Colonel Karyagin. The feat of the Karyagin detachment is an unequal battle doomed to failure

Colonel Karyagin's campaign against the Persians in 1805 does not resemble real military history. It looks like a prequel to "300 Spartans" (40,000 Persians, 500 Russians, gorges, bayonet charges, "This is crazy! - No, this is the 17th Jaeger Regiment!"). A golden, platinum page of Russian history, combining the slaughter of madness with the highest tactical skill, delightful cunning and stunning Russian impudence. But first things first.

At a time when the glory of the emperor of France, Napoleon, was growing on the fields of Europe, and the Russian troops fighting against the French were performing new feats for the glory of Russian weapons, on the other side of the world, in the Caucasus, the same Russian soldiers and officers performed no less glorious deeds. One of the golden pages in the history of the Caucasian wars was inscribed by the colonel of the 17th Chasseur Regiment Karyagin and his detachment.

The state of affairs in the Caucasus in 1805 was extremely difficult. The Persian ruler Baba Khan was eager to regain the lost influence of Tehran after the arrival of the Russians in the Caucasus. The impetus for the war was the capture by the troops of Prince Tsitsianov Ganzha. Because of the war with France, St. Petersburg could not increase the strength of the Caucasian Corps; by May 1805, it consisted of about 6,000 infantry and 1,400 cavalry. Moreover, the troops were scattered over a vast territory. Due to illness and poor nutrition, there was a large shortage, so according to the lists in the 17th Jaeger Regiment, there were 991 privates in three battalions, in fact there were 201 people in the ranks.

Having learned about the appearance of large Persian formations, the commander of the Russian troops in the Caucasus, Prince Tsitsianov, ordered Colonel Karyagin to delay the advance of the enemy. On June 18, the detachment set out from Elisavetpol to Shusha, having 493 soldiers and officers and two guns . The detachment included: the patron battalion of the 17th Jaeger Regiment under the command of Major Kotlyarevsky, the company of the Tiflis Musketeer Regiment of Captain Tatarintsov and the artillerymen of Lieutenant Gudim-Levkovich. At that time, Major of the 17th Jaeger Regiment Lisanevich was in Shusha with six companies of rangers, thirty Cossacks and three guns. On July 11, Lisanevich's detachment repulsed several attacks of the Persian troops, and soon an order was received to join the detachment of Colonel Karyagin. But, fearing an uprising of a part of the population and the likelihood of the Persians capturing Shusha, Lisanevich did not do this.

On June 24, the first battle took place with the Persian cavalry (about 3,000) who crossed the Shah-Bulakh River. Several attacks of the enemy who tried to break through the square were repulsed. Having passed 14 versts, the detachment camped at the mound of the Kara-Agach-BaBa tract on the river. Askaran. In the distance one could see the tents of the Persian armada under the command of Pir-Kuli Khan, and this was only the vanguard of the army, commanded by the heir to the Persian throne, Abbas Mirza. On the same day, Karyagin sent a demand to Lisanevich to leave Shusha and go to him, but the latter, due to the difficult situation, could not do this.

At 18.00 the Persians began to storm the Russian camp, the attacks continued with a break until the very night. Having suffered heavy losses, the Persian commander withdrew his detachments to the heights around the camp, and the Persians installed four false batteries to conduct shelling. From the early morning of July 25, the bombardment of our location began. According to the memoirs of one of the participants in the battle: “Our situation was very, very unenviable and was getting worse hour by hour. The unbearable heat exhausted our strength, we were tormented by thirst, and the shots from the enemy batteries did not stop ... ". 1) Several times the Persians offered the detachment commander to lay down their arms, but they invariably received a refusal. In order not to lose the only source of water on the night of June 27, a sortie was made by a group under the command of Lieutenant Klyupin and Lieutenant Prince Tumanov. The operation to destroy the enemy batteries was successfully carried out. All four batteries were destroyed, the servants were partly killed, partly fled, and the falconets were thrown into the river. It must be said that by this day 350 people remained in the detachment, and half had wounds of varying severity.
From the report of Colonel Karyagin to Prince Tsitsianov dated June 26, 1805: “Major Kotlyarevsky was sent by me three times to drive out the enemy who was ahead and occupied elevated places, drove away his strong crowds with courage. Captain Parfyonov, Captain Klyukin throughout the battle on various occasions were sent by me with fittings and hit the enemy with fearlessness.

At dawn on June 27, the attack on the camp was launched by the approaching main forces of the Persians. The attacks continued throughout the day. At four o'clock in the afternoon there was an incident that forever remained a black spot in the glorious history of the regiment. Lieutenant Lisenko and six lower ranks ran over to the enemy. Having received information about the plight of the Russians, Abbas-Mirza threw his troops into a decisive assault, but having suffered heavy losses, he was forced to abandon further attempts to break the resistance of a desperate handful of people. At night, another 19 soldiers ran across to the Persians. Understanding the gravity of the situation, and the fact that the transition of comrades to the enemy creates unhealthy moods among the soldiers, Colonel Karyagin decides to break through the encirclement, go to the river. Shah Bulakh and take a small fortress standing on its shore. The commander of the detachment sent a report to Prince Tsitsianov, in which he wrote: “... in order not to subject the remnant of the detachment to complete and final death and save people and guns, he made a firm decision to break through with courage through the numerous enemy who surrounded on all sides ... ".2)

The conductor in this desperate enterprise was a local resident, an Armenian Melik Vani. Leaving the convoy and burying captured weapons, the detachment moved on to a new campaign. At first they moved in complete silence, then there was a collision with the enemy's cavalry and the Persians rushed to catch up with the detachment. True, even on the march, attempts to destroy this wounded and mortally tired, but still the battle group did not bring good luck to the Persians, moreover, most of the pursuers rushed to rob the empty Russian camp. According to the legends, the Shah-Bulakh castle was built by Shah Nadir, and got its name from the stream flowing nearby. In the castle there was a Persian garrison (150 people) under the command of Emir Khan and Fial Khan, the suburbs occupied enemy posts. Seeing the Russians, the sentries raised the alarm and opened fire. Shots of Russian guns rang out, a well-aimed cannonball smashed the gate, and the Russians broke into the castle. In a report dated June 28, 1805, Karyagin reported: “... the fortress was taken, the enemy was driven out of it and out of the forest with a small loss on our part. On the enemy side, both khans were killed ... Having settled in the fortress, I await the orders of your excellency. By evening, there were only 179 people in the ranks, and 45 charges for guns. Upon learning of this, Prince Tsitsianov wrote to Karyagin: “In unheard-of despair, I ask you to back up the soldiers, and I ask God to back you up.” 3)

Meanwhile, our heroes suffered from lack of food. The same Melik Vani, whom Popov calls the "Good genius of the detachment", volunteered to get supplies. The most surprising thing is that the brave Armenian did an excellent job with this task, the second operation also bore fruit. But the position of the detachment became more and more difficult, especially since the Persian troops approached the fortification. Abbas Mirza tried to drive the Russians out of the fortification on the move, but his troops suffered losses and were forced to go over to the blockade. Being sure that the Russians were trapped, Abbas-Mirza offered them to lay down their arms, but was refused.

From the report of Colonel Karyagin to Prince Tsitsianov dated June 28, 1805: “Lieutenant Zhudkovsky of the Tiflis Musketeer Regiment, who, despite the wound, volunteered to be a hunter when taking batteries and acted as a brave officer, and Lieutenant Gudim-Levkovich of the 7th Artillery Regiment, who, when almost all his gunners were wounded, he himself loaded the guns and knocked out the gun carriage under the enemy cannon.

Franz Roubaud, Living Bridge, 1892

Karyagin decides to take an even more incredible step, to break through the hordes of the enemy to the fortress of Mukhrat, not occupied by the Persians. On July 7, at 22.00, this march began, a deep ravine with steep slopes arose on the way of the detachment. People and horses could overcome it, but the guns?

Then Private Gavrila Sidorov jumped down to the bottom of the ditch, followed by a dozen more soldiers. Only two climbed out of the ditch.

The first gun, like a bird, flew to the other side, the second fell off and the wheel hit Private Sidorov in the temple. Having buried the hero, the detachment continued its march. There are several versions of this episode: “... the detachment continued to move, calmly and unhindered, until the two guns that were with it were stopped by a small ditch. There was no forest nearby to make a bridge; four soldiers voluntarily volunteered to help the cause, crossed themselves in the ditch and transported guns along them. Two remained alive, and two paid for heroic self-sacrifice with their lives.

One of the officers recalled: “... but as soon as Kotlyarevsky managed to move away from us, we were brutally attacked by several thousand Persians, and their onslaught was so strong and sudden that they managed to capture both of our guns. This is no longer a thing. Karyagin shouted: "Guys, go ahead, save the guns!" Everyone rushed like lions, and immediately our bayonets opened the way. Trying to cut off the Russians from the fortress, Abbas-Mirza sent a cavalry detachment to capture it, but the Persians failed here too. The disabled team of Kotlyarevsky threw back the Persian horsemen. By evening, Karyagin also came to Mukhrat, according to Bobrovsky, this happened at 12.00.

Having received a report dated July 9, Prince Tsitsianov gathered a detachment of 2371 people with 10 guns and went out to meet Karyagin. On July 15, the detachment of Prince Tsitsianov, having driven back the Persians from the Tertara River, camped near the village of Mardagishti. Upon learning of this, Karyagin leaves Mukhrat at night and goes to connect with his commander.

Having made this amazing march, the detachment of Colonel Karyagin for three weeks attracted the attention of almost 20,000 Persians and did not allow them to go deep into the country. For this campaign, Colonel Karyagin was awarded a golden sword with the inscription "for courage". Pavel Mikhailovich Karyagin has been in the service since April 15, 1773 (Smolensk Coin Company), since September 25, 1775, a sergeant of the Voronezh Infantry Regiment. Since 1783, he was a lieutenant of the Belarusian Jaeger Battalion (1st Battalion of the Caucasian Jaeger Corps). Member of the storming of Anapa June 22, 1791, received the rank of major. Head of defense of Pambak in 1802. Chief of the 17th Jaeger Regiment since May 14, 1803. For the assault on Ganja, he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree.

Major Kotlyarevsky was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree, the surviving officers were awarded the Order of St. Anna of the 3rd degree. Avanes Yuzbashi (melik Vani) was not left without a reward, he was promoted to ensign and received 200 silver rubles in a lifetime pension. The feat of private Sidorov in 1892, in the year of the 250th anniversary of the regiment, was immortalized in a monument erected at the headquarters of the Erivans Manglise.

COLONEL KARYAGIN'S CAMPAIGN
(summer 1805)

Having learned about the appearance of large Persian formations, the commander of the Russian troops in the Caucasus, Prince Tsitsianov, ordered Colonel Karyagin to delay the advance of the enemy. On June 18, the detachment set out from Elisavetpol to Shusha, with 493 soldiers and officers and two guns. The detachment included: the patron battalion of the 17th Jaeger Regiment under the command of Major Kotlyarevsky, the company of the Tiflis Musketeer Regiment of Captain Tatarintsov and the artillerymen of Lieutenant Gudim-Levkovich. At that time, Major of the 17th Jaeger Regiment Lisanevich was in Shusha with six companies of rangers, thirty Cossacks and three guns. On July 11, Lisanevich's detachment repulsed several attacks of the Persian troops, and soon an order was received to join the detachment of Colonel Karyagin. But, fearing an uprising of a part of the population and the likelihood of the Persians capturing Shusha, Lisanevich did not do this.

At 18.00 the Persians began to storm the Russian camp, the attacks continued with a break until the very night. Having suffered heavy losses, the Persian commander withdrew his detachments to the heights around the camp, and the Persians installed four false batteries to conduct shelling. From the early morning of July 25, the bombardment of our location began. According to the memoirs of one of the participants in the battle: “Our situation was very, very unenviable and was getting worse hour by hour. The unbearable heat exhausted our strength, thirst tormented us, and shots from enemy batteries did not stop ... ". 1) Several times the Persians offered the commander of the detachment to lay down their arms, but they were invariably refused. In order not to lose the only source of water on the night of June 27, a sortie was made by a group under the command of Lieutenant Klyupin and Lieutenant Prince Tumanov. The operation to destroy the enemy batteries was successfully carried out. All four batteries were destroyed, the servants were partly killed, partly fled, and the falconets were thrown into the river. It must be said that by this day 350 people remained in the detachment, and half had wounds of varying severity.

From the report of Colonel Karyagin to Prince Tsitsianov dated June 26, 1805: “Major Kotlyarevsky was sent by me three times to drive out the enemy who was ahead and occupied elevated places, drove away his strong crowds with courage. Captain Parfyonov, Captain Klyukin throughout the battle on various occasions were sent by me with fittings and hit the enemy with fearlessness.

At dawn on June 27, the attack on the camp was launched by the approaching main forces of the Persians. The attacks continued throughout the day. At four o'clock in the afternoon there was an incident that forever remained a black spot in the glorious history of the regiment. Lieutenant Lisenko and six lower ranks ran over to the enemy. Having received information about the plight of the Russians, Abbas-Mirza threw his troops into a decisive assault, but having suffered heavy losses, he was forced to abandon further attempts to break the resistance of a desperate handful of people. At night, another 19 soldiers ran across to the Persians. Realizing the gravity of the situation, and the fact that the transition of comrades to the enemy creates unhealthy moods among the soldiers, Colonel Karyagin decides to break through the encirclement, go to the river. Shah Bulakh and take a small fortress standing on its shore. The commander of the detachment sent a report to Prince Tsitsianov, in which he wrote: “... in order not to subject the remnant of the detachment to complete and final death and save people and guns, he made a firm decision to break through with courage through the numerous enemy who surrounded from all sides ... ". 2)

The conductor in this desperate enterprise was a local resident, an Armenian Melik Vani. Leaving the convoy and burying captured weapons, the detachment moved on to a new campaign. At first they moved in complete silence, then there was a collision with the enemy's cavalry and the Persians rushed to catch up with the detachment. True, even on the march, attempts to destroy this wounded and mortally tired, but still the battle group did not bring good luck to the Persians, moreover, most of the pursuers rushed to rob the empty Russian camp. According to legend, the castle Shah-Bulakhbal was built by Shah Nadir, and got its name from the stream that flowed nearby. In the castle there was a Persian garrison (150 people) under the command of Emir Khan and Fial Khan, the suburbs occupied enemy posts. Seeing the Russians, the sentries raised the alarm and opened fire. Shots of Russian guns rang out, a well-aimed cannonball smashed the gate, and the Russians broke into the castle. In a report dated June 28, 1805, Karyagin reported: “... the fortress was taken, the enemy was driven out of it and out of the forest with a small loss on our part. On the enemy side, both khans were killed ... Having settled in the fortress, I await the orders of your excellency. By evening, there were only 179 people in the ranks, and 45 charges for guns. Upon learning of this, Prince Tsitsianov wrote to Karyagin: “In unheard-of despair, I ask you to back up the soldiers, and I ask God to back you up.” 3)

Karyagin decides to take an even more incredible step, to break through the hordes of the enemy to the fortress of Mukhrat, unoccupied by the Persians. On July 7, at 22.00, this march began, a deep ravine with steep slopes arose on the way of the detachment. People and horses could overcome it, but the guns? Then Private Gavrila Sidorov jumped down to the bottom of the ditch, followed by a dozen more soldiers. The first gun, like a bird, flew to the other side, the second fell off and the wheel hit Private Sidorov in the temple. Having buried the hero, the detachment continued its march. There are several versions of this episode: “... the detachment continued to move, calmly and unhindered, until the two guns that were with it were stopped by a small ditch. There was no forest nearby to make a bridge; four soldiers volunteered to help the cause, crossed themselves in the ditch and carried the guns over them. Two remained alive, and two paid for their heroic self-sacrifice with their lives.

On July 8, the detachment came to Ksapet, from here Karyagin sent forward carts with the wounded under the command of Kotlyarevsky, and he himself moved after them. Three versts from Mukhrat, the Persians rushed to the column, but were repulsed by fire and bayonets. One of the officers recalled: “... but as soon as Kotlyarevsky managed to move away from us, we were brutally attacked by several thousand Persians, and their onslaught was so strong and sudden that they managed to capture both of our guns. This is no longer a thing. Karyagin shouted: "Guys, go ahead, save the guns!" Everyone rushed like lions, and immediately our bayonets opened the way. Trying to cut off the Russians from the fortress, Abbas-Mirza sent a cavalry detachment to capture it, but the Persians failed here too. The disabled team of Kotlyarevsky threw back the Persian horsemen. By evening, Karyagin also came to Mukhrat, according to Bobrovsky, this happened at 12.00.

Notes and sources.

1) . Popov K. Temple of Glory Paris 1931, vol. I, p. 142.
2) . Popov K. Decree. op., p.144.
3) . Bobrovsky P.O. History of the 13th Life Grenadier Erivan Regiment of His Majesty for 250 years St. Petersburg 1893., vol. III, p. 229.
4) . Popov K. Decree op., p.146.
5) . Viskovatov A. The exploits of the Russians beyond the Caucasus in 1805 // Northern Bee 1845, 99-101.
6) . Library for reading / / Life of a Russian nobleman in different eras of his life, St. Petersburg 1848., v.90., p.39.

Colonel Pavel Karyagin lived in 1752-1807. He became a real hero of the Caucasian and Persian wars. The Persian campaign of Colonel Karyagin is called "300 Spartans". As chief of the 17th Jaeger Regiment, he led 500 Russians against 40,000 Persians.

Biography

His service began in the Butyrsky regiment in 1773. Participating in the victories of Rumyantsev in the first Turkish war, he was inspired by faith in himself and the strength of the Russian troops. Colonel Karyagin subsequently relied on these supports during the raid. He simply did not count the number of enemies.

By 1783, he had already become a second lieutenant of the Belarusian battalion. He managed to stand out in the storming of Anapa in 1791, commanding the Chasseur Corps. He received a bullet in the arm, as well as the rank of major. And in 1800, already having the title of colonel, he began to command the 17th Chasseur Regiment. And then he became a regimental chief. It was in command of him that Colonel Karyagin made a campaign against the Persians. In 1804, he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th class, for storming the Ganzha fortress. But the most famous feat was accomplished by Colonel Karyagin in 1805.

500 Russians versus 40,000 Persians

This campaign is similar to the story of 300 Spartans. Gorge, attacks with bayonets ... This is the golden page of the military history of Russia, which included the frenzy of slaughter and unsurpassed mastery of tactics, amazing cunning and arrogance.

Circumstances

In 1805 Russia was part of the Third Coalition and things were not going well. The enemy was France with its Napoleon, and the allies were Austria, which was noticeably weakened, as well as Great Britain, which never had a strong land army. Kutuzov excelled as best he could.

At the same moment, the Persian Baba Khan became active in the southern regions of the Russian Empire. He began a campaign against the empire, hoping to recoup the past. In 1804 he was defeated. And this was the most successful moment: Russia did not have the opportunity to send a large army to the Caucasus: there were only 8,000 - 10,000 soldiers there. And then 40,000 Persians advanced to the city of Shusha under the command of Abbas-Mirza, the Persian prince. 493 Russians came out to defend the Russian borders from Prince Tsitsianov. Of these, two officers with 2 guns, Colonel Karyagin and Kotlyarevsky.

Start of hostilities

The Russian army did not have time to reach Shushi. The Persian army found them on the road near the Shakh-Bulakh river. It happened on June 24th. There were 10,000 Persians - this is the vanguard. In the Caucasus at that time, the tenfold superiority of the enemy was similar to the situation in the exercises.

Speaking against the Persians, Colonel Karyagin lined up his soldiers in a square. The round-the-clock reflection of enemy cavalry attacks began. And he won. After passing 14 versts, he set up camp with a line of defense from wagons.

On a hill

In the distance, the main force of the Persians appeared, approximately 15,000 people. It became impossible to move on. Then Colonel Karyagin occupied the barrow, on which there was a Tatar cemetery. It was more convenient to keep the defense there. Having broken the ditch, he blocked the approaches to the hill with wagons. The Persians continued to attack fiercely. Colonel Karyagin held the hill, but at the cost of the lives of 97 people.

On that day, he wrote to Tsitsianov “I would pave ... the road to Shusha, but the large number of wounded people, whom I have no means to raise, makes it impossible for any attempt to move from the place I occupied.” Persians died in great numbers. And they realized that the next attack would cost them dearly. The soldiers left only a cannonade, believing that the detachment would not survive until the morning.

There are not many examples in military history in which soldiers, surrounded by a vastly outnumbered enemy, do not accept surrender. However, Colonel Karyagin did not give up. Initially, he counted on the help of the Karabakh cavalry, but she went over to the side of the Persians. Tsitsianov tried to turn them back to the side of the Russians, but in vain.

Squad position

Karyagin had no hope of any help. By the third day, June 26, the Persians blocked the Russians' access to water by placing falcon batteries nearby. They were engaged in round-the-clock shelling. And then the losses began to grow. Karyagin himself was shell-shocked three times in the chest and head, he had a wound in the side right through.

Most of the officers left. There were about 150 able-bodied soldiers left. All of them suffered from thirst and heat. The night was restless and sleepless. But the feat of Colonel Karyagin began here. The Russians showed particular perseverance: they found the strength to make sorties against the Persians.

Once they managed to reach the Persian camp and capture 4 batteries, get water and bring 15 falconets. This was done by a group under the command of Ladinsky. There are records in which he admired the courage of his soldiers. The success of the operation exceeded the colonel's wildest expectations. He went out to them and kissed the soldiers in front of the whole detachment. Unfortunately, Ladinsky was seriously wounded in the camp the next day.

Spy

After 4 days, the heroes fought the Persians, but by the fifth, there was not enough ammunition and food. The last crackers are gone. Officers have been eating grass and roots for a long time. And then the colonel sent 40 people to nearby villages to get bread and meat. The soldiers did not inspire confidence. It turned out that among these fighters was a French spy who called himself Lisenkov. His note was intercepted. The next morning, only six people returned from the detachment, reporting the flight of an officer and the death of all the other soldiers.

Petrov, who was present at the time, said that Lisenkov ordered the soldiers to lay down their arms. But Petrov reported that in the area where the enemy is nearby, this is not done: at any moment a Persian can attack. Lisenkov convinced that there was nothing to be afraid of. The soldiers understood: something is not right here. All the officers always left the soldiers armed, at least most of them. But there is nothing to do, an order is an order. And soon the Persians appeared in the distance. The Russians barely made their way, hiding in the bushes. Only six people survived: they hid in the bushes and began to fight back from there. Then the Persians retreated.

Hiding in the night

This greatly disappointed the Karyagin detachment. But the Colonel did not lose heart. He told everyone to go to bed and get ready for the night's work. The soldiers realized that at night the Russians would break through the enemy ranks. It was impossible to stay in this place without crackers and cartridges.

The convoy was left to the enemy, but the extracted falconets were hidden in the ground so that the Persians would not get them. After that, the cannons were loaded with buckshot, the wounded were laid out on stretchers, and then, in complete silence, the Russians left the camp.

There weren't enough horses. Jaegers carried guns on straps. There were only three wounded officers on horseback: Karyagin, Kotlyarovsky, Ladinsky. The soldiers promised to carry guns when needed. And they kept their promise.

Despite the complete secrecy of the Russians, the Persians discovered that the detachment was missing. So they followed the trail. But the storm has begun. The darkness of the night was pitch-black. However, Karyagin's detachment escaped during the night. He came to Shah-Bulakh, within its walls was the Persian garrison, which slept, not expecting the Russians. Ten minutes later, Karyagin occupied the garrison. The head of the fortress, Emir Khan, a relative of the Prince of Persia, was killed, the body was left with him.

Blockade

The blockade of the fortress began. The Persians were counting on the colonel to surrender due to hunger. For four days the Russians ate grass and horse meat. But stocks have run out. Yuzbash appeared, providing a service. At night, having got out of the fortress, he told Tsitsianov about what was happening in the Russian camp. The alarmed prince, who did not have soldiers and food to help him, wrote to Karyagin. He wrote that he believed that Colonel Karyagin's campaign would end successfully.

Yuzbash returned with a small amount of food. There was only enough food for the day. Yuzbash began to lead the detachment at night past the Persians for food. Once they almost ran into the enemy, but in the darkness of the night and fog they set up an ambush. In a couple of seconds, the soldiers killed all the Persians without a single shot, only during a bayonet attack.

To hide the traces of this attack, they took horses, sprinkled blood, and hid the corpses in a ravine. And the Persians did not learn about the sortie and the death of their patrol. Such sorties allowed Karyagin to hold out for another seven days. But in the end, the Persian prince lost his patience and offered the colonel a reward for going over to the side of the Persians, surrendering Shah Bulakh. He promised that no one would get hurt. Karyagin suggested 4 days for reflection, but that all this time the prince delivered food to the Russians. And he agreed. It was a bright page in the history of Colonel Karyagin's campaign: the Russians recovered during this time.

And by the end of the fourth day, the prince sent messengers. Karyagin replied that the next day the Persians would occupy Shah Bulakh. He kept his word. At night, the Russians went to the Mukhrat fortress, which was convenient to defend.

They went by roundabout paths, through the mountains, bypassing the Persians in the dark. The enemy discovered the deception of the Russians only in the morning, when Kotlyarevsky with wounded soldiers and officers was already in Mukhrat, and Karyagin with guns crossed the most dangerous areas. And if not for the heroic spirit, any obstacle could make this impossible.

living bridge

On impassable roads they carried cannons with them. And having found a deep ravine through which it was impossible to move them, the soldiers with approving exclamations after the proposal of Gavrila Sidorov themselves lay down on its bottom, thus building a living bridge. It went down in history as a heroic episode of the campaign of Colonel Karyagin in 1805.

The first one crossed the living bridge, and when the second one passed, the two soldiers did not get up. Among them was the ringleader Gavrila Sidorov.

Despite the haste, the detachment dug a grave, in which they left their heroes. The Persians were close and overtook the Russian detachment before he managed to get to the fortress. Then they entered the fray, aiming their cannons at the camp of the enemy. Several times the guns changed hands. But Mukhrat was close. The colonel at night went to the fortress with a small loss. At that moment, Karyagin sent a famous message to the Persian prince.

The final

It should be noted that thanks to the courage of the colonel, the Persians were delayed in Karabagh. And they did not have time to attack Georgia. So, Prince Tsitsianov recruited soldiers who were scattered around the outskirts, and went on the offensive. Then Karyagin got the opportunity to leave Mukhrat and go to the settlement of Mazdygert. There Tsitsianov received him with military honors.

He asked the Russian soldiers about what had happened and promised to tell the emperor about the feat. Ladinsky was given the Order of St. George of the 4th degree, and after that he became a colonel. He was an amiable and witty man, as all who knew him said about him.

The emperor gave Karyagin a golden sword with an engraving "For Courage". Yuzbash became an ensign, was awarded a gold medal and a pension of 200 rubles for life.

The remnants of the heroic detachment went to the Elizavetpol battalion. Colonel Karyagin was wounded, but a couple of days later, when the Persians came to Shamkhor, even in this state he opposed them.

Heroic Rescue

And on July 27, a detachment of Pir-Kuli Khan attacked a Russian transport heading for Elizavetpol. With him was only a handful of soldiers with Georgian drovers. They lined up in a square and went on the defensive, each of them had 100 enemies. The Persians demanded the surrender of transport, threatening complete extermination. Dontsov was the head of transport. He called on his soldiers to die, but not to surrender. The situation was desperate. Dontsov was mortally wounded, and ensign Plotnevsky was captured. The soldiers lost their leaders. And at that moment, Karyagin appeared, changing the fight dramatically. From the cannons, the Persian ranks were shot, they fled.

memory and death

Due to the many wounds and campaigns, Karyagin's health suffered. In 1806 he suffered from a fever, and already in 1807 the colonel died. The famous officer for his courage became a national hero, a legend of the Caucasian epic.

The state of affairs in the Caucasus by 1805 was extremely difficult. The Persian ruler Baba Khan was eager to regain the lost influence of Tehran after the arrival of the Russians in the Caucasus. The impetus for the war was the capture by the troops of Prince Tsitsianov Ganzha.
The moment was chosen extremely well: Petersburg could not send a single extra soldier to the Caucasus. In one of the reports to the emperor, Prince Tsitsianov complained about the lack of troops to fulfill the will of the monarch to capture the Erivan and Baku khanates during the spring and autumn of 1804. In May 1804, Tsitsianov undertook a campaign against the Erivan Khanate, for which Russia competed with Persia. The Persian Khan did not answer and in June 1804 sent a detachment there led by Abbas Mirza. After a series of clashes with the Persians, the assault on Erivan began. The literature describes a number of Russian exploits associated with these events, "the likes of which can only be found in the epic creations of Greece, and in the glorious Caucasian war of the times of Tsitsianov and Kotlyarevsky." For example, it is said about Major Nold, who, with 150 people, defended an earthen redoubt from the attacks of several thousand Persians and managed to defend it. After the arrival of Baba Khan with reinforcements of 15 thousand people, Tsitsianov retreated from Erivan to Georgia in late summer - early autumn, where the riots that had begun, moreover, demanded his presence.

Because of the war with France, St. Petersburg could not increase the strength of the Caucasian Corps; by May 1805, it consisted of about 6,000 infantry and 1,400 cavalry. Moreover, the troops were scattered over a vast territory. Due to illness and poor nutrition, there was a large shortage. So, according to the lists in the 17th Jaeger Regiment, there were 991 privates in three battalions - in fact, there were 201 people in the ranks.

In June 1805, the Persian prince Abbas Mirza launched an attack on Tiflis. In this direction, the Persians had a huge superiority in forces. Georgia faced the threat of a repetition of the massacre of 1795. Shah Baba Khan swore to massacre and exterminate all Russians in Georgia to the last man. The campaign began with the fact that the enemy crossed the Arak at the Khudoperin crossing. The battalion of the 17th Jaeger Regiment, which was covering it, under the command of Major Lisanevich, was unable to hold back the Persians and retreated to Shusha. On the part of Erivan, its actions were limited only by the fact that on June 13 Mehdi Khan of the Qajar brought a three thousandth Persian garrison into the fortress and, having arrested the old ruler Mamed, he himself accepted the title of Erivan Khan.

Upon learning of the appearance of large Persian formations, the commander of the Russian troops in the Caucasus, Prince Tsitsianov, sent all the help that he could send (all 493 soldiers and officers with two guns, Karyagin, Kotlyarevsky (which is a separate story) and the Russian military spirit), ordering Colonel Karyagin stop the advance of the enemy. The strength of both detachments together, if they had managed to unite, did not exceed nine hundred people, but Tsitsianov knew the spirit of the Caucasian troops well, knew their leaders and was calm about the consequences.

The Shusha fortress lay only 80 versts from the Persian border and gave the enemy the opportunity to concentrate significant forces under its cover for action against Georgia. Disorders had already begun in Shusha, which broke out, of course, not without the participation of Persian politics, and Lisanevich clearly saw that in the absence of troops, treason could easily open the fortress gates and let the Persians in. And if the Persians occupied Shusha, then Russia would lose the Karabakh Khanate for a long time and would be forced to wage war on its own territory. Tsitsianov himself was aware of this.

So, on June 18, Karyagin's detachment set out from Elisavetpol to Shusha, having 493 soldiers and officers and two guns. The detachment included: the patron battalion of the 17th Jaeger Regiment under the command of Major Kotlyarevsky, the company of the Tiflis Musketeer Regiment of Captain Tatarintsov and the artillerymen of Lieutenant Gudim-Levkovich. At that time, Major of the 17th Jaeger Regiment Lisanevich was in Shusha with six companies of rangers, thirty Cossacks and three guns. On July 11, Lisanevich's detachment repulsed several attacks of the Persian troops, and soon an order was received to join the detachment of Colonel Karyagin. But, fearing an uprising of a part of the population and the likelihood of the Persians capturing Shusha, Lisanevich did not do this. Tsitsianov's fears were justified. The Persians occupied the Askaran castle and cut off Karyagin from Shusha.

On June 24, the first battle took place with the Persian cavalry (about 3,000) who crossed the Shah-Bulakh River. Not at all confused (at that time in the Caucasus, battles with less than a tenfold superiority of the enemy were not considered battles and officially took place in reports as "exercises in conditions close to combat"), Karyagin built an army in a square and continued to go his own way, until the evening repulsing the fruitless attacks of the Persian cavalry. After passing 14 versts, the detachment camped, the so-called wagenburg or, in Russian, walk-city, when the defense line is lined up from carts (given the Caucasian off-road and the lack of a supply network, the troops had to carry significant supplies with them), at the mound (and Tatar cemetery) the Kara-Agach-Baba tract on the river. Askaran. Numerous tombstones and buildings (gyumbet or darbaz) were scattered on the hilly square, representing some protection from shots.

In the distance one could see the tents of the Persian armada under the command of Pir-Kuli Khan, and this was only the vanguard of the army, commanded by the heir to the Persian throne, Abbas Mirza. On the same day, Karyagin sent a demand to Lisanevich to leave Shusha and go to him, but the latter, due to the difficult situation, could not do this.

At 1800, the Persians began to storm the Russian camp, attacks continued intermittently until the very night, after which they took a forced break to clear piles of Persian bodies, funerals, crying and writing postcards to the families of the dead. The Persian losses were enormous. There were also losses on the part of the Russians. Karyagin held out at the cemetery, but it cost him one hundred and ninety-seven people, that is, almost half of the detachment. “Ignoring the large number of Persians,” he wrote to Tsitsianov on the same day, “I would have made my way with bayonets to Shusha, but the great number of wounded people whom I have no means to raise makes it impossible for any attempt to move from the place I have occupied.” By morning, the Persian commander withdrew his troops to the heights around the camp.

Military history does not offer many examples where a detachment, surrounded by a hundred times the strongest enemy, would not accept an honorable surrender. But Karyagin did not think to give up. True, at first he counted on help from the Karabakh khan, but soon this hope had to be abandoned: they learned that the khan had betrayed and that his son with the Karabakh cavalry was already in the Persian camp. Several times the Persians offered the commander of the detachment to lay down their arms, but they were invariably refused.

On the third day, June 26, the Persians, wanting to speed up the denouement, diverted water from the besieged and placed four falconet batteries over the river itself, which day and night shelled the walk-city. From that time on, the position of the detachment becomes unbearable, and losses quickly begin to increase. According to the memoirs of one of the participants in the battle: “Our situation was very, very unenviable and was getting worse hour by hour. The unbearable heat exhausted our strength, thirst tormented us, and shots from enemy batteries did not stop ... ". Karyagin himself, already shell-shocked three times in the chest and in the head, was wounded by a bullet through the side. Most of the officers also left the front, and there were not even a hundred and fifty soldiers left fit for battle. If we add to this the torments of thirst, unbearable heat, anxious and sleepless nights, then the formidable persistence with which the soldiers not only irrevocably endured incredible hardships, but still found enough strength in themselves to make sorties and beat the Persians becomes almost incomprehensible.

In order not to lose the only source of water, in one of these sorties on the night of June 27, soldiers, under the command of Lieutenant Ladinsky (according to other information, Lieutenant Klyukin and Lieutenant Prince Tumanov), penetrated even to the Persian camp itself and, having mastered four batteries on Askoran, not only destroyed the batteries and obtained water, but also brought fifteen falconets with them. However, this did not save the situation. It must be said that by this day 350 people remained in the detachment, and half had wounds of varying severity.

The success of this sortie exceeded Karyagin's wildest expectations. He went out to thank the brave rangers, but, finding no words, ended up kissing them all in front of the whole detachment. Unfortunately, Ladinsky, who survived on enemy batteries while performing his daring feat, was seriously wounded by a Persian bullet the next day in his own camp.

For four days a handful of heroes stood face to face with the Persian army, but on the fifth day there was a shortage of ammunition and food. The soldiers ate their last crackers that day, and the officers had long been eating grass and roots. At dawn on June 27, the attack on the camp was launched by the approaching main forces of the Persians. The attacks continued throughout the day. In this extreme, Karyagin decided to send forty people to forage in the nearest villages so that they could get meat, and if possible, bread. At four o'clock in the afternoon there was an incident that forever remained a black spot in the glorious history of the regiment. The foraging team went under the command of an officer who did not inspire much confidence in himself. It was a foreigner of unknown nationality, calling himself the Russian surname Lisenkov (Lysenko); he was the only one of the entire detachment who was apparently weary of his position. Subsequently, from the intercepted correspondence, it turned out that it was indeed a French spy. Lieutenant Lisenko and six lower ranks ran over to the enemy.
By the dawn of the twenty-eighth, only six people from the sent team appeared - with the news that the Persians had attacked them, that the officer was missing, and the rest of the soldiers were hacked to death. Here are some details of the unfortunate expedition, recorded then from the words of the wounded sergeant major Petrov. “As soon as we arrived at the village,” Petrov said, “lieutenant Lisenkov immediately ordered us to pack up our guns, take off our ammunition and walk along the sacks. I reported to him that in the enemy's land it is not good to do this, because, not even the hour, the enemy may come running. But the lieutenant shouted at me and said that we had nothing to fear. I dismissed the people, and myself, as if sensing something unkind, climbed the mound and began to inspect the surroundings. Suddenly I see: the Persian cavalry is galloping ... “Well, I think, it’s bad!” I rushed to the village, and there were already Persians. I began to fight back with a bayonet, but meanwhile I shouted for the soldiers to rescue their guns as soon as possible. Somehow I managed to do it, and, having gathered in a heap, we rushed to make our way. “Well, guys,” I said, “strength breaks straw; run into the bushes, and there, God willing, we’ll also sit out!” - With these words, we rushed in all directions, but only six of us, and then wounded, managed to get to the bush. The Persians poked their nose at us, but we received them in such a way that they soon left us alone.
There are other versions of this event - Lysenko's betrayal. This was an officer who distinguished himself during the assault on Ganzha and in the battle on June 24, 1805, during the reflection of Pir-Kuli Khan, when Karyagin himself recommended him “especially”, just two days before his betrayal. In view of this, it seems more likely to allow Lysenko to be simply careless. It is noteworthy that there is no positive information about the further fate of Lysenko.

Having received information from defectors about the plight of the Russians, Abbas-Mirza threw his troops into a decisive assault, but, having suffered heavy losses, was forced to abandon further attempts to break the resistance of a desperate handful of people.
The fatal failure with foraging made a striking impression on the detachment, which lost here, from a small number of people left after the defense, thirty-five selected fellows at once. At night, another 19 soldiers ran across to the Persians.
But Karyagin's energy did not waver. Having fought another day, Karyagin began to suspect that he would not be able to kill the entire Persian army with 300 Russians. Realizing the gravity of the situation, and the fact that the transition of comrades to the enemy creates unhealthy moods among the soldiers, Colonel Karyagin decides to break through the encirclement, go to the river. Shah Bulakh and occupy a small fortress standing on its shore. The commander of the detachment sent a report to Prince Tsitsianov, in which he wrote: “... in order not to subject the remnant of the detachment to complete and final death and save people and guns, he made a firm decision to break through with courage through the numerous enemy who surrounded from all sides ... ".

The Armenian Yuzbash (melik Vani) undertook to be the guide of the detachment in this desperate enterprise. For Karyagin, in this case, the Russian proverb came true: "Throw bread and salt back, and she will find herself in front." He once did a great favor to one Elizabethan resident, whose son fell in love with Karyagin so much that he was always with him in all campaigns and, as we shall see, played a prominent role in all subsequent events. Another favorable factor was the lack of proper sentry service among the Persian troops, when at night their camp location was never guarded.
Leaving the convoy and burying the captured falconets, praying to God, they loaded the guns with grapeshot, took the wounded onto a stretcher and quietly, without noise, at midnight on the twenty-ninth of June, set out from the camp on a new campaign. Due to the lack of horses, the huntsmen dragged guns on straps. Only three wounded officers rode on horseback: Karyagin, Kotlyarevsky and Lieutenant Ladinsky, and even then because the soldiers themselves did not allow them to dismount, promising to pull out cannons on their hands where necessary. And we will see further how honestly they fulfilled their promise.

At first they moved in complete silence, then there was a collision with the enemy's cavalry and the Persians rushed to catch up with the detachment. True, even on the march, attempts to destroy this wounded and mortally tired, but still battle group, did not bring good luck to the Persians. The impenetrable darkness, the storm, and especially the dexterity of the guide once again saved Karyagin's detachment from the possibility of extermination. Moreover, most of the pursuers rushed to rob the empty Russian camp. By daylight, he was already at the walls of Shah Bulakh, occupied by a small Persian garrison. According to the legends, the Shah-Bulakhbal castle was built by Shah Nadir, and got its name from the stream flowing nearby. In the castle there was a Persian garrison (150 people) under the command of Emir Khan and Fial Khan, the suburbs occupied enemy posts.

Taking advantage of the fact that everyone was still sleeping there, not thinking about the proximity of the Russians, Karyagin fired a volley of guns, broke the iron gates and, rushing to attack, captured the fortress ten minutes later. Its head, Emir Khan, a relative of the Persian crown prince, was killed, and his body remained in the hands of the Russians. The garrison fled. In a report dated June 28, 1805, Karyagin reported: “... the fortress was taken, the enemy was driven out of it and out of the forest with a small loss on our part. On the enemy side, both khans were killed ... Having settled in the fortress, I await the orders of your excellency. By evening, there were only 179 people in the ranks, and 45 charges for guns. Upon learning of this, Prince Tsitsianov wrote to Karyagin: “In unheard-of despair, I ask you to back up the soldiers, and I ask God to back you up.”

The Russians barely had time to repair the gates, as the main Persian forces appeared, worried about the loss of their beloved Russian detachment. Abbas Mirza tried to drive the Russians out of the fortification on the move, but his troops suffered losses and were forced to go over to the blockade. But this was not the end. Not even the beginning of the end. After an inventory of the property remaining in the fortress, it turned out that there was no food. And that the convoy with food had to be abandoned during a breakthrough from the encirclement, so there was nothing to eat. At all. At all. At all. For four days the besieged ate grass and horse meat, but at last these meager supplies were also eaten.

The same melik Vanya, whom Popov calls the "Good genius of the detachment", volunteered to get supplies. The most surprising thing is that the brave Armenian did an excellent job with this task, repeated operations also bore fruit. Several such excursions allowed Karyagin to hold out for another whole week without any particular extremity. But the position of the detachment became more and more difficult. Being sure that the Russians were trapped, Abbas-Mirza offered them to lay down their arms in exchange for great rewards and honors if Karyagin agreed to go into the Persian service and surrender Shah Bulakh, and promising that not the slightest insult would be inflicted on any of the Russians. Karyagin asked for four days for reflection, but so that Abbas-Mirza would feed the Russians with food during all these days. Abbas Mirza agreed, and the Russian detachment, regularly receiving everything they needed from the Persians, rested and recovered.

Meanwhile, the last day of the truce had expired, and by evening Abbas-Mirza sent to ask Karyagin about his decision. “Tomorrow morning, let His Highness occupy Shah-Bulakh,” Karyagin answered. As we shall see, he kept his word. Karyagin decides to take an even more incredible step, to break through the hordes of the enemy to the fortress of Mukhrat, not occupied by the Persians.

It is said that there was once an angel in Heaven who was in charge of monitoring the impossibility. This angel died on July 7 at 10 p.m., when Karyagin set out with a detachment, led by Yuzbash, from the fortress to storm the next, even larger fortress, Mukhrat, which, due to its mountainous location and proximity to Elizavetpol, was more convenient for protection. It is important to understand that by July 7, the detachment had been fighting continuously for the 13th day.
By roundabout roads, through the mountains and slums, the detachment managed to bypass the Persian posts so covertly that the enemy noticed Karyagin's deception only in the morning, when Kotlyarevsky's vanguard, composed exclusively of wounded soldiers and officers, was already in Mukhrat, and Karyagin himself with the rest of the people and with guns he managed to pass dangerous mountain gorges. Even the soldiers who remained to call to each other on the walls managed to get away from the Persians and catch up with the detachment.

If Karyagin and his soldiers were not imbued with a truly heroic spirit, then it seems that local difficulties alone would be enough to make the whole enterprise completely impossible. Here, for example, is one of the episodes of this transition, a fact that stands alone even in the history of the Caucasian army.

On the route of the detachment, a deep ravine or ravine arose (according to the description of Lieutenant Gorshkov, the bed of the Kabartu-chaya river) with steep slopes. People and horses could overcome it, but the guns?
Guys! the battalion leader Sidorov suddenly shouted. Why stand and think? You can’t take the city standing, better listen to what I tell you: our brother has a gun - a lady, and a lady needs help; so let's roll it on guns."
Private Gavrila Sidorov jumped down to the bottom of the ditch, followed by a dozen more soldiers.
There are several versions of this episode: “... the detachment continued to move, calmly and unhindered, until the two guns that were with it were stopped by a small ditch. There was no forest nearby to make a bridge; four soldiers volunteered to help the cause, crossed themselves, lay down in the ditch and carried the guns over them. Two remained alive, and two paid for their heroic self-sacrifice with their lives. In an earlier book, Potto retells the description thus: the guns were stuck into the ground with bayonets as a kind of piles, other guns were laid on them like crossbars, and the soldiers propped them up with their shoulders; the second cannon fell off during the crossing and with all its might hit the head of two soldiers, including Sidorov, with a wheel. The soldier only had time to say: "Farewell, brothers, do not remember dashingly and pray for me a sinner."
No matter how the detachment was in a hurry to retreat, however, the soldiers managed to dig a deep grave, into which the officers lowered the bodies of their dead colleagues in their arms.

Only now Karyagin sent a letter to Abbas-Mirza in response to his offer to transfer to the Persian service. “In your letter, please say,” Karyagin wrote to him, “that your parent has mercy on me; and I have the honor to notify you that, when fighting with the enemy, they do not seek mercy, except for traitors; and I, who have turned gray under arms, will consider it a happiness to shed my blood in the service of His Imperial Majesty.

In Mukhrat, the detachment enjoyed comparative calm and contentment. And Prince Tsitsianov, having received a report on July 9, gathered a detachment of 2371 people with 10 guns and went out to meet Karyagin. On July 15, the detachment of Prince Tsitsianov, having driven back the Persians from the Tertara River, camped near the village of Mardagishti. Upon learning of this, Karyagin leaves Mukhrat at night and goes to the village of Mazdygert to connect with his commander.

There the commander-in-chief received him with extraordinary military honours. All the troops, dressed in full dress, were lined up in a deployed front, and when the remnants of a brave detachment appeared, Tsitsianov himself ordered: "On guard!" “Hurray!” thundered through the ranks, the drums beat the march, the banners bowed ...

It must be said that as soon as Tsitsianov left Elizavetpol, Abbas-Mirza, counting on the weakness of the garrison left there, broke into the Elizavetpol district and rushed to the city. Although Karyagin was exhausted from the wounds received at Askoran, the sense of duty in him was so strong that, a few days later, the colonel, neglecting his illness, again stood face to face with Abbas Mirza. The rumor that Karyagin was approaching Elizavetpol forced Abbas-Mirza to evade a meeting with the Russian troops. And near Shamkhor, Karyagin, with a detachment not exceeding six hundred bayonets, put the Persians to flight. This is the finale that ended the Persian campaign of 1805. “Fabulous things are happening to you,” Count Rostopchin wrote to Prince Pavel Tsitsianov, “hearing about them, you marvel at them and rejoice that the name of the Russians and Tsitsianov thunders in distant countries ...”

Having made this amazing march, the detachment of Colonel Karyagin for three weeks attracted the attention of almost 20,000 Persians and did not allow them to go deep into the country. Colonel Karyagin's courage bore enormous fruit. Detaining the Persians in Karabagh, it saved Georgia from being flooded by Persian hordes and made it possible for Prince Tsitsianov to gather troops scattered along the borders and open an offensive campaign. And although in February 1806, Prince Tsitsianov was treacherously killed while allegedly handing over the keys to the city of Baku, on the whole, the campaign of 1805 ended with the conquest of the Sheki, Shirvan, Kuban and Karabakh (and in October 1806 Baku) khanates by Russia.

For his campaign, Colonel Karyagin was awarded a golden sword with the inscription "For Courage". Major Kotlyarevsky was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree, the surviving officers were awarded the Order of St. Anna of the 3rd degree. Avanes Yuzbashi (melik Vani) was not left without a reward, he was promoted to ensign, received a gold medal and 200 silver rubles in a lifetime pension. The feat of private Sidorov in 1892, in the year of the 250th anniversary of the regiment, was immortalized in a monument erected at the headquarters of the Erivans Manglise.

Continuous campaigns, wounds, and especially fatigue during the winter campaign of 1806 upset Karyagin's health. He fell ill with a fever that turned into yellow rotten fever, and on May 7, 1807, this “gray-haired under arms” hero was gone (excluded from the army lists on July 31, 1807). His last award was the Order of St. Vladimir of the 3rd degree, received a few days before his death. Historian of the Caucasian War V.A. Potto wrote: "Amazed by his heroic deeds, the fighting offspring gave the personality of Karyagin a majestically legendary character, created from him the favorite type in the military epic of the Caucasus."

Finally, the picture of F.A. Roubaud (1856-1928) "Living bridge, an episode from the campaign of Colonel Karyagin to Mukhrat in 1805", created by a battle painter for the Tiflis Museum, which depicts an embellished image of this event of the campaign ("The path was blocked by a deep ravine, to overcome which two cannons in the detachment "They couldn't. There was neither time nor materials for the construction of the bridge. Then Private Gavrila Sidorov, with the words: "The cannon is a soldier's mistress, she needs help," was the first to lie at the bottom of the pit. Ten more people rushed after him. The cannons were transported over the bodies of the soldiers, while Sidorov himself died from a cranial injury."). No wonder, because the painting was painted by the artist in 1892, and was first demonstrated 93 years after the campaign - in 1898. From statements at one military-historical forum: “It is not clear why Roubaud's guns lie on the sidelines, instead of putting and distributing them on top of themselves load. And then you can see how one crazy man generally lay down under the wheels with his stomach up”; “The horses have already been eaten, the cannons were dragged along the mountain paths by the soldiers themselves”; “Roubaud has it amplified for drama, although I think it was enough.”

P.S. Unfortunately, I could not find a portrait of Karyagin, I found a portrait of Kotlyarevsky.

On June 24, 214 years ago, from the Ganja fortress to help the garrison of Major Lisanevich, besieged in Shusha by a 40,000-strong Persian army that was marching on Georgia, a detachment of Colonel Pavel Mikhailovich Karyagin advanced - 493 huntsmen (translated from German, these are hunters, a kind of infantry that operated small teams). Then there will be 3 weeks of continuous battle with 20 thousand Persians and simply magical examples of the famous Suvorov style (continuous maneuver, unexpected actions on the counter and bayonet attack). 150 huntsmen will remain alive (among them are the heroes of the Caucasian War, Pyotr Ladinsky and Pyotr Kotlyarevsky) and Karyagin himself, wounded three times. Well, yes, as a result of this incredible raid, Georgia will be saved. We all love to watch films about heroism that Hollywood shows us: 300 Spartans, The Last Samurai, Commando, The Expendables, etc. But this story is really cooler.

It was during the Russo-Persian War (1804-1813). The 48-year-old Colonel Karyagin even before this episode was known as a brave commander who always acted ahead of the curve. With the same major Lisanevich, he powerfully proved himself during the assault on Ganja in January 1804, playing a key role in the success of the assault. Karyagin's unit was supposed to simulate an attack in order to distract the enemy's attention from the main attack. But the attack of the main forces bogged down, and then Karyagin and the soldiers climbed onto the walls of the fortress where no one was waiting for them, made their way down to the gate (at the same time, Lisanevich hacked to death the head of the Ganja Khanate, Javad Khan), and opened the gate from the inside, which was what they decided the outcome of the assault.

And it was precisely Karyagin's detachment that Prince Pavel Dmitrievich Tsitsianov sent to help Lisanevich. Not because he was his army friend, of course. There was just no one else. At the disposal of Tsitsianov, who at that moment led the Russian troops in the Transcaucasus, half of the two thousand payrolls lay with a fever. The leader of the detachment was a descendant of the noble Armenian family Hovhannes, who in Ganja became friends with Karyagin.

Three days later, not far from the fortress of Shahbulag (modern Nagorno-Karabakh), Karyagin was attacked by an advanced Persian detachment of four thousand horsemen led by the ferocious Pir-Kuli Khan, who was the right hand of the 16-year-old Crown Prince of Persia Abbas Mirza. But the huntsmen, lining up in a square, continued to move forward, repelling attack after attack. However, when the main forces of the Persian army approached - 20 thousand people led by Abbas Mirza - it became impossible for the Russian detachment to continue further movement. Karyagin, looking around, ordered to take a high mound with a Tatar cemetery spread on it on the bank of Askeran - a place convenient for defense.

As soon as the huntsmen hastily dug in a moat and blocked all access to the mound with wagons from their convoy, the Persians again went on the attack. Violent attacks followed one after another without interruption until nightfall. Karyagin held the cemetery, but it cost the detachment the lives of 197 people.

Persian losses were also enormous. And Abbas Mirza, not wanting to lose people in vain, ordered to divert water from the besieged and placed four falconet batteries over the river itself, which fired at the camp day and night.

Soon the position of the detachment became unbearable, only 150 combat-ready rangers remained, Karyagin (at that time already wounded in the chest, side and head) ordered a night outing for water, which was led by Lieutenant Pyotr Ladinsky, hero of the Caucasian War. In a terrible bayonet attack, several hundred Persians were killed, and the huntsmen, without losing a single person, not only got water, but also carried away all fifteen falconets with them.

But the detachment suffered much greater losses the next day, when Karyagin sent 40 people to the nearest villages for food under the command of a lieutenant Lisenkov. By dawn, only six returned with the news of the betrayal of Lisenkov, who ordered to collect food, laying down their arms - at this moment the Russians were attacked.

A search of the lieutenant's personal belongings showed that he was a French agent. France, interested in the defeat of Russia in the Caucasus, did not sit idly by.

At the military council, Karyagin decided to storm the nearby Shakhbulag fortress. And there was no other way out, since the cartridges ran out, and there were only 19 charges for the guns.

At midnight on June 28, leaving the convoy to be plundered by the enemy, the soldiers, praying to God, loading the guns with grapeshot and taking the wounded on a stretcher, left the camp without noise. Almost all the horses were killed, the wounded Karyagin, Kotlyarevsky and Ladinsky rode on the three remaining, and the huntsman's guns were dragged on straps.

Taking advantage of the darkness of the night and the mountain slums, Hovhannes led the detachment completely silently. The Persians noticed the disappearance of the detachment, attacked the trail, but the impenetrable darkness and storm saved the detachment from trouble.

And in the morning, the huntsmen smashed the iron gates of Shahbulag with a volley of two guns, the soldiers, rushing into a bayonet attack, captured the fortress in 10 minutes, and Emir Khan, who was the nephew of Abbas Mirza, died during the assault.

As soon as the huntsmen occupied the fortress, the entire Persian army appeared at its gates, which was literally on its heels. Karyagin began to prepare for battle - fortunately, there was an abundance of gunpowder and bullets in the fortress, but after a few hours, instead of assault columns, Persian parliamentarians appeared in front of the castle walls, through which Abbas Mirza asked to extradite the murdered relative.

Karyagin replied that he could exchange the body of his nephew for the soldiers captured on Lisenkov's expedition and Lisenkov himself. The parliamentarian, however, said that this was impossible, since everyone was killed. This was a lie, since Lisenkov himself was in the Persian camp. Nevertheless, Karyagin ordered the body of the murdered khan to be handed over, adding: “Tell the prince that I believe him, but we have an old proverb: whoever lies, let him be ashamed - the heir to the vast Persian monarchy will, of course, not want to blush in front of us ". Thus the negotiations ended. The Persian army surrounded the castle and began a blockade, hoping to force Karyagin to surrender by starvation.

For four days the Russian huntsmen ate grass and horse meat when Hovhannes offered to sneak into the Armenian village. The rangers crept into the village, left a message for Tsitsianov about the position of the detachment, and returned with two bags of provisions.

The stock is enough for a day, Hovhannes leads the huntsmen on a new sortie for food, during the third sortie the Russian column stumbles upon an enemy equestrian siding, but, taking advantage of the thick fog, in a few seconds exterminates all the Persians without a single shot, with only bayonets, takes the horses with them, blood falls asleep on the ground, and the dead are dragged into the ravine.

Several similar sorties made it possible to hold out for another whole week! Then Abbas Mirza, having lost his patience, offers Karyagin rewards and honors if he agrees to go over to the Persians and surrender Shahbulag, promising that none of the rangers will suffer. Karyagin asks for four days for reflection - on the condition that the Persians supply them with food all these days.

By the evening of the fourth day of the truce, Abbas Mirza sends a parliamentarian to ask about the decision, and Karyagin gives him his word that tomorrow Abbas Mirza will be able to occupy Shahbulag.

But as soon as night falls, the whole detachment leaves Shahbulag, having decided to move to the Mukhrat fortress, which, due to its mountainous location and proximity to Ganja, is more convenient for protection.

Karyagin leaves several rangers in Shakhbulag, who are supposed to imitate activity (by the way, they managed to escape alive, having completed the task). By roundabout roads, the main detachment manages to bypass the Persian posts so covertly that the enemy notices Karyagin's trick only in the morning, when Kotlyarevsky's vanguard, composed exclusively of wounded soldiers and officers, was already in Mukhrat.

When the detachment's path crosses a deep ravine, the battalion leader Gavrila Sidorov suggests making a living bridge and jumps into the ditch first. The first cannon flies at once without problems, and the second breaks down, as a result, Gavrila and another huntsman die. It is this episode that is depicted in Franz Roubaud's painting The Living Bridge.

No matter how the detachment is in a hurry to retreat, the soldiers still bury their comrades in arms in a deep grave.

Already on the approach to Mukhrat, the Persians overtook the detachment, a heavy fight ensued, Russian guns changed hands several times. But in the end, having beaten off the attacks, the huntsmen with cannons enter Mukhrat, and it is the cannons that allow Karyagin to hold the fortress while Prince Tsitsianov rushes to his aid, who managed to collect 2371 people and 10 guns.

Throwing the Persians away from the Terter River, Tsitsianov's detachment camped near the village of Mazdygert. Upon learning of this, Karyagin leaves Mukhrat at night and advances to Mazdygert, where he reunites with his people.

It was precisely the fact that Karyagin's detachment chained such significant Persian forces to itself for three whole weeks that allowed Prince Tsitsianov to group forces and inflict one defeat after another on the Persians, which decided the outcome of this campaign.

Two weeks after the events described, a small Russian transport en route from Tiflis to Ganja was attacked by five thousand fighters of Pir-Kuli Khan and surrounded him from all sides. The head of transport, Lieutenant Dontsov, responds to the proposal to lay down arms: “We will die, but we will not surrender!”

But it is at this moment that Karyagin, who is passing by, intervenes in the events with his battalion. The Russian rangers swiftly attacked the main Persian camp, took possession of the battery, turned the repulsed cannons on the enemy and opened fire.

The Persians, having only heard that the same Karyagin was attacking them, retreated in horror.

For this campaign, Karyagin received a golden sword with the inscription "For Courage". Continuous campaigns, wounds, and especially fatigue during the winter campaign of 1806 upset Karyagin's health. He fell ill with a fever, and on May 7, 1807, this “gray-haired under the gun” hero died.

P.S. This incredible story has long interested me, and while studying at Alexander Molchanov's Screenwriting Workshop in 2015, I wrote the pilot for the 8-episode film Colonel Karyagin's Detachment. In the same period, I wrote three more scripts for Molchanov: "Team" (a full meter about the battle of bikers with aliens), "King of Judo" (an adaptation of the children's story by Albert Ivanov) and the short film "Bright Blue Fingers". I sent all these scripts to the VIII Debutant Pitching, which was held by the Youth Center of the Union of Cinematographers. But what was my surprise when it was the “Colonel Karyagin Detachment” that did not make it to the long list of this competition! And for the script "Bright Blue Fingers" I received an incentive prize - a consultation with Ilya Sherstobitov, screenwriter and producer.

Ilya told me why exactly “Colonel Karyagin's Detachment”, in the form in which I submitted it, did not interest the jury. First of all, because it's a series. After the experience of the series "Bayazet", no one dares to shoot such an expensive costume series. This is the plot for the full meter. But here, too, this project is promising only in the form of a franchise, for example, “Victory of Russian Arms”. History knows many amazing victories of Russian weapons, when, despite the numerical superiority of the enemy, Russian soldiers defeated the enemy - Ataman Platov, the Azov Seat, the defense of Albazin, the siege of Smolensk, Suvorov's raids, the Osovets fortress (Attack of the Dead) and much more. On the fingers of two hands, one cannot count the numerous episodes in which the Russian army emerged victorious precisely due to the highest military skill and fortitude.

By the way, it is curious that the ancestor of the famous film director, head of the Mosfilm film concern Karen Shakhnazarov was in the Karyagin detachment, which was first reported by the children's federal publication Klassny Zhurnal https://www.classmag.ru/news/20099436

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