Mikhail Kutuzov: The legendary commander with an eye patch he didn't even wear. Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich

There are few people in the world who do not know for what merits Mikhail Illarionovich received laurels of honor. This brave man was praised not only, but also by other geniuses of literature. The field marshal, as if possessing the gift of foresight, won a crushing victory in the Battle of Borodino, saving the Russian Empire from plans.

Childhood and youth

September 5 (16), 1747 in the cultural capital of Russia, the city of St. Petersburg, with Lieutenant General Illarion Matveyevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov and his wife Anna Illarionovna, who, according to documents, came from the family of retired captain Bedrinsky (according to other information - the ancestors of a woman Beklemishevs were nobles), a son was born, named Mikhail.

Portrait of Mikhail Kutuzov

However, there is an opinion that the lieutenant had two sons. The second offspring was called Semyon, he allegedly managed to get the rank of major, but due to the fact that he lost his mind, he was under the care of his parents until the end of his life. Scientists made such an assumption because of a letter written by Mikhail to his beloved in 1804. In this manuscript, the field marshal said that upon arrival to his brother he found it in its previous state.

“He talked a lot about the pipe and asked me to save him from this misfortune and got angry when he began to say that there was no such pipe,” Mikhail Illarionovich shared with his wife.

The father of the great commander, who was an ally, began his career under. After graduating from a military engineering educational institution, he began to serve in the engineering troops. For his exceptional intelligence and erudition, contemporaries called Illarion Matveyevich a walking encyclopedia or a "reasonable book."

Of course, the parent of the field marshal made a contribution to the development of the Russian Empire. For example, even under Kutuzov Sr., he made a layout of the Catherine Canal, which is now called the channel.

Thanks to the project of Illarion Matveyevich, the consequences of the flood of the Neva River were prevented. Kutuzov's plan was carried out during the reign. As a reward, Mikhail Illarionovich's father received a golden snuffbox adorned with precious stones as a gift from the ruler.

Illarion Matveevich also participated in the Turkish war, which lasted from 1768 to 1774. From the side of the Russian troops, Alexander Suvorov and commander Count Pyotr Rumyantsev commanded. It is worth saying that Kutuzov Sr. distinguished himself on the battlefield and gained a reputation as a person versed in both military and civil affairs.

Mikhail Kutuzov's future was predetermined by his parents, because after the young man graduated from home schooling, in 1759 he was sent to the Artillery and Engineering Noble School, where he showed outstanding abilities and quickly moved up the career ladder. However, one should not exclude the troubles of the father, who taught artillery sciences in this institution.

Among other things, since 1758 in this noble school, which now bears the name of the Military Space Academy. A.F. Mozhaisky, a scientist-encyclopedist lectured on physics. It is worth noting that the talented Kutuzov graduated from the academy as an external student: thanks to his extraordinary mind, the young man spent a year and a half on the school bench instead of the prescribed three years.

Military service

In February 1761, the future field marshal was awarded a matriculation certificate, but remained within the walls of the school, because Mikhail (with the rank of ensign engineer), on the advice of Count Shuvalov, began to teach mathematics to students of the academy. Further, a capable young man became the adjutant wing of Duke Peter August of Holstein-Beck, managed his office and showed himself to be a diligent worker. Then in 1762 Mikhail Illarionovich rose to the rank of captain.

In the same year, Kutuzov became close to Suvorov, because he was appointed company commander of the Astrakhan 12th Grenadier Regiment, which at that time was commanded by Alexander Vasilyevich. By the way, Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration, Prokopy Vasilyevich Meshchersky, Pavel Artemyevich Levashev and other famous personalities served in this regiment at one time.

In 1764, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov was in Poland and commanded small troops against the Bar Confederation, which in turn opposed the associates of the Polish king Stanislav August Poniatowski, a supporter of the Russian Empire. Thanks to his innate talent, Kutuzov created victorious strategies, made swift marches and defeated the Polish confederates, despite a small army, inferior in number to the enemy.

Three years later, in 1767, Kutuzov joined the Commission for the drafting of a new Code - a temporary collegial body in Russia, which was engaged in the development of systematization of the codes of laws that took place after the adoption of the Cathedral Code by the Tsar (1649). Most likely, Mikhail Illarionovich was attracted to the board as a secretary-translator, because he was fluent in French and German, and was also fluent in Latin.

The Russian-Turkish wars of 1768-1774 are a significant milestone in the biography of Mikhail Illarionovich. Thanks to the conflict between the Russian and Ottoman empires, Kutuzov gained combat experience and showed himself as an outstanding military leader. In July 1774, the son of Illarion Matveyevich, commander of a regiment intended to storm enemy fortifications, received a combat wound in a battle against a Turkish landing in the Crimea, but miraculously survived. The fact is that an enemy bullet pierced the left temple of the commander and exited at the right eye.

Fortunately, Kutuzov's vision was preserved, but the "squinted" eye reminded the field marshal all his life of the bloody events of the operation of the Ottoman troops and fleet. In the autumn of 1784, Mikhail Illarionovich was awarded the primary military rank of major general, and also distinguished himself in the Kinburn battle (1787), the capture of Izmail (1790, for which he received the military rank of lieutenant general and was awarded the Order of George 2nd degree), showed courage in Russian-Polish war (1792), war with Napoleon (1805) and other battles.

War of 1812

The genius of Russian literature could not pass by the bloody events of 1812, which left their mark on history and changed the fate of the countries participating in the Patriotic War - France and the Russian Empire. Moreover, in his epic novel "War and Peace", the author of the book tried to scrupulously describe both the battles and the image of the leader of the people - Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, who in the work took care of the soldiers as if they were children.

The reasons for the confrontation between the two powers was the refusal of the Russian Empire to support the continental blockade of Great Britain, despite the fact that between and Napoleon Bonaparte the Treaty of Tilsit was concluded (in force since July 7, 1807), according to which the son undertook to join the blockade. This agreement turned out to be unprofitable for Russia, which had to abandon its main business partner.

During the war, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian armies and militias, and also, thanks to his merits, was awarded the title of the Most Serene Prince, which raised the spirit of the Russian people, because Kutuzov gained a reputation as an undefeated commander. However, Mikhail Illarionovich himself did not believe in a grand victory and used to say that Napoleon's army could be won only with the help of deception.

Initially, Mikhail Illarionovich, like his predecessor Barclay de Tolly, chose a policy of retreat, hoping to exhaust the enemy and gain support. But Alexander I was dissatisfied with Kutuzov's strategy and insisted that Napoleon's army did not reach the capital. Therefore, Mikhail Illarionovich had to give a general battle. Despite the fact that the French outnumbered Kutuzov's army in terms of numbers and weapons, the Field Marshal General managed to defeat Napoleon in the Battle of Borodino in 1812.

Personal life

According to rumors, the first lover of the commander was a certain Ulyana Alexandrovich, who came from the family of the Little Russian nobleman Ivan Alexandrovich. Kutuzov met this family, being a little-known young man with a small rank.

Mikhail often began to visit Ivan Ilyich in Velikaya Krucha, and one day he liked the daughter of a friend, who responded with mutual sympathy. Mikhail and Ulyana began dating, but the lovers did not tell their parents about their affection. It is known that at the time of their relationship, the girl fell ill with a dangerous disease, from which no medicine helped.

Ulyana's desperate mother vowed that if her daughter recovered, she would definitely pay for her salvation - she would never marry. Thus, the parent, who delivered an ultimatum to the fate of the girl, doomed the beauty to the crown of celibacy. Ulyana recovered, but her love for Kutuzov only increased, they say that young people even set a wedding day.

However, a few days before the celebration, the girl fell ill with a fever and, fearing God's will, rejected her beloved. Kutuzov no longer insisted on marriage: the paths of the lovers parted. But the legend says that Alexandrovich did not forget Mikhail Illarionovich and prayed for him until the end of her years.

It is authentically known that in 1778 Mikhail Kutuzov made a marriage proposal to Ekaterina Ilyinichna Bibikova and the girl agreed. Six children were born in the marriage, but the first-born Nikolai died in infancy from smallpox.

Catherine loved literature, theater and social events. Beloved Kutuzova spent more money than she could afford, so she repeatedly received reprimands from her husband. Also, this lady was very original, contemporaries said that already at an advanced age, Ekaterina Ilyinichna dressed like a young lady.

It is noteworthy that a small one managed to see Kutuzov's wife - in the future a great writer who invented the nihilist hero Bazarov. But because of her eccentric outfit, the elderly lady, whom Turgenev's parents revered, made an ambiguous impression on the boy. Vanya, unable to bear the emotions, said:

"You look exactly like a monkey."

Death

In April 1813, Mikhail Illarionovich caught a cold and went to the hospital, located in the town of Bunzlau. According to legend, Alexander I arrived at the hospital in order to say goodbye to the field marshal, but scientists have refuted this information. Mikhail Illarionovich died on April 16 (28), 1813. After the tragic event, the field marshal's body was embalmed and sent to the city on the Neva. The funeral took place only on 13 (25) June. The grave of the great commander is located in the Kazan Cathedral, in the city of St. Petersburg.

In memory of the talented military leader, feature and documentary films were shot, monuments were erected in many cities of Russia, and a cruiser and a motor ship were named after Kutuzov. Among other things, in Moscow there is the Kutuzovskaya Izba Museum, dedicated to the military council in Fili on September 1 (13), 1812.

• In 1788, Kutuzov took part in the assault on Ochakov, where he was wounded in the head again. However, Mikhail Illarionovich managed to cheat death, because the bullet went along the old path. Therefore, a year later, the strengthened commander fought near the Moldavian city of Causeni, and in 1790 he showed courage and courage in the assault on Izmail.
• Kutuzov was a confidant of the favorite Platon Zubov, but to become an ally of the most influential person in the Russian Empire (after Catherine II), the field marshal had to work hard. Mikhail Illarionovich woke up an hour before the awakening of Platon Alexandrovich, brewed coffee and took this fragrant drink to Zubov's bedchamber.

Cruiser Museum "Mikhail Kutuzov"

• Some are accustomed to presenting the appearance of a commander with a bandage over his right eye. But there is no official confirmation that Mikhail Illarionovich wore this accessory, especially since this bandage was hardly a necessity. Associations with a pirate arose among history buffs after the release of Vladimir Petrov's Soviet film "Kutuzov" (1943), where the commander appeared in the guise in which we are accustomed to seeing him.
• In 1772, a significant event took place in the biography of the commander. Being among friends, 25-year-old Mikhail Kutuzov allowed himself a daring joke: he played an impromptu skit in which he mimicked the commander Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev. Under the general laughter, Kutuzov showed his colleagues the gait of the count and even tried to copy his voice, but Rumyantsev himself did not appreciate such humor and sent the young soldier to another regiment under the command of Prince Vasily Dolgorukov.

Memory

• 1941 - "Commander Kutuzov", M. Bragin
• 1943 - "Kutuzov", V.M. Petrov
• 1978 - "Kutuzov", P.A. Zhilin
• 2003 - Field Marshal Kutuzov. Myths and facts”, N.A. Trinity
• 2003 - "Bird-Glory", S.P. Alekseev
• 2008 - "Year 1812. Documentary chronicle", S.N. Iskul
• 2011 - "Kutuzov", Leonty Rakovsky
• 2011 - "Kutuzov", Oleg Mikhailov

Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:	Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Date of death:
A place of death:	Bunzlau, Silesia, Prussia
Affiliation:	Russian empire
Years of service:
	Field Marshal General
Commanded:
Battles/wars:	Assault on Ishmael - Russian-Turkish war 1788-1791, Battle of Austerlitz Patriotic War of 1812: battle of Borodino
Awards and prizes:	Foreign orders

Russian-Turkish wars

War with Napoleon in 1805

War with Turkey in 1811

Patriotic War of 1812

Family and clan Kutuzov

Military ranks and ranks

monuments

memorial plaques

In literature

Movie incarnations

Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov(since 1812 His Serene Highness Prince Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky; 1745-1813) - Russian Field Marshal from the Golenishchev-Kutuzov family, commander-in-chief during the Patriotic War of 1812. The first full knight of the Order of St. George.

Service start

Son of lieutenant general (later senator) Illarion Matveyevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov (1717-1784) and his wife Anna Illarionovna, born in 1728. It was traditionally believed that Anna Larionovna belonged to the Beklemishev family, but the surviving archival documents indicate that her father was a retired captain Bedrinsky.

Until recently, 1745, indicated on his grave, was considered to be the year of Kutuzov's birth. However, the data contained in a number of official lists of 1769, 1785, 1791 and private letters indicate the possibility of referring his birth to 1747. It is 1747 that is indicated as the year of birth of M.I. Kutuzov in his later biographies.

From the age of seven, Mikhail studied at home, in July 1759 he was sent to the Artillery and Engineering Noble School, where his father taught artillery sciences. Already in December of the same year, Kutuzov was given the rank of conductor of the 1st class with swearing in and the appointment of a salary. A capable young man is recruited to train officers.

In February 1761, Mikhail graduated from school and, with the rank of ensign engineer, was left with her to teach mathematics to pupils. Five months later, he became the adjutant wing of the Reval Governor-General Prince Holstein-Beksky.

Quickly managing the office of Holstein-Becksky, he quickly earned the rank of captain in 1762. In the same year, he was appointed company commander of the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment, which at that time was commanded by Colonel A.V. Suvorov.

Since 1764, he was at the disposal of the commander of the Russian troops in Poland, Lieutenant General I. I. Weimarn, commanded small detachments operating against the Polish confederates.

In 1767, he was recruited to work on the "Commission for the drafting of a new Code", an important legal and philosophical document of the 18th century, which consolidated the foundations of an "enlightened monarchy". Apparently, Mikhail Kutuzov was involved as a secretary-translator, since it is written in his certificate that he “speaks and translates French and German quite well, he understands the author’s Latin.”

In 1770, he was transferred to the 1st Army of Field Marshal P. A. Rumyantsev, located in the south, and took part in the war with Turkey that began in 1768.

Russian-Turkish wars

Of great importance in the formation of Kutuzov as a military leader was the combat experience accumulated by him during the Russian-Turkish wars of the 2nd half of the 18th century under the leadership of commanders P. A. Rumyantsev and A. V. Suvorov. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-74. Kutuzov took part in the battles of Ryaba Mogila, Larga and Cahul. For distinction in battles he was promoted to Prime Major. In the position of chief quartermaster (chief of staff) of the corps, he was assistant commander and for success in the battle of Popesty in December 1771 received the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In 1772, an incident occurred that, according to contemporaries, had a great influence on the character of Kutuzov. In a close circle of comrades, the 25-year-old Kutuzov, who knows how to imitate demeanor, allowed himself to mimic the commander-in-chief Rumyantsev. The field marshal found out about this, and Kutuzov was sent by transfer to the 2nd Crimean Army under the command of Prince Dolgoruky. Since that time, he developed restraint and caution, he learned to hide his thoughts and feelings, that is, he acquired those qualities that became characteristic of his future military activity. According to another version, the reason for the transfer of Kutuzov to the 2nd Army was the words of Catherine II repeated by him about the Most Serene Prince Potemkin, that the prince was brave not with his mind, but with his heart.

In July 1774, Devlet Giray landed with Turkish troops in Alushta, but the Turks were not allowed to go deep into the Crimea. On July 23, 1774, in the battle near the village of Shuma, north of Alushta, a three-thousand-strong Russian detachment defeated the main forces of the Turkish landing force. Kutuzov, who commanded the grenadier battalion of the Moscow Legion, was seriously wounded by a bullet that pierced his left temple and exited near his right eye, which “squinted”, but his vision was preserved, contrary to popular belief. The Commander-in-Chief of the Crimean Army, General-in-Chief V. M. Dolgorukov, in his report dated July 28, 1774, wrote about the victory in that battle:

In memory of this wound in the Crimea there is a monument - the Kutuzovsky fountain. The Empress awarded Kutuzov with the military Order of St. George 4th class and sent him to Austria for treatment, taking on all the expenses of the trip. Kutuzov used two years of treatment to replenish his military education. During his stay in Regensburg in 1776 he joined the Masonic lodge "To the Three Keys".

Upon returning to Russia in 1776 again in military service. At first he formed parts of the light cavalry, in 1777 he was promoted to colonel and appointed commander of the Lugansk pike regiment, with whom he was in Azov. He was transferred to the Crimea in 1783 with the rank of brigadier and was appointed commander of the Mariupol Light Horse Regiment.

In November 1784 he received the rank of major general after the successful suppression of the uprising in the Crimea. Since 1785 he was the commander of the Bug Chasseur Corps formed by him. Commanding the corps and teaching rangers, he developed new tactical methods of struggle for them and outlined them in a special instruction. He covered the border along the Bug with his corps when the second war with Turkey broke out in 1787.

October 1, 1787 participates under the command of Suvorov in the battle of Kinburn, when the 5,000th Turkish landing force was almost completely destroyed.

In the summer of 1788, with his corps, he took part in the siege of Ochakov, where in August 1788 he was again seriously wounded in the head. This time the bullet went almost through the old channel. Mikhail Illarionovich survived and in 1789 accepted a separate corps, with which Akkerman occupied, fought near Kaushany and during the assault on Bendery.

In December 1790, he distinguished himself during the assault and capture of Ishmael, where he commanded the 6th column, which was marching on the attack. Suvorov described the actions of General Kutuzov in a report:

According to legend, when Kutuzov sent a messenger to Suvorov with a report about the impossibility of staying on the ramparts, he received a response from Suvorov that a messenger had already been sent to Petersburg with news to Empress Catherine II about the capture of Ishmael.

After the capture of Izmail Kutuzov, he was promoted to lieutenant general, awarded George of the 3rd degree and appointed commandant of the fortress. Having repelled the attempts of the Turks to take possession of Izmail, on June 4 (16), 1791, he defeated the 23,000-strong Turkish army at Babadag with a sudden blow. In the Battle of Machinsky in June 1791, under the command of Prince Repnin, Kutuzov dealt a crushing blow to the right flank of the Turkish troops. For the victory at Machin, Kutuzov was awarded the Order of George 2nd degree.

In 1792, Kutuzov, commanding a corps, took part in the Russian-Polish war and the following year was sent as an extraordinary ambassador to Turkey, where he resolved a number of important issues in favor of Russia and significantly improved relations with her. While in Constantinople, he visited the Sultan's garden, a visit to which for men was punishable by death. Sultan Selim III chose not to notice the audacity of the ambassador of the powerful Catherine II.

Upon returning to Russia, Kutuzov managed to flatter himself with the all-powerful favorite at that time, Platon Zubov. Referring to the skills acquired in Turkey, he came to Zubov an hour before he woke up in a special way to brew coffee for him, which he then attributed to his favorite, in full view of many visitors. This tactic has paid off. In 1795 he was appointed commander-in-chief of all land forces, flotilla and fortresses in Finland and at the same time director of the Land Cadet Corps. He did a lot to improve the training of officers: he taught tactics, military history and other disciplines. Catherine II daily invited him to her society, he spent the last evening with her before her death.

Unlike many other favorites of the Empress, Kutuzov managed to hold on under the new Tsar Paul I and remained with him until the last day of his life (including having dinner with him on the eve of the assassination). In 1798 he was promoted to general of infantry. He successfully completed a diplomatic mission in Prussia: for 2 months in Berlin he managed to attract her to the side of Russia in the fight against France. On September 27, 1799, Paul I appointed commander of an expeditionary force in Holland instead of General of Infantry II German, who was defeated by the French at Bergen and taken prisoner. He was awarded the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. On the way to Holland, he was recalled back to Russia. He was Lithuanian (1799-1801) and, upon the accession of Alexander I, was appointed military governor of St. Petersburg and Vyborg (1801-02), as well as the manager of the civil part in these provinces and an inspector of the Finnish inspection.

In 1802, falling into disgrace with Tsar Alexander I, Kutuzov was removed from his post and lived on his estate in Goroshki (now Volodarsk-Volynsky, Ukraine, Zhytomyr region), continuing to be on active duty as the chief of the Pskov Musketeer Regiment.

War with Napoleon in 1805

In 1804 Russia entered into a coalition to fight against Napoleon, and in 1805 the Russian government sent two armies to Austria; Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief of one of them. In August 1805, the 50,000-strong Russian army under his command moved to Austria. The Austrian army, which did not have time to connect with the Russian troops, was defeated by Napoleon in October 1805 near Ulm. Kutuzov's army found itself face to face with the enemy, who had a significant superiority in strength.

Saving the troops, Kutuzov in October 1805 made a retreat march 425 km long from Braunau to Olmutz and, having defeated I. Murat near Amstetten and E. Mortier near Dürenstein, withdrew his troops from the impending threat of encirclement. This march went down in the history of military art as a remarkable example of a strategic maneuver. From Olmutz (now Olomouc), Kutuzov proposed to withdraw the army to the Russian border, so that, after the approach of Russian reinforcements and the Austrian army from Northern Italy, to go on the counteroffensive.

Contrary to the opinion of Kutuzov and at the insistence of the emperors Alexander I and the Austrian Franz II, inspired by a small numerical superiority over the French, the allied armies went on the offensive. On November 20 (December 2), 1805, the Battle of Austerlitz took place. The battle ended with the complete defeat of the Russians and Austrians. Kutuzov himself was wounded by a shrapnel in the cheek, and also lost his son-in-law, Count Tizenhausen. Alexander, realizing his guilt, publicly did not blame Kutuzov and awarded him in February 1806 with the Order of St. Vladimir of the 1st degree, but he never forgave him for the defeat, believing that Kutuzov deliberately framed the king. In a letter to his sister dated September 18, 1812, Alexander I expressed his true attitude towards the commander: “ recollection of what happened at Austerlitz due to the deceitful nature of Kutuzov».

In September 1806 Kutuzov was appointed military governor of Kyiv. In March 1808, Kutuzov was sent as a corps commander to the Moldavian army, but due to disagreements over the further conduct of the war with the commander-in-chief, Field Marshal A. A. Prozorovsky, in June 1809 Kutuzov was appointed Lithuanian military governor.

War with Turkey in 1811

In 1811, when the war with Turkey came to a standstill, and the foreign policy situation required effective action, Alexander I appointed Kutuzov as commander-in-chief of the Moldavian army instead of the deceased Kamensky. In early April 1811, Kutuzov arrived in Bucharest and took command of the army, weakened by the recall of divisions to defend the western border. He found in the entire space of the conquered lands less than thirty thousand troops, with whom he was supposed to defeat one hundred thousand Turks located in the Balkan mountains.

In the Ruschuk battle on June 22, 1811 (15-20 thousand Russian troops against 60 thousand Turks), he inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy, which marked the beginning of the defeat of the Turkish army. Then Kutuzov deliberately withdrew his army to the left bank of the Danube, forcing the enemy to break away from the bases in pursuit. He blocked the part of the Turkish army that had crossed the Danube near Slobodzeya, and in early October he himself sent the corps of General Markov across the Danube in order to attack the Turks who remained on the southern bank. Markov attacked the enemy base, captured it and took the main camp of Grand Vizier Ahmed Agha across the river under fire from the captured Turkish guns. Soon famine and disease began in the encircled camp, Ahmed-aga secretly left the army, leaving Pasha Chaban-oglu in his place. Even before the capitulation of the Turks, by the nominal Supreme Decree, of October 29 (November 10), 1811, the commander-in-chief of the army against the Turks, infantry general, Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, was elevated, with his descendants, to the dignity of a count of the Russian Empire. November 23 (5 December) 1811 1811 Chaban-oglu surrendered to Count Golenishchev-Kutuzov a 35,000-strong army with 56 guns. Türkiye was forced to enter into negotiations.

Concentrating his corps to the Russian borders, Napoleon hoped that the alliance with the Sultan, which he concluded in the spring of 1812, would bind the Russian forces in the south. But on May 4 (16), 1812, in Bucharest, Kutuzov made peace, according to which Bessarabia with part of Moldavia passed to Russia (Bucharest Peace Treaty of 1812). It was a major military and diplomatic victory that shifted the strategic situation for Russia for the better by the beginning of World War II. At the conclusion of peace, Admiral Chichagov headed the Danube army, and Kutuzov was recalled to St. Petersburg, where, by decision of the emergency committee of ministers, he was appointed commander of the troops for the defense of St. Petersburg.

Patriotic War of 1812

At the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, General Kutuzov was elected in July the head of the St. Petersburg, and then the Moscow militia. At the initial stage of the Patriotic War, the 1st and 2nd Western Russian armies rolled back under the onslaught of Napoleon's superior forces. The unsuccessful course of the war prompted the nobility to demand the appointment of a commander who would enjoy the confidence of Russian society. Even before the Russian troops left Smolensk, Alexander I appointed Infantry General Kutuzov as commander-in-chief of all Russian armies and militias. 10 days before the appointment, by a personal Imperial decree, dated July 29 (August 10), 1812, Infantry General Count Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov was elevated, with his descendants, to the princely rank of the Russian Empire, with the title of lordship. The appointment of Kutuzov caused a patriotic upsurge in the army and the people. Kutuzov himself, as in 1805, was not in the mood for a decisive battle against Napoleon. According to one of the testimonies, he put it this way about the methods by which he would act against the French: “ We will not defeat Napoleon. We will deceive him.» On August 17 (29), Kutuzov received the army from Barclay de Tolly in the village of Tsarevo-Zaimishche, Smolensk province.

The great superiority of the enemy in forces and the lack of reserves forced Kutuzov to retreat inland, following the strategy of his predecessor Barclay de Tolly. Further withdrawal meant the surrender of Moscow without a fight, which was unacceptable both politically and morally. Having received insignificant reinforcements, Kutuzov decided to give Napoleon a pitched battle, the first and only one in the Patriotic War of 1812. The Battle of Borodino, one of the largest battles of the era of the Napoleonic Wars, took place on August 26 (September 7). During the day of the battle, the Russian army inflicted heavy losses on the French troops, but according to preliminary estimates, by the night of the same day, it lost almost half of the personnel of the regular troops. The balance of power obviously did not shift in favor of Kutuzov. Kutuzov decided to withdraw from the Borodino position, and then, after a meeting in Fili (now a Moscow region), he left Moscow. Nevertheless, the Russian army proved to be worthy at Borodino, for which Kutuzov was promoted to field marshal on August 30 (September 11).

A.S. Pushkin
In front of the tomb of the saint
I stand with my head down...
Everything is sleeping around; only lamps
In the darkness of the temple they gild
Pillars of granite masses
And their banners hanging row.
Under them this lord sleeps,
This idol of the northern squads,
The venerable guardian of the sovereign country,
Subduer of all her enemies,
This rest of the glorious flock
Catherine's Eagles.
In your coffin delight lives!
He gives us a Russian voice;
He tells us about that year,
When the voice of the people's faith
I called out to your holy gray hair:
"Go save!" You got up - and saved ...
Listen well and today our faithful voice,
Rise up and save the king and us
O formidable old man! For a moment
Appear at the door of the grave,
Appear, inhale delight and zeal
The shelves you left behind!
Appear and your hand
Show us the leaders in the crowd,
Who is your heir, your chosen one!
But the temple is immersed in silence,
And quiet is your warlike grave
Unperturbed, eternal sleep...

After leaving Moscow, Kutuzov secretly carried out the famous Tarutino flank maneuver, leading the army to the village of Tarutino by the beginning of October. Once to the south and west of Napoleon, Kutuzov blocked his path of movement to the southern regions of the country.

Having failed in his attempts to make peace with Russia, on October 7 (19) Napoleon began to withdraw from Moscow. He tried to lead the army to Smolensk by the southern route through Kaluga, where there were food and fodder supplies, but on October 12 (24) the battle for Maloyaroslavets was stopped by Kutuzov and retreated along the devastated Smolensk road. The Russian troops launched a counteroffensive, which Kutuzov organized so that Napoleon's army was under flank attacks by regular and partisan detachments, and Kutuzov avoided frontal battle with large masses of troops.

Thanks to Kutuzov's strategy, the huge Napoleonic army was almost completely destroyed. It should be especially noted that the victory was achieved at the cost of moderate losses in the Russian army. Kutuzov in the pre-Soviet and post-Soviet times was criticized for his unwillingness to act more decisively and offensively, for his preference to have a sure victory at the expense of resounding glory. Prince Kutuzov, according to contemporaries and historians, did not share his plans with anyone, his words to the public often diverged from his orders in the army, so the true motives for the actions of the famous commander allow for different interpretations. But the end result of his activities is undeniable - the defeat of Napoleon in Russia, for which Kutuzov was awarded the Order of St. George of the 1st degree, becoming the first full St. George Knight in the history of the order. By personal decree of the Highest, dated December 6 (18), 1812, Field Marshal General His Serene Highness Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov was granted the name Smolensky.

Napoleon often spoke contemptuously about the generals opposing him, while not embarrassed in expressions. Characteristically, he avoided giving public assessments of Kutuzov's command in the Patriotic War, preferring to lay the blame for the complete destruction of his army on the "harsh Russian winter." Napoleon's attitude towards Kutuzov can be seen in a personal letter written by Napoleon from Moscow on October 3, 1812 with the aim of starting peace negotiations:

In January 1813, Russian troops crossed the border and reached the Oder by the end of February. By April 1813 the troops reached the Elbe. On April 5, the commander-in-chief caught a cold and fell ill in the small Silesian town of Bunzlau (Prussia, now the territory of Poland). According to a legend refuted by historians, Alexander I arrived to say goodbye to a very weakened field marshal. Behind the screens, near the bed on which Kutuzov lay, was the official Krupennikov, who was with him. The last dialogue of Kutuzov, allegedly overheard by Krupennikov and transmitted by the chamberlain Tolstoy: “ Forgive me, Mikhail Illarionovich!» - « I forgive you, sir, but Russia will never forgive you for this.". The next day, April 16 (28), 1813, Prince Kutuzov passed away. His body was embalmed and sent to St. Petersburg, where he was buried in the Kazan Cathedral.

They say that the people were dragging a wagon with the remains of a national hero. The emperor retained the full maintenance of her husband for Kutuzov's wife, and in 1814 ordered the Minister of Finance Guryev to issue more than 300 thousand rubles to pay off the debts of the commander's family.

Criticism

“In terms of his strategic and tactical talents ... he is not equal to Suvorov and certainly not equal to Napoleon,” historian E. Tarle described Kutuzov. Kutuzov's military talent was called into question after the Austerlitz defeat, and even during the war of 1812 he was accused of trying to build a "golden bridge" for Napoleon to leave Russia with the remnants of the army. Critical reviews of Kutuzov the commander belong not only to his well-known rival and ill-wisher Bennigsen, but also to other leaders of the Russian army in 1812 - N. N. Raevsky, A. P. Yermolov, P. I. Bagration. “This goose is also good, which is called both prince and leader! Now women’s gossip and intrigues will go to our leader, ”Bagration reacted to the news of Kutuzov’s appointment as commander in chief. Kutuzov's "kunkatorism" became a direct continuation of the strategic line chosen at the beginning of the war by Barclay de Tolly. “I brought the chariot up the mountain, and it will roll down the mountain itself with the slightest guidance,” Barclay himself threw, leaving the army.

As for Kutuzov's personal qualities, during his lifetime he was criticized for obsequiousness, which manifested itself in an obsequious attitude towards the royal favorites, and for excessive predilection for the female sex. They say that while Kutuzov was already seriously ill in the Tarutino camp (October 1812), Chief of Staff Bennigsen reported to Alexander I that Kutuzov did nothing and slept a lot, and not alone. He brought with him a Moldavian woman dressed as a Cossack, who " warms his bed". The letter reached the War Department, where General Knorring imposed the following resolution on it: Rumyantsev drove them four at a time. It's none of our business. And what sleeps, let it sleep. Every hour [sleep] of this elder inexorably brings us closer to victory».

Family and clan Kutuzov

The noble family of the Golenishchev-Kutuzovs originates from the Novgorodian Fyodor, nicknamed Kutuz (XV century), whose nephew Vasily had the nickname Golenishche. The sons of Vasily were in the royal service under the surname "Golenishchev-Kutuzov". The grandfather of M. I. Kutuzov rose only to the rank of captain, his father already to the lieutenant general, and Mikhail Illarionovich earned hereditary princely dignity.

Illarion Matveyevich was buried in the village of Terebeni, Opochetsky District, in a special crypt. Currently, there is a church on the burial site, in the basement of which a crypt was discovered in the 20th century. The expedition of the TV project "Searchers" found out that the body of Illarion Matveyevich was mummified and, thanks to this, was well preserved.

Kutuzov got married in the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Golenishchevo, Samoluk Volost, Loknyansky District, Pskov Region. Today, only ruins remain of this church.

The wife of Mikhail Illarionovich, Ekaterina Ilyinichna (1754-1824), was the daughter of Lieutenant General Ilya Alexandrovich Bibikov and the sister of A. I. Bibikov, a major statesman and military figure (marshal of the Legislative Commission, commander in chief in the fight against the Polish confederates and in the suppression of the Pugachev rebellion , a friend of A. Suvorov). She married a thirty-year-old colonel Kutuzov in 1778 and gave birth to five daughters in a happy marriage (the only son, Nikolai, died of smallpox in infancy, was buried in Elisavetgrad (now Kirovograd) on the territory of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin).

• Praskovya (1777-1844) - wife of Matvey Fedorovich Tolstoy (1772-1815);
• Anna (1782-1846) - wife of Nikolai Zakharovich Khitrovo (1779-1827);
• Elizabeth (1783-1839) - in the first marriage, the wife of Fyodor Ivanovich Tizenhausen (1782-1805); in the second - Nikolai Fedorovich Khitrovo (1771-1819);
• Catherine (1787-1826) - wife of Prince Nikolai Danilovich Kudashev (1786-1813); in the second - Ilya Stepanovich Sarochinsky (1788/89-1854);
• Daria (1788-1854) - wife of Fyodor Petrovich Opochinin (1779-1852).

Lisa's first husband died fighting under the command of Kutuzov, Katya's first husband also died in battle. Since the field marshal left no offspring in the male line, the name of Golenishchev-Kutuzov in 1859 was transferred to his grandson, Major General P. M. Tolstoy, son of Praskovya.

Kutuzov also related to the imperial house: his great-granddaughter Daria Konstantinovna Opochinina (1844-1870) became the wife of Evgeny Maximilianovich Leuchtenberg.

Military ranks and ranks

• Fourier at the School of Engineering (1759)
• Corporal (10/10/1759)
• Captainarmus (10/20/1759)
• Conductor (12/10/1759)
• Ensign engineer (01/01/1761)
• Captain (08/21/1762)
• Prime Major for Distinction at Larga (07/07/1770)
• Lieutenant colonel for distinction at Popesty (12/08/1771)
• Colonel (06/28/1777)
• Brigadier (06/28/1782)
• Major General (11/24/1784)
• Lieutenant General for the capture of Ishmael (03/25/1791)
• General of Infantry (01/04/1798)
• Field Marshal for Distinction at Borodino 08/26/1812 (08/30/1812)

Awards

• M. I. Kutuzov became the first of 4 full Knights of St. George in the entire history of the order.
• Order of St. George 4th class. (11/26/1775, No. 222) - " For courage and courage shown during the attack of the Turkish troops, who made a landing on the Crimean coast near Alushta. Being detached to take possession of the enemy retrangement, to which he led his battalion with such fearlessness that the numerous enemy fled, where he received a very dangerous wound»
• Order of St. George 3rd class (03/25/1791, No. 77) - " In respect for the diligent service and excellent courage shown during the capture of the city and fortress of Ishmael by storm with the extermination of the Turkish army that was there»
• Order of St. George 2nd class (03/18/1792, No. 28) - " In respect for diligent service, brave and courageous deeds, with which he distinguished himself in the battle of Machin and the defeat by Russian troops under the command of General Prince N.V. Repnin, a large Turkish army»
• Order of St. George 1st class bol.cr. (12/12/1812, No. 10) - " For the defeat and expulsion of the enemy from Russia in 1812»
• Order of St. Alexander Nevsky - for battles with the Turks (09/08/1790)
• Order of St. Vladimir 2nd class - for the successful formation of the corps (06.1789)
• Order of St. John of Jerusalem Grand Cross (04.10.1799)
• Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (06/19/1800)
• Order of St. Vladimir 1st class - for battles with the French in 1805 (02/24/1806)
• Portrait of Emperor Alexander I with diamonds to wear on the chest (07/18/1811)
• Golden sword with diamonds and laurels - for the battle of Tarutino (10/16/1812)
• Diamond signs to the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (12/12/1812)

Foreign:

• Holstein Order of St. Anna - for the battle with the Turks near Ochakov (04/21/1789)
• Austrian Military Order of Maria Theresa 1st class (02.11.1805)
• Prussian Order of the Red Eagle 1st class
• Prussian Order of the Black Eagle (1813)

Memory

• During the Great Patriotic War, the orders of Kutuzov of the 1st, 2nd (July 29, 1942) and 3rd (February 8, 1943) degrees were established in the USSR. They were awarded to about 7 thousand people and entire military units.
• In honor of M. I. Kutuzov, one of the cruisers of the Navy was named.
• The asteroid 2492 Kutuzov is named after M.I. Kutuzov.
• A. S. Pushkin in 1831 dedicated the poem “In front of the tomb of the saint” to the commander, writing it in a letter to Kutuzov’s daughter Elizabeth. In honor of Kutuzov, poems were created by G. R. Derzhavin, V. A. Zhukovsky and other poets.
• The famous fabulist I. A. Krylov, during the life of the commander, composed the fable “The Wolf in the Kennel”, where he depicted Kutuzov’s struggle with Napoleon in allegorical form.
• In Moscow, there is Kutuzovsky Prospekt (laid in 1957-1963, included Novodorogomilovskaya Street, part of Mozhayskoye Highway and Kutuzovskaya Sloboda Street), Kutuzovsky Lane and Kutuzovsky Proezd (named in 1912), Kutuzovo Station (opened in 1908) of the Moscow District railway, Kutuzovskaya metro station (opened in 1958), Kutuzova street (preserved from the former city of Kuntsevo).
• In many cities of Russia, as well as in other former republics of the USSR (for example, in Ukrainian Izmail, Moldovan Tiraspol) there are streets named after M.I. Kutuzov.

monuments

In memory of the glorious victories of Russian weapons over the army of Napoleon, monuments were erected to M.I. Kutuzov:

• 1815 - in Bunzlau, at the direction of the King of Prussia.
• 1824 - Kutuzovsky fountain - a fountain-monument to M.I. Kutuzov is located not far from Alushta. It was built in 1804 with the permission of the Tauride Governor D. B. Mertvago by the son of the Turkish officer Ismail-Aga, who died in the Battle of Shum, in memory of his father. It was renamed Kutuzovsky during the construction of the road to the South Coast (1824-1826) in memory of the victory of Russian troops in the last battle of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774.
• 1837 - in St. Petersburg, in front of the Kazan Cathedral, sculptor B. I. Orlovsky.
• 1862 - in Veliky Novgorod on the Monument "1000th Anniversary of Russia" among 129 figures of the most prominent personalities in Russian history there is a figure of M. I. Kutuzov.
• 1912 - an obelisk on the Borodino field, near the village of Gorki, architect P. A. Vorontsov-Velyaminov.
• 1953 - in Kaliningrad, sculptor Ya. Lukashevich (in 1997 moved to Pravdinsk (former Friedland), Kaliningrad region); in 1995, a new monument to M. I. Kutuzov by sculptor M. Anikushin was erected in Kaliningrad.
• 1954 - in Smolensk, at the foot of Cathedral Hill; authors: sculptor G. I. Motovilov, architect L. M. Polyakov.
• 1964 - in the rural settlement of Borodino near the State Borodino Military Historical Museum-Reserve;
• 1973 - in Moscow near the Borodino Battle panorama museum, sculptor N. V. Tomsky.
• 1997 - in Tiraspol, on Borodino Square in front of the House of Officers of the Russian Army.
• 2009 - in Bendery, on the territory of the Bendery fortress, in the capture of which Kutuzov took part in 1770 and 1789.
• In memory of the reflection by the Russian detachment under the command of M. I. Kutuzov of the landing of Turkish troops near Alushta (Crimea) in 1774, near the place where Kutuzov was wounded (the village of Shumy), in 1824-1826 a memorial was erected in the form of a fountain.
• A small monument to Kutuzov was erected in 1959 in the village of Volodarsk-Volynsky (Zhytomyr region, Ukraine), where Kutuzov's estate was. In the Kutuzov time, the village was called Goroshki, in 1912-1921 - Kutuzovka, then renamed in honor of the Bolshevik Volodarsky. The ancient park in which the monument is located also bears the name of M.I. Kutuzov.
• There is a small monument to Kutuzov in the city of Brody. Lviv region Ukraine, during the "Euromaidan" it was, by decision of the local city council, dismantled and moved to the utility yard.

memorial plaques

• On November 3, 2012, a memorial plaque was erected in Kyiv to M.I. Kutuzov (Governor-General of Kyiv in 1806-1810).

In literature

• The novel "War and Peace" - author L. N. Tolstoy
• The novel "Kutuzov" (1960) - author L. I. Rakovsky

Movie incarnations

The most textbook image of Kutuzov on the movie screen was created by I. Ilyinsky in the film "The Hussar Ballad", filmed for the 150th anniversary of the Patriotic War. After this film, the idea arose that Kutuzov wore an eyepatch on his right eye, although this is not the case. The field marshal was also played by other actors:

• ?? (Suvorov, 1940)
• Alexey Dikiy (Kutuzov, 1943)
• Oskar Homolka (War and Peace) USA-Italy, 1956.
• Polikarp Pavlov (Battle of Austerlitz, 1960)
• Boris Zakhava (War and Peace), USSR, 1967.
• Frank Middlemass (War and Peace, 1972)
• Evgeny Lebedev (Squadron of flying hussars, 1980)
• Mikhail Kuznetsov (Bagration, 1985)
• Dmitry Suponin (Adjutants of Love, 2005)
• Alexander Novikov (Favorite, 2005)
• Vladimir Ilyin (War and Peace, 2007)
• Vladimir Simonov (Rzhevsky vs. Napoleon, 2012)
• Sergei Zhuravel (Ulan ballad, 2012)

Mikhail Illarionovich

Battles and victories

Great Russian commander. Count, Most Serene Prince of Smolensk. Field Marshal General. Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army during the Patriotic War of 1812.

His life was spent in battles. Personal courage brought him not only many awards, but also two wounds to the head - both were considered fatal. The fact that he survived both times and returned to duty seemed like a sign: Golenishchev-Kutuzov was destined for something great. The answer to the expectations of contemporaries was the victory over Napoleon, the glorification of which by descendants elevated the figure of the commander to epic proportions.

In the military history of Russia, perhaps, there is no such commander, whose posthumous glory fanned his lifetime deeds as much as Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov. Immediately after the death of the field marshal, his contemporary and subordinate A.P. Ermolov said:

Our benefit compels everyone to imagine him above the ordinary. The history of the world will place him among the heroes of the annals of the Fatherland - among the deliverers.

The scale of the events in which Kutuzov was a participant left an imprint on the figure of the commander, raising him to epic proportions. Meanwhile, Mikhail Illarionovich represented a personality very characteristic of the heroic time of the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries. There was practically not a single military campaign in which he would not have taken part, there was no such delicate assignment that he would not have fulfilled. Feeling great on the battlefield and at the negotiating table, M.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov remained a mystery to posterity, which has not yet been fully disclosed.

Monument to Field Marshal Kutuzov Smolensky in St. Petersburg
Sculptor B.I. Orlovsky

The future Field Marshal and Prince Smolensky was born in St. Petersburg in the family of Illarion Matveevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, a famous military and political figure of the times of Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine II, a representative of an old boyar family, whose roots go back to the 13th century. The father of the future commander was known as the builder of the Catherine Canal, a participant in the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774, who distinguished himself in the battles of Ryaba Mogila, Larga and Cahul, who became a senator after his resignation. The mother of Mikhail Illarionovich came from the ancient Beklemishev family, one of whose representatives was the mother of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky.

Early widowed and not remarried, the father of little Mikhail raised his son together with his cousin Ivan Loginovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, admiral, future mentor of Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich and president of the Admiralty College. Ivan Loginovich was known throughout St. Petersburg for his famous library, within the walls of which his nephew liked to spend all his free time. It was the uncle who instilled in young Mikhail a love of reading and science, which was rare for the nobility of that era. Also, Ivan Loginovich, using his connections and influence, determined his nephew to study at the Artillery and Engineering School in St. Petersburg, determining the future career of Mikhail Illarionovich. At school, Mikhail studied at the artillery department from October 1759 to February 1761, successfully completing her course.

It is interesting to note that the curator of the school at that time was General-in-Chief Abram Petrovich Gannibal, the famous “Arap of Peter the Great”, great-grandfather of A.S. Pushkin on the maternal side. He noticed a talented cadet and during the production of Kutuzov to the first officer rank of ensign engineer introduced him to the court of Emperor Peter III. This step also had a great influence on the fate of the future military leader. Kutuzov becomes not only a commander, but also a courtier - a typical phenomenon for a Russian aristocrat of the second half of the 18th century.

Emperor Peter appoints the 16-year-old ensign as adjutant to Field Marshal Prince P.A. F. Holstein-Beksky. During his short service at court from 1761 to 1762, Kutuzov managed to attract the attention of the young wife of the Emperor Ekaterina Alekseevna, the future Empress Catherine II, who appreciated the young officer's intelligence, education and diligence. Immediately upon accession to the throne, she makes Kutuzov a captain and transfers him to serve in the Astrakhan musketeer regiment stationed near St. Petersburg. Around the same time, the regiment was headed by A.V. Suvorov. So for the first time the life paths of two great commanders crossed. However, a month later Suvorov was transferred as a commander to the Suzdal regiment and our heroes parted for a long 24 years.

As for Captain Kutuzov, in addition to routine service, he also carried out responsible assignments. So, from 1764 to 1765. he was sent to Poland, where he gained experience in commanding individual detachments and baptism of fire, fighting against the troops of the "Bar Confederation", which did not recognize the election of Stanislav-August Poniatowski, a supporter of the Commonwealth, to the throne of the Commonwealth. Then, from 1767 to 1768, Kutuzov took part in the work of the Legislative Commission, which, by decree of the Empress, was to prepare a new, after 1649, unified code of laws of the empire. The Astrakhan regiment carried the internal guard during the meeting of the Commission, and Kutuzov himself worked in the secretariats. Here he had the opportunity to learn the basic mechanisms of state administration and get acquainted with outstanding statesmen and military figures of that era: G.A. Potemkin, Z.G. Chernyshov, P.I. Panin, A.G. Orlov. It is significant that A.I. Bibikov is the brother of the future wife of M.I. Kutuzov.

However, in 1769, due to the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war (1768-1774), the work of the Commission was curtailed, and the captain of the Astrakhan regiment M.I. Kutuzov was sent to the 1st Army General P.A. Rumyantsev. Under the leadership of this famous commander, Kutuzov proved himself in the battles of Ryaba Mogila, Larga and in the famous battle on the Kagul River on July 21, 1770. After these victories, P.A. Rumyantsev was promoted to field marshal general, granted the title of count with an honorary prefix to the surname "Zadunaisky". Not left without awards and captain Kutuzov. For bravery in hostilities, he was promoted by Rumyantsev to the "chief quartermaster of the prime ministerial rank", that is, having jumped over the rank of major, he was appointed to the headquarters of the 1st Army. Already in September 1770, sent to the 2nd Army P.I. Panin, who besieged Bendery, Kutuzov distinguished himself during the storming of the fortress and was confirmed in the prime ministership. A year later, for success and distinction in cases against the enemy, he receives the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Service under the command of the famous P.A. Rumyantseva was a good school for the future commander. Kutuzov gained invaluable experience in commanding military units and staff work. Mikhail Illarionovich acquired another sad but no less valuable experience. The fact is that from a young age, Kutuzov was distinguished by his ability to parody people. Often, during officer feasts and gatherings, colleagues asked him to portray someone of a nobleman or general. Once, unable to resist, Kutuzov also parodied his boss - P.A. Rumyantsev. Thanks to one kindness, a careless joke became known to the Field Marshal. Having just received the title of count, Rumyantsev was angry and ordered the joker to be transferred to the Crimean army. From that time on, still cheerful and sociable, Kutuzov began to restrain the impulses of his wit and remarkable mind, to hide his feelings under the guise of courtesy with everyone. Contemporaries began to call him cunning, secretive and distrustful. Oddly enough, it was precisely these qualities that later rescued Kutuzov more than once and became one of the reasons for the success of the commander in chief in wars with the best commander in Europe - Napoleon Bonaparte.

In the Crimea, Kutuzov was given the task of taking by storm the fortified village of Shumy, near Alushta. When, during the attack, the Russian detachment faltered under enemy fire, Lieutenant Colonel Golenishchev-Kutuzov, with a banner in his hand, led the soldiers into the attack. He managed to drive the enemy out of the village, but the brave officer was seriously wounded. The bullet, "having hit him between the eye and the temple, went straight through in the same place on the other side of the face," the doctors wrote in official documents. It seemed that after such a wound it was already impossible to survive, but Kutuzov miraculously not only did not lose his eye, but also survived. For the feat near the village of Shumy, Kutuzov was awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree and received a year's leave for treatment.

Kutuzov must be protected, he will be my great general.

- said Empress Catherine II.

Until 1777, Kutuzov underwent a course of treatment abroad, after which he was promoted to colonel and appointed to command the Lugansk pike regiment. In peacetime between the two Turkish wars, he received the ranks of brigadier (1784) and major general (1784). During the famous maneuvers near Poltava (1786), during which the troops restored the course of the famous battle of 1709, Catherine II, turning to Kutuzov, said: “Thank you, Mr. General. From now on, you are considered among the best people among the most excellent generals.

With the beginning of the 2nd Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. Major General M.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov, at the head of a detachment of two regiments of light cavalry and three battalions of chasseurs, is sent to the disposal of A.V. Suvorov to defend the Kinburn fortress. Here, on October 1, 1787, he participates in the famous battle, during which a 5,000-strong Turkish landing detachment was destroyed. Then, under the command of Suvorov, General Kutuzov is among the army of G.A. Potemkin besieging the Turkish fortress Ochakov (1788). On August 18, while repelling a sortie by the Turkish garrison, Major General Kutuzov was again wounded by a bullet in the head. The Austrian prince Charles de Ligne, who was at the headquarters of the Russian army, wrote about this to his sovereign Joseph II: “This general was again wounded in the head yesterday, and if not today, then surely he will die tomorrow.”

Masso, the chief surgeon of the Russian army, who operated on Kutuzov, exclaimed:

It must be assumed that fate appoints Kutuzov to something great, for he remained alive after two wounds, fatal according to all the rules of medical science.

After a secondary wound to the head, Kutuzov's right eye was damaged, he began to see even worse, which gave contemporaries a reason to call Mikhail Illarionovich "one-eyed." It was from here that the legend began that Kutuzov wore a bandage over his wounded eye. Meanwhile, in all lifetime and first posthumous images, Kutuzov is drawn with both eyes, although all portraits are made in the left profile - after being wounded, Kutuzov tried not to turn his right side to his interlocutors and artists. For distinction during the siege of Ochakov, Kutuzov was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 1st degree, and then the Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd degree.

Upon recovery, in May 1789, Kutuzov took command of a separate corps, with which he participated in the battle of Kaushany and in the capture of Akkerman and Bendery. In 1790, General Golenishchev-Kutuzov took part in the famous assault on the Turkish fortress of Izmail under the command of A.V. Suvorov, where he first showed the best qualities of a military leader. Appointed as the head of the sixth assault column, he led the attack on the bastion at the Kiliya gates of the fortress. The column reached the ramparts and sat down in it under the furious fire of the Turks. Kutuzov sent a report to Suvorov about the need to retreat, but received in response an order to appoint Ismail as commandant. Having collected a reserve, Kutuzov takes possession of the bastion, tears off the gates of the fortress and scatters the enemy with bayonet attacks. “I won’t see such a battle for a century,” the general wrote to his wife after the assault, “the hair stands on end. Whom in the camp I will not ask, either died or is dying. My heart bled and burst into tears."

When, after the victory, having assumed the position of commandant Izmail, Kutuzov asked Suvorov what his order for the post meant long before the capture of the fortress. "Nothing! - was the answer of the famous commander. - Golenishchev-Kutuzov knows Suvorov, and Suvorov knows Golenishchev-Kutuzov. If Izmail had not been taken, Suvorov would have died under its walls, and Golenishchev-Kutuzov too! According to Suvorov, Kutuzov was awarded the insignia of the Order of St. George of the 3rd degree for his distinction under Izmail.

The next year, 1791 - the last in the war - brought Kutuzov new distinctions. On June 4, commanding a detachment in the army, General-in-Chief Prince N.V. Repnin, Kutuzov defeated the 22,000th Turkish corps of the serasker Reshid Ahmed Pasha at Babadag, for which he was awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. On June 28, 1791, the brilliant actions of the Kutuzov corps ensured the victory of the Russian army over the 80,000-strong army of vizier Yusuf Pasha in the Battle of Machin. In a report to the Empress, the commander, Prince Repnin, noted: "The quickness and quick wits of General Kutuzov surpass all my praise." This assessment was the reason for awarding Golenishchev-Kutuzov with the Order of St. George, 2nd degree.

Kutuzov meets the end of the Turkish campaign as a holder of six Russian orders with the rank of lieutenant general and with a reputation as one of the best military generals in the Russian army. However, assignments not only of a military nature await him.

In the spring of 1793, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Ottoman Empire. He is given the difficult diplomatic task of strengthening Russian influence in Istanbul and persuading the Turks to conclude an alliance with Russia and other European countries against France, in which a revolution has taken place. Here, the qualities of a general, which others noticed in him, came in handy. It was thanks to Kutuzov's cunning, secrecy, courtesy and caution necessary in the conduct of diplomatic affairs that it was possible to achieve the eviction of French subjects from the Ottoman Empire, and Sultan Selim III not only remained neutral to the second partition of Poland (1793), but also inclined to join into a European anti-French alliance.

With the Sultan in friendship, i.e. in any case, he allows praise and compliments to reach me ... I made sure that he was pleased. At the audience, he ordered me to do courtesy, which no ambassador has ever seen.

Kutuzov's letter to his wife from Constantinople, 1793

When in 1798-1799. Türkiye will open a passage through the straits for the ships of the Russian squadron of Admiral F.F. Ushakov and join the second anti-French coalition, this will be the undoubted merit of M.I. Kutuzov. This time, the general's reward for the success of his diplomatic mission will be the award of nine estates and over 2,000 serfs in the lands of former Poland.

Catherine II highly appreciated Kutuzov. She was able to see in him not only the talents of a commander and diplomat, but also pedagogical talents. In 1794, Kutuzov was appointed director of the oldest military educational institution - the land gentry corps. While in this position during the reign of two monarchs, the general showed himself to be a talented leader and teacher. He improved the financial condition of the corps, updated the curriculum, and personally taught tactics and military history to the cadets. During the leadership of Kutuzov, the future heroes of the wars with Napoleon - generals K.F. Tol, A.A. Pisarev, M.E. Khrapovitsky, Ya.N. Sazonov and the future "first militia of 1812" S.N. Glinka.

On November 6, 1796, Empress Catherine II died, and her son Pavel Petrovich ascended the Russian throne. Usually the reign of this monarch is drawn in rather gloomy colors, but in the biography of M.I. Kutuzov, no tragic changes can be traced. On the contrary, thanks to his official zeal and leadership talents, he falls into the circle of persons close to the emperor. December 14, 1797 Kutuzov receives one of the first orders, the implementation of which draws the attention of the emperor to him. The director of the cadet corps is sent on a mission to Prussia. Its main purpose is to present congratulations to the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm III on the occasion of his accession to the throne. However, during the negotiations, Kutuzov had to persuade the Prussian monarch to participate in the anti-French coalition, which he brilliantly fulfilled, as in Istanbul. As a result of the Kutuzov trip, some time later, in June 1800, Prussia signed an alliance treaty with the Russian Empire and joined the fight against the French Republic.

The success of the Berlin trip put Kutuzov among the confidants of Emperor Paul I. He was granted the rank of infantry general, and Kutuzov was appointed commander of the ground forces in Finland. Then Kutuzov was appointed Lithuanian governor-general with the award of the highest orders of the empire - St. John of Jerusalem (1799) and St. Andrew the First-Called (1800). Pavel's boundless trust in the talented general is confirmed by the fact that when he proposed to the monarchs to resolve all political contradictions with a knightly tournament, Pavel chose Kutuzov as his second. Mikhail Illarionovich was among the few guests who were present at the last dinner with Paul I on the fateful evening from March 11 to 12, 1801.

Yesterday, my friend, I was with the sovereign and talked about business, thank God. He ordered me to stay for dinner and continue to go to lunch and dinner.

Kutuzov's letter to his wife from Gatchina, 1801

Probably, proximity to the late crowned bearer was the reason for Kutuzov's unexpected resignation from the post of St. Petersburg governor-general in 1802, given to him by the new ruler Alexander I. Kutuzov leaves for his Volyn estates, where he lives for the next three years.

At this time, at the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries, all of Europe lived in shock from the events that contemporaries called the Great French Revolution. Having overthrown the monarchy and sent the king and queen to the guillotine, the French, without expecting it, opened a series of wars that swept all European lands in a short time. Having broken off all relations with the rebellious country that declared itself a republic under Catherine, the Russian Empire entered into an armed struggle with France under Paul I as part of the second anti-French coalition. Having won significant victories on the fields of Italy and in the mountains of Switzerland, the Russian army under the command of Field Marshal Suvorov was forced to return because of the political intrigues unfolding in the ranks of the coalition. The new Russian monarch - Alexander I - was well aware that the growth of French power would cause constant instability in Europe. In 1802, the first consul of the French Republic, Napoleon Bonaparte, was proclaimed ruler for life, and two years later he was elected emperor of the French nation. On December 2, 1804, during the solemn coronation of Napoleon, France is proclaimed an empire.

These events could not leave European monarchs indifferent. With the active participation of Alexander I, the Austrian Emperor and the British Prime Minister, a third anti-French coalition is formed, and in 1805 a new war begins.

Taking advantage of the fact that the main forces of the French Grand Army (La Grande Armee) are concentrated on the northern coast to invade the British Isles, the 72,000-strong Austrian army of Field Marshal Karl Mack invaded Bavaria. In response to this action, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte begins a unique operation to transfer corps from the English Channel coast to Germany. In unstoppable streams, seven corps for 35 days, instead of the 64 planned by the Austrian strategists, move along the roads of Europe. One of the Napoleonic generals described the state of the French armed forces in 1805 as follows: “Never in France was there such a powerful army. Although the brave men, eight hundred thousand of whom in the first years of the war for freedom (the war of the French Revolution of 1792-1799 - N.K.) rose to the call "The Fatherland is in danger!" were endowed with great virtues, but the soldiers of 1805 had more experience and training. Each in his rank knew his business better than in 1794. The imperial army was better organized, better supplied with money, clothing, weapons and ammunition than the army of the republic.

As a result of maneuvering actions, the French managed to surround the Austrian army near the city of Ulm. Field Marshal Mack capitulated. Austria turned out to be unarmed, and now the Russian detachments had to face the well-functioning mechanism of the Great Army. Alexander I sent two Russian armies to Austria: the 1st Podolsk and the 2nd Volyn, under the general command of General of Infantry M.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov. As a result of the unsuccessful actions of Mack, the Podolsk army found itself face to face with a formidable, superior enemy.

Kutuzov in 1805
From a portrait of the artist S. Cardelli

In this situation, Commander-in-Chief Kutuzov made the only right decision, which later would help him out more than once: exhausting the enemy with rearguard battles, retreat to join the Volyn army deep into the Austrian lands, thus stretching the enemy’s communications. During the rearguard battles near Krems, Amstetten and Shengraben, the rearguard detachments of the Russian army managed to hold back the advance of the advanced French divisions. In the battle at Shengraben on November 16, 1805, the rear guard under the command of Prince P.I. Bagration during the day held back the onslaught of the French under the command of Marshal Murat. As a result of the battle, Lieutenant-General Bagration was awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd degree, and the Pavlograd Hussar Regiment was awarded the St. George Standard. This was the first collective award in the history of the Russian army.

Thanks to the chosen strategy, Kutuzov managed to withdraw the Podolsk army from the enemy's attack. On November 25, 1805, Russian and Austrian troops united near the city of Olmutz. Now the Allied High Command could think of a pitched battle with Napoleon. Historians call the Kutuzov retreat ("retirade") "one of the most remarkable examples of a strategic march maneuver", and contemporaries compared it with the famous "Anabasis" of Xenophon. A few months later, for a successful retreat, Kutuzov was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st degree.

Thus, by the beginning of December 1805, the armies of the two opposing sides found themselves facing each other near the village of Austerlitz and began to prepare for a general battle. Thanks to the strategy chosen by Kutuzov, the united Russian-Austrian army numbered 85 thousand people with 250 guns. Napoleon could oppose his 72.5 thousand soldiers, while having an advantage in artillery - 330 guns. Both sides were eager for battle: Napoleon sought to defeat the allied army before the arrival of Austrian reinforcements from Italy, the Russian and Austrian emperors wanted to receive the laurels of the winners of the hitherto invincible commander. Of the entire allied generals, only one general opposed the battle - M.I. Kutuzov. True, Mikhail Illarionovich took a wait-and-see attitude, not daring to directly express his opinion to the sovereign.

Alexander I about Austerlitz:

I was young and inexperienced. Kutuzov told me that he should have acted differently, but he should have been more persistent.

The dual position of Mikhail Illarionovich can be understood: on the one hand, by the will of the autocrat, he is the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, on the other hand, the presence on the battlefield of two monarchs with supreme power fettered any initiative of the commander.

Hence the famous dialogue between Kutuzov and Alexander I at the very beginning of the battle of Austerlitz on December 2, 1805:

- Mikhailo Larionovich! Why don't you go ahead?

I am waiting for all the troops of the column to gather.

After all, we are not in the Tsaritsyn Meadow, where they don’t start the parade until all the regiments come up.

Sovereign, that's why I don't start, because we're not in the Tsarina's Meadow. However, if you order!

As a result, on the hills and in the ravines of Austerlitz, the Russian-Austrian army suffered a crushing defeat, which meant the end of the entire anti-French coalition. Allied losses - about 15 thousand killed and wounded, 20 thousand prisoners and 180 guns. French losses were 1,290 killed and 6,943 wounded. Austerlitz was the first defeat of the Russian army in 100 years.

Monument to Kutuzov in Moscow
Sculptor N.V. Tomsk

However, Alexander highly appreciated the work of Golenishchev-Kutuzov and his diligence shown in the campaign. After returning to Russia, he is appointed to the honorary position of the Kyiv Governor-General. In this post, the infantry general showed himself to be a talented administrator and an active leader. Remaining in Kyiv until the spring of 1811, Kutuzov did not stop closely following the course of European politics, gradually becoming convinced of the inevitability of a military clash between the Russian and French empires.

The “storm of the twelfth year” was becoming inevitable. By 1811, the clash of the hegemonic claims of France, on the one hand, and Russia with its partners in the anti-French coalition, on the other, made another Russo-French war likely. The conflict between Russia and France over the continental blockade made it inevitable. In such a situation, the entire potential of the empire should have been directed to preparing for the coming clash, however, another war with Turkey that dragged on in the south in 1806-1812. diverted military and financial reserves.

You will render Russia the greatest service by hastily concluding peace with Porto, - Alexander I wrote to Kutuzov. - I most convincingly urge you to love your homeland to pay all your attention and efforts to achieve your goal. Glory to you will be eternal.

Portrait of M.I. Kutuzov
Artist J. Doe

In April 1811, the tsar appointed Kutuzov commander-in-chief of the Moldavian army. The 60,000-strong corps of the Grand Vizier of Turkey, Ahmed Reshid Pasha, acted against her - the very one whom Kutuzov defeated in the summer of 1791 at Babadag. On June 22, 1811, having only 15 thousand soldiers, the new commander-in-chief of the Moldavian army attacked the enemy near the town of Ruschuk. By noon, the grand vizier pleaded defeated and retreated to the city. Kutuzov, contrary to popular belief, decided not to storm the city, but withdrew troops to the other side of the Danube. He sought to inspire the enemy with the thought of his weakness and force him to start crossing the river, in order to then defeat the Turks in a field battle. The blockade of Ruschuk undertaken by Kutuzov reduced the food supplies of the Turkish garrison, forcing Ahmed Pasha to take decisive action.

Further, Kutuzov acted in the Suvorov style "not by number, but by skill." Having received reinforcements, the infantry general, with the support of the ships of the Danube flotilla, began crossing to the Turkish coast of the Danube. Ahmed Pasha found himself under double fire from the Russians from land and from the sea. Ruschuk's garrison was forced to leave the city, and the Turkish field troops were defeated in the battle of Slobodzeya.

After these victories, lengthy diplomatic negotiations began. And here Kutuzov showed the best qualities of a diplomat. With the help of tricks and cunning, he managed to achieve the signing of a peace treaty in Bucharest on May 16, 1812. Russia annexed Bessarabia, and the 52,000-strong Moldavian army was released to fight Napoleon's invasion. It was these troops that in November 1812 would inflict a final defeat on the Berezina on the Great Army. On July 29, 1812, when the war with Napoleon was already underway, Alexander elevated Kutuzov with all his descendants to the dignity of a count.

The new war with Napoleon, which began on June 12, 1812, confronted the Russian state with a choice: win or disappear. The first stage of hostilities, marked by the retreat of the Russian armies from the border, caused criticism and indignation in the dignitary society of St. Petersburg. Dissatisfied with the actions of the commander in chief and Minister of War M.B. Barclay de Tolly, the bureaucratic world discussed the possible candidacy of his successor. Created by the king for this purpose, the Extraordinary Committee of the highest ranks of the empire determined its choice of a candidate for commander-in-chief, based on "known experiences in the art of war, excellent talents, as well as seniority itself." It was on the basis of the principle of seniority in the rank of a full general that the Extraordinary Committee chose the 67-year-old M.I. Kutuzov, who at his age turned out to be the most senior general from infantry. His candidacy was proposed to the king for approval. To his adjutant general E.F. Komarovsky, regarding the appointment of Kutuzov, Alexander Pavlovich said the following: “The public wanted him to be appointed, I appointed him. As for me, I wash my hands." On August 8, 1812, the highest rescript was issued on the appointment of Kutuzov as commander-in-chief in the war against Napoleon.

Kutuzov arrived at the troops when the main strategy of the war had already been worked out by his predecessor Barclay de Tolly. Mikhail Illarionovich understood that the retreat deep into the territory of the empire had its positive aspects. First, Napoleon is forced to act in several strategic directions, which leads to the dispersion of his forces. Secondly, the climatic conditions of Russia mowed down the French army no less than the battles with the Russian troops. Of the 440,000 soldiers who crossed the border in June 1812, by the end of August, only 133,000 were active in the main direction. But even such a balance of power forced Kutuzov to be careful. He understood perfectly well that true military leadership is manifested in the ability to force the enemy to play by his own rules. In addition, he did not seek to take risks, not having an overwhelming superiority in manpower over Napoleon. Meanwhile, the commander was also aware that he had been appointed to a high post with the hope that a general battle would be given, which was demanded by everyone: the tsar, the nobility, the army, and the people. Such a battle, the first during the command of Kutuzov, was given on August 26, 1812, 120 km from Moscow near the village of Borodino.

With 115 thousand fighters on the field (not counting the Cossacks and the militia, but in total - 154.6 thousand) against Napoleon's 127 thousand, Kutuzov adopts a passive tactic. Its goal is to repel all attacks of the enemy, inflicting as many losses on him as possible. In principle, she gave her result. In attacks on the Russian fortifications, which were abandoned during the battle, the French troops lost 28.1 thousand people killed and wounded, including 49 generals. True, the losses of the Russian army were significantly superior - 45.6 thousand people, of which 29 were generals.

In this situation, a repeated battle directly at the walls of the ancient Russian capital would result in the extermination of the main Russian army. On September 1, 1812, a historic meeting of the Russian generals took place in the village of Fili. Barclay de Tolly was the first to speak, expressing his opinion on the need to continue the retreat and leave Moscow to the enemy: “Having saved Moscow, Russia is not saved from the war, cruel and ruinous. But having saved the army, the hopes of the Fatherland are not yet destroyed, and the war can continue with convenience: the prepared troops will have time to join from different places beyond Moscow. The opposite opinion was also expressed about the need to give a new battle directly at the walls of the capital. The votes of the higher generals were divided approximately equally. The opinion of the commander in chief was decisive, and Kutuzov, giving everyone the opportunity to speak, supported Barclay's position:

I know that responsibility will fall on me, but I sacrifice myself for the good of the Fatherland. I command you to retreat!

Mikhail Illarionovich knew that he was going against the opinion of the army, the tsar and society, but he was well aware that Moscow would become a trap for Napoleon. On September 2, 1812, French troops entered Moscow, and the Russian army, having made the famous march, broke away from the enemy and settled in a camp near the village of Tarutino, where reinforcements and food began to flock. Thus, the Napoleonic troops stood for about a month in the captured but burned Russian capital, and the Main Army of Kutuzov was preparing for a decisive battle with the invaders. In Tarutino, the commander-in-chief begins to form partisan parties in large numbers, which blocked all roads from Moscow, depriving the enemy of provisions. In addition, Kutuzov dragged out negotiations with the French emperor, in the hope that time would force Napoleon to leave Moscow. In the Tarutino camp, Kutuzov prepared the army for the winter campaign. By mid-October, the balance of power in the entire theater of war had changed dramatically in favor of Russia. By this time, Napoleon in Moscow had about 116 thousand, and Kutuzov - 130 thousand regular troops alone. Already on October 6, near Tarutino, the first offensive battle of the Russian and French avant-gardes took place, in which the victory was on the side of the Russian troops. The next day, Napoleon left Moscow and tried to break through in a southerly direction along the Kaluga road.

On October 12, 1812, near the city of Maloyaroslavets, the Russian army blocked the path of the enemy. During the battle, the city changed hands 4 times, but all French attacks were repulsed. For the first time in this war, Napoleon was forced to leave the battlefield and begin a retreat towards the Old Smolensk Road, the area around which was devastated during the summer offensive. From this moment begins the final stage of the Patriotic War. Here Kutuzov applied a new tactic of pursuit - the "parallel march". Surrounding the French troops with flying partisan parties, which constantly attacked the carts and stragglers, he led his troops parallel to the Smolensk road, preventing the enemy from turning off it. The catastrophe of the "Great Army" was supplemented by early frosts unusual for Europeans. During this march, the Russian avant-garde collided with the French troops at Gzhatsk, Vyazma, Krasny, causing great damage to the enemy. As a result, the number of combat-ready troops from Napoleon was reduced, and the number of soldiers who abandoned their weapons, who turned into gangs of marauders, grew.

On November 14-17, 1812, on the Berezina River, near Borisov, the last blow was dealt to the retreating French army. After crossing and fighting on both banks of the river, Napoleon had only 8,800 soldiers left. This was the end of the "Great Army" and the triumph of M.I. Kutuzov as a commander and "savior of the fatherland". However, the labors incurred in the campaign and the great responsibility that constantly hung over the commander-in-chief had a negative impact on his health. At the beginning of a new campaign against Napoleonic France, Kutuzov died in the German city of Bunzlau on April 16, 1813.

Contribution of M.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov in the art of war is now evaluated differently. However, the most objective is the opinion expressed by the famous historian E.V. Tarle: “The agony of the Napoleonic world monarchy lasted an unusually long time. But the Russian people inflicted a mortal wound on the world conqueror in 1812. An important remark should be added to this: under the leadership of M.I. Kutuzov.

KOPYLOV N.A.

Literature

M.I. Kutuzov. Letters, notes. M., 1989

Shishov A. Kutuzov. M., 2012

Bragin M. M.I. Kutuzov. M., 1990

Savior of the Fatherland: Kutuzov - without textbook gloss. Motherland. 1995

Troitsky N.A. 1812. Great year of Russia. M., 1989

Gulyaev Yu.N., Soglaev V.T. Field Marshal Kutuzov. M., 1995

Commander Kutuzov. Sat. Art., M., 1955

Zhilin P.A. Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov: Life and military activity. M., 1983

Zhilin P.A. Patriotic War of 1812. M., 1988

Zhilin P.A. The death of the Napoleonic army in Russia. M., 1994

Internet

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich

The great Russian commander, who did not suffer a single defeat in his military career (more than 60 battles), one of the founders of Russian military art.
Prince of Italy (1799), Count of Rymnik (1789), 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 "king's cousin"), knight of all Russian orders of their time, awarded to men, as well as many foreign military orders.

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich

For the highest art of military leadership and boundless love for the Russian soldier

Khvorostinin Dmitry Ivanovich

Outstanding commander of the second half of the XVI century. Oprichnik.
Genus. OK. 1520, died on August 7 (17), 1591. At the voivodship posts since 1560. A participant in almost all military enterprises during the independent reign of Ivan IV and the reign of Fedor Ioannovich. He has won several field battles (including: the defeat of the Tatars near Zaraisk (1570), the Battle of Molodinskaya (during the decisive battle he led the Russian troops in Gulyai-gorod), the defeat of the Swedes at Lyamits (1582) and not far from Narva ( 1590)). He led the suppression of the Cheremis uprising in 1583-1584, for which he received the boyar rank.
According to the totality of the merits of D.I. Khvorostinin is much higher than M.I. Vorotynsky. Vorotynsky was more noble and therefore he was more often entrusted with the general leadership of the regiments. But, according to the commander's talents, he was far from Khvorostinin.

Eremenko Andrey Ivanovich

Commander of the Stalingrad and South-Eastern fronts. The fronts under his command in the summer and autumn of 1942 stopped the advance of the German 6 field and 4 tank armies on Stalingrad.
In December 1942, the Stalingrad Front of General Eremenko stopped the tank offensive of the group of General G. Goth on Stalingrad, in order to unblock the 6th army of Paulus.

Yaroslav the Wise

Rurik Svyatoslav Igorevich

Year of birth 942 date of death 972 Expansion of the borders of the state. 965 the conquest of the Khazars, 963 the campaign to the south to the Kuban region the capture of Tmutarakan, 969 the conquest of the Volga Bulgars, 971 the conquest of the Bulgarian kingdom, 968 the foundation of Pereyaslavets on the Danube (the new capital of Rus'), 969 the defeat of the Pechenegs in the defense of Kiev.

Ivan III Vasilievich

He united the Russian lands around Moscow, threw off the hated Tatar-Mongol yoke.

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).

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.

Karyagin Pavel Mikhailovich

Colonel, Chief of the 17th Jaeger Regiment. He showed himself most clearly in the Persian Company of 1805; when, with a detachment of 500 people, surrounded by a 20,000-strong Persian army, he resisted it for three weeks, not only repelling Persian attacks with honor, but taking fortresses himself, and finally, with a detachment of 100 people, made his way to Tsitsianov, who was going to help him.

Baklanov Yakov Petrovich

The Cossack general, the "thunderstorm of the Caucasus", Yakov Petrovich Baklanov, one of the most colorful heroes of the endless Caucasian war of the century before last, fits perfectly into the image of Russia familiar to the West. A gloomy two-meter hero, a tireless persecutor of mountaineers and Poles, an enemy of political correctness and democracy in all their manifestations. But it was precisely such people who obtained the most difficult victory for the empire in a long-term confrontation with the inhabitants of the North Caucasus and the unkind local nature.

Chuikov Vasily Ivanovich

Soviet military commander, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1955). Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945).
From 1942 to 1946 he was commander of the 62nd Army (8th Guards Army), which distinguished itself in the Battle of Stalingrad. He took part in defensive battles on the distant approaches to Stalingrad. From September 12, 1942 he commanded the 62nd Army. IN AND. Chuikov received the task of defending Stalingrad at any cost. The front command believed that Lieutenant General Chuikov was characterized by such positive qualities as decisiveness and firmness, courage and a broad operational outlook, a high sense of responsibility and consciousness of his duty. The army, under the command of V.I. Chuikov, became famous for the heroic six-month defense of Stalingrad in street battles in a completely destroyed city, fighting on isolated bridgeheads, on the banks of the wide Volga.

For unparalleled mass heroism and steadfastness of personnel, in April 1943, the 62nd Army received the guards honorary title of Guards and became known as the 8th Guards Army.

Nakhimov Pavel Stepanovich

Shein Mikhail Borisovich

Governor Shein - the hero and leader of the unprecedented defense of Smolensk in 1609-16011. This fortress decided a lot in the fate of Russia!

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich

according to the only criterion - invincibility.

Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich

The only one of the commanders, who on 06/22/1941 carried out the order of the Stavka, counterattacked the Germans, threw them back in his sector and went on the offensive.

Saltykov Petr Semenovich

One of those commanders who managed to exemplary defeat one of the best commanders of Europe in the 18th century - Frederick II of Prussia

Kappel Vladimir Oskarovich

Without exaggeration - the best commander of the army of Admiral Kolchak. Under his command, in 1918, Russia's gold reserves were captured in Kazan. At the age of 36 - lieutenant general, commander of the Eastern Front. The Siberian Ice Campaign is associated with this name. In January 1920, he led 30,000 "Kappelevites" to Irkutsk to capture Irkutsk and release the Supreme Ruler of Russia, Admiral Kolchak, from captivity. The death of the general from pneumonia largely determined the tragic outcome of this campaign and the death of the Admiral ...

Romanov Petr Alekseevich

Behind the endless discussions about Peter I as a politician and reformer, it is unfairly forgotten that he was the greatest commander of his time. He was not only an excellent rear organizer. In the two most important battles of the Northern War (the battles of Lesnaya and Poltava), he not only developed battle plans himself, but also personally led the troops, being in the most important, responsible areas.
The only commander I know of was equally talented in both land and sea battles.
The main thing is that Peter I created a national military school. If all the great commanders of Russia are the heirs of Suvorov, then Suvorov himself is the heir of Peter.
The Battle of Poltava was one of the greatest (if not the greatest) victory in Russian history. In all other great predatory invasions of Russia, the general battle did not have a decisive outcome, and the struggle dragged on, went to exhaustion. And only in the Northern War did the general battle radically change the state of affairs, and from the attacking side the Swedes became the defender, decisively losing the initiative.
I think that Peter I deserves to be in the top three in the list of the best commanders of Russia.

Kazarsky Alexander Ivanovich

Captain Lieutenant. Member of the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-29. He distinguished himself in the capture of Anapa, then Varna, commanding the Rival transport. After that, he was promoted to lieutenant commander and appointed captain of the Mercury brig. On May 14, 1829, the 18-gun brig "Mercury" was overtaken by two Turkish battleships "Selimiye" and "Real Bey". Having accepted an unequal battle, the brig was able to immobilize both Turkish flagships, one of which was the commander of the Ottoman fleet himself. Subsequently, an officer from Real Bey wrote: “In the continuation of the battle, the commander of the Russian frigate (the infamous Raphael, which surrendered without a fight a few days earlier) told me that the captain of this brig would not give up, and if he lost hope, then he would blow up the brig If in the great deeds of ancient and our times there are feats of courage, then this act should overshadow all of them, and the name of this hero is worthy to be inscribed in gold letters on the temple of Glory: he is called Lieutenant Commander Kazarsky, and the brig is "Mercury"

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.

Nakhimov Pavel Stepanovich

Successes in the Crimean War of 1853-56, victory in the Battle of Sinop in 1853, defense of Sevastopol in 1854-55.

Kuznetsov Nikolai Gerasimovich

He made a great contribution to the strengthening of the fleet before the war; conducted a number of major exercises, became the initiator of the opening of new maritime schools and maritime special schools (later Nakhimov schools). On the eve of Germany's sudden attack on the USSR, he took effective measures to increase the combat readiness of the fleets, and on the night of June 22 he gave the order to bring them to full combat readiness, which made it possible to avoid the loss of ships and naval aviation.

Peter the First

Because he not only won the lands of his fathers, but also approved the status of Russia as a power!

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

He led the armed struggle of the Soviet people in the war against Germany and its allies and satellites, as well as in the war against Japan.
He led the Red Army to Berlin and Port Arthur.

John 4 Vasilyevich

Baklanov Yakov Petrovich

An outstanding strategist and a mighty warrior, he earned respect and fear of his name from the invincible highlanders who forgot the iron grip of the "Thunderstorm of the Caucasus". At the moment - Yakov Petrovich, a model of the spiritual strength of a Russian soldier in front of the proud Caucasus. His talent crushed the enemy and minimized the time frame of the Caucasian War, for which he received the nickname "Boklu" akin to the devil for his fearlessness.

Ermolov Alexey Petrovich

Hero of the Napoleonic Wars and the Patriotic War of 1812. Conqueror of the Caucasus. Smart strategist and tactician, strong-willed and brave warrior.

Romanov Alexander I Pavlovich

The actual commander in chief of the allied armies that liberated Europe in 1813-1814. "He took Paris, he founded a lyceum." The Great Leader who crushed Napoleon himself. (The shame of Austerlitz is not comparable to the tragedy of 1941.)

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

Blucher, Tukhachevsky

Blucher, Tukhachevsky and the whole galaxy of heroes of the Civil War. Don't forget Budyonny!

Slashchev-Krymsky Yakov Alexandrovich

Defense of the Crimea in 1919-20 “The Reds are my enemies, but they did the main thing - my business: they revived great Russia!” (General Slashchev-Krymsky).

Senyavin Dmitry Nikolaevich

Dmitry Nikolaevich Senyavin (August 6 (17), 1763 - April 5 (17), 1831) - Russian naval commander, admiral.
for courage and outstanding diplomatic work shown during the blockade of the Russian fleet in Lisbon

Denikin Anton Ivanovich

One of the most talented and successful commanders of the First World War. A native of a poor family, he made a brilliant military career, relying solely on his own virtues. Member of the REV, WWI, graduate of the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. He fully realized his talent commanding the legendary "Iron" brigade, then deployed into a division. Participant and one of the main characters of the Brusilov breakthrough. He remained a man of honor even after the collapse of the army, a prisoner of Bykhov. Member of the ice campaign and commander of the All-Russian Union of Youth. For more than a year and a half, having very modest resources and far inferior in number to the Bolsheviks, he won victory after victory, freeing a huge territory.
Also, do not forget that Anton Ivanovich is a wonderful and very successful publicist, and his books are still very popular. An extraordinary, talented commander, an honest Russian man in a difficult time for the Motherland, who was not afraid to light a torch of hope.

Chuikov Vasily Ivanovich

Commander of the 62nd Army in Stalingrad.

Izylmetiev Ivan Nikolaevich

Commanded the frigate "Aurora". He made the transition from St. Petersburg to Kamchatka in a record time for those times in 66 days. In the bay, Callao eluded the Anglo-French squadron. Arriving in Petropavlovsk, together with the governor of the Kamchatka Territory, Zavoyko V. organized the defense of the city, during which the sailors from the Aurora, together with the locals, threw into the sea an outnumbering Anglo-French landing force. Then he took the Aurora to the Amur Estuary, hiding it there .After these events, the British public demanded trial of the admirals who lost the Russian frigate.

Rokhlin Lev Yakovlevich

He headed the 8th Guards Army Corps in Chechnya. Under his leadership, a number of districts of Grozny were taken, including the presidential palace. For participation in the Chechen campaign, he was presented with the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, but refused to accept it, saying that “he has no moral right to receive this award for military operations on the territory of his own countries".

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

“As a military figure I.V. Stalin, I studied thoroughly, since I went through the whole war with him. I.V. Stalin mastered the organization of front-line operations and operations of groups of fronts and led them with full knowledge of the matter, well versed in large strategic questions...
In leading the armed struggle as a whole, JV Stalin was assisted by his natural mind and rich intuition. He knew how to find the main link in a strategic situation and, seizing on it, to counteract the enemy, to conduct one or another major offensive operation. Undoubtedly, he was a worthy Supreme Commander"

(Zhukov G.K. Memoirs and reflections.)

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

He personally took part in the planning and implementation of ALL offensive and defensive operations of the Red Army in the period 1941-1945.

Gorbaty-Shuisky Alexander Borisovich

Hero of the Kazan War, the first governor of Kazan

Prince Svyatoslav

Yudenich Nikolai Nikolaevich

One of the most successful Russian generals during the First World War. The Erzerum and Sarakamysh operations carried out by him on the Caucasian front, carried out in extremely unfavorable conditions for the Russian troops, and ending in victories, I believe, deserve to be included in a row with the brightest victories of Russian weapons. In addition, Nikolai Nikolayevich, distinguished by modesty and decency, lived and died an honest Russian officer, remained faithful to the oath to the end.

Kornilov Lavr Georgievich

KORNILOV Lavr Georgievich (08.18.1870-04.31.1918) Colonel (02.1905). Major General (12.1912). Lieutenant General (08.26.1914). Infantry General (06.30.1917). with a gold medal from the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff (1898). Officer at the headquarters of the Turkestan Military District, 1889-1904. Participant in the Russian-Japanese war of 1904 - 1905: headquarters officer of the 1st rifle brigade (at its headquarters). When retreating from Mukden, the brigade got surrounded. Having led the rearguard, he broke through the encirclement with a bayonet attack, ensuring the freedom of defensive combat operations of the brigade. Military attache in China, 04/01/1907 - 02/24/1911. Participant in the First World War: commander of the 48th Infantry Division of the 8th Army (General Brusilov). During the general retreat, the 48th division was surrounded and General Kornilov, who was wounded on 04.1915, was captured near the Duklinsky Pass (Carpathians); 08.1914-04.1915. Captured by the Austrians, 04.1915-06.1916. Having changed into the uniform of an Austrian soldier, he escaped from captivity on 06.06.1915. Commander of the 25th Rifle Corps, 06.1916-04.1917. Commander of the Petrograd Military District, 03-04.1917. Commander of the 8th Army, 04.24-07.08.1917. On 05/19/1917, by his order, he introduced the formation of the first volunteer "1st Shock Detachment of the 8th Army" under the command of Captain Nezhentsev. Commander of the Southwestern Front...

Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich

Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich

He made the greatest contribution as a strategist to the victory in the Great Patriotic War (it is also the Second World War).

Alekseev Mikhail Vasilievich

An outstanding member of the Russian Academy of the General Staff. The developer and executor of the Galician operation - the first brilliant victory of the Russian army in the Great War.
Saved from the encirclement of the troops of the North-Western Front during the "Great Retreat" of 1915.
Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces in 1916-1917
Supreme Commander of the Russian Army in 1917
Developed and implemented strategic plans for offensive operations in 1916-1917.
He continued to defend the need to preserve the Eastern Front after 1917 (the Volunteer Army is the basis of the new Eastern Front in the ongoing Great War).
Slandered and slandered in relation to various so-called. "Masonic military lodges", "conspiracy of generals against the Sovereign", etc., etc. - in terms of emigrant and modern historical journalism.

Certainly worthy, explanations and proofs, in my opinion, are not required. It's amazing that his name isn't on the list. was the list prepared by representatives of the USE generation?

Skopin-Shuisky Mikhail Vasilievich

During his short military career, he practically did not know failures, both in battles with the troops of I. Boltnikov, and with the Polish-Liovo and "Tushino" troops. The ability to build a combat-ready army practically from scratch, train, use Swedish mercenaries on the spot and during the time, select successful Russian command personnel for the liberation and defense of the vast territory of the Russian northwestern region and the liberation of central Russia, persistent and systematic offensive, skillful tactics in fight against the magnificent Polish-Lithuanian cavalry, undoubted personal courage - these are the qualities that, despite the little-knownness of his deeds, give him the right to be called the Great Commander of Russia.

Dzhugashvili Iosif Vissarionovich

Gathered and coordinated a team of talented military leaders

Shein Mikhail

Hero of the Smolensk Defense 1609-11
He led the Smolensk fortress in the siege for almost 2 years, it was one of the longest siege campaigns in Russian history, which predetermined the defeat of the Poles during the Time of Troubles

Petrov Ivan Efimovich

Defense of Odessa, Defense of Sevastopol, Liberation of Slovakia

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!

Platov Matvei Ivanovich

Military ataman of the Don Cossack army. He began active military service at the age of 13. A member of several military companies, he is best known as the commander of the Cossack troops during the Patriotic War of 1812 and during the subsequent Foreign Campaign of the Russian Army. Thanks to the successful actions of the Cossacks under his command, Napoleon's saying went down in history:
- Happy is the commander who has Cossacks. If I had an army of Cossacks alone, then I would conquer all of Europe.

Pozharsky Dmitry Mikhailovich

In 1612, the most difficult time for Russia, he headed the Russian militia and liberated the capital from the hands of the conquerors.
Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky (November 1, 1578 - April 30, 1642) - Russian national hero, military and political figure, head of the Second People's Militia, which liberated Moscow from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders. With his name and with the name of Kuzma Minin, the exit of the country from the Time of Troubles, which is currently celebrated in Russia on November 4, is closely connected.
After Mikhail Fedorovich was elected to the Russian throne, D. M. Pozharsky played a leading role in the royal court as a talented military leader and statesman. Despite the victory of the people's militia and the election of the tsar, the war in Russia still continued. In 1615-1616. Pozharsky, at the direction of the tsar, was sent at the head of a large army to fight against the detachments of the Polish colonel Lisovsky, who besieged the city of Bryansk and took Karachev. After the struggle with Lisovsky, the tsar instructed Pozharsky in the spring of 1616 to collect the fifth money from the merchants to the treasury, since the wars did not stop, and the treasury was depleted. In 1617, the tsar instructed Pozharsky to conduct diplomatic negotiations with the English ambassador John Merik, appointing Pozharsky as governor of Kolomensky. In the same year, the Polish prince Vladislav came to the Moscow state. The inhabitants of Kaluga and neighboring cities turned to the tsar with a request to send them D. M. Pozharsky to protect them from the Poles. The tsar fulfilled the request of the people of Kaluga and ordered Pozharsky on October 18, 1617 to protect Kaluga and the surrounding cities with all available measures. Prince Pozharsky fulfilled the tsar's order with honor. Having successfully defended Kaluga, Pozharsky received an order from the tsar to go to the aid of Mozhaisk, namely, to the city of Borovsk, and began to disturb the troops of Prince Vladislav with flying detachments, inflicting significant damage on them. However, at the same time, Pozharsky fell seriously ill and, at the behest of the tsar, returned to Moscow. Pozharsky, barely recovering from his illness, took an active part in the defense of the capital from the troops of Vladislav, for which Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich rewarded him with new estates and estates.

Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich

He defeated the Swedish detachment on July 15, 1240 on the Neva and the Teutonic Order, the Danes in the Battle of the Ice on April 5, 1242. All his life he "won, but was invincible." He played an exceptional role in Russian history in that dramatic period when Russia was hit from three sides - the Catholic West, Lithuania and the Golden Horde. He defended Orthodoxy from Catholic expansion. He is revered as a holy saint. http://www.pravoslavie.ru/put/39091.htm

Monomakh Vladimir Vsevolodovich

Svyatoslav Igorevich

I want to propose "candidates" for Svyatoslav and his father, Igor, as the greatest generals and political leaders of their time, I think that it makes no sense to list their services to the fatherland to historians, I was unpleasantly surprised not to meet their names in this list. Sincerely.

Kotlyarevsky Petr Stepanovich

General Kotlyarevsky, son of a priest in the village of Olkhovatka, Kharkov province. He went from private to general in the tsarist army. He can be called the great-grandfather of the Russian special forces. He carried out truly unique operations ... His name is worthy of being included in the list of the greatest commanders of Russia

Momyshuly Bauyrzhan

Fidel Castro called him a hero of World War II.
He brilliantly put into practice the tactics developed by Major General I.V. Panfilov of fighting with small forces against an enemy many times superior in strength, which later received the name "Momyshuly's spiral".

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War. Under his leadership, the Red Army crushed fascism.

Barclay de Tolly Mikhail Bogdanovich

Full Knight of the Order of St. George. In the history of military art, according to Western authors (for example: J. Witter), he entered as an architect of the strategy and tactics of "scorched earth" - cutting off the main enemy troops from the rear, depriving them of supplies and organizing a guerrilla war in their rear. M.V. Kutuzov, after taking command of the Russian army, in fact, continued the tactics developed by Barclay de Tolly and defeated Napoleon's army.

Greatest Commander and Diplomat!!! Who utterly defeated the troops of the "first European Union" !!!

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

The Soviet people, as the most talented, have a large number of outstanding military leaders, but the main one is Stalin. Without him, many of them might not have been in the military.

Stalin (Dzhugashvili) Joseph Vissarionovich

He was the Supreme Commander of all the armed forces of the Soviet Union. Thanks to his talent as a Commander and an Outstanding Statesman, the USSR won the bloodiest WAR in the history of mankind. Most of the battles of the Second World War were won with his direct participation in the development of their plans.

Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich

To a person to whom this name does not say anything - there is no need to explain and it is useless. To the one to whom it says something - and so everything is clear.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front. The youngest front commander. Counts,. that of the army general - but before his death (February 18, 1945) he received the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union.
He liberated three of the six capitals of the Union Republics captured by the Nazis: Kyiv, Minsk. Vilnius. Decided the fate of Keniksberg.
One of the few who pushed back the Germans on June 23, 1941.
He held the front in Valdai. In many ways, he determined the fate of repelling the German offensive on Leningrad. He kept Voronezh. Freed Kursk.
He successfully advanced until the summer of 1943. Having formed the top of the Kursk Bulge with his army. Liberated the Left Bank of Ukraine. Take Kyiv. Repelled Manstein's counterattack. Liberated Western Ukraine.
Carried out the operation Bagration. Surrounded and captured by his offensive in the summer of 1944, the Germans then humiliatedly marched through the streets of Moscow. Belarus. Lithuania. Neman. East Prussia.

Ermak Timofeevich

Russian. Cossack. Ataman. Defeated Kuchum and his satellites. Approved Siberia as part of the Russian state. He devoted his whole life to military work.

Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich

During the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791, F.F. Ushakov made a serious contribution to the development of the tactics of the sailing fleet. Based on the totality of the principles of training the forces of the fleet and military art, having absorbed all the accumulated tactical experience, F. F. Ushakov acted creatively, based on the specific situation and common sense. His actions were distinguished by decisiveness and extraordinary courage. He did not hesitate to reorganize the fleet into battle formation already at a close approach to the enemy, minimizing the time of tactical deployment. Despite the established tactical rule of finding the commander in the middle of the battle formation, Ushakov, implementing the principle of concentration of forces, boldly put his ship in the forefront and at the same time occupied the most dangerous positions, encouraging his commanders with his own courage. He was distinguished by a quick assessment of the situation, an accurate calculation of all success factors and a decisive attack aimed at achieving complete victory over the enemy. In this regard, Admiral F.F. Ushakov can rightfully be considered the founder of the Russian tactical school in naval art.

Field Marshal Ivan Gudovich

The assault on the Turkish fortress of Anapa on June 22, 1791. In terms of complexity and importance, it is only inferior to the assault on Izmail by A.V. Suvorov.
A 7,000-strong Russian detachment stormed Anapa, which was defended by a 25,000-strong Turkish garrison. At the same time, shortly after the start of the assault, 8,000 mounted mountaineers and Turks attacked the Russian detachment from the mountains, who attacked the Russian camp, but could not break into it, were repulsed in a fierce battle and pursued by Russian cavalry.
The fierce battle for the fortress lasted over 5 hours. Of the Anapa garrison, about 8,000 people died, 13,532 defenders were taken prisoner, led by the commandant and Sheikh Mansur. A small part (about 150 people) escaped on ships. Almost all artillery was captured or destroyed (83 cannons and 12 mortars), 130 banners were taken. To the nearby fortress of Sudzhuk-Kale (on the site of modern Novorossiysk), Gudovich sent a separate detachment from Anapa, but when he approached, the garrison burned the fortress and fled to the mountains, leaving 25 guns.
The losses of the Russian detachment were very high - 23 officers and 1,215 privates were killed, 71 officers and 2,401 privates were wounded (slightly lower data are indicated in Sytin's Military Encyclopedia - 940 killed and 1,995 wounded). Gudovich was awarded the Order of St. George of the 2nd degree, all the officers of his detachment were awarded, a special medal was established for the lower ranks.

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.

Contrary to popular belief, Kutuzov was not one-eyed. This, of course, is about Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, who commanded the Russian troops in 1812. About the same Kutuzov, whose cunning was amazed by Napoleon, calling the Russian field marshal "fox" and "devil". And about the one that modern films and illustrations in books constantly depict with one eye, then with an eye patch.

However, there is not a single historical confirmation of either "one-eyedness" or wearing a bandage. On all intravital images that claim to be portrait resemblance, M.I. Kutuzov with both eyes. True, on some it is noticeable that the right eye is very “mowed”, but there are no bandages anywhere!

Kutuzov himself, already at an advanced age, in private letters sometimes complains to his wife, Ekaterina Ilyinichna, about eye fatigue, using the plural, for example, in 1800: “I am healthy, only my eyes have a lot of work.” And in 1812, in a letter to his daughter Elizabeth: “... my eyes are very tired; don't think they hurt me, no, they're just tired of reading and writing..."

However, the myth of the "one-eyed commander" did not arise from scratch. Kutuzov was repeatedly wounded in the head and had every chance of losing not only his eye, but his life itself.

The first time this happened near Alushta in 1774, when Kutuzov, at that time still a prime minister, commanded a grenadier battalion. The author of the biographical book "The Life of Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov" F.M. Sinelnikov reports that the bullet hit "in the left temple, and exited at the right eye, but did not deprive it", the eye was only "slightly lopsided." Sinelnikov was a close friend of Kutuzov, he began work on his book during the life of the commander, and, of course, he knew such details without any speculation.

Even with the current level of medicine, the probability of surviving after such an injury is microscopically small. Kutuzov not only survived, but also retained both eyes. Moreover, vision, apparently, has not deteriorated much.

The second time Kutuzov's head was damaged during the siege of the Turkish fortress of Ochakov in 1788. Describing this wound, the sources differ in details, showing unanimity that it was also very heavy, and a bullet or a fragment of a grenade went right through the head. However, even after that, Kutuzov saw with both eyes for a long time, and the wounded eye began to “close” only during the campaign of 1805.

In 1805, he was wounded in the head for the third time, this time lightly: during the battle of Austerlitz, his cheek was injured.

For a combat officer, Kutuzov lived a rather long life. Having survived after severe head wounds, he died in April 1813 during the foreign campaign of the Russian army from a complication resulting from a common cold. By this time, Kutuzov was at the pinnacle of fame as the winner of Napoleon, and the rulers of the countries participating in the anti-Napoleonic alliance wanted to see him at the head of the allied forces. The exact date of birth of the great commander has not been established, based on various sources, historians determine the time of his birth approximately in the interval of 1745-1747. Thus, death took Kutuzov when he was over 65 years old.

Count and Most Serene Prince, great commander Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich was the commander-in-chief of the Russian army during the Patriotic War of 1812, when he attacked the Russian Empire. Mikhail Illarionovich is the first full knight of the Order of St. George.

short biography

The official date of birth of Mikhail Kutuzov in today's biographies is considered to be September 5, 1747. He was born in Saint Petersburg, in the Russian Empire.

His father - Illarion Matveevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, teacher at the Artillery noble school, son of a senator. His mother - Anna Illarionovna.

Study and start of service

At first, starting from the age of 7, Mikhail studied science at home. At the age of 12 he was sent to Artillery and engineering noble school where his father taught artillery.

From the first days, the young man showed himself as a capable student and, being a student, was involved in the training of officers. Even at the artillery school, Kutuzov Jr. received the rank of 1st class conductor and even received a salary.

At the beginning of 1761, Kutuzov graduated from school and, on the recommendation of Count Shuvalov, with the rank of ensign engineer, was left with her to teach mathematics to pupils. After 5 months became adjutant wing Reval Governor-General and Prince Holstein-Beksky.

Service at A.V. Suvorov

Already in 1762 he received the rank of captain for good service and was sent to the Astrakhan infantry regiment as a company commander. The regiment was then commanded by himself Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov in the rank of colonel.

The period of Russian-Turkish wars

When in 1768 the Russian-Turkish war began, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov served in the first army under the command of Field Marshal P.A. Rumyantsev. It was during the war with Turkey that Kutuzov gained invaluable combat experience.

In the first 2 years, he proved himself to be an excellent commander and was awarded the rank Prime Major. A year later (1771) Kutuzov became a lieutenant colonel.

Service in the Crimean army

In 1772, because of a joke on Rumyantsev, Mikhail Kutuzov was transferred to the Crimean army. It is to this occasion that the further restraint and prudence of the great commander are attributed.

Battle of Alushta

In July 1774, Haji-Ali-Bey landed in Alushta, but the Turks were not allowed to go deep into the Crimea. July 24, 1774 3,000-strong Russian detachment knocked out the Turkish landing force, which had fortified itself in Alushta and near the village of Shuma.

Kutuzov, who commanded the grenadier battalion of the Moscow Legion, was seriously wounded by a bullet that pierced his left temple and exited near his right eye, but his vision was preserved, contrary to popular belief.

Capture of Ishmael

On December 11, 1790, he distinguished himself during the assault and capture of Ishmael, where he commanded the 6th column, which was marching on the attack. After that, he was given the rank lieutenant general.

War of 1805 with Napoleon Bonaparte

In 1804, the Russian Empire became one of the participants anti Napoleonic coalition. Already in 1805, 2 Russian armies were sent to Austria, one of which was commanded by Kutuzov. The number of his troops was about 50 thousand soldiers.

Genius Kutuzov

The army of Mikhail Illarionovich arrived at the battlefield late, when the French had already defeated the Austrians. Saving the troops, Kutuzov in October 1805 made a retreat march 425 km long from Braunau to Olmutz.

At the same time, he defeated I. Murat near Amstetten and E. Mortier near Krems, and also managed to withdraw his troops from the impending threat of encirclement. This march went down in the history of military art as a remarkable example of a strategic maneuver.

In November 1805, the battle of austerlitz, in which Napoleon's army, despite the smaller number of soldiers, defeated the Russian-Austrian troops.

War of 1812

Emperor Alexander I appointed Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov commander of all armies July 29, 1812. He was given a great honor and at the same time, he was entrusted with a great responsibility - to defeat Bonaparte.

His appointment literally raised the morale of the Russian troops. However, Kutuzov avoided a direct confrontation with Napoleon, as he understood the seriousness of the state of affairs.

battle of Borodino

The only battle in the Patriotic War of 1812 took place near the village Borodino. It was the last stronghold of the Russians - behind was Moscow.

For 1 day of the battle, the Russian army inflicted heavy losses on the advancing French troops, but it itself lost about 25-30% of the personnel of the regular troops.

Kutuzov decided to withdraw from the Borodino position, and then, after a meeting in Fili, he left Moscow. Despite this, for the Battle of Borodino, he was awarded the title field marshal general.

Napoleon's retreat

Napoleon entered Moscow, but did not feel like a winner. Further exploits of Kutuzov's army forced Bonaparte to start a retreat. Napoleon left along the plundered Smolensk road. His troops were freezing and starving.

Thanks to Kutuzov's strategy and his famous Tarutino maneuver, the huge Napoleonic army was almost completely destroyed.

Death of the Commander-in-Chief

On April 5, 1813, when the Russian army approached the Elbe, the commander-in-chief fell ill with a cold and, with complications, was forced to take bed rest.

April 16, 1813 Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov died in a Prussian town Bunzlau(now Polish territory). His body was embalmed and sent to his homeland - to St. Petersburg.