General Skobelev everything about him, who he is. Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev

He went through many wars, but he was not destined to die on the battlefield. His death was experienced as a nationwide grief. On the wreath from the Academy of the General Staff there was a silver inscription: “To the hero Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev - commander Suvorov’s equal.” The peasants carried the coffin of Mikhail Dmitrievich in their arms 20 miles to Spassky, the Skobelev family estate. There he was buried in the church next to his father and mother. In 1912, in Moscow on Tverskaya Square, a beautiful monument was erected to Skobelev using public funds...

General Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev

Heroes are not born. They become them. A truth as old as time. But in the entire history of the world there are not many examples that confirm this maxim. Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev can be safely included among these few.

While still a student at the military academy, Mikhail Skobelev was sent 30 miles from St. Petersburg to the shore of the Gulf of Finland to survey the area. Stopping in a small village, where he lived for several months, he was struck by the poverty and misery of the local peasants. Having spent all his salary on buying clothes and shoes for local children, he generously helped the local peasant Nikita, with whom he lived all this time. One day he went into the forest to get some poles and on the way back got stuck in a swamp. A seedy white sivka saved the life of the future hero of Russia. “I take her to the left, and she pulls me to the right,” Skobelev told Nikita, “if I have to ride a horse somewhere, so that I can remember your gray, I will always choose the white one.”

General Mikhail Skobelev on a white horse during the Russian-Turkish War (1877 - 1878). Artist Nikolai Dmitriev-Orenbursky (1883)

Obviously, after this Skobelev developed a mystical addiction to white horses; and the white uniform during the battle was a continuation and completion of the whiteness of his horse. That is why Russian soldiers called Skobelev the “White General”, and in Central Asia and the Balkans - “Ak Pasha”; his mention awed Asian enemies and Turkish Janissaries. Ordinary Russian soldiers treated him with respect and reverence. The staff officers did not like him, they were jealous of his successes, they whispered behind his back that he was a poseur who deliberately flaunted his courage, contempt for danger and death. Vasily Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko, brother of the founder of the Art Theater, who knew the general well, noted that “contempt for death is the best gesture of all the gestures ever invented by people.” Nemirovich-Danchenko wrote: “He knew that he was leading to death, and without hesitation he did not send, but led with him. The first bullet was his, the first meeting with the enemy was his. The cause requires sacrifice, and, having decided the need for this matter, he would not back down from any sacrifice."

At the same time, Skobelev was not a “soldier.” He was an intelligent, interesting, extraordinary person - ironic, cheerful, an excellent debater and a daring reveler. But he devoted himself completely to the main cause of his life - service to the Fatherland. He was an amazing commander and an unusual person who became a true legend during his lifetime.

This year marks the 160th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev. The legendary general and future hero of the Fatherland, the favorite of Russian aristocrats and nobles, ordinary peasants and the army of pre-revolutionary Russia, was born on September 17, 1843 in a military family: he was the first-born of a lieutenant of the Cavalry Guard Regiment, later a participant in the Crimean War, a holder of the honorary golden sword. Mikhail's grandfather, Ivan Nikitich, was an adjutant to Kutuzov himself during the Patriotic War of 1812, rose to the rank of infantry general, was the commandant of the Peter and Paul Fortress and at the same time an original military writer and playwright. The grandfather was the main figure in the home education of his grandson. After his death, the mother of young Skobelev decided to send her son to France, where he studied at a boarding school and mastered several languages. Subsequently, Skobelev spoke eight European languages ​​(French as his native Russian) and could recite large passages from the works of Balzac, Sheridan, Spencer, Byron, and Shelley. Of the Russian authors, he fell in love with Lermontov, Khomyakov, and Kireevsky. He played the piano and sang in a pleasant baritone voice. In short, he was a real hussar - a romantic in the uniform of an officer.

Returning to his homeland, Mikhail entered St. Petersburg University in 1861, but soon family traditions took over, and he petitioned the Tsar to enroll him as a cadet in the Cavalry Regiment. Thus began his military service.

On November 22, 1861, 18-year-old Skobelev, in front of a formation of cavalry guards, took the oath of allegiance to the sovereign and the Fatherland and with zeal began to learn the basics of military affairs. In March 1863, he became an officer, the following year he transferred to the Life Guards Grodno Hussar Regiment, which bore the name of the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812 Y. Kulnev, where he was promoted to lieutenant. In the memoirs of the officers of the Grodno regiment, he remained “a true gentleman and a dashing cavalry officer.”

In 1866, Skobelev, having passed the entrance exams brilliantly, entered the Academy of the General Staff. This was the heyday of the academy, in which such prominent military scientists as G. Leer, M. Dragomirov, A. Puzyrevsky taught. But studying was not easy for the temperamental officer; he either studied hard, delighting the teachers with his knowledge, or stopped going to lectures, indulging in bachelor parties. He probably would not have been able to complete the academy course if it had not been for Professor Leer, who recognized his exceptional military talents and therefore looked after him with all his attention. At the request of Leer, captain captain Skobelev, upon graduation from the academy, was enrolled in the staff of officers of the general staff.

However, he did not serve there long. At the first opportunity, he asked for the right to participate in combat activities. In 1869, as a representative of the General Staff, he participated in the expedition of Major General A. Abramov to the borders of the Bukhara Khanate. This enterprise was not entirely successful, but it allowed Mikhail Dmitrievich to get acquainted with Asian methods of warfare, which were strikingly different from those used in Poland. What he saw captured the young officer, and from then on Central Asia pulled him towards it like a magnet.

Bust of General Mikhail Skobelev in Ryazan

In 1870, Skobelev received an appointment to the Caucasus, in the detachment of Colonel N. Stoletov, where he showed initiative and energy, sometimes even excessive. It was here that a story happened to him that overshadowed the beginning of his service in Central Asia (the Central Asian theater of military operations was territorially part of the Caucasian Military District). Having begged N. Stoletov for a small batch of soldiers (Ural Cossacks), the young officer went to the Krasnovodsk region, where he carried out a daring and, although successful, reconnaissance in the Trans-Caspian region, which was not part of the command’s plans. The authorities did not like the arbitrariness. In addition, the veracity of the report presented by Skobelev about the many Bukhara bandit gangs he defeated raised doubts, especially since one of the reconnaissance participants - a Ural Cossack - accused Mikhail Dmitrievich of lying.

Subsequently, it became known that the Cossack did this because of personal enmity towards the young officer, who, in his temper, hit him in the face. And although a thorough investigation was carried out, which confirmed Skobelev’s innocence, the story in Bukhara society acquired an ugly connotation and harmed Skobelev’s authority for a long time. Ill-wishers took the opportunity to teach the “St. Petersburg upstart” a lesson. The matter ended with two duels between Mikhail Dmitrievich and officers of the headquarters of Governor General K. Kaufman and the sending of Skobelev to St. Petersburg.

Here Mikhail Dmitrievich took part in the work of the Military Scientific Committee of the General Staff, and then was appointed senior adjutant of the headquarters of the 22nd Infantry Division stationed in Novgorod, with a transfer to the General Staff as a captain. However, such military activity attracted Skobelev little, although on August 30, 1872, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel and transferred to the headquarters of the Moscow Military District. Almost immediately he was seconded to the 74th Stavropol Regiment as a battalion commander. There Skobelev learns about the upcoming Khiva expedition. Using the influence of his uncle, the Minister of the Imperial Court, Adjutant General Count A. Adlerberg, he literally begs for an assignment to Turkestan, where the next (sixth) expedition was being prepared to conquer the Khiva Khanate.

The expedition consisted of four detachments under the overall command of General K. Kaufman. Skobelev was appointed to the Mangyshlak detachment (2140 people) of Colonel N. Lomakin as vanguard commander. For participation in the Khiva campaign of 1873, Mikhail Dmitrievich received his first St. George award - the Order of St. George IV degree, but for what exactly is not entirely clear. It is generally accepted that Skobelev received the order for a brilliantly conducted reconnaissance. The fact is that one of the four detachments, Krasnovodsk, under the command of Colonel V. Markozov never reached Khiva. Skobelev was entrusted with finding out the reasons for this, who, in the course of this task, not only showed personal courage and organizational skills, but also dropped charges against the command of the Krasnovodsk detachment, proving the impossibility of moving along the previously planned path.

Memorial plaque in honor of General Mikhail Skobelev on the commandant's house of the Peter and Paul Fortress

His merits in this reconnaissance were again ambiguously assessed by his contemporaries. However, General Kaufman, having carefully checked the facts, decided to award all ordinary participants with the insignia of the Military Order (St. George's Cross), and presented Mikhail Dmitrievich to the Order of St. George IV degree. Soon the Cavalier St. George Duma, by a majority vote, recognized Skobelev as worthy of being awarded the order. Presenting the order, General Kaufman then said to Mikhail Dmitrievich: “You have corrected your previous mistakes in my eyes, but you have not yet earned my respect.”

In 1874, Mikhail Dmitrievich was promoted to colonel and adjutant, married the Empress's maid of honor, Princess M. Gagarina, but a comfortable family life was not for him. The following year, he again sought to send him to Turkestan, where the Kokand uprising broke out. As part of Kaufman's detachment, Skobelev commanded the Cossack cavalry, and his decisive actions contributed to the defeat of the enemy near Mahram. Then he was instructed, at the head of a separate detachment, to act against the Kara-Kirghiz who participated in the uprising; Skobelev's victories at Andijan and Asaka put an end to the uprising.

Dressed in a white uniform, on a white horse, Skobelev remained safe and sound after the hottest battles with the enemy (he himself, paying tribute to superstition, inspired himself and others that in white clothes he would never be killed). Already at that time, a legend had developed that he was charmed by bullets. For his exploits in the Kokand campaign, Skobelev was awarded the rank of major general, the orders of St. George of the 3rd degree and St. Vladimir of the 3rd degree with swords, as well as a gold saber with the inscription “For bravery”, decorated with diamonds. The first glory came to him.

In April 1877, the Russian-Turkish war began, in which Russia came to the aid of the fraternal Slavic peoples, and Skobelev decided to definitely participate in it. It seemed that he had been waiting for this thing all his life. Nemirovich-Danchenko writes in this regard:

“He was not a Slavophile in the narrow sense - this is undoubtedly. He went far beyond the framework of this trend; they seemed too narrow to him. Our national and Slavic cause was dear to him. His heart lay towards his native tribes. He felt a living connection with them - but This was where his similarity with today's Slavophiles ended. His views on the state structure, on the rights of individual tribes, on many internal issues were completely different. If a nickname is necessary, then he was rather a populist. In a letter I received from his chief of staff General Dukhonin, after the death of Skobelev, by the way, it is reported that in one of the last meetings with him, Mikhail Dmitrievich repeated several times: “We, Slavophiles, need to come to an agreement, enter into an agreement with “Golos” ... “Golos” is right in many respects . This cannot be denied. From our mutual irritations and bickering there is only harm to Russia." He repeated the same thing to us more than once, saying that in such a difficult time as our fatherland is now going through, all people of thought and heart need to unite, create a common slogan for themselves and together to fight the dark forces of ignorance. The deceased understood Slavophilism not as a return to the old ideals of pre-Petrine Rus', but only as serving exclusively his people. Russia for the Russians, Slavism for the Slavs..." This is what he repeated everywhere."

But in St. Petersburg, by that time, an unfriendly opinion had formed about the young general: envious people accused him of excessive ambition, an “intemperate” lifestyle, and even of embezzling government money. With difficulty, Skobelev achieved an appointment to the Danube Army as chief of staff of the Cossack division (his father commanded it), but soon he was sent to the headquarters of the commander-in-chief, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. When the days of preparation of the Russian army for crossing the Danube arrived, Mikhail Dmitrievich secured his secondment as an assistant to the head of the 14th division M. Dragomirov. The division was tasked with being the first to cross the Danube, and Skobelev’s arrival came at a very opportune time. Dragomirov and the soldiers greeted him as “one of their own,” and he actively became involved in the work of preparing the crossing at Zimnitsa. Skillfully organized, it was successful on June 15, despite strong Turkish resistance.

Folk pictures about the exploits of General Mikhail Skobelev

After the army crossed the Danube, the advance detachment of General I. Gurko moved forward to the Balkans, and on the instructions of the commander-in-chief, Skobelev helped the detachment in capturing the Shipka Pass. By this time, large Turkish forces under the command of Osman Pasha launched a counter-offensive against the main forces of the Russian army and organized a strong defense of Plevna, a strategically important fortress and city. Mikhail Dmitrievich had the opportunity to become one of the active participants in the epic struggle for Plevna. The first two assaults on the city (July 8 and 18), which ended in failure for the Russian troops, revealed serious flaws in the organization of their actions.

Skobelev received little consolation from the fact that during the assault on July 18, the combined Cossack detachment he commanded advanced further than its neighbors, and during the general retreat retreated back in perfect order. In the interval between the second and third assaults, he proposed to capture Lovcha, an important junction of roads leading to Plevna. The “White General” actually led the actions of the Russian detachment that took Lovcha, since the head of the detachment, Prince Imeretinsky, completely entrusted him with carrying out the attack.

Before the third assault on Plevna at the end of August, Skobelev was given command of parts of the 2nd Infantry Division and the 3rd Infantry Brigade. Showing enormous energy and putting everyone on their feet, he and his chief of staff A. Kuropatkin brought their troops into the most combat-ready state. On the day of the assault, Skobelev, as always on a white horse and in white clothes, led the actions of his detachment on the left flank of the advancing troops. His squad went into battle with music and drumming. After fierce battles with the enemy, he captured two Turkish redoubts and broke through to Plevna. But it was not possible to break the enemy in the center and on the right flank, and the Russian troops received the order to retreat.

This battle near Plevna brought Skobelev more fame and made his name better known throughout Russia than all his previous successes. Alexander II, who was near Plevna, awarded the 34-year-old military leader the rank of lieutenant general and the Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st degree.

The sharp increase in Skobelev's popularity was largely due to the eccentricity of his personality and ability to win the hearts of soldiers. He considered it his sacred duty to take care of his subordinates, whom he provided with hot food in any combat situation. With sincere and emotional patriotic slogans and lively appeals to the troops, the fearless general influenced them like no one else. His associate and permanent chief of staff Kuropatkin recalled: “On the day of the battle, Skobelev appeared to the troops every time as especially joyful, cheerful, handsome... The soldiers and officers looked with confidence at his warlike handsome figure, admired him, joyfully greeted him and answered with all their hearts he is “happy to try” to his wishes, so that they are great in the upcoming task.”

In October 1877, Mikhail Dmitrievich took command of the 16th Infantry Division near Plevna. Three regiments of this division were already under his command: Kazan - near Lovcha, Vladimir and Suzdal - during the assault on Plevna. During the period of complete encirclement and blockade of the city, he put his division in order, upset by heavy losses in previous battles. After the capitulation of Plevna, which could not withstand the blockade, Skobelev took part in the winter transition of Russian troops through the Balkans. His order before heading into the mountains said: “We have a difficult feat ahead of us, worthy of the tested glory of Russian banners: today we begin to cross the Balkans with artillery, without roads, making our way, in sight of the enemy, through deep snowdrifts. Don’t forget, brothers "that we have been entrusted with the honor of the Fatherland. Our sacred cause!"

As part of the Central detachment of General F. Radetsky, Skobelev with his division and the forces attached to it overcame the Imetliysky pass, to the right of Shipka, and on the morning of December 28 came to the aid of the column of N. Svyatopolk-Mirsky, who had bypassed Shipka on the left and entered into battle with the Turks at Sheinovo . The attack of Skobelev's column, carried out almost on the move, without preparation, but according to all the rules of military art, ended in the encirclement of Wessel Pasha's Turkish corps. The Turkish commander surrendered his saber to the Russian general. For this victory, Skobelev was awarded a third golden sword with the inscription: “For bravery,” although, according to many, he deserved more.

Bypassing the Turkish positions, Skobelev said: “Scoundrels!”

Who are the scoundrels? - his companions were surprised.

Was it possible to give up such a position?

Yes, and you can’t defend, they went around.

You can’t defend, you can fight, you have to die,” Skobelev concluded.

At the same time, the general, extremely merciless in battle, who in decisive cases accepted only a bayonet attack, without a single shot, in order to see the enemy face to face, taught his soldiers on victorious days: “Beat the enemy without mercy while he holds a weapon in his hands. But "As soon as he surrendered, he asked for amina, he became a prisoner - he is your friend and brother. If you don't have enough, give it to him. He needs it more. He is a soldier like you, only in misfortune."

At the beginning of 1878, Mikhail Dmitrievich was subordinate to the head of the Western detachment, General I. Gurko, and, heading the vanguard corps, ensured the occupation of Adrianople (Edirne). After a short rest, his corps set out for Istanbul (Constantinople), and on January 17 broke into Chorlu, which is 80 kilometers from the Turkish capital. Exhausted, Türkiye sued for peace. The peace treaty signed in San Stefano was quite beneficial for Russia and the Balkan peoples, but six months later, under pressure from the European powers, it was revised in Berlin, which caused a sharply negative reaction from Skobelev.

Monument to General Mikhail Skobelev in Plevna (Bulgaria). Five Bulgarian villages bear the name of the Russian general: Skobelevo (Lovech region); Skobelevo (Haskovo region); Skobelevo (Plovdiv region); Skobelevo (Starozagorsk region); Skobelevo (Sliven region)

By the end of the 70s, the struggle between Russia and England for influence in Central Asia intensified, and in 1880, Alexander II instructed Skobelev to lead an expedition of Russian troops to the Akhal-Teke oasis of Turkmenistan. The main goal of the campaign was to capture the Geok-Tepe fortress (45 kilometers northwest of Ashgabat) - the main support base of the Tekins.

After a five-month struggle with the sands and the courageous Tekins, Skobelev’s 13,000-strong detachment approached Geok-Tepe, and on January 12, after the assault, the fortress fell. Then Ashgabat was occupied, and other regions of Turkmenistan were annexed to Russia. On the occasion of the successful completion of the expedition, Alexander II promoted Skobelev to infantry general and awarded him the Order of St. George, 2nd degree.

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One of the central boulevards in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, is named after Mikhail Skobelev, and on the wall of one of the houses there is a memorial plaque with the name and image of the general

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Alexander III, who ascended the throne in March 1881, was wary of the great fame of the “White General”. In turn, Skobelev did not seek to win the trust of the new tsar and allowed himself to say everything he thought about the reigning house, about the politics of Russia and its relations with the Western powers. Fascinated by the ideas of Slavism, Orthodoxy and the rise of national consciousness, he repeatedly and publicly declared the danger threatening Russia from the west, which caused a stir in Europe. The general spoke especially harshly about Germany and the “Teutons.” In March and April 1882, Skobelev had two audiences with the tsar, and although the content of their conversations remained unknown, according to eyewitnesses, Alexander III began to treat the general more tolerantly. Skobelev wrote to his friend General Kuropatkin: “If they scold you, don’t believe it too much, I stand for the truth and for the Army and I’m not afraid of anyone.”

Mikhail Skobelev's worldview was formed several years before the end of his life. Already at the end of the war in the Balkans, he said: “My symbol is short: love for the Fatherland; science and Slavism. On these whales we will build such a political force that we will not be afraid of either enemies or friends! And there is no need to think about the belly, for the sake of these We will make all the sacrifices for great goals." It was in the last years of his life that the general became close to the Slavophiles and especially I.S. Aksakov, who had a significant influence on him, which was noticed by his contemporaries. “Poor man Ivan Sergeevich,” said N.N. Obruchev, you used to convince and reason with the late Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev. Well, it seems the man has completely calmed down. And he goes to Moscow, to Aksakov, and returns from there mad.”

But it cannot be said that Skobelev completely succumbed to the intellectual pressure of Aksakov and other theoreticians of Slavophilism. Still, he was a European and did not share even Aksakov’s negative attitude towards Peter’s reforms and Western European parliamentarism. He was a supporter of Loris-Melikov's constitutional project - he turned to him during a period of difficult reflection after an insulting audience in the Winter Palace. He was brought together by Aksakov and the Slavophiles by common views on Russian foreign policy, which they all considered unpatriotic and dependent on external influence. Skobelev formed this conviction after the Berlin Congress, where statesmen of the non-warring European powers dictated their terms to victorious Russia. Skobelev was an ardent supporter of the liberation and unification of the Slavic peoples, but without strict dictates from Russia.

It should be noted that his attitude towards the Slavs was romantic-altruistic, similar to the position of F.M. Dostoevsky. In his “Diary of a Writer,” he wrote about the capture of Geok-Tepe by Skobelev: “Long live the victory at Geok-Tepe! Long live Skobelev and his soldiers, and eternal memory to the heroes who “left the list”! We will add them to our lists.”
Such an assessment of Dostoevsky was of considerable value for Skobelev. And no less valuable and in tune with his worldview was the writer’s foresight regarding the role of Russia in the world.

The writer-prophet Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky wrote about it this way:

“According to my inner conviction, the most complete and irresistible, Russia will not, and never has had, such haters and slanderers and even outright enemies as all these Slavic tribes, as soon as Russia liberates them, and Europe agrees to recognize them as liberated! .. Even the Turks will be spoken of with greater respect than of Russia; they will curry favor with European states, they will slander Russia, gossip about it and intrigue against it... It is especially pleasant for the liberated Slavs to speak out and trumpet the light that they are tribes educated, capable of the highest European culture, while Russia is a barbaric country, a gloomy northern colossus, not even of purely Slavic blood, a persecutor and hater of European civilization...

These people of the earth will forever quarrel among themselves, forever envy each other and intrigue against each other. Of course, in a moment of some serious trouble, they will all certainly turn to Russia for help...

For a long time Russia will have the melancholy and concern of reconciling them, admonishing them and even, perhaps, drawing a sword for them on occasion. Of course, the question now arises: what is Russia’s benefit here, why did Russia fight for them for a hundred years, sacrifice its blood, strength, and money? Is it really because of reaping so much small, funny hatred and ingratitude?.. In order to live a higher life, a great life, to shine the world with a great, selfless and pure idea, to embody and create, in the end, a great and powerful organism fraternal union of tribes, to create this organism not by political violence, not by the sword, but by conviction, example, love, selflessness, light; to finally raise all these little ones to themselves and to raise their maternal recognition - this is the goal of Russia, this is its benefit, if you want. If nations do not live by higher, unselfish ideas and the highest goals of serving humanity, but only serve their own “interests,” then these nations will undoubtedly perish, become numb, weakened and die. And there are no higher goals than those that Russia has set for itself, serving the Slavs, selflessly and without demanding gratitude from them, serving their moral (and not just political) reunification into a great whole.”

...The chief of the Skobelevsky headquarters, Mikhail Dukhonin, later recalled how he once found his commander in an extremely difficult mood. “It’s time to die,” said Skobelev. “One person cannot do more than he can do... I came to the conviction that everything in the world is lies, lies and lies. All this is glory, and all this shine is a lie "Is this true happiness? How many were killed, wounded, suffering, ruined." The white general was deeply worried about those warriors who lost their lives in battle. Referring to his enemies, Skobelev exclaimed: “They think that there is nothing better than leading troops under fire, to death. Not if they saw me on sleepless nights. If only they could see what’s going on in my life.” soul. Sometimes I myself want to die - it’s so creepy, scary, so painful for these meaningful sacrifices."

The general lived less than two months after this conversation. He died under very strange circumstances in the Moscow Dusso Hotel. "Heart palsy" was officially registered. But rumors circulated around the Mother See: some suggested that he was poisoned by Bismarck’s agents, others considered it a political murder, and others saw a love affair behind it. And to this day the secret of his death remains a secret behind seven seals...

General Skobelev repeatedly told his subordinates that he owed his fame, and indeed his whole life, to the Russian soldier. He really respected them, and they paid him the same. Hundreds of stories are told about how during the transitions he dismounted and walked along with his infantry, how he took care of the soldier’s kitchen, about supplying the troops, how, in case of need, he distributed money not only to fellow officers, but also to private soldiers.

The peasants, recent peasants, revered him as one of their own. “He’s ours, he’s Russian,” they said. “His great-grandfather plowed the land. When others talk to us, we don’t understand, but when he speaks, we always understand.”

That’s how he was, an understandable, crystal clear Russian man. His fate, his actions, legends and stories about him amaze with their exceptional integrity and intelligibility. If anyone in our history has created a complete, archetypal, nowhere-divided image of a patriot, it is Skobelev.

Skobelev's funeral resulted in a grandiose public demonstration.

Khitrovo said: “We are burying our banner.” The soldiers echoed him: “You have served our Mother Russia. You are our eagle!”

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Monument to General Skobelev in Moscow. In 1912, in Moscow on Tverskaya Square, a beautiful monument was erected to Skobelev using public funds (!). The author is a self-taught sculptor, Lieutenant Colonel P.A. Samonov. In total, six monuments to the general were erected in Russia before the revolution. In 1918, it was barbarously demolished and destroyed by the Bolsheviks in accordance with the decree “On the removal of monuments to the kings and their servants and the development of projects for monuments to the Russian Socialist Revolution”

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From the Church of the Three Saints to the station the coffin was carried in their arms. Along the entire movement of the funeral train, right up to Skobelev’s homeland - the village of Spassky, peasants with priests came out to the railway - entire villages, towns with banners and banners came out.

“It would be impossible for us,” said Charles Marvin, a shocked correspondent for the London Times, at the time.

“And it would be impossible for us,” one of his Russian colleagues answered him, “in no way possible, if not for Skobelev.”

...As you know, history does not have a subjunctive mood. It is an empty exercise to build the course of events based on the premise that one or another active participant in the historical process would not have passed away in the prime of life, but would have lived for many more years and given all his unspent strength for the good of his Motherland and his people. However, the tragic death of 38-year-old General Skobelev, for whom both friends and opponents predicted a brilliant future, was so sudden and stunning that in subsequent years, especially during the period of failures that plagued our army and navy during the Russo-Japanese War, many exclaimed: “Oh, if only Skobelev were alive today!”

Indeed, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Mikhail Dmitrievich could decisively change the course of all Russian history. There is no doubt that it was he who would have become Minister of War after P.S. Vannovsky. And if this happened, then, probably, Skobelev became commander-in-chief during the Far Eastern campaign of 1904-05. And, of course, he would not have missed victories either at Liaoyang or at Mukden, and would have saved Port Arthur, and the entire campaign as a whole. Then the political situation in Russia would have been completely different and, quite possibly, the country’s development would have taken a more successful course, without the revolutions of 1905 and 1917.

But, alas, history cannot be rewritten, and the Russian troops in this unfortunate war were commanded by, of course, a competent, educated, honest and brave, but very indecisive General A.N. Kuropatkin. Even during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-78, M.D. Skobelev told him: “You, Alexey, are a wonderful chief of staff, but God forbid you ever become commander in chief!”

By the way, Alexey Nikolaevich himself soberly assessed his talent as a commander. During his presentation to Emperor Nicholas II on the occasion of his appointment as Commander-in-Chief of all land and naval forces in the Far East, Kuropatkin said to the Tsar: “Only by the poverty of choice can I explain the decision made by Your Majesty.” Of course, you cannot refuse Alexey Nikolaevich honesty and directness.

Moreover, Skobelev’s talent as a commander could come in handy in later years, when on the European continent the tangle of contradictions between the leading powers became so confused and insoluble that a real threat of world war arose. Mikhail Dmitrievich knew very well the nature of the training of the German and Austro-Hungarian armies, their strategy and tactics, strengths and weaknesses. And even if, due to his advanced age, he could not take a direct part in this war, then, undoubtedly, his rich experience would be indispensable in the fight against such dangerous opponents for Russia.

Alexander Kirilin,

The legendary commander Mikhail Skobelev, with whose name many brilliant victories of Russian weapons are associated, was born on September 17 (29), 1843 in the Peter and Paul Fortress, of which his grandfather was the commandant. Skobelev...

The legendary commander Mikhail Skobelev, with whose name many brilliant victories of Russian weapons are associated, was born on September 17 (29), 1843 in the Peter and Paul Fortress, of which his grandfather was the commandant. Skobelev was a third-generation military man; his grandfather and father rose to the rank of general.

In his youth, Mikhail intended to devote himself to civil service and entered the mathematics department of St. Petersburg University, however, his studies had to be interrupted. The university was closed due to student unrest, and Skobelev, heeding his father’s advice, petitioned the emperor to enroll as a cadet in the elite Life Guards Cavalry Regiment.

Military service began with the oath and kissing the cross, according to the description given by the leadership, Junker Skobelev “serves zealously, not sparing himself.” A year later he was promoted to cadet harness, six months later to the junior officer rank of cornet, and in 1864 Skobelev participated in the suppression of the uprising of Polish rebels. He was included in the retinue of Adjutant General Eduard Baranov, but being burdened by his retinue duties, he begged the general to send him to the combat sector. Skobelev received his baptism of fire in a battle with the Shemiot rebel detachment, and was awarded the Order of St. Anne, IV degree, for his bravery.

Participation in the Polish expedition confirmed the correctness of the chosen path; subsequently Skobelev repeatedly repeated: “I am where the guns thunder.”

In 1866, he entered the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. The defeat in the Eastern War forced the government to reconsider its approach to military education, now officers were trained according to a new program, and future military leaders left the Academy with a thorough knowledge base.

As one of the best graduates, Mikhail Dmitrievich is sent to the General Staff. After a short period of “paper” work in the General Staff, Skobelev showed himself in Central Asia; in 1873 he became a participant in the Khiva campaign, the general leadership of which was carried out by General Konstantin Kaufman. Skobelev commanded the vanguard of the Mangyshlak detachment (2,140 people), in difficult conditions, in almost daily skirmishes with the Khivans, his detachment approached the capital of the khanate in May 1873.

On May 29, Khiva fell, the first decree that the khan was forced to issue was a ban on the slave trade, because one of the goals of the expedition was to suppress the slave trade. Russia, as Engels, who was stingy with positive assessments of the “tsarist regime,” noted, played “a progressive role in relation to the East... Russia’s dominance plays a civilizing role for the Black and Caspian Seas and Central Asia...”.

Due to strong opposition from the British, the Russian government failed to implement the initial plan to establish good neighborly relations with the Central Asian states peacefully, so military measures were used. Skobelev will subsequently repeatedly perform this responsible role of enforcing peace.

Already in 1875, after a short business trip to Spain, Skobelev led a campaign to suppress the rebellion that broke out in Kokand. A Russian detachment of only 800 people with 20 guns near the village of Makhram entered into battle with the 50,000-strong army of the usurper Khudoyar. Despite the huge numerical superiority, the Russians scattered the enemy and put him to flight. Skobelev’s formula “It’s not enough to be brave, you need to be smart and resourceful” worked flawlessly.

N.D. Dmitriev-Orenburgsky “General M.D. Skobelev on horseback”, 1883

In October 1875, Mikhail Dmitrievich was promoted to major general, and in February of the following year he was appointed governor-general of the newly formed Fergana region. With his characteristic zeal, Skobelev began to develop the region and in this post proved himself to be a skilled diplomat. He dealt with the local nobility and warlike tribes “firmly, but with heart.”

He understood that military force alone was not enough to establish Russia’s authority, so he was actively involved in solving social issues. On Skobelev’s initiative, a city was founded, which later received the name Fergana and became the regional center of Uzbekistan; the governor-general took a personal part in its design.

Having learned about the start of the war with the Ottoman Empire, Skobelev, using his connections in St. Petersburg, changed the relatively calm office of the governor-general to a battlefield more familiar to him. Participation in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 became the peak of Mikhail Dmitrievich’s military career and at the same time was the realization of his life credo: “My symbol is short: love for the Fatherland, science and Slavism.”

The Russian army owes Skobelev’s talent the capture of the strategically important city of Lovech, and it was he who became the true hero of the third assault on Plevna.

Thanks to the efforts of Skobelev, the battle of Sheynov was won, when a crushing blow by the Russians paralyzed the actions of the 30,000-strong army of Wessel Pasha. General Skobelev personally accepted the surrender of Wessel Pasha and his army.

In battle, the general was always ahead of the troops in a white jacket and on a white horse. “He believed that he would be more unharmed on a white horse than on a horse of a different color...”, explained this choice by artist Vasily Vereshchagin, who was well acquainted with Skobelev.

Skobelev’s detachment captured Adrianople and the town of San Stefano, located 20 kilometers from the Turkish capital. It was just a stone's throw from Constantinople.

Of course, Skobelev, who shared the views of the Slavophiles on the historical mission of Russia to liberate Constantinople from Muslims, which at the same time was the cherished dream of the Slavs and Greeks, was eager to begin the assault on this city.

The brilliant strategist saw that the historical moment was close, “... the presence of an active army in Adrianople and the opportunity... and now to occupy the capital of Turkey in battle,” he noted in one of the letters. But diplomacy decided otherwise; the war ended with the signing of the Treaty of San Stefano.

The name of the “White General,” as both Russians and Turks called him, thundered throughout Europe. After the signing of peace, Skobelev took personal initiative on the issue of organizing capable paramilitary units in Bulgaria, called gymnastic societies. The Bulgarians, for their efforts to liberate Bulgaria from the Turkish occupiers and help in the post-war development of the country, ranked General Skobelev among their national heroes.

Vyacheslav Kondratyev “Plow up Geok-Tepe!”

After the war with the Ottomans, the general will lead the Akhal-Teke expedition, which became a matter of special national importance. Skobelev turned out to be the only one who combined the talents of a military leader and the wisdom of a diplomat. The emperor himself had a confidential conversation with the general regarding this expedition. It was successful, the last source of unrest was eliminated, and peace was established in the Trans-Caspian possessions of Russia.

The general was always on the front line during hostilities. Even during the war with the Turks, soldiers composed a song about their commander, which contains the following lines:

I was not afraid of enemy bullets,
Not afraid of a bayonet,
And more than once near the hero
Death was already close.

He laughed at bullets
Apparently, God protected him.

He was wounded many times, but the bayonet and bullets did not harm his life. Skobelev did not die in war, but under other very mysterious circumstances. The causes of death, which occurred on June 25 (July 7), 1882, remained undisclosed; various versions of what happened are still being put forward. A countless number of people came to see off Mikhail Dmitrievich on his final journey.

The Russian general devoted his short but bright life entirely to the Fatherland.

Don’t forget, brothers, that we have been entrusted with the honor of the Fatherland! Our cause is sacred!
M.D. Skobelev

And Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev did not live forty years, but after the heroes of 1812 there was no general in the Russian Empire who was equally beloved among the people.

He was a hereditary military man. His father, Dmitry Ivanovich, was well known both in the army and at court. The elder Skobelev died with the high rank of lieutenant general.

A soldier on the battlefield and a sage in a learned conversation, Mikhail Dmitrievich was a comprehensively educated person, no stranger to literary talent. He loved Lermontov, carefully studied the Slavophiles - Khomyakov, Kireevsky, Aksakov, was friends with many of them, corresponded. He was capable of rhyming impromptu like Suvorov, whose memory he bowed to.

What is the secret of Skobelev’s extraordinary popularity?

It seemed that after the Napoleonic Wars the times of giant heroes had passed. The revolutionaries seized the halo of romance from the commanders... And Skobelev in people's memory managed to stand on a par with Rumyantsev, Suvorov, Bagration...

He was a genius of offensive warfare. His associate and permanent chief of staff Kuropatkin recalled: “On the day of the battle, Skobelev appeared to the troops every time as especially joyful, cheerful, and handsome... The soldiers and officers looked with confidence at his warlike, handsome figure, admired him, joyfully greeted him and answered him with all their hearts.” We are happy to try” to his wishes that they be great in the upcoming task.”

In those years, by and large, the doors to Europe were closed to Russia. The Paris Treaty of 1856, which recorded the results of the Crimean War, deprived the Russian Empire of the unofficial status of a European superpower, which was undeniable during the years of the omnipotence of the Holy Alliance.

Imperial ambitions now had to be satisfied in Central Asia and the Far East. It was there that Russia's rivalry with the British Empire continued. Where the Russian soldier managed to reach, the slave trade ceased and slave markets were closed.

Skobelev considered himself a “Turkestan student.” In his fate, campaigns in Central Asia played a key role: it was there that he studied the character of the Russian soldier, and the soldiers fell in love with their general, endowed with the ability to raise ranks to death - not only against enemy artillery, not only on pikes and sabers, but also in defiance of nature itself .

The Khiva campaign was, as Skobelev himself admitted, “a continuous struggle with nature.” The Khanate was annexed to Russia with “little blood”, although at the cost of cruel trials. Skobelev’s reconnaissance raid became a legend when he, together with five daredevils, covered more than 600 miles in the desert in a week, constantly risking running into armed nomads who knew the area much better.

For that reconnaissance, Skobelev received his first George - 4th degree. Skobelev’s commanding style developed there: he demonstrated miracles of courage to the soldiers, and they responded in kind. Contempt for death is contagious, as is cowardice.

In 1875–1876, it was the turn of the Khanate of Kokand. And in this campaign, Skobelev showed himself to be a star of the first magnitude, his cavalry detachment became a threat to the enemy: the Russians attacked unexpectedly, stunning. In one of the fights, Skobelev was seriously wounded in the leg.

He - like Peter the Great and Suvorov - learned to talk to soldiers with inspiration and persuasiveness.

Over the years, he addressed the soldiers:

“I can only wish for one thing, that I would fight with troops as brave and as valiant as those with whom I had to serve and fight here,”

“Soon we will face a combat test, I ask everyone to know about this and strengthen their spirit with prayer and meditation, which is what duty, oath and honor of the Russian name requires of us,”

“Our attitude towards the defeated people must be not only lawful and correct, but also generous, for the brave Russian army from time immemorial did not know how to beat a lying person,”

“I am convinced that the brave troops entrusted to me will not tarnish their immortal glory.”

It was in Turkestan that he received the rank of general and there they began to call him the White General. In battle, he was seen on an unchanged white horse, in an equally white uniform. It was believed that he was charmed from bullets as long as he was dressed in white. This superstition helped the soldiers to trust their commander. The uniform already bore George of the 2nd degree and the Order of St. of the same degree. Vladimir.

For some time, Skobelev was governor in Fergana, but the administrative field brought his first severe disappointments: denunciations against the young general began to pour into St. Petersburg and he was removed from power. It is clear: the combat cavalryman, imbued with romantic ideals, hated bribery, and in the East bribery flourished, including among Russian administrators.

The war began in the Balkans - the last big war with the Ottomans for the freedom of Orthodox peoples. Perhaps the most noble war of all that Russia waged. Skobelev, like no one else, was soulfully devoted to the cause of liberation of fraternal peoples.

Mosques have risen in the Serbian region;
Janissaries, in the crowd, in broad daylight,
In the bazaars he crushed his wives with his hoof
Your Arabian horse.

– wrote A.N. Maikov.

For Skobelev, Slavic freedom is the dawn of the future glory of Russia, independent, strong, capable of challenging the main European powers of that time - the British Empire and Germany.

But Skobelev arrived in the Balkans in a semi-disgraced position, although in the aura of Turkestan glory. At first, his status was questionable: he was at the Headquarters, and then headed the headquarters of the division commanded by his father.

He managed to distinguish himself in battle while crossing the Danube at Zimnitsa. From then on, Skobelev’s miracles began - miracles of courage and heroism, military ingenuity and military leadership’s firmness. In 1877, the white general accomplished the impossible... On July 7, Skobelev’s detachment fought to occupy the Shipkinsky Pass. Ak Pasha, as he was called in the East, took risks again, again remained invulnerable...

Skobelev showed himself clearly during the third assault on impregnable Plevna. His detachment took on the blow of a third of the Turkish troops, although it was only a fifth of the Russian army that stormed Plevna. “Only Skobelev knows how to lead troops in an assault!” they said in the army. The Skobelevites captured the most important fortifications, the path to Plevna was open, but the command was in no hurry with reinforcements - and they had to begin a long siege.

After taking Plevna and crossing the Balkan ridge, the Russian army overthrew Turkish troops on the Shipka-Sheinovo line, and Skobelev’s troops again played a decisive role in this battle. After this, at the head of the vanguard, Skobelev captured Adrianople and San Stefano. Here it is, Constantinople, Constantinople - just a stone's throw away! Skobelev dreamed of liberating the Orthodox capital. But, as you know, the Turks asked for peace...

The general was not happy with the Berlin peace, although in those days he was showered with awards. He dreamed of a great future for the Slavic peoples.

Skobelev had to prove himself in one more campaign - in the Ahal-Tekin expedition. Mikhail Dmitrievich, demonstrating experience and foresight, drew up a plan for advancing to the Geok-Tepe fortress, which the Tekins intended to defend. They had about 25 thousand troops, Skobelev did not have even 7 thousand, but the superiority of the Russian army in weapons and training was beyond doubt. On January 12, 1881, Skobelev led his troops on an assault.

When the Russians burst into the fortress, most of the Tekin troops fled. Skobelev organized the persecution. After the capture of Geok-Tepe, silence reigned for a long time in the Trans-Caspian possessions of the empire. The losses of the Russian army in the entire expedition were about 1,500 dead and dead...

Skobelev lived in a relatively happy time for Russia: the empire seemed powerful. But the general’s worldview was formed during the days of the tragic Sevastopol epic. The Crimean War knocked complacency out of the patriots - and Skobelev understood that the Motherland was entering a period of crisis. How to save yourself, how to protect yourself from defeat and decay?

The general wrote: “My symbol is short: love for the Fatherland; science and Slavism. On these whales we will build such a political force that we will not be afraid of either enemies or friends! And there is no need to think about the belly, for the sake of these great goals we will make all the sacrifices.”

He dreamed of reviving the “crushed Russian self-consciousness” and very deeply (not at all like a soldier!) analyzed the growing phenomenon of revolutionary nihilism. In recent years, more than once Skobelev fell into apathy; sometimes he stopped believing in his own strength and became disappointed in people. At such moments, he repeated: “I came to the conclusion that everything in the world is a lie, a lie, a lie. All this is glory, and all this glitter is a lie. Is this true happiness? How many are killed, wounded, suffering, ruined.” And then he returned to the fight.

He was a zealous opponent of Germany and German influence in Russia, and foresaw a big war with the Germans. Skobelev proposed relying on an alliance with France: the Russians seemed to have nothing to share with her.

Skobelev’s plans were not Manilov’s: Emperor Alexander III, with whom Skobelev did not have good relations, would after some time choose exactly this tactic. But... the general made a fatal mistake: he rushed into politics. But Suvorov warned: a commander should not plunge into a political whirlwind. There is death there.

And now the White General began talking with his comrades about the crisis of the Romanov dynasty, that it would not be a bad idea to replace it, about how the generals should behave during the revolution... It is unlikely that he was the leader of the conspiracy, but sometimes “it’s better to be a sinner than be considered a sinner." It is much worse that at court he was considered a conspirator.

His is Skobelev, whose word in the army was worth its weight in gold and lead. God forbid you bring such an enemy! And now “all of St. Petersburg is talking about him as a seeker with dynastic claims.”

It was believed that the general would lead a coup during the coronation of Alexander in Moscow. And instead of Alexander III, Skobeleva will be crowned king. He dreamed of a free union of the Slavic peoples with the decisive word of the Russian Tsar, a common army and a common currency, but with the autonomy of governments. Slavic Garibaldi was inspired by the revelations of Khomyakov and Aksakov...

Of course, those around the new emperor were at least wary of Skobelev. And the general was still thinking about how to preserve and strengthen a great power in the conditions of the omnipotence of moneylenders?

He led a life far from ascetic. On the warm evening of June 25, 1882, at the Anglia Hotel, on the corner of Petrovka and Stoleshnikov Lane, Skobelev had dinner in a noisy company of casual acquaintances, after which he went to his room with a certain flirtatious woman - as they said later, a German... In her room, the general and was found dead.

How many times did he walk under bullets on the battlefield - and die in someone else's bed. The report after the autopsy said: “He died from paralysis of the heart and lungs, the inflammation of which he suffered so recently.”

But Moscow, mourning the hero, did not believe the newspapers. Few doubted that Skobelev was killed. They thought the same in Bulgaria, which plunged into mourning. There were all kinds of versions - they blamed the German woman, the policeman, and the merchants who were carousing in the restaurant... It was rumored that a secret court sentenced the conspirator Skobelev to death. The cheerful merchants were agents of the secret police, they carried out the sentence, poisoned the hero... Of course, there were rumors about suicide. It's sad when the death of a hero is overshadowed by such versions.

Farewell to Skobelev took place in the Church of the Three Saints, near the Red Gate (this modest church has not survived). And they buried him in his native village - Spassky-Zaborov, on Ryazan land. The speech at the funeral was made by Bishop Ambrose of Dmitrov. The capitals were already arguing about where to erect a monument to Skobelev...

It will take off in Moscow, near the Governor General’s house, not far from the place of the general’s death, approximately where the monument to Yuri Dolgoruky is now. The wonderful monument will be destroyed at the 1918 May Day.

In Soviet times, Skobelev was not erased from history: he was considered a leading general, a successor to the best Suvorov traditions. And yet Skobelev remained on the sidelines of the parade of history’s heroes.

True, in 1954 the film “Heroes of Shipka” was released, in which the role of Skobelev was played by Evgeny Samoilov, energetically and charmingly. And in the 1970s, Skobelev became the hero of Boris Vasiliev’s epic novel “They Were and They Were Not,” which rediscovered that Russian-Turkish war for many of us...

Skobelev completed the galaxy of Russian heroic commanders, each of whom was the personification of the military valor of the people. In later times, brave people and talented strategists in Rus' did not disappear, but the era of millions of armies, the era of weapons of mass destruction began. The will of one person could not decide the fate of campaigns. That is why Russia remembers Skobelev, the last of the Mohicans.

The commanders of the Great Patriotic War were proud when their exploits were compared with the acts of Skobelev. Let us remember the commander not only on his birthday! Russians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Serbs - everyone whose freedom he fought for. And let the Skobelevsky March sound for us - breakthrough, cheerful, as it should be.

Audio recording of Skobelev's march.

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“Convince the soldiers in practice that you take fatherly care of them outside of battle,

that in battle there is strength, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

(M. D. Skobelev)

Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev (1843-1882) was born 170 years ago - an outstanding Russian military leader and strategist, infantry general, adjutant general, participant in the Central Asian conquests of the Russian Empire and the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, liberator of Bulgaria. For Ryazan, his name has a special meaning, because Skobelev was buried on Ryazan soil, on his family estate.

There are not many famous military leaders in history about whom we can confidently say: “He did not lose a single battle.” This is Alexander Nevsky, Alexander Suvorov, Fedor Ushakov. In the 19th century, such an invincible commander was Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev. Heroically built, tall, handsome, always in a white uniform and on a white horse, prancing under the furious whistling of bullets. “White General” (Ak-Pasha) - as his contemporaries called him, and not only because he participated in battles in a white uniform and on a white horse...

Battles and victories

Why was he called the “white general”? For different reasons. The simplest one is a uniform and a white horse. But he wasn’t the only one wearing a white general’s military uniform. That means something else. Probably the desire to be on the side of good, not to become impoverished in soul, not to come to terms with the need to kill.

I came to the conviction that everything in the world is a lie, a lie and a lie... All this glory, and all this glitter is a lie... Is this true happiness?.. Does humanity really need this?.. But what, what is this lie worth? , this glory? How many were killed, wounded, suffering, ruined!.. Explain to me: will you and I answer to God for the mass of people whom we killed in battle?- these are the words of V.I. Skobelev. Nemirovich-Danchenko discovers a lot about the general’s character.

“An amazing life, the amazing speed of its events: Kokand, Khiva, Alai, Shipka, Lovcha, Plevna on July 18, Plevna on August 30, the Green Mountains, the crossing of the Balkans, the fabulously fast march to Adrianople, Geok-Tepe and unexpected, mysterious death - follow one after another, without respite, without rest.” ( IN AND. Nemirovich-Danchenko “Skobelev”).

His name made Central Asian khans and Turkish Janissaries tremble. And ordinary Russian soldiers treated him with respect. The staff officers, jealous of his success, gossiped that he was a poseur who flaunted courage and contempt for death. But V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko (brother of the founder of the Art Theater), who personally knew the general, wrote: “He knew that he was leading to death, and without hesitation he did not send, but led. The first bullet was his, the first meeting with the enemy was his. The cause requires sacrifices, and, having once decided the necessity of this cause, he would not back down from any sacrifices.”

However, Skobelev was not a simple “soldier” - brilliantly educated, knowing 8 languages, smart, ironic, cheerful, intellectual and reveler. But he devoted himself completely to the main cause of his life - service to the Fatherland. He was an amazing commander and an unusual person who became a true legend during his lifetime.

Early biography and military education

Skobelev cadet

A hereditary military man, he was born in St. Petersburg on September 17 (29 according to the current style), 1843 in the family of Lieutenant General Dmitry Ivanovich Skobelev and his wife Olga Nikolaevna, née Poltavtseva. Having inherited the “subtlety of nature” from his mother, he retained spiritual closeness with her throughout his life. In his opinion, only in the family does a person have the opportunity to be himself. “Too graceful for a real military man,” he, nevertheless, chose this path from his youth and already on November 22, 1861, entered military service in the Cavalry Regiment. After passing the exam, he was promoted to harness cadet on September 8, 1862, and to cornet on March 31, 1863. On August 30, 1864, Skobelev was promoted to lieutenant.

Skobelev with the rank of lieutenant

In the fall of 1866 he entered the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. Upon completion of the academy course in 1868, he became the 13th of 26 officers assigned to the general staff.

Khiva campaign

In the spring of 1873, Skobelev took part in the Khiva campaign, as an officer of the general staff under the Mangishlak detachment of Colonel Lomakin. The purpose of the campaign was, firstly, to strengthen the Russian borders, which were subject to targeted attacks by local feudal lords supplied with English weapons, and secondly, to protect those of them who came under Russian protection. They left on April 16, Skobelev, like other officers, walked. Severity and exactingness in the conditions of a military campaign, and first of all towards himself, distinguished this man. Then, in peaceful life there could be weaknesses and doubts, during military operations - maximum composure, responsibility and courage.

Scheme of Khiva fortifications

So on May 5, near the well of Itybai, Skobelev with a detachment of 10 horsemen met a caravan of Kazakhs who had gone over to the side of Khiva and, despite the numerical superiority of the enemy, rushed into battle, in which he received 7 wounds with pikes and sabers and could not sit on a horse until May 20. Returning to duty on May 22, with 3 companies and 2 guns, he covered the wheeled convoy, and repelled a number of enemy attacks. On May 24, when Russian troops stood at Chinakchik (8 versts from Khiva), the Khivans attacked a camel train. Skobelev quickly got his bearings, and moved with two hundred hidden, in the gardens, to the rear of the Khivans, overturned their approaching cavalry, then attacked the Khivan infantry, put them to flight and returned 400 camels captured by the enemy. On May 29, Mikhail Skobelev with two companies stormed the Shakhabat Gate, was the first to get inside the fortress and, although he was attacked by the enemy, he held the gate and rampart behind him. Khiva submitted.

Khiva campaign of 1873.
Transition of the Turkestan detachment through the dead sands - Karazin

Military governor

In 1875-76, Mikhail Dmitrievich led an expedition against the rebellion of the feudal lords of the Kokand Khanate, directed against the nomadic robbers who ravaged the Russian border lands. After this, with the rank of major general, he was appointed governor and commander of the troops of the Fergana region, formed on the territory of the abolished Khanate of Kokand. As the military governor of Fergana and the head of all troops operating in the former Kokand Khanate, he took part in and led the battles of Kara-Chukul, Makhram, Minch-Tyube, Andijan, Tyura-Kurgan, Namangan, Tash-Bala, Balykchi, etc. He also organized and, without any particular losses, completed an amazing expedition, known as the “Alai” expedition.
In a white uniform, on a white horse, Skobelev remained safe and sound after the hottest battles with the enemy, and then a legend arose that he was charmed by bullets...

Having become the head of the Fergana region, Skobelev found a common language with the conquered tribes. The Sarts reacted well to the arrival of the Russians, but still their weapons were taken away. The warlike Kipchaks, once conquered, kept their word and did not rebel. Mikhail Dmitrievich treated them “firmly, but with heart.”

This is how his stern gift as a military leader first manifested itself:
...War is war,” he said during a discussion of the operation, “and there cannot but be losses... and these losses can be large.

The peak of the career of commander D.M. Skobelev occurred during the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, the goal of which was the liberation of Orthodox peoples from the oppression of the Ottoman Empire. On June 15, 1877, Russian troops crossed the Danube and launched an offensive. The Bulgarians enthusiastically greeted the Russian army and joined it.

Skobelev near Shipka - Vereshchagin

On the battlefield, Skobelev appeared as a major general, already with the St. George Cross, and, despite the incredulous remarks of many of his comrades, he quickly gained fame as a talented and fearless commander. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. he actually commanded (being the chief of staff of the Combined Cossack Division) the Caucasian Cossack brigade during the 2nd assault on Plevna in July 1877 and a separate detachment during the capture of Lovchi in August 1877.

M.D. Skobelev near Plevna, August 20, 1877

During the 3rd assault on Plevna (August 1877), he successfully led the actions of the left-flank detachment, which broke through to Plevna, but did not receive timely support from the command. Commanding the 16th Infantry Division, Mikhail Dmitrievich took part in the blockade of Plevna and the winter crossing of the Balkans (through the Imitli Pass), playing a decisive role in the battle of Sheinovo. At the last stage of the war, while pursuing the retreating Turkish troops, Skobelev, commanding the vanguard of the Russian troops, occupied Adrianople and, in February 1878, San Stefano in the vicinity of Constantinople. Skobelev's successful actions created him great popularity in Russia and Bulgaria, where streets, squares and parks in many cities were named after him.

Siege of Plevna

Prudent people reproached Skobelev for his reckless courage; they said that “he behaves like a boy,” that “he rushes forward like an ensign,” that, finally, risking “unnecessarily,” exposes the soldiers to the danger of being left without a high command, etc. However, there was no more commander attentive to the needs of his soldiers and more careful about their lives than the “white general”. During preparations for the upcoming transition through the Balkans, Skobelev, who had anticipated such a development of events in advance and therefore did not waste time, developed vigorous activity. As the head of the column, he understood: regardless of the conditions of the transition, everything must be done to protect the detachment from unjustified losses along the way and to maintain its combat effectiveness.
Convince the soldiers in practice that you take fatherly care of them outside of battle, that in battle there is strength, and nothing will be impossible for you
- said Skobelev.

The personal example of the chief and his training requirements became the standard for the officers and soldiers of the detachment. Skobelev sent teams throughout the district to purchase boots, short fur coats, sweatshirts, food and fodder. Pack saddles and packs were purchased in the villages. On the route of the detachment, in Toplesh, Skobelev created a base with an eight-day supply of food and a large number of pack horses. And Skobelev carried out all this with the help of his detachment, without relying on the help of the commissariat and the partnership involved in supplying the army.

Russian-Turkish War 1877-1878

The time of intense fighting clearly showed that the Russian army was inferior in quality to the Turkish army, and therefore Skobelev supplied one battalion of the Uglitsky regiment with guns captured from the Turks. Another innovation was introduced by Skobelev. How the soldiers did not curse, each time putting heavy backpacks on their backs! You can’t sit down with such a burden, you can’t lie down, and even in battle it hindered your movements. Skobelev obtained canvas somewhere and ordered the bags to be sewn. And it became easy and convenient for the soldier! After the war, the entire Russian army switched to canvas bags. They laughed at Skobelev: they say, the military general turned into an agent of the commissariat, and the chuckles intensified even more when it became known about Skobelev’s order for each soldier to have a log of dry firewood.

Skobelev continued to prepare the detachment. As subsequent events showed, the firewood was very useful. At a rest stop, the soldiers quickly lit fires and rested in the warmth. During the transition, there was not a single frostbite in the detachment. In other detachments, especially in the left column, a large number of soldiers were out of action due to frostbite. All of the above made General Skobelev an idol among the soldiers and an object of envy among the highest military ranks, who endlessly blamed him for having too “easy” awards, unjustified, from their point of view, courage, and undeserved glory. However, those who saw him in action could not help but notice completely different qualities. “It is impossible not to note the skill with which Skobelev fought. At that moment, when he achieved decisive success, 9 fresh battalions still remained untouched in his hands, the very sight of which forced the Turks to capitulate.”

Akhal-Teke expedition

After the end of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. The “white general” commanded the corps, but was soon sent again to Central Asia, where in 1880-1881. led the so-called Akhal-Tekin military expedition, during which he carefully and comprehensively organized the campaigns of his subordinate troops and successfully stormed the Den-gil-Tepe fortress (near Geok-Tepe). Following this, Ashgabat was occupied by Skobelev’s troops.

As Juliette Lambert recalled:
If General Skobelev risked the lives of his soldiers as easily as his own, then after the battle he treated them with the greatest care. He always arranged comfortable accommodations for the sick and wounded, preventing their accumulation in hospitals, which, according to him, poses a double danger: epidemics and demoralization of the troops. He demanded that officers think first (to the extent possible) about the welfare of their soldiers than about their own, and in this regard he personally set an example for them. General Dukhonin, chief of staff of the 4th Corps, wrote about him:
“Our glorious generals Radetsky and Gurko knew how to perfectly guess the special abilities of officers and use them, but only Skobelev knew how to extract from each absolutely everything that he was capable of, and, moreover, with his personal example and advice, encouraged and improved them.”

He treated the Asians who were in Russian service in exactly the same way as he treated his soldiers. “This, he said, is the main guarantee of our strength. We are trying to make people out of slaves; this is more important than all our victories.”

During the battle there was no more cruel person than Skobelev. The Tekkins called him Guentz-Kanly - “Bloody Eyes” and he inspired them with superstitious fear.
In conversations with Mr. Marvin, General Skobelev unceremoniously expressed how he understood the conquest of Central Asia.
- “You see, Mr. Marvin - but just don’t print this, otherwise I will be known as a savage barbarian in the eyes of the League of Peace - my principle is that the peace in Asia is directly related to the mass of people slaughtered there. The stronger the blow, the longer the enemy remains calm. We killed 20,000 Turkmens at Geok-Tepe. Those who survived will not forget this lesson for a long time.

I hope that you will allow me to express your view in print, since in your official report you say that after the attack and during the pursuit of the enemy you killed 8,000 people of both sexes.
- This is true: they were counted and, indeed, it turned out to be 8,000 people.
- This fact aroused a lot of talk in England, since you admit that your troops killed women along with men.

In this regard, I must note that, in a conversation with me, Skobelev said frankly: “Many women were killed. The troops cut down everything they could get their hands on with sabers.”. Skobelev gave his division an order to spare women and children, and they were not killed in his presence; but the other divisions spared no one: the soldiers worked like machines and cut down people with sabers. Captain Maslov admitted this with complete frankness. As an eyewitness, he states in his essay “The Conquest of Ahal-Tekke” that in the morning, on the day of the attack, an order was given not to take anyone prisoner.
“It’s absolutely true,” said Skobelev, women were found among the dead. It's not in my nature to hide anything. That's why I wrote in my report: both sexes.

When I noticed to him that our main mistake in the last Afghan war was that, having entered this country, we did not put his principle (and Wellington’s) into practice, that is, we did not inflict the most brutal blows on the enemy, he replied: “The executions in Kabul, carried out on the orders of General Roberts, were a big mistake. I would never order the execution of an Asian with the aim of terrorizing the country, because this measure never produces the desired effect. Whatever execution you come up with, it is still always will be less terrible than those invented by some Masrulah or other Asian despot. The population is so accustomed to such cruelties that all your punishments seem insignificant to them. It is also important that the execution of a Muslim by an infidel arouses hatred. I would prefer to see the uprising of an entire country, rather than executing one person. When you take a city by storm and inflict a severe blow at the same time, they say: “such is the will of the Almighty,” and submit to this verdict of fate, without retaining in their hearts even a trace of the hatred that infects in This is my system: deliver strong and cruel blows until the resistance is destroyed, and then stop all massacres, be kind and humane with the lying enemy. After the declaration of submission, the strictest discipline must be observed in the troops: not a single enemy should be touched.

Skobelev near Geok-Tepe

An ardent supporter of the liberation of the Slavic peoples, Skobelev was tireless, reaching almost to Constantinople, and was very worried about the inability to complete the matter. IN AND. Nemirovich-Danchenko, who accompanied the general, wrote: “Strange as it may seem, I can testify that I saw Skobelev burst into tears, speaking about Constantinople, about how we are fruitlessly wasting time and the results of an entire war by not occupying it...
Indeed, when even the Turks erected masses of new fortifications around Constantinople, Skobelev made exemplary attacks and maneuvers several times, occupied these fortifications, showing the full possibility of capturing them without large losses. Once in this way he broke in and occupied the key enemy positions, from which the askers looked at him and did nothing.”

Skobelev M.D.:
I directly proposed to the Grand Duke: to occupy Constantinople with my detachment without permission, and the next day let me be put on trial and shot, so long as they don’t give him up... I wanted to do this without warning, but who knows what types and assumptions there are. ..

But Russia was not ready for the brilliant victory that the courage of the soldiers and the valor of such commanders as Skobelev provided it with. The barely nascent capitalism was not ready to fight England and France, to whom Russia lost the Crimean War about 20 years ago. If soldiers become victims of recklessness in war, then entire peoples and states become victims of reckless politicians. The “pan-Slavic unity” that the general hoped for was not born in either the First or Second World Wars.

Skobelev - infantry general

However, even then, in the late 70s - early 80s of the 19th century, Skobelev was able to discern the future Russian-German front of the First World War and assess the main forms of armed struggle in the future. Having received a month's leave on June 22 (July 4), 1882, M.D. Skobelev left Minsk, where the headquarters of the 4th Corps was located, to Moscow, and already on June 25, 1882 the general was gone. It was a completely unexpected death for those around him. Unexpected for others, but not for him... He more than once expressed forebodings of his imminent death to his friends:
Every day of my life is a reprieve given to me by fate. I know that I won't be allowed to live. It’s not for me to finish everything I have in mind. After all, you know that I am not afraid of death. Well, I’ll tell you: fate or people will soon lie in wait for me. Someone called me a fatal man, and fatal people always end in a fatal way... God spared me in battle... And people... Well, maybe this is redemption. Who knows, maybe we are wrong in everything and others paid for our mistakes?..
This quote reveals to us a complex, ambiguous, even unexpected character for a military man.

Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was first and foremost Russian. And how almost every Russian person “carried within himself” the internal discord that is noticeable in thinking people. Outside of battle, he was tormented by doubts. He did not have the calmness “with which the commanders of other countries and peoples send tens of thousands of people to their death, without experiencing the slightest reproach of conscience, commanders for whom the killed and wounded seem only to be a more or less unpleasant detail of a brilliant report.” However, there was no tearful sentimentality either. Before the battle, Skobelev was calm, decisive and energetic, he himself went to his death and did not spare others, but after the battle, according to contemporaries, “hard days and hard nights came for him. His conscience was not soothed by the awareness of the need for sacrifice. On the contrary, she spoke loudly and menacingly. The martyr awoke in triumph. The delight of victory could not kill the heavy doubts in his sensitive soul. In sleepless nights, in moments of loneliness, the commander stepped back and came to the fore as a man with a lot of unresolved issues, with repentance... The recent winner was tormented and executed as a criminal from all this mass of blood he himself had shed.” Such was the price of his military success. And the “white general” M.D. Skobelev paid it honestly and selflessly, just as honestly and selflessly as he fought for the good of his Fatherland.

Skobelev's funeral was of an unprecedented solemn nature and was truly popular. On June 26, the body was placed in a coffin in the ceremonial adjutant general’s uniform. From the Academy of the General Staff, a wreath was laid at the coffin with the inscription: “To the hero Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev, commander, equal to Suvorov”; wreaths from the regiments in which Skobelev served, the Cavalry Guard and Grodno Hussars, from many institutions and unknown persons. Sovereign Emperor Alexander III sent a telegram to the sister of the deceased, Princess Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya: “I am terribly shocked and saddened by the sudden death of your brother. The loss for the Russian army is difficult to replace and, of course, greatly mourned by all true military men. It is sad, very sad to lose such useful and dedicated people. Alexander".
The Emperor ordered the corvette “Vityaz” to be renamed “Skobelev”.

Among those who saw off Skobelev were: Grand Dukes Alexei Alexandrovich and Nikolai Nikolaevich Sr., generals Ganetsky, Prince Imeretinsky, Radetsky. To give military honors, outfits from the regiments that fought under the command of Skobelev were allocated. The cavalry detachment was led by General Dokhturov. Deputations arrived from the troops of the 4th Cavalry Corps, the Moscow Military District, and from the General Staff. From the Dusso Hotel to the Church of the Three Saints, founded by Skobelev’s grandfather, where the funeral service took place, the troops stood in trellises (on twenty-two pillows they carried orders and three St. George’s crosses - 2nd, 3rd and 4th degrees). On the night of June 28, before the memorial service, about 60 thousand people visited the church, and “all these are common people,” wrote A.F. Tyutchev, “since the upper classes—the nobility and merchants—are absent from Moscow at this time.” Skobelev's horse was led behind the coffin. When the coffin was carried out, “the entire space from the church to the railway station was covered with a continuous carpet of laurel and oak leaves, and the entire huge area in front of the station was a sea of ​​heads... the people, who could not enter the church to give the deceased their last kiss, rushed onto the platform from which the coffin had just been removed, and covered it with kisses.”

What was happening in Moscow these days was vividly depicted by A.I. Kuprin: “How all of Moscow saw off his body! All Moscow! It's impossible to describe. All of Moscow is on its feet in the morning. Only three-year-old children and unnecessary old people remained in the houses. Neither singers nor funeral bells could be heard above the sobs. Everyone was crying: officers, soldiers, old people and children, students, men, young ladies, butchers, peddlers, cab drivers, servants and gentlemen. Moscow is burying the white general!”

The picture is complemented by V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko: “...there’s already a whole sea on the square. People on the roofs of houses, on the Kremlin wall... on the lanterns. “People’s funeral,” says someone nearby. And indeed, we see that they are popular.” Under the roar of cannon and rifle fire, the coffin was carried in and placed in the carriage.
“People’s funerals became purely people’s when our train started moving. Our carriages moved to Ryazan along a corridor formed by masses of people... It was something unheard of until then. The peasants abandoned their field work, the factory workers abandoned their factories, and they all went to the stations, or even to the road surface. They were kneeling right next to the canvas. All this under the hot rays of the sun, tired from the long wait. Already from the first mile the train had to stop every minute. Each village appeared with its own clergy, with its own icons. Most of the villages came out to meet with banners - a completely exceptional and unprecedented phenomenon... In the end, it seemed that this was not the funeral of one person, but some grandiose natural phenomenon was taking place.

“It would be impossible for us,” said Charles Marvin, a shocked London Times correspondent, at the time.
“And it would be impossible for us,” one of his Russian colleagues answered him, “in no way possible, if not for Skobelev.”

So the train approached Ranenburg. Here the peasants of the village of Spassky were waiting for the coffin.” At the descent to the bridge over the river, they wanted to carry the coffin in their arms: “From this place we carried both his father and mother in our arms.”
They carried the coffin past the house, in front of which there was a flowerbed, depicting the words “Honor and Glory” in golden letters. Skobelev was buried in his family estate, the village of Spassky-Zaborovsky, Ranenburg district, Ryazan province, next to his parents, where during his lifetime, anticipating his death, he prepared a place. On June 30, under the ringing of bells, the coffin was lowered into the family crypt of the church in the village of Spassky. A combat badge made by Skobelev’s friend, artist V.V., was hung over the grave. Vereshchagin. This badge accompanied the White General on his last campaign. The soldiers and people said: “He was a man with a soul” and emphasized that they loved him for his courage, simplicity and love for the people. Everyone called him our Skobelev.” Skobelev’s funeral, the nationwide grief that gripped Russia, is a reproach to those who today are silent about the role of the White General in Russian history and the best answer to those who are silent about his significance for the people. No matter what strata of society people belonged to, it was clear to all of them that in the person of M.D. Skobelev Russia has lost the Great Patriot, a man of enormous intelligence and remarkable energy.

Until the 1860s, the Skobelev family owned huge plots of land, including several large villages (Mikhalkovo, Zaborovo, etc.). After the “liberation of the peasants,” the estate covered an area of ​​more than 1,500 acres of land. The estate was passed from father to son by inheritance, and in 1879 it already belonged to M.D. Skobelev. After his death, the elder sister of the famous “white general”, Princess N.D. Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya, became the owner of the estate. In 1869 D.I. Skobelev added to the church, which was located in the village. There are two chapels in Zaborovo – the family tombs of the Skobelevs. M.D.’s father and mother are buried in the right aisle. Skobelev, in the left - himself. In 1881 M.D. Skobelev founded in the village. Zaborovo Zemstvo School. Children from surrounding villages studied there. The students were supported by the sister of Mikhail Dmitrievich, Prince. Nadezhda Dmitrievna. At the request of her brother, in 1910 she built a nursing home for veteran soldiers. On Sundays, the Knights of St. George came to church in full dress uniform and stood on the carpet in front of M.D.’s grave. Skobeleva.

Alas, during the years of the revolution the local estate of the Skobelevs was looted and destroyed, and in the 30s of the 20th century the church was almost completely destroyed. The graves were desecrated and looted for valuables. In September 2003, on the occasion of the 160th anniversary of the birth of M.D. Skobelev Spasskaya Church with its chapels was restored.

The Spasskaya Church, built in 1764, even before the Skobelevs took possession of Zaborov, was designated by them as a family mausoleum. M.D.'s father and mother are buried here. Skobelev, and then he himself. In this temple, two outstanding Russian generals, the Cavaliers of St. George, father and son Skobelev, rested, each in his own chapel. Dmitry Ivanovich (father) - rested in the chapel of St. Demetrius of Rostov, and his son - commander “Suvorov’s equal” - Mikhail Dmitrievich - respectively, in the chapel of the Archangel Michael.

The restoration work undertaken by the administration of the Ryazan region did not involve the restoration of the interior decoration of the temple; on the initiative of the White Warriors Information Agency, a unique iconostasis was designed from valuable wood. The project was submitted for consideration to Archbishop Pavel of Ryazan and Kasimov and blessed by him in 2007. For the patronal feast of the temple - the second Savior in 2009, the iconostasis was mounted and handed over to the rector, Father Sergius. The iconostasis is decorated with fine artistic hand carvings.

Iconostasis of the Transfiguration Church in the village of Zaborovo, Ryazan region

God bless and have mercy on the benefactors who donated their personal funds for the glory of God: Alexander, Alexander, Oleg, Oleg, Oleg, David, Sergius, Valentin, Vladimir.

Monument to Skobelev in Moscow 1912 - Samsonov

Before the revolution, at least six monuments to General M.D. Skobelev were erected on the territory of the Russian Empire, but none of them have survived to this day.
After 1917, not a single Russian commander was given over to such total oblivion and defamation as General Skobelev. Today, on the site of the monument to the hero of the Russian-Turkish war, stands the figure of the founder of Moscow, Yuri Dolgoruky. Many generations of Muscovites did not even suspect that before the revolution this square, which, by the way, was also called Skobelevskaya, looked completely different. The monument was a granite pedestal on which stood a four-meter equestrian statue of a general; on the right was a group of Russian soldiers defending the banner during one of the Central Asian campaigns. On the left are soldiers going on the attack during the Russian-Turkish war for the liberation of the Slavs. On the reverse side, a board was attached to the pedestal with Skobelev’s parting words to his soldiers near Plevna.

On May 1, 1918, the monument to the general was barbarically destroyed on the personal instructions of Lenin, in accordance with the decree on the removal of monuments erected in honor of the tsars and their servants. All the bronze figures and bas-reliefs, and even the lanterns surrounding the monument, were sawn, broken into pieces and sent for melting down. But we had to tinker with the granite pedestal; it did not yield to any tools, and then it was decided to blow it up, but the pedestal was completely destroyed only on the fifth attempt.

Then began the merciless uprooting of Skobelev’s name from Russian history. In accordance with the new guidelines of Marxist-Leninist ideology, Soviet historians declared the general an enslaver and oppressor of the working masses of the fraternal east. The name Skobelev remained banned even during the Great Patriotic War, when the names of Suvorov and Kutuzov were returned from oblivion. In place of the destroyed monument to the general, a plaster monument to revolutionary freedom was erected, which was later replaced by Yuri Dolgoruky. Alas, despite the efforts of many famous figures of science and culture, the current Russian authorities remain practically indifferent to the matter of perpetuating the memory of Skobelev - restoring the monument to him in Moscow, destroyed by the Soviet authorities in 1918, returning the general’s name to the squares and streets that bore it before the revolution etc.

Postage stamp dedicated to
135th anniversary of the liberation of Bulgaria

The situation is completely different with the memory of the hero of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. In Bulgaria. The author of the article “Monuments of Gratitude - a Bridge to the Future of Bulgaria” Milko Asparukhov proudly writes: “Almost every Bulgarian city has streets named after the heroes of the Liberation War, and the faces of its heroes turned into bronze and marble in squares and parks silently watch our present day” (p. 551). Today in Bulgaria, the author of the article notes, there are 450 monuments dedicated to the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. and a significant part of them are connected with Skobelev. Reading Asparukhov’s article, you can’t help but wonder what kind of country we are, “Ivanovs who don’t remember their kinship”?

A memorial service in honor of the 170th anniversary of General Mikhail Skobelev, held on Sunday in the center of Moscow, is considered by its organizers as another step towards the establishment of a monument to a historical figure capable of becoming a unifying symbol for Russians of various political beliefs. As an Interfax correspondent reports, the prayer service was served by a priest whose diocese includes the chapel in the monument to the Heroes of Plevna. Maybe it will still be possible to restore the monument to M. Skobelev in the center of the capital?

The 170th anniversary of the birth of the great commander was celebrated in Ryazan
In Ryazan on September 27, the grand opening of a scientific conference took place, which was dedicated to the 170th anniversary of the birth of the great commander Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev. The conference was attended by participants from many countries, including Bulgaria, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia.

Celebrations in honor of the 170th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Skobelev began with a rally and a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument to the legendary general on the street. New settlers in Ryazan. The memory of the military leader was honored with a gun salute. Then in the regional library. Gorky, a plenary session of the conference was held, chaired by library director Natalya Grishina.
The forum participants were welcomed by the acting Minister of Culture and Tourism of the region Vitaly Popov, President of the International Skobelev Committee, pilot-cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Alexey Leonov, Deputy Chairman of the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation Alexander Tsvetkov, Major General of the Reserve, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Head of the Administration Department Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation Alexander Kirilin. Alexey Leonov noted the great role of Ryazan residents in perpetuating the memory of Mikhail Skobelev, and presented a banner with the image of a new memorial plaque to the general on the wall of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg. He suggested turning to the President of Russia with a request to speed up the installation of the monument to Mikhail Skobelev in Moscow, which had long been sculpted in bronze by the famous sculptor Rukavishnikov.
(from here)

In honor of the celebration, the city authorities allocated funds for landscaping the park where the monument to the brave general is located. It’s good that in Ryazan there is still, albeit a modest, monument to Skobelev. Eternal memory to the White General!

Links:
Nemirovich-Danchenko V.I. Skobelev. M., 1993
Shcherbak A.V. Akhal-Teke expedition of General Skobelev in 1880-1881. St. Petersburg, 1900
Kersnovsky A.A. History of the Russian Army. Turkestan campaigns
Kostin B.A. Skobelev. M., 2000
Skobelev in encyclopedias and bibliographies on the portal Chrono.ru
Article with films in the magazine "Senator"
Sholokhov A. Infantry General Skobelev
Vasiliev B.V. Skobelev, or There is only a moment... (novel) M., 2004
Lambert J. General Skobelev. Memoirs of Madame Adam (Juliette Lambert). – St. Petersburg: type V.S. Balasheva, 1886.

M.D. Skobelev

Years of life: 1843-1882

From the biography:

• Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev Russian military leader whose activities occurred during the reign of Alexander II.
• His military career was rapid. By the end of his life, at the age of 38, he was already an infantry general, a holder of the Order of St. George the Victorious of three degrees, an idol of the Russian army, and a prominent political figure.
• He took an active part in the conquest of Central Asia, in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, liberated Bulgaria, where he is considered a national hero, streets and parks are named after him.
• They called him "white general"", because during battles he was always in a white uniform and on a white horse. The white color of the general's horse and uniform became a powerful mobilizing moral and psychological factor for soldiers and officers of the Russian army. The appearance of the invincible M. Skobelev in front of the regiments in his now usual form was perceived as a guarantee of indispensable success. But that’s not the only reason they called him that. Probably also because he strived to be on the side of good, not to become impoverished in soul.
• The basis for the brilliant victories of the troops under the command of M. Skobelev was the general’s amazing military talent and his inextricable paternal connection with the soldiers, who paid him with love and incredible fortitude in battle.
• He was a deeply patriotic man, which amazed even his enemies. “Our common holy cause for me, as, I believe, for you, is closely connected with the revival of the now crippled Russian self-awareness,” he said.
• M. Skobelev’s ideal was a powerful, indivisible Russia, surrounded by Slavic allied countries, free and independent, but united by the same blood, the same faith.
• Military service began in 1861, when he was accepted into the Cavalry Regiment.
• From 1868 - service in the Turkestan Military District
• After graduating from the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff in 1868. M. Skobelev he was assigned to the headquarters among 26 officers.
• In 1869 he was sent to serve in Central Asia, in Tashkent. Here he studied combat tactics in the conditions of a given terrain and climate, improved his skills in reconnaissance, and showed personal courage in small forays.
• In 1876-1877 - military governor of the Fergana region with the rank of major general.
• Commander of the army corps in 1878-1880.

Features of military tactics of M.D. Skobelev

« Convince the soldiers in practice that you take fatherly care of them outside of battle, that in battle there is strength, and nothing will be impossible for you” (M.N. Skobelev)

• Speed ​​of maneuver, decisiveness of strike.
• The desire to take the enemy by surprise. For this purpose, troops sometimes made marches of up to 45 km. for three days.
• The commander's ability to take responsibility.
• Attentiveness to soldiers. So he introduced an innovation: instead of heavy backpacks, he issued duffel bags made of material - light and comfortable. After the war, the entire Russian army switched to such duffel bags.
• Suppression of the Polish uprising in 1863-1864
• March to Khiva (1873)
• Campaign against the Kokand people. Suppression of the uprising in the Khanate of Kokand (1874–1876)
• Russian-Turkish War in 1877–1878 (crossing the Danube River, capturing the Plevna fortress, crossing the Balkans, the battle of Shipka-Sheinovo, occupying Adrianople and San Stefano, advancing to Istanbul).
• In 1880–1881 - leader of the Akhal-Teke expedition.

Military operations in which M. Skobelev took part

Khiva campaign, 1873

He took part as an officer of the general staff at the Mangishlak detachment of Colonel Lomakin.

Purpose of the trip- firstly, to strengthen the Russian borders, which were subject to targeted attacks by local feudal lords supplied with English weapons, and secondly, to protect those of them who came under Russian protection.

The campaign took place in difficult conditions: heat, lack of water, transportation of provisions and weapons on camels. M. Skobelev proved himself to be a skillful organizer and commander, sharing all the difficulties of the journey with the soldiers. He took care of the needs of the soldiers, while at the same time there was always order in his echelon.

He assigned a large role to reconnaissance, as well as the search for wells and their protection. Along the way there were clashes with the Cossacks who went over to the side of Khiva. With the Khivans. In one of the battles, M. Skobelev received 7 wounds. On May 28, Khiva capitulated. For the campaign, M. Skobelev was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, and later enrolled in the retinue of His Imperial Majesty.

Campaign against the Kokand people.

Suppression of the uprising in the Khanate of Kokand (1874–1876)

This was a campaign against the rebellion of the feudal lords of the Kokand Khanate, against the nomadic robbers who ravaged the Russian border lands.

After a successful campaign, M. Skobelev, with the rank of major general, was appointed governor and commander of the troops of the Fergana region, formed on the territory of the abolished Kokand Khanate. Skobelev found a common language with the conquered tribes. The Sarts reacted well to the arrival of the Russians, but still their weapons were taken away. The warlike Kipchaks, once conquered, kept their word and did not rebel.

Participation of M. Skobelev in the Russian-Turkish war

1877-1878

The goal is the liberation of Orthodox peoples from the oppression of the Ottoman Empire.

On June 15, 1877, Russian troops crossed the Danube and launched an offensive. The Bulgarians enthusiastically greeted the Russian army and joined it.

M. Skobelev gained fame as a talented and fearless commander. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. He actually commanded(being the chief of staff of the Consolidated Cossack Division) by the Caucasian Cossack Brigade during the 2nd assault Plevna in July 1877 and a separate detachment during the capture Hunters in August 1877

At the last stage of the war, while pursuing the retreating Turkish troops, Skobelev, commanding the vanguard of the Russian troops, occupied Adrianople and, in February 1878, San Stefano in the vicinity of Constantinople.

Campaign in Central Asia in 1880

• The desire to annex the Akhal-Teke region (Turkestan), which England also sought to achieve. The campaign was completed in 9 months. M. Skobelev used all engineering and technical innovations: rocket artillery, mine explosive devices.

From the statements of M.N. Skobelev

• The West is wrong about Russia. He thinks that we are so weakened by the war that all our power has already dried up. This is mistake. A nation of one hundred million people who are capable of sacrificing themselves for an idea is not so easily erased. Russia is alive, and if certain limits are crossed, it will decide to fight... And then it will be bad for any foreigner.
• Learn and borrow from them everything you can, but settle down at home in a way that is better and more convenient for us. (About the West)
• Despising the enemy is the most dangerous tactic. But it is necessary to take them into account.
• Believe me, with good troops and experienced generals and officers there are no impregnable fortresses... First of all, you need to have audacity with knowledge and talent, and the rest will follow... Calculation and audacity.
• Russia is the only country in Europe where there is enough idealism to fight because of feelings. Its people do not shy away from sacrifices for faith and brotherhood. Be careful not to take these feelings to extremes.

Material for a historical essay

This material can be used when preparing for assignment No. 25 - a historical essay on the era of Alexander II

Material prepared by: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna

General M. Skobelev on horseback. Painting by artist N.D. Dmitriev-Orneburgsky. 1883.

V.V. Vereshchagina “Shipka-Sheinovo. Skobelev near Shipka"