“Raevsky, the glory of our days,

Praise! In front of the rows

He is the first chest against swords

With brave sons!

V. A. Zhukovsky, “Singer in the camp of Russian warriors” (1812)

On September 14 (25), 1771, Nikolai Nikolaevich Raevsky, Russian commander, hero, was born in St. Petersburg Patriotic War 1812, general of cavalry (1813), member (1826); cousin Lieutenant General

Raevsky came from an old noble family, and, according to the custom of those years, at the age of three he was enrolled in military service in the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment. In 1786, he received the rank of ensign and began active military service in the army of Field Marshal G. A. Potemkin. During his service, Raevsky took part in the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1791. and the Polish campaign of 1792, at the same time he received the rank of colonel, having earned his first military awards - Order of St. George 4th degree and Order of St. Vladimir 4th degree. Since 1794, Raevsky became the commander of the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment, which participated in military operations in the Caucasus.

During the reign of Emperor Paul I, Raevsky was dismissed. Under Alexander I, he was offered to re-enter the service with the rank of major general, but he refused this. In 1807, Raevsky again put on a military uniform and distinguished himself, commanding a Jaeger brigade in the vanguard under the command of Prince P. I. Bagration. In 1808, he was promoted to lieutenant general, and successfully commanded various divisions in the Russian-Swedish war of 1808-1809. and in the Balkan theater of operations with the Turks. Before the beginning Patriotic War of 1812 he was appointed commander of the 7th Infantry Corps, which was part of the 2nd Western Army.

In 1812, Raevsky, commanding the 26th division in Bagration’s army, delayed the advance of the French troops. Near Smolensk, the general defended the city for 24 hours against superior enemy forces. During Battle of Borodino Raevsky with his corps stood on the right flank of the left wing of the Russian army, against which almost all the French forces were directed. The brilliant defense of the redoubt, which later received his name, gave the Russian commander lasting glory. Near Maloyaroslavets he, together with General D.S. Dokhturov, successfully defended the Kaluga road, and in battle near the village Red contributed greatly to the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte's army.

In foreign campaigns of 1813-14. Raevsky commanded the grenadier corps, was wounded in the Battle of Leipzig, and then was promoted to the rank of cavalry general, ending his military career under the walls of Paris. After the end of hostilities, the general commanded the 4th Infantry Corps.

In the fall of 1824, Raevsky, at his own request, was sent on leave “until the illness was cured.” The next year became the saddest in the general's life. First, his mother, Ekaterina Nikolaevna, died, and in December, after uprising on Senate Square, three people close to him were arrested at once: brother Vasily Lvovich and the husbands of his daughters - M.F. Orlov and S.G. Volkonsky. All of them were expelled from the capital. To the investigation in the Decembrist case Raevsky's sons, Alexander and Nikolai, were also brought in and found innocent. At the end of 1826, the commander said goodbye forever to his daughter Maria, who had gone to Siberia to join her exiled husband.

Nikolai Nikolaevich Raevsky died on September 16 (28), 1829 in the village. Boltyshka of the Chigirinsky district of the Kyiv province and was buried in the family tomb in the village. Razumovka. On his tombstone are inscribed the words: “He was a shield in Smolensk, a sword of Russia in Paris.”

“Letters” of General Raevsky, written by him to his uncle Count A. N. Samoilov, are a valuable source on the history of the Patriotic War of 1812. In addition to biographical information about the author, the “Letters” contain many interesting details about the battles in which he himself participated commander

Lit.: Borisevich A. T. Cavalry General Nikolai Nikolaevich Raevsky (historical and biographical sketch). St. Petersburg, 1912; Epanchin Yu. L. Nikolai Nikolaevich Raevsky (1771-1829). Life. Activity. Personality: dis. … To. And. n. Samara, 1996; IvanovI. Hero of the Patriotic War 1812year: (To the 200th anniversary of the birth of Gen. N. N. Raevsky) // Military historical magazine. 1971. No. 9; From the notes of N. N. Raevsky // Smena. M., 1987. No. 17; From letters from N.N. Raevsky period of the Patriotic War of 1812 G. // Siberian lights. 1958. No. 7; Orlov N. M. N. N. Raevsky. 1812 // Russian antiquity. 1874. No. 4; Pochko N.A. General N.N. Raevsky. M., 1971; Smirnov A.A. Raevsky Nikolai Nikolaevich// Russian generals in the wars with Napoleonic France in 1812-1815gg. [Electronic resource] // Internet project “1812” year". 1996-2018. URL: http://www. museum. ru/ museum/1812/ Persons/ dictionary/ sl_ r02. html; Shenkman G. S. General Raevsky and his family. St. Petersburg, 2003.

See also in the Presidential Library:

Davydov D.V. Comments on the obituary of N.N. Raevsky, published under the Invalid in 1829, with the addition of his own notes on some events of the War of 1812, in which he participated. M., 1832 ;

Orlov M. F. Necrology of cavalry general N. N. Raevsky. [SPb., 1829] ;

Prokudin-Gorsky S. M. Monument at the Raevsky redoubt. Near Mozhaisk. Borodino. 1911 ;

Raevsky Nikolai Nikolaevich // Encyclopedic Dictionary / Ed. prof. I. E. Andreevsky. T. 26. St. Petersburg, 1899. P. 105 .

Russian commander, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, cavalry general

Nikolai Raevsky

short biography

Nikolai Nikolaevich Raevsky(1771-1829) - Russian commander, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, cavalry general (1813). During thirty years of impeccable service, he participated in many of the largest battles of the era. After his feat at Saltanovka, he became one of the most popular generals in the Russian army. The fight for the Raevsky battery was one of the key episodes of the Battle of Borodino. Participant in the “Battle of the Nations” and the capture of Paris. Member of the State Council. He was closely acquainted with many Decembrists. A. S. Pushkin was proud of his friendship with Raevsky. Half-brother of Peter, Vasily and Alexander Davydov; cousin of Denis Davydov.

Origin. Upbringing

The Raevskys are an old noble family of Polish origin, whose representatives have served the Russian sovereigns since the time of Vasily III. The Raevskys were stewards and governors. Praskovya Ivanovna Raevskaya was the grandmother of Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, the mother of Peter I. Nikolai Nikolaevich’s grandfather, Semyon Artemyevich Raevsky, at the age of 19 participated in the Battle of Poltava. Later he served as a prosecutor in the Holy Synod and was a governor in Kursk. He retired with the rank of brigadier.

Father, Nikolai Semyonovich, served in the Izmailovsky Guards Regiment. In 1769, he married Ekaterina Nikolaevna Samoilova, and soon their first child, Alexander, was born. In 1770, the young colonel voluntarily went into the active army for the Russian-Turkish War. During the capture of Zhurzhi, he was wounded and died in Iasi in April 1771, several months before the birth of his second son.

Nikolai Nikolaevich was born on September 14 (25), 1771 in St. Petersburg. The death of her husband had a serious impact on Ekaterina Nikolaevna’s condition, which in turn affected the child’s health: little Nikolushka was a sickly boy. Some time later, Ekaterina Nikolaevna married General Lev Denisovich Davydov. From this marriage she had three more sons and a daughter.

Nikolai grew up primarily in the family of his maternal grandfather Nikolai Borisovich Samoilov, where he received a home upbringing and education in the French spirit (Russian and French languages he was equally good at it). The boy's real friend, who actually replaced his father, was his mother's brother, Count Alexander Nikolaevich Samoilov, a prominent Catherine nobleman.

Start of service

In 1774, according to the custom of that time, Nicholas was enlisted early, at the age of three, for military service in the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment. He began active service on January 1, 1786, at the age of 14. The young guards ensign was assigned to the army of Field Marshal G. A. Potemkin, his maternal great-uncle. His Serene Highness instructed the ward:

First, try to test whether you are a coward; if not, then strengthen your innate courage by frequently dealing with the enemy.

In 1787, another Russian-Turkish war began. Guard Lieutenant Raevsky volunteered to join the active army, and was assigned to the Cossack detachment of Colonel V.P. Orlov with an order from Potemkin:

... be employed as a simple Cossack, and then with the rank of lieutenant of the guard.

Cossack detachments performed mainly reconnaissance and guard tasks, participating only in small skirmishes. Potemkin saw the Cossacks as natural-born warriors and believed that “Cossack science” would be a good school for his nephew. And indeed, “service in the Cossack regiment turned out to be useful for the young officer, teaching him from a young age to share with ordinary soldiers all the difficulties of camp life.”

On February 28, 1789, Raevsky was transferred as prime major to the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment. He took part in the crossing of Moldova, in the battles on the Larga and Cahul rivers, in the sieges of Akkerman and Bendery. For the courage, firmness and resourcefulness shown in this campaign, Potemkin in September 1790 entrusted his nephew with command of the Cossack Mace of the Great Hetman Regiment. On December 24, 1790, during the assault on Izmail, his elder brother Alexander Nikolaevich died heroically. Now Nicholas had to single-handedly defend the honor of his glorious ancestors. He returned from the Turkish war as a 19-year-old lieutenant colonel.

On January 31, 1792, Raevsky received the rank of colonel and, participating in the Polish campaign, earned his first military awards - the Order of St. George, 4th degree and the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree.

N. N. Raevsky - commander of the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment. 1790s

Caucasus

In 1794, Raevsky took command of the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment, whose glorious military traditions he noted. The regiment was stationed in the southern fortress of Georgievsk. This was a period of temporary calm in the Caucasus, and soon Raevsky, taking leave, left for St. Petersburg for his upcoming marriage to Sofya Alekseevna Konstantinova. In the summer of 1795, the newlyweds returned to Georgievsk, where their first son was born.

By this time, the situation in the Caucasus had become tense. The Persian army invaded Georgian territory, and, fulfilling its obligations under the Treaty of Georgievsk, the Russian government declared war on Persia. In March 1796, the Nizhny Novgorod regiment, as part of the corps of V. A. Zubov, set off on a 16-month campaign to Derbent. In May, after ten days of siege, Derbent was taken. Raevsky's regiment was responsible for protecting communications and the movement of the provision store. Together with the main forces, he reached the Kura River. In difficult mountain conditions, Raevsky showed his best qualities: “The 23-year-old commander managed to maintain complete battle order and strict military discipline during the grueling campaign.”

At the end of the year, Paul I, who ascended the throne, gave the order to end the war. The troops had to return to Russia. At the same time, many of Catherine’s military leaders were removed from command. On May 10, 1797, by imperial command, N.N. Raevsky was also expelled from service without specifying any reason. Such a brilliantly started career was suddenly interrupted.

Throughout Paul's reign, the retired colonel lived in the provinces. He was engaged in the arrangement of his mother’s vast estates, read military literature, and analyzed past wars. Only on March 15, 1801, with the accession of Alexander I, Raevsky returned to the army: the new emperor granted him the rank of major general. However, just six months later, on December 19, Nikolai Nikolaevich left the service again, this time for at will, returning to rural solitude and joys family life. At the turn of the century, his wife gave him a second son and five daughters.

Wars of the beginning of the century

In 1806, another anti-French coalition formed. Dissatisfied with Napoleon's actions in Germany, Prussia began a war with France. The Prussians soon suffered several crushing defeats, and on October 27, 1806, the French occupied Berlin. Fulfilling allied obligations, Russia sent its army to East Prussia. Since December, the Russian army fought stubborn defensive battles. Napoleon, who initially had an almost twofold numerical superiority, failed to realize it. The war dragged on.

In February 1807, General Raevsky submitted a request to enlist in the active army. He was appointed commander of the Jaeger brigade, which was tasked with covering the vanguard of General P.I. Bagration, a close friend of Raevsky. Nikolai Nikolaevich successfully completed the task.

In June, Raevsky participated in all the major battles of this period, almost continuously going on one after another: June 5 - at Guttstadt, June 6 - at Ankendorf, June 7-8 at Deppen, June 9 again at Guttstadt. The first battle near Gutstadt was especially important for Raevsky. After ten years outside the army, he again proved himself to be a brave and skillful military leader. “Operating with three chasseur regiments on the enemy’s left flank, where the main events took place, Raevsky broke the stubborn resistance of the French... and forced them to continue their retreat.” On June 10, at the Battle of Heilsberg, he was wounded by a bullet in the knee, but remained in service. On June 14, in the battle of Friedland, he commanded all the ranger regiments, and during the army’s retreat to Tilsit, he led the entire rearguard. For participation in these military operations, Raevsky was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd degree, and St. Anna, 1st degree.

The Peace of Tilsit was soon concluded, ending the war with France, but almost immediately new wars began: with Sweden (1808-1809) and Turkey (1810-1812). Raevsky took part in both. For distinction in battles with the Swedes in Finland (the battle of Kumo, the occupation of Bjorneborg, Normark, Kristinestad, Vaasa), Raevsky was promoted to lieutenant general on April 12, 1808. Since April 14, 1808, commander of the 21st Infantry Division, since 1809 - the 11th Infantry Division. Fighting on the banks of the Danube against the Turks as part of the army of N.M. Kamensky, Raevsky especially distinguished himself during the capture of the Silistria fortress. Its siege began on May 23, 1810. Raevsky and his corps at night, under the cover of darkness, pulled up Russian batteries to the fortress walls. The next day, an energetic shelling of the city was launched. On May 30, the fortress surrendered. For his participation in this operation, Raevsky was awarded a sword with diamonds. On March 31, 1811, Raevsky was entrusted with the formation of the 26th Infantry Division.

Patriotic War of 1812

Raevsky with his sons in 1812. Engraving by S. Cardelli

On the night of June 24, 1812, Napoleon’s “Great Army” invaded Russian territory. Raevsky at this time headed the 7th Infantry Corps of the 2nd Western Army of General P.I. Bagration. From near Grodno, Bagration's 45,000-strong army began to retreat to the east for subsequent connection with the army of M. B. Barclay de Tolly. In order to prevent the connection of the two Russian armies, Napoleon sent the 50,000-strong corps of the “Iron Marshal” Davout to cross Bagration. On July 21, Davout occupied the city of Mogilev on the Dnieper. Thus, the enemy got ahead of Bagration and found himself northeast of the 2nd Russian Army. Both sides did not have accurate information about the enemy’s forces, and Bagration, approaching the Dnieper 60 km south of Mogilev, equipped Raevsky’s corps to try to push the French away from the city and take a direct road to Vitebsk, where, according to plans, the Russian armies were supposed to unite.

Saltanovka

The feat of Raevsky's soldiers near Saltanovka.
N. S. Samokish, 1812

On the morning of July 23, a fierce battle began near the village of Saltanovka (11 km down the Dnieper from Mogilev). Raevsky's corps fought for ten hours with five divisions of Davout's corps. The battle went on with varying degrees of success. At a critical moment, Raevsky personally led the Smolensk regiment into the attack with the words:

Soldiers! My children and I will open the path to glory for you! Forward for the Tsar and the Fatherland!

Raevsky himself was wounded in the chest by buckshot, but his heroic behavior brought the soldiers out of confusion, and they, rushing forward, put the enemy to flight. According to legend, his sons were walking next to Nikolai Nikolaevich at that moment: 17-year-old Alexander and 11-year-old Nikolai.

At the moment of the decisive attack on the French batteries, he took them with him at the head of the column of the Smolensk regiment, and he led the smaller one, Nicholas, by the hand, and Alexander, grabbing the banner that lay next to our ensign killed in one of the previous attacks, carried it in front of the troops. The heroic example of the commander and his children inspired the troops to the point of frenzy.

N. M. Orlov.

However, Raevsky himself later objected that although his sons were with him that morning, they did not go on the attack. However, after the battle of Saltanovka, the name of Raevsky became known to the entire army. He became one of the most beloved generals by soldiers and all the people.

On this day, Raevsky, having withstood a fierce battle, managed to withdraw the corps from the battle completely combat-ready. By evening, Davout, believing that Bagration's main forces would soon arrive, ordered the battle to be postponed until next day. And Bagration, meanwhile, with his army successfully crossed the Dnieper south of Mogilev at Novy Bykhov and quickly marched towards Smolensk to join Barclay’s army. Davout found out about this only a day later. Napoleon was enraged by the news of the rescue of Bagration's army from seemingly inevitable defeat.

Smolensk

The stubborn rearguard battles that the Russian armies waged throughout the first month of the war allowed them to unite near Smolensk. On August 7, at the military council, it was decided to take offensive action. On August 7, both armies moved to Rudnya, where Murat’s cavalry was located.

Battle for Smolensk. A. Adam

However, Napoleon, taking advantage of the slow advance of the Russian army, decided to go behind Barclay's rear, bypassing his left flank from the south, for which he crossed the Dnieper west of Smolensk. Here, on the path of the vanguard of the French army, the 27th Infantry Division of General D. P. Neverovsky found itself, covering the left flank of the Russian army. Napoleon sent Murat's 20,000-strong cavalry against the 8,000-strong Russian division. The stubborn resistance put up by Neverovsky's division near Krasnoye delayed the French offensive on Smolensk for a whole day, and gave time to transfer General Raevsky's corps to the city.

On August 15, 180 thousand French approached Smolensk. Raevsky had no more than 15 thousand at his disposal; his situation was extremely difficult. He had to hold the city for at least one day until the main forces arrived. At night, at the military council, it was decided to concentrate the main forces inside the old Smolensk fortress, but also organize defense in the outskirts. Nikolai Nikolaevich left the city, mapping out the location of the troops. It was assumed that the enemy would deliver the main blow to the Royal Bastion - the center of the entire defensive line. Raevsky entrusted his protection to the commander of the 26th Infantry Division, General I.F. Paskevich. In just a few hours, Raevsky managed to organize the defense of the city. Here his organizational skills and tactical training were fully demonstrated.

On the morning of August 16, under the cover of artillery, the French cavalry rushed to the attack. She managed to push back the Russian cavalry, but the Russian artillery, well located by Raevsky, in turn, stopped the French advance. Meanwhile, the infantry of Marshal Ney's corps went on the attack. In three powerful columns, led by the marshal himself, she rushed to the Royal Bastion. However, Paskevich's troops managed to repel the attack. By 9 am Napoleon arrived at Smolensk. He ordered powerful artillery fire to be opened on the city. A terrible barrage of fire fell on the defenders of Smolensk. Later, Ney made another attempt to storm, but it also failed. By evening, enemy fire began to subside.

If Napoleon had managed to quickly capture the city, he could, having crossed the Dnieper, strike in the rear of the scattered Russian troops and defeat them. This threat was averted thanks to the tenacity of Raevsky's soldiers. At night, both Russian armies approached Smolensk. Raevsky’s corps, exhausted by the siege, was replaced by fresh units of D. S. Dokhturov’s corps. The next day the battle continued, but Napoleon was unable to achieve his goals: neither to prevent the union of the 1st and 2nd armies, nor to defeat them near Smolensk. On August 18, Russian troops left the city, having previously blown up powder magazines and bridges.

Borodino

Disposition of forces at Borodino by the morning of September 7, 1812

On August 29, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov took command of the Russian army. On September 7, 120 km from Moscow on the Borodino field, a battle was fought under his leadership, which became the central event of the entire war.

The Borodino field was located at the junction of two roads - the old Smolenskaya and the new Smolenskaya. In the center of the Russian army, Kurgan Height rose, dominating the area. The 7th Corps of General Raevsky was entrusted with protecting it, and it went down in history as “Raevsky’s battery.”

All day before the battle, Raevsky’s soldiers built earthen fortifications on Kurgan Heights. At dawn, a battery of 18 guns was located here. At 5 o’clock in the morning on September 7, the French began shelling the left, less powerful, flank of the Russian army, where Bagration’s flushes were located. At the same time, a stubborn struggle began on Kurgan Heights. The French, concentrating forces to storm the heights, transported two infantry divisions across the Kolocha River. At 9:30 a.m., after artillery barrage, the enemy rushed to attack. And although by this time eight battalions of the 7th Corps were already fighting in flushes, Raevsky still managed to stop the French advance on the battery.

After some time, three French divisions launched an assault. The situation on the battery has become critical. In addition, a shortage of shells began to be felt. The French rushed to the heights and a fierce hand-to-hand battle ensued. The situation was saved by the soldiers of the 3rd battalion of the Ufa regiment, led by General A.P. Ermolov, who came to the rescue and drove back the French. During these two attacks, the French suffered significant losses, three generals were wounded, one was captured.

Meanwhile, the Cossack regiments of Platov and the cavalry corps of Uvarov struck the French left flank. This stopped the French attacks, and made it possible for Kutuzov to pull up reserves to the left flank and to Raevsky’s battery. Seeing the complete exhaustion of Raevsky’s corps, Kutuzov withdrew his troops to the second line. The 24th Infantry Division of P. G. Likhachev was sent to defend the battery.

Throughout the second half of the day there was a powerful artillery fire. The battery was hit by fire from 150 French guns, and enemy cavalry and infantry simultaneously rushed to storm the heights. Both sides suffered huge losses. The wounded General Likhachev was captured, the French General Auguste Caulaincourt died. Raevsky's battery received the nickname "the grave of the French cavalry" from the French. And yet the enemy’s numerical superiority had its effect: at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon the French captured the battery.

However, after the fall of the battery, there was no further advance of the French into the center of the Russian army. As darkness fell, the battle stopped. The French retreated to their original lines, leaving all the Russian positions they had occupied at the cost of huge losses, including Raevsky’s battery.

The losses of Raevsky's ten-thousandth corps, which had to withstand the blow of the first two French attacks on the battery, were enormous. According to Raevsky, after the battle he could gather “barely 700 people.” Raevsky himself, in his words, “could hardly have been on horseback only on the day of the battle,” because shortly before that he accidentally wounded his leg. However, he did not leave the battlefield and was with his soldiers all day. For the heroic defense of Kurgan Heights, Raevsky was nominated for the Order of Alexander Nevsky with the following characteristics:

How a brave and worthy general repelled the enemy with excellent courage, setting an example.

End of the war

At the military council in Fili, held on September 1 (13), Raevsky spoke in favor of leaving Moscow:

I said that... most of all it is necessary to save the troops... and that my opinion is to leave Moscow without a battle, which I say as a soldier.

M.I. Kutuzov also shared a similar opinion. On September 2 (14), the Russian army left Moscow, and on the same day it was occupied by the French.

However, a month later Napoleon was forced to leave the burned city. October 19 french army began a retreat towards Kaluga. On October 24, a major battle took place near Maloyaroslavets. The 6th Infantry Corps of General D.S. Dokhturov put up stubborn resistance to the enemy, the city changed hands several times. Napoleon brought more and more units into battle, and Kutuzov decided to send Raevsky’s corps to help Dokhturov. Reinforcements came in handy, and the enemy was driven away from the city. As a result, Maloyaroslavets remained with the Russian army. The French were unable to break through to Kaluga, and were forced to continue their retreat along the Smolensk road, which they had already destroyed. Raevsky was awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd degree, for his actions near Maloyaroslavets.

The forces of the French, rapidly retreating to the western borders of Russia, were melting every day. In November, during the three-day battle of Krasnoye, Napoleon lost about a third of his army. In this clash, Raevsky's corps actually finished off the remnants of Marshal Ney's corps, with whom he had to fight more than once during the campaign.

Soon after the battle of Krasnoye, Nikolai Nikolaevich was forced to leave the army. The constant overexertion of forces, as well as numerous shell shocks and wounds, took their toll.

Foreign trip

Raevsky returned to duty six months later, when fighting already went outside Russia. The Grenadier Corps was entrusted to his command. In May 1813, Raevsky's grenadiers showed themselves in the battles of Königswarta and Bautzen. In August, after Austria joined the anti-French coalition, Raevsky's corps was transferred to Field Marshal Schwarzenberg's Bohemian Army. As part of its composition, the corps took part in the battles of Dresden, which was unsuccessful for the allied army, and Kulm, where the French suffered a complete defeat. For Kulm, Raevsky was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st degree.

But Raevsky’s grenadier corps especially distinguished itself in the largest battle of the era - the “Battle of the Nations” near Leipzig.

In this terrible battle there was one fateful moment in which the fate of Europe and the whole world depended on the firmness of one man. Napoleon, having gathered all his cavalry, under the cover of a terrible battery, rushed towards our center. Part of it wavered and temporarily yielded to the desperate attack; but the grenadier corps under the command of Raevsky, curled up in a square, stood unshakably, and, surrounded on all sides by the enemy, reflected his efforts everywhere. This firmness gave ours time to line up and soon overthrow the French cavalry, which was forced to retreat under the fire of the unshakable grenadiers, became upset and fled.

M. F. Orlov

Raevsky himself was seriously wounded in the chest, but remained on his horse and commanded the corps until the end of the battle. For this feat, on October 8, 1813, he was promoted to cavalry general.

In the winter of 1814, having barely healed his wound, Raevsky returned to the army. He took part in the battles of Brienne, Bar-sur-Aube and Arcy-sur-Aube. Finally, on March 30, 1814, Russian troops approached Paris. Raevsky's corps attacked Belleville and, despite the stubborn resistance of the French, managed to occupy these heights, dominating the entire city. This contributed greatly to the fact that the French were forced to lay down their arms and begin negotiations. For Paris, Raevsky was awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd degree.

Last years

N. N. Raevsky. 1826

After the war, Raevsky lived in Kyiv. From February 13, 1816, he commanded the 3rd and then the 4th Infantry Corps. Politics, court positions and official honors did not attract him. According to family legend, he refused the title of count, granted to him by Alexander I.

Almost every year, Raevsky and his family traveled to the Crimea or the Caucasus. The acquaintance of the Raevsky family with A.S. Pushkin dates back to this time. The young poet became a close friend of the general and his children. The poet was associated with one of Raevsky’s daughters, Maria Nikolaevna. romantic relationship. He dedicated many of his poems to her.

On November 24, 1824, Raevsky, at his own request, was sent on leave “until the illness was cured.” 1825 became the saddest year in the general’s life. First, her dearly beloved mother, Ekaterina Nikolaevna, died, and in December, after the uprising in Senate Square, three people close to him were arrested at once: brother Vasily Lvovich and the husbands of his daughters - M.F. Orlov and S.G. Volkonsky. All of them were expelled from the capital. Raevsky’s sons, Alexander and Nikolai, were also involved in the investigation into the Decembrist case. However, suspicions were cleared from them. At the end of the next year, Nikolai Nikolaevich said goodbye forever to his beloved daughter Maria, who had gone to Siberia to join her exiled husband.

On January 26, 1826, Emperor Nicholas I, who ascended the throne, appointed Raevsky a member of the State Council.

Nikolai Nikolaevich Raevsky died on September 16 (28), 1829 in the village of Boltyshka, Chigirinsky district, Kyiv province (now in the Aleksandrovsky district of the Kirovograd region of Ukraine) at the age of 58 years. He was buried in the family tomb in the village of Razumovka (now Aleksandrovsky district, Kirovograd region of Ukraine). On his tombstone are inscribed the words:

He was a shield in Smolensk,
The sword of Russia is in Paris.

Achievement list

In service:

• January 1 (12), 1774 - enlisted as a private in the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment;
• April 30 (May 11), 1777 - sergeant;
• January 1 (12), 1786 - entered active service as an ensign;
• January 1 (12), 1788 - second lieutenant;
• January 1 (12), 1789 - lieutenant in the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment;
• January 1 (12), 1789 - released into the army as a prime major in the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment;
• September 1 (12), 1790 - appointed lieutenant colonel and commander of the Poltava Cossack regiment;
• January 31 (February 11), 1791 - colonel;
• 1794 - took command of the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment;
• May 10 (21), 1797 - expelled from service;
• March 15 (27), 1801 - re-entered into service as major general in the army;
• December 19 (31), 1801 - dismissed at request, with uniform;
• April 20 (May 2), 1807 - re-entered into army service and appointed commander of the Jaeger brigade;
• April 12 (24), 1808 - promoted to lieutenant general for distinction, with an appointment to be in His Majesty’s retinue;
• April 14 (26), 1808 - appointed divisional commander of the 21st Infantry Division;
• November 27 (December 9), 1809 - divisional commander of the 11th Infantry Division;
• March 31 (April 12), 1811 - divisional commander of the 26th Infantry Division;
• 1812 - at the beginning of World War II, he was appointed commander of the 7th Infantry Corps;
• October 8 (20), 1813 - promoted to cavalry general;
• January 26 (February 7), 1826 - appointed member of the State Council.

The trips included:

• 1788, in Moldova, as a volunteer, when the Turks surrendered the territory. Ackerman and Bender;
• 1792, June 7, in Poland, under the command of Major General Markov, he was in the battle of the village of Gorodishche, for which he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th class; On June 7, under the command of Major General Tormasov, he was in the battle near Doroust;
• 1807, under the command of Lieutenant General Prince Bagration, was in Prussia, in battles with the French: May 24 and 27, near Gutstadt; 25 - near the village of Ankendorf; 26 - under Deppen; 28 - near Heilsberg, where he was wounded in the leg by a bullet; June 2, near Friedland, where he commanded all the rangers and the advanced corps, and during the retreat all the rearguard to Tilsit; for all these deeds he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class. and St. Anne 1st century;
• 1808, after the occupation of Christinenstadt and Vasa, in Finland, he commanded the corps of Lieutenant General Tuchkov, with whom he was during the occupation of the enemy landing at Vasa and capture large number headquarters and chief officers, privates and 1 gun, as well as a Swedish adjutant; then he was in battles at the kirks: Karstula, Perho, Lappo, and on August 23, at the kirk Kuortana, from where he forced the enemy to retreat;
• 1810, in Moldova, under the command of Infantry General Kamensky, there was a siege and surrender of the city. Silistria, for which he received a gold sword with diamonds;
• 1812, July 11, near Saltanovka, near Mogilev, was in a battle with the French Marshal Davout; August 4, near Smolensk, while holding back the attack of enemy troops, under the command of the King of Neapolitan and Marshals Ney and Davout, until the return of the 1st and 2nd armies; then he was in battles: near Borodino, where he was awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky; near Maloyaroslavets, where he was awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd class; near Krasny, against Marshal Davout, where General Meriyazh was captured and 24 guns were recaptured from the enemy, and then against the Italian Viceroy and Marshal Ney;
• 1813, abroad, was in battles: near Bautzen, where he commanded the grenadier corps; near Dresden, near Teplitz, near Donau, near Kulm, he was wounded by a bullet in the chest, for which he was awarded the Austrian Order of Maria Theresa and promoted to cavalry general;
• 1814, commanding the army of Count Wittgenstein, he was in battles: near the city of Arsis, with the defeat of the enemy and the occupation of the city; near Ferchampennauz; near Paris, during the occupation of Beville, for which he was awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd class;
• 1815, commanded the 4th Corps, under the personal command of Emperor Alexander I, until the end of the campaign.

By the highest orders: November 25 (December 7), 1824, dismissed until the illness was cured; On October 10 (22), 1829, he was excluded from the lists of dead (died on September 16 (28).

Awards

• Order of St. George:
  • 2nd Art. (03/19/1814) - for distinction during the capture of Paris;
  • 3rd Art. (02/15/1813) - for distinction under Maloyaroslavets;
  • 4th Art. (06/28/1792) - for distinction at Gorodishche;
• Order of St. Vladimir:
  • 1st Art. (08/19/1813) - for distinction under Kulm;
  • 2nd Art. (01/28/1809) - for distinction in the campaign of 1808;
  • 3rd Art. (12/01/1807) - for distinction under Gutstadt and Ankendorf;
  • 4th Art. (02.09.1793) - for the expedition to Mogilev-Podolsky;
• Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (08/26/1812) - for distinction under Borodin;
• Diamond signs for the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (1814);
• Order of St. Anne 1st class. (05/20/1808) - for distinction in the battles of June 1807;
• Silver medal “In memory of the Patriotic War of 1812”;
• Golden sword “For bravery” with diamonds (1810) - for distinction during the capture of Silistria;
• Golden sword “For bravery” with diamonds (1792);
• Austrian Military Order of Maria Theresa 3rd class. (1813) - for distinction near Leipzig;
• Prussian Order of the Red Eagle 1st class. (1813)

Family

Sofya Alekseevna Raevskaya is the wife of Nikolai Nikolaevich.
V. L. Borovikovsky, 1813

Nikolai Nikolaevich Raevsky married Sofya Alekseevna Konstantinova (1769-1844) in 1794. Her parents were the librarian of Catherine II, Alexey Alekseevich Konstantinov, a Greek by nationality, and Elena Mikhailovna, the only daughter of the famous Russian scientist Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov. One of his contemporaries spoke of Sofya Alekseevna like this:

She is a very polite lady, pleasant conversation and the most excellent upbringing; her appeal catches everyone’s attention, [...] her conversation is so entertaining that no beauty big world you can’t change it; one of those kind women with whom an hour of meeting can be considered an acquisition; it enriches useful information has a mind for social life, is easy to use, is kind to everyone, […] her conversation is gentle, entertaining, her greetings are selective, […] she willingly listens to someone else’s conversation, without trying to chat incessantly alone; nature denied her beauty, but in return enriched her with such talents that one forgets external view faces.

Prince I.M. Dolgorukov

Nikolai Nikolaevich and Sofya Alekseevna loved each other and, despite the disagreements that occurred, remained faithful spouses until the end of their lives. It is not surprising that Raevsky imagined the end of the war this way:

You will come to me with our dear children, I will go out to meet you and will bore you with a description of my exploits, as old warriors usually do

Nikolai Nikolaevich and Sofia Alekseevna had two sons and five daughters:

• Alexander (1795-1868) - colonel, chamberlain;
• Ekaterina (1797-1885) - maid of honor, married the Decembrist M. F. Orlov;
• Nikolai (1801-1843) - lieutenant general, participant Caucasian wars, founder of Novorossiysk;
• Sophia - died in infancy;
• Elena (1803-1852) - maid of honor;
• Maria (1805-1863) - married the Decembrist S. G. Volkonsky;
• Sophia (1806-1883) - maid of honor.

Sofya Alekseevna died in Rome, where she was buried.

Raevsky is very smart and surprisingly sincere, even to the point of childishness, for all his cunning. In danger he is a true hero, he is charming. His eyes will flare up like coals, and his noble posture will truly become majestic.

K. N. Batyushkov

Always calm, friendly, modest, feeling his strength and involuntarily making it feel courageous, with his striking physiognomy and gaze... He was always the same with his elders and equals, in the circle of friends, acquaintances, in front of the troops in the fire of battles and among them in peacetime .

Denis Davydov

I did not see in him a hero, the glory of the Russian army, I loved in him a man with a clear mind, with a simple, beautiful soul, an indulgent, caring friend, always a sweet, affectionate master.

A. S. Pushkin

One of the most known characteristics Raevsky belongs to Napoleon:

This Russian general is made of the stuff marshals are made of.

Memory of Raevsky

Many Russian poets, admired by the general’s exploits, dedicated their poems to him:

Raevsky, the glory of our days,
Praise! In front of the rows
He is the first chest against swords
With brave sons!

V. A. Zhukovsky

There are few Russian hosts - but faith is with them!
Again with the shelves I became my own
Raevsky, son of faith, hero!..
A bloody battle is burning.
All the Russians are rushing in whirlwinds,
They fight until their heads stand...

S. N. Glinka

In 1820, during the first Russian Antarctic expedition, F. F. Bellingshausen named the islands he discovered as Pacific Ocean in the Russian Archipelago (Tuamotu) by the Raevsky Islands.

Nowadays, the chapel-monument standing on the site of the battle at Saltanovka near Mogilev, and the monument erected on the site of Raevsky’s battery on the Borodino field, remind us of Raevsky’s exploits.

In 1961, on the 150th anniversary of the Patriotic War, one of the streets of Moscow was named in honor of N. N. Raevsky. Raevsky Street is also located in Kyiv, Smolensk and Mozhaisk.

In 1987, a bust of Raevsky was installed in the Memory of Heroes Square in Smolensk.

In 2009, a bronze bust of Raevsky was unveiled on the territory of the Bendery fortress.

The Holy Cross Church in the village of Razumovka, Aleksandrovsky district, Kirovograd region (the tomb of the Raevskys) is included in the register of urban planning and architectural monuments of the national cultural heritage of Ukraine.

In numismatics

• In 2012, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation issued a coin (2 rubles, steel with nickel electroplated) from the series “Commanders and Heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812” with an image on the reverse of a portrait of cavalry general N. N. Raevsky.

Categories:

› Nikolay Raevsky

National fame came to Raevsky after a feat performed on July 23, 1812 near the village of Saltanovka (11 km down the Dnieper from Mogilev). Here is how it was.

Raevsky's corps fought for ten hours with five divisions of Davout's corps. The battle went on with varying degrees of success. At a critical moment, Raevsky personally led the Smolensk regiment into the attack with the words: “Soldiers! My children and I will open the path to glory for you! Forward for the Tsar and the Fatherland!” At that moment, his sons were walking next to Nikolai Nikolaevich: 17-year-old Alexander and 11-year-old Nikolai. In this battle, Raevsky was wounded in the chest by buckshot, but he selflessness inspired the soldiers, who put the enemy to flight.

The battle also became textbook for Raevsky's battery, which is considered one of the key episodes of the Battle of Borodino. The general reached Paris and took part in the battle for the capital of France.

After the war, Raevsky lived in Kyiv, where the 4th Infantry Corps entrusted to him was stationed. Almost every year Raevsky and his family traveled to Crimea. There, through his son, he met and became friends with the young A.S. Pushkin.

Nikolai Nikolaevich Raevsky died from old wounds on September 16 (28), 1829 in the village of Boltyshka, Chigirinsky district, Kyiv province, at the age of 58 years.

Heroes of Chernobyl

September 25, 1986 for courage, heroism and selfless actions shown during the liquidation of the accident at Chernobyl nuclear power plant, The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union Major of the Internal Service L.P. Telyatnikov, Lieutenants of the Internal Service V.N. Kibenko (posthumously), V.P. Pravik (posthumously).

Leonid Petrovich Telyatnikov was born on January 25, 1951 in the village of Vvedenka, Mendygarinsky district, Kustanai region (now Kazakhstan). Russian. Member of the CPSU since 1978. In 1983, he was appointed head of the militarized fire department No. 2 for the protection of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. L.P. Telyatnikov, together with other firefighters (V. Ignatenko, V. Kibenko, V. Pravik, etc.) took part in extinguishing the fire in the first hours after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986. During fire extinguishing, he received a high dose of radiation. He died of cancer on December 2, 2004, and was buried at the Baikovo cemetery in Kyiv.

Viktor Nikolaevich Kibenok was born into the family of a hereditary firefighter on February 17, 1963 in the village of Ivanovka, Nizhneserogozsky district, Kherson region. Ukrainian.

Together with other firefighters (V. Ignatenko, V. Pravik, L. Telyatnikov, etc.) he took part in extinguishing the fire in the first hours after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986. During the extinguishing, he received a high dose of radiation of more than 1000 roentgens (lethal dose 400 roentgens), was sent for treatment to Moscow, where he died in the 6th Clinical Hospital on May 11, 1986. He was buried at the Mitinskoye cemetery in Moscow.

Vladimir Pavlovich Pravik was born on June 13, 1962 in Chernobyl into the family of an employee. Ukrainian.

Together with other firefighters (V. Ignatenko, V. Kibenko, L. Telyatnikov and others) he took part in extinguishing the fire in the first hours after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986. During the fire extinguishing operation he received a high dose of radiation and was sent for treatment to Moscow, where he died in the 6th Clinical Hospital on May 11, 1986. He was buried at the Mitinskoye cemetery in Moscow.

Today
March 23
Monday
2020

On this day:

Adjutant General Fyodor Rostopchin

During the Patriotic War of 1812, Rostopchin served as Governor-General of Moscow and distinguished himself as an organizer of the militia. Eyewitnesses recall that Napoleon began to shake when he heard the name Rostopchin.

Aircraft designer Arkhip Lyulka

Aircraft designer Arkhip Lyulka

He worked most fruitfully at the Sukhoi Design Bureau, created engines for almost all modifications of Sushki, Hero of Socialist Labor.

Sniper ace Vasily Zaitsev

Sniper ace Vasily Zaitsev

During the Battle of Stalingrad between November 10 and December 17, 1942, he killed 225 soldiers and officers of the German army and their allies, including 11 snipers. Created sniper hunting tactics. Wrote a textbook for snipers.

About the life and fate of Vasily Zaitsev, his own memories of Battle of Stalingrad- in the material from the Soldiers' Temple: https://vk.com/ruvoin?w=wall-98877741_619

Sailor Alexander Morukhov

Sailor Alexander Morukhov

The commander of the bilge operator section of the guards submarine "M-35" of the Black Sea Fleet participated in 34 military campaigns and the sinking of 8 enemy ships. The only conscript submariner awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War.

Born on March 23, 1919 in the village of Mitkovo in the Smolensk region. Russian. In 1931-1934 he worked on a collective farm. In 1937 he graduated from the 7th grade of school in the village of Klimovo. Since 1937 he lived in Moscow. In 1937-1939 he worked as a plumber in a plumbing office, and from January 1939 as a plumber in office No. 4 of the Moscow Metrostroy.

In the Navy since November 1939. Until November 1940, he trained in the underwater diving training squad named after S. M. Kirov. He served as a bilge operator on a submarine.

Participant of the Great Patriotic War: in June 1941 - September 1944 - bilge operator and commander of the bilge department of the submarine "M-35". Participant in the defense of Sevastopol and the Caucasus, the liberation of Crimea. In total, he participated in 34 military campaigns, during which 16 torpedo attacks were carried out, 3 were sunk and 1 enemy ship was damaged.

On September 14, 1942, during an urgent dive to evade an enemy aircraft, the M-35 submarine sank to a depth of 100 meters due to water entering the diesel compartment. Thanks to the timely intervention of A.S. Morukhov, who, on the orders of the commander, purged the rapid submersion tank and the aft tank of the main ballast, the submarine did not reach the critical depth.

In September 1943, he went on a combat mission on the M-113 submarine. While in a position on the surface, on September 28, 1943, the boat was blown up by a floating mine, as a result of which the bow up to the 9th frame was torn off. A. S. Morukhov, with his competent actions, created the conditions for a successful fight for the survivability of the M-113, which contributed to the speedy elimination of the consequences of the accident.

For the courage and heroism shown in battles, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 22, 1944, the senior Red Navy guard Alexander Sergeevich Morukhov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

After the war he continued to serve on submarines. In June 1946, foreman 1st article A.S. Morukhov was demobilized.

In 1946-1948 he worked as head of the personnel department of construction No. 33 in Moscow Metrostroy. In 1950 he graduated from industrial and technical courses at Metrostroy. From 1950 to 1954, he was a senior dispatch engineer in the department of the chief mechanic of the Metrostroy Administration. In 1957 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of Railway Transport Engineers. He continued to work in Metrostroy: as a safety foreman, shift supervisor of construction and installation department No. 4, head of the mine construction site, site mechanic, shift engineer and site mechanic.

In 1986-1988 he worked in the Leningrad district party committee of the city of Moscow.

Prototype of the hero "The Fate of Man"

He was born on May 8, 1923 in the village of Sakharovka, Mogilev region, into a peasant family. After graduating from school, FZU worked as a mechanic at a factory in Minsk, and graduated from the local flying club. In 1943 he graduated from the Bataysk Military Aviation Pilot School. Dolnikov had been on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War since July 1943. He was a pilot, flight commander, and then assistant commander of the 100th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. In August 1943, in stubborn battles over the Donbass, the pilot made 35 combat missions, conducted 16 air battles, and shot down 3 enemy aircraft. On September 30, 1943, in an unequal air battle, Dolnikov shot down an enemy plane and rammed another. Wounded, he parachuted into enemy territory and ended up in a concentration camp. Only on the fourth attempt did he manage to escape and get to the partisan detachment “For the Motherland”, where he fought. After the liberation of the city of Nikolaev in April 1944, he returned to his regiment. At the end of May 1944, in the battles near Iasi, a group of 12 aircraft under the command of Ivan Babak successfully fought with five nine Ju.87s and fighters covering them. In this battle, Dolnikov shot down 2 enemy aircraft. And in a week of intense battles he won 5 victories. At the beginning of 1945, Ivan Babak was appointed commander of the 16th GvIAP and his plane was received by Dolnikov. On March 16, Babak’s plane was shot down by anti-aircraft guns, and the burned pilot was captured. The flight commander of the 100th GvIAP, Hero of the Soviet Union, Pyotr Guchek, was also shot down. In memory of his fighting friends, Dolnikov made inscriptions on the plane: on the right - “For Petya Guchka”, on the left - “For Vanya Babak”. On this car, in May 1945, Grigory Dolnikov celebrated Victory Day. G.U. Dolnikov ended the war in Prague. In total, he made 160 successful combat missions, conducted 42 air battles, personally shot down 15 and 1 enemy aircraft. After the war, Grigory Ustinovich continued to serve in the Air Force. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1955 and the Higher Academic Courses at the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1968, held various command positions, and defended his Ph.D. thesis. In 1978 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Since 1981, Colonel General of Aviation G.U. Dolnikov was Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force for Universities. Honored Military Pilot of the USSR Dolnikov wrote the book “The Steel Squadron is Flying.” He was awarded with Orders Lenin (twice), October Revolution, Red Banner (twice), Patriotic War 1st Class, Red Star, “For Service to the Motherland in the USSR Armed Forces” 3rd Class, medals and foreign orders.

Commander of the "Malyutka"

Commander of the "Malyutka"

He was born February 29, 1912 in Lahiri, Georgia. Since 1934 he served in the USSR Navy. In 1938, Ioseliani graduated from the Leningrad Naval School named after M.V. Frunze, and in 1940, he graduated from the Higher Courses of Underwater Diving. Senior Lieutenant Iosseliani met the Great Patriotic War as the senior officer of the new Black Sea Fleet submarine Shch-203 “Kambala”. The following year he was appointed commander of the Malyutka-class submarine M-111. From November 1942 to December 1943 "M-111" made 11 combat missions, torpedoed 12 ships, sank 2 enemy vehicles and a lighter (14,000 tons). By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 16, 1944, for the successful command of a submarine and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders, captain of the 3rd rank Yaroslav Konstantinovich Iosseliani was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold medal Star". The submarine "M-111" was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In April 1944, Iosseliani participated in the reception and transfer from England to the USSR of the submarine "B-4" (former English submarine "Ursula"), purchased with funds from fellow highlanders from Svaneti, which received the name S-17 "Soviet Svaneti". Commanding this submarine consisting of Northern Fleet, Ioseliani sank an enemy tanker and 2 transports. After the end of the war, Yaroslav Konstantinovich served in the USSR Navy, and in 1966 he retired with the rank of captain 1st rank. Among his awards are the Order of Lenin, 4 Orders of the Red Banner, Order of Nakhimov, Patriotic War 1st degree, Red Star, medals. Y. K. Ioseliani died in 1978. He was buried in the Pantheon of Public Figures in Saburtalo (Tbilisi). A fishing trawler was named after the Hero.

The feat of Arkhip Osipov

The feat of Arkhip Osipov

A village on the Black Sea coast is named after him, which today is widely known as the resort of Arkhipo-Osipovka.
The following is known about Arkhip Osipovich Osipov. On December 21, 1820, he was accepted into military service as a recruit and on April 5, 1821, he was enrolled in the Crimean Infantry Regiment. In the second year of service, Osipov escaped, for which he was punished by the court with spitzrutens once after 1000 people, but with subsequent service he managed to make amends for the misdeeds of his youth and in 1840 he already had a patch on his sleeve and silver medals for the Persian and Turkish wars. During the Persian War, Osipov took part in many battles, including the capture of Sardar-Abad. During the Turkish War, among other battles, he took part in the assault on Kars.
At the end of the war, the Tenginsky regiment was transferred to Kuban and carried out cordon service. There Osipov repeatedly participated in skirmishes with the highlanders. He arrived in the Tenginsky regiment in 1834 along with the 1st battalion of the Crimean regiment and was enrolled in the 9th musketeer company.
March 15, 1840, when it became known exactly about the intention of the highlanders prevailing forces attack the fortification, he, according to eyewitnesses, with his hands clasped behind his back, walked for a long time around the barracks, thinking about something. Then, stopping in the middle of the barracks, he said: “I want to make a memory of Russia and at the moment of our penalty I will set fire to the powder magazine.” No one doubted that Osipov would keep his word, since everyone knew him as a serious, pious and brave man, a serviceable soldier. On March 23, 1840, Osipov kept his word. When the mountaineers broke into the fortification and squeezed a handful of our fighters out of it, he said: “It’s time, brothers! Whoever remains alive - remember my business" and rushed to the cellars. Soon they exploded, and with them all the strengthening. The enemy suffered losses of up to 3 thousand people.
Subsequently, the Russian village of Arkhipo-Osipovka was located near the destroyed ramparts of the former Mikhailovsky fortification.
According to his colleagues, Osipov was a brave soldier, 38 years old, tall, with a long face framed by dark brown hair and a gray eyes. Emperor Nicholas I, to perpetuate the memory of the valiant feat of Arkhip Osipov, who had no family, ordered his name to be forever preserved in the lists of the 1st company of the Tenginsky regiment, considering him “the first private and at all roll calls when this name is asked, the first private to answer for him : “He died for the glory of Russian weapons in the Mikhailovsky fortification.”
At the site of the blown-up fortification stands a cast-iron openwork cross with the inscription: “The 77th Tengin Infantry Regiment of His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich to Private Arkhip Osipov, who died for the glory of Russian weapons in the Mikhailovsky fortification, on the site of which this monument was built.” The monument arose in 1876 on the initiative of the Commander-in-Chief, Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, who ordered it to be erected in such a size and in such a place that it would be visible from ships passing near the shore. Another monument to Osipov (and the commander of the Mikhailovsky fortification, Staff Captain Liko) was erected in Vladikavkaz on the initiative of General Heyden.

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BSE.M., 1974. T. 18

RAEVSKY Nikolai Nikolaevich, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, cavalry general (1813). In 1786 he was promoted to officer, participated in the wars with Turkey (1788-1790), Poland (1792-1794) and the Persian campaign of 1796. In 1797 he was dismissed. In 1805, with the outbreak of the war against France, he returned to the army and participated in the Russian-Austro-French War of 1805 and the Russian-Prussian-French War of 1806-1807 in the detachment of General P.I. Bagration, under whose command he also distinguished himself in the Russian-Swedish War of 1808-1809 and in 1810-1811 in the war with Turkey. During the Patriotic War of 1812, he commanded the 7th Infantry Corps, successfully operating in the battle of Saltanovka, the Battle of Smolensk in 1812, the Battle of Borodino in 1812 (defense of the Raevsky battery), near Maloyaroslavets, etc. He was distinguished by his courage and skillful command of troops . He took part in foreign campaigns of 1813-1814, then commanded a corps in the south of Russia. Retired since 1824. Was on friendly terms with A.S. Pushkin and close to the Decembrists (his sons-in-law S.G. Volkonsky and M.F. Orlov and cousin V.L. Davydov belonged to them). Since 1826 - member of the State Council.

My friend, the happiest moments

I spent my life in the middle of my family

venerable Raevsky. I didn't see it

hero, the glory of the Russian army, I am in it

loved a man with a clear mind, with a simple,

beautiful soul; condescending,

a caring friend, always dear,

affectionate owner. Witness of Catherine

century, monument of the 12th year; man without

prejudices, with a strong character and

sensitive, but will involuntarily attach

to anyone who is worthy of understanding

and appreciate its high qualities.

A.S. Pushkin. From a letter

L.S. Pushkin.

Part one

IN THE SWEAT MKINSKAYA ARMY

Long way to Novorossiya

and when in his fifteen years Nikolai Raevsky did not embark on a long voyage, which he had to make in the early autumn of 1786.

Born in St. Petersburg, he never left the capital. While in the house, he talked with the tutor and teachers, devouring books one after another, experiencing great interest in reading. And two weeks ago a military official appeared at their dacha.

“I’m from His Serene Highness Prince Potemkin,” he introduced himself. - I have the honor to convey his instructions to you.

What's happened? - Nikolai’s mother Ekaterina Nikolaevna was wary.

Potemkin was her uncle. They saw each other so rarely that he seemed like a distant relative to her. However, she knew that Grigory Alexandrovich was close to the Mother Empress herself, headed the venerable Military Collegium and was the main Russian general.

She did not know that now in the South of Russia, in the so-called Novorossiya, relations with the Ottoman Porte, which lays claim to the Black Sea region and Crimea, had worsened, and her uncle, His Serene Highness Prince Potemkin, was there, in Yekaterinoslav, where the headquarters of the army he led was located.

Noticing the hostess’s anxiety, the arrival hastened to calm her down:

Grigory Alexandrovich’s order does not concern you, madam. It refers to your son Nikolai. Yesterday, an order was received from the Yekaterinoslav governorship for the speedy arrival of your son, Nikolai Raevsky, in the city of Chuguev. He's assigned to the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment, isn't he?

Yes Yes! In January he was already promoted to the rank of ensign.

This means that it’s time for him to join the ranks, and he hasn’t been in the regiment for a day.

According to the established law for nobles, Nikolai Raevsky was assigned as a sergeant to the regiment at the age of six.

Semenovsky was one of the first two regiments of the Russian Guard, formed by Peter the Great himself. Created from court servants, grooms' children, sleeping bags and other common people, young Peter initially played amusing games with them, taught them how to shoot rifles and cannons, taught them the rules of siege and defense of fortresses, and action in field battle. Later, in the villages of Preobrazhenskoye and Semyonovskoye, two companies of amusing soldiers and teams of amusing gunners operated. These troops were the support of Peter and in 1690 they were deployed into the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments. They laid the foundation for the creation of the Russian regular army, in particular its guard.

Now Potemkin, having taken command of the Yekaterinoslav army, which was holding back the attacks of the warlike Turks, sent the best of the Russian regiments, the Semyonovsky Life Guards, to strengthen it.

Where is your Nikolai? - the newcomer asked the hostess.

Ekaterina Nikolaevna sighed heavily:

What kind of person, dear sir, is he now? It was mine, and now it’s yours, army. - She sadly wiped her eyes with a scarf. - Nikolai was a joy for me. The year he was born, I lost my husband, Nikolai Semyonovich. He held the rank of colonel and commanded a regiment near Iasi. There the wound twisted him, from which he gave his soul to God. He was buried there. In his honor, the newborn was given his father's name.

Nikolai Semyonovich, just like his son later, was enlisted as a soldier in the Izmailovsky Guards Regiment from a young age. At the age of thirty, as a colonel, he voluntarily went into the active army, fighting against the Turks. In one of the battles he was seriously wounded and in April 1771, without seeing his son, he died.

Understanding the hostess’s condition, the guest remained tactfully silent. Then, taking a watch on a chain from his pocket, he clicked the lid. Ekaterina Nikolaevna understood his impatience and rang the bell.

Find Nikolasha, Akulin, and invite him here,” she said to the maid who came in and continued: “And then Nikolasha’s illness became attached to him: he began to hear poorly.” Thanks to the doctor, he helped me get rid of it. True, not really. Relatives also helped, especially my brother, Count Alexander Nikolaevich Samoilov. He is a strict, important man. He is especially attentive to Nikolasha.

Nikolai appeared. He greeted the unfamiliar officer with restraint and turned his gaze to his mother, as if asking her about him.

This, Kolyusha, is a gentleman from Grigory Alexandrovich. He orders you to go to him.

The guest peered appraisingly at the short young man, noting his insightful slowness.

When to go? - he asked.

“In the coming days,” the officer answered instead of the mother.

It would be nice after September fourteenth,” Ekaterina Nikolaevna asked. - He will just turn fifteen years old.

“This is in no way possible,” the newcomer said unyieldingly. - Nikolai must be there by the appointed time.

Where is this place?

In Ukraine, with a field marshal.

The officer explained that one of these days a postal service would be sent there and Nikolai would go in a covered carriage.

I won’t let him go so far alone,” said Ekaterina Nikolaevna. - Let the helpful Fedotich go with him. He will tell, and show, and help.

“Okay,” the officer did not object.

Nikolai left in bad weather. The evening before, it seemed that the heavens had opened up, signaling the arrival of autumn with heavy rains, winds, and road slush.

Raevsky Nikolai Nikolaevich

R Aevsky (Nikolai Nikolaevich, 1771 - 1829) - hero of the Patriotic War, cavalry general. Enlisted in military service in infancy, Raevsky, at twenty years of age, was already a colonel in the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment, partly thanks to his relationship with the prince. Participated in military operations against the Turks and Poles; later, commanding the Nizhny Novgorod dragoon regiment, he was at the capture of Derbent (1796). Slandered before the emperor, Raevsky was temporarily expelled from service. During the campaign of 1807, he was in the vanguard, under the command of the prince, and commanded a jäger brigade. In the Swedish War of 1810, commanding a corps, he especially distinguished himself during the siege of Silistria. In 1812, commanding the 26th division in Bagration's army, he delayed Napoleon's advance. Near Smolensk, Raevsky defended the city for 24 hours with a 15,000-strong division against superior enemy forces. During the Battle of Borodino, Raevsky, with his (7th) corps, stood on the right flank of the left wing of the army, against which almost all the French forces were directed. The brilliant defense of the redoubt, which received his name, gave Raevsky lasting fame. Near Maloyaroslavets, he and his team successfully defended the Kaluga road; in the battle of Krasnoye he contributed greatly to the final defeat of the Napoleonic army. In 1813, Raevsky took part in the battles of Bautzen, Dresden, Kulm, Leipzig (during the latter he was wounded by a bullet in the chest, but remained on horseback until the end of the battle). In 1814, near Bar-sur-Aube he commanded the army in place of the wounded count; near Arsis, after a bloody battle, he was the first to enter the city, and then pursued the enemy to Paris. Since 1826 he was a member of the State Council. See "Necrology of the cavalry general N.N. Raevsky" (1829); “Notes on the obituary of N.N. Raevsky” (Moscow, 1832); “The deeds of Russian commanders and generals in the memorable war with France” (Part III, St. Petersburg, 1822); obituaries in "St. Petersburg Gazette" (1820, No. 152 - 154), "Moscow Gazette" (1830, No. 1 and 2) and "Military Journal" (1832, No. 4); "N.N. Raevsky and his Letters" ("Russian Bulletin", 1898, No. 3 et seq.). Raevsky's "letters", written by him to his uncle, Count, in addition to biographical information about the author, provide many interesting details about the battles in which he had to participate. V. R-v.

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