Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:	Tiflis or Kizlyar
Date of death:
A place of death:	Sima village, Vladimir province
Affiliation:	Russian empire
Years of service
	General of Infantry
Commanded:
Battles / wars:	Schöngraben, Austerlitz, Battle of Borodino

Origin

Military service

Patriotic War of 1812

Personal life of Bagration

Addresses in St. Petersburg

Memory of Bagration

Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration(1769 - September 12 (24), 1812) - Russian infantry general, prince, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812.

The elder brother of the lieutenant general of the Russian army, Prince Roman Ivanovich Bagration, and the uncle of the lieutenant general of the Russian army, engineer and metallurgical scientist, Prince Pyotr Romanovich Bagration (son of R. I. Bagration).

Origin

A descendant of the Georgian royal house of Bagration. The branch of the Kartalin princes Bagrationov (ancestors of Peter Ivanovich) was included in the number of Russian-princely families on October 4, 1803, when Emperor Alexander I approved the seventh part of the "General Armorial".

Tsarevich Alexander (Isaac-beg) Iessevich, the illegitimate son of the Kartalian king Iesse, left for Russia in 1759 due to disagreements with the ruling Georgian family and served as a lieutenant colonel in the Caucasian division.

He was followed by his son Ivan Bagration (1730-1795). He entered the service in the commandant's team at the Kizlyar fortress. Despite the claims 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.

According to reference data, Pyotr Bagration was born in Kizlyar in 1769. However, according to A. Mikaberizde, the situation is different. According to the petitions of Ivan Aleksandrovich, the parents of the future General Bagration moved from Iveria (Georgia) to Kizlyar in December 1766 (long before Georgia joined the Russian Empire). From this, the researcher concludes that Peter was born in July 1765 in Georgia and most likely in the capital, the city of Tiflis.

Pyotr Bagration spent his childhood 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 gained his first combat experience in 1783 on a military expedition to the territory of Chechnya. In an unsuccessful sortie by the Russian detachment under the command of Pieri against the rebellious 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 Musketeers.

Bagration served in the Caucasian Musketeer Regiment until June 1792, successively going through all the stages of military service from sergeant to captain, to which he was promoted in May 1790. Since 1792, he served in the Kiev Horse Chasseurs and Sofia Carabinier Regiments. 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 assault on Ochakov.

In 1797 he was 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 rivers Adda and Trebbia, at Novi and Saint Gotthard. This campaign glorified Bagration as an excellent general, a feature of which 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 series of successful battles, ensuring a systematic retreat of the main forces. They became especially famous in the battle of Schöngraben.

In the Battle of Austerlitz, Bagration commanded the troops of the right wing of the allied army, which steadfastly repelled the onslaught of the French, and then formed the 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 battles near Preussisch-Eylau and near 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 overcome the Gulf of Bothnia on the ice, occupied the Åland Islands and reached the coast of Sweden.

In the spring of 1809 he was promoted to general-of-infantry.

During the Russian-Turkish war of 1806-12 he was the commander-in-chief of the Moldavian army (July 1809 - March 1810), led the fighting on the left bank of the Danube. Bagration's troops captured the fortresses of Machin, Girsovo, Kyustendzha, defeated the 12,000-strong corps of selected Turkish troops near Rassavet, and inflicted a major defeat on the enemy near Tataritsa.

From August 1811, Bagration was 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 was 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 connected with the 1st Western Army of Barclay de Tolly near Smolensk.

Bagration was a supporter of involving broad sections of the people in the fight against the French, and was one of the initiators of the partisan movement.

Under Borodino, the army of Bagration, constituting the left wing of the battle order of the Russian troops, repelled all the attacks of Napoleon's army. According to the tradition of that time, decisive battles were always prepared as for a show - people changed into clean linen, carefully shaved, put on ceremonial uniforms, orders, white gloves, sultans on shakos, etc. Exactly the way it is depicted in the portrait - with blue St. Andrew's ribbon, with three stars of the orders of Andrei, George and Vladimir and many order crosses - they saw the regiments of Bagration in the Battle of Borodino, the last in his military life. A fragment of the nucleus crushed the tibia of the general's left leg. The prince refused the amputation proposed by the doctors. The next day, Bagration mentioned in his report to Tsar Alexander I about the injury:

The commander was transferred to the estate of his friend, Prince B. A. Golitsyn (his wife was the fourth cousin of Bagration), in the village of Simy, Vladimir province.

On September 24, 1812, Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration died of gangrene, 17 days after being wounded. According to the preserved 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.

In 1932, the monument on the Raevsky battery was destroyed, Bagration's grave was destroyed, and his remains were thrown out. In 1985-1987, the monument was restored, fragments of Bagration's bones were found among the garbage, which were then reburied. Buttons and fragments of the commander's uniform became exhibits of the Borodino State Military Historical Museum-Reserve.

Personal life of Bagration

After the Swiss campaign of Suvorov, Prince Bagration gained popularity in high society. In 1800, Emperor Paul I arranged the wedding of Bagration with an 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 Lanzheron wrote about this alliance:

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, gave birth to a daughter (it is believed that from the Austrian Chancellor Prince Metternich). After the death of Pyotr Ivanovich, the princess remarried briefly to an Englishman, and after that she regained her surname Bagration. She never returned to Russia. Prince Bagration, nevertheless, loved his wife; shortly before his death, he ordered the artist Volkov two portraits - his own and his wife's.

Bagration had no children.

Reviews of contemporaries about Bagration

Napoleon about Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration:

General Ermolov left such a review about Bagration:

Prince Bagration ... With a subtle and flexible mind, he made strong connections at court. Compulsory and friendly in circulation, he kept his equals on good terms, retained the favor of his former friends ... The subordinate was rewarded with dignity, considered it a pleasure to serve with him, always idolized him. None of the chiefs let them feel their power less; never has a subordinate obeyed with greater pleasantness. His manner is charming! It is not difficult to use his power of attorney, but only in matters little known to him. In any other case, its character is independent. The lack of knowledge or the weak side of abilities can only be noticed by people, especially those close to him ... From a very young age, without a mentor, completely without a fortune, Prince Bagration did not have the means to be educated. Gifted by nature with happy abilities, he was left without education and decided to serve in the military. He derived all concepts of military craft from experiments, all judgments about it from incidents, in proportion to their similarity to each other, not being guided by rules and science and falling into errors; often, however, his opinion was sound. Fearless in battle, indifferent in danger ... Refined dexterity before the sovereign, captivatingly flattering treatment of those close to him. In temperament, meek, unoriginal, generous to the point of extravagance. Not quick to anger, always ready for reconciliation. He does not remember evil, he always remembers good deeds.

Clausewitz calls Bagration:

...a man with a reputation for being a dashing brawler.

In part, this reputation is confirmed by Tsar Alexander I in his confidential letter to his sister Ekaterina Pavlovna dated September 30, 1812:

What can a man do more than follow his best conviction?.. It made me appoint Barclay commander of the 1st Army on the basis of the reputation he had made for himself during past wars against the French and against the Swedes. This conviction made me think that he was superior in knowledge to Bagration. When this conviction was further increased by the capital errors which this latter made during the present campaign, and which partly caused our failures, I considered him less than ever capable of commanding the two armies united at Smolensk. Although a little pleased with what I had to see in the actions of Barclay, I considered him less bad than that [Bagration] in the matter of strategy, about which he had no idea.

The unflattering review of the tsar about Bagration is possibly caused by rumors that his sister is in love with the general. The king, speaking of the lack of a strategic gift from Bagration, blames him for the failure to fulfill the previously outlined plans to unite the armies, although Bagration's maneuvers were determined by the actions of a superior enemy. However, from Bagration's letters, his desire for a general battle with Napoleon is known, even on the condition of the numerical superiority of the French, because of which he quarreled with the commander of the 1st Army, Barclay de Tolly. Bagration did not appreciate the need for a strategic retreat, thanks to which Napoleon was defeated.

Awards

• Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (09/27/1809);
• Order of St. George 2nd class (01/28/1806, No. 34) - "for distinction in the battle of Schöngraben on November 4, 1805";
• Golden sword "for courage" with diamonds (12/01/1807);
• Order of St. Vladimir 1st class (05/20/1808) - for the Russian-Swedish war;
• Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (06/06/1799) with diamonds;
• Order of St. Anne 1st class (05.05.1799);
• Maltese St. John Commander of Jerusalem (05/14/1799) with diamonds;
• Prussian Order of the Red Eagle (1807);
• Prussian Order of the Black Eagle (1807);
• Austrian Military Order of Maria Theresa 2nd class (1799);
• Sardinian Order of Mauritius and Lazarus 1st class (1799);

Addresses in St. Petersburg

• 1801-1803 - Bolshaya Morskaya street, 23.
• 1808 - Odoevsky's house (Bolshaya Morskaya street, 63);
• 12.1810 - 06.1811 - the house of D. Faminitsyn (Nevsky Prospekt, 92).

Memory of Bagration

• On September 7, 1946, the Prussian city of Preussisch-Eylau, which ended up in the Kaliningrad region, was renamed in honor of Pyotr Ivanovich in Bagrationovsk, now the administrative center of the municipality Bagrationovsky district of the Kaliningrad region.
• In Veliky Novgorod, on the Monument “1000th Anniversary of Russia”, among 129 figures of the most prominent personalities in Russian history (as of 1862), there is a figure of P.I. Bagration.
• Monuments: In Moscow, erected in 1999, sculptor Merab Merabishvili.
• Moscow has the Bagrationovskaya metro station and the Bagration trade and pedestrian bridge.
• Bagrationovskiy proezd
• Bagration Street (Smolensk)
• Bagration Street (Lipetsk)
• Bagration Street (Kaliningrad)
• Bagration street, 1st and 2nd per. Bagration (Minsk)
• The code name "Bagration" was carried by the Belarusian operation (1944) of the Soviet army in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, during which the territory of Belarus was liberated.
• Film Bagration
• Roman S. N. Golubov "Bagration".
• Yu. I. Koginov's novel "Bagration: the god of the army".

Bagration Pyotr Ivanovich (1765-1812), prince, Russian military commander, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812

He was born on November 11, 1765, presumably in the city of Kizlyar (Dagestan) in the family of Georgian princes from the ancient Bagrationi family.

At the age of 17, Bagration was assigned to military service, took part in expeditions against the Chechens. In one of the battles he was seriously wounded and was taken prisoner, but the highlanders returned him without a ransom out of gratitude to Bagration's father, who had rendered them some kind of service.

Bagration participated in the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. and the Polish campaign (1793-1794). During the Italian and Swiss campaigns of A. V. Suvorov (1799), he commanded the vanguard of the Russian army. He was considered a favorite student of Suvorov, in 1799 he was awarded the rank of major general.

In the wars with France in 1805 and 1806-1807. Bagration successfully commanded the rearguard of the Russian army, distinguished himself in a number of battles, including near Austerlitz (1805). In the Russian-Turkish war of 1806-1812. he was the commander-in-chief of the Moldavian army, and from 1812 he commanded the 2nd Western Army. At the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, Bagration, having received an order not to engage in battles with superior enemy forces, managed to bring his army to Smolensk to join the 1st Western Army, but sharply opposed the demand of M. B. Barclay de Tolly about withdrawal of Russian troops.

In fact, the decision to retreat from Smolensk saved the Russian army from inevitable encirclement. Nevertheless, the popularity of Bagration among the troops allowed the military opposition to use his name in the fight against Barclay de Tolly.

In the Battle of Borodino (August 26, 1812), Bagration's troops defended the left flank of the Russian position, which at the beginning of the battle was the main blow of the Napoleonic army. The prince personally led his units in counterattacks and was seriously wounded by a grenade fragment in the tibia of his left leg. He died from his wound on September 24, 1812 in the village of Simy, Vladimir province.

In 1839, his ashes were solemnly reburied at the Borodino field.

Prince, an outstanding Russian commander, infantry general (1809), hero of the Patriotic War of 1812.

Bagration Petr Ivanovich was born in the city (Terek region) in the family of a colonel in the Russian army, a representative of one of the younger branches of the Georgian royal family of Bagratids.

P. I. Bagration was signed up for military service on May 1, 1783 as a private in the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment. In the same year he received the rank of ensign. For about twelve years he was in adjutant positions with prominent military leaders. P. I. Bagration served in the Caucasus, participated in the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. For courage during the assault on the Turkish fortress Ochakov (1788), he was promoted from second lieutenant to captain. During the Polish campaign of 1794-1795, P. I. Bagration distinguished himself during the capture of Prague (a suburb of Warsaw), drawing attention to himself. On February 4, 1799, P. I. Bagration was promoted to major general.

In 1799-1800, the commander took part in the Italian and Swiss campaigns, successfully commanded the vanguard of the Russian army. This strengthened his reputation as a favorite student. Bagration confirmed his military prowess in the 1805 campaign against the French in the battle of Shengraben, where the Russian rearguard led by him repulsed all attacks and delayed the advance of the superior enemy, and then broke through and joined with the main forces. For this feat, he received the rank of lieutenant general, was awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd degree. In the battle of Austerlitz, which was unsuccessful for the Russians, the column of Russian troops under the command of P.I. Bagration was able to break through the enemy ranks with minimal losses and break away from the pursuit of the Napoleonic troops.

In the campaigns of 1806-1807, he commanded the Fourth Division and the main vanguard, took part in all major combat clashes with the French, and distinguished himself at Preussisch-Eylau and Friedland. During the Russian-Swedish war of 1808-1809, P. I. Bagration commanded 21 divisions, which cleared the southern coast of Finland from the Swedes, in the spring of 1809 his division crossed the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia and occupied the Aland Islands. For this, the commander was promoted to general of infantry. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1806-1812, from July 1809 to March 1810, he commanded the Moldavian army. Under his leadership, Russian troops captured a number of fortresses on the Danube and were able to inflict defeat on the Turks near Rassevat and Tataritsa.

From August 1811, Bagration took over as commander of the Podolsk Army, and from March 1812, the Second Western Army, which covered the strategic direction from the western borders to the Central. This appointment took place despite a personal dislike for the emperor's general.

During Napoleon's invasion of the territory, having received an order not to collide with the superior forces of the enemy, P. I. Bagration, with a skillful maneuver, brought out the superior forces of the enemy with battles and after the battles near Mir and, using the inconsistency of the actions of the French military leaders, was able to break away from persecution and join the First Western Army under During this period, a group of generals and officers, relying on the popularity of P.I. Bagration in the troops and his fame as a Suvorov associate, began to use his name in the fight against the retreat tactics pursued by him, nominating Bagration for the post single commander-in-chief. But before arrival, despite the differences in views on the methods of warfare, Bagration was forced to obey.

In the battle of Borodino, the troops of P.I. Bagration defended the left flank of the Russian positions, and at the beginning of the battle they took upon themselves the main blow of superior forces. Bagration personally led his units in counterattacks, in one of which he received a severe wound from a grenade fragment in the tibia of his left leg and was taken from the battlefield, first to, and then to the village of Simy, Yuryev-Polsky district, Vladimir province, the estate of the Golitsyn princes.

P. I. Bagration died of wounds on September 12 (24), 1812. Initially, he was buried at the village church. In 1839, his ashes were reburied at the Borodino field.

P. I. Bagration belonged to the commanders of the Suvorov school. As a military leader, he was distinguished by the ability to quickly navigate in a difficult combat situation, courage and unexpectedness of decisions, and perseverance in their implementation. He showed special concern for the soldiers, their health and life. He was extremely popular in the army and in Russian society.

It is believed that this year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of the famous Russian commander Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration, who died from a wound he received on the Borodino field. There are still many undisclosed secrets of the biography of the hero of the war of 1812, but the disputes of historians have long ceased regarding his military leadership talents.

In the official (and unofficial) pantheon of heroes of the year 1812, unforgettable for Russia, Pyotr Bagration is in second or third place, right after M.I. Kutuzov, next to M.B. Barclay de Tolly and much higher than other prominent and talented military leaders of that time - M.A. Miloradovich, N.N. Raevsky, D.S. Dokhturova, P.Kh. Wittgenstein, A.P. Ermolova, P.P. Konovnitsyn, although those - as fate decreed - lived longer than him, fought heroically and victoriously ended the great war with Napoleon in France. The battle of Borodino was the last for Prince Bagration, but none of them could overshadow his military glory.

In principle, the fact that a monument to Bagration was not erected in front of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, next to the monuments to Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly, was a historical injustice, which, unfortunately, cannot be corrected: the ensemble of Nevsky Prospekt and Kazanskaya Square has long been formed and settled down. As a consolation, we can only say that our contemporaries partly apologized to Prince Peter for that injustice, erecting a monument to him in the Northern capital in 2012 - in front of the former barracks of the Life Guards of the Jaeger Regiment, which Bagration once created and loved: he, already being general, still fought in the uniform of his regiment.

From the royal family of Bagrationi

Writing a biography of Prince Peter is difficult, especially its beginning. We cannot accurately name the year and place of birth of the hero (1762, 1764, 1765 or even 1769; the Russian fortress of Kizlyar or, after all, Georgia), we do not know the name of his mother, very confusing information has been preserved about his father, although the affiliation of that to the ancient Georgian royal family of Bagrationi is indisputable.

Princess Anna Alexandrovna Golitsyna, born Princess of Georgia (1763–1842). Her great granddaughter E.Yu. Khvoshchinskaya wrote: “Russia owes her one of the heroes of 1812, Prince P.I. Bagration, whom she ordered from Georgia"

There is no clarity in the history of the beginning of the military service of Prince Peter. It is believed that he distinguished himself in battles with the mountaineers, and then during the capture of Ochakov (1788) by the army of Grigory Potemkin, and that it was the brightest who, back in 1782, gave impetus to the development of the career of the young Georgian prince. In this regard, information about the active participation in the fate of Bagration of his relative Princess Anna Alexandrovna Golitsyna, nee Princess of Georgia, is important. The close relationship of Prince Peter with the family of Boris Andreevich Golitsyn and his wife Anna is indeed an undeniable fact. Usually, in conditions of emigration, separation from the homeland, kinship or fellowship is perceived in a special way. So, as they used to say, Anna Alexandrovna’s “representation” before an influential nobleman for a handsome provincial young man - a poor relative was quite possible (although, according to some researchers, it was at the beginning of Bagration’s service that she could hardly assist him, since in 1782 not yet married). Finally, I would like to emphasize something else: it is often very important to “hoist”, as it used to be (and still happens), a young person to the first rung of the career ladder, and then everything depends on him - either he falls off, or begins to climb up and will achieve success already thanks to their own talents.

Be that as it may, Bagration’s connection with this branch of the Golitsyns turned out to be long and strong: let’s not forget that the general often spent time in the village of Sima, the Vladimir estate of Princess Anna’s husband. And it is no coincidence that in the fall of 1812, the wounded Prince Peter was brought there: he had no other home (and, in fact, a family). There he died.

Probably, it makes no sense to repeat the data of the service (formular) list of Pyotr Bagration: they will take up many pages. His whole life was devoted to service and almost continuous war. At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century, Russia constantly fought: twice with the Turks, twice with the Swedes, four times with the French. And every time, Prince Peter not only took part in the campaigns, but distinguished himself in them, drawing attention to himself with his extraordinary abilities.

"Wise Deed"

Military historian A.F. Petrushevsky noted that people often do not realize when talking about such a concept as military art. Meanwhile, this is really an art that only a few master. Hundreds of thousands of people saw what Napoleon or Suvorov were like on the battlefields, their every step was recorded and later studied in the academies, but no one could repeat all this, just as it is impossible to repeat Rubens or Velasquez, for this is precisely art - the highest degree of creativity of a brilliant individuality.

Bagration considered himself a student of A.V. Suvorov and, in fact, he was, having learned a number of the most important principles of the Russian generalissimo, the main of which was the so-called "eye" - the intuitive feeling of a military leader, a gift similar to the sensation of color in an artist or hearing in a musician. Prince Peter had a truly Suvorov eye, and this was reflected in the operations he led, especially when he was entrusted (and more than once) with the most difficult task - to close the movement of the retreating army, to command the rearguard.

The case of the Cossacks Platov under Mir on June 27 (July 9), 1812. Hood. V.V. Mazurovsky. 1912. General Bagration successfully used the Cossacks of Ataman Matvey Platov for rearguard battles in the summer of 1812

The organization of the retreat is one of the outstanding manifestations of military art. Denis Davydov, who was a witness of Bagration's actions near Preussisch-Eylau in 1807, at that time adjutant of the prince, wrote: “It is a tricky business to command the rearguard of an army hotly pursued [by the enemy. - E. A.]. Two opposing subjects constitute the main duty of the rearguard commander: guarding the peace of the army from the onslaught of the enemy during the retreat and at the same time maintaining the closest possible contiguity with it in order to protect inseparable ties and relations. How can these two apparently incompatible needs be reconciled? Should I resort to accepting the battle? But every battle requires a more or less prolonged stop, during which the distance of the rearguard from the army, which is more and more moving away from it, is multiplied.

If, however, to evade the battle with the advancing enemy, then "with such a means you can easily bring the rearguard to the army itself and bring the enemy on your shoulders." “Bagration solved this problem,” says Denis Davydov proudly. “He learned that rule for the rear guards, which fourteen years later he laid down on the island of St. Helena is the greatest connoisseur of military affairs, saying: "The vanguard must constantly push, the rearguard must maneuver." And on this axiom, Bagration based the retreating actions of the rearguards, which he commanded at various times. Under his command, the rear guard never remained long in place and, moreover, never followed the army without stopping. The essence of his action consisted in some retreating movements from one defensive position to another, without going into a general battle, but at the same time maintaining a formidable posture with frequent rebuffs of enemy assassination attempts - rebuffs, which he reinforced with a strong and almost universal action of artillery. An operation that requires all the ingenious volume of circumstances, all composure, eye and wonderful sharpness and dexterity, with which Prince Bagration was so generously endowed by nature.

It was in this eye that the main advantage of Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration as a commander consisted.

"Asian Man"

Bagration was just as inventive in directing offensive operations, which required completely different qualities from the commander: speed of action, prudence, the ability to take into account tactical, natural, psychological and other factors, commensurate with the risk. Few of the commanders then possessed the entire complex of data. No wonder Napoleon singled out Bagration from all Russian generals, noting, however, his "little mind" ...

Here we come to the problem of stereotypes that people so often use when evaluating others. The general opinion about Bagration at that time was statements about his “stormy simplicity”, “ignorance”, that he “has no idea about strategy”. Prince Peter was perceived only as an "avant-garde", "tactical" general, who knew absolutely nothing about strategy, and in general as an "ignoramus", an uneducated practitioner. And this, of course, hurt him greatly.

Napoleon on the battlefield of Preussisch-Eylau. Hood. Antoine Jean Gros. 1808. Denis Davydov called this battle "a bloody preface to Napoleon's invasion of Russia"

« BAGRATION COMPREHENSED THAT RULE FOR THE REAR-GUARDS, which outlined on the island of St. Helena is the greatest connoisseur of military affairs, saying: "The vanguard must constantly push, the rearguard must maneuver" ""

In fairness, we note that he himself is partly to blame for this. Being unable to restrain his violent Georgian temper, offended and offended by distrust, irritated by intrigues against him, Bagration often broke down, spoke and wrote harshness that gave reason to think of him as an “Asiatic man”, and therefore, according to the ideas of that time, not especially smart and educated.

This impression is reinforced when you read Bagration's letters after the retreat of the Russian army from Smolensk in August 1812. Annoyed that he was not appointed commander-in-chief, afflicted by the disgrace of the sovereign, stung by rivalry with the "Chukhonian", "Illuminati" (that is, the Mason) Barclay de Tolly, he sent out very reckless letters, in which sound ridiculous demands dictated by exclusively injured pride about the attack on Napoleon's army, calls to "throw caps" on the "rubbish enemy." Visible in his messages are the complexes of a talented self-taught person: “Send another to command [instead of Barclay de Tolly. - E. A.], but I do not understand anything, because I am unlearned and stupid. Meanwhile, it was precisely at this time that Bagration led his 2nd Army from the western border of Russia to Borodino, observing all precautions, with subtlety and flexibility of calculation, without making a single strategic or tactical mistake.

Gribanov V.K. Bagration in Petersburg. L., 1979
Glinka V.M., Pomarnatsky A.V. Bagration, Pyotr Ivanovich // Military Gallery of the Winter Palace. L., 1981. S. 77–82
Anisimov E.V. Bagration. M., 2011 (ZhZL series)

"The ingenious fidelity of his gaze"

Only the lazy did not speak or write about Prince Peter's lack of education, "stormy simplicity". Even Denis Davydov, who adored his commander, opens his biography with a truism: “Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration, so famous for his amazing courage, high disinterestedness, determination and activity, unfortunately, did not receive an education.” Of course, it makes no sense to point out that, according to the calculations of the modern researcher Dmitry Tselorungo, half of the officers of 1812 had only elementary literacy and that, in general, the situation was not brilliant with the education of officers and generals of the Russian army.

Undoubtedly, Bagration did not receive the “correct” military education at that time, from a young age he got into the army and found himself on the dangerous Caucasian border. His fate was such that he fought almost continuously. In his youth, he did not have a chance to study in the Land Gentry Corps or any other military educational institution. The future hero of 1812 did not train in the armies of other states - for the most part he fought with them. He was not at the headquarters under the wing of his own father, a field marshal, like Count N.M. Kamensky, known as Kamensky 2nd. It is obvious that Bagration was not too engaged in self-education, he was not on friendly terms, because he did not speak the language, with the German military book - the main source of military science at that time. He could not boast of that deep knowledge of antiquity, the history of military affairs, which distinguished Suvorov, who, by the way, also did not study anywhere.

Illustration from the book "Patriotic War of 1812: for elementary school and people", published in Moscow in 1912

However, here it is appropriate to quote one: “He did not have great scientific knowledge. But his natural gifts made up for his lack of knowledge. He became an administrator and legislator, as well as a great commander, by sheer instinct. This is how Austrian Foreign Minister Klemens Metternich wrote about Napoleon. In fact, the same can be said about Bagration, endowed with just the colossal instinct of a military leader, the innate instinct of a commander. Actually, the words of Napoleon himself are known: “Bagration is the best: he is a man of little mind, but an excellent general.”

The author of the first official history of the Patriotic War of 1812, Alexander Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, noted that Bagration was "a man of little education, but the ingenious fidelity of his view and innate military abilities made the lack of education insensitive." With the abilities that Bagration was endowed with by nature, in France he would certainly become a marshal along with Murat, Davout, Ney and others, who also did not shine with education and knew only their native French.

Napoleon himself, by the way, spoke French with a strong Corsican accent and, probably, being at the court of Louis XVI, he would have caused a smile. But in France there was a revolution that radically changed the criteria for treating people and their abilities. In Russia, the situation was different, and this, it seems, was ultimately the reason for the bad luck of the Russian commander, Prince Bagration. It is known that then at the Russian court it was enough for a person to stumble in the dance under the envious and unfriendly glances of the courtiers for his reputation to perish forever. Therefore, there is nothing to be surprised that Prince Peter, who spoke French poorly, did not remember Montecuccoli and Turenne at every step, did not quote Frederick the Great by heart, was considered an ignoramus at court, and therefore incapable of commanding an army.

And in this regard, apparently, the candidacy of Pyotr Bagration for the post of unified commander-in-chief in the summer of 1812 was “impossible”: Alexander I, who was under the influence of the German military school, would not have appointed him. Meanwhile, at that time, Bagration was the most experienced, most prepared for war with such a terrible commander for the enemies as Napoleon was. Now, reading the notes, reports that the prince sent to the authorities from the headquarters of his 2nd army, standing on the western border in 1811 - early 1812, you understand that he also possessed deep strategic thinking: Bagration was able to foresee and predict the entire dramatic course of events of the first months of war with Bonaparte.

It was thanks to his innate instinct, practical knowledge and experience that he did not allow Napoleon to lure the 2nd Army into a trap and brilliantly, without loss, made an unprecedented 800-kilometer march along the heavy Belarusian roads from the border to Smolensk. Yes, and near Smolensk, Bagration guessed that Bonaparte would undertake, contrary to all the calculations of the Russian command, a sudden rush to Smolensk in order to cut off our army from Moscow, and, foreseeing this, did everything so that Smolensk would not become the place of death of the Russian army.

Without a doubt, Bagration was then the most popular general in the army: both officers and soldiers loved him. “His militant and open face bore the imprint of Georgian origin and was peculiarly beautiful,” the diplomat Apollinary Petrovich Butenev, who found himself just on the eve of the war of 1812 in the Headquarters of the 2nd Army, located in Volkovysk, conveys his first impression of Bagration. - He received me favorably, with military sincerity and simplicity, immediately ordered the rooms to be taken away and invited me to dine with him every day once and for all. It was located in the so-called castle of some Polish pan, the only decent house in the whole city. Here the whole society of the Main Apartment gathered, which received me cordially and affectionately on their Wednesday.

So or almost so many wrote about Prince Bagration, with whom he had a chance to meet. His special masculinity, militancy, courage and at the same time simplicity, sincerity, generosity, kindness to the people around him - all this was remembered, as well as his outstanding military leadership abilities.

Prince Peter, it seems to us, was somewhat similar to Napoleon of the pre-Tilsit era. This is how Marshal Marmont described the French emperor: “[Napoleon. – E.A.] was thin, unpretentious, unusually active, indifferent to hardships, despising well-being and material wealth, prudent, cautious, able to surrender to the will of fate, resolute and stubborn in his intentions, knowing people and their customs, which played a huge role in the war, kind , fair, capable of real feelings and noble towards enemies.

Father to soldiers

Pyotr Bagration took over from Suvorov a special attitude towards the Russian soldier. But there is no need to imagine the great Suvorov as a kind of popular popular commander. He treated the soldiers the way every military leader does: without hesitation, he sent them to death, into the fire by the thousands, and then calmly crossed the bloody streams that flowed through the fields of his victorious battles. But how else in the war!

Battle of Borodino August 26 (September 7), 1812. Hood. Peter Hess. 1843. In the center is the wounded Commander-in-Chief of the 2nd Army, General P.I. Bagration. His last orders are listened to by the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, General P.P. Konovnitsyn (on a white horse)

However, in his own way, he took care of the soldier, knew and understood him, knew how to find an approach to him. It is known that the Duke of Wellington, the winner of Napoleon, on the battlefield inspired his soldiers with kicking words: “Forward, you bastards! Forward, bastards, scoundrels, hangmen!" All of them were recruited from rabble in taverns and brothels, other words did not reach the goal. Wellington was absolutely sure that if a soldier was praised today, he would scold you tomorrow. But in Russia, a soldier - yesterday's landlord peasant - should have been treated differently.

FOR THE HEROIC COMMAND OF THE LEFT FLANK OF THE ARMY IN THE BATTLE OF BORODIN and wounding Bagration was not awarded anything, but was immediately dismissed

The peasant brought patriarchy, artelism, the spirit of the community to the army from the village. For him, the commander is a landowner father, strict but fair: he can joke, or he can punish, but everything should be in truth, for the cause. Bagration, like Suvorov, knew how to find the free tone of relations with the soldiers that he needed and was comfortable with, so that they loved him as their own, but did not sit on his neck. It is noteworthy that on the eve of the Battle of Borodino, only in the 2nd Army was an order issued to feed the soldiers tightly and make sure that they rested before the battle.

Many examples of not ostentatious, but true care of Prince Peter for his subordinates have been preserved. His general on duty, Sergei Ivanovich Maevsky, recalled that after the battle of Shevardino on August 24, 1812, during which Bagration continuously sent him on assignments, he fell asleep in the yard like the dead. “The prince, passing by me with his retinue, passed as quietly as we enter the office of a darling during her sweet and quiet sleep,” Mayevsky later wrote. - Such attention, in the face of the army and in the open air, cannot but inspire lofty devotion to the chief, and especially when he, passing by, told everyone: “Lord, do not wake him, he was very tired yesterday, he needs to rest and strengthen himself” ".

“He loved to live luxuriously,” noted Denis Davydov, “he had plenty of everything, but for others, and not for him. He himself was content with very little and was extremely sober. According to the established tradition, before each battle, the commander arranged a general dinner for his generals and officers at headquarters: it was important for everyone to drink vodka and break bread with comrades, maybe for the last time.

Servant to the king

But what does it mean in Russia to be loved by soldiers, by the people, if the tsar does not love you, on whom everything depends: career, success and often the opinion of contemporaries and descendants! And Bagration was not just a general, but also a courtier.

Here it is difficult not to quote an excerpt from the novel “War and Peace” by L.N. Tolstoy about the reception of Bagration, rendered to him in Moscow in 1805: “Bagration appeared at the door of the hall, without a hat and a sword, which, according to club custom, he left with the doorman. There was something naively festive on his face, which, combined with his firm, masculine features, even gave a somewhat comical expression to his face. Bekleshov and Fyodor Petrovich Uvarov, who had come with him, stopped at the door, wishing that he, as the main guest, would go ahead of them. Bagration was confused, not wanting to take advantage of their courtesy; there was a stop at the door, and, finally, Bagration still went ahead. He walked, not knowing where to put his hands, shyly and awkwardly along the reception parquet: it was more familiar and easier for him to walk under bullets on a plowed field, as he walked in front of the Kursk regiment in Shengraben.

It seems that Tolstoy nevertheless somewhat simplifies the personality of Bagration, portraying in the novel an awkward warrior shy in luxurious living rooms, accustomed only to severe battles and the whistle of bullets. The prince was much more complicated: he surprisingly combined the talent of a military leader who felt himself in his midst on the battlefields, and the gift of a “fringe” commander, an expert on the watch parade adored by Emperor Paul and his heirs, as well as the ability to deftly slide on the court parquet.

For some, and quite a long time, he was approached by the tsars: Paul I was pleased with the creation of the Life Guards of the Jaeger Regiment by Bagration and married the prince to one of the maids of honor of his wife Maria Fedorovna (this marriage was unsuccessful: in 1805, the frivolous beauty Ekaterina Pavlovna Bagration , nee Skavronskaya, left for Europe and did not live with her husband, the general had no children). Later, already in the reign of Alexander I, Bagration more than once sat at the dinner table with the emperor, empresses Maria Feodorovna and Elizaveta Alekseevna and accompanied them on walks along the park paths of Pavlovsk. The prince was a courteous, original interlocutor, bringing to the royal table the impressions and stories of a warrior who had seen a lot, an experienced person, but at the same time a tactful courtier who knew how to curb his Georgian temperament.

Against the imperial will...

Bagration especially came to the court of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. In 1806-1808, the prince constantly found himself in a narrow circle of her guests. And here, as it turned out, a mine was laid, which suddenly blew up all the well-being of the court of Prince Peter. He began a stormy romance with the tsar's sister, Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna, which, according to Alexander, was completely unacceptable for a subject of the Russian emperor. We also note that the sovereign himself had more than brotherly feelings for his sister and simply became jealous of her for Bagration. The result was actually disgrace, the refusal of the prince, as they wrote in the 17th century, “to see the eyes of the sovereign”, he was no longer invited to the imperial table, and Princess Catherine began to urgently select a royal groom. Soon Pyotr Bagration was sent to the Moldavian army, which fought against the Turks.

There he found himself in a strange position: the old commander, Field Marshal Alexander Alexandrovich Prozorovsky, was not removed and the new one - he, Bagration - was not appointed, but simply sent to help. The emperor demanded that Prozorovsky quickly cross the Danube, occupy Moldavia, Wallachia and Bessarabia, and march on Istanbul. But the 75-year-old field marshal kept postponing decisive actions, with great difficulty he moved to the right bank of the Danube and did not go further. When Bagration became commander in chief, time was lost, winter was approaching, and Prince Peter, contrary to the will of the sovereign, returned the troops to the left bank.

Alexander was furious: his plans for a quick exit to the Straits were falling apart. Bagration was appointed guilty, and he was dismissed. This happened in the prince's career: between the fate of an obedient, unreasoning courtier and the share of an honest general who thinks about the interests of the people, the army, the country, he chose the latter. And quite sharply defended his point of view. The emperor did not like this very much.

Church of the Epiphany in the village of Sima, Vladimir Region, where Prince Bagration was buried. 1950s. The temple was destroyed in the 1960s

A similar situation developed in the summer of 1812, when, with the start of Napoleon's campaign against Russia, Bagration, who commanded the 2nd Western Army located on the border, refused to comply with Alexander's decree on breaking through his army to connect with the 1st Western. He soberly assessed the situation and realized that Bonaparte was just waiting for just such a breakthrough in order to destroy first one and then the second Russian army. The French emperor even joked, seeing their hopeless situation: "I will get either a leg or a wing." Bagration, having fought hundreds of miles, saved the 2nd Army, and it successfully connected with the 1st near Smolensk. But still, the general did not fulfill the initial will of the monarch, and, in general, an end was put to his career: they preferred to see Kutuzov as commander-in-chief, the sovereign was cold with him, for the heroic command of the left flank of the army in the battle of Borodino and the wounding of Bagration was not was rewarded with nothing, but was immediately dismissed.

He died in the village of Sima on September 12, 1812, never knowing that he had already been written off. An experienced doctor was not sent to him, and as a result, ignorant doctors treated the prince ... He, a healthy man with a wound in his leg (the wound, admittedly by modern doctors, was not fatal), in fact, was killed by improper treatment.

The emperor was also indifferent to the memory of Bagration. When the chief of staff of the 2nd Army, Count E.F. Saint-Prix asked to transport the general's body to Petersburg, Alexander actually refused him. Even the death of the prince did not soften the royal disgrace. For the same reason, a monument to the great Russian commander was not erected in front of the Kazan Cathedral. Only a quarter of a century later, in 1839, on the initiative of Denis Davydov, his ashes were transferred from a modest church in the village of Sima to the Borodino field. But even there he had no peace: during the explosion in 1932 by the Bolsheviks of the main monument to the heroes of Borodin, the tomb of Bagration was also torn apart. Partially scattered by the explosion, the bones were collected in a shoe box, and for a long time they were stored somewhere. Only in 1987 were the remains of Bagration interred. Now we can finally repeat the words of the epitaph, which was originally supposed to be written on his grave: "Dust here - glory everywhere."

Evgeny ANISIMOV, Doctor of Historical Sciences

Biography

BAGRATION Pyotr Ivanovich, infantry general (1809), prince.

From the Georgian royal family of Bagrationi, brother R.I. Bagration. He began military service in 1782, until 1783 he studied at the school for chief and non-commissioned officers' children (Kizlyar). In 1783-1792 he served in the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment, which was later transformed into the Caucasian Musketeer Regiment, successively passing through all stages of military service from sergeant to captain, and was promoted to this rank in May 1790.

He received his first combat experience in 1783 in a military expedition on the territory of Chechnya against the rebellious highlanders of Sheikh Mansur, and later on he was repeatedly in skirmishes with the highlanders. Participated in the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791, distinguished himself during the siege and assault on Ochakov. In 1792 and 1794, being a major of the Kyiv equestrian regiment, he was in Poland, distinguished himself in battles at Sedlice, at Brody, during the storming of Prague. From June 1795 - commander of the 1st battalion of the Livonian Jaeger Corps. In 1797 - commander of the 7th Jaeger Regiment. In 1798 he was promoted to colonel, from 1799 - chief of the regiment.

In the Italian and Swiss campaigns, Field Marshal A.V. Suvorov in 1799, with the rank of major general, commanded the vanguard of the allied army, he showed himself especially brightly in battles on p. Adda and Trebbia, near Novi, on St. Gotthard and near Glaruss. In June 1800 he was appointed chief of the Life Guards. Jaeger battalion.

An active participant in the Russian-Austrian-French War of 1805. When M.I. Kutuzov Ulm-Olmutsky march-maneuver, led her rearguard. His troops fought a series of successful battles, ensuring the systematic retreat of the main forces, and especially distinguished themselves in the battle of Shengraben, where a detachment of 6,000 people. managed to repel all the attacks of Marshal Murat, who was five times superior to the corps, and break through to the main forces. In the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, he commanded the troops of the right wing of the allied army, which steadfastly repelled the onslaught of the French, and then formed the rearguard and covered the retreat of the main forces.

During the Russian-Prussian-French War of 1806-1807, commanding the rearguard of the army, he distinguished himself in the battle of Preussisch-Eylau, participated in battles near Gutstadt, Ankendorf and Friedland. In the Russo-Swedish War of 1808-1809, he commanded the 21st Infantry Division and, acting in southern Finland, cleared the coast from Abo to Vaza from the Swedes, defeated the Swedish at Bjerneborg. Commander-in-Chief General Klingspore. He led the Åland expedition of 1809, during which his troops, having overcome the Gulf of Bothnia on the ice, occupied the Åland Islands, reached the coast of Sweden and forced the Swedes to make peace.

During the Russo-Turkish War of 1806-1812 - Commander-in-Chief of the Moldavian (Danube) Army, led its military operations on the left bank of the Danube. His troops captured the fortresses of Machin, Kyustendzhi, and also Girsovo, defeated 12,000 soldiers near Rassevat. tour corps. troops, inflicted a major defeat on the pr-ku near Tataritsa.

From Jan. 1811 - Commander-in-Chief of the Podolsk Army (from March 1812 - 2nd Western Army). Anticipating the possibility of an invasion by Napoleon I into Russia, he put forward a plan for advance preparation to repel aggression. At the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, by a skillful maneuver, he led the troops of the army from Volkovysk to Smolensk to join with the 1st Western Army of the gene. M. B. Barclay de Tolly, which made it possible to thwart the plans of Napoleon I to defeat the Russian armies separately in the border zone. During the maneuver, B.'s troops fought fierce battles near Mir, Romanov and Saltanovka.

During the Battle of Smolensk, the troops of the 2nd Western Army successfully repulsed the onslaught of the enemy. The surrender of Smolensk was considered a mistake. In the Battle of Borodino in 1812 he commanded the left wing of the Russian troops. In this battle he was mortally wounded. In 1839, on the initiative of the partisan poet D.V. Davydov's ashes of the general were buried at Kurgan height at the foot of the monument to the heroes of Borodino. In 1932 the grave was destroyed and in 1987 restored.

Awarded with orders: Russian - St. Andrew the First-Called, St. Vladimir 1st, 2nd class. and 4th art. with a bow, St. Alexander Nevsky and diamond signs to the order, St. Anna 1st class, St. John of Jerusalem, St. George 2nd class; foreign: Austrian - Maria Theresa 2nd class, Prussian - Black Eagle and Red Eagle, Sardinian - St. Mauritius and Lazarus 1st class; a cross for Ochakov, a golden weapon "For Courage".