A short biography of Mikhail Skobelev is the most important thing. “White General” Skobelev: life, death and mysteries of fate

Date of event: 09/29/1843

Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was born on September 29 (17 according to the old style) 1843 in St. Petersburg. On October 14, he was baptized in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The first years of the boy's life were spent in the Peter and Paul Fortress, whose commandant was his grandfather. Home education was initially entrusted to a German tutor, with whom Mikhail did not have a good relationship. After another conflict with the teacher, the parents sent their son to the Parisian boarding school D. Girardet, where he received a general education, showing special interest in the study of languages ​​and literature, and Girardet became his friend, adviser, and traveling companion. Five years later, Mikhail Skobelev returned to Russia. To prepare him for entering the university, the famous teacher L.N. was invited. Modzalevsky, and classes continued from 1858 to 1860. In 1861, M. Skobelev became a student at St. Petersburg University, but a month after the student riots, in December 1861, the university was closed, and on November 22, 1861 the young man entered the Cavalry Regiment as a non-commissioned officer. On September 8, 1862, after passing the exam for the officer rank, he became a cadet harness, and in March 1863 he was promoted to cornet. On March 19, 1864, M. Skobelev was transferred to the Life Guards Grodno Hussar Regiment. Heading to his place of service, he joined the regiment that fought with the Polish rebels, and for participation in hostilities on June 10, 1865 he received the Order of St. Anne IV degree with the inscription "For bravery". On August 30, 1864 he was promoted to lieutenant and continued his service.

In the fall of 1866, having brilliantly passed the entrance exams, M.D. Skobelev was enrolled in the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, during his studies in which he gave preference to the subjects of military art, military history, languages, and was graduated in the 2nd category.

In November 1868 M.D. Skobelev was assigned to the General Staff and assigned to serve at the headquarters of the Turkestan Military District, commanded by General K.P. Kaufman, a talented military leader and administrator, who greeted his new subordinate with caution, but later became his senior friend and mentor. At first, Skobelev led the film crew in the Samarkand region, then participated in the battles on the Bukhara border, commanding the 9th Siberian Cossack hundred. In December 1870 he was transferred to the Transcaspian region, and in March 1871 he was assigned to the Krasnovodsk detachment of Colonel N.G. Stoletova. Here he, with three Cossacks and three local residents, carried out the Sarakamysh reconnaissance of the area, famous for its audacity, on May 13-22. His self-will ended with his stay on forced leave from the summer of 1871 to April 1872. July 5, 1872 M.D. Skobelev was assigned to the General Staff with the rank of captain with the appointment of senior adjutant of the headquarters of the 22nd Infantry Division in Novgorod, and in August he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

In the spring of 1873 M.D. Skobelev took part in the Khiva campaign as part of N.P.’s detachment. Lomakina. Commanding the vanguard, he captured a well-guarded caravan heading to Khiva, fought several battles on the approaches to the city, and directed the artillery shelling of the defenders. In August, after the capture of Khiva, Skobelev, on the instructions of General Kaufman, carried out reconnaissance of the route through the Turkmen desert, for which on August 30, 1873 he was awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree. Winter 1873-1874 He spent time on vacation in France, but at the same time managed to visit Spain, becoming an eyewitness to the internecine war. On February 22, 1874 he was promoted to colonel, on April 17 he was appointed to the aide-de-camp and assigned to the Retinue of His Imperial Majesty. In January 1875 he married Princess M.N. Gagarina, maid of honor of the Empress.

In April 1875 M.D. Skobelev was sent to the disposal of the Turkestan Governor-General and in May arrived at his duty station in Tashkent. For accompanying ambassadors through hostile territory with a small detachment of soldiers to Kokand (July 13) and Khojent (July 24), he was awarded the golden saber “For Bravery.” After the invasion of the Kokand people into the territory subject to Russia, mass robberies and murders of residents, Russian troops began active military operations on the territory of the Kokand Khanate. For the capture of Makhram on October 18, 1875 M.D. Skobelev was promoted to major general. Kaufman appoints Skobelev as head of the Russian department of the Namangan region and subordinates a large military detachment to him. Throughout the autumn and winter of 1875, endless battles continued. After the capture of Namangan, he led the cavalry in the detachment of General V.N. Trotsky, who conquered Andijan in January 1876. For this operation, Skobelev was awarded the Order of St. George 3rd degree and golden weapons. On February 5, 1876, Emperor Alexander II decided to annex the Khanate of Kokand to Russia, appointing Skobelev military governor of the new Fergana region. After receiving news of this, Skobelev occupied Kokand on February 8 without a fight, for which he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 3rd degree. On February 19, 1876, the Kokand Khanate became part of Russia.

Throughout 1876 M.D. Skobelev was energetically engaged in administrative activities. He skillfully selected worthy personnel for management, winning the respect of the local population. As a result of his activities, trade and agriculture revived in the province. Much attention was paid to the living conditions and military training of troops stationed in the province. In the summer of 1876, Skobelev led a research expedition to the borders of the Pamirs (Kashgaria). At this time, the understanding of the inevitability of war with Turkey increased in Russia. After numerous reports, Skobelev was summoned to St. Petersburg to be transferred to the active army, but denunciations from ill-wishers were sent from Turkestan against the former governor. After the intercession of relatives and friends, especially K.P. Kaufman, Skobelev's honor was restored. And a new period in his life began - the Balkan.

On April 12, 1877, war was declared on Turkey, and a month later the Russian army reached the Danube. At the beginning of his service, General Skobelev was sent to his father's division, but it was soon disbanded, and he was included in the emperor's retinue. This situation did not suit Skobelev in any way; he sought to find application for his military experience, and voluntarily became an orderly of the head of the 14th Infantry Division, Major General M.I. Dragomirov, who assisted in organizing the crossing of the Danube on June 15 and the defense of the captured bridgehead. Later M.D. Skobelev took part in all the most important battles, leading small detachments, never gaining independence. After the Turks occupied the strategically important fortress of Plevna, the Russians tried to regain their advantage, but were unsuccessful. On July 18, during the second attack of the Pleven fortifications, Skobelev with his cavalry broke through almost to the outskirts of the city, but was not supported and retreated. Only after this did Mikhail Dmitrievich finally receive a significant detachment under his command and was awarded the Order of St. Stanislava. On August 22, 1877, the detachment, which was actually led by Skobelev, after careful reconnaissance and artillery preparation, took Lovcha, a city covering Plevna from the south. On August 26-31, the third attack on Plevna took place. And again, only the troops under the command of Skobelev managed to achieve success: they broke through the enemy’s defenses, occupied two fortified redoubts and approached the city within 300-400 meters. But the command again refused to reinforce Skobelev, and he was forced to retreat with the remnants of the detachment, picking up all the wounded from the battlefield. September 1 M.D. Skobelev was promoted to lieutenant general and on September 16 appointed commander of the 16th Infantry Division. After participating in the siege and capture of Plevna, Skobelev’s detachments, in difficult winter conditions, crossed the Balkans in the area of ​​the Shipkinsky Pass and on December 28, 1877, together with P.D.’s column. Svyatopolk-Mirsky captures Sheinovo. On January 3, 1878, Skobelev was appointed head of the vanguard of the army advancing on Andrianople, and soon became acting commander-in-chief of the Russian troops in the Balkans. In this position, he directed all his efforts to strengthening the independence of Bulgaria, creating an army based on public squads, supplying them with weapons and organizing training. During the Russian-Turkish war, the best qualities of M.D. were revealed. Skobelev as a military leader: thorough study of the terrain and reconnaissance of enemy forces before combat operations, the ability to quickly navigate the situation and make responsible decisions, initiative and foresight, personal courage. Skobelev made excellent use of his own and others’ experience, knew how to observe and constantly studied the art of war. It was during the Russian-Turkish War that for the first time something new in offensive combat appeared in Skobelev’s detachments - the loose formation of a rifle chain. It was also important that Skobelev constantly took care of the physical and moral condition of the soldiers. No wonder the soldiers of his detachments called themselves “Skobelevsky”. All this led to the fact that he returned to Russia not only as the commander of the 4th Corps, but also as a national hero, a White General.

After the war, the 4th Corps was stationed in Belarus, and the general was actively engaged in combat training of the troops entrusted to him. On August 30, 1878, he was appointed adjutant general to the emperor, and in 1879 he represented the country at German military maneuvers. But Russia now faced a new task - protecting the interests of the state in Central Asia. Emperor Alexander II summoned Skobelev from Minsk to St. Petersburg and appointed him commander of the second expedition to the Turkmen steppes (after the unsuccessful campaign of N.P. Lomakin). By March 1, 1880, M.D. Skobelev and his comrades in Turkestan and the Balkan war prepared a plan for a military expedition to the Geok-Tepe fortress. At the beginning of May, Skobelev arrived in the Caspian Sea and began preparing troops for the campaign, paying attention not only to armament and training of troops, but also to the supply of provisions, uniforms, and medical care. All summer and autumn, equipment and food were being delivered, and rare skirmishes with the Tekins occurred. On November 26 - December 1, the detachment finally set out for the Ahal-Tekin oasis, where up to 35 thousand Tekins gathered. After a thorough study of the approaches to the fortress, the weapons and forces of its defenders, systematic siege work began on December 23: redoubts were built, trenches were dug, and mining was carried out to mine the walls of the fortress. On January 12, 1881, the Geok-Tepe fortress was taken. Gradually, life in the region became orderly. After the end of the campaign in January 1881, Skobelev was awarded the Order of St. George 2nd degree and became an infantry general. Soon Skobelev surrendered command of the troops and headed to St. Petersburg. His return was triumphant; crowds of people greeted the general along his entire route. But in St. Petersburg, the conqueror of Akhal-Teke was received by the new emperor, Alexander III. The meeting was more than cold.

M.D. Skobelev received leave and after a trip abroad settled in the village of Spassky, Ryazan province. All this time he was occupied with issues of national politics, he became close to the Slavophiles, developing his own view of the international situation in Europe. In September 1881, he conducted maneuvers of parts of his corps in the Minsk province. On January 12, 1882, at a dinner in honor of the anniversary of the capture of Geok-Tepe, a speech was made (apparently prepared jointly with I.S. Aksakov), in which Skobelev openly proclaimed his anti-German sentiments, views on the domestic and international situation of Russia, its foreign policy interests, essentially presenting their political program. This speech was published in many newspapers and was actively discussed in society not only in Russia, but also abroad. An international scandal almost broke out. Alexander III expressed his displeasure, and Skobelev was asked to go on vacation abroad. In January 1882 he arrived in Paris. On February 5, Slavic students studying at the Sorbonne came to Skobelev’s apartment with a thank-you address. The conversation lasted two hours, part of it ended up in French newspapers and was the second political statement of the general, which again shook up all of Europe. Through the Russian ambassador in Paris, Skobelev received the emperor's order to immediately return to his homeland. On March 7, an audience with Alexander III took place, which began very unfriendly, but ended favorably towards the general. The content of their conversation was not made public.

April 22 M.D. Skobelev departed for Minsk to the location of the headquarters of the 4th Corps. Corps maneuvers began in the Mogilev province - the last maneuvers in the life of the general. After their completion on June 22, he headed to Moscow, where on the night of June 25-26, 1882 he died suddenly. The farewell to the national hero resulted in a funeral procession of thousands. The train with the body of the White General, which passed through a living corridor along the entire route, was met on June 29 at the Ranenburg station by the peasants of the village of Spasskoye. 38-year-old Adjutant General, Infantry General, three times Knight of St. George Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was buried in the family crypt of the Spassky Church in the village of Spasskoye (Zaborovo, Zaborovskiye Gai) in the Ryazhsky district of the Ryazan province.

The family estate of the Skobelevs, Spassky, was acquired by the family in the 30s. XIX century Skobelev loved this village very much. He returned here from campaigns, rested and worked here, coming from the capitals. His parents were buried in Spassky. Under him, a solid stone building was built in the village - a village school, and an experienced teacher was invited for peasant children. The general intended to organize a nursing home for war veterans in the village, providing them with everything they needed.

In 1882, by order of the military department, the corvette "Vityaz" was renamed "Skobelev" (in 1895 it was expelled from the Russian fleet). In November 1904, a committee named after Skobelev was formed, the chairman of which was his sister N.D. Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya, to preserve the memory of M.D. Skobelev. A home for disabled people was created in Spassky. In 1910, the city of New Margelan was named after him, which in 1924 was renamed Fergana. The sixteenth division, commanded by Skobelev, was given the name Skobelevskaya.

The first monument to the general was unveiled on June 25, 1886 on the territory of a military camp in the Troka district of the Vilna province (now the city of Trakai in Lithuania). In 1911, in Warsaw, the hussars of the Grodno Regiment erected a bust with the inscription “To Skobelev - fellow soldiers, 1864-1872.” In the same year, in the village of Ulanovo, Chernigov province, a bust of the general was erected at the Skobelevsky Invalid Home for lower ranks. None of these monuments have survived. On June 24, 1912, a monument to Skobelev (sculptor P.A. Samonov) was erected on Tverskaya Square in Moscow, for which donations were collected throughout Russia. At the same time, the square was renamed Skobelevskaya. On May 1, 1918, the monument was demolished.

In Bulgaria, in the city of Pleven (Plevna), a bust of Skobelev was erected in the park that bears his name. In 1903, the Skobelev redoubts near Pleven were restored and are still preserved. In 1983, a 22-meter monument to the White General’s detachment was erected near Pleven. Streets and squares in Bulgaria are named after him.

In Russia, in recent years, much has been done to perpetuate the memory of M.D. Skobeleva. In 1995, the Skobelevsky Committee was recreated, the chairman of which was Major General, pilot-cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union A.A. Leonov. The task of the committee is to collect and disseminate information about the commander, unveil memorial plaques and monuments. The main form of work of the committee was the Skobelev Readings, held in different cities of Russia. On February 21, 1994, an interuniversity scientific conference “M.D. Skobelev and his time” was held at the Ryazan State Pedagogical University. On September 9, 1995, during the celebration of the 900th anniversary of Ryazan, the opening of the bust of M.D. took place. Skobeleva (sculptor B.S. Gorbunov) on the street. Novoselov. In 1996, in Moscow, in the Yuzhnoye Butovo district, a memorial plaque was erected in honor of the commander on the street bearing his name.

The Ryazan Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve houses a collection of items and awards of the Skobelev family: these are orders and medals of M.D. Skobelev, personal banner of the general with whom he took the Geok-Tepe fortress, lifetime photograph of M.D. Skobelev with an autograph, portraits of O.N. Skobeleva and I.N. Skobelev, embroidered painting "I.N. Skobelev near Minsk".

In connection with the 160th anniversary of Skobelev in 2003, construction, repair and restoration work was carried out in the village. Zaborovo for the restoration of the temple, the school building built by the general, and the improvement of the Skobelev estate. Nowadays in Zaborovo the “Museum-Estate “Memorial Complex of M.D. Skobelev” includes the restored Spasskaya Church, in the aisles of which Skobelev’s parents and M.D. Skobelev himself are buried, a bronze bust and the M.D. Skobelev Museum. The museum is located in the restored building of a rural school, which was built in 1881 at the expense of Mikhail Dmitrievich on the territory of the Skobelev estate for local children.

As part of the celebrations dedicated to the 170th anniversary general from infantry, liberator of Bulgaria M.D. Skobeleva, on September 27-28, 2013, the international scientific conference “M.D. Skobelev: history and modernity" (on the 170th anniversary of his birth)." Its organizers were the Government of the Ryazan Region, Ryazan State University. S.A. Yesenin, Ryazan Regional Universal Scientific Library named after Gorky, Ryazan Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve and Ryazan Historical Society.

In Moscow, on December 9, 2014, on Hero of the Fatherland Day, a monument to Skobelev was solemnly unveiled near the building of the Academy of the General Staff. The monument is a four-meter bronze equestrian statue of General Skobelev on a granite pedestal. The author is People's Artist of Russia Alexander Rukavishnikov.

The central event of the celebration of Skobelev’s 175th anniversary in September 2018 in the Ryazan region will be the III Patriotic Forum “Science of Victory,” organized by the Gorky Regional University of Science and Technology and the S. Yesenin Russian State University.

Electronic version of the article from the book:

Chronicle of the life of Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev // Skobelev Mikhail Dmitrievich: decree. lit. /ROUNB; comp.: V.V. Bezuglova, O.Ya. Azovtseva, N.G. Dubova, E.I. Kutyrova, V.V. Nekhorosheva, A.D. Surina, R.D. Chelyanova; Rec. V.A. Gornov. - Ryazan, 2003. - P. 5-9. - The electronic version of the article is supplemented with information on materials published after 2003.

The legendary general spent more than half of his life in battle. He took part in 70 battles and emerged victorious from all of them. The officers and soldiers who knew Skobelev from his affairs considered the general a father-commander who risked his life along with his subordinates. Retired soldiers, recalling past battles, certainly mentioned him, telling legends about the bravery and courage of their beloved commander. The peasants rescued by Skobelev from landowner bondage or debt trap prayed to his portrait as an icon.

Many luminaries of Russian science considered him a man of encyclopedic knowledge, original thinking, and creative. And young men who were just beginning to grow up found in Skobelev an example of a hero who personified devotion to the fatherland and loyalty to his word. For everyone who was sincerely interested in the prosperity of Russia, Skobelev was the hope for the implementation of political reforms. In their eyes, he became a leader worthy of leading the people.

Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was born on September 17, 1843 in the village of Spasskoye-Zaborovo, 35 km from Ryazhsk station. Little Misha was the first-born in the family of a lieutenant in a cavalry regiment, who later participated in the Crimean War, receiving the title of holder of the honorary golden sword. Mikhail Skobelev’s grandfather, Ivan Nikitich, was an orderly under M.I. Kutuzov during the war of 1812 and fought in the Battle of Borodino. He was able to rise to the rank of infantry general and was commandant of the Peter and Paul Fortress. In addition, Ivan Nikitich Skobelev had literary talent. On his grandson’s birthday, he took extraordinary liberties. In St. Petersburg, at an inopportune hour, a salvo rang out from all the cannons available in the Peter and Paul Fortress. This is how the grandfather marked the birth of his grandson.

It was Ivan Nikitich who raised him. After the death of his grandfather, Misha was sent to France, where he studied at a boarding school. The boy received a comprehensive education and was fluent in eight foreign languages. He could recite passages from the works of Balzac, Sheridan, and Spencer by heart, and he was very fond of Lermontov. Mikhail played the piano and sang beautifully. In a word, he was a real romantic in the uniform of an officer.

Returning to his homeland, Mikhail Skobelev entered St. Petersburg University in 1861. But family traditions prevailed, and he applied to be enlisted as a cadet in a cavalry regiment. Many colleagues said about him: “He’s an eccentric. A great guy, a dashing fighter, he takes on crazy hurdles.” In 1862, Mikhail went on vacation to his father, who at that time lived in Poland.

In September 1866, Skobelev was enrolled in the Academy of the General Staff, and after graduation he was sent to the Turkestan Military District.

In the campaign against the Khanate of Kokand, Mikhail Dmitrievich emerged victorious from the most difficult situations, showing not just miracles of heroism, but also an amazing understanding of battle tactics. His colleagues recalled that Skobelev took particular pleasure in going out early in the morning to wash himself on the line of fire between ours and the Turkish trench. The adjutant followed him, and the Turks immediately began to fire at them. And returning to the trench, the general again climbed onto the parapet, and the enemy again opened aimed fire on him. Skobelev did not just show off. Such ostentatious disregard for death was deliberate: by the intensity of the fire, he tried to determine what forces the enemy had. During the battle, his ability for fast, operational thinking and the ability to make instant, unexpected and sometimes vital decisions were fully demonstrated. Skobelev himself very often liked to repeat: “It’s not enough to be brave, you need to be smart and resourceful.” These were not just words. Thinking over the strategy for the upcoming battle, Mikhail Dmitrievich used his deep knowledge and advanced experience. V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko recalled: “He (Skobelev) studied and read constantly, under the most sometimes impossible conditions: in bivouacs, on a campaign, in Bucharest on the ramparts of batteries, under fire, in breaks between hot battles. He never parted with the book and shared his knowledge with everyone.”

Skobelev’s character surprisingly combined passion and calculation, ardor and will, exceptional attention to all the details of the battle with complete disregard for his own life.

After the completion of the Kokand campaign, he was awarded the Order of St. George and St. Vladimir, III degree, a gold sword with diamonds and a gold saber “For Bravery.”

In 1877, the Russian-Turkish war began, in which Skobelev took an active part. He personally led the attack on the Shipka Pass. Next were Plevna and the Balkans. Ves-sel-Pasha surrendered to Skobelev along with the entire 20,000-strong army. For these battles, the brave general was awarded a third golden saber with the inscription “For crossing the Balkans.”

The capture of Lovchi, the third assault on Plevna, the crossing of the Balkans through the Imitli Pass, and the battle of Shipka-Sheinovo became the key events of the Russian-Turkish war. Each of these victories belongs to Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev. In battle, he was always ahead of the army in a white jacket on a white horse. It is not surprising that his enemies nicknamed him Ak-Pasha (White General). Many contemporaries noted Skobelev’s amazing passion for the color white. The outstanding artist V.V. Vereshchagin explained it this way: “He believed that he would be more unharmed on a white horse than on a horse of a different color, although at the same time he believed that you could not escape fate.”

The choice of white for Mikhail Skobelev was not accidental. While still a student at the military academy, he was sent thirty miles from St. Petersburg to the shore of the Gulf of Finland to survey the area. Returning from the forest, he got stuck in a swamp. The old white horse saved the life of Mikhail Dmitrievich: “I take it to the left, it pulls me to the right. If I have to ride a horse somewhere, so that I remember this white one, I will always choose a white one.”

It can be assumed that after this incident, Mikhail Dmitrievich developed a mystical addiction to white horses. And the white uniform was a continuation of the whiteness of his horse. Skobelev himself gradually convinced himself and others that wearing white he was charmed from bullets and could not be killed by the enemy. Very often, only skillful handling of a horse and saber saved him from death. In fact, he was wounded seven times in battle.

Each victory added to the popularity of Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev and gave another reason for gossip to his enemies. He was credited with excessive ambition, an intemperate lifestyle, and even the embezzlement of government money. In addition, the young and popular general gave reason to think that he could someday lead the Russian throne. There was constant whispering in the capital's hotels that the Emperor was very afraid of Skobelev and wanted to get rid of him. Although this is vile slander. Alexander II treated Mikhail Dmitrievich with deep respect and often scolded him for excessive daring and imprudence.

In 1881, 38-year-old Skobelev was promoted to infantry general and awarded the Order of St. George, II degree. But enemies and envious people could not come to terms with his glory. They brutally dealt with the parents of Mikhail Dmitrievich. First, his father suddenly died under unclear circumstances, and soon his mother was killed in Bulgaria. By a strange coincidence, her killer was Skobelev’s former orderly, Nikolai Uzatis, who took the secret of this murder with him to the grave.

They could not forgive Skobelev another mortal sin - her passion for the Slavophile movement. The outstanding commander was friends with Ivan Sergeevich Aksakov, the theoretician of this movement. Soon Mikhail Dmitrievich acquired another nickname - Slavic Garibaldi.

After Alexander II was killed, Alexander III, who was also keen on Slavophilism, ascended the throne. During one of the solemn and crowded banquets, Skobelev made a speech that greatly outraged all Westerners who worship “progressive Europe.” After this speech, a quatrain appeared: “And now - the only one who is not a slave of all those at the top, our only Skobelev, dared to tell the truth out loud. About ulcers that have been killing Russian life for a long time! About where the root of evil is – and where to look for cures.”

Clouds were gathering over Slavic Garibaldi. Mikhail Dmitrievich himself foresaw his imminent death. In the last months of his life he became very irritable. Pessimistic notes were often heard in his conversation. Unusually often, Mikhail Dmitrievich started talking about the fragility of life. And unexpectedly for everyone, he began selling securities, gold jewelry and real estate. At the same time, he drew up a will, according to which the Spassky family estate was to be transferred to the disposal of war invalids. At the same time, among the letters that came to the famous general, anonymous letters with threats began to appear more and more often. Who wrote them and why is still unknown. Unfortunately, he found no support at home either. His marriage turned out to be extremely unhappy. He did not have the children he dreamed of so much. And the girl he fell in love with shortly before his death did not reciprocate his feelings.

At the end of the maneuvers on June 22, 1882, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev left for Moscow. He reported to Chief of Staff Dukhonin about the purpose of his trip: “I’m going to visit the graves of my parents and check the progress of the construction of a school and hospital on my estate.” Their conversation ended alarmingly. “Everything in the world is a lie! Even glory...” said Skobelev.

On the last day of his life, Mikhail Dmitrievich felt very lonely. On June 24, he visited his best friend Aksakov, left him with a whole bunch of papers, saying: “Lately I have become suspicious.” And leaving at 11 o’clock in the evening, he said with sadness: “I see thunderstorms everywhere.” Then, staying at the Dusso Hotel, he wrote an invitation to dinner on June 26 to V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko.

At noon on June 25, Mikhail Dmitrievich was in the Hermitage restaurant. He sat alone at the table, completely thoughtful, and did not communicate with anyone. By evening the loneliness became unbearable. Therefore, Mikhail Dmitrievich headed to Stoleshnikov Lane, where the Anglia restaurant was located. He hoped that a cheerful feast and a good dinner in pleasant company would cheer him up and distract him from gloomy thoughts. The feast was in full swing when a man came out of the next office and offered to drink a glass of champagne. Mikhail Dmitrievich did not refuse, because he heard toasts in his honor coming from the office. The blues did not go away. Even the charm of the well-known cocotte Wanda (real name Charlotte Altenrose) could not cheer him up. This woman had at her disposal a luxurious room on the lower floor of the Anglia. It was there that Skobelev retired in the evening. After some time, a terrible scream was heard from the room, and a few minutes later, a frightened and tearful Wanda came running to the janitor. She could hardly squeeze out the words: “An officer died in my room.” The janitor immediately sent for the police. Of course, the general, known throughout Russia, was immediately identified. His body was transported to the Dussault Hotel. The police denied the version of Wanda’s participation or complicity in Skobelev’s death. But the nickname Skobelev’s Tomb was forever assigned to it.

Skobelev's death shocked all of Moscow. Even Alexander III sent a letter to his sister Nadezhda Dmitrievna with the words: “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’s sad, very sad to lose such helpful and dedicated people.”

After some time, the results of the autopsy of Skobelev’s body, which was performed by the prosector of Moscow University Neiding, were announced. He declared death from paralysis of the heart and lungs. In this regard, Andrei Sholokhov wrote in his article: “Skobelev has never complained about his heart before.” Although his doctor O.F. Geyfader during the Turkestan campaign found signs of heart failure, noting at the same time the general’s absolutely extraordinary endurance and energy.

The cause of Skobelev's death remains unclear. Later it acquired a huge number of versions, legends, speculations and even absurd ideas about suicide.

There are two main versions of violent and non-violent death. There were several versions of non-violent death, but the most plausible of them are two. The first version was official: death was caused by paralysis of the lungs and heart. And the second was that Skobelev died as a result of bleeding from a ruptured venous expansion in the groin, which he had suffered from for a long time.

There were many versions that the White General was killed. Three of them seem to be the most plausible and the most famous. The first version indicates that Mikhail Dmitrievich was killed due to the machinations of Russia’s enemies - the Germans. This assumption indirectly confirmed that the general died in the room of the German woman, Wanda. Many representatives of official circles not only supported this version, but also considered it the only correct one. Prince N. Meshchersky wrote to Pobedonostsev in 1887: “Any day now, Germany could attack France and crush it, but suddenly, thanks to Skobelev’s bold step, the common interests of France and Russia showed up for the first time, unexpectedly for everyone and to the horror of Bismarck. Neither Russia nor France were already isolated, Skobelev fell victim to his convictions, and the Russian people have no doubt about it.” According to rumors, German agents managed to steal the war plan developed by Mikhail Dmitrievich. How true this was, no one knew at that time. The German press then rejoiced: “Well, this one is no longer dangerous to us - General Skobelev is no longer alive... as for us Germans, we honestly admit this, we are happy that death has kidnapped a zealous enemy...”.

According to another version, Mikhail Dmitrievich was poisoned by a glass of champagne, which was sent to him from a neighboring room from a feasting company, where they allegedly drank to his health. They said that Alexander III was confident in Skobelev’s desire to overthrow the Romanov dynasty and take the throne under the name of Michael III. A certain F. Byubok, according to the chairman of the First State Duma S.A. Muromtsev, said that allegedly in connection with Skobelev’s anti-government activities, a special secret court was established over him, under the chairmanship of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. This court, by a majority vote (33 out of 40), sentenced the White General to death. One of the police officials was entrusted with carrying out the sentence. The killer coped with the task brilliantly. For this he received not only a large monetary reward, but also the next rank. The "secret squad" that carried out the murder. Skobelev, combined the features of the Third Branch, Masonic lodges and underground organizations. It included not only the Grand Duke, but also the Emperor himself. M.D. Skobelev developed a very strained relationship with this “secret squad”. At one time, he flatly refused to join their ranks and spoke contemptuously about the members of the organization.

J. Adam asked the question: “Which power had an interest in the disappearance of the hero of Plevna and Geok-Tepe?” - transparently hinting that worldwide Freemasonry has something to do with Skobelev’s death.

It was known about Skobelev’s connections with the Freemasons of the French lodge “Grand Orient”. While in Paris, the White General became friends with Leon Gambetta, the Prime Minister of France and one of the leaders of the Grand Orient. It is quite possible that the Masons wanted to remove the disgraced general. Most likely, it was the Masons who contributed to the spread of various, sometimes contradictory versions of his death.

Skobelev’s death shocked not only Moscow; without exaggeration, we can say that it changed Russia for many years to come. If Mikhail Dmitrievich had remained alive, the political situation in Russia would have been completely different. And one could assume that the country would have developed more successfully without the revolutions of 1905 and 1917.

Half of Moscow came to say goodbye to Skobelev. From the Dusso Hotel, the coffin with Skobelev’s body was transferred to the Church of the Three Saints at the Red Gate. The funeral service was supposed to take place the next day, but people went to say goodbye to their beloved general all evening and all night. The church was buried in flowers, wreaths and mourning ribbons. Twenty miles from the Ranenburg station to Spassky the coffin was carried in the hands of peasants. Ahead of the funeral procession stood a wreath from the Academy of the General Staff with the inscription: “To the hero Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev, commander, equal to Suvorov.” Many of the ordinary people, even after the funeral, continued to believe that the White General was alive. They said that he was seen either in Bulgaria, where he was gathering an army in defense of the Slavic brothers, or in the Vyatka province, or in Uzhgorod.

Mikhail Skobelev was so popular among the people that popular prints dedicated to his exploits were published in memory of him. A special type of vodka, “Gorkaya Skobelevskaya,” was even produced, although Mikhail Dmitrievich himself during his lifetime was known as an opponent of drunkenness and severely punished his soldiers for this. The nation's love for Mikhail Skobelev was reflected in the dashing Cossack and cocky soldiers' songs, which were composed by the people themselves, glorifying the White General and his military exploits: “And if you were born again, a warrior on a white horse, and would take under your covers victories in the coming war ..."

In 1912, a monument to M.D. Skobelev was unveiled on the square in front of the Dusso Hotel. And in 1918, it was dismantled in connection with the decree of the Soviet Government, according to the decree “On the removal of monuments to the kings and their servants and the development of projects for monuments to the Russian Socialist Revolution.”

Nowadays, the names of many outstanding people are resurrected from oblivion. It's time to pay tribute to the famous Russian commander Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev. For the 900th anniversary of Ryazan, the Skobelev estate was restored, and one of the squares of the ancient city was decorated with a bronze bust of the Slavic Garibaldi.

The mystery of the death of General Skobelev

Infantry General Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev - what do we know about him today? Very little, his name is almost forgotten, but once his fame thundered throughout Russia and many compatriots pinned their hopes on him, a man of action, for a way out of the political crisis that shook Russia in the early 80s of the 19th century... Mikhail Skobelev - infantry general. Hero of the Russian-Turkish war and conquests in Central Asia. During his lifetime, he was known as the most popular person in the Russian Empire. His sudden death at the age of 38 raised questions that historians are still searching for answers to. Tatyana Ustinova and Lev Lurie conduct their investigation. Experts help them with this. Experts: military historian Boris Kipnis - senior lecturer at the department of the St. Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts (SPbGUKI), member of the Military Historical Association of Russia; therapist Lyudmila Baturina - candidate of medical sciences, head of the physiotherapy department of the Military Field Therapy Clinic of the Military Medical Academy named after. CM. Kirov; forensic expert Vyacheslav Popov - Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Chairman of the Forensic Medical Association of the North-West of Russia, creator of two scientific schools on traumatic brain injury and gunshot injury.

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Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev is one of the galaxy of outstanding Russian commanders. He was able to become a truly folk hero, who is still remembered as the liberator of the Balkan Slavs, a brave cavalryman and a skilled commander.

How did Skobelev go from being a restless student, to becoming a dashing hussar-cavalryman, and finally becoming one of the best commanders in Russia? Why was there an active intrigue against a hero famous throughout the Russian Empire? And is it true that he was preparing to become the Russian Napoleon Bonaparte? To answer these questions, the correspondent of the “History.RF” portal met with the historian, leading specialist in Russian military history of the second half of the 19th century, Stanislav Sergeevich Yudin, and learned these and other interesting details from the life and service of the legendary “White General”.

It was not possible to become a civilian

Before you start talking about the famous exploits and campaigns of M.D. Skobelev, tell us about his family and early years, how did the formation of the future great commander take place?

If we start talking about the youth and family of the future hero of Plevna, then until the 70s of the 19th century, having heard the name Skobelev, everyone would have thought first of all about his grandfather. Major General Ivan Nikitich Skobelev was very famous in St. Petersburg at that time. He began his service as a simple soldier, was able to rise to the rank of officer, and became a major general. For numerous services he was appointed commandant of the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Ivan Nikitich from a nobleman turned into a famous and honored person, which gave him the opportunity to marry his children to representatives of the most famous Russian families of that time, such as the Adlerbergs or the Sheremetevs. The capital accumulated by him and multiplied by his son Dmitry gave young Mikhail excellent starting positions, money and connections that will help him more than once in the future.

Alleged portrait of I.N. Skobeleva

- Tell us, what was Mikhail Dmitrievich’s path to military service?

Skobelev’s path to military service is very interesting and very different from the then accepted traditions of educating future officers. The standard route was from the cadet corps through the guard and beyond. But young Mikhail received exclusively civilian education; Moreover, he goes to an elite boarding school in France with the teacher Desiderius Gerard, who became his close friend. He receives an aristocratic education in the suburbs of Paris and adopts secular manners. I believe that many outstanding Russian military leaders of that time, for example Dragomirov, went this way: bypassing the cadet corps, instead of a “standardized” military education, they received a broad-mindedness and a diverse perception of life, knowledge of several languages, and were not accustomed to drill. Returning to Russia, Skobelev enters Moscow University, but does not study there for long, as it is closed due to student unrest. Only after this, at the age of 18, he puts on a military uniform, enlisting in the Cavalry Regiment.

Dashing hussar, singer of victories and baionnette intelligente

How were his first years in military service?

His youth was a hussar and reckless, he is often transferred from regiment to regiment, but with all his might he is looking for an opportunity to get to where it is “hot”; Garrison service weighs heavily on the young officer. So he ends up in Poland, where there was an uprising. There he takes part in battle for the first time and receives the first Order of St. Anne, 3rd degree. But his relationship with his subordinates, and even with his superiors, does not work out; at that time he behaves, as they say now, like a representative of the golden youth.

It’s amazing to look at such a famous commander and see him as a real, living person with his own characteristics. When, in your opinion, does he begin to reach his traditional position in Russian military history?

In 1866, he entered the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, but even there he studied somehow. For a long time after Skobelev graduated from the academy, there was a joke about him about how during class, instead of a map of the area, he drew an image of a woman. Many subsequent generations of listeners could see his “work.” However, at the academy he meets the already famous military theorist M.I. Dragomirov, and over time their relationship develops from the “teacher-student” category into friendship. Dragomirov becomes Skobelev's senior comrade and will still play an important role in his fate.

Lieutenant M.D. Skobelev

At the same time, young Skobelev came to his views on military affairs. Sergei Dmitrievich Sheremetev recalls that once, among young officers, one prominent hussar began to preach the then fashionable idea baionnette intelligente, literally - “intelligent bayonet”. Its essence is that a soldier must be independent, educated and smart. The military affairs of those years were actively changing, and the loose formation that replaced the closed columns required soldiers and non-commissioned officers to have greater independence and education for successful actions.

- It doesn’t seem like a simple hussar slayer could think like that...

Yes you are right. As for his personality, it can be noted that Skobelev was a very smart and well-read person, he knew eight languages. He was no stranger to mental work; during the Ahal-Tekin expedition, he subscribed to magazines, including those in foreign languages, and read about science and literature. Knowledge of languages ​​gave him access to the then not very actively translated works of Western military theorists, primarily leading French and German military thinkers. It was not for nothing that he was called “Suvorov’s equal”; many believed that he had a familiar attitude towards the soldiers. For example, his famous military councils, to which he involved non-commissioned officers, which was not accepted. He believed that every soldier should know his task, and in the event of the death of officers, which often happened in war, the non-commissioned officer should be able to lead the company.

Intelligence officer, diplomat and governor

Finally, he begins his military career... What interesting can be said about this period of Mikhail Dmitrievich’s life?

One of the little-known episodes of his career is his participation as an observer in the Carlist wars in Spain. He learns about the outbreak of hostilities while on vacation in France, and goes to war as a private citizen. Unfortunately, there are almost no sources about this period of his life, but, undoubtedly, this war, which was largely partisan and mountainous, gave him a wealth of experience that was useful in the Turkestan campaigns.

- Is this the beginning of the period of his Turkestan campaigns?

Yes, in the early 70s he ends up in Turkestan, where, under the leadership of Governor General K.P. Kaufman, he begins to move up the career ladder. Kaufman was more of an administrator than a military man; undoubtedly, he had a talent for finding outstanding people and promoting them through the ranks. He saw talent in Skobelev, and he, in turn, begins to take his military career seriously and actively learns from Kaufman the features of managing a military administration.

N.N. Karazin. Crossing of the Turkestan detachment at Sheikh-aryk

It is necessary to say a few words about Turkestan. What made this theater of war special was not so much the war itself as the climate and logistics. Finding water, supplies, setting up a camp properly, feeding pack animals and making a multi-kilometer journey - all these features, perfectly mastered by Skobelev, will make him stand out in the future. Skobelev, who had the image of a grunt, was not at all alien to thoughtful military planning.

However, here, for one of the reconnaissance missions at the head of only ten horsemen, he receives his first St. George Cross; Having met the enemy in hand-to-hand combat, he received at least seven wounds and killed several opponents.

Then he performs a largely diplomatic mission. During the Kokand campaigns, he receives the task of taking out Khan Khudoyar, whom the local population did not really like, and therefore rebelled. Skobelev brilliantly performs this delicate work and, avoiding any conflicts, takes him out under the protection of Russian troops. The pinnacle of his career in Turkestan was the position of military governor of the Fergana region, in which he proved himself as an administrator, having learned a lot from Kaufman. His evolution from military intelligence officer to diplomat, and then to administrator, is very interesting.

"White General"

We see how Mikhail Dmitrievich has changed. Probably, it is at this moment that he becomes the same Skobelev whom we are accustomed to seeing in images and monuments?

Here the first mystery in his fate arises. When he takes the post of Fergana governor, they begin to intrigue against him. Unfortunately, now we cannot find out from whom the denunciations against Skobelev came, but the fact is that this news reached the emperor himself. It is unknown how this situation would have turned out had it not been for the outbreak of the Russian-Turkish War. Skobelev, using his connections, by hook or by crook, seeks a transfer to the active army.

At this time, the first major operation was being prepared - the crossing of the Danube. He goes to his old comrade Dragomirov. It is interesting that, being a major general, he became an orderly to a major general. At the same time, he actually goes “AWOL”. The operation is successful, and Dragomirov writes a report where he highly praises Skobelev; despite this, Mikhail Dmitrievich is still put under arrest, and then the first conversations appear about his personal courage and military leadership talent.

N. D. Dmitriev-Orenburgsky. General M.D. Skobelev on horseback

- How does the war develop for him after this event?

Dragomirov contributes in every possible way to the promotion of the young general, and Skobelev is finally given his own detachment, with which he participates in the second assault on Plevna. It acts actively, but the general assault fails. After this, he receives his first independent task of taking Lovchi, a place near Plevna. Then the understanding comes that the war will not be easy. He copes with the task brilliantly, and against the backdrop of the general negative sentiment, this looks like a great achievement.

During the third assault on Plevna, he receives command of the left flank of the group of Russian troops. In total, Russian troops take four redoubts, two of which are occupied by Skobelev’s troops - an excellent result considering his modest forces. Here the famous story happened with Major Gortalov, who remained to cover the withdrawal of Skobelev’s units with volunteers, who all died in hand-to-hand combat with the Turks. Skobelev himself recalled that before this battle he was young, but after that he became an old man. After this, Plevna was taken during a long siege only on November 30. During the battles for the Green Mountains, near Plevna, Skobelev was wounded.

In the events after the capture of Plevna, Skobelev plays a significant role. Tell us more about what kind of commander he became during the second period of the Russian-Turkish War?

After the capture of the city, there were strong sentiments to arrange the troops for winter quarters and wait for warmth, but Skobelev ardently insisted on crossing the Balkans during the winter. He was able to insist on this decision, and the troops moved to the passes. At the same time, apparently, at the instigation of the Turks, who gave him the nickname “Ak-Pasha” (“White General”), both here and among the Balkan Slavs began to call him that way. The general's white horse and white uniform most likely became the reason for this nickname, which would later be inseparable from his name. At the same time, soldiers and officers who saw how he planned the campaign and took care of the personnel began to call him “Suvorov’s equal.”

- How was the transition through the Balkans and how did it end?

Skobelev's division was part of the so-called Shipkinsky detachment of General F. F. Radetsky. With fighting, Russian troops captured the Shipka Pass and prepared to attack the Turks wintering in the valley. The plan of attack on both sides met with great complications - not only because of the climate, but also because of poor communications: the requested telegraphs were not provided, and communications were carried out by orderlies. Lieutenant P.A. Dukmasov, who was an orderly under Skobelev, recalled that the delivery time for one note was 24 hours. On December 28, the assault on the fortified Turkish camp at Shipka-Sheinovo began; Russian troops entered the battle separately, enveloping the Turkish forces. There were fierce bayonet fights and stubborn fighting. But by 12 o'clock in the afternoon, Skobelev's troops, having crossed the pass, with unfurled banners and music, dealt a crushing blow, completely destroying the Turkish defense. Over 20 thousand people and 93 guns were captured, the Russians lost 5 thousand. This was a complete victory, opening the way to Constantinople.

V.V. Vereshchagin. Shipka-Sheinovo (Skobelev near Shipka)

- How did the general greet the end of the war, did he advance in his career?

Skobelev quickly advances in the ranks, but the war came down to the pursuit of the defeated Turks and a diplomatic game with England and France. Skobelev believed that war with these countries was inevitable and was a supporter of the capture of Constantinople, but this did not happen. Meanwhile, the war is coming to an end, and the “white general” with his troops is already in the vicinity of San Stefano, not far from Constantinople. After the end of the Russian-Turkish War, Alexander II relied on the people who distinguished themselves during it.

The “Great Game” in Central Asia and even greater weight in Russia

- Are we talking about the Akhal-Tekin expedition?

At that time, Russia opposed British expansion in Central Asia. This becomes Skobelev's first completely independent enterprise. He carefully prepares his campaign.

In preparation for Ahal-Teka, he purchases heliographs for communications, water desalinators, Gatling machine guns, and even builds a railroad. He carried out a swift operation, personally went to reconnaissance wells and skillfully led the troops. Taking Geok-Tepe, the main fortress of the Tekins, by storm, and sending detachments to the oases, he led the Tekins to peace.

There he is caught by the news of the death of the emperor on March 1, 1881; he experienced his death, considering himself his man and reformer. From this moment on, a period began in his life when he became actively interested in politics. By this time, Skobelev had gained such popularity that one of the witnesses of his return from Geok-Tepe to St. Petersburg wrote: “I saw Bonaparte returning from Egypt.”

In this regard, it is very interesting to learn about his social and political views. How did he see Russia under the new emperor and why did he decide to enter politics?

In the early period of the reign of Alexander III, the course that the country would take was not yet clear, but Skobelev was a supporter of the reforms of the previous emperor. This was very much felt in the War Ministry; at that time, reformer minister Milyutin left his post, and a commission was assembled within the ministry, which was supposed to determine whether to continue reforms in the military sphere or take a different course. The Russian-Turkish war ended controversially for society; Milyutin’s reformist policies were blamed for this, but Skobelev ardently supports the course of reform; by the way, they were continued. Skobelev begins to communicate with Loris-Melikov and other politicians who had a liberal reputation. One of them was Ivan Aksakov, the leader of the liberal wing of the Slavophiles, at which time Skobelev began to share Slavophile views.

On the monument to General Skobelev, which was erected by the Russian Military Historical Society, there is a quote from him: “The West is mistaken about Russia... A nation consisting of a hundred million people capable of sacrificing themselves for an idea is not so easily erased.” Apparently he shared this view during these years?

Yes, he is very sympathetic to Slavophile ideas, he believes that Russia should be a collector of Slavic lands and resist Germany, and he sees a generalized German nation, rather, within cultural borders, including Austria-Hungary.

Here it is necessary to understand who Skobelev was in the eyes of society. The Russian-Turkish War was the first war that was reflected in the periodical press; journalists were allowed to visit the troops. Information about the war penetrates into the general population, people receive more information, and Skobelev becomes, in fact, the first public figure in the history of Russia. Rumors appear about a Russian Bonaparte, which Skobelev could become, which greatly irritates the emperor. To understand these sentiments, one can turn to the history of France: in 1882 Skobelev will die, and in 1886 General Boulanger appears in France, for whom the fate of the new Napoleon was predicted.

How active was Skobelev in his political activities, what did he manage to do significant in this field?

On the first anniversary of the capture of Geok-Tepe, in January 1882, he makes a political speech, where he talks about the negative influence of the Germans in Russia, meaning “internal Germans,” which causes a scandal. He is compared with Ermolov, who asked to be promoted to the Germans, but he is an adjutant general, a person with such a position could not allow himself such statements. He is persistently asked to take a vacation, and he goes to France, where he gives a similar speech, but in a freer manner, to Slavic students, which created an even greater scandal. Upon returning to Russia, his mysterious death occurs.

M.D. Skobelev

Death and memory of the general on a white horse

I am not inclined to think so; there are no sources confirming the version of the assassination attempt, and the rumors are not confirmed by anything. On the contrary, his attending physician O.F. Geifelder said that Skobelev’s death was not a surprise for him. He observed him for a long time and noted serious heart problems with the general. The numerous wounds he received in the wars and his hussar lifestyle, which cannot be called healthy, also affected him. B O He spent most of his time hiking, which also undermined his health. He was diagnosed with paralysis of the heart and lungs, this is the official version of his death. Of course, there were some rumors in connection with his political position, but I am not inclined to believe that he was killed or poisoned. It was really difficult for society to believe that a folk hero in his early forties died so trivially, but we have no other information.

Separately, I would like to mention the activities of the Russian Military Historical Society to perpetuate the memory of the outstanding commander General Skobelev. It was RVIO that initiated and created the monument to Skobelev, the only one in Moscow. I would like to note that previously in Moscow, opposite the house of the Governor General, now the city hall, there was a wonderful monument to Mikhail Dmitrievich, which, unfortunately, was demolished during the Soviet period. Therefore, one should be grateful to the Russian Military Military Society for caring about the memory and legacy of undeservedly forgotten brilliant commanders.

On the eve of the 175th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian commander, ceremonial events were held at the monument to M.D. Skobelev, which was erected by the Russian Military Historical Society near the building of the Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Moscow ( ). Leaders and students of the General Staff Academy, representatives of the Russian Military Military Society, Bulgarian and Romanian delegations, representatives of city authorities, as well as students of cadet classes of Moscow schools arrived to honor the memory of the general.

Opening of a memorial to General M.D. Skobelev in Moscow. December 9, 2014

(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 is the opposite... 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 “little little 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. Dejection 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, Aleksandro-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 Aleksandro-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.

Skobelev

Mikhail Dmitrievich

Battles and victories

SKOBELEV MIKHAIL DMITRIEVICH (1843-1882) - an outstanding Russian military leader and strategist, a man of enormous personal courage, infantry general (1881), adjutant general (1878). Participant in the Central Asian conquests of the Russian Empire and the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, liberator of Bulgaria. He went down in history with the nickname “white general” (Turkish Ak-Pasha), which is always associated primarily with him, and not only because he participated in battles in a white uniform and on a white horse.

Why was he called the “white general”?

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.” (V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko “Skobelev”).

Early biography and military education

A hereditary military man, he was born in St. Petersburg on September 17, 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.
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.

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. 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.

Russian-Turkish War 1877-1878

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.

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.

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.

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.

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! It was impossible to sit down or lie down with such a burden, and even in battle it hindered movement. 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.

N.D. Dmitriev-Orenburgsky. General M.D. Skobelev on horseback. 1883
Irkutsk Regional Art Museum named after. P.V. Sukacheva

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.

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, talking about Constantinople, that we were fruitlessly wasting time and the results of an entire war, 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.

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.

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

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

Literature

Soviet military encyclopedia. T. 7. M., 1973

History of Russian military strategy. M., 2000

Gubanov E. A. Our Russian miracle heroes and heroes: A. V. Suvorov, M. I. Kutuzov and M. D. Skobelev. M., 1897

Sokolov A. A. White general, Russian folk hero Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev. St. Petersburg, 1888

Internet

Surzhik Dmitry Viktorovich, researcher at the Institute of General History of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich

Russian admiral who gave his life for the liberation of the Fatherland.
Oceanographer, one of the largest polar explorers of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, military and political figure, naval commander, full member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, leader of the White movement, Supreme Ruler of Russia.

Romodanovsky Grigory Grigorievich

There are no outstanding military figures on the project from the period from the Time of Troubles to the Northern War, although there were some. An example of this is G.G. Romodanovsky.
He came from a family of Starodub princes.
Participant of the sovereign's campaign against Smolensk in 1654. In September 1655, together with the Ukrainian Cossacks, he defeated the Poles near Gorodok (near Lvov), and in November of the same year he fought in the battle of Ozernaya. In 1656 he received the rank of okolnichy and headed the Belgorod rank. In 1658 and 1659 participated in hostilities against the traitor Hetman Vyhovsky and the Crimean Tatars, besieged Varva and fought near Konotop (Romodanovsky’s troops withstood a heavy battle at the crossing of the Kukolka River). In 1664, he played a decisive role in repelling the invasion of the Polish king’s 70 thousand army into Left Bank Ukraine, inflicting a number of sensitive blows on it. In 1665 he was made a boyar. In 1670 he acted against the Razins - he defeated the detachment of the chieftain's brother, Frol. The crowning achievement of Romodanovsky's military activity was the war with the Ottoman Empire. In 1677 and 1678 troops under his leadership inflicted heavy defeats on the Ottomans. An interesting point: both main figures in the Battle of Vienna in 1683 were defeated by G.G. Romodanovsky: Sobieski with his king in 1664 and Kara Mustafa in 1678
The prince died on May 15, 1682 during the Streltsy uprising in Moscow.

Brusilov Alexey Alekseevich

In World War I, commander of the 8th Army in the Battle of Galicia. On August 15-16, 1914, during the Rohatyn battles, he defeated the 2nd Austro-Hungarian Army, capturing 20 thousand people. and 70 guns. On August 20, Galich was captured. The 8th Army takes an active part in the battles at Rava-Russkaya and in the Battle of Gorodok. In September he commanded a group of troops from the 8th and 3rd armies. From September 28 to October 11, his army withstood a counterattack by the 2nd and 3rd Austro-Hungarian armies in battles on the San River and near the city of Stryi. During the successfully completed battles, 15 thousand enemy soldiers were captured, and at the end of October his army entered the foothills of the Carpathians.

Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich

Because he inspires many by personal example.

Khvorostinin Dmitry Ivanovich

A commander who had no defeats...

Yulaev Salavat

Commander of the Pugachev era (1773-1775). Together with Pugachev, he organized an uprising and tried to change the position of the peasants in society. He won several victories over the troops of Catherine II.

Svyatoslav Igorevich

I would like to propose the “candidacies” of Svyatoslav and his father, Igor, as the greatest commanders and political leaders of their time, I think that there is no point in listing to historians their services to the fatherland, I was unpleasantly surprised not to see their names on this list. Sincerely.

Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich

Commander-in-Chief during the Patriotic War of 1812. One of the most famous and beloved military heroes by the people!

Udatny Mstislav Mstislavovich

A real knight, recognized as a great commander in Europe

Kovpak Sidor Artemyevich

Participant of the First World War (served in the 186th Aslanduz Infantry Regiment) and the Civil War. During the First World War, he fought on the Southwestern Front and took part in the Brusilov breakthrough. In April 1915, as part of the guard of honor, he was personally awarded the St. George Cross by Nicholas II. In total, he was awarded the St. George Crosses of III and IV degrees and medals “For Bravery” (“St. George” medals) of III and IV degrees.

During the Civil War, he led a local partisan detachment that fought in Ukraine against the German occupiers together with the detachments of A. Ya. Parkhomenko, then he was a fighter in the 25th Chapaev Division on the Eastern Front, where he was engaged in the disarmament of the Cossacks, and participated in battles with the armies of generals A. I. Denikin and Wrangel on the Southern Front.

In 1941-1942, Kovpak's unit carried out raids behind enemy lines in the Sumy, Kursk, Oryol and Bryansk regions, in 1942-1943 - a raid from the Bryansk forests to Right Bank Ukraine in the Gomel, Pinsk, Volyn, Rivne, Zhitomir and Kiev regions; in 1943 - Carpathian raid. The Sumy partisan unit under the command of Kovpak fought through the rear of the Nazi troops for more than 10 thousand kilometers, defeating enemy garrisons in 39 settlements. Kovpak's raids played a big role in the development of the partisan movement against the German occupiers.

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union:
By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 18, 1942, for the exemplary performance of combat missions behind enemy lines, the courage and heroism shown during their implementation, Kovpak Sidor Artemyevich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 708)
The second Gold Star medal (No.) was awarded to Major General Sidor Artemyevich Kovpak by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated January 4, 1944 for the successful conduct of the Carpathian raid
four Orders of Lenin (18.5.1942, 4.1.1944, 23.1.1948, 25.5.1967)
Order of the Red Banner (12/24/1942)
Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, 1st degree. (7.8.1944)
Order of Suvorov, 1st degree (2.5.1945)
medals
foreign orders and medals (Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia)

Antonov Alexey Inokentevich

Chief strategist of the USSR in 1943-45, practically unknown to society
"Kutuzov" World War II

Humble and committed. Victorious. Author of all operations since the spring of 1943 and the victory itself. Others gained fame - Stalin and the front commanders.

Dovator Lev Mikhailovich

Soviet military leader, major general, Hero of the Soviet Union. Known for successful operations to destroy German troops during the Great Patriotic War. The German command placed a large reward on Dovator's head.
Together with the 8th Guards Division named after Major General I.V. Panfilov, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade of General M.E. Katukov and other troops of the 16th Army, his corps defended the approaches to Moscow in the Volokolamsk direction.

Kornilov Vladimir Alekseevich

During the outbreak of the war with England and France, he actually commanded the Black Sea Fleet, and until his heroic death he was the immediate superior of P.S. Nakhimov and V.I. Istomina. After the landing of the Anglo-French troops in Yevpatoria and the defeat of the Russian troops on Alma, Kornilov received an order from the commander-in-chief in the Crimea, Prince Menshikov, to sink the ships of the fleet in the roadstead in order to use sailors for the defense of Sevastopol from land.

Rokhlin Lev Yakovlevich

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

Rurik Svyatoslav Igorevich

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

Vatutin Nikolay Fedorovich

Operations "Uranus", "Little Saturn", "Leap", etc. and so on.
A true war worker

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

Commander-in-Chief of the Red Army, which repelled the attack of Nazi Germany, liberated Europe, author of many operations, including “Ten Stalinist Strikes” (1944)

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich

He is a great commander who did not lose a single (!) battle, the founder of Russian military affairs, and fought battles with genius, regardless of their conditions.

Paskevich Ivan Fedorovich

The armies under his command defeated Persia in the war of 1826-1828 and completely defeated Turkish troops in Transcaucasia in the war of 1828-1829.

Awarded all 4 degrees of the Order of St. George and the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called with diamonds.

Saltykov Pyotr Semyonovich

The largest successes of the Russian army in the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763 are associated with his name. Winner in the battles of Palzig,
In the Battle of Kunersdorf, defeating the Prussian king Frederick II the Great, Berlin was taken by the troops of Totleben and Chernyshev.

Joseph Vladimirovich Gurko (1828-1901)

General, hero of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. The Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, which marked the liberation of the Balkan peoples from centuries-old Ottoman rule, brought forward a number of talented military leaders. Among them should be named M.D. Skobeleva, M.I. Dragomirova, N.G. Stoletova, F.F. Radetsky, P.P. Kartseva and others. Among these illustrious names there is one more - Joseph Vladimirovich Gurko, whose name is associated with the victory at Plevna, the heroic transition through the winter Balkans and victories along the banks of the Maritsa River.

Dovmont, Prince of Pskov

On the famous Novgorod monument to the “Millennium of Russia” he stands in the “military people and heroes” section.
Dovmont, Prince of Pskov, lived in the 13th century (died in 1299).
He came from a family of Lithuanian princes. After the murder of the Lithuanian prince Mindaugas, he fled to Pskov, where he was baptized under the name Timothy, after which the Pskovites elected him as their prince.
Soon Dovmont showed the qualities of a brilliant commander. In 1266, he completely defeated the Lithuanians on the banks of the Dvina.
Dovmont took part in the famous Rakovor battle with the crusaders (1268), where he commanded the Pskov regiments as part of the united Russian army. When the Livonian knights besieged Pskov, Dovmont, with the help of the Novgorodians who arrived in time, managed to defend the city, and the Grand Master, wounded in a duel by Dovmont himself, was forced to make peace.
To protect against attacks, Dovmont fortified Pskov with a new stone wall, which until the 16th century was called Dovmontova.
In 1299, the Livonian knights unexpectedly invaded the Pskov land and devastated it, but were again defeated by Dovmont, who soon fell ill and died.
None of the Pskov princes enjoyed such love among the Pskovites as Dovmont.
The Russian Orthodox Church canonized him in the 16th century after Batory's invasion on the occasion of a miraculous phenomenon. The local memory of Dovmont is celebrated on May 25. His body was buried in the Trinity Cathedral in Pskov, where his sword and clothes were kept at the beginning of the 20th century.