niitaka, Akashi and Chiyoda took up their starting positions. Eight destroyers loomed behind the cruisers. The Japanese offered the Russian ships to surrender. Rudnev ordered that this signal be left unanswered.

11 hours 45 minutes. The first shot is fired from the Asama armored cruiser, followed by the entire enemy squadron opening fire. "Varangian" does not answer - he is moving closer. And only when the distance was reduced to a sure shot, Rudnev ordered to open fire. The fight was brutal. The Japanese concentrated all the force of fire on the Varyag. A large shell from the Japanese cruiser "Asama" destroyed the bridge on the "Varyag", caused a fire in the navigational cabin, disabled the rangefinder post No. 1. The sea boiled from explosions, dousing the deck with fragments and cascades of water. Every now and then there were fires, holes opened. Under the enemy's hurricane fire, the sailors and officers, showing miracles of courage, fired at the enemy, brought down the plaster, patched up holes, and put out fires. VF Rudnev, wounded in the head and shell-shocked, continued to direct the battle.

Well-aimed fire from the Varyag brought results: the Japanese cruisers Asama and Chiyoda received serious damage, and the Takachiho cruiser was so seriously damaged that it soon sank. When Japanese destroyers rushed to the Varyag to make a torpedo attack, the Russian cruiser concentrated its fire on them and sank one destroyer.

12 hours 45 minutes. Wounded, but not defeated, the Varyag returned to the port to make the necessary repairs and again go on a breakthrough. However, the cruiser lurched on board, the machines were out of order, most of the guns were broken. Rudnev makes a decision: to remove the teams from the ships, to flood the cruiser, and to blow up the gunboat so that they do not get to the enemy. The council of officers supported the commander. Kingstons open, foaming water whips, and the cruiser begins to sink into the sea.

15 hours 55 minutes. The commander of the "Varyag" VF Rudnev was the last to leave the side of his ship, which was dying, but did not surrender to the enemy. The sailors of the "Varyag" and "Koreets" returned to their homeland in several echelons, where they were enthusiastically received by the Russian people. In the port of Odessa, the heroes-sailors were awarded St. George's crosses. VF Rudnev was awarded the Order of George 4th degree. The medal "For the battle" "Varangian" and "Korean" was established. The Tula land received the heroes of the "Varyag" with great cordiality. According to the testimony of the eldest son of V.F. Rudnev, Nikolai Vsevolodovich, at the Skuratovo station, bread and salt was brought to the cruiser commander on a silver platter. Among the names engraved on it stood: "Tolstoy, Tolstoy, Tolstoy". The sailors were warmly welcomed by the residents of Tula, who filled the station square late at night. The Tulyak people presented Rudnev with a model of a naval rapid-fire cannon with the inscription: "To the hero-countryman V. F. Rudnev from the workers of the Tula arms factory."

During the battle, which lasted for one hour, "Varyag" fired 1105 shells at the enemy, "Korean" - 52 shells. After the battle, the losses were counted. On the Varyag, out of a crew of 570 people, 122 were killed and wounded (1 officer and 30 sailors were killed, 6 officers and 85 sailors were wounded). In addition, more than 100 people were slightly injured.

The sailors of the "Varyag" and "Koreets" returned to their homeland in several echelons, where they were enthusiastically received by the Russian people. The sailors were warmly welcomed by the residents of Tula, who filled the station square late at night. Large celebrations in honor of the heroes-sailors were held in St. Petersburg.

The crews of the "Varyag" and "Koreets" were awarded with high awards: the sailors were awarded St. George's crosses, and the officers were awarded the Order of St. George of the 4th degree. Captain 1st rank V.F. Rudnev was awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree, the rank of adjutant wing and was appointed commander of the 14th naval crew and the squadron battleship "Andrei the First-Called" under construction in St. Petersburg. The medal “For the Battle of the Varyag and the Korean” was established, which was awarded to all participants in the battle.

In November 1905, for refusing to take disciplinary measures against the revolutionary-minded sailors of his crew, V.F. Rudnev was dismissed with a promotion to rear admiral. He left for the Tula province, where he settled in a small estate near the village of Myshenki, three versts from the Tarusskaya station.

July 7, 1913 V.F. Rudnev died and was buried in the village of Savino (now the Zaoksky district of the Tula region).

In 1954, the 50th anniversary of the feat of the Varyag sailors was widely celebrated in the country.

On September 30, 1956, a monument to the commander of the legendary cruiser was unveiled in Tula. And on February 9, 1984, the opening of the museum of V.F. Rudnev, created by employees of the Tula Regional local history museum with the assistance of the Central Naval Museum, as well as an officer of the regional military registration and enlistment office Yu.I. Chernov and local historian A.I. Troshin.

On August 9, 1992, a monument to V.F. Rudnev. In the summer of 1997, a monument to the commander of the "Varyag" was also erected in the city of Novomoskovsk, not far from which the family estate of the Rudnevs was located near the village of Yatskaya.

And far from Tula, as part of the Russian Pacific Fleet, the Guards missile cruiser with the proud name "Varyag" is serving. Many young Tula people serve on this modern ship, heir to the glorious fighting traditions of the legendary "Varyag".

During the battle, the crew and officers of the cruiser showed miracles of courage. So, for example, when a Japanese shell swept away the stern cruising flag, boatswain Pyotr Olenin, at the risk of being killed, climbed up the mast and raised a new flag, all his clothes were torn by fragments. The senior artillery officer of the cruiser, Lieutenant S. V. Zarubaev, under heavy enemy fire, passed slowly, slowly from one gun to another, encouraging and correcting the gunners' fire. Midshipman Count Alexei Mikhailovich Nirod, standing under a hail of fragments at a rangefinder post, determined the distance to the enemy, he was killed by one of the first Japanese shells that hit the cruiser. When, in the middle of the battle, the Varyag came under heavy enemy fire, fragments flew into the conning tower from the explosion of the projectile, and wounded Captain Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev. Rumors spread around the ship that the beloved commander had been killed, then Vsevolod Fedorovich ran out onto the deck with his head rewound and shouted: “Brothers, I am alive! Aim Better!" Midshipman P. Gubonin, after he was seriously wounded, refused to go for dressing, commanding his gun plutong. Here and there, the fire division under the command of midshipman N.I. selflessly extinguished fires. Chernilovsky-Sokol and the boatswain of Kharkov. Assistance to the wounded sailors was provided by the senior doctor of the cruiser M.N. Khrabrostin, and there were about a hundred people wounded during the entire battle

Legendary cruiser after the battle

“... I will never forget this amazing sight that presented itself to me,” the commander of the French cruiser, who witnessed an unprecedented battle, later recalled, “the deck is covered in blood, corpses and body parts are lying everywhere. Nothing escaped destruction: in places where the shells exploded, the paint was charred, all the iron parts were pierced, the fans were knocked down, the sides and bunks were burned. Where so much heroism had been shown, everything was rendered useless, smashed to pieces, riddled; the remains of the bridge hung mournfully. Smoke was coming from all the holes in the stern, and the roll to the port side was increasing ... "

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Interesting fact

When the Russian ships left Chemulpo, they were saluted by the lined up crews of foreign stationary. English, French, Italian. The orchestra "Varyag" played the anthems of these countries, in response to the Italian cruiser "Elba" the Russian anthem "God Save the Tsar!" When they caught up with the "Pascal", the French broke the line, and throwing their berets into the air, proclaimed "Vivat!". And after the Russian anthem, the majestic chords of the Marseillaise poured over the leaden waters of the harbor.

Interesting fact

The wounded sailors of both ships were taken to foreign cruisers stationed on the Chemulpo roadstead: English - Talbot, French - Pascal and Italian - Elba. The American cruiser Vicksburg refused to accept Russian sailors "for lack of a subject permit"

Interesting fact

The sailors of the Varyag and Koreets, who survived and escaped captivity, returned to their homeland in several echelons through neutral ports. At home they arranged a worthy meeting. Officers and sailors were awarded the St. George Cross IV degree. Captain Vsevolod Rudnev was awarded the Order of St. George of the 4th degree, received the rank of adjutant wing and became commander of the squadron battleship "Andrew the First-Called", which was being built in St. Petersburg. In October 1905, Vsevolod Rudnev fell out of favor for revolutionary unrest in the naval crew entrusted to him, he was given the rank of Rear Admiral, but was fired from service. The disgraced admiral returns to his estate in the Tula province. In 1907, the Japanese emperor Mutsuhito, in recognition of the heroism of Russian sailors, sent Vsevolod Rudnev the Order of the Rising Sun, II degree. The admiral, although he accepted the order, never put it on. The Japanese have a completely different mentality and therefore they were able to rise above the conventions, awarded the military order to their former enemy, and gave the highest assessment of his personal feat. According to the Bushido samurai code of honor, the highest virtue for a warrior is selfless courage, skillful use of weapons, impeccable adherence to one's duty and contempt for death. It was these qualities that the Japanese saw in the character of Vsevolod Rudnev. And the fact that he was their enemy didn’t change much for them, the main thing is that in his spirit he turned out to be the same samurai as they themselves, and the Japanese respected such opponents and admired their courage.

PS About the very significance of the battle, from the point of view of its sacred and spiritual essence, the modern military historian Boris Glebovich Galenin said best of all: given to him in the picture: (the movie "Cruiser Varyag" 1946 approx. E.B.) of the type "the best cruiser in the world" - if we take only its tactical and technical data - in no way correspond to reality. Here, in terms of fighting spirit and readiness to go to the end, fulfilling a duty to the Tsar and the Fatherland, yes! Undoubtedly - the best cruiser in the world! (...) And if the Kingdom of Heaven had its own navy, then it would certainly include these - the best in the world - ships of the Russian Imperial Navy: "Varyag", "Suvorov", " Alexander III"," Borodino "...

If they tell us that it is unlikely to meet in the Kingdom of God the steel bulks of battleships and cruisers, then it is completely unbelievable that the teams of these best ships in the world would not be present there almost in full force.

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Biography

The ancestor of Vsevolod Fedorovich, sailor Semyon Rudnev, participated in the battle near Azov and received an officer rank by order of Peter the Great (for courage).

Father - Fyodor Nikolaevich Rudnev, hero of the Russian-Turkish war -1829. Participated in battles in the Black, Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, in the blockade of the Dardanelles and Constantinople. In 1857 he retired with the rank of captain of the 1st rank. He lived the rest of his life with his family on his estate. Died in 1864.

After the death of their father, the family, together with their mother, Alexandra Petrovna, moved to the city of Lyuban, Petersburg Governorate.

Studies

Vsevolod Rudnev graduated from the gymnasium in Lyuban.

The last battle of the Varyag

On the eve of the war, the Varyag, by order of the tsar's governor in the Far East, Admiral E. I. Alekseev, was sent to the neutral Korean port of Chemulpo (modern Incheon, next to the Korean capital Seoul), in which the Varyag was supposed to guard the Russian mission and carry duties of a senior stationer on the road.

"Varyag" received, according to various sources, from 7 to 11 hits, including one hole with an area of ​​​​2 m² at the waterline, crew losses - 1 officer and 30 sailors were killed, 6 officers and 85 sailors were wounded and shell-shocked, about 100 more people received light wounds. There were no losses on the "Korean". According to Rudnev, the ship was not able to continue the battle, which served as the basis for returning to Chemulpo and the subsequent destruction of the ship. After the crew was brought to neutral ships, the Varyag was flooded by opening the kingstons (the ship sank in shallow water and was subsequently raised by the Japanese), and the Korean was blown up. The Russian steamship Sungari was also sunk.

The sailors of the "Varyag" and "Koreets" returned to their homeland in several echelons through neutral ports. At home they arranged a worthy meeting. The ship's commander and officers were awarded the Order of St. George of the 4th degree, the lower ranks - St. George's crosses of the IV degree. Captain 1st rank V. F. Rudnev, in addition to the order, received the rank of adjutant wing and became commander of the squadron battleship "Andrey the First-Called" (still under construction in St. Petersburg).

After the end of the service

In recent years, Vsevolod Fedorovich lived in the Tula province in his estate in the village of Myshenki, Aleksinsky district (now the Zaoksky district). On July 7 (20), V. F. Rudnev died (at the age of 57). He was buried near the Church of Our Lady of Kazan in the neighboring village of Savino, Zaoksky District, Tula Region.

The further fate of the Rudnev family

The Rudnevs raised three sons - Nikolai, George and Panteleimon. In 1916, Maria Nikolaevna, the widow of Vsevolod Fedorovich, sold the estate and moved to Tula with her two younger children. In 1917, the eldest son and his wife came to live with them in Tula. Later they moved to relatives in Sevastopol. When Civil War began to come to an end, Maria Nikolaevna and her sons emigrated to Yugoslavia. They later moved to France.

The following philatelic materials were published in the Soviet Union and Russia in memory of the famous Rear Admiral and warship which he commanded:

• On March 25, 1958, a postage stamp was issued in the USSR (CFA (ITC "Marka") No. 2135) dedicated to V. F. Rudnev (artist - I. Dubasov).
• On November 22, 1972, a series of postage stamps dedicated to the history of the Russian fleet was issued in the USSR. On a stamp with a face value of 3 kopecks, the artist V. Zavyalov placed an image of the cruiser "Varyag" (CFA (ITC "Marka") No. 4182).
• On February 7, 2002, an artistic stamped envelope from the "Russian Fleet" series with the image of the cruiser "Varyag" was issued in Russia.

see also

Sources

Proceedings of V. F. Rudnev

• Rudnev V.F. Battle of the Varyag at Chemulpo on January 27, 1904. - St. Petersburg: type. T-va I. N. Kushnerev and K, 1907. - 24 s + 2 incl. l. ill. Same: Repr. play ed. 1907 - Tula: Grif and K, 2003. - 24 p. (The memoirs are written in the third person and are supported by excerpts from various combat reports.)
• Rudnev V.F. Circumnavigation cruiser "Africa" ​​in 1880-1883. - St. Petersburg: type. T-va p.f. “Electro-type. N. Ya. Stoykova, 1909 [in the region. 1912]. - 169 p.

Dictionaries and encyclopedias

• Rudnev Vsevolod Fedorovich // Sov. ist. encycle. - M, 1969. - T.12. - Stb. 243-244.
• // TSB.- 3rd ed. - M., 1977. - T.22. - S. 349-350.
• Rudnev Vsevolod Fedorovich // Sov. military encyclopedia. - M., 1979. - V.7. - S. 156.
• Rudnev Vsevolod Fedorovich // Tula biogr. words. - Tula, 1996. - V.2. - S. 145-146. - Bibliography. at the end of Art.

Other sources

• Bot V.I. The commander of the legendary cruiser: Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev (1855-1913) // Pride of the land of Tula. - Tula, 1982. - T. 1. - S. 221-228.
• Bot V.I. Our fellow countryman V. F. Rudnev // Under the shadow of the Muses. - 1995. - No. 8. - S. 3.
• Bot V.I. Feat and glory // Position. - 1995. - Aug. 26-Sept. 1.
• Bot V.I. The heroic feat of the cruiser "Varyag" // Tula Diocesan Gazette. - 2004. - No. 1. - S. 2.
• Nadezhdin S. The commander of the legendary cruiser // Zaoksky Bulletin - 2000. - July 18, 21, 25; 4, 8, 15, 18, 22 Aug.
• Rudnev N.V. The commander of the legendary cruiser: [Hist.-biogr. essay on the life and work of Rear Admiral V. F. Rudnev, commander of the cruiser Varyag]. - Tula: Prince. publishing house, 1960. - 247 p.: ill.
• Chernov Yu. I. Captain 1st rank V.F. Rudnev and the battle of the cruiser Varyag on January 27, 1904 // Shield of the Fatherland: Sat. materials interregional. military ist. conf. Armed Forces of Russia and Tula. - Tula, 1996. - S. 23-26. - Bibliography. in note.
• Chernov Yu. I. V. F. Rudnev and the feat of the cruiser "Varyag": (according to the memoirs of a participant in the battle D. Ya. Belousov) // Naval Forces Russia and the Tula Territory: Sat. scientific materials. conf. - Tula, 1997. - S. 37-43.
• Shikman A.P. Rudnev Vsevolod Fedorovich // Figures of national history:

Biogr. words.-ref. / A. P. Shikman - M, 1997. - Book. 2. - S. 231-232.

• Ivanov V.V. To the 100th anniversary of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Combat awards Russian heroes wars of 1904-1905

Publications dedicated to perpetuating the memory of the "Varyag"

• 100 years of the feat of the "Varyag": Sensational finds of the underwater expedition of the TV channel "Russia" // Military East. journal - 2004. - No. 4. - S. 44.
• Immortal "Varangian" / Prepared. S. Makin // Science and religion. - 2004. - No. 3. - S. 26-30: ill.
• Bolshakov V. Our proud "Varangian" does not give up // Tul. news. - 2001. - 3 Feb. (About the search work to restore the history of the Rudnev family; about V. F. Rudnev, about the monument to him in the village of Yatskaya, Novomoskovsk district, where the Rudnev family estate was located.)
• Miz N., Stratievsky O.// Vladivostok. - 2004. - No. 1520. - March 10.
• V. N. Uklein At the grave of the legendary commander // From Tula to Polenov: About architecture and architects / V. N. Uklein. - Tula, 1981. - S.78-80.

Bibliography

• 130 years since the birth (1855-1913) of V. F. Rudnev // Tula Territory. Memorable dates for 1985: Decree. lit. - Tula, 1985. - S. 22. - Bibliography: 7 titles.
• Bot V.I. 135 years since the birth (1855) of V.F. Rudnev // Tula region. Memorable dates for 1990: Decree. lit. - Tula, 1989. - Bibliography: p. 33-34.
• Bot V.I. 100 years (1904) heroic deed cruiser "Varyag" // Tula region. Memorable dates for 2004. - Tula, 2003. - S.73-78. - Bibliography: 34 titles.
• V.F. Rudnev - rear admiral, commander of the legendary cruiser "Varyag": (To the 110th anniversary of his birth) // Calendar of significant and anniversaries in the Tula region for 1965. - Tula, 1965. - S.48-49, photo. - Bibliography: 7 titles.

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Notes

1. Bot, Vyacheslav Ivanovich (unavailable link - story) . tula.eparhia.ru. - " The birth certificate of Vsevolod Rudnev, issued in the Dinaminda fortress church, was published in 1904 by the theologian, historian and local historian N. I. Troitsky.". Retrieved February 8, 2008.
2. Ivan Ivanovich Zarubin was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by His Majesty the Mikado on August 10, 1881. See “The full track record of the Corps of Mechanical Engineer Major General Zarubin 1st” (TsGAVMF USSR Fund 406 inventory 3 case 960 sheet 21 (back))
3. Zotov S. . // Our contemporary. - 2004. - No. 6. - S. 183-187.(unavailable link - story) . nashsovr.aihs.net. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
4. Popovich V.A. . // Soviet Russia. - 2004. - 15 Jan. - pp. 12-15 (incl.).(unavailable link - story) . sovross.ru. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
5. , With. 171-172.
6. , With. 239-240, 243, 250.
7. , With. 369-371.
8. , With. 68.
9. , With. 170-173.
10. Manvelov, Nikolai . . infoart.udm.ru Retrieved February 11, 2008. .
11. Frost V.// A red star. - 2004. - 7 Feb. - S. 1, 2: ill.
12. Bot, Vyacheslav Ivanovich. tula.net. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
13. Kulakov V. Philately in Russia (60s of the XIX century - 1917) // Philately of the USSR. - 1990. - No. 1. - S. 22-24.

Literature

• Polutov A.V. Landing operation of the Japanese army and navy in February 1904 in Icheon. - Vladivostok: Russian Island, 2009. - 472 p. - ISBN 978-5-93577-045-7.
• Kataev V.I. Cruiser "Varyag". Legend of the Russian fleet. - M .: Yauza, Eksmo, Collection, 2008. - 128 p. - ISBN 978-5-699-29721-4.
• . - St. Petersburg. : Type. sea min-va, 1911. - T. 1. - S. 143-177. - 201 p.
• Historical commission on the description of the actions of the fleet in the war of 1904-1905. at the Naval General Staff. Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 Book one. Fleet operations in the southern theater from the beginning of the war to the interruption of communications with Port Arthur. - St. Petersburg. : Type. V. D. Smirnova, 1912. - 635 p.

Links

• Online
• in p / o Rusyatino, Zaoksky district, Tula region
• Cruiser Varyag at the Internet Movie Database

An excerpt characterizing Rudnev, Vsevolod Fedorovich

- Well, what is there! - he said angrily, and after listening to verbal orders from his father and taking the submitted envelopes and a letter from his father, he returned to the nursery.
- Well? asked Prince Andrew.
- All the same, wait for God's sake. Karl Ivanovich always says that sleep is the most precious thing, whispered Princess Mary with a sigh. - Prince Andrei went up to the child and felt him. He was on fire.
- Get out you and your Karl Ivanovich! - He took a glass with drops dripped into it and again approached.
Andre, don't! - said Princess Mary.
But he frowned at her angrily and at the same time with pain and bent down to the child with a glass. “Well, I want it,” he said. - Well, I beg you, give it to him.
Princess Marya shrugged her shoulders, but dutifully took a glass and, calling the nanny, began to give medicine. The child screamed and whimpered. Prince Andrei, grimacing, holding his head, left the room and sat down in the next room, on the sofa.
The letters were all in his hand. He mechanically opened them and began to read. The old prince, on blue paper, in his large, oblong handwriting, using titles in some places, wrote the following:
“I received very joyful news at this moment through a courier, if not a lie. Benigsen near Eylau allegedly won a complete victory over Bonaparte. In St. Petersburg everyone rejoices, e awards are sent to the army to bear the end. Although the German - congratulations. The chief of Korchevsky, a certain Khandrikov, I can’t comprehend what he is doing: additional people and provisions have not yet been delivered. Now jump there and say that I will take off his head so that everything will be in a week. I also received a letter from Petinka about the Battle of Eylau, he participated, - everything is true. When they do not interfere with anyone who should not interfere, then the German beat Buonapartia. They say he runs very upset. Look, immediately jump to Korcheva and fulfill it!
Prince Andrei sighed and opened another envelope. It was a small letter written on two sheets of paper from Bilibin. He folded it without reading it and again read his father's letter, ending with the words: "jump to Korcheva and fulfill it!" “No, excuse me, now I won’t go until the child recovers,” he thought, and, going to the door, looked into the nursery. Princess Mary was still standing by the bed, quietly rocking the baby.
“Yes, what else is he writing unpleasant? Prince Andrei recalled the content of his father's letter. Yes. Ours won a victory over Bonaparte precisely when I was not serving ... Yes, yes, everything is making fun of me ... well, yes, good luck ... ”and he began to read Bilibin’s French letter. He read without understanding half of it, read only in order to stop thinking for a minute about what he had been thinking exclusively and painfully about for too long.

Bilibin was now in the capacity of a diplomatic official at the main headquarters of the army, and although French, with French jokes and turns of speech, but with exceptionally Russian fearlessness before self-condemnation and self-mockery, described the entire campaign. Bilibin wrote that his diplomatic discretion [modesty] tormented him, and that he was happy having a faithful correspondent in Prince Andrei, to whom he could pour out all the bile that had accumulated in him at the sight of what was happening in the army. This letter was old, even before the Battle of Eylau.
"Depuis nos grands succes d" Austerlitz vous savez, mon cher Prince, wrote Bilibin, que je ne quitte plus les quartiers generaux. Decidement j "ai pris le gout de la guerre, et bien m" en a pris. Ce que j " ai vu ces trois mois, est incroyable.
“Je commence ab ovo. L "ennemi du genre humain, comme vous savez, s" attaque aux Prussiens. Les Prussiens sont nos fideles allies, qui ne nous ont trompes que trois fois depuis trois ans. Nous prenons fait et cause pour eux. Mais il se trouve que l "ennemi du genre humain ne fait nulle attention a nos beaux discours, et avec sa maniere impolie et sauvage se jette sur les Prussiens sans leur donner le temps de finir la parade commencee, en deux tours de main les rosse a plate couture et va s "installer au palais de Potsdam.
"J" ai le plus vif desir, ecrit le Roi de Prusse a Bonaparte, que V. M. soit accueillie et traitee dans mon palais d "une maniere, qui lui soit agreable et c" est avec empres sement, que j "ai pris a cet effet toutes les mesures que les circonstances me permettaient. Puisse je avoir reussi! Les generaux Prussiens se piquent de politesse envers les Francais et mettent bas les armes aux premieres sommations.
“Le chef de la garienison de Glogau avec dix mille hommes, demande au Roi de Prusse, ce qu" il doit faire s "il est somme de se rendre?… Tout cela est positif.
“Bref, esperant en imposer seulement par notre attitude militaire, il se trouve que nous voila en guerre pour tout de bon, et ce qui plus est, en guerre sur nos frontieres avec et pour le Roi de Prusse. Tout est au grand complet, il ne nous manque qu "une petite chose, c" est le general en chef. Comme il s "est trouve que les succes d" Austerlitz aurant pu etre plus decisifs si le general en chef eut ete moins jeune, on fait la revue des octogenaires et entre Prosorofsky et Kamensky, on donne la preference au derienier. Le general nous arrive en kibik a la maniere Souvoroff, et est accueilli avec des acclamations de joie et de triomphe.
"Le 4 arrive le premier courrier de Petersbourg. On apporte les malles dans le cabinet du Marieechal, qui aime a faire tout par lui meme. On m "appelle pour aider a faire le triage des lettres et prendre celles qui nous sont destinees. Le Marieechal nous regarde faire et attend les paquets qui lui sont adresses. Nous cherchons - il n" y en a point. Le Marieechal devient impatient, se met lui meme a la besogne et trouve des lettres de l "Empereur pour le comte T., pour le prince V. et autres. Alors le voila qui se met dans une de ses coleres bleues. Il jette feu et flamme contre tout le monde, s "empare des lettres, les decachete et lit celles de l" Empereur adressees a d "autres. Oh, that's what they do to me! I have no confidence! Ah, I was ordered to follow, it's good; get out! Et il ecrit le fameux ordre du jour au general Benigsen
“I am wounded, I can’t ride a horse, and consequently I can’t command an army. You brought your broken arma to Pultusk: here it is open, and without firewood and without fodder, therefore it is necessary to help, and since yesterday I myself reacted to Count Buxgevden, I should think about retreat to our border, which I will do today .
“From all my trips, ecrit il a l” Empereur, I received an abrasion from the saddle, which, in addition to my previous transportations, completely prevents me from riding and commanding such a vast army, and therefore I put this command on the senior general for me, Count Buxgevden, sending him to he had all the duty and everything belonging to it, advising them, if there was no bread, to retire closer to the interior of Prussia, because there was only bread left for one day, and other regiments had nothing, as the divisional commanders Osterman and Sedmoretsky announced, and All the peasants have been eaten, and I myself, until I am cured, will remain in the hospital in Ostrolenka, about whose number I most humbly present a statement, reporting that if the army stays in the current bivouac for another fifteen days, then not a single healthy one will remain in the spring.
“Dismiss the old man to the village, who is already so dishonored that he could not fulfill the great and glorious lot to which he was chosen. I will await your most gracious permission to do so here at the hospital, so as not to play the role of a clerk, and not a commander in the army. Excommunicating me from the army will not produce the slightest disclosure that the blind man has left the army. There are thousands of people like me in Russia.”
"Le Marieechal se fache contre l" Empereur et nous punit tous; n "est ce pas que with" est logique!
Voila le premier acte. Aux suivants l "interet et le ridicule montent comme de raison. Apres le depart du Marieechal il se trouve que nous sommes en vue de l" ennemi, et qu "il faut livrer bataille. Boukshevden est general en chef par droit d" anciennete, mais le general Benigsen n "est pas de cet avis; d" autant plus qu "il est lui, avec son corps en vue de l" ennemi, et qu "il veut profiter de l" occasion d "une bataille "aus eigener Hand “Comme disent les Allemands. Il la donne. C "est la bataille de Poultousk qui est sensee etre une grande victoire, mais qui a mon avis ne l" est pas du tout. Nous autres pekins avons, comme vous savez, une tres vilaine habitude de decider du gain ou de la perte d "une bataille. Celui qui s "est retire apres la bataille, l" a perdu, voila ce que nous disons, et a ce titre nous avons perdu la bataille de Poultousk. Bref, nous nous retirons apres la bataille, mais nous envoyons un courrier a Petersbourg, qui porte les nouvelles d "une victoire, et le general ne cede pas le commandement en chef a Boukshevden, esperant recevoir de Petersbourg en reconnaissance de sa victoire le titre de general en chef. Pendant cet interregne, nous commencons un plan de man?uvres excessivement interessant et original. Notre but ne consiste pas, comme il devrait l "etre, a eviter ou a attaquer l" ennemi; mais uniquement a eviter le general Boukshevden, qui par droit d "ancnnete serait notre chef. Nous poursuivons ce but avec tant d "energie, que meme en passant une riviere qui n" est ras gueable, nous brulons les ponts pour nous separer de notre ennemi, qui pour le moment, n "est pas Bonaparte, mais Boukshevden. Le general Boukshevden a manque etre attaque et pris par des forces ennemies superieures a cause d "une de nos belles man?uvres qui nous sauvait de lui. Boukshevden nous poursuit - nous filons. A peine passe t il de notre cote de la riviere, que nous repassons de l "autre. A la fin notre ennemi Boukshevden nous attrappe et s" attaque a nous. Les deux generaux se fachent. Il y a meme une provocation en duel de la part de Boukshevden et une attaque d "epilepsie de la part de Benigsen. Mais au moment critique le courrier, qui porte la nouvelle de notre victoire de Poultousk, nous apporte de Petersbourg notre nomination de general en chef, et le premier ennemi Boukshevden est enfonce: nous pouvons penser au second, a Bonaparte. Mais ne voila t il pas qu "a ce moment se leve devant nous un troisieme ennemi, c" est le Orthodox qui demande a grands cris du pain , de la viande, des souchary, du foin, - que sais je! Les magasins sont vides, les chemins impraticables. Le Orthodox se met a la Marieaude, et d "une maniere dont la derieniere campagne ne peut vous donner la moindre idee. La moitie des regiments forme des troupes libres, qui parcourent la contree en mettant tout a feu et a sang. Les habitants sont ruines de fond en comble, les hopitaux regorgent de malades, et la disette est partout. Deux fois le quartier general a ete attaque par des troupes de Marieaudeurs et le general en chef a ete oblige lui meme de demander un bataillon pour les chasser. Dans une de ces attaques on m "a emporte ma malle vide et ma robe de chambre. L "Empereur veut donner le droit a tous les chefs de divisions de fusiller les Marieaudeurs, mais je crains fort que cela n" oblige une moitie de l "armee de fusiller l" autre.
[Since our brilliant successes at Austerlitz, you know, my dear prince, that I have not left the main quarters. I resolutely entered into the taste of war, and I am very pleased with it; what I have seen these three months is unbelievable.
“I start ab ovo. The enemy of the human race, known to you, is attacking the Prussians. The Prussians are our faithful allies, who have deceived us only three times in three years. We stand up for them. But it turns out that the enemy of the human race does not pay any attention to our charming speeches, and with his impolite and wild manner rushes at the Prussians, not giving them time to finish their parade, smashes them to smithereens and settles in the Potsdam Palace.
“I very much wish, writes the King of Prussia to Bonaparte, that your Majesty be received in my palace in the most pleasant way for you, and with special care I made all the necessary orders for this, as far as circumstances allowed. I really hope that I reach my goal." The Prussian generals flaunt courtesy to the French and surrender on demand. The head of the Glogau garrison, with ten thousand, asks the Prussian king what he should do if he has to surrender. All this is positively true. In a word, we thought to instill fear in them only by the position of our military forces, but it ends with us being drawn into the war, on our own borders and, most importantly, for the Prussian king and at the same time with him. We have everything in abundance, only a small thing is missing, namely, the commander in chief. Since it turned out that Austerlitz's successes could have been more positive if the commander-in-chief were not so young, a review of the eighty-year-old generals is made, and the latter is chosen between Prozorovsky and Kamensky. The general comes to us in a wagon along Suvorovskaya, and he is received with joyful and solemn exclamations.
On the 4th the first courier arrives from Petersburg. They bring suitcases to the office of the field marshal, who likes to do everything himself. I am called to help sort out the letters and take the ones assigned to us. The field marshal, giving us this occupation, is waiting for envelopes addressed to him. We are looking for - but they are not found. The field marshal begins to worry, he sets to work himself and finds letters from the sovereign to Count T., Prince V. and others. He becomes extremely angry, loses his temper, takes the letters, prints them out and reads the letters of the Emperor addressed to others ... Then he writes the famous daily order to General Benigsen.
The field marshal is angry with the sovereign, and punishes all of us: isn't it logical!
Here is the first action. With the following, interest and fun increase, needless to say. After the departure of the field marshal, it turns out that we have the enemy in mind, and it is necessary to give battle. Buxhoeveden, commander-in-chief in seniority, but General Bennigsen is not at all of the same opinion, especially since he is in sight of the enemy with his corps, and wants to take the opportunity to fight on his own. He gives it.
This is the battle of Pultus, which is considered a great victory, but which is not at all such, in my opinion. We are civilians, as you know, very bad habit decide whether to win or lose a battle. The one who retreated after the battle, he lost it, that's what we say, and judging by this, we lost the battle of Pultus. In a word, we retreat after the battle, but we send a courier to Petersburg with the news of the victory, and General Bennigsen does not yield command of the army to General Buxgevden, hoping to receive from Petersburg the title of commander-in-chief in gratitude for his victory. During this interregnum, we begin a very original and interesting series of maneuvers. Our plan is no longer, as it should be, to avoid or attack the enemy, but only to avoid General Buxhoeveden, who, by right of seniority, should have been our leader. We pursue this goal with such vigor that even when we cross a river that has no fords, we burn the bridge in order to alienate our enemy, who at present is not Bonaparte, but Buxhoeveden. General Buxhoeveden was almost attacked and taken by a superior enemy force, as a result of one of these maneuvers that saved us from him. Buxhoeveden pursues us - we run. As soon as he crosses to our side of the river, we cross to the other. Finally, our enemy Buxhoeveden catches us and attacks. Both generals become angry and it comes to a challenge to a duel from Buxhowden and a fit of epilepsy from Bennigsen. But at the most critical moment, the courier who brought the news of the Pultus victory to St. Petersburg returns and brings us the appointment of the commander in chief, and the first enemy, Buxgevden, is defeated. We can now think of a second enemy, Bonaparte. But it turns out that at that very moment a third enemy appears before us - the Orthodox, who with loud cries demands bread, beef, crackers, hay, oats - and you never know what else! The shops are empty, the roads are impassable. The Orthodox begin to plunder, and the plunder reaches such a degree that the last campaign could not give you the slightest idea. Half of the regiments form free teams that go around the country and put everything to the sword and flame. The inhabitants are completely ruined, the hospitals are overwhelmed with sick people, and there is hunger everywhere. Twice marauders attacked even the main apartment, and the commander-in-chief was forced to take a battalion of soldiers to drive them away. During one of these attacks, my empty suitcase and bathrobe were taken from me. The sovereign wants to give the right to all division chiefs to shoot marauders, but I am very afraid that this will not force one half of the army to shoot the other.]
Prince Andrei at first read with his eyes alone, but then involuntarily what he read (despite the fact that he knew how much Bilibin should have believed) began to interest him more and more. Having read up to this point, he crumpled up the letter and threw it away. It was not what he read in the letter that angered him, but he was angry that this local life, alien to him, could excite him. He closed his eyes, rubbed his forehead with his hand, as if banishing all interest in what he was reading, and listened to what was going on in the nursery. Suddenly he heard a strange sound outside the door. Fear came over him; he was afraid that something had happened to the child while he was reading the letter. He tiptoed over to the nursery door and opened it.
At the moment he entered, he saw that the nurse, with a frightened look, hid something from him, and that Princess Mary was no longer at the bed.
“My friend,” he heard behind him, desperate, as it seemed to him, the whisper of Princess Marya. As often happens after a long sleeplessness and a long excitement, an unreasonable fear came over him: it occurred to him that the child was dead. Everything he saw and heard seemed to him a confirmation of his fear.
It's all over, he thought, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead! He walked over to the crib in confusion, confident that he would find it empty, that the nurse was hiding the dead child. He opened the curtains, and for a long time his frightened, darting eyes could not find the child. At last he saw him: the ruddy-faced boy, spread out, was lying across the bed, his head lowered below the pillow, and in his sleep he smacked his lips, and breathed evenly.
Prince Andrei was delighted to see the boy as if he had already lost him. He bent down and, as his sister had taught him, tried with his lips to see if the child had a fever. His tender forehead was wet, he touched his head with his hand - even his hair was wet: the child was sweating so much. Not only did he not die, but it was now obvious that the crisis had come to an end and that he had recovered. Prince Andrei wanted to seize, crush, press this small, helpless creature to his chest; he didn't dare to do it. He stood over him, looking at his head, arms, legs, defined under the covers. A rustle was heard beside him, and some kind of shadow appeared to him under the canopy of the bed. He did not look back and listened to everything, looking into the face of the child, his even breathing. The dark shadow was Princess Marya, who with inaudible steps went up to the bed, lifted the curtain and lowered it behind her. Prince Andrei, without looking back, recognized her and held out his hand to her. She squeezed his hand.
“He was sweating,” said Prince Andrei.
“I came to you to say this.
The child stirred a little in his sleep, smiled and rubbed his forehead against the pillow.
Prince Andrei looked at his sister. Princess Mary's radiant eyes, in the dull half-light of the canopy, shone more than usual from the happy tears that stood in them. Princess Mary reached out to her brother and kissed him, lightly catching on the canopy of the bed. They threatened each other, still stood in the opaque light of the canopy, as if not wanting to part with this world, in which the three of them were separated from the whole world. Prince Andrei was the first, tangling his hair against the muslin curtains, and moved away from the bed. - Yes. this is the only thing left to me now,” he said with a sigh.

Shortly after his admission to the brotherhood of Masons, Pierre, with a complete guide written by him for himself on what he was supposed to do on his estates, left for the Kiev province, where most of his peasants were.
Arriving in Kyiv, Pierre called all the managers to the main office, and explained to them his intentions and desires. He told them that measures would be taken immediately for the complete emancipation of the peasants from serfdom, that until then the peasants should not be burdened with work, that women with children should not be sent to work, that assistance should be given to the peasants, that punishments should be used. exhortations, and not bodily ones, that hospitals, asylums and schools should be established on every estate. Some managers (there were also semi-literate housekeepers) listened frightened, assuming the meaning of the speech was that the young count was dissatisfied with their management and concealment of money; others, after the first fear, found Pierre's lisping and new, unheard-of words amusing; still others simply found the pleasure of listening to the master speak; the fourth, the most intelligent, including the chief manager, understood from this speech how to deal with the master in order to achieve their goals.
The general manager expressed great sympathy for Pierre's intentions; but he noticed that in addition to these transformations, it was necessary in general to attend to affairs that were in a bad state.
Despite the enormous wealth of Count Earless, since Pierre received it and was said to have received 500,000 a year income, he felt much less wealthy than when he received his 10,000 from the late count. In general terms, he had a vague idea of ​​the next budget. About 80 thousand were paid to the Soviet for all estates; about 30 thousand was the cost of maintaining a suburban, Moscow house and princesses; about 15 thousand went into retirement, the same number went to charitable institutions; 150 thousand were sent to the countess for living; interest was paid for debts of about 70 thousand; the construction of the begun church cost these two years about 10 thousand; the rest, about 100,000,000 diverged - he himself did not know how, and almost every year he was forced to borrow. In addition, every year the chief executive wrote about fires, then about crop failures, then about the need to rebuild factories and factories. And so, the first thing that presented itself to Pierre was the one for which he had the least ability and inclination - doing business.
Pierre worked with the chief manager every day. But he felt that his studies did not move things forward one step. He felt that his studies took place independently of the case, that they did not cling to the case and did not force him to move. On the one hand, the chief manager put things in the worst possible light, showing Pierre the need to pay debts and undertake new work by the forces of serfs, to which Pierre did not agree; on the other hand, Pierre demanded the commencement of the case of release, to which the manager exposed the need to first pay the debt of the Board of Trustees, and therefore the impossibility of a quick execution.
The manager didn't say it was completely impossible; he proposed the sale of forests to achieve this goal Kostroma province, sale of grassroots lands and Crimean estates. But all these operations in the speeches of the manager were associated with such complexity of processes, the lifting of prohibitions, demands, permits, etc., that Pierre was at a loss and only said to him:
- Yes, yes, do it.
Pierre did not have that practical tenacity that would have given him the opportunity to directly get down to business, and therefore he did not like him and only tried to pretend to the manager that he was busy with business. The manager, however, tried to pretend to the count that he considered these activities very useful for the owner and embarrassing for himself.
IN big city acquaintances were found; strangers hurried to get acquainted and warmly welcomed the newly arrived rich man, the largest owner of the province. The temptations towards Pierre's main weakness, the one he confessed to during admission to the lodge, were also so strong that Pierre could not refrain from them. Again, whole days, weeks, months of Pierre's life passed just as preoccupied and busy between evenings, dinners, breakfasts, balls, not giving him time to come to his senses, as in Petersburg. Instead of the new life that Pierre hoped to lead, he lived the same old life, only in a different environment.
Of the three appointments of Freemasonry, Pierre was aware that he did not fulfill the one that prescribed each Freemason to be a model of moral life, and of the seven virtues he did not have two at all in himself: good morality and love of death. He consoled himself with the fact that in return he fulfilled a different purpose - the correction of the human race and had other virtues, love for one's neighbor, and especially generosity.
In the spring of 1807, Pierre decided to go back to Petersburg. On the way back, he intended to go around all his estates and personally ascertain what was done from what was prescribed for them and in what position is now the people that God entrusted to him, and which he sought to benefit.
The chief manager, who considered all the undertakings of the young count almost madness, a disadvantage for himself, for him, for the peasants, made concessions. Continuing to make the work of liberation seem impossible, he ordered the construction of large buildings of schools, hospitals and shelters on all estates; for the arrival of the master, he prepared meetings everywhere, not magnificently solemn, which, he knew, Pierre would not like, but precisely such religious thanksgiving, with images and bread and salt, exactly such that, as he understood the master, should have affected the count and deceived him .

Biography

RUDNEV Vsevolod Fedorovich, officer of the Russian fleet, rear admiral (1905).

He came from the nobility of the Tula province, his father is a captain of the 2nd rank F.N. Rudnev, commander of the Riga guard. In military service since 1873. In 1876 he graduated Maritime School, and in 1878 the Naval training and rifle team. Upon graduation, he served on the ships of the Baltic Fleet - auditor, senior artillery officer, company commander, senior watch officer. In 1880 - 1883. circumnavigated the world on the cruiser Africa. In 1891, he was successively commander of the destroyer Kotlin, the port steamer Rabotnik, and senior officer of the battleship Gangut. In 1893, Rudnev received the rank of captain of the 2nd rank and was appointed senior officer of the squadron battleship Emperor Nicholas I. The battleship went to Greece, where he joined a group of Russian ships cruising in the Mediterranean. The battleship spent about a year in the territorial waters of Greece, and in 1895 he circumnavigated the world. Returning to Kronstadt, Rudnev was appointed commander of the coastal defense battleship Admiral Greig, and then was appointed commander of the destroyer Vyborg. In December 1897, Rudnev became the commander of the gunboat "Thundering", on which he was in 1898 - 1899. He made his first solo circumnavigation of the world. In August 1899, Rudnev was appointed commander of the coastal defense battleship Charodeyka.

In 1900, Rudnev was transferred to the Far East, where he was appointed senior assistant commander of the military port in Port Arthur. In December 1901, he received the rank of captain of the 1st rank, and in December of the next he was appointed commander of the Varyag cruiser. January 27 (February 9), 1904 on the first day of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 war "Varyag" and the gunboat "Korean", blockaded in the neutral Korean port of Chemulpo, were forced to leave the port at the request of the Japanese and, rejecting the offer to surrender, entered into an unequal battle with the Japanese squadron. In the Chemulpinsk battle of 1904, Rudnev acted decisively, inspired the crews of the ships by personal example. After the battle through neutral ports, together with the crews of the flooded "Varyag" and "Koreets" he returned to Russia. For courage, courage and skillful actions in battle, he was awarded the Order of St. George 4th class. and promoted to adjutant wing. From April 1904, he commanded the battleship "Andrew the First-Called" and the 14th naval crew in St. Petersburg. Retired from November 1905. He lived on his estate in the village of Myshenki, Aleksinsky district, Tula province. In 1908 - 1912. published in "Russian Antiquity" and "Sea Collection" a number of articles-memoirs about sailing on the cruiser "Africa" ​​and about the battle of the "Varyag" at Chemulpo. A mountain and a bay in the Peter the Great Bay of the Sea of ​​Japan are named after Rudnev. He was buried in the neighboring village of Savino.

Awarded with orders: Russian - St. Vladimir 3rd and 4th class, St. Anna 2nd and 3rd class, St. Stanislav 2nd and 3rd class, St. George 4th Art.; Japanese - Rising Sun 2nd Art.

Vsevolod Fyodorovich Rudnev(August 19, 1855, Dinamunde, Livonia province - July 7 (20), 1913, Myshenki, Tula province) - hero of the Russian-Japanese war, Rear Admiral (1905) of the Russian Imperial Fleet, commander of the famous cruiser "Varyag", under his command took unequal battle at Chemulpo. In 1907, Rudnev was awarded the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun - in recognition of the heroism of Russian sailors, becoming one of the first Russians (and Europeans in general) to receive this order. The famous songs “Our proud Varyag does not surrender to the enemy” and “Cold waves are splashing” are dedicated to the feat of the Varyag sailors.

Biography

VF Rudnev was born in the city-fortress of Dinamunde (now the Daugavgriva district of Riga). At that time, Rudnev's father, captain of the 2nd rank Fyodor Nikolaevich Rudnev was the commander of the Riga guard.

The family of the Rudnevs, nobles of the Tula province, since 1616 owned an estate near the village of Yatskaya, the Yasenetsky camp of the Venevsky district (now the Novomoskovsky district of the Tula region).

The ancestor of Vsevolod Fedorovich, sailor Semyon Rudnev, participated in the battle near Azov and received an officer rank by order of Peter the Great (for courage).

Father - Fedor Nikolaevich Rudnev, hero Russian-Turkish war 1828-1829. Participated in battles in the Black, Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, in the blockade of the Dardanelles and Constantinople. In 1857 he retired with the rank of captain of the 1st rank. He lived the rest of his life with his family on his estate. Died in 1864.

After the death of his father, the family, together with his mother, Alexandra Petrovna, moved to the city of Lyuban, Petersburg province.

Studies

In Lyuban, Vsevolod Rudnev graduated from high school.

September 15, 1872 Vsevolod Rudnev entered the Naval School in St. Petersburg (at that time in Russian Empire there was only one educational institution for the training of officers of the Navy - Naval School, former Naval cadet corps). At the school, he was kept and trained at the expense of the state, in memory of the military merits of his father (which was indicated by the manager of the Naval Ministry).

Rudnev entered active service on May 1, 1873, while studying at the school. In 1873-1875 he was on training voyages in the Baltic Sea (in the summer). October 16, 1875 received the rank of senior non-commissioned officer.

In the spring of 1876 he passed the final exams with excellent marks and received the Nakhimov Prize. May 1 this year received military rank"midshipman" (from 1860 to 1882, the rank of midshipman existed as a combatant, while the rest of the time, pupils of naval educational institutions were called midshipmen).

Rudnev was assigned to the training frigate "Petropavlovsk" as a sailor. From May 18, 1876 to August 25, 1877 - in foreign training navigation. This was Vsevolod Rudnev's first long-distance campaign. In addition to the duties of a sailor, he carried an officer's watch, in practice learning the craft of a sailor.

Further service

Rudnev was well certified as the commander of a training frigate and on August 30, 1877 he received the rank of midshipman. From September 1877, Rudnev was on a one-year course in a naval rifle company (the most promising young officers were sent there).

On April 16, 1880, midshipman Rudnev served on the cruiser Africa (where he was appointed by order of the chief commander of the Kronstadt port). The commander of the cruiser was Captain 1st Rank E.I. Alekseev. The cruiser arrived in the Far East, and then made a trip around the world. On October 6, 1880, Rudnev became commander of the 7th company on a cruiser. On January 1, 1882, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Subsequently, Rudnev wrote a book about this difficult campaign "Circumnavigation of the cruiser" Africa "in 1880-1883."

After returning from a round-the-world trip, Rudnev continued to sail the Baltic Sea (1884-1887), and in 1886 he participated in a foreign voyage. In 1888, the Russian fleet received the first steam military transport, Peter the Great. Rudnev was instructed to bring him from France, where he was built for Russia, to Kronstadt.

In 1888, Vsevolod Fedorovich married Maria Nikolaevna Shvan. Maria's father, Captain 1st Rank N.K. Shvan was a hero of the defense of Sevastopol in the Crimean War.

songs about Varyag
novel 03.12.2007 11:07:46

"VARANGIAN"
Upstairs, comrades,
all in place!
The last parade is coming...
Our proud “Varangian” does not surrender to the enemy,
Nobody wants mercy.
All the pennants curl and the chains rattle
Anchors are raised up
Prepare for battle, guns in line,
They sparkle ominously in the sun.
And from the pier faithful
we'll go to battle
Towards our coming death.
We will die for our homeland in the open sea,
Where the yellow-faced devils wait.
Whistle and rumble
and roaring around
The thunder of cannons, the hiss of shells.
And our fearless "Varangian" became
It's like pure hell.
In death throes
bodies tremble,
Thunder of guns, smoke and moaning,
And the ship is engulfed in a sea of ​​fire,
It's time to say goodbye.
Farewell, comrades, with God, hurrah!
The boiling sea below us.
We did not think yesterday with you,
That now we will die under the waves.
Neither stone nor cross will say,
where lay down
To the glory of the Russian fleet.
Only sea waves
glorify forever
Heroic death "Varyag"
...Baltic people, forward - against sworn enemies!
Forward, fighting guys,
Let's show what the blow of the sailors means.
Let's show that we are from Kronstadt...
... The Varyag leaves for the harsh sea,
Whose name is sung in legends.
Guards on the gaff
flapping flag,
Frozen at the launch of a rocket

another look at the feat of the Varangian
novel 04.12.2007 12:27:21

1. The cruiser "Varyag" is the best cruiser in the world. Worth clarifying. Its combat ratio was 14 points, while the Japanese cruiser Azama had 55 points. We can talk about the fastest cruiser, since the Varyag reached speeds of up to 24 knots, compared to 20 knots for enemy cruisers.
2. The encyclopedia claims that the Varyag significantly damaged and disabled the Azama armored cruiser, which had 6 inches of protective armor. The fact is that the Varyag had the largest 6-inch guns, but a projectile of this caliber could not penetrate armor plates - only the 8-inch gun that was on the Korean gunboat could do this.
3. According to A. Sergeev (the author of the novel "Varangian"), who used historical sources when writing the book, the "Varangian" fired 1000 shots from all types of guns, but he could not "get" the enemy, since the cruiser "Azama" began to fire at him "of four 8-inch guns, the range of which exceeds 6-inch artillery. As a result, all the shells of the Varyag sank without reaching any of the enemy ships.
4. The encyclopedia says that repair ships ( plural) quickly failed, but the gunboat "Korean" had a single hole from the projectile that went right through, there was not a single wounded on the ship, not to mention the dead. Thus, on the orders of Captain Rudnev, the gunboat was blown up in full serviceability and combat readiness, with full ammunition, since during the battle the “Koreets” fired 49 shots and at the same time sank the destroyer, broke the two lead cruisers Azama and Takachiho. It was this fact that forced the Japanese squadron to stop pursuing Russian ships when the wrecked Varyag began to withdraw to the port, and the Korean at that time only got involved in a battle with the Japanese squadron and inflicted heavy damage on it. By the way, the combat coefficient of the "Korean" is 0.05 points!
5. The encyclopedia does not even mention the name of the captain of the "Koreets", he was Grigory Pavlovich Belyaev. It is a pity, but information about this great naval commander, who withstood two battles with the Japanese squadron, inflicted significant damage on the enemy and did not allow a single wounded on the ship, keeping the gunboat in full combat readiness, is not in the encyclopedias, so our Motherland remembers its true heroes.
The events unfolded as follows: on January 26, 1904, the Korean was sandwiched between four destroyers, 3 torpedoes were fired at him, from which he left. After that, with a successful maneuver, Belyaev drove the destroyer Tsubame aground, stopped the Takachiho with two warning shots and went to ram the destroyer Hato, which he refused, turning back. Captain Rudnev severely condemned the actions of Belyaev, who saved the crew and the ship, teaching the Japanese a lesson.
January 27, 1904 "Varyag" moved forward, as it was very fast. "Korean" was pulled behind (at a maximum speed of 10 knots against 24 "Varyag"). However, the cruiser stopped every time, waiting for her lagging partner. It was because of the next stop that the Varyag turned into a target for the long-range guns of the Azama. Opening return fire, the Russian cruiser hoped not to strike the enemy, and not to let him close to him. On the "Korean" in advance (still in the port) all wooden superstructures and masts were cut down so as not to cause a fire; besides, the sight leads to the mast of the ship.
When, after 25 minutes of battle, the Varyag turned back, because it was all on fire and with a damaged rudder, the Koreets began shooting at the last destroyer of the Japanese squadron, sinking it with two shots. After that, a shootout began with the battleship "Azama" (combat coefficient of which is 55 against 0.05 for the "Korean"). The battleship was completely disabled, and the battle ended with the shooting of the Takachiho cruiser, which also suffered serious losses. The "Korean" was forced to cover the retreat of the "Varyag", and the Japanese squadron did not dare to pursue the brave man.
"Korean" was blown up, and "Varyag" was sunk by order of Rudnev. 94 years have passed, and everyone is singing about the feat of the Varyag, but no one knows that this feat was accomplished by another ship and another captain. This gunboat "Koreets" fought 14 enemy ships and won the battle twice. It was Captain Belyaev who saved the people, the ship and inflicted significant damage on the Japanese squadron.
And one more thing: Rudnev in his memoirs did not even mention that he was the commander of the Varyag, but he colorfully described how he sailed around the world as a midshipman on the cruiser Africa - this very accurately assesses the "feat" of the Varyag when the commander brought people out to death, not to battle.
Since the Korean was forced to become a participant in this battle, and his fate depended entirely not on Captain Belyaev, but on Rudnev, the result also affected him: the ship was sunk along with the Varyag. Thus, it was not the enemy that became fatal for the gunboat, but the weak-willed commander of the Varyag Rudnev, who tried to quickly forget his shame, but managed to go down in history as a hero.
From the book "From Numerology to Digital Analysis" by A.F. Alexandrova.

LAST PARADE, OR FORTY-FIVE MINUTES OF IMMORTALITY
novel 04.12.2007 01:03:38

Website: Rossiya newspaper

LAST PARADE, OR FORTY-FIVE MINUTES OF IMMORTALITY
One hundred years is a long time. In any case, sufficient to determine the boundaries of oblivion for an event, phenomenon or person. Exactly a century has passed since the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, and few people really remember its causes, events and participants. But the song about the "Varangian" is still remembered and sung in Russia and, I hope, will continue to be sung. This is a memory song. A monument that can neither be knocked down nor broken. Probably, a hundred years ago, something happened near the Korean coast that laid a brick in the building of our national self-consciousness. A hundred years ago, the 1st class cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" took their last battle in the Korean bay of Chemulpo.
So, 1904, the dawn of the twentieth century. January 27 old style and February 9 new. The day before, Japan started a war with Russia, inflicting a surprise attack on our ships in the Port Arthur roadstead. The causes and driving forces of the Russo-Japanese War are a separate issue. With regard to what the sailors of the "Varyag" and "Koreets" did, this does not really matter. Being in the neutral Korean port of Chemulpo, they, having very unclear and contradictory information about what was happening, had to act in accordance with the situation and their concept of duty and honor.
And here, perhaps, it is worth saying that 1904, although chronologically it is the twentieth century, was still a continuation of the nineteenth century both in the sense of human psychology and in the sense of traditions. And if the Japanese, having attacked without declaring war, shocked the entire civilized world, then otherwise, wanting to enter this civilized world, they observed the norms and rules of warfare enshrined in international agreements. The Japanese squadron of 14 ships (6 cruisers and 8 destroyers) under the command of Admiral Uriu blocked the exits from the port of Chemulpo. (Now this city is called Incheon). He needed to clear the port of enemy ships in order to ensure the landing of the 1st Army of General Kuroki there.
Bearing in mind that the port is neutral, that in addition to the Varyag and the Koreets, there are also English, French, German and Italian warships in it, the Japanese decided not to organize a pogrom there. The commander of the Varyag, Captain 1st Rank Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev (the captain of the Koreyets Belyaev was under his command), was asked to surrender or go out to fight on the high seas within the specified time. The ultimatum, however, was not a mere formality. The cruiser of the 1st class "Varyag" was one of the newest in our fleet (built in 1899), with very high seaworthiness, a powerful machine. By itself, he could at least try to break out of Chemulpo, and with a fairly high chance of success. But this could not be done by the gunboat "Korean". It was a floating battery, slow-moving, old, but with two powerful 8-inch guns. Apparently, these two ships were brought together precisely for reasons of combining the power of fire and speed. But be that as it may, Rudnev could not leave Belyaev.
Here it is worth repeating once again that 1904 is still the 19th century. The concepts of honor, duty, comradeship are not even in the brain, in the bones of any normal Russian officer. Suvorov's words "Die yourself, but help out a comrade" are not a catchphrase, but a direct guide to action. Both Rudnev and Belyaev, their officers and sailors, were brought up on this. Admiral Uriu also knew this, because he himself was brought up in the same way. And he really wanted to present two Russian ships as a gift to his emperor on the day of his accession to the throne.
And that is why Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev faced a dilemma. Well, of course, there was no thought of surrendering without a fight either in the cockpit or in the wardrooms. The essence of the dilemma facing Rudnev was to throw the "Korean" into captivity and thereby lose honor or doom hundreds of people and himself to death in a monstrously unequal battle. Indeed, unlike the land commander, who is the farther away from battle and death, the higher his rank, sailors of any rank are equal in the face of death. Therefore, Captain Rudnev turned to his sailors: "comrades."
The remaining options for getting out of the situation from the point of view of the Russian naval officer were purely theoretical. It was possible, for example, to take on board the "Varyag" the team of the "Korean" and try to break through to Port Arthur at full speed. But even here the chances were slim. Chemulpo Bay then had a very difficult fairway, abounded in shoals and pitfalls, so it was impossible to go full speed. And without this, and without the heavy guns of the "Korean", the "Varyag" lost all its already miserable advantages. But then what to do with the gunboat? For the surrender of a warship to the enemy, according to the charter of Peter I, the death penalty was imposed. And to sink a gunboat without a fight ... This is a loss of honor. For Russian sailors, this was worse than death. For in the life and death of a man God is free, but he himself controls his honor ...
So our sailors made the only choice possible for them. They left the waters of Chemulpo towards the Japanese, and foreign captains saluted them with flags, lining up their teams on the decks. It really was the last parade.
On one of the foreign ships they played "God Save the Tsar!". "Varangian" said goodbye with flags: "Do not remember dashingly!" Sailors from foreign ships jumped into the water and tried to swim to it.
The fight was short-lived and lasted only 45 minutes. During it, our sailors sank one Japanese destroyer and mutilated two cruisers. But the Japanese shells beat the "Varyag" and "Koreets" beyond recognition, 34 people were killed, 74 were wounded. It was no longer physically possible to fight, all the guns on our ships were broken. Rudnev decided to sink his ships. Russian sailors firmly believed that the Andreevsky flag could go under water, but it would never be lowered ...
The command regarded Rudnev's actions as correct and heroic. After our sailors reached their own through neutral countries, all officers and sailors were awarded. Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev himself was promoted to commander of an armadillo, and soon received admiral's eagles for epaulettes.
As for the Varyag cruiser itself, the Japanese managed to raise it from the bottom of the sea, and under the name Soya, the ship became part of the Japanese fleet. Thus, under the St. Andrew's flag, it passed for 5 years, and under the "Hino-maru" - almost 11. In 1916, our government bought the ship from the Japanese and sent it under the old name for repairs to England. The ship sank off the very coast of Scotland, and only recently were the coordinates of the place of his rest discovered. It is clear that the Bolshevik government showed no interest in the Varyag. The name, and glory, and the song remained.
By the way, about the song. Paradoxically, these poems were written in Germany by the German poet Rudolf Greinz and published in the Munich magazine Jugend. A whole decade remained before the World War, and Russophile sentiments were still strong in Germany. Then the amateur poetess E. Studentskaya translated the poem into Russian, and the musician of the 12th Astrakhan Grenadier Regiment A.S. Turishchev set to music. The song was first performed at a solemn reception hosted by Emperor Nicholas II in honor of the officers and sailors of the Varyag and the Korean.
This song became really popular, and the Bolsheviks could not cancel it. In 1941 it was sung, just as in 1914. By the way, it was in 1914 that she underwent the only and, in general, fair change. The Consul of Japan, which was already our ally in the First World War, very politely asked to remove the 3rd verse from it, which sounded like this:
From a quiet harbor to battle we go
Towards the death that threatens us
For faith, the tsar and Russia we will die,
Hold on, yellow-faced devils.
If the Japanese can be called "devils", then only in the sense that they fought like devils. As for the rest, no one has ever followed international laws and rules of war so accurately and scrupulously as the Japanese did in that war. They allowed captured Russian officers to wear not only Russian uniforms, but even weapons. They were worthy and noble opponents

song about Varangian
novel 04.12.2007 02:04:16

Cold waves splash
Beating on the sea shore
Seagulls float over the sea
Their cries are full of longing.

White seagulls rush about
Something disturbed them
Chu! Thundered peals
Explosions of the distant deaf.

There among the noisy sea
Andreevsky banner winds
Fights with unequal force
Proud handsome Varyag.

High mast knocked down
Armor pierced on him
The team fights hard
With the sea, fire and the enemy.

We did not let down before the enemy
Glorious St. Andrew's banner
They themselves blew up the "Korean"
We sunk the Varyag.

Tell the world to everything
Seagulls, sad news
In battle, the enemy did not surrender
They fell for Russian honor.

Cold waves splash
Beating on the sea shore
Seagulls rush to Russia
Their cries are full of longing.

/Music and folk words/

Fights with unequal force
Proud handsome "Varyag".
We did not let down before the enemy
Glorious St. Andrew's banner.
They themselves blew up the "Korean",
We sunk the Varyag.

In memory of the cruiser of the 1st rank "Varyag"
novel 04.12.2007 04:55:57

Battle of Chemulpo"
(In memory of the cruiser of the 1st rank "Varyag"
and seaworthy gunboat "Koreets").
"Korean" and "Varangian", full of courage,
Although their strength is unequal with the enemy,
They enter the battle, carrying flags on the masts
Their homeland, their beloved country.
Urio himself called them into a bloody battle.
He has fourteen courts,
But our two heroes breathe glory
They enter into battle, the most glorious of battles.
The Japanese offers them a signal
Surrender brave ships without a fight:
"Varangian" does not respond to that insolence
And crushes anger in himself not without difficulty.
The orchestra rumbles on a neutral cruiser,
A hymn is sung: "God save the king!"
The ships are sailing in perfect order,
It's like they're going to a parade.
A signal went up on the enemy Asama,
The ships opened a terrible fire;
"Korean" and "Varyag" shoot themselves,
Do not grumble at a difficult fate,
And fighting for the right to live in the world,
For faith, for the fatherland, for the king.
Onet - bold; one - Russian children;
Onet are eagles, in short.
~
The fight is over. Wounded in battle
The valiant Varyag returned to the harbor,
"Korean" with him, having drunk to the bottom of torment,
Not shaming our glorious Russian flag.
But, so that ships broken in a terrible battle,
Enemies did not dare to take away from us,
Russian chief - brave and brave -
Decided to blow up the ships immediately.
And soon the Chemulpskago Bay raid
And with him neutral ships
Everyone trembled from the terrible force of the explosion,
And the water frothed menacingly in the bay.
The ships of the neutral powers sheltered
Crew from our blown up ships,
They saw the fight and appreciated
Love for the homeland of devoted sons.
But the enemies suffered a lot,
Many received serious wounds,
And "Takachihu", we were told,
The Great Ocean has been taken from them.
~
I am proud, with love and bow
Greet with heart and soul
And praise in a fit of admiration
Defenders who returned back.
I hope there are still people
Who will support the Russian flag,
As they did, exposing their breasts to the enemy,
Immortal "Korean" and "Varangian".
Igor Lotarev.
St. Petersburg.
January 4th, 1905