In 1759, Repnin was sent to the allied French army to gain military experience. Returning to St. Petersburg the following year, he moved from the guard, of which he was a captain, to the army with the rank of colonel and again returned to the theater of operations. Participated in the capture of Berlin. In April 1762, Repnin was promoted to the rank of major general.
Catherine II, who ascended the throne in June 1762, sent Repnin as an ambassador to Prussia to Frederick II. While there, he had the opportunity to assess the military potential of the Prussian kingdom and the military talent of the Prussian king, whose admirer he remained all his life.
In 1763, the prince was appointed to the post of director of the land gentry cadet corps, and was soon sent as ambassador to Poland.
With the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. Repnin transferred to the active army under the command of Prince Golitsyn. By this time, Repnin was already a lieutenant general. In the campaign of 1770 he is the commander of the advanced corps. Having gathered the corps thinned after the epidemic on the Prut near the Ryaba Mohyla, from the end of May he repulsed the attacks of the Tatar horde of Kaplan Giray, numbering more than 70 thousand horsemen. Baur's cavalry vanguard approached Repnin to help, and by June 16, the main forces, which attacked the Tatars the next day. The enemy retreated to Larga. In the battle near Larga, against 38 thousand Russian troops, there were 65 thousand Tatar cavalry and 15 thousand Turkish infantry. Here, the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Rumyantsev, used divisional squares, which made it possible for the infantry to conduct more active offensive operations. The divisions of Generals Olitz, Plemyannikov, Bruce, Baur and Repnin swept the Turkish camp in a semicircle and, having beaten off the attack of the Janissaries, went on the counteroffensive, completely defeating the enemy, who lost more than 20 thousand people, 300 banners and 203 guns.
June 27, 1770 Repnin was awarded the Order of St. George 2nd degree. After these victories, Repnin's troops captured Izmail and, leaving a strong garrison there, approached the Kiliya fortress in early August. The Turks set fire to the suburbs, but the Russian gunners managed to install their batteries and begin shelling the city. Twice the prince turned to the commander of the fortress, Osman Pasha, with a proposal to surrender, but the fortress capitulated only by August 18. In Chilia, 68 guns and a large amount of ammunition were captured.
In the campaign of 1771, Repnin was appointed commander of all troops in Wallachia. In the spring and summer, the initiative was given to the Turks, who again brought their army to 160 thousand people. They managed to occupy Western Wallachia and take possession of Zhurzhey for a while, but when moving to Bucharest they were defeated by the corps of General Essen. The Russian garrison left in Zhurzhe in February, led by Hansel, repelled the assault of the 14,000-strong Turkish garrison in May, but then surrendered the fortress to the enemy. Repnin's division, going to the rescue of the besieged garrison, did not have time to approach the fortress. Commander-in-Chief Rumyantsev blamed Repnin for this failure, who submitted a letter of resignation and went abroad.
In 1774, Repnin returned to the army and took part in the development of the terms of the Kyuchuk-Kainarji peace treaty. Peace was signed on 10 July. Under its terms, Turkey recognized the independence of the Crimean Khanate, the annexation to Russia of part of the coast with the fortresses of Azov, Kerch, Yenikale and Kinburn, as well as Kabarda and a number of areas between the Dnieper and Bug rivers. Moldavia and Wallachia received autonomy and passed under the protection of Russia. Rumyantsev, in his report to Catherine II, wrote that Prince Repnin "had full participation in the conclusion of peace." Nikolai Vasilyevich was promoted to General-in-Chief and Lieutenant Colonel of the Life Guards of the Izmailovsky Regiment, and the following year he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Turkey.
In 1777–1778 Repnin served as the Smolensk Governor-General. And in 1781 he was granted the adjutant general and appointed Pskov governor general, while retaining the post of governor general of Smolensk. In the next two years, he commanded a reserve corps in Poland and received the Order of St. Vladimir 1st degree for his administrative activities and military distinctions on the day of its establishment and diamond signs for the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.
With the beginning of a new Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. Repnin again in the ranks of the army. In 1788, he took part in the siege and storming of the Ochakov fortress, and the following year, before the arrival of the commander-in-chief, Prince G. A. Potemkin, he commanded the Ukrainian army in Moldova.
In 1791 Potemkin left for St. Petersburg. He was replaced as commander in chief by Repnin. Contrary to instructions, he decided to act offensively and already in April sent detachments of Golitsyn and Kutuzov across the Danube. Repnin himself, with up to 60 thousand soldiers, moved to Galati.
The Russian army crossed the Danube and attacked the Turks on June 28. Repnin's actions were distinguished by decisiveness. The success of the battle was predetermined by a bold attack on the left flank of the detachment under the command of Kutuzov. The Turkish army was defeated and fled to Girsovo.
The defeat forced Turkey to start negotiations and accelerated the conclusion of the Iasi peace treaty. He confirmed the annexation of Crimea and Kuban to Russia. From now on, the new border was established in the south-west along the Dniester River, in the Caucasus it was restored along the Kuban River. Turkey renounced claims to Georgia. The treaty significantly strengthened Russia's position in the Caucasus and the Balkans.
On July 15, 1791 General-in-Chief Repnin was awarded the Order of St. George, 1st class. However, during the days of the celebration of peace with Turkey, Repnin did not receive a field marshal's baton. The Empress only granted him a letter of commendation and for the second time awarded him with diamond signs of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, appointing the prince to the secondary position of the Riga and Revel governor-general.
Pavel I, who took the throne in November 1796, promoted Repnin to the rank of field marshal and appointed commander of the Lithuanian division, military governor in Riga, and on the day of the coronation Repnin received 6 thousand souls of peasants, the post of order chancellor and inspector of infantry in Lithuania and Livonia.
In 1798, the emperor sent Repnin to Berlin and Vienna, but his diplomatic mission in Prussia and Austria with the aim of creating an anti-French coalition ended in vain. Frederick William III, who ascended the Prussian throne in 1797, promised Paul I his support, but did not dare to join the anti-French coalition. After this failure, Repnin was dismissed and settled in Moscow, where he lived for about three years and died in 1801.
Russia has always been rich in outstanding commanders and naval commanders.
1. Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (c. 1220 - 1263). - a commander, at the age of 20 he defeated the Swedish conquerors on the Neva River (1240), and at 22 - the German "dog-knights" during the Battle of the Ice (1242)
2. Dmitry Donskoy (1350 - 1389). - commander, prince. Under his leadership, the greatest victory was won on the Kulikovo field over the hordes of Khan Mamai, which was an important stage in the liberation of Russia and other peoples of Eastern Europe from the Mongol-Tatar yoke.
3. Peter I - Russian Tsar, an outstanding commander. He is the founder of the Russian regular army and navy. He showed high organizational skills and the talent of a commander during the Azov campaigns (1695 - 1696), in the Northern War (1700 - 1721). during the Persian campaign (1722 - 1723) Under the direct leadership of Peter in the famous Battle of Poltava (1709), the troops of the Swedish king Charles XII were defeated and captured.
4. Fedor Alekseevich Golovin (1650 - 1706) - Count, Field Marshal General, Admiral. Companion of Peter I, the greatest organizer, one of the creators of the Baltic Fleet
5 Boris Petrovich Sheremetyev (1652 - 1719) - Count, General - Field Marshal. Member of the Crimean, Azov. He commanded an army in a campaign against the Crimean Tatars. In the battle at Eresfer, in Livonia, a detachment under his command defeated the Swedes, defeated Schlippenbach's army at Hummelshof (5 thousand killed, 3 thousand prisoners). The Russian flotilla forced the Swedish ships to leave the Neva for the Gulf of Finland. In 1703, he took Noteburg, and then Nienschanz, Koporye, and Yamburg. In Estonia, Sheremetev B.P. occupied by Wesenberg. Sheremetev B.P. besieged Derpt, which surrendered in 13 IL 1704. During the Astrakhan uprising Sheremetev B.P. was sent by Peter I to suppress it. In 1705 Sheremetev B.P. took Astrakhan.
6 Alexander Danilovich Menshikov (1673-1729) - His Serene Highness Prince, associate of Peter I. Generalisimo of the Naval and Land Forces. Member of the Northern War with the Swedes, battles near Poltava.
7. Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev (1725 - 1796) - Count, Field Marshal General. Member of the Russian-Swedish war, the Seven Years' War. The biggest victories were won by him during the first Russian-Turkish war (1768 - 1774), especially in the battles of the Ryaba Mogila, Larga and Cahul and many other battles. The Turkish army was defeated. Rumyantsev became the first holder of the Order of St. George, I degree and received the title of Transdanubian.
8. Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (1729-1800) - His Serene Highness Prince of Italy, Count Rymniksky, Count of the Holy Roman Empire, Generalissimo of the Russian land and sea forces, Field Marshal of the Austrian and Sardinian troops, grandee of the Sardinian kingdom and prince of royal blood (with the title "cousin King"), holder of all Russian and many foreign military orders awarded at that time.
Not once in any of the battles given by him was he defeated. Moreover, in almost all these cases, he convincingly won with the numerical superiority of the enemy.
he stormed the impregnable fortress of Izmail, defeated the Turks at Rymnik, Focsany, Kinburn, etc. The Italian campaign of 1799 and the victory over the French, the immortal crossing of the Alps was the crowning achievement of his military leadership.
9. Fedor Fedorovich Ushakov (1745-1817) - an outstanding Russian naval commander, admiral. The Russian Orthodox Church canonized as a righteous warrior Theodore Ushakov. He laid the foundations for new naval tactics, founded the Black Sea Navy, talentedly led it, winning a number of remarkable victories in the Black and Mediterranean Seas: in the Kerch naval battle, in the battles of Tendra, Kaliakria, and others. Ushakov's significant victory was the capture of the island of Corfu in February 1799 city, where the combined actions of ships and land landing forces were successfully used.
Admiral Ushakov conducted 40 naval battles. And they all ended with brilliant victories. The people called him "Naval Suvorov."
10. Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745 - 1813) - the famous Russian commander, Field Marshal General, His Serene Highness Prince. Hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, full cavalier of the Order of St. George. He fought against the Turks, Tatars, Poles, French in various positions, including the Commander-in-Chief of the armies and troops. Formed light cavalry and infantry that did not exist in the Russian army
11. Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly (1761-1818) - prince, outstanding Russian commander, field marshal general, minister of war, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, full cavalier of the Order of St. George. He commanded the entire Russian army at the initial stage of the Patriotic War of 1812, after which he was replaced by M.I. Kutuzov. In the foreign campaign of the Russian army of 1813-1814, he commanded the combined Russian-Prussian army as part of the Bohemian army of the Austrian field marshal Schwarzenberg.
12. Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration (1769-1812) - prince, Russian infantry general, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812. 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, with the approval by Emperor Alexander I of the seventh part of the “General Armorial
13. Nikolai Nikolaevich Raevsky (1771-1829) - Russian commander, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, cavalry general. For thirty years of impeccable service, he participated in many of the largest battles of the era. After the feat near Saltanovka, he became one of the most popular generals of the Russian army. The struggle for the Raevsky battery was one of the key episodes of the Battle of Borodino. By the time in 1795 the Persian army invaded the territory of Georgia, and, fulfilling its obligations under the Treaty of Georgievsk, the Russian government declared war on Persia. In March 1796, the Nizhny Novgorod regiment, as part of the corps of V. A. Zubov, went on a 16-month campaign to Derbent. In May, after ten days of siege, Derbent was taken. Together with the main forces, he reached the Kura River. In difficult mountainous conditions, Raevsky showed his best qualities: "The 23-year-old commander managed to maintain full order of battle and strict military discipline during the exhausting campaign."
14. Alexei Petrovich Ermolov (1777-1861) - Russian military leader and statesman, participant in many major wars that the Russian Empire waged from the 1790s to the 1820s. Infantry General. Artillery General. Hero of the Caucasian War. In the campaign of 1818, he led the construction of the Groznaya fortress. Under his command were the troops sent to subdue the Avar Khan Shamil. In 1819, Yermolov began the construction of a new fortress - Sudden. In 1823 he commanded military operations in Dagestan, and in 1825 he fought with the Chechens.
15. Matvey Ivanovich Platov (1753-1818) - count, cavalry general, Cossack. Participated in all wars of the late XVIII - early XIX century. Since 1801 - ataman of the Don Cossack army. Participated in the battle of Preussisch-Eylau, then in the Turkish war. During the Patriotic War, he first commanded all the Cossack regiments on the border, and then, covering the retreat of the army, had successful business with the enemy near the town of Mir and Romanovo. During the retreat of the French army, Platov, relentlessly pursuing her, inflicted defeats on Gorodnya, the Kolotsk Monastery, Gzhatsk, Tsarevo-Zaimishcha, near Dukhovshchina and while crossing the Vop River. For merit he was elevated to the dignity of a count. In November, Platov occupied Smolensk from battle and defeated the troops of Marshal Ney near Dubrovna. At the beginning of January 1813 he entered the borders of Prussia and overlaid Danzig; in September, he received command of a special corps, with which he participated in the battle of Leipzig and, pursuing the enemy, captured about 15 thousand people. In 1814 he fought at the head of his regiments in the capture of Nemur, at Arcy-sur-Aube, Cezanne, Villeneuve.
16. Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev (1788-1851) - Russian naval commander and navigator, admiral, holder of the Order of St. George IV class and discoverer of Antarctica. Here in 1827, commanding the warship "Azov", MP Lazarev took part in the Battle of Navarino. Fighting with five Turkish ships, he destroyed them: he sank two large frigates and one corvette, burned the flagship under the flag of Tagir Pasha, forced the 80-gun ship of the line to run aground, after which he set it on fire and blew it up. In addition, "Azov" under the command of Lazarev destroyed the flagship of Muharrem Bey. For participation in the Battle of Navarino, Lazarev was promoted to rear admiral and awarded three orders at once (Greek - "Commander's Cross of the Savior", English - Bani and French - St. Louis, and his ship "Azov" received the St. George flag.
17. Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov (1802-1855) - Russian admiral. Under the command of Lazarev, M.P. made in 1821-1825. circumnavigation on the cruiser frigate. During the voyage he was promoted to lieutenant. In the Battle of Navarino, he commanded a battery on the battleship "Azov" under the command of M. P. Lazarev as part of the squadron of Admiral L. P. Heiden; for distinction in battle he was awarded on December 21, 1827 the Order of St. George IV class No. 4141 and promoted to lieutenant commander. In 1828 took command of the Navarin corvette, a captured Turkish ship, formerly bearing the name Nassabih Sabah. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–29, commanding a corvette, he blockaded the Dardanelles as part of a Russian squadron. During the Sevastopol defense of 1854-55. showed a strategic approach to the defense of the city. In Sevastopol, Nakhimov, although he was listed as the commander of the fleet and the port, but from February 1855, after the flooding of the fleet, he defended, by appointment of the commander-in-chief, the southern part of the city, leading the defense with amazing energy and enjoyed the greatest moral influence on the soldiers and sailors who called him "father - a benefactor."
18. Vladimir Alekseevich Kornilov (1806-1855) - Vice Admiral (1852). Member of the Navarino battle of 1827 and the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-29. Since 1849 - chief of staff, since 1851 - the actual commander of the Black Sea Fleet. He advocated the rearmament of ships and the replacement of the sailing fleet with steam ones. During the Crimean War - one of the leaders of the Sevastopol defense.
19. Stepan Osipovich Makarov (1849 - 1904) - He was the founder of the theory of ship unsinkability, one of the organizers of the creation of destroyers and torpedo boats. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1877 - 1878. carried out successful attacks on enemy ships with pole mines. He made two round-the-world trips and a number of Arctic voyages. Skillfully commanded the Pacific squadron during the defense of Port Arthur in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.
20. Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov (1896-1974) - The most famous Soviet commander is generally recognized as the Marshal of the Soviet Union. The development of plans for all major operations of the united fronts, large groupings of Soviet troops and their implementation took place under his leadership. These operations always ended in victory. They were decisive for the outcome of the war.
21. Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky (1896-1968) - an outstanding Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union, Marshal of Poland. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union
22. Ivan Stepanovich Konev (1897-1973) - Soviet commander, Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
23. Leonid Alexandrovich Govorov (1897-1955) - Soviet commander, Marshal of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Soviet Union
24. Kirill Afanasyevich Meretskov (1997-1968) - Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Soviet Union
25. Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko (1895-1970) - Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. In May 1940 - July 1941 People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR.
26. Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin (1894 - 1949) - Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Soviet Union
27. Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov (1900-1982) - Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union, during the Great Patriotic War - commander of the 62nd Army, which especially distinguished himself in the Battle of Stalingrad. 2-time hero of the USSR.
28. Andrei Ivanovich Eremenko (1892-1970) - Marshal of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Soviet Union. One of the most prominent commanders of the Great Patriotic War and World War II in general.
29. Radion Yakovlevich Malinovsky (1897-1967) - Soviet military leader and statesman. Commander of the Great Patriotic War, Marshal of the Soviet Union, from 1957 to 1967 - Minister of Defense of the USSR.
30. Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov (1904-1974) - Soviet naval figure, Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union, headed the Soviet Navy (as People's Commissar of the Navy (1939-1946), Minister of the Navy (1951-1953 ) and Commander-in-Chief)
31. Nikolai Fedorovich Vatutin (1901-1944) - army general, Hero of the Soviet Union, belongs to the galaxy of the main commanders of the Great Patriotic War.
32. Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky (1906-1945) - an outstanding Soviet military leader, army general, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
33. Pavel Alekseevich Rotmistrov (1901-1982) - Soviet military leader, Hero of the Soviet Union, Chief Marshal of the armored forces, doctor of military sciences, professor.
And this is only a part of the commanders who are worthy of mention.
Boyarin Boris Petrovich Sheremetev, even before the accession of Peter I, had a lot of merits before Russia - military and diplomatic. But he did not get into favor with Peter at all for them. In 1698, when the tsar returned from a trip abroad, Sheremetev was the only one of all the Moscow boyars who met him dressed in full European uniform - in a "German" dress, without a beard and with a cross of a knight of Malta on his chest. Peter realized that such a person can be relied upon.
And for sure: Sheremetev served the young tsar faithfully. It all started, however, with a major setback. In 1700, near Narva, Boris Petrovich commanded the noble cavalry, which was the first to run away under the onslaught of the Swedes.
But Sheremetev quickly learned a bitter lesson and a few months later, on December 29, he won the first victory in the Northern War over the Swedes at the Erestvehr manor in Estonia.
Peter, to celebrate, rewarded the winner in a royal way: he granted the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and a field marshal's baton. Both awards were still a novelty in Russia then.
In the summer of 1702, Sheremetev captured an amazing trophy in Marienburg - Martha Skavronskaya, a pupil of Pastor Gluck. From Boris Petrovich, she passed to Menshikov, and Peter took Martha from Danilych, baptizing her into Catherine. In 1712 they got married. From now on, Sheremetev's position at court was finally consolidated. Only he and Prince-Caesar Romodanovsky were admitted to the tsar without a report. And although they were not close to the tsar, Peter's respect for the first Russian field marshal was great. Suffice it to say that Sheremetev was released from the obligation to drain the Great Eagle Cup at royal feasts. You need to see this bottomless vessel at least once in order to understand what a heavy duty our hero was spared.
Sheremetev traveled all the roads of the Northern War, was commander-in-chief in the battle of Poltava, took Riga, suppressed the evil Astrakhan rebellion, shared the shame of the Prut campaign with the tsar, led Russian regiments to Pomerania ...
In 1712, 60-year-old Boris Petrovich requested to retire. He dreamed of taking monastic vows in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. But Peter, who loved surprises, instead of a monastic hood presented Sheremetev with a beautiful bride - his relative, Anna Petrovna Naryshkina (nee Saltykova). The old field marshal did not refuse the new service. He performed his marital duty as honestly as he had done in the military. For seven years, the young wife bore him five children.
Shortly before his death, in 1718, Sheremetev showed himself to be a man of honor, refusing to participate in the trial of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich under the pretext of poor health.
However, his health was really undermined by many years of military labors.
In 1719, Peter personally interred the ashes of the first Russian field marshal.
In his will, Sheremetyev asked to be buried in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, but Peter I, having decided to create a pantheon in St. Petersburg, ordered Sheremetyev to be buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The body of the first Russian field marshal was interred on April 10, 1719. The Tsar followed the coffin from the field marshal's house, located on the Fontanka, opposite the Summer Garden, to the monastery, accompanied by the court, foreign ministers, generals and two guards regiments, Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky. On the grave of Sheremetev, Peter ordered to put a banner with the image of a field marshal.
P.S.
The first Russian field marshal was a man of humor, as evidenced by the following story.
“Sheremetev near Riga wanted to hunt. There was then in our service some prince from the coast, they said, from Mecklenburg. Pyotr Alekseevich caressed him. He also went for the field marshal (B.P. Sheremetev). Until they reached the beast, the prince asked Sheremetev about Malta; how he didn’t get rid of it and wanted to know if he had traveled anywhere else from Malta, then Sheremetev took him around the whole world: he decided to go around all of Europe, look at Constantinople, and in Egypt, fry, look at America. Rumyantsev, Ushakov, the prince, the usual conversation of the sovereign, returned to dinner. At the table, the prince could not be quite surprised how the field marshal managed to travel around so much land. "Yes, I sent him to Malta." - "And from there, wherever he was!" And told all his journey. Pyotr Alekseevich was silent, and after the table, leaving to rest, ordered Rumyantsev and Ushakov to stay; then giving them question points, he ordered them to take an answer from the field marshal on them, among other things: from whom did he have a vacation to Constantinople, to Egypt, to America? Found him in the heat of a story about dogs and hares. “And the joke is not a joke; I myself go with a guilty head, ”said Sheremetev. When Pyotr Alekseevich began to scold him for fooling the foreign prince in such a way: “He’s a rather poor kid,” Sheremetev replied. “There was nowhere to run from the demands. So listen, I thought, and he hung his ears.
Lubyanovsky F.P. Memoirs. M., 1872, p. 50-52.
However, such tricks did not prevent foreigners from considering him the most polite and cultured person in Russia. The count knew Polish and Latin well.
Hero, savior of the fatherland!
Accept a tribute from the heart;
God is our protector, protector,
He sent you down to battle!
K. F. Ryleev, "Prince of Smolensk"
On September 5 (16), 1745, in St. Petersburg, a Russian commander, Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov was born into a noble family.
The father of Mikhail Illarionovich I. M. Golenishchev-Kutuzov, a military engineer, lieutenant general and senator, had a great influence on the education and upbringing of his son. After graduating with honors from the Noble Artillery School in 1759, Mikhail Kutuzov was left with her as a teacher of mathematics. In 1761, he was promoted to warrant officer and appointed company commander of the Astrakhan infantry regiment, headed by a colonel. Since 1762, Kutuzov was the adjutant of the Reval Governor-General, and in 1764-1765 he commanded small detachments in operations against the Polish confederates.
In 1767, Mikhail Illarionovich was recruited to work in the "Commission for the preparation of the Code", in 1769 he again served in Poland.
From 1770, during the period of decisive events, Kutuzov was sent to the 1st Danube Army. In the positions of a combatant and staff officer, he took part in the battles that were the pride of Russian weapons - at Ryaba Mogila, Larga and Cahul; at Larga, a grenadier commanded a battalion, at Cahul he acted in the forefront of the right wing. For the battles of 1770 he was promoted to major. In 1771, as chief of staff of the corps, Kutuzov distinguished himself in the battle of Popesti, in the same year he received the rank of lieutenant colonel.
In July 1774, in the Crimea, M.I. Kutuzov was seriously wounded in the head. After a long treatment, he returned to the Crimean army, where he again found himself under the command of Suvorov.
In 1784, Mikhail Illarionovich was promoted to major general and commanded a corps of rangers. In August 1788, under Kutuzov, he was again seriously wounded. The bullet hit the head, in the same place as in the first wound. Doctors did not hope for a successful outcome, but Kutuzov recovered and in 1790, commanding the 6th column, he participated in the famous as the commander of one of the nine assault columns.
In 1792-1794. Kutuzov headed the emergency Russian embassy in Constantinople, having managed to achieve a number of foreign policy and trade advantages for Russia.
In 1794-1797, Kutuzov, as chief director, reorganized the land gentry cadet corps in St. Petersburg, established a strict regime in it, strengthened the practical orientation of education, and introduced the teaching of tactics. In 1795-1796. he simultaneously commanded ground forces in Finland, carried out a number of diplomatic assignments (negotiations with Prussia and Sweden). In 1798 he was promoted to general of infantry. In September 1799 he was appointed commander of a corps intended for an expedition to Holland, at the end of 1799 - a Lithuanian military governor and infantry inspector of the Lithuanian and Smolensk inspections, as well as the chief of the Pskov Musketeer Regiment, which, until disbanded in 1918, bore the name of Kutuzov . In 1802, having fallen into disgrace, Mikhail Illarionovich retired from the army and was retired.
In August 1805, during the Russian-Austrian-French war, Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army, acting in alliance with the Austrian troops against Napoleonic France. At the end of 1805, after the defeat of the combined Russian-Austrian troops at Austerlitz, Kutuzov managed to avoid encirclement by superior French forces and thus saved the Russian army from destruction. After the Austrian campaign, Alexander I dismissed Kutuzov from the army, but in 1806 he appointed the commander of the Moldavian army, and in 1808-1809 the military governor of Kiev. In 1809-1811 Kutuzov acted as the Lithuanian military governor.
In March 1811, Mikhail Illarionovich was appointed commander-in-chief of the active Russian army during the war with Turkey. In 1811, he won major victories over the Turks at the fortresses of Ruschuk and Slobodzeya, for which he was elevated to the dignity of a count. At the end of May 1812, in Bucharest, he signed a peace favorable to Russia with Turkey, according to which the main part of Bessarabia was annexed to Russia.
At the beginning of the 1812 campaign against the French, Kutuzov was in St. Petersburg as commander of the Narva Corps, and then of the St. Petersburg militia. On August 8 (20), 1812, Alexander I appointed him commander-in-chief of the 1st and 2nd united armies. Mikhail Illarionovich continued the tactics of the retreat of the Russian troops, avoiding a general battle. Having chosen a convenient position, on August 26 (September 7), Kutuzov gave Napoleon a battle near the village. The commander-in-chief made a difficult decision to leave Moscow. Russian troops, having made a flank march to the south, stopped at the village of Tarutino.
Having waited for the departure of the French troops from Moscow, Kutuzov accurately determined the direction of their movement and blocked their path at Maloyaroslavets. The subsequent pursuit of the retreating enemy (battles near Vyazma, Krasny and during the crossing of the Napoleonic troops across the Berezina River) led to the actual death of the French army.
On December 12, 1812, the Napoleonic troops were expelled from Russia. On January 1 (13), 1813, the Russian army under the command of Kutuzov crossed the border and during January-March 1813 successfully moved forward, freeing Polish and Prussian cities from French troops.
For merits in the Patriotic War, Kutuzov received the rank of Field Marshal General, was awarded a field marshal's baton, golden weapons and the 1st degree, becoming the first full St. George's Cavalier in Russia.
The great commander died on April 16 (28), 1813 in the German town of Bunzlau and was buried in St. Petersburg.
Lit .: Korobkov N. M. Kutuzov. M., 1943; Kutuzov M.I.: Sat. documents. T. 1-5. M., 1950-1956; Rakovsky L. I. Kutuzov. L., 1971; The same [Electronic resource]. URL: http://militera.lib.ru/bio/rakovsky/index.html ; Sinelnikov F. I. Life, military and political deeds ... M. I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky. Ch. 1-6. St. Petersburg, 1813-1814; Tarle E. V. M. I. Kutuzov - commander and diplomat. M., 2007; The same [Electronic resource]. URL: http://militera.lib.ru/bio/tarle2/index.html .
See also in the Presidential Library:
Sheremetev
Boris Petrovich
Battles and victories
An outstanding Russian commander during the Northern War, diplomat, the first Russian Field Marshal (1701). In 1706, he was also the first to be elevated to the dignity of a count of the Russian Empire.
In the people's memory, Sheremetev remained one of the main heroes of that era. Soldiers' songs, where he appears exclusively as a positive character, can serve as evidence.
Many glorious pages from the time of the reign of Emperor Peter the Great (1682-1725) are associated with the name of Sheremetev. The first field marshal general in the history of Russia (1701), count (1706), holder of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, one of the richest landowners, he always, by virtue of his character, remained in a special position with the tsar and his entourage. His views on what was happening often did not coincide with the position of the king and his young associates. He seemed to them a man from the distant past, with whom the supporters of the modernization of Russia according to the Western model fought so fiercely. They, the “thin ones”, did not understand the motivation of this blue-eyed, overweight and unhurried person. However, it was he who was needed by the king in the most difficult years of the Great Northern War.
The Sheremetev family was connected with the reigning dynasty by blood ties. The family of Boris Petrovich was one of the influential boyar families and even had common ancestors with the reigning Romanov dynasty.
By the standards of the middle of the 17th century, his closest relatives were very educated people and did not shy away from talking with foreigners, taking everything positive from them. Boris Petrovich's father, Pyotr Vasilyevich Bolshoy, in 1666-1668, being a Kiev governor, defended the right to exist of the Kiev Mohyla Academy. Unlike his contemporaries, the governor shaved his beard, which was a terrible nonsense, and wore a Polish dress. However, he was not touched because of his military and administrative talents.
Born on April 25, 1652, the son of Peter Vasilyevich was assigned to study at the Kiev Mohyla Academy. There Boris learned to speak Polish, Latin, got an idea about the Greek language and learned a lot of things that were unknown to the vast majority of his compatriots. Already in early youth, Boris Petrovich became addicted to reading books and by the end of his life he had collected a large and well-organized library. The boyar was well aware that Russia needed progressive reforms and supported the young Tsar Peter.
However, he began his "sovereign service" in the traditional Moscow style, being at the age of 13 granted to the room stewards.
The military career of the young nobleman began only in the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich (1676-1682). The tsar appointed him as an assistant to his father, who commanded one of the "regiments" in the Russian-Turkish war (1676-1681). In 1679, he already acted as a "comrade" (deputy) governor in the "big regiment" of Prince Cherkassky. And just two years later, he headed the newly formed Tambov city category, which, in comparison with the modern structure of the armed forces, can be equated with the command of a military district.
In 1682, in connection with the accession to the throne of the new tsars Peter and Ivan, he was granted the title of boyar. The ruler Princess Sofya Alekseevna and her favorite, Prince Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn, remembered Boris Petrovich in 1685. The Russian government was in difficult negotiations with the Commonwealth on the conclusion of the "Eternal Peace". This is where the boyar, who knew European etiquette and foreign languages, was required. His diplomatic mission was extremely successful. After lengthy negotiations, they managed to conclude an “Eternal Peace” with Poland and achieve legal recognition of the fact that Moscow had conquered Kyiv 20 years ago. Then, after only a few months, Sheremetev already unanimously headed the embassy sent to Warsaw to ratify the treaty and clarify the details of the anti-Ottoman alliance being created. From there, then I had to call on Vienna, which was also preparing to continue the fight against the Turks.
The diplomatic path better matched the military one with the inclinations and talents of the intelligent but cautious Boris Petrovich. However, masterful Fate decided otherwise and led him through life by no means the most convenient road. Upon returning from Europe to Moscow, the boyar again had to put on a military uniform, which he no longer took off until his death.
In the infantry, Field Marshal Sheremetev, from an ancient noble family, can rightly be called the first Russian, tall, with soft features and in all respects similar to a big general.
Swede Ehrenmalm, opponent of Sheremetev
Boris Petrovich commanded the regiments of his Belgorod rank during the unsuccessful second Crimean campaign (1689). His detached position in relation to the events in Moscow in the summer of 1689, when Peter I came to power, played a bad joke on him. The boyar was taken under "suspicion". There was no disgrace, but until 1696 Boris Petrovich would remain on the border with the Crimean Khanate, commanding his "rank".
During the first Azov campaign in 1695, Sheremetev led the army against the Turkish fortresses on the Dnieper. Boris Petrovich turned out to be more successful than the tsar and his associates. In the campaign of 1695, the Russian-Ukrainian army took three fortresses from the Turks (July 30 - Kyzy-Kermen, August 1 - Eski-Tavan, August 3 - Aslan-Kermen). The name of Sheremetev became known throughout Europe. At the same time, Azov was never taken. Allied help was needed. In the summer of 1696, Azov fell, but this success showed that a further war with the Ottoman Empire was possible only with the combined efforts of all countries participating in the "Holy League".
Trying to please the tsar, Boris Petrovich of his own free will and at his own expense went on a trip to Europe. The Boyarin left Moscow three months after Peter himself left for the West and traveled for more than a year and a half, from July 1697 to February 1699, spending 20,500 rubles on this - a huge amount at that time. The true, so to speak, human price of such a sacrifice becomes clear from the description given to Sheremetev by the famous Soviet researcher of the 18th century Nikolai Pavlenko: “... Boris Petrovich did not differ in disinterestedness, but did not dare to steal on the scale that Menshikov allowed himself. The representative of the oldest aristocratic family, if he stole, then so moderately that the size of the stolen did not cause envy among others. But Sheremetev knew how to beg. He did not miss the opportunity to remind the tsar of his "poverty", and his acquisitions were the fruit of the royal awards: it seems that he did not buy estates ... "
Having passed through Poland, Sheremetev again visited Vienna. Then he went to Italy, visited Rome, Venice, Sicily, and finally reached Malta (having received audiences during the trip with the Polish king and the Elector of Saxony Augustus, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold, Pope Innocent XII, Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III) . In La Valletta, he was even knighted in the Order of Malta.
Not a single Russian could boast of such a European "train". The very next day after his return, at a feast at Lefort, wearing a German dress with a Maltese cross on his chest, Sheremetev boldly introduced himself to the tsar and was treated with delight by him.
However, the mercy was short-lived. The suspicious “Herr Peter”, according to the soon published “boyar list”, again ordered Boris Petrovich to go away from Moscow and be “near the city of Arkhangelsk”. They remembered him again only a year later, with the beginning of the Northern War (1700-1721). The war began in August with the march of the main forces of the Russian army to Narva. Boyar Sheremetev was appointed commander of the "local cavalry" (horse noble militia). In the Narva campaign of 1700, the Sheremetev detachment acted extremely unsuccessfully.
During the siege, Sheremetev, who was conducting reconnaissance, reported on the approach of a large Swedish army to Narva. Russian military leaders, according to Swedish historians, panicked. The captured major of the Swedish army, the Livonian Patkul, allegedly told them that an army of 30 to 32 thousand people approached Charles XII. The figure seemed quite reliable, and they believed it. The king also believed - and fell into despair. During the battle near Narva on November 19 (30), 1700, the valiant "local cavalry", without engaging in battle, shamefully fled, carrying Boris Petrovich into the water, who desperately tried to stop her. More than a thousand people drowned in the river. Sheremetev was saved by a horse, and the royal disgrace was averted by the sad fate of all the other generals, who were captured by the triumphant enemy in full force. In addition, after a catastrophic failure, the tsar made a temporary compromise with the moods of his aristocracy and chose a new commander among the most well-born national elite, where Sheremetev at that time was the only person with any knowledge of military affairs. Thus, we can say that, in fact, the war itself at the end of 1700 put him at the head of the main forces of the Russian army.
With the advent of the second military summer, Boris Petrovich in the royal letters addressed to him began to be called Field Marshal General. This event closed the protracted sad chapter in Sheremetev's life and opened a new one, which, as it turned out later, became his "swan song". The last setbacks came in the winter of 1700-1701. Prompted by the impatient royal shouts, Boris Petrovich tried to carefully “feel” Estonia with his saber (Peter sent the first decree demanding activity only 16 days after the disaster at Narva), in particular, to capture the small fortress of Marienburg, which stood in the middle of an ice-bound lake. But everywhere he was rebuffed and, having retreated to Pskov, he began to put in order the troops he had.
The combat effectiveness of the Russians was still extremely low, especially in comparison with the European enemy, albeit not numerous. Sheremetev had a good idea of the strength of the Swedes, because he got acquainted with the organization of military affairs in the West during a recent trip. And he conducted the preparation in accordance with his thorough and unhurried character. Even the visits of the tsar himself (in August and October), who were eager to resume hostilities as soon as possible, could not significantly speed up the events. Sheremetev, constantly pushed by Peter, began to make his devastating campaigns in Livonia and Estonia from Pskov. In these battles, the Russian army was tempered and accumulated invaluable military experience.
The appearance in Estland and Livonia in the autumn of 1701, 9 months after Narva, of fairly large Russian military formations by the high Swedish military command was perceived with some skepticism - in any case, such a reaction was noted by the supreme commander in chief, King Charles XII. The local Livonian commanders immediately sounded the alarm and tried to convey it to the king, but they had no success in this. The king made it clear that Livonia had to manage with the forces that he left them. The raids of the Russian detachments of Sheremetev in September 1701 were so far seemingly episodic and, at first glance, did not pose a big threat to the integrity of the kingdom.
The battles near Räpina Manor and Rõuge were only a test of strength for the Russians, a serious threat to the Swedes in this region lurked in the future. The Russians were convinced that “the Swede is not as terrible as he is painted”, and that under certain conditions it will be possible to win over him. It seems that Peter's headquarters realized that Karl had given up on Livonia and Ingermanland and left them to their own fate. It was decided to use these provinces both as a kind of training ground for acquiring combat experience and as an object for achieving the main strategic goal - access to the Baltic coast. If this strategic goal was unraveled by the Swedes, then they did not take adequate measures to counter it.
Peter, pleased with the actions of the field marshal in the Baltic states, wrote to Apraksin:Boris Petrovich stayed in Livonia fairly well.
This passivity untied the hands of the Russian army and made it possible to open new theaters of military operations that were inconvenient for the enemy, as well as to seize the strategic initiative in the war. The fighting between the Russians and the Swedes until 1707 was of a strange nature: the opponents, as it were, stepped on each other's tail, but did not enter into a decisive battle between themselves. Charles XII with the main forces was chasing Augustus II all over Poland at that time, and the Russian army, having grown stronger and on its feet from the devastation of the Baltic provinces, proceeded to conquer them, recapturing cities one by one and step by step imperceptibly approaching the achievement of its main goal - access to the Gulf of Finland.
It is in this vein that all subsequent battles in this area, including the battle of Erastfer, should be considered.
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In December 1701, cavalry general B. Sheremetev, having waited for the reinforcements to arrive and the concentration of all troops into one fist, decided to inflict a new sudden blow on the Livonian field army, Major General V.A. von Schlippenbach, located in winter quarters. The calculation was based on the fact that the Swedes will be busy celebrating Christmas. At the end of December, the impressive corps of Sheremetev, numbering 18,838 people with 20 guns (1 mortar, 3 howitzers, 16 guns), set out from Pskov on a campaign. Sheremetev used about 2,000 sleds to transfer troops across Lake Peipus. This time Sheremetev did not act blindly, but had intelligence about the forces and deployment of Schlippenbach's units: spies from Dorpat told him about this in Pskov. According to the information received, the main forces of the Swedes were stationed in this city and its environs.
The commander of the Livland field corps, Major General Schlippenbach, against whom the Russian actions were directed, had about 5,000 regular and 3,000 irregular troops scattered over posts and garrisons from Narva to Lake Luban. Due to the inexplicable either carelessness or indiscretion of Schlippenbach, the Swedes learned too late about the movement of large enemy forces. Only on December 28/29, the movement of Russian troops at the Larf manor was noticed by patrols of the Landmilitia battalion. As in previous operations, the element of tactical surprise for Sheremetev's corps was lost, but on the whole his strategic plan was a success.
Schlippenbach, having finally received reliable news about the Russian movement, was forced to give them a decisive battle. Taking with him 4 infantry battalions, 3 cavalry regiments, 2 dragoon regiments and 6 3-pounder guns, he moved towards Sheremetev. So on January 1, 1702, a counter battle began at Erastfer, the first hours of which were unsuccessful for Sheremetev's troops. Encounter combat is generally a complex matter, and for the not fully trained Russian soldiers and officers, it turned out to be doubly difficult. During the battle, confusion and uncertainty arose, and the Russian column had to retreat.
It is difficult to say how this Sheremetev operation would have ended if the artillery had not arrived in time. Under the cover of artillery fire, the Russians recovered, again lined up in battle formation and decisively attacked the Swedes. A stubborn four-hour battle ensued. The Swedish commander was about to retreat behind the positions fortified with a palisade near the Erastfer manor, but Sheremetev guessed the enemy’s plan and ordered to attack the Swedes in the flank. Russian artillery, mounted on a sledge, began to fire at the Swedes with grapeshot. As soon as the Swedish infantry began to retreat, the Russians overturned the enemy squadrons with a swift attack. The Swedish cavalry, despite the attempts of some officers to put it in combat formation, fled in a panic from the battlefield, overturning its own infantry. The ensuing darkness and fatigue of the troops forced the Russian command to stop the pursuit; only a detachment of Cossacks continued to chase the retreating Swedish troops.
Sheremetev did not dare to pursue the retreating enemy and returned back to Pskov, justifying himself to the tsar by the fatigue of his horses and deep snow. So the Russian troops won their first major victory in the Northern War. Of the 3000-3800 Swedes who participated in the battle, 1000-1400 people were killed, 700-900 people. fled and deserted and 134 people. were taken prisoner. The Russians, in addition, captured 6 cannons. The losses of Sheremetev's troops, according to a number of historians, range from 400 to 1000 people. E. Tarle gives the number 1000.
This victory brought Sheremetev the rank of Field Marshal and the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. The soldiers of his corps received a silver ruble each. The significance of the Erastfer victory was difficult to overestimate. The Russian army demonstrated its ability to smash a formidable enemy in the field, albeit with superior forces.
The Russian army was ready to take decisive action in a new campaign on the territory of Estonia and Livonia only by the beginning of July 1702. With approximately 24,000 dragoons and soldiers, Sheremetev finally crossed the Russian-Swedish border on July 13.
On July 18/19, Sheremetev's corps met with the Swedes in the battle of Hummelshof. The Swedes were the first to start the battle. The Swedish cavalry unleashed a blow on 3 regiments of Russian dragoons. The Swedish artillery provided effective assistance to the cavalry. Russian units began to retreat. At this time, the Swedish cavalrymen, sent to eliminate the alleged flank coverage, themselves entered the rear and flanks of the Russian cavalry and attacked it. The situation for the Russians was critical, the Swedish cavalry captured 6 cannons and almost the entire convoy from us. The situation was saved by the dragoons. They delayed the onslaught of the enemy and fought desperately at the bridge over the river. At the most critical moment, 2 more dragoon regiments (about 1300 people) from Sheremetev's main forces came to their aid, and this decided the outcome of the battle. Schlippenbach could have broken the enemy in parts, but missed the opportunity to send infantry and cannons to the aid of his cavalry.
Soon military happiness, it seemed, again began to lean in favor of the Swedes. They were also approached by two battalions, which directly from the march entered the battle. But they failed to turn the tide of battle in their favor. Its outcome was decided with the approach to the battlefield of the main forces of the Russian corps.
After effective artillery preparation, which upset the ranks of the Swedish cavalry, the Russian troops launched a general offensive. The front of the Swedish cavalry collapsed. Its advanced units turned into a stampede, crushed their infantry and rushed to flee along the road to Pernau. The attempts of individual small detachments of infantry and cavalry to hold back the onslaught of the Russian troops were broken. Most of the infantry also fled from the battlefield and took refuge in the surrounding forests and swamps.
As a result, the Swedes suffered a heavy defeat. The ratio of forces in the battle was 3.6:1 in favor of the Russians. About 18 thousand people took part in the battle from our side, and about 5 thousand people from the Swedes.
O. Sjögren believes that up to 2 thousand Swedish soldiers fell on the battlefield, but this figure seems to be underestimated. Russian contemporary sources estimate enemy losses at 2400 killed, 1200 deserters, 315 prisoners, 16 cannons and 16 banners. The losses of Russian troops are estimated at 1000-1500 people killed and wounded.
After Gummelshof, Sheremetev became the practical owner of all of southern Livonia, but Peter I considered securing these lands for himself premature - he still did not want to quarrel with Augustus II. According to an agreement with him, Livonia, after recapturing it from the Swedes, was to go to Poland.
After Gummelshof, Sheremetev's corps made a series of devastating raids on the Baltic cities. Karkus, Helmet, Smilten, Wolmar, Wesenberg were devastated. We also went to the city of Marienburg, where the commandant Tillo von Tillau surrendered the city to the mercy of Sheremetev. But not all Swedes approved of this idea: when the Russians entered the city, artillery captain Wolf and his comrades blew up a powder warehouse, and many Russians died with them under the rubble of buildings. Angry for this, Sheremetev did not release any of the surviving Swedes, and ordered all the inhabitants to be taken prisoner.
The Russian army and Russia as a whole, during the march to Marienburg, was enriched by another unusual acquisition. Colonel R.Kh. Bauer (Bour) (according to Kostomarov, Colonel Balck) looked after a pretty concubine for himself there - a 16-year-old Latvian, Pastor Gluck's servant, and took her with him to Pskov. In Pskov, Field Marshal Sheremetev himself laid eyes on Marta Skavronskaya, and Marta obediently served him. Then Menshikov saw her, and after him - Tsar Peter himself. The matter ended, as you know, with the fact that Marta Skavronskaya became the wife of the Tsar and Empress of Russia Catherine I.
After Hummelshof, Boris Petrovich commanded the troops during the capture of Noteburg (1702) and Nienschantz (1703), and in the summer of 1704 he unsuccessfully besieged Dorpat, for which he again fell into disgrace.
In June 1705, Peter arrived in Polotsk and, at a military council on the 15th, instructed Sheremetev to lead another campaign against Lewenhaupt in Courland. The latter sat as a big thorn in the eyes of the Russians and constantly attracted their attention. Peter’s instructions to Field Marshal Sheremetev said: “Go on this easy campaign (so that there is not a single footman) and, with the help of God, search for the enemy, namely General Levenhaupt. All the power of this campaign lies in cutting him off from Riga.
At the beginning of July 1705, the Russian corps (3 infantry, 9 dragoon regiments, a separate dragoon squadron, 2500 Cossacks and 16 guns) set off on a campaign from Druya. Enemy intelligence worked so poorly that Count Lewenhaupt had to be content with numerous rumors, and not real data. Initially, the Swedish commander estimated the enemy forces at 30 thousand people (Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt berättelse. Karolinska krigare berättar. Stockholm. 1987).
The Courland Caroline Corps, stationed near Riga, consisted of about 7 thousand infantry and cavalry with 17 guns. Under such conditions, it was very difficult for the count to act. However, the Russians left him no choice. The king's instructions were unequivocal. Sheremetev was supposed to lock up Lewenhaupt's corps in Courland. The task is more than serious.
In anticipation of the enemy, the count retreated to Gemauerthof, where he took up advantageous positions. The front of the Swedish position was covered by a deep stream, the right flank ran into a swamp, and the left flank into a dense forest. Lewenhaupt's corps was significantly superior in its qualities to Schlippenbach's Livonian field army.
The military council convened on July 15, 1705 by Sheremetev decided to attack the enemy, but not head-on, but using military cunning, simulating a retreat during the attack, in order to lure the enemy out of the camp and hit him from the flank with cavalry hidden in the forest. Due to the uncoordinated and spontaneous actions of the Russian commanders, the first stage of the battle was lost, and the Russian cavalry began to retreat in disarray. The Swedes vigorously pursued her. However, their previously covered flanks were exposed. At this stage of the battle, the Russians showed steadfastness and a bold maneuver. With the onset of darkness, the battle ceased, and Sheremetev retreated.
Charles XII was extremely pleased with the victory of his troops. On August 10, 1705, Count Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. At the same time, Sheremetev was keenly experiencing failure. It took the consolation of Tsar Peter himself, who noted that military happiness is changeable. However, this Swedish success did little to change the balance of power in the Baltics. Soon Russian troops took two strong Courland fortresses Mitava and Bausk. The weakened corps of Lewenhaupt at that time sat out behind the walls of Riga, not daring to go into the field. Thus, even the defeat brought great benefits to Russian weapons. At the same time, Gemauerthof showed that the Russian military leaders still had a lot of work to do - most dangerously, to train the cavalry and work out coherence between the military branches.
From this time, the decline of Sheremetev's career will begin. In 1708, he will be declared one of the culprits for the defeat of the Russian army in the battle of Golovchino. In the victorious battle of Poltava (1709), Boris Petrovich will be the nominal commander in chief. Even after the Poltava triumph, when awards poured generously on most of the generals, he had to be content with a very modest award, more like a formal go-ahead - a run-down village with a downright symbolic name Black Dirt.
At the same time, it cannot be said that Peter began to treat the field marshal very badly. It suffices to recall one example. In 1712, upon reaching his 60th birthday, Boris Petrovich fell into another depression, lost his taste for life and decided to retire from the worldly bustle to a monastery in order to spend the rest of his days there in complete peace. He even chose a monastery - the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Peter, having learned about the dream, became angry, advising his comrade-in-arms to "throw the nonsense out of your head." And, to make it easier for him to do this, he ordered to marry immediately. And without delaying the matter, he immediately personally looked for a bride - the 26-year-old widow of his own uncle, Lev Kirillovich Naryshkin.
Some modern researchers, evaluating the real achievements of Sheremetev from the point of view of European military art, agree with the tsar, giving the field marshal a not too flattering mark. For example, Alexander Zaozersky, the author of the most detailed monograph on the life and work of Boris Petrovich, expressed the following opinion: “... Was he, however, a brilliant commander? His successes on the battlefields hardly make it possible to answer this question in the affirmative. Of course, under his leadership, Russian troops more than once won victories over the Tatars and over the Swedes. But you can name more than one case when the field marshal suffered defeat. In addition, successful battles took place with the preponderance of his forces over the enemy; therefore, they cannot be a reliable indicator of the degree of his art or talent ... "
But in the people's memory, Sheremetev forever remained one of the main heroes of that era. Soldiers' songs can serve as evidence, where he appears only as a positive character. This fact was probably influenced by the fact that the commander always took care of the needs of ordinary subordinates, thereby favorably differing from most other generals.
At the same time, Boris Petrovich got along well with foreigners. Suffice it to recall that one of his best friends was the Scot Jacob Bruce. Therefore, Europeans who left written evidence of Russia during the time of Peter the Great, as a rule, speak well of the boyar and classify him among the most prominent royal nobles. For example, the Englishman Whitworth believed that “Sheremetev is the most polite person in the country and the most cultured” (although the same Whitworth did not highly appreciate the boyar’s military leadership abilities: “... The greatest grief of the tsar is the lack of good generals. Field Marshal Sheremetev is a man, no doubt possessing personal courage, having successfully completed the expedition entrusted to him against the Tatars, extremely beloved in his estates and by ordinary soldiers, but still not dealing with a regular enemy army ... "). The Austrian Korb noted: "He traveled a lot, was therefore more educated than others, dressed in German and wore a Maltese cross on his chest." With great sympathy, even the enemy, the Swede Erenmalm, spoke of Boris Petrovich with great sympathy: “In infantry, Field Marshal Sheremetev, from an ancient noble family, tall, with soft features and in all respects similar to a big general. He is somewhat fat, with a pale face and blue eyes, wears blond wigs, and both in clothes and in carriages he is the same as any foreign officer ... "
But in the second half of the war, when Peter nevertheless put together a strong conglomerate of European and his own young generals, he began to trust the field marshal less and less to command even small corps in the main theaters of operations. Therefore, all the main events of 1712-1714. - the struggle for northern Germany and the conquest of Finland - did without Sheremetev. And in 1717 he fell ill and had to ask for a long vacation.
From Sheremetev's will:take my sinful body and bury it in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery or where the will of His Majesty will take place.
Boris Petrovich never returned to the army. He was ill for two years, and died, never having lived to win. The departure from the life of the commander finally finally reconciled the king with him. Nikolai Pavlenko, one of the most thorough researchers of the Petrine era, wrote the following on this occasion: “The new capital lacked its own pantheon. Peter decided to create it. The grave of the field marshal was supposed to open the burial of noble people in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. At the behest of Peter Sheremetev's body was delivered to St. Petersburg and solemnly buried. The death of Boris Petrovich and his funeral are as symbolic as the whole life of the field marshal. He died in the old capital, and is buried in the new one. In his life, the old and the new also intertwined, creating a portrait of a figure in the period of transition from Muscovite Russia to the Europeanized Russian Empire.
BESPALOV A.V., Doctor of History, Professor
Sources and literature
Bantysh-Kamensky D.N. 3rd Field Marshal Count Boris Petrovich Sheremetev. Biographies of Russian generalissimos and field marshals. In 4 parts. Reprint reproduction of the 1840 edition. Part 1–2. M., 1991
Barsukov A.P. The Sheremetev family. Book. 1-8. St. Petersburg, 1881-1904
Bespalov A.V. Battles of the Northern War (1700-1721). M., 2005
Bespalov A.V. Battles and sieges of the Great Northern War (1700-1721). M., 2010
Military travel journal of Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev. Materials of the military-scientific archive of the General Staff. vol. 1. St. Petersburg, 1871
Zaozersky A.I. Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev. M., 1989
History of the Russian State: Biographies. XVIII century. M., 1996
History of the Northern War 1700-1721. Rep. ed. I.I. Rostunov. M., 1987
Myshlaevsky A.Z. Field Marshal Count B.P. Sheremetev: Military travel journal of 1711 and 1712. SPb.: Voen.-uchen. set Ch. headquarters, 1898
Maslovsky D. North War. Documents 1705-1708. SPb., 1892
Pavlenko N.I. Chicks of Petrov's nest: [B. P. Sheremetev, P. A. Tolstoy, A. V. Makarov]. 2nd ed. M., 1988
Letters of Peter the Great, written to General Field Marshal ... Count Boris Petrovich Sheremetev. M. Imp. university, 1774
"Russian Biographical Dictionary". vol. 23. St. Petersburg: Imp. ist. Society, 1911
Letters and papers of Emperor Peter the Great. v. 1-9. St. Petersburg, 1887-1950
Northern War 1700-1721 Collection of documents. v. 1., IRI RAN. 2009
Soviet historical encyclopedia. 1976. v. 16
Internet
Gurko Joseph Vladimirovich
Field Marshal General (1828-1901) Hero of Shipka and Plevna, Liberator of Bulgaria (a street in Sofia was named after him, a monument was erected). In 1877 he commanded the 2nd Guards Cavalry Division. To quickly capture some of the passes through the Balkans, Gurko led an advance detachment, composed of four cavalry regiments, an infantry brigade and a newly formed Bulgarian militia, with two batteries of horse artillery. Gurko completed his task quickly and boldly, won a series of victories over the Turks, ending with the capture of Kazanlak and Shipka. During the struggle for Plevna, Gurko, at the head of the troops of the guard and cavalry of the western detachment, defeated the Turks near Gorny Dubnyak and Telish, then again went to the Balkans, occupied Entropol and Orkhanie, and after the fall of Plevna, reinforced by the IX Corps and the 3rd Guards Infantry Division , despite the terrible cold, he crossed the Balkan Range, took Philippopolis and occupied Adrianople, opening the way to Constantinople. At the end of the war, he commanded military districts, was a governor-general, and a member of the state council. Buried in Tver (settlement Sakharovo)
Budyonny Semyon Mikhailovich
Commander of the First Cavalry Army of the Red Army during the Civil War. The First Cavalry Army, which he led until October 1923, played an important role in a number of major operations of the Civil War to defeat the troops of Denikin and Wrangel in Northern Tavria and the Crimea.
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
Outstanding Russian commander. He successfully defended the interests of Russia both from external aggression and outside the country.
Bennigsen Leonty Leontievich
Surprisingly, a Russian general who did not speak Russian, who made up the glory of Russian weapons at the beginning of the 19th century.
He made a significant contribution to the suppression of the Polish uprising.
Commander-in-Chief in the Battle of Tarutino.
He made a significant contribution to the campaign of 1813 (Dresden and Leipzig).
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
If someone has not heard, write to no avail
Loris-Melikov Mikhail Tarielovich
Known mainly as one of the secondary characters in the story "Hadji Murad" by L.N. Tolstoy, Mikhail Tarielovich Loris-Melikov went through all the Caucasian and Turkish campaigns of the second half of the middle of the 19th century.
Having shown himself excellently during the Caucasian War, during the Kars campaign of the Crimean War, Loris-Melikov led intelligence, and then successfully served as commander-in-chief during the difficult Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, having won a number of important victories over the united Turkish troops and in the third once captured Kars, by that time considered impregnable.
Ridiger Fedor Vasilievich
Adjutant general, cavalry general, adjutant general... He had three Golden sabers with the inscription: "For courage"... In 1849, Ridiger participated in a campaign in Hungary to suppress the unrest that arose there, being appointed head of the right column. On May 9, Russian troops entered the borders of the Austrian Empire. He pursued the rebel army until August 1, forcing them to lay down their arms in front of the Russian troops near Vilyaghosh. On August 5, the troops entrusted to him occupied the fortress of Arad. During the trip of Field Marshal Ivan Fedorovich Paskevich to Warsaw, Count Ridiger commanded the troops located in Hungary and Transylvania ... On February 21, 1854, during the absence of Field Marshal Prince Paskevich in the Kingdom of Poland, Count Ridiger commanded all the troops located in the area of the active army - as a commander separate corps and at the same time served as head of the Kingdom of Poland. After the return of Field Marshal Prince Paskevich to Warsaw, from August 3, 1854, he served as the Warsaw military governor.
Alexander Davydov
Commandant of Port Arthur during his heroic defense. The unprecedented ratio of losses of Russian and Japanese troops before the surrender of the fortress is 1:10.
Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich
The Greatest Commander and Diplomat!!! Who utterly defeated the troops of the "first European Union" !!!
Dzhugashvili Joseph Vissarionovich
Gathered and coordinated a team of talented military leaders
Paskevich Ivan Fyodorovich
Hero of Borodin, Leipzig, Paris (division commander)
As commander in chief, he won 4 companies (Russian-Persian 1826-1828, Russian-Turkish 1828-1829, Polish 1830-1831, Hungarian 1849).
Knight of the Order of St. George 1st class - for the capture of Warsaw (according to the statute, the order was awarded either for saving the fatherland or for taking the enemy capital).
Field Marshal.
Margelov Vasily Filippovich
Creator of the modern Airborne Forces. When for the first time the BMD parachuted with the crew, the commander in it was his son. In my opinion, this fact speaks of such a remarkable person as V.F. Margelov, everyone. About his devotion to the Airborne Forces!
Prince Monomakh Vladimir Vsevolodovich
The most remarkable of the Russian princes of the pre-Tatar period of our history, who left behind great fame and a good memory.
Golovanov Alexander Evgenievich
He is the creator of the Soviet long-range aviation (ADD).
Units under the command of Golovanov bombed Berlin, Koenigsberg, Danzig and other cities in Germany, attacked important strategic targets behind enemy lines.
Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich
Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky (September 18 (30), 1895 - December 5, 1977) - Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1943), chief of the General Staff, member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. During the Great Patriotic War, as Chief of the General Staff (1942-1945), he took an active part in the development and implementation of almost all major operations on the Soviet-German front. From February 1945 he commanded the 3rd Belorussian Front, led the assault on Königsberg. In 1945, he was commander-in-chief of the Soviet troops in the Far East in the war with Japan. One of the greatest commanders of World War II.
In 1949-1953 - Minister of the Armed Forces and Minister of War of the USSR. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945), holder of two Orders of Victory (1944, 1945).
Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich
Marshal of the Soviet Union. From June 1942 he commanded the troops of the Leningrad Front, in February-March 1945 he simultaneously coordinated the actions of the 2nd and 3rd Baltic fronts. He played a big role in the defense of Leningrad and the breakthrough of its blockade. Awarded the Order of Victory. The generally recognized master of the combat use of artillery.
Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin
Major General F.I. Tolbukhin proved himself during the Battle of Stalingrad, commanding the 57th Army. The second "Stalingrad" for the Germans was the Iasi-Kishinev operation, in which he commanded the 2nd Ukrainian Front.
One of the galaxy of commanders who were brought up and nominated by I.V. Stalin.
The great merit of Marshal of the Soviet Union Tolbukhin is in the liberation of the countries of South-Eastern Europe.
