Literary and historical notes of a young technician. Skobelev Mikhail Dmitrievich (1843–1882)

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.

(Material prepared by O.V. KRISTININA,
head library of the village Alexander Nevsky, Ryazan region)

Equal to Suvorov

One should begin to get acquainted with a great man from that time, which determines the psychology of the individual from his origins, from childhood.

Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was born on September 17, 1843 in St. Petersburg, into a family of hereditary military men. His grandfather, Ivan Nikitich Skobelev, went through a difficult path from an ordinary soldier to an infantry general. During the Patriotic War of 1812, he served as an adjutant to Kutuzov himself, fought at Borodino and Maloyaroslavets, participated in foreign campaigns of 1813-1814 and took Paris. On April 14, 1831, in a battle with Polish rebels, Ivan Nikitich had his left hand torn off by a cannonball. At the same time, Ivan Nikitich was an original military writer and playwright. In the last years of his life he served as commandant of the Peter and Paul Fortress, and today his grave can be seen in the fence of the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Father, Dmitry Ivanovich, also became a general. He participated in the Hungarian campaign of 1849, the Crimean War of 1853-1856, in the suppression of the uprising of 1863-1864 in Poland, and commanded the Caucasian Cossack division during the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. Just like his grandfather, Mikhail’s father had the St. George Crosses of the IV and III degrees, and was a holder of the honorary golden sword.

Yes, in this family there was someone to look up to.

The grandfather was the main figure in the home education of his grandson. He was the first to plant in the boy’s soul the idea of ​​duty to the Motherland, ignited in him a love for the soldier, and taught him to speak in a language close and understandable to the soldier. Comparing the orders of Mikhail Skobelev, given to him near Plevna, with the orders and literary works of Skobelev’s grandfather, it becomes clear who was his model.

After the death of Ivan Nikitich, Mikhail's parents decided to send their son to France, to Paris, to the private boarding house of Desiderio Girardet, where he spent five years. From here Mikhail learned a brilliant knowledge of foreign languages ​​and world literature. Subsequently, Mikhail Dmitrievich spoke eight European languages, and spoke French as if he were his native Russian. He could recite large passages from the works of Balzac, Sheridan, Spencer, Byron, and Shelley by heart. Of the Russian authors, Skobelev fell in love with Lermontov, Khomyakov, and Kireevsky.

Mikhail Skobelev continued his further education in Russia. Having successfully passed the exams, he entered the mathematics department of St. Petersburg University. But he was pulled in a completely different direction, and at home Skobelev sat for hours on military science. When the university was closed indefinitely due to student unrest in 1861, Mikhail Dmitrievich petitioned the Tsar to enlist him as a cadet in the Cavalry Regiment. Still, family traditions prevailed. Thus began his military service. On November 22, 1861, 18-year-old Skobelev, in the ranks of the cavalry guards, took the oath of allegiance to the sovereign and the Fatherland and with zeal began to learn the basics of military affairs. Already in one of the first certifications about the cadet of the Cavalry Regiment it is said: “Serves zealously, not sparing himself”. In March 1863, he became an officer, the following year he transferred to the Life Guards Grodno Hussar Regiment, named after the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812 Y. Kulnev, and was promoted to lieutenant.

In 1866, Skobelev, having passed the entrance exams brilliantly, entered the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, where he surprised the teachers with his talent and unconventional thinking. Here his extraordinary desire for self-education manifested itself. It must be said that Skobelev constantly studied and read incessantly, sometimes under the most impossible conditions - on bivouacs, on the ramparts of batteries under fire, during intermissions of a hot battle. Even during military expeditions, he knew how to obtain military journals and works in several languages, and not a single one left his hands without notes in the margins. Skobelev was a man who constantly educated himself. IN AND. Nemirovich-Danchenko cites the following episode in his memoirs: “After an extremely difficult transition to Biya, on the way to Zimnitsa, I found him in some hayloft of a Romanian landowner. Skobelev threw himself onto the hay and pulled a book out of his pocket.

- Are you really still going to work? All of our arms and legs were paralyzed from fatigue.

- How could it be otherwise... Aren’t you going to work? and then he’ll probably fly into the tail.

- What are you?

- A French sapper has a book about earthworks.

- Why do you need this?

- What do you mean why? - Skobelev was amazed.

- After all, you will have sapper teams that specifically know this matter...

- Well, this is a mess... The general commanding the detachment must be able to dig the ground himself. He should know everything, otherwise he has no right to force others to do..."

He never parted with the book and shared his knowledge with everyone. Skobelev often told his officers: “Please read in our specialty, read more in our specialty.”

Upon graduation from the academy in 1868, he was enrolled as an officer on the General Staff.

In the next four years, Mikhail Dmitrievich, as a representative of the General Staff, visited the border with the Bukhara Khanate, traveled to the Caucasus, and, under the leadership of N. Stoletov, participated in an expedition to the southeastern shores of the Caspian Sea. In 1872, Skobelev became a lieutenant colonel.

Mikhail Dmitrievich received his baptism of fire in the spring of 1873 during the campaign of Russian troops under the command of General K. Kaufman to Khiva, which for a century and a half, along with Bukhara and Kokand, was a market for Russian slaves.

The lifeless deserts surrounding Khiva were considered insurmountable. Forty-degree heat, hot sands and constant clashes with the enemy, who attacked mainly at night. Having covered 730 versts with his detachment, Skobelev received five wounds inflicted by a pike and a saber, but remained in the ranks. His courage and courage were noticed by everyone.

In the summer of the same year, Skobelev, at the request of the commander of the expedition, General Kaufman, conducted reconnaissance of the path along which one of the Russian detachments could not pass. Accompanied by four local residents, dressed in Asian dress, Mikhail Dmitrievich traveled among hostile Turkmen tribes, drawing up a detailed description of the most dangerous route. For this feat, he received his first military award - the Order of St. George, IV degree, and was promoted by the sovereign to the aide-de-camp.

In his memoirs about Skobelev, his artist friend V.V. Vereshchagin wrote that the commander received all his awards and distinctions not through patronage, but won them in battle, showing his soldiers by personal example how to fight.

The following year, he again sought to send him to Turkestan, where the Kokandon uprising broke out. As part of Kaufman's detachment, Skobelev commanded the Cossack cavalry and distinguished himself during the capture of the Makhram fortress. The enemy, who had a seventeen-fold advantage, was completely defeated. During the assault, more than a thousand Kokand residents died, Russian losses amounted to six people. In addition to remarkable courage, he showed organizational talent and a thorough acquaintance with the region and with the tactics of the Asians. Because of these military successes, Skobelev, at the age of thirty-two, was awarded the rank of major general, awarded the Order of St. George, III degree, and St. Vladimir, III degree, and received a gold saber with the inscription “3a courage.”

The first glory came to him.

Since February 1876, M.D. Skobelev is the military governor of the Fergana region. He quickly restores peace and tranquility in the region, and successfully counteracts the spread of British influence in Central Asia.

In April 1876, a popular uprising broke out in Bulgaria against the five-hundred-year Ottoman yoke. All of Russia, holding its breath, watched the desperate struggle of its fellow believers against the cruel enslavers. Hundreds of Russian volunteers, doctors and nurses went to the Balkans, but the forces were unequal. The uprising was literally drowned in blood.

On April 12, 1877, Russia declared war on Turkey. Mikhail Dmitrievich has difficulty achieving appointment to the active army. It was here, in the Balkans, that Skobelev’s leadership talent was fully demonstrated.

On the night of June 15, the 260,000-strong Russian army crossed the Danube and moved deep into Bulgaria. As an assistant to the commander of the 14th division M. Dragomirov, Skobelev skillfully organized the crossing at Zimnitsa, which was successful, despite strong Turkish resistance.

It should be noted that, unlike many generals of that time, Skobelev always prepared his operations very carefully. Before starting any operation, he carried out long reconnaissance work, went on reconnaissance missions himself, risking his life. He had intelligence personnel who were in different places and reported to him. Skobelev knew everything the enemy was doing, and this was his brilliant feature.

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) ended in failure for the Russian troops and revealed serious flaws in the organization of their actions. 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.

On the day of the assault, Skobelev, as always, on a white horse and in white clothes, himself led his soldiers under hurricane fire towards the enemy batteries. After fierce battles, he captured two Turkish redoubts. There were no longer any fortifications between the Russian troops and Plevna. Victory seemed assured. However, the bloodless Skobelev units never received reinforcements. By this time, the command had already assessed the battle as unsuccessful, and Skobelev and a handful of soldiers were left alone with the entire forty thousand-strong army of Osman Pasha. But, despite this, he held his positions for another thirty hours, repelling five Turkish counterattacks, after which he retreated, taking all the wounded. During this battle, the Skobelev detachment lost six and a half thousand people killed and wounded. The Vladimir and Suzdal regiments that particularly distinguished themselves lost half of their strength.

As many historians believe, the reason why Skobelev was not given help was banal envy - they envied his youth, his early career, his George on his neck, his knowledge and energy, his ability to communicate with subordinates, they did not understand this active mind. Vsevolod Krestovsky in his book “Twenty Months in the Active Army” quotes Skobelev’s words: “Napoleon the Great was grateful to his marshals if they bought him half an hour of time in battle to achieve victory; I won you a whole day, and you didn’t support me!”

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.

Here it is necessary to note the following circumstance. In moments of fighting, Skobelev was calm, decisive and energetic. He himself went to his death and did not spare others. Skobelev sometimes directly told people: “I am sending you to your death, brothers. Do you see this position? You can’t take it, and I don’t think about taking it. It is necessary for the Turks to throw all their forces there, and in the meantime I will get close to them from there. They will kill you, but you will give victory to my entire squad. Your death will be an honorable and glorious death.", - and you should have heard how “hurray” these people sent to their death responded.

“I consider the greatest talent to be the one who sacrifices people as little as possible. I treat myself the same way as I treat those who shed blood.”, - said Mikhail Dmitrievich. But after the battle, difficult days and difficult nights came for him. The delight of victory could not kill the heavy doubts in his sensitive soul. At this moment, the commander stepped back and a man came to the fore with repentance, with a painful consciousness of what an expensive, terrible price each success requires. 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 you could see what's going on in my soul. Sometimes I myself want to die - it’s so creepy, scary, it’s so painful for these meaningful sacrifices.” Vasily Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko, brother of the founder of the Art Theater, who knew the general well, noted: “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 resolved the necessity of this matter, he would not back down from any sacrifices.”

After the capitulation of Plevna, which could not withstand the blockade, Skobelev took part in the winter transition of Russian troops through the Balkans. It was a unique transition, which can only be compared with Suvorov’s crossing of the Alps. Foreign military experts were sure that it was impossible to cross the Balkans in winter. The Chief of the German General Staff, H. Moltke, allowed German military observers in the Russian army to go on vacation for the winter, and Bismarck folded up a map of the Balkan Peninsula and said that he would not need it until spring.

The now famous order of General Skobelev before marching 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 holy cause!” The transition was indeed one of the most difficult in the history of war. With incredible efforts, Russian soldiers dragged guns up the icy cliffs, which often fell into the abyss along with people and horses.

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 soldiers were very animated. Skobelev, going around the rows, repeated:

Congratulations, well done! Today is the day for battle - the twenty-eighth... Remember, on the twenty-eighth we took the Green Mountains, on the twenty-eighth Plevna surrendered... And today we will capture the last Turkish army! Let's take it, shall we?

- Let's take it... Hurray! - sounded from the ranks.

- Thank you in advance, brothers!

Just as Suvorov knew how to make “miracle heroes” out of his soldiers, instilling in them that they were miracle heroes, so every soldier in Skobelev’s detachment ceased to be a “little little brute”, but performed miracles, amazing everyone with his endurance, resourcefulness, and exceptional courage. 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 second golden sword with the inscription “For bravery.”

The general, extremely merciless in battle, who in decisive cases accepted only a bayonet attack, without firing a single shot, in order to see the enemy face to face, taught his soldiers on victorious days: “Strike the enemy without mercy while he is holding 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 finish it yourself, give it to him. He needs it more. He’s a soldier like you, only in misfortune.”

Desperate courage and personal courage were combined in him with the foresight and prudence of an experienced military leader.

The sharp increase in Skobelev's popularity was largely due to the eccentricity of his personality and ability to win the hearts of soldiers. His associate and permanent chief of staff Kuropatkin recalled: “On the day of the battle, Skobelev each time appeared to the troops 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 glad to try” to his wishes, so that they are well done in the upcoming task"

In this war, no one cared more about his soldiers than Mikhail Dmitrievich. During the crossing of the Balkans, he managed not to lose a single soldier from frost and blizzards where others had entire regiments and divisions frozen out. On the eve of the winter crossing through the Balkans, he used his own money and his father’s money to dress the entire division in sheepskin coats. Preparing his division to cross the mountains, General Skobelev issued several orders, which at first some commanders simply laughed at. In particular, he ordered each soldier to have at least one log of dry firewood with him. When the troops entered the mountains, it suddenly turned out that the local forest was so damp that it was simply impossible to build a fire from it to cook food or keep warm. And only Mikhail Dmitrievich’s soldiers were always warmed and fed. Not a single detail concerning a soldier's life escaped his attention. “After a stubborn battle, exhausted, he rushed to rest, and after three hours he was already on his feet. For what? To go around the soldiers’ cauldrons and find out what’s cooking in them.” . Here are just a few excerpts from his orders:

“Once again I draw the attention of unit commanders to their responsibility to ensure that the lower ranks are well-fed under any conditions. Once and for all, I demand that not a single day passes in which they do not receive hot food; if the lower ranks are not fed, then this is due to the confusion and negligence of the boss. Both may result in removal from office.”

“All unit commanders should inspect the clothing of lower ranks and repair what they can; buy the missing number of sweatshirts, warm socks and mittens along the way in passing cities. Stockings and foot wraps should be smeared with lard, which protects against frostbite; goose lard is best; lamb lard is not allowed.”

“Shoes on a campaign are the first thing that, if not properly maintained, makes a completely healthy, strong and brave soldier incapable of any military activity. In view of the seriousness of this issue, I order that the shoes of the lower ranks be inspected and corrected. Now I ask regimental and company commanders to take this issue to heart.”

Once, in order to take the wounded for treatment, he chartered a ship to Odessa at his own expense.

Mikhail Dmitrievich did not hesitate to not only talk with the soldiers, he ate and slept with them, and shared all the difficulties of camp life. In this he is really close to Suvorov. A petition service was created at Skobelev’s headquarters, where ordinary people could apply for financial assistance. The requests were very different. One day, a soldier reported that his relative’s cow had died in the village, Mikhail Dmitrievich gave him 50 rubles from his salary. General Skobelev repeatedly told his subordinates that he owed his fame, and indeed his whole life, to the Russian soldier, and they paid him the same. The peasants, recent peasants, revered him as one of their own. “He is ours, he is Russian,” they said, “His great-grandfather still plowed the land. When others talk to us, we don’t understand, but when he speaks, we always understand.”

The general could not stand a careless and formal attitude towards service.

Being with him meant the same thing as learning on your own. He told the officers around him about his conclusions and ideas, consulted with them, entered into arguments, listened to every opinion. The chief of staff of the 4th Corps, General Dukhonin, characterized Skobelev as follows: “Other talented generals take only part of a person, they will not be able to take advantage of all his strengths and abilities. Skobelev, on the contrary... Skobelev will take everything that a subordinate has, and even more, because he will force him to go forward, improve, work on himself... He knew how to stir up a person’s mind, make him think..." - “It’s not enough to be brave, you have to be smart and resourceful!”- he said.

His determination and ability to take initiative were enormous and were reflected in everything.

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 M.D. Skobeleva.

General Skobelev returned to Russia as a national hero.

His last military operation was a campaign against the Tekins, who were considered the best warriors in Central Asia. With a detachment of seven thousand people, Skobelev stormed their main fortress Geok-Tepe (1881), completely defeating the enemy, who outnumbered him four times. Then Askhabad 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 the Order of St. George, II degree.

F.M. Dostoevsky in his “Diary of a Writer” wrote about the capture of Geok-Tepe by General Skobelev: “Long live the victory at Geok-Tepe! Long live Skobelev and his soldiers, and eternal memory « those who dropped out of the list of “bogatyrs!”

A year and a half after this victory, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev died in Moscow, having lived only 38 years.

Skobelev's funeral resulted in a grandiose public demonstration. The memorial service attracted a huge number of military personnel and people; people went to say goodbye to M.D. Skobelev all day, the church was buried in flowers, wreaths and mourning ribbons. On the wreath from the Academy of the General Staff there was an inscription in silver: “To the hero Mikhail Dmitrievich SKOBELEV - equal to the commander SUVOROV”.

Skobelev, in the eyes of the people, became the person who raised the glory of Russia and made people feel involved in a great state. Mikhail Dmitrievich was a true Russian patriot. He wanted Russia to be a prosperous country.

“My symbol is short - love for the Fatherland, freedom, science and Slavism. On these four pillars we will build such a force that we will not be afraid of either enemies or friends.”, - the famous general liked to repeat.

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 and towns with banners and banners came out. The peasants carried the coffin of Mikhail Dmitrievich in their arms for 20 versts to Spassky, the family estate of the Skobelevs. There he was buried in the church next to his father and mother.

During his lifetime, he was compared to Alexander Suvorov, cities and squares were named after him, and songs were written about his exploits and campaigns. But after 1917, the Russian commander was forgotten. On May 1, 1918, a monument to the general was barbarously destroyed in Moscow in accordance with the decree on the removal of monuments erected in honor of the tsars and their servants. But it was erected using public funds. All the bronze figures and bas-reliefs, and even the lanterns surrounding the monument, were sawn, broken into pieces and sent for melting down.

Unfortunately, after the revolution, his family estate Zaborovo-Spasskoye was also destroyed. Only two buildings have survived to this day - a school built by Mikhail Dmitrievich for peasant children, and the Church of the Transfiguration. According to Skobelev's will, a house was built on the estate for retired soldiers and military invalids, but it was also destroyed. The church and school were restored on the 160th anniversary of the commander’s birth. The building of the former school today houses a museum dedicated to M.D. Skobelev.

The memory of General Skobelev must live on, and we must draw spiritual strength from his exploits.

SKOBELEV

One step away from immortality and eternity He prances on a white horse, And Vereshchagin decided to write, Like many people he wrote during the war. Among the unprecedented roses of Kazanlak, And among the hats flying up, In the midst of a soldier's powerful cry, So similar to fireworks Among the bayonets that did not become blunt, Among the glory that follows, Vereshchagin sniffles over the sheets, Where there is nothing yet. Skobelev rides in a white jacket, All grievances and wounds are gone, To the gentlemen who did not have time, Sends a bow to the ground. What kind of thoughts are in my soul now, What kind of tears accidentally fell? It is no coincidence that his Ak Pasha It’s no coincidence that they named them enemies. Our victorious banners flutter, It pours endlessly: “Hurray!” Vereshchagin closes the easel, Was himself under shrapnel yesterday.

V.A. Silkin

General S.L. Markov (contemporary of M.D. Skobelev)

General M.D. Skobelev

(Abridged)

And if these lines once again attract the reader’s sympathy for Skobelev’s personality, if the consciousness that M.D. Skobelev appeared with us in Russia and was ours, it will make the feeling of national pride speak and give faith in the possibility of a new Skobelev appearing in our army in the future - I will consider my modest task completed.

Perhaps the best assessment of Skobelev’s significance for Russia in general, and for the entire Slavs in particular, was given after his death by foreign newspapers hostile to Mikhail Dmitrievich. “Borsen Courier”, by the way, printed the following: “Well, this one is not dangerous now... Let the Pan-Slavists and Russian Slavists cry at Skobelev’s tomb. As for us, we honestly admit that we are pleased with the death of a zealous enemy. We do not feel any feelings of regret. A man died who was truly capable of using every effort to apply words to deeds.”

Skobelev's father, a rather stern man, stingy and old-fashioned, had less influence on his son. The crosses of St. George, both his grandfather and his father, served as a guiding star for the child Skobelev from childhood and determined his career. Grandfather - Ivan Nikitich Skobelev - earned his two St. George Crosses during the capture of Paris and Warsaw. On June 25, 1807, in the battle of Friedland, he was wounded by a bullet in the right leg. On August 20, 1808, during the conquest of Finland, two fingers of his right hand were torn off and his chest was concussed. On March 18, 1814, near Paris, he was wounded in the left hand, and on April 14, 1831, in a battle with Polish rebels, Ivan Nikitich’s left hand was torn off by a cannonball. The image of the wounded hero-grandfather could not help but capture the impressionable boy.

Skobelev was born into a family that occupied an exceptional position, both in terms of its family ties and material support. His father owned 40,000 acres of land. Until the age of six, Mikhail Dmitrievich was the favorite of his grandfather, who died in 1849. The German Kanitsa, the tutor hired by his father, was chosen very poorly. Extremely cruel, he often beat the boy for a poorly learned lesson and for the slightest prank. Nervous, impressionable, active, independent by nature and hot-tempered to the extreme, Skobelev could not come to terms with such an education system. The absurd enmity between the pupil and the tutor only embittered the former and had to find an outcome. One day, twelve-year-old Skobelev, in the presence of a girl his age, whom he was interested in, was hit in the face by his tutor. The boy could not stand it and returned the slap to the German.

This episode influenced the future fate of Mikhail Dmitrievich. The father realized that the cruel tutor could not cope with his son, and sent the boy to Paris, to the boarding house of the Frenchman Desideria Girardet.

In Girardet, Skobelev found an experienced, educated teacher and an honest person who was sincerely attached to him. Girardet had a great moral influence on Mikhail Dmitrievich, and, according to Skobelev, instilled in him a religion of duty. After the end of Mikhail Dmitrievich’s stay in Paris, Girardet, at the insistence of Skobelev’s mother, closed the boarding school and followed his pupil to Russia.

In 1861, Skobelev entered the mathematics department of St. Petersburg University.

But the young man’s attraction had already been determined - he was attracted to military service with its military exploits.

The appearance of the hero-grandfather, conversations about campaigns in the Caucasus, Hungary, and Crimea between his father and his old comrades in arms long ago determined the life path of Mikhail Dmitrievich. He takes advantage of the first opportunity - the unrest that arose at the university - leaves it and in November of the same 1861 enrolls as a volunteer in the Cavalry Regiment.

Skobelev, like another great Russian commander - Suvorov, forges his own destiny despite the prevailing situation. The lives of both were directed along a channel alien to them, but the calling to military service with all its hardships, labors, capricious happiness, the tempting attraction of risk and the majestic idea - “to lay down one’s soul for one’s friends” - prevailed and helped to overcome all obstacles.

It is a great happiness for everyone to find something they love, to feel their true calling, to work in an area that captures all their thoughts and all their energy. This happiness became available to Skobelev from the moment the university bench was replaced by a horse, and mathematical books by military history works.

In the fall of 1866, Skobelev was admitted to the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. During his stay at the academy, different opinions about him developed - his comrades valued him as an outstanding person, his superiors considered him capable, but lazy.

Such an assessment was quite natural. Like most talented people, he could not fit the general standard. He could not study with equal attention everything that was required by the academic program. But on the other hand, often gathering his fellow academy students around him, Skobelev would read to them some note he had composed concerning Napoleon’s campaigns or some episodes from Russian military history. Such reading always captivated listeners, causing lively debate and reasoning.

Thanks to his knowledge of all European languages ​​and love of reading, Skobelev knew everything that in one way or another related to military affairs. His love for military history reached such an extent that even near Plevna, busy day and night, he found time to read the novelties sent to him from St. Petersburg in this field.

“I ask all officers to read more about what concerns our business.”, writes Skobelev in one of the orders for the troops of the Fergana region. Subsequently demanding this from his subordinates, Mikhail Dmitrievich himself served as a shining example for them. Skobelev not only read - he knew how to read, choosing everything useful and instructive from books, taking notes and forcing the officers around him to comment with him on what he read.

At the same time, Skobelev’s confidence is growing that almost the impossible can be demanded of a soldier, one just needs to know how to demand, and this confidence will create new miracle heroes near Lovcha, Plevna, Sheinov and Geok-Tepe.

A dashing cornet, an athlete, if you like, a hussar-reveler, shows personal courage in the fight against the rebels in Poland. The same personal courage in small expeditions in Turkestan, the ability to captivate his subordinates, to inspire them that the impossible can be possible, characterizes the first period of Skobelev’s service in Turkestan. In the Caucasus, Mikhail Dmitrievich falls into the drill of the famous Prussian regimental commander, Colonel von Schack, and lovingly studies the techniques of combat and rifle training for a soldier. But not only that, Skobelev here experiences from experience the spirit of army camaraderie and the combat spirit of the regiment, developed in continuous struggle and constant hardships.

The second period of Skobelev’s service in Turkestan was associated with the expedition against Khiva in 1873.

Skobelev made every effort to get into this expedition. At first, Mikhail Dmitrievich was assigned to be part of Colonel Lomakin’s detachment moving towards Khiva from the north through the Ust-Urt desert.

This is how Skobelev himself later spoke about the Khiva campaign: “In April, the movement of troops in echelons began. At first I was at one of the columns and carried out various assignments. At the wells of Bash-Akt, I was entrusted with the command of a separate small column. We moved forward slowly, experiencing terrible hardships: the heat reached 45, the stuffiness and dryness of the air were unbearable; All around, wherever you look, there is a lifeless desert, endless sands, sands. The water in the wells was mostly bad and brackish; the wells are deep, sometimes up to 30 fathoms, and it was very difficult to get water under such conditions, and this operation was carried out extremely slowly. Sometimes there was not enough water not only for the horses, camels, and sheep that accompanied the detachment, but even for the people. Finally we climbed to Ust-Urt. The dryness of the air and stuffiness increased even more, there were several sandy hurricanes... In a word, we entered the kingdom of a real desert... In general, this entire hike is a continuous struggle with nature. Not a word from the enemy! People received more modest food; they hardly ate hot food due to lack of fuel.

We moved in the morning and evening, and during the day we rested, or rather, we suffered, baked in the sun, since we did not have tents (we took only the most necessary things). There were cases when people completely lost heart, were pestered during the hike, and even had to resort to drastic measures to support them. Once I led one company under the drum and on the shoulder for six miles to raise their energy. Particularly difficult scenes were observed at wells during the distribution of water: people then almost turned into animals, and only thanks to the officers was order established.

With the further movement of the detachment to the city of Kyat, I received another assignment - to command the vanguard. Moving at the head of the Orenburg and Caucasian detachments, I, with the Cossacks on the heels, pursued the enemy hordes retreating to their capital. The Khiva rearguard tried to spoil the road, destroyed and burned bridges over irrigation ditches, and in general made every effort to impede our movement. I had to literally jump on them several times and prevent them from burning bridges and ruining the road... With raised sabers, my Cossacks rushed at the Khivans, and the latter, abandoning their work, hastily shot back, mounted their horses and ran away at full speed.

We quickly repaired some breakdowns (one bridge, I remember, however, it took the whole night to fix) and the detachment moved forward without hindrance. On May 25, I and the vanguard approached the city of Kot-Kupyr, which is located about 30 versts from Khiva. Noticing that several Khivans were setting fire to the bridge in order to prevent us from entering the city, I and the Cossacks rushed towards the bridge. The Khivans fled to the gardens and opened fire from there. Following this, we approached almost Khiva itself and stopped at the city walls about 5-6 versts.”

This campaign brought enormous benefits to Skobelev, serving as preparation for future operations in the deserts of Central Asia.

Skobelev’s activities and exploits in Turkestan during the period of the Khiva expedition attracted the attention of not only Russia, but also England, which vigilantly followed our successes in Central Asia.

The name Skobelev is beginning to become popular.

By the beginning of the war of 1877-1878, Skobelev’s appearance was finally determined - the ardent young man emerged as an impetuous, full of energy, but understanding the enormous moral responsibility of the military leader.

This is how one of the foreigners describes Skobeleva in 1878:

“Soldiers, townspeople, women - everyone was crazy about him. I can now see his beautiful forehead, adorned with chestnut hair, his blue eyes, light, with a penetrating gaze, looking at you so openly and directly, his straight and long nose, indicating determination, one of those noses that Napoleon I loved to see on the face of his generals, a perfectly defined mouth, endowed with extraordinary mobility and expressiveness; his round powerful chin with a dimple in the middle - in a word, I clearly see before me his courageous, energetic face, bordered by a silky beard falling on his heroic chest...

This man, at 33 years old, has seen everything, done everything, read everything. He made reconnaissance to the very steppes of the Pamirs, around Lake Victoria and to the Indus-Kush. He knew Balzac, Sheridan, Herbert-Spencer and Hemley from memory. He had his own opinion about the favorite at future races, about the cuisine of the Cafe Anglais and the repertoire of Madame Celina Chaumont, just as about the English cavalry and the fords of the Oxus.”

During the crossing at Zimnitsa, Skobelev appointed himself an orderly hunter under General Dragomirov. But Skobelev played this insignificant role in his own way. One has only to remember how he himself, having volunteered, due to the absence of orderlies, to convey Dragomirov’s order to the troops. Calmly, slowly, under heavy Turkish fire, he walked around the long rows of riflemen, talking to them and giving them orders.

Here Skobelev showed himself to be a deep connoisseur of the soldier. When Dragomirov, together with Skobelev, crossed the Danube on the morning of June 15 and looked around, everything seemed terribly stupid to him.

- You can’t make out anything, they climb, they climb, you can’t make out anything,- he repeated.

Skobelev was next to him: both were on foot. M.I. looked thoughtfully and silently. Dragomirov. Suddenly Skobelev’s voice was heard:

- Well, Mikhail Ivanovich, congratulations!

- With what?

- With victory, your fellows won.

– Where, where do you see this?

- Where? On the soldier's face. Look at that face! He only has this face when he has won: how rushing it is - it’s a pleasure to watch.

Here is another of the many examples that depict Skobelev as a deep expert on the soldier’s soul and his psychology: “He [Skobelev] used to ride towards a party of “young soldiers.”

- Hello guys!

- Good wishes, yours...

- Eko, what a great fellow! Just eagles... Fresh from Russia?

- Exactly so, yours.

- It’s a pity that you’re not coming to me!.. What’s your name?- he stops in front of some snub-nosed guy. He answers.

– In the first case, are you sure you’ll get George? A? Will you get George?

- I’ll get it, yours!

- Well, here it is... Apparently, well done... Do you want to come to me?

- Want!..

– Write down his last name... I’ll add him to my squad.

And the conversation continues... He will talk to everyone, say something sincere and pleasant to everyone. « It's fun to die with Skobelev! - the soldiers said... - He sees and knows every need you have.”

Just as Suvorov knew how to make “miracle heroes” out of his soldiers, instilling in them that they were miracle heroes, so every soldier in Skobelev’s detachment ceased to be a “gray brute”, but performed miracles, amazing everyone with his endurance and resourcefulness and exceptional courage . He is a “Skobelevite”, his beloved leader believed in him, and this faith could not help but perform miracles: the Russian peasant became a warrior, the Russian soldier became a hero.

After crossing the Danube, people started talking about Skobelev. But only from the second half of July did Mikhail Dmitrievich begin to gain the confidence of the Commander-in-Chief, and with it more responsible appointments.

By the difficult days of the third Plevna, Skobelev was already becoming popular not only among his subordinates and colleagues, but also in the army. His name is associated with the idea of ​​victory and glory. August 30 and 31, full of heroism, create for him the aura of a beloved leader, an idol of soldiers, more than a folk hero. The image of Skobelev on the memorable day of August 30, depicted by two participants in the battle, completely different both in their position and in their personal properties, is fascinating. One of the authors is civilian correspondent and literary artist Nemirovich-Danchenko. The other is Skobelev’s closest assistant, his comrade in arms in this battle – A.N. Kuropatkin.

Here is a page from “Memoirs of Skobelev” by Nemirovich-Danchenko: “There is an assault on one of the Turkish redoubts near Plevna on August 30.

Someone rode out from behind a ridge-hill on a white horse; behind him are several officers and two or three Cossacks rushing at a trot. In the hands of one is a blue badge with a red eight-pointed cross... Skobelev appears on a white horse - dressed all in white... handsome, cheerful.

- Oh, well done!.. Oh, heroes! Lovchinsky!- he shouts from afar in an excited, nervous voice.

- Exactly so, yours.

- Well, guys... Go finish it. There the regiment was repulsed from the redoubt... You're not like that, are you? A? I have all of you to choose from... Look, what handsome men... Where are you from, such a young fellow?

- Vytep province, yours.

- Yes, the Turks will run away from you alone...

- That’s right, yours - they’ll run away.

- Make sure I don’t see you the day after tomorrow without George... Do you hear? Just watch - don’t shoot pointlessly... Do you hear?

- We hear you, yours.

- And you, gentleman, are not from Sevastopol?- he turned to Parfenov. – Why do you have George?

- For Malakhov, yours...

- I bow low to you! - And the general took off his hat.

“Show the young people how a Russian soldier fights and dies.” Captain, after the battle, introduce me to the old man. I will give you the name of George, if you are alive...

- Glad to try, yours...

- What good fellows! I would go with you, but we need to support the newcomers... You are already under fire, in combat... Goodbye, guys... See you in the redoubt. Will you wait for me after?

- We'll wait, yours.

“Well, look, you gave your word, you have to keep it...”

A.N. Kuropatkin in his book “Lovcha and Plevna” gives the following picture of the battle on August 30, full of colors and exciting interest: “The success of the battle finally wavered. Then General Skobelev decided to throw on the scales of military happiness the only reserve remaining at his disposal - himself. Motionless, without taking his eyes off the redoubts, he stood on horseback, descending from the third ridge halfway down the slope to the stream, surrounded by headquarters, with a convoy and a badge. Hiding his excitement, General Skobelev tried to look dispassionately and calmly as regiment after regiment disappeared into the heat of battle. A hail of bullets carried away more and more victims from the convoy, but did not dispel his attention for a second. Any thought about myself personally was far away at that moment. One major concern about the success of the battle entrusted to him completely absorbed him. If General Skobelev did not rush earlier with the advanced troops, as his hot blood told him, it was only because he looked at himself as a reserve, which he had decided in advance to sacrifice without looking back, as soon as the decisive moment came, in his opinion. The moment has come. General Skobelev sacrificed himself and only miraculously emerged alive from the battle into which he selflessly plunged. Having given spurs to his horse, General Skobelev quickly galloped to the ravine, went down, or rather, rolled down to the stream and began to climb the opposite slope to redoubt No. 1. The appearance of the general was noticed even in those minutes, Skobelev was already so popular among the troops. Those who retreated returned, those who were lying stood up and followed him to their death. His loud - “Forward guys!” – gave new strength. The Turks, who occupied lodgements in front of redoubt No. 1, could not stand it, abandoned them and ran back into the redoubts and the trench between them.

The sight of the Turks retreating from the lodgements inspired ours even more. “Hurray,” picked up by thousands of breasts, poured menacingly along the line. Sliding, falling, rising again, losing hundreds killed and wounded, out of breath, hoarse from screaming, our troops behind Skobelev kept climbing and climbing forward. They moved in discordant but friendly groups of various units and single people. The Turkish fire seemed to weaken and its effect, which captured everyone with the determination to reach the Turks and the ever-increasing confidence in success, became less noticeable. There seemed to be hesitation in the ranks of the Turks. A few more difficult moments - and our advanced ones burst into the trench with frenzy and then, from 4 hours 25 minutes in the afternoon, into redoubt No. 1.

General Skobelev, having reached the redoubt, rolled into the ditch with his horse, freed himself from under it and was one of the first to break into the redoubt. A short hand-to-hand fight ensued inside and near the redoubt. The most stubborn Turks were killed, the rest retreated back to their camp, which lay 300 fathoms north of the line of redoubts. Others retreated to redoubt No. 2."

The following episode is interesting: “the battle was not yet over, when the officers and soldiers who were marching to the redoubt behind Skobelev, as if behind a banner, surrounded him and begged him to go back, begging him to take care of himself. A seriously wounded major of the Libau regiment was dragging him by the leg from the saddle. The horse on which Skobelev mounted was turned and led out of the redoubt.

At these moments, everyone was ready from the heart to cover their boss with their chest, since they believed in him and saw his personal example, personal contempt for death...”

The rich literature about the “White General” provides many similar memories.

There are many individual episodes scattered throughout these eyewitness accounts, depicting the vigorous activity of Mikhail Dmitrievich, and his sometimes insane courage, and his warm emotional feeling for the soldiers and subordinates.

Skobelev's care was exceptional. His division was always dressed, shod and fed in the most impossible circumstances.

Every now and then, when meeting with soldiers, during the Plevna sitting, Skobelev stopped them with questions:

-Did you drink tea today?

- Exactly so, yours.

- Both in the morning and in the evening?

- Yes sir.

– Did they give you vodka?.. Did you get as much meat as you needed?

And woe to the company commander if negative answers followed to such questions. In such cases, Mikhail Dmitrievich knew no mercy and found no excuses.

“Our camp is too boring. It would be desirable if bonfires burned more often and songs were sung; appoint one by one before the dawn of the evening to play a choir of music in the center of the position. Singing is also allowed late in the evening.

In all companies, pay serious attention to the education of good singers; a hike without singers is sadness, melancholy.”

And Skobelev had music everywhere and always - they went into battle to the music, the music drowned out the dying groans, the music triumphed in victory, the music finally bewitched the wild Tekins, when the solemn sounds of the evening dawn and prayer were heard under the walls of Geok-Tepe.

But along with caring for the soldier, there was strict punishment for negligence and inattention to service, especially in battle.

Taking command of the troops operating in the Trans-Caspian region, Skobelev wrote in the order:
“... I consider it a sacred duty to remind the valiant troops now entrusted to me that the basis for the combat fitness of an army is strict performance and discipline. Discipline, in the full meaning of the word, cannot exist where superiors allow themselves to treat the orders they receive carelessly. This should respond to the attitude of lower ranks to duty. Strict order in the camp, in bivouacs, strict fulfillment of all, even petty, requirements of the service serves as the best guarantee of the combat fitness of the unit.”

The legality of relationships is the first basis of discipline: “... all actions of military personnel must be governed by the law. Every boss should be guided by this, and not by personal arbitrariness, both in his actions in general and in imposing disciplinary sanctions in particular, so that lower ranks know what they should be guided by in their official activities, and they themselves acquire respect for the law.”

Speaking about Mikhail Dmitrievich’s relationship with the soldiers, one cannot fail to note how persistently he developed in them a sense of self-esteem. Once, in front of Skobelev’s eyes, one of the commanders hit a soldier.

- I would ask you not to do this in my detachment... Now I will limit myself to a severe reprimand - next time I will have to take other measures.

In response to the commander’s justification, citing discipline, the soldier’s stupidity, and the need for punching, Skobelev remarked:
– Discipline must be ironclad. There is no doubt about this, but this is achieved by moral authority, and not by massacre... A soldier should be proud of the fact that he defends his Motherland, and you beat this defender like a lackey... Disgusting... Nowadays they don’t even beat lackeys... As for the stupidity of a soldier, you don’t know them well... I owe a lot to the soldier’s common sense. You just need to listen to them.

The soldiers were extremely proud of their belonging to Skobelev’s detachment. “We are Skobelev’s,” they answered when asked what unit or division they were.

And in these two words there was a special meaning and pride, they sounded notes of confidence in future victories, in future glory.

Events after Plevna only further, if possible, raised the admiration of Skobelev both in the army and among the people.

The transition through the Balkans, Sheinovo with the capture of Wessel Pasha's army, command of the vanguard of the army, and even the camp under the walls of Constantinople, where Skobelev rushed with all his being, are full of almost legendary stories about him. Here, real exploits were mixed with anecdotes and memories, often full of naive charm and popular faith in the idol he created.

Popular rumor spread his fame far, and the feeling of delight in Rus' was at the feet of the “White General”.

From Bulgaria, Skobelev returned to Russia with the 4th Corps and turned all his attention to training his troops.

In 1880, a new thunderstorm approached the Central Asian outskirts. A number of failures that befell us in the fight against the Tekins required decisive measures, skillful preparation of the entire operation and the placement of an experienced, talented and energetic person at the head of the expeditionary detachment. At that time, only Skobelev could be such, and he was entrusted with the conquest of the Akhal-Teke oasis.

In early May 1880, Mikhail Dmitrievich arrived in Chikishlyar and immediately threw himself into vigorous activity in preparing funds for the detachment to advance deep into the oasis to the only fortress of the Tekins, Geok-Tepe.

While food was being collected, troops were gathering and the rear was being established, Skobelev with a detachment of 800 people with 10 guns carried out reconnaissance, advancing from Bami 112 versts to Geok-Tepe. According to the Tekins, up to 25,000 people capable of holding weapons were gathered in Geok-Tepe. It is clear that the success of such a reconnaissance, where a handful of Russians boldly walked towards the goal of the entire operation, a goal still inaccessible, should have made an irresistible impression on both the Asian enemy and Skobelev’s entire detachment.

Only Skobelev’s talent and his deep knowledge of the enemy’s properties helped complete this reconnaissance with complete success. The impression was enormous. 25,000 Tekins were unable to crush the handfuls of people who bravely penetrated the walls of their fortress. Despair settled in Geok-Tepe - the future defeat of the Tekins was already foreseen.

Here is one of the scenes that explains to us how Skobelev achieved that moral power in his troops, against which all the obstacles, all the crowds of the enemy were broken.

“During a reconnaissance to the Geok-Tepe fortress on July 6, 1880, at the very beginning of the battle, our horsemen managed to open an ambush of 400 Tekins under the command of Tykma Serdar in time, and to meet it, a hundred rockets were brought into position. The first rocket fell in front of the machine, the servants hesitated, expecting a close explosion. Skobelev noticed the confusion and came to the battery. The same thing happened with the second rocket. The battery commander ordered the people to run away. But Skobelev, with the words “put aside,” forced his horse to stand over the hissing rocket. The rocket exploded, wounded Skobelev’s horse in several places and killed one Cossack.”

“I don’t undertake to describe the feeling of enthusiasm,” says an eyewitness, “that gripped everyone present. “Hurray” thundered, hats flew up... everyone and everyone wanted to rush to this great man, they wanted to kiss him, hug him, touch just his dress.”

Speaking about Skobelev’s personal courage, we should remember the words of the artist V.V. Vereshchagina about Mikhail Dmitrievich:
“Whoever was not in the fire with Skobelev cannot imagine his calmness and composure among bullets and grenades - a composure that was all the more remarkable because, as he confessed to me, he had no indifference to death. On the contrary, he was always, in every case, afraid that he would be slammed and, therefore, waited every minute for death. What kind of willpower, what constant tension of nerves had to be in order to overcome fear and not show it.

Prudent people reproached Skobelev for his reckless courage. They said that he behaved like a boy, that he rushed forward like an ensign, and that, finally, by taking unnecessary risks, he exposed the soldiers to the danger of being left without a high command, etc. It must be said that these are all the speeches of people who care primarily about saving their precious lives - and then whatever God wills. If a soldier goes forward without a superior, that’s fine; if he doesn’t go, what can you do: that’s not why a man rose to the rank of general’s epaulette, to sacrifice his life for cowards.”

On January 12, 1881, the Geok-Tepe fortress fell. The conquest of the oasis according to the plan proposed by Skobelev was planned within two years. Skobelev completed the entire operation in nine months. Russia received an entire country, the name of the Russian became a symbol of power and strength for all of Asia.

3a conquest of Ahal-Teke Skobelev was promoted to infantry general and received the Order of St. George, II degree, and St. Vladimir, I degree.

This operation alone gives Skobelev the right to become one of the most outstanding commanders in the world. In it, Skobelev proved that he was a fully formed military leader, capable of becoming the head of an army and giving it victory.

And the whole Slavic world looked at Skobelev like that. He was the leader who was supposed to lead the Russian regiments, and with them the half-blooded Slavs, against the enemy and achieve victory, no matter how powerful this enemy was.

The last months of Skobelev’s life were full of his work in the 4th building. The corps orders that remained after him should still serve as a reference book for every military man.

Life itself flows from the pages of these government documents and captivates the reader with its simplicity, clarity and deep meaning.

In the last years of his life, Mikhail Dmitrievich emerged both as a statesman and as a politician.

The hour had struck, but a different one - not the star of Mikhail Dmitrievich’s fame and success had set, but the hour of the end of all accounts of the earthly field was approaching.

Many hopes were associated with the name of Skobelev, many ardent dreams could be realized by his talent, his inhuman energy, and all these dreams and hopes collapsed along with the unexpected death of the “White General”.

On June 24, 1882, Mikhail Dmitrievich arrived in Moscow, taking advantage of a month's vacation after the Oran maneuvers.

During the day, Skobelev was cheerful, joked, and talked a lot with the officers on military topics. At 11 o'clock in the evening he left the famous Slavophile I.S. Aksakov, and at 1 a.m. at the Anglia Hotel he felt ill. The called medical help turned out to be late.

The heart, which had been beating vigorously all its life, could not stand it, nor could the iron body, which from its youth had been thrown into a whirlpool of events full of risk, danger, feats of genius, enormous successes and even greater envy, could not stand it.

Skobelev passed away, and with him the man in whose hands the strength of the people could be entrusted - the army and its future successes.

Skobelev's death caused general national grief.

Crowds surrounded the hero's ashes in Moscow, the same crowds saw off and greeted the funeral train all the way from Moscow to the Skobelevs' family estate - Spassky.

The peasant's tears mixed with the deep grief of the army and all of Russia. Generals, merchants, townspeople, the highest persons, clergy, soldiers, women, children - everyone came to say the last “forgive” to their great contemporary, their idol.

The hero's coffin was strewn with flowers and real tears flowed down the faces of the soldiers who paid their last respects to their leader.

During the funeral service, His Eminence Ambrose said among other things:
“Tears flow from our eyes, it’s hard and bitter for us, the Fatherland is losing a dear son, and we are losing a great contemporary. Cry, Russian peasant woman, - he was the father of your children who took up arms against the enemies of the Fatherland. Cry, Russian people, - in him you have lost an enlightened intercessor for your native land and an exponent of your brilliant glory.”

The feelings of a grateful people were reflected in a number of poems and legends associated with the name of Skobelev.

The memory of Skobelev is alive and will live for a long time - the mission of a person like Skobelev does not end with death, posterity should cherish the memory of him as a sacred treasure and draw new strength from his exploits in times of trial.

Monument to General Skobelev - a monumental equestrian monument to the hero of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, Infantry General M.D. Skobelev, opened on June 24, 1912 and demolished on May 1, 1918. It was located on the site of the current monument to Yuri Dolgoruky on Tverskaya Square (simultaneously with the installation of the monument, the square received the name “Skobelevskaya Square,” which it bore until 1918). The design of the monument was created by retired Lieutenant Colonel P. A. Samonov. Not preserved. On May 1, 1918, the monument was demolished in pursuance of the decree “On the removal of monuments to the kings and their servants.”

MAIN DATES IN THE LIFE AND ACTIVITY OF M.D. SKOBELEVA

1843, September 17 in St. Petersburg, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was born into a hereditary military family.

1855-1860 - studied in Paris at the boarding school of Desiderio Girardet.

1860-1861 - classes at home under the guidance of Professor T.I. Modzalevsky.

1861, August 1 - November - studies at the Faculty of Mathematics of St. Petersburg University.

1864, February - was in the Kingdom of Poland as an orderly of Adjutant General Baranov.

1864, May - awarded the Order of St. Anne, IV degree, for distinction in the battle in the Radkowice Forest.

1864 (end) - 1866 (beginning) - leave, during which he visits the theater of war in the Danish campaign (observer).

1868, November - completed his studies at the academy and received an appointment in Turkestan. 1868, December - arrived in Tashkent.

1869 - took part in the actions of General Abramov on the Bukhara border.

1870, January-March - service in Tiflis, where on March 5 he submitted a “Note on the capture of Khiva” to the Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Army.

1871, March 12 - appointed chief of cavalry in the Krasnovodsk detachment of the Trans-Caspian Territory to Colonel N.G. Stoletov, where he conducted a covert reconnaissance (410 versts) to Sarykamysh (lake).

1871, June 23 – annual leave and expulsion from the ranks of the commander-in-chief of the Caucasian Army for amateur activities (they wanted to take Khiva with Stoletov on their own). St. Petersburg, and then rest in Spassky.

1872, April - seconded to the General Staff (the highest body of military command in 1815-1917, not to be confused with the General Staff).

1872, January - arrived in the Trans-Caspian region and was enlisted in the Mangyshlak detachment of Colonel Lomakin as the vanguard commander.

1873, April 14 - May 25 - participated in the Khiva campaign as an officer of the General Staff (learned how not to prepare campaigns).

1873, August 4 - carried out reconnaissance of the route of the Krasnovodsk detachment and for the successful completion of the task was awarded the Order of St. George, IV degree.

1873-1874, winter - well-deserved vacation.

1874, January-February - Southern France, and from there Spain - studying the guerrilla actions of the Carlists (vacation under bullets - learning about war in the war). He witnessed the battles of Estela and Pepo di Murra.

1874, early January - wedding with the Empress's maid of honor, Princess Maria Nikolaevna Gagarina.

1874 – in the General Staff. Task: to put into effect a new military charter and carry out recruitment in the Perm province.

1875, winter-spring – St. Petersburg.

1875, July 13-22 - in Kokand. With a small detachment, he led Khudoyar Khan out of the rebellious city and “for heroic behavior worthy of the Russian name” M.D. Skobelev was awarded a golden saber with the inscription “For bravery.”

1875, October 18 - promoted to major general and included in His Majesty's retinue. Appointed head of the Namangan department.

1875, February 4 - the highest decision to rename the former Kokand Khanate into the Fergana region and appoint Skobelev as its head. February 18 – began his duties.

For Kokand, Andijan, Namangan and other cases of 1875-1876. M.D. Skobelev was awarded a golden saber, a golden sword with diamonds and the inscription “For bravery”, the orders of St. George III degree and St. Vladimir III degree with swords.

1876, July 15 - August - “military-scientific-diplomatic” expedition to the Alai Valley and the Pamirs.

1876, early March - return to St. Petersburg after the “third Turkestan”. Seeks appointment to the Danube Army.

1877, June 14-16 - participated in the crossing of the Danube. I asked to see General M.I. Dragomirov as an orderly (and learn at the same time). Received a reprimand.

1877, September 1 - promoted to lieutenant general, awarded the Order of Stanislav, 1st degree. Appointed commander of the 16th Infantry Division.

1877, November 20 - the fall of Plevna and the capture of the army of Osman Pasha. Appointment of Skobelev as Governor-General of Plevna.

1877, December 28 – Shipko-Sheinovsky battle. Rewarding Skobelev with a golden saber with the inscription “For bravery.”

1877, December 29 - Skobelev is appointed head of the vanguard of the Russian troops. In less than two days, Skobelev makes a rapid, almost 100-kilometer journey with battles and reaches Tarnovo.

1878, January 19 – Skobelev’s detachment reaches Dede-Akau, 12 kilometers from Constantinople. Signing a truce with Turkey.

1878, February 19 - signing of the San Stefano Peace Treaty (collapse of Skobel's plans).

1878, April - appointment of M.D. Skobelev commander of the IV Corps. 1878, April-November - Skobelev’s preparation of gymnastic societies in

Southern Bulgaria. Return to Russia.

1879, March - appointed chief of the Transcaspian troops (temporarily commander of the Transcaspian department).

1881, January 14 - promoted to infantry general and awarded the Order of St. George, II degree.

AWARDS OF THE GENERAL FROM INFANTRY M.D. SKOBELEVA

Order of St. Anne IV class for bravery - 1865

Order of St. George, IV degree – 1873

Prussian Order of the Red Eagle, 2nd class – 1874

Gold sword with diamonds with the inscription “For bravery” - 1875

Golden saber with diamonds with the inscription “For bravery” - 1876

Order of St. George, 1st class - 1876

Order of St. Vladimir, 1st degree - 1876

Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st class – 1878

Gold sword with diamonds with the inscription “For bravery” - 1878

Prussian Order "Pour-Le-Mérit" ("Order of Merit") - 1878

Montenegrin gold medal “For the war with the Turks” - 1878

Serbian Grand Cross “Same with Swords” – 1878

Serbian Gold Medal for Bravery - 1878

Romanian Medal for Military Valor - 1878

Romanian Iron Cross “For the Crossing of the Danube” – 1878

Macklenburg-Schwerin Cross of Merit - 1878

Prussian Order of the Red Eagle, 1st class – 1879

Order of St. Anne 1st class for bravery - 1879

Order of St. George, 2nd class - 1881

Medal “For the pacification of the Polish rebellion” - 1864

Medal "For Service in the Caucasus"

Medal “For the Khiva Campaign” - 1873

Medal “For the conquest of the Khanate of Kokand” - 1876

Medal “In memory of the liberation of the Slavs” - 1878

Medal “For Participation in the Russian-Turkish War” – 1878

Medal “For the storming of Geok-Tepe - 1881”

1. Nemirovich-Danchenko V.I. Skobelev. – M., 1993. – p. 10–11, 51.

2. Kostin B.A. Skobelev. – M.: Patriot, 1990. – 175 p.

3. Mirovich V.G. Slavophiles and their teaching. – M.: 1915.

4. Polyansky M.A. – Bibliographic index of literature related to the biography of M.D. Skobeleva. St. Petersburg, 1904.

5. Skobelev Mikhail Dmitrievich. "A bright symbol of the greatness of Russia." Collection of materials from the symposium dedicated to the 160th anniversary of the birth of M.D. Skobeleva. September 26-27, 2003, Ryazan.

6. ALEXANDRO-NEVSKY – booklet. – M.: Publishing House “PanInter” 2004. – 20 p.

7. Skobelev M.D. I stand for truth and for the Army! /Skobelev Mikhail. – M.: Eksmo, 2012. – 480 pp.: ill.

8. Booklet “To the 170th anniversary of the birth of M.D. Skobelev" (Selection of materials by O.Yu. Feoktistov). – M.: Young local historian, 2013 – 24 p.

Museum-estate “Memorial complex M.D. SKOBELEVA"

Village 3aborovo. Manor M.D. Skobeleva

Modern village 3aborovo, Alexandro-Nevsky district, Mikhalkovsky rural district, is located 4 km southeast of the center of the rural district, 21 km northeast of the urban-type settlement of Alexandro-Nevsky, in the upper reaches of the river. Vishnevka, left tributary of the river. Khupta (Ranova River basin).

Before s. Aborovo was called Spasskoye, then Zaborovskiye Gai. The first is from the name of the church built in 1763, the second is from the name of the landowner Alexander Mikhailovich Zaborovsky. Gai - in the southern Russian dialect means grove, oak grove.

The village of 3aborovo with its unique wooden Spasskaya Church was mentioned at the beginning of the 17th century. In 1763, the landowner Zaborovsky, who owned the village, built a stone church. In the 1830s, the village was acquired by I.N. Skobelev (grandfather of M.D. Skobelev) and became the family’s favorite residence.

Until the 1860s, the Skobelev family owned huge plots of land, including several large villages (Mikhalkovo, 3aborovo, etc.). After the so-called “liberation of the peasants,” the Skobelevs were left with an estate - an estate with a park, between the village of 3aborovo and the village of Mikhalkovo, on the river. Khupt, and 1500 acres of land. According to data from 1913, the estate included: the Spasskaya Church, a large manor house, a small house, outbuildings (workshop, machine shed, farm), pond. There was a park around the estate. The estate was inherited from father to son, and in 1879 it already belonged to Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev. After his death, the owner of the estate became the elder sister of the “White General” (M.D. Skobelev received such a respectful nickname after successful operations in Central Asia), Princess N.D. Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya.

Spasskaya Church

The initial construction of the wooden Spassky Church in the village. 3aborovo dates back to the beginning of the 18th century. In the 1830s, the village passed from General Zaborovsky to the Skobelev family. In the church there was a silver and gilded altar cross and chalice, donated by Evgeniy Maximilianovich of Leuchtenberg, infantry general, Prince Romanovsky, years of life: 1847-1901.

In 1869, Dmitry Ivanovich Skobelev added two chapels to the church for the Skobelev family tombs. The right side aisle is in honor of St. Dmitry of Rostov, left side chapel - in honor of Archangel Michael. The father and mother of Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev are buried in the right aisle, and M.D. himself is buried in the left aisle. Skobelev.

In the 30s of the twentieth century, the church was almost completely destroyed. In September 2003, on the 160th anniversary of the birth of M.D. Skobelev Spasskaya Church with its chapels was restored and painted.

School in Zaborovo

In 1881 M.D. Skobelev founded a zemstvo school on the estate, building a spacious stone building covered with iron. Peasant children not only from the village studied at the school. 3aborovo, but also from many surrounding villages: Penki, Zeleno-Dmitrievka, Speshnevo, Kreshchenskie Gai, Maly Mezenets, Satino-Gai, Bogoroditskie Gai and Eropkino. Skobelev visited the school more than once, attended classes, and talked with students. Thanks to the experienced teacher invited by Mikhail Dmitrievich, teaching at the Spasskaya school was very successful. The students were supported by the prince. Nadezhda Dmitrievna Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya, sister of the “White General”.

Invalid home

Fulfilling the wishes of M.D. Skobelev about construction in the village. Zaborovo nursing home for veteran soldiers; in 1910, it was built on the estate by Skobelev’s sister, Princess Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya. On Sundays, disabled grenadiers and Knights of St. George came to church in full dress uniform and stood on the carpet in front of M.D.’s grave. Skobeleva.

In 1993, a monument was laid. In 1995, as part of the celebration of the 900th anniversary of the city, a monument to Mikhail Skobelev was unveiled in Ryazan. The Skobelevsky Committee has been created and is working, the president of which is pilot-cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Aviation General Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov.

He annexed Muslim Central Asia to Russia, but dreamed of a pan-Slavic country, with a single army and currency. Fate protected him from bullets, but the general died under unknown circumstances.

Upbringing

Until the age of twelve, he “fought” with a German tutor, who forced the future general to cram Vokabel, a Russian-German dictionary. The home teacher whipped the boy for any offense, and all the thoughts of young Skobelev were aimed at taking revenge on the heartless teacher. Writer Mikhail Filippov in his book “Mikhail Skobelev. His life, military, administrative and social activities” described this period of his hero’s life this way: “in this upbringing one should see almost the first germ of Skobelev’s later dislike for the Germans. Since childhood, Skobelev had an independent, ardent and lively nature; for a long time he was forced to grudgingly endure such treatment. His character developed into secrecy and vindictiveness.”

Central Asian campaigns

General Skobelev is remembered, as a rule, in connection with the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. In the Slavic world he is perceived as the liberator of the Bulgarians from the Ottoman yoke. Meanwhile, more important for the Russian state are its three Central Asian campaigns: the Khiva campaign, the suppression of the Kokand uprising and the Akhal-Teke expedition.

It was there that the geopolitical interests of Russia and England collided at that time during the famous Great Game for Central Asia. “If we imagine that by the end of the 19th century the British would have advanced further than Afghanistan in the development of these lands, without getting stuck there and without meeting any resistance, then, of course, the geopolitical position of (modern) Russia would be much more complex,” one is convinced from the authors of the book “General Skobelev” Ruslan Gagkuev. It’s interesting that Skobelev received his first “George” for a multi-day reconnaissance in the desert to the Sarykamysh well.

Panslavism

So, the Russian-Turkish war for the liberation of Bulgaria is associated with Mikhail Skobelev, as evidenced by hundreds of monuments to the general on Bulgarian soil. And this despite the fact that the leading roles in that company were not him, but personally Emperor Alexander II, his son - later Emperor Alexander III, and General Gurko.

The military successes of General Skobelev are associated primarily with the famous siege of Plevna, but thanks to his personal courage he became a real favorite of military journalism, or, as they say now, a newsmaker of the liberation war. Historians associate this, among other things, with a certain theatricality, manifested in Skobelev’s love for white uniforms. By the way, the Turks called him “ak-pasha” - the white general.

“In those raids that fell to my share, I was festive,” said the general. “I chase dangers like women, but, wanting them forever, I do not feel satiated.” It was then that he began to show himself as a politician, outlining the future of the Slavic world. His speech, where he outlined the principles of Pan-Slavism, created a sensation in Europe. “Everyone has complete autonomy, the common thing is troops, coins and a customs system. My symbol is short – love for the fatherland, freedom, science and Slavism.” Soon the newspapers began to write about Skobelev as the Slavic Garibaldi.

The mysterious death of a general

Everything connected with the last days of Skobelev’s life is still a historical mystery. Everyone's favorite, a young infantry general, whose rank he received after the brilliant Akhal-Teke expedition of 1881, suddenly spoke in all seriousness about his death and even ordered a crypt for himself in his personal estate in the village of Spassky-Zaborovsky, Ryazhsky district, Ryazan province. Meanwhile, he was only 38 years old. Perhaps this was due to some threats that came to him from nameless ill-wishers.

The general's premonition did not deceive him. On July 7, 1882, Mikhail Skobelev dies in Moscow at the England Hotel in the room of a certain Charlotte Altenrose, who reported this to the police. The cause of death, according to the autopsy performed by Moscow University prosector Neiding, was paralysis of the heart and lungs. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of the capital’s intelligentsia was sure that Skobelev was killed, and on Bismarck’s personal order. And allegedly the plan for a victorious war against the Germans was stolen from Skobelev. There was also a version that he was removed by secret order of the tsar, who allegedly suspected the general of attempting a coup. They also talked about the Freemasons, against whom the general actively fought.

An outstanding military leader - “white” (as he was called because he always fought on a white horse and in a white uniform), General Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev showed himself as an exemplary military administrator in the Russian-Turkish War (1877-1878), in the conquests of Russian lands empire in Central Asia. He was also a good leader who cared about his subordinates.

Biography: General Skobelev M.D. in childhood and youth

The future military leader was born in St. Petersburg on September 17, 1843 in the family of Lieutenant General Dmitry Ivanovich Skobelev by his wife Olga Nikolaevna.

He was raised at home and was later sent to France.

At the age of 18, he entered St. Petersburg University, successfully passing the exams, but due to student unrest, the university was closed.

Then he went to military service in a cavalry guard regiment. In 1866 he became a student at the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. In military surveying (geodesy) and statistics he was among the laggards, but in history and the art of war he had no equal in the entire course. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the military of the Turkestan Military District.

Biography: General M. D. Skobelev From staff captain to general

In 1868, Mikhail Dmitrievich was appointed captain in the Turkestan district. In 1870, as a cavalry commander, he was entrusted with an important task from the Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Army, at whose disposal he was at that time. He needed to pave the way to the Khiva Khanate, which he did brilliantly. But he voluntarily reviewed the plan of operations that the commanders-in-chief were developing against Khiva, for which he was expelled from the army for 11 months. Afterwards he recovers, takes part in various campaigns, and regularly performs his duties.

In 1874, Skobelev was promoted to colonel and enlisted in the emperor's retinue. Already in 1875, he was appointed head of the part of the embassy of the Russian Empire, which was sent to Kashgar. The Kokand expedition is what historians call this period of his life, which includes his biography. General Skobelev proved himself to be a brave, prudent organizer and an excellent tactician.

When in the spring of 1877 he was sent to the commander-in-chief of the army that was at war with Turkey, his colleagues did not receive him very friendly. For some time he did not receive any appointments, but after the capture of Lovchi in battles near Plevna, crossing the Imetli Pass, and the battle near Shipka, where he acted as a detachment commander, he began to be respected.

In 1878, he returned to Russia with the rank of adjutant general with the rank of lieutenant general.

Biography: General Skobelev M.D. and his last feat

The main merit for which Skobelev received a second degree and title was the conquest of Geok-Tepe (Ahal-Tepe) in 1880. When he addressed the officers at an event celebrating the anniversary of the expedition, he was met with the irritation of Austria and Germany. His speech had a strong political overtones and pointed to the oppression of the Slavs by their fellow believers.

On June 24, 1882, General Skobelev (the biography described in some sources contains the date June 26) died suddenly at the Anglia Hotel in Moscow. According to one version, he was killed by the Germans who hated him.

“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 mass of unresolved issues, with repentance... The recent winner was tortured 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.