Feats and miracles of the Patriotic War of 1812

In the shadow of a terrible war - the Great Patriotic War, when its witnesses are still alive and it appears brightly and visibly, the war of 1812 is depicted to us mainly in a heroic aura; the once set tone remains in our memory: “Yes, there were people in our time” . But that feat of the Russian people is no less great. There are written memories about him. Let's open them, and from two hundred years ago the forgotten voices of ordinary people with their joys, worries, sins and passions will reach us.

In that national disaster, destinies were broken, entire families were cut short and new ones were born, people also experienced, suffered, loved and hated, some lost and found shelter, and some found a fatherland.

In the invasion of “twelve languages” in Russia in 1812, the pattern of human life was quietly and imperceptibly woven on the canvas, which contemporaries commonly call life, but descendants call it history! This pattern can sometimes be bizarre. And at first glance it looks like a game of chance. But it only seems so. In events that are distant from each other, one can often see a more or less obvious connection, and then the events appear in a slightly different light.

We will tell you about one of the episodes of the war directly related to our region. Let's open the chronicles of the Zvenigorod Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery and dive into the events of the memorable year 1812. After the Battle of Borodino, both the Russians and the French advanced towards Moscow along the old Smolensk road. On August 28, the commander of the 4th Infantry Corps of Napoleon's Grand Army, Prince Eugene Beauharnais, received Bonaparte's order to leave Mozhaisk for Zvenigorod, then move along the Zvenigorod road to Moscow and cut off the rearguard of the Russian army.

Eugene, or Eugene Beauharnais, was an Italian viceroy, son of Josephine and stepson of Napoleon. His name is carved on the south side of the Arc de Triomphe on the Place des Stars in Paris.

Kutuzov, having learned about this maneuver of the French emperor, sent a detachment of Major General Vinzengerode to Zvenigorod. The two-thousand-strong Russian detachment in every possible way hindered the movement of the French corps ten times larger than them, but the forces were too unequal. Early in the morning of August 31, the French approached the monastery of St. Sava of Storozhevsky, stopping for a rest at its southern slope. There was a small battle between the Russians and the French. The Cossacks showed miracles of courage, took prisoners without losing a single person. But they retreated. From Winzengerode’s report to Emperor Alexander I: “My small detachment... did everything possible to resist the large corps, but naturally was forced to yield to superiority.” And yet, at the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, the Beauharnais building was stopped for six hours. If the French had not been detained for this time, who knows where Prince Eugene would have spent the night. And so... On the night from August 31 to September 1, the French corps remained partly in quiet Zvenigorod, the rest were located in the monastery. Viceroy Beauharnais stayed in one of the monastery's cells. Fearing an attack by the Cossacks, the French posted sentries around the monastery for the night.

In the memoirs of Napoleonic officers, the monastery is described in different ways. Some call it a beautiful castle, while others see the monastery as old, almost destroyed. It should be noted that even before the Battle of Borodino, the most valuable monastic things and documents were sent by train to Moscow; The main part of the monks left the Savvina monastery. However, not all.

The French were about to land the monastery gates when a monk opened them for them. He, instead of taking the officers to the abbot, invited them to go to the cell. Lieutenant of the engineering troops Eugene Lebom recalled: “I noticed one pious hermit who was going to take refuge in an almost underground cell. This monk, feeling my good attitude towards him, admitted that he spoke French... “The French came to the territory of Russia,” this venerable monk told me, “they devastated our homeland... But, ignoring our morals and our character , they believe that we will submit to slavery and that, forced to choose between our fatherland and our independence, we will soon, like others, wither in chains and renounce the national pride that constitutes the power of the people. No, Napoleon is wrong, we are too enlightened to tolerate his tyranny, and not corrupt enough to prefer slavery to freedom.”

A case in point: the daughter of Emperor Paul I, when asked to marry Bonaparte, replied: “I’d rather marry the last Russian stoker than this Corsican.” People who spoke French were handed over to the police station, from where tired police escorted them out the back door. But that is an external manifestation. What is more important is that the Russian people remained Russian.

The further events of that night, which were forever included in the chronicle of the monastery, were told 25 years after the incident by the son of Eugene Beauharnais: “It was already about 10 o’clock in the evening. My father, tired from the long journey on horseback, went to a special room prepared for him by the monks. Here he could not remember, in a dream or in reality, but he sees that the door to his room opens and a man in long black clothes enters with quiet steps, approaches him so close that in the moonlight he could see his facial features. He seemed to be an old man with a gray beard. He stood for about a minute, as if looking at the prince, and finally said in a quiet voice: “Do not order your army to plunder the monastery and especially to carry away anything from the church. If you fulfill my request, then God will have mercy on you, you will return to your fatherland safe and sound.” Having said this, the elder quietly left the room.” The next morning, Eugene Beauharnais, “entering the temple, saw a tomb and an image that struck him as resembling the man who had appeared to him at night.” When asked who it was, one of the monks replied that it was the image of Saint Sava, the founder of the monastery, whose body had been lying in the tomb for the fifth hundred years. Prince Eugene reverently bowed to the relics, asked the monks for the image of Savva Storozhevsky and the blessing of the governor. Subsequently, he was not wounded in any of the battles, returning safely to Europe. But during the retreat from Russia, Beauharnais’s corps lost thousands of people.

The appearance of a Russian saint to the interventionists as a sign from above is a rare case, but not unique. Let us remember the vision of Tamerlane in Yelets. The incident in the Savvin Monastery could be considered a literary fiction, if not for one “but”. Prince Beauharnais is a Catholic, and is hardly familiar with ancient Russian hagiographic literature. However, to each of those who read, according to his faith.

In fairness, it should be noted that despite Beauharnais’s ban on plundering the monastery, it was still partially destroyed. However, it is not a fact that this was the work of soldiers of the 4th Corps, because after their departure the monastery was occupied by the 3rd Cavalry Corps of General Griois on the same day. The general attributed the devastation to the 4th Corps... Be that as it may, the bed of Emperor Alexei Mikhailovich was burned, expensive armchairs were torn off, rare paintings disappeared, including portraits of Peter I and Sophia Alekseevna, painted in Rome. Mirrors were broken, beautiful wallpaper was torn off - a gift from the monastery of Queen Elizabeth Petrovna, frames, stoves, and ceilings were knocked out and broken.

Then, in September-October, the Savvin Monastery was repeatedly attacked by groups of French marauders, they were attracted by the apparent wealth of the monastery.

True, the French discoverers were afraid to act openly; the terrible name of Figner ruled in these parts. Indeed, the cold-blooded and brave partisan was cruel to the conquerors. “The Savvinskoe metochion (in Okhotny Ryad) was plundered, but during the Moscow fire the image of St. Savva remained unharmed.”

Having happily emerged from the crucible of the War of 1812, Prince Eugene, shortly before his death, told one of his sons, Maximilian, about his miraculous vision, gave him the image of the saint and secured a promise that if fate ever brought him to Russia, he must definitely visit Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery and bow to the saint.

In 1837, when Duke Maximilian was already 20 years old, he first came to our country, accompanying the Bavarian King Louis as a lieutenant of a cavalry regiment. Soon Maximilian was introduced to the daughter of Russian Emperor Nicholas I, Maria. Some time after they met, in the same 1837, Maximilian Beauharnais and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna became engaged. Two years later, on July 14, 1839, the Russian imperial court played a magnificent wedding - the eldest daughter of Nicholas I, Maria, married the Duke of Leuchtenberg Maximilian. On this occasion, the poet Arkady Rodzianko wrote impromptu: “Oh, wonderful game of fate! / In our days, a wonderful marriage took place / The son of a married carpenter / Married the granddaughter of a carpenter.” Everything is clear with the great-great-granddaughter of the “sovereign carpenter” of Peter I. And Rodzianko calls Evgeniy Beauharnais “the crowned carpenter.” When the French revolutionary court sentenced his father Alexandre Beauharnais to the guillotine, Eugene was forced to apprentice with a Parisian carpenter. Let's pay attention to the wedding date - July 14th. 50 years since the storming of the Bastille.

Immediately after the wedding, the newlyweds went to the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery to venerate the holy relics of St. Savva - after all, the Zvenigorod wonderworker saved the life of Eugene Beauharnais, Maximilian’s father.

Maximilian and Maria Nikolaevna had seven children. One of the daughters is Evgenia Maximilianovna, married to Oldenburg, and is the future owner of the famous Ramonsky estate near Voronezh.

For the descendants of the Viceroy of Italy, Beauharnais, Russia became a new homeland. This line of Romanovs especially revered the Monk Savva. At the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries in Russia, many Orthodox brotherhoods were organized to spread the spirit of enlightenment. Under the patronage of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, on September 6, 1901, the Savvinsky Orthodox Brotherhood was solemnly opened, for the needs of which many wealthy people made donations. Princes Yusupov and Evgenia Maximilianovna of Oldenburg were especially zealous. With its funds, poor students of various educational institutions were provided with benefits, medicines, and excursions were organized. For the residents of Zvenigorod, on the initiative of Evgenia Maximilianovna, in 1907 several shows of “foggy pictures” were held through a “magic lantern”. The success is colossal! It must be said that the “Zvenigorod sessions” were organized after “foggy pictures”, mainly, of course, of spiritual content, were shown on the territory of the modern Ramonsky district for the first time in the Voronezh province.

Exactly 100 years after the Patriotic War and 100 years before the present day, in the fall of 1912, in Vienna, in the Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Sava, Natalya Wulfert (Brasova) and the brother of Olga Romanova, the wife of the last owner of the Ramona Castle, were married.

Some episodes of the events that happened to Eugene Beauharnais in the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery were used by the Russian monarchist writer Rafail Mikhailovich Zotov. In his novel “Two Brothers, or Moscow 1812,” there is an episode with a hermit from a Moscow monastery who knows French and talks in it with an enemy colonel who has occupied the monastery. In the novel, as in the real Zvenigorod events, the French were not allowed to see the abbot. And the French colonel was portrayed by the novelist as not the worst representative, although he was an enemy, reasoning in his own way on the conquered territory. Of course, Zotov took as a basis another episode that happened in 1812 in a burning Moscow abandoned by its residents, but the writer created a collective image and, according to the laws of the genre, colored it. But in the autobiographical work of Rafail Mikhailovich “Stories about the campaigns of 1812 by ensign Zotov of the St. Petersburg militia,” the author, with his own perception of what was happening around him and his personal experiences, is extremely accurate. These “stories” are valuable for Voronezh residents because the first campaigns and battles of R.M. Zotov began together with the Voronezh Infantry Regiment, which is reflected in his work.

At the beginning of 1811, Colonel Mikhail Fedorovich Naumov was instructed to form the Voronezh infantry regiment, which was supposed to strengthen our army in view of the upcoming war with Napoleon. Naumov was appointed chief of the regiment. Having quickly formed a regiment, Mikhail Fedorovich was with him in the capital at the beginning of the war, and with the outbreak of hostilities he received the task of training the St. Petersburg militia in shooting, rifle techniques and combat service. Young Rafail Zotov writes: “Then everything was boiling with some kind of speed in actions, in words, in all deeds... Who would now believe that 14,000 people, who had just been torn from the plow and had no idea about military service, were trained were all methods of exertion in five days... Only with the Russian people can such miracles be done.” This is how the chief of the Voronezh regiment M.F. succeeded. Naumov, and the St. Petersburg militia was considered one of the most trained and combat-ready.

Battles for Polotsk were coming. Zotov’s squad was supposed to go together with the Voronezh infantry regiment from the village of Yurevichi and cover our artillery pieces.

Time of year - October. “Soon we entered the forest. The mud was knee-deep; the road is terrible, barely passable.” This is what Zotov writes. At the first shelling of the enemy, the militia, who had not smelled gunpowder, involuntarily moved back. “Then to our left we saw the Voronezh people quietly and orderly retreating and guessed that we had also retreated before this, but too quickly.” There is a remarkable psychological touch: “I remember how at that time one glorious policeman next to me, loading a gun on the move (as he said: just in case), was hit by a bullet right in the forehead... and fell on his back, still holding a half-bitten cartridge in his teeth . Well? I was the first, recently moved to tears by the suffering of a dying horse, to laugh at this cartridge sticking out in my mouth, and all the soldiers and officers around me shared my laughter... Strange human nature! How quickly, how easily she becomes accustomed to fear and suffering.”

Soon the militia united with the Voronezh regiment, “...and our arrival gave it spirit. We joined their right flank and eagerly began skirmishing. Suddenly we saw that they (the Bavarians - I.M.), having ceased fire, were coming at us with bayonets... Our front moved; The officers retreated behind the front and walked around their platoons, persuading the soldiers not to be timid. This time the Bavarians did not become timid, but approached us with impudence. A few minutes later both fronts converged, and hand-to-hand combat began...”

The Bavarian column was defeated. The militia and the Voronezh regiment, with the help of the Yamburg dragoons, managed to push back the enemy. Then the Voronezh residents retreated “behind the shots” to the reserve; to the right, ten miles away, the battle was in full swing. Afterwards, the Voronezh regiment and two militia squads clashed with the French mounted men-at-arms, received them with strong artillery fire and grapeshot, and with the help of the same dragoons drove the French back. But Rafail Zotov no longer saw all this - he was wounded. On the approach to the city of Polotsk, “The entire battlefield of October 6 lay before us, still fresh, uncleaned, littered with piles of bodies, damaged gun carriages, boxes, empty batteries and dying horses. The autumn grass in the field had a trace of blood blackened in places.”

Next, the Voronezh regiment fought near Chashniki and Smolyan. Due to his injury, Zotov did not participate in these matters. But in the mentioned battles, our fellow countryman, ensign of the Nevsky Infantry Regiment Sergei Yakovlevich Bogdanchikov shed blood. Originally from the “village of Ertila on Bityug, Bobrovsky district,” from the Odnodvortsy, in 1812 Bogdanchikov was no longer a recruit. He had both battles and campaigns behind him. Bogdanchikov’s memories have come to us in the form of notes from his grandson Mikhail, a hereditary honorary citizen of the city of Pavlovsk-on-Don. Mikhail Bogdanchikov compiled his memoirs for the centenary of the Patriotic War, recording from memory his childhood impressions heard from his grandfather. Of course, there are inaccuracies in them - the grandson, already in his seventh decade, wrote down his grandfather’s memories of his youth, but these are almost the last memoirs about the Patriotic War of 1812.

These memories give a clear idea of ​​how ingloriously Napoleon's great army left Russia. And it is especially valuable that Bogdanchikov’s words are the words of a simple Russian soldier who endured the hardships of war, while his speech itself is akin to folklore: “There, such their strength was copied that ours could not fit on the bridge. They set fire to the bridge, which collapsed, and they drowned all those who could not cross yet. Grandfather had to walk across the Berezina over the heads of the French, and at that time a carriage drove up from the other side, and Napoleon was wounded here, put in the carriage and taken away in front of grandfather’s eyes...”

Many glorious deeds of our ancestors! Some of them are well known, others less so. The son of Evgenia Maximilianovna and the great-grandson of Eugene Beauharnais, Peter of Oldenburg, ended his life as an emigrant in France. In the French land, in the Orthodox monastery of the Intercession of the Mother of God, our contemporary, the nun Mother Elizabeth, found a quiet shelter in the town of Busse-Saint-Haut. It is between Basel and Paris. She is the thrice-great-granddaughter of Eugene Beauharnais. In the world - Princess of Leuchtenberg.

France... And the landscape is Russian! The monastery is Orthodox, and the nun is a direct descendant of the participants in the events and episodes described here.

Igor Markin

The campaign of 1812 is well known through large books in which professional historians detail the course of events, describe the battles and talk about the plans of the parties. But in addition to the “big” history, there has always been a “small” one. The story of an individual who does not have high ranks, but is involved in the maelstrom of events of that war.

Such people occupied different positions in society, but they all had one thing in common: courage and willingness to fight for their Fatherland.

Pavel Pushchin, who served in the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment in 1812, told a happily ending story about a patriotic deserter. It happened immediately after the start of the Patriotic War of 1812.

“One artilleryman, who wanted to serve in the cavalry, deserted and enlisted in the Ulanov regiment; here he was caught cutting his hair and tried in Vilna. Having been captured just as the enemy entered the city, this fellow, despite the impending death penalty, escaped from captivity, came to General Ermolov and frankly told him everything. For such devotion he was forgiven and enlisted in a cavalry regiment, as he wished.”

Rafail Zotov, who soon became a famous novelist and playwright, enlisted in the St. Petersburg militia. This is how he described the first days of training the new army.

“Then everything was boiling with some kind of speed in actions, in words, in deeds. Who would now believe that 14 thousand people, who had just been torn from the plow and had no idea about military service, were taught all the techniques of exercise in five days? Maybe they will say: “Well, they already knew everything!” - No! I swear that not only did everyone march at a fast pace very smoothly (the ceremonial was postponed for a while), not only did all the rifle techniques and shoot on command and without a command, but they even formed columns in different platoons and squares. And all this in five days, or, better said, in five days, because on the long summer days we almost never left the Izmailovsky Parade Parade at night. ... Only with the Russian people can such miracles be done.”

Nikolai Andreev, a young officer of the 50th Jaeger Regiment who had just entered service, spoke about the Battle of Borodino, in which he became a participant.

“At noon on the 26th, I and our captain Shubin went to a hill where an extraordinary noise was heard, and what? We see: two cuirassier regiments, Novorossiysk and Malorossiysk, under the command of Lieutenant General Duka, went to the enemy battery. The picture was magnificent! The cuirassiers showed their courage: no matter how much grapeshot fell, they reached the goal with at least half their strength, and the battery was theirs. But what kind of fire they endured, it was hell!

I saw when our unforgettable prince Bagration, wounded in the leg, was taken off his horse, and how patient and calm he was: he got off his horse for the last time and encouraged the soldiers to avenge themselves.”

Alexander Chicherin, an officer of the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment, went through the entire campaign of 1812 and kept a diary throughout it. From the entries in it you can understand how different the mood of the officers was after the Battle of Borodino:

“We lost Smolensk and Dorogobuzh, His Serene Highness (Mikhail Kutuzov, who had the title of His Serene Highness Prince) arrived to the army, accompanied by the good wishes of the entire empire. But immediately new conspiracies arose, new parties appeared. One moment he was praised for his victory at Borodino, and the next he was reproached for his indecisiveness.

After the surrender of Moscow, he was accused of weakness amounting to betrayal, and a few days later those who accused him found an excuse. The recent mortal - without reason - enemy now praised him, because his Serene Highness casually threw him a kind word; an enthusiastic supporter became an enemy, because His Serene Highness passed by and did not say hello. Everyone knows the traitors, fingers are pointed at them, and no one dares to expose them. Everyone privately admires good generals, and no one dares to praise them; our successes are downplayed, our losses are exaggerated.”

Ivan Lazhechnikov, the future famous writer, served in the militia in 1812, where he enlisted against the will of his parents, having run away from home. Here is his story about the entry of Russian troops into Moscow abandoned by the French:

“We entered Moscow late in the evening. The enemy had already left the city: the Izyum hussars were on guard at the outpost; they warmed themselves near the lit fires. Russian soldiers, the Russian camp were gratifying phenomena for us. We reverently crossed ourselves as we entered the outpost, and were ready to kiss the guards, as if at the matins of the bright Resurrection of Christ. And there was something to rejoice at: Russia was saved!

Moscow represented complete destruction; almost all the houses are burnt, without roofs; some were still smoking; only the pipes towered ugly above them. The torn iron sheets moaned pitifully; Here and there lights flickered in the basements. We drove through the entire city to the Kaluga outpost without meeting a single living creature. We only saw two or three corpses of French soldiers lying on the banks of the Yauza.”

Most memoirs about the War of 1812 were written by officers and nobles, but stories of ordinary soldiers survive. This is what non-commissioned officer Tikhonov recalled about his commanders in 1830.

“The leadership near Borodin was such as we will not soon see again. As soon as someone is wounded, you see, and two people jump out in his place. Our company commander was wounded, we carried him to be bandaged, and met him behind the second line of warriors. "Stop!" - the company commander shouts to us (and he himself is pale as a sheet, his lips are blue). “The warriors will demolish me, but you have no need to fool around, go to the battalion! Petrov! Lead them to your place!” We said goodbye to him and never saw him again. They said that in Mozhaisk the French threw him out of a window, and that’s why he died.

Our lieutenant was wounded by buckshot. We carried him to the front, unrolling his overcoat so that he could be carried to the dressing room. He lay with his eyes closed: he woke up, saw us and said: “What are you, brothers, like crows gathered around carrion. Go to your place! I can die without you!” As we crossed the ravine, after Bagration, we began to build. We had a cadet, young, frail, like a girl. He should have been in the 8th platoon, but he, take it, and join the banner ranks. The battalion commander saw this and ordered him to take his place. “I won’t go to the tail,” Your Highness says, “I don’t want to be a scoundrel: I want to die for the Faith and the Fatherland.”

All these stories invariably prove that the heroism of Russian soldiers has not changed over the years. Memories of the fantastic victories of 1812 make us think about the terrible world wars of the 20th century.

Ordinary people - not generals, not commanders in the rear - performed amazing feats every day. It was not for nothing that the memoirist wrote: “Only with the Russian people can such miracles be done!”

The exploits of officers and soldiers of the Russian army in the battle of Borodino. Collection of documents. [Ans. ed. I.O.Garkusha] M.: Drevlekhranilishche, 2012. – 708 p. Circulation 400 copies.

In the 200 years that have passed since the Battle of Borodino, an enormous amount has been written about it. Multi-volume studies and documentary publications alone are already a whole Mont Blanc, not counting fiction. But all this time, battle researchers have been circling, in fact, around the same textbook series of heroes: generals Bagration, Raevsky, Miloradovich, Ermolov, Tuchkov, Platov. Of course, in historical works one can still find those whose portraits ended up in the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace. That's probably all. It’s as if there was no one else on the Borodino field, and tens of thousands of those who fought and died turned out to be just extras. But under the French bullets, cannonballs and grapeshot, it was not anonymous soldiers and officers who stood, and it was not unknown infantrymen who took the enemy with bayonets, and it was not anonymous hussars and dragoons who fought to the death. However, for 200 years, historians described only the same plots, the same hero-generals, limiting themselves to the matter of dry arithmetic: so many thousands killed and wounded.

And this gap - perhaps for the first time in our history - began to be filled by the Russian State Military Historical Archive (RGVIA), whose employees did a colossal job. The result of their work was a collection of documents “The exploits of officers and soldiers of the Russian army in the battle of Borodino.”

In the strict sense, this is not a full description of the actual feats, but award lists for officers and “lower ranks.” Documents from the Russian State Historical Archive indicate that the first submissions for awards for the Battle of Borodino were drawn up the very next day after it. They were written, of course, in the specific language of military reports, using the standard expressions then accepted. So, after all, the task of the compilers of the lists, as RGVIA specialists write in their collection, “was not so much an artistic description of the activities of subordinates, but rather the summing up of their differences under the appropriate article of the order’s statute or other legislative act.” Hence the apparent monotony of the perfect, the extreme brevity and standardization of the style, and often the lack of details about the specific place of the battle and time.

Although sometimes it is precisely this laconicism that gives the most vivid idea of ​​the realities of the battle. You read the awards presentations and feel completely different about the event. Before my eyes is not an offensive operational-strategic scheme (the first column is marching, the second column is marching, the third column is marching...), but people, with their affairs, names, surnames, ranks.

And here, for the first time, perhaps, documentary descriptions of the exploits of soldiers - privates and non-commissioned officers - are presented. The “lower ranks” alone, nominated by name for Borodino to be awarded the insignia of the Military Order (since 1913, officially called the Cross of St. George), in this collection counted almost 2900. Of course, this is not a complete list of Borodino’s heroes: clearly many more were awarded, but, alas, a considerable part of the award documentation at one time simply did not reach the storage facilities of the current RGVIA - it remained in the shelves and disappeared after 1917. And of those documents from the War of 1812 that ended up in the archives, many were destroyed under Soviet rule, during the so-called waste paper campaigns. It is also necessary to take into account that those who died were not posthumously nominated for awards at that time.

AND HE IS A STAFF SCRIPT...

Even from the dry lines of commanding reports one can glean a lot of information about a soldier’s merits. Thus, fireworksman of the 1st class of the 1st artillery brigade of battery company No. 3, Fyodor Berdin, “on August 26th near the village of Borodino, when an officer was killed, he took his place, commanded two guns and, with undaunted courage, repelled the enemy cavalry with solid shots , who was attempting to break into the battery and, with the example of his fearlessness, encouraged the ranks at the gun" (hereinafter the style of the published documents is preserved. - V.V.). And his one-battery, Peter Straney, also a fireworksman of the 1st class, was promoted to the rank of chief officer for the fact that when the enemy cavalry burst into the battery, “he saved it with his personal courage and activity, and how this cavalry was overturned and the guns were knocked out , then by his hasty order, with the help of the rank and file, he transferred one of them to a spare carriage, acted from both guns with excellent courage and courage until an enemy shot tore off his left leg above the knee.”

And here is the presentation to the badge of the Military Order of the drummer of the Ekaterinoslav Grenadier Regiment Ivan Dmitriev: “He was with the advanced riflemen, three Frenchmen attacked him, they wanted to take him prisoner, but he, not allowing them a few steps to reach him, threw the drum, [s]uddenly He picked up a weapon from the wounded man who was then lying next to him, shot one of them, stabbed the last two, and then bravely advanced on the enemy.”

“Non-combatants,” as they said then, fought just as courageously on the Borodino field. The barber of the Ekaterinoslav Cuirassier Regiment, Ivan Luzykin, “fearlessly and bravely distinguished himself with others in three attacks on cavalry and infantry; also, during heavy cannon fire at the battle site, he gave aid to the wounded, bandaged them, and was finally wounded in the right leg above the hand (as in the document. - B .V.) like a bullet right through.” The regimental clerk of the Little Russian Grenadier Regiment, Danila Tsys, was presented for the award: “This, although being non-combatant, but out of special zeal, willingly took up a gun after being wounded, was in the battles of the 24th and 26th in the riflemen, holding his place, setting an example to defeat of the enemy, he was distinguished (as in the document - V.V.) by exemplary fearlessness and inspired the lower ranks of the combatants with the example of his courage, moreover, when the staff captain of the Ostrograd 1st was seriously wounded, he saved his life by carrying him away from the battlefield.” .

Regimental senior clerk of the Novgorod cuirassier regiment Davyd Cherevkov “On the 26th day of August 1812, being in the rank of non-combatant, in which he had the opportunity to avoid danger, he, despising this, willingly joined the regiment going on the attack, and together with others showed courage and the fearlessness of your spirit, setting an example of jealousy for the service of the sovereign emperor.” So much for the “staff clerk”!

CORE TO THE CHEST

The officers of the Russian Imperial Army showed themselves truly brilliantly in the Battle of Borodino. As follows from documents identified by RGVIA specialists, over 1,500 officers were awarded for Borodino - orders, golden swords (sabers) with the inscription “For bravery”, promotions, transfers to the guard, or received the highest “favour”. Again, the data is quite approximate. “In fact, there are more of them,” the archivists explained to me. Only identified information about those officers whose awards were approved by the emperor was published. Someone, having been introduced, was passed over, and someone received the award much later - based on the totality of their merits, which included valor in the Battle of Borodino. Again, the dead and those who died from wounds posthumously were not nominated for awards. For 400 officers, archivists explained, there are no reference documents.

How selflessly and honestly the officers performed their duty is evidenced not by the abstract numbers of those awarded, but by the meager lines of the award lists. For example, these: “A cannonball tore off my leg,” - this is from the presentation of the lieutenant of the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment, battalion adjutant Obolyaninov (name, alas, unknown) to the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree with a bow. Second Lieutenant of the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment Naryshkin: received a “concussion from a cannonball in the leg and stomach” on the Borodino field. Ensign of the same regiment Olenin 2nd - “received a concussion from a cannonball in the chest.” Colonel of the Life Guards of the Izmailovsky Regiment Khrapovitsky - “wounded in the left thigh with buckshot”, Colonel of the same regiment Kozlyainov - “two fingers were torn off from his left hand with grapeshot”, Colonel Musin-Pushkin 1st, also an Izmailovets, “received a concussion in the left with grapeshot side against tit." This is how real colonels fought!

Officers of lower ranks are no worse. Second Lieutenant of the same Life Guards Izmailovsky Regiment, Letyukhin 1st, in the Battle of Borodino, “his left leg was torn off by a cannonball, and his right heel was torn off.” Captain of the Life Guards of the Lithuanian Regiment Artsybashev 1st “was wounded by grapeshot in his left hand, commanding a battalion after Lieutenant Colonel Timofeev until he received a severe wound in his arm, which was cut off at the elbow, and acted with the same fearlessness.” The Life Guards of the Artillery Brigade, Lieutenant Gordanov, “with the skillful direction of his guns, had an excellent effect on the enemy batteries, and his heel was torn off by grapeshot.” Ensign Norov - from the same brigade - “during an excellent action against enemy batteries and his cavalry, he lost his leg, which was torn off by a cannonball.” Battalion adjutant lieutenant of the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment Repninsky, “bravely advancing on the enemy, received two wounds and despite these remained in the battle until receiving a third serious wound.”

The commander of the Pernovsky Infantry Regiment, Major Lachinov, “a brave, decisive and cold-blooded excellent staff officer, he was always the first to set an example, separated chains of riflemen, went at the enemy cavalry with bayonets, repeatedly knocked them over, arranging his column always in order, his right leg was torn off.” . Lieutenant General Count A.I. Osterman-Tolstoy is asking for the rank and Order of St. George, 4th degree, for the brave man. Lieutenants of the same regiment, Potulov, Karpov, Trusov, “officers distinguished by their courage, all three were in the riflemen, hitting the enemy, driving from a height, which they occupied, held out until night, all three were wounded.” Staff Captain of the 1st Jaeger Regiment Zyabko “showed agility in disposing of his unit, and exemplary fearlessness in defeat with bayonets”...

We probably haven’t had an analogue of such a publication yet. I note that for the first time the documents in the collection are published in full - without gaps and exceptions so characteristic of the Soviet era. When selecting documents, preference, according to RGVIA specialists, was given to sources that were not published after 1917. And in addition to the enormous work with the award documents itself, the archivists conducted a large-scale study of the RGVIA funds in order to identify information in order to compile biographical information - albeit very brief - on awarded officers, participants in the battle, and those whose names appear in this collection. Alas, it is impossible to compile such biographical information for privates and non-commissioned officers, participants in the War of 1812, even if one wants to - formal lists were kept only for officers.

One can only regret that one collection is simply not able to contain all the award documents. Moreover, the Patriotic War of 1812 is not limited to the Battle of Borodino. But there were also battles of the Foreign Campaign of 1813–1814, where our soldiers fought just as well as on their native land.

Russia will never forget the “Day of Borodin”, the heroes of the War of 1812 and their exploits. Battles and wars are won not by guns, but by people. The list of heroes of the War of 1812 is truly huge. For a long time these people were for Russians the same standard of courage, military resourcefulness and devotion to duty that the heroes of the Great Patriotic War later became. In addition, military experience forced some of them to draw rather unexpected conclusions of a civilian nature - the careers of many of Napoleon’s gallant winners ended in the Nerchinsk mines... A brief biography of the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 will be given below.

Suvorov hardening

Victory over the unique (and there is no point in belittling a truly worthy opponent!) Napoleon’s army would not have been possible if the Russian officers of 1812 had not previously received sufficient combat experience. Many of them were recruited under the leadership of the legendary A.V. Suvorov. So, M.I. Kutuzov was the right hand of the great commander during the legendary assault on Izmail. He, in the company of M.B. Barclay de Tolly, participated in the assault on Ochakov and the capture of Ackerman. P.I. Bagration advanced up the career ladder thanks to the personal support of Suvorov. And even D.V. Davydov, the “flying hussar,” was blessed by the Generalissimo for military service - having visited the Davydovs’ estate, Suvorov predicted a military career for Denis, although he was small in stature and not of a heroic build.

"Barclay, winter or Russian god"

This poetic stanza quite accurately reflects the unfair treatment of M.B. Barclay de Tolly in Russian society for a long time. His role in the war was considered approximately on par with the role of the “Russian god”, that is, it seems to exist, but it seems not.

This can be explained by the influence of the nationalists of that time, for whom he was primarily a “German.” Contemporaries condemned the commander for his constant retreats, willingly and indiscriminately taking the side of the ardent P. Bagration and glorifying the military genius of M. Kutuzov. At the same time, few people noticed that Kutuzov calmly continued Barclay’s tactics, not only retreating, but also surrendering Moscow to the enemy.

Commander-in-Chief of the beginning

M. B. Barclay de Tolly (1761-1818) came from Hanseatic Germans, his ancestry going back to the Scottish nobility. Nevertheless, in Russia he was considered a man of dubious origin. Having begun his (real!) service at the age of 15, he reached the rank of colonel 20 years later. The officer had to fight with the Turks, as well as against Kosciuszko. In the last pre-war years, he served as governor of Finland, and at the beginning of 1812 he became minister of war. In this post, he tried to implement a number of reforms designed to establish discipline in the army and improve its leadership. The measures taken played their role during the war. In 1807, he first described to the Tsar the hypothetical (at that time) “scorched earth” tactic, which he considered appropriate in the event of a war with Napoleon and which was successfully used in the war with him.

When the French crossed the border, Barclay was the commander of the First (Western) Army in Lithuania. He did not want to adhere to the original (little realistic) war plan developed by General Foul, and began a fighting retreat. This was later blamed on him - the army wanted to give battle to the enemy and did not really think about how this battle would end (it would have ended badly, because such was Napoleon’s desire - in a general battle to immediately defeat the Russians, whom he outnumbered and equipped and experience). But the retreating Barclay “scorched the earth”, exhausted the enemy with numerous battles, avoiding a general battle. And he saved the army. Kutuzov then did the same when he took command at the end of August. It’s just his reasoning that the loss of Moscow is not the loss of Russia and preserving the army is more important, his descendants considered it a sign of genius, and Barclay’s similar reasoning was cowardice.

It was Barclay, at the council in Fili, who most decisively spoke out in favor of leaving the first capital, although the final decision belonged to Kutuzov.

Field Marshal with a bad temper

The biography of the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov (1745-1813), is also not so clear. This man had enormous military experience, participated in three Russian-Turkish wars, and was highly valued by A.V. Suvorov. Just before the outbreak of the Patriotic War, in 1812, he completed a successful campaign against the Turks in Moldavia. He had many well-deserved awards, including a complete set of St. George's crosses (at that time - a huge rarity, although Barclay had the same set). Kutuzov was very popular among soldiers and officers determined to wage a decisive war.

At the same time, he was condemned for open servility before monarchs and their favorites, for promiscuity in personal relationships. Kutuzov also knew sensitive defeats (in particular, he was a participant in the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, which is considered the pinnacle of the military achievements of the French emperor). Tsar Alexander I did not like Kutuzov, and appointed him commander-in-chief in August 1812 only under pressure from the “public.”

But a true manifestation of genius should be considered the fact that the hero of the War of 1812, Kutuzov, from whom they expected a general battle and a massive offensive against the French, continued, without hesitation, Barclay’s retreating tactics, preserving the army. He decided to retreat even after the Battle of Borodino, which ended, strictly speaking, in a “draw.”

The feat of a commander is not to rush at the enemy with a shout of “hurray,” but to organize things in such a way that the soldiers and lower officers do not do it in vain.

Behind - Tula

After all, what, in fact, forced Napoleon to direct the main attack on Moscow, and not on St. Petersburg, which was both the capital and closer? Not at all some sentimental considerations, which he did not understand very well. The emperor was a pragmatist - transport routes converged in the first capital, which could bring reinforcements from the depths of Russia. And most importantly, two steps away from her was Tula, the main arsenal of Russia! The fall of this city could truly be fatal.

But the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, Kutuzov, did not give Tula to the emperor. He gave up Moscow without leaving in it (according to Barclay’s clever idea) anything truly valuable for the war. And while the French emperor was waiting for the “keys of the old Kremlin,” Kutuzov used the Tula potential for his needs, received reinforcements, equipped the saved army, and with a cunning Tarutino maneuver misled the enemy about his plans... He now had everything he needed for a successful offensive, and Napoleon had neither supplies nor reinforcements... So the Russian campaign of the brilliant Frenchman, who had already beaten a Russian field marshal with a bad character, but who was unable to cope with the Russian in his homeland, ended ingloriously.

Napoleon later said that the Russian campaign was his only, but fatal mistake. But Kutuzov did not live to see the final defeat of Napoleonic troops. He died on a campaign and bequeathed his body to be taken to his homeland, and his heart to be buried in the town of Holbau - on the path of a passing army...

Leader of the War Party

P.I. Bagration (1765-1812) was also included in the list of heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812. He was among those who most zealously defended the idea of ​​​​an offensive and active counteraction to the enemy. A distant relative of the Georgian kings, this general began his military service as a private. P.I. Bagration participated in military operations in the Caucasus, wars with Turkey, the Italian and Swiss Suvorov campaigns, and the war with Sweden. At the outbreak of the war, he commanded the 2nd Western Army, stationed in Podolia.

Being a supporter of active action, Bagration nevertheless fought back his army in the first days of the war. His successful defense significantly slowed down the enemy's advance. The battle near Saltanovka was especially effective. Next, the general linked up with Barclay’s troops near Smolensk. Napoleon expected that the battle for this city would be the general battle he needed so much, but this did not happen. Two generals (who couldn’t stand each other) once again proved that all unwanted guests of Russia were destined to die near Smolensk, but Napoleon did not take the city, but occupied it - Bagration agreed to another retreat to preserve the army.

The general's finest hour and last battle was the Battle of Borodino, where he was entrusted with the defense of fortifications on the heights of the left flank (the so-called Bagration flushes). The troops never surrendered to the enemy, but the commander himself was seriously wounded and died of gangrene a few days later.

Squadron of flying hussars

The War of 1812 is rightfully considered the era of the emergence of a scientifically organized partisan movement. Its difference from previous cases is that now partisan detachments were not created spontaneously, but purposefully, and received assignments from the army command, support, and supplies. The predecessor of Kovpak and Medvedev was Denis Vasilyevich Davydov (1784-1839).

We can safely say that he had a Napoleonic complex - Davydov was short, frail in build and had an unsightly appearance. But he decided to prove that all this does not interfere with being a hero, and he became one. There is a legend that in November 1806, Field Marshal Kamensky lost his mind after the hussar Davydov broke into his room at night, demanding to be sent to the front. And he achieved his goal by becoming an adjutant to P.I. Bagration.

He created his partisan detachment a few days before the Battle of Borodino (by the way, Borodino was Davydov’s family estate, and the dashing hussar suffered significant losses due to the destruction of both the village and the estate). During September - December 1812, the “flying hussars”, in collaboration with other detachments (both army and peasant), captured several dozen convoys, a lot of military equipment and fodder, thousands of prisoners (only on November 3 they took three generals and 900 Frenchmen of a lower rank) , Belynichi and Grodno were liberated. Until the end of his days, Davydov regretted that he did not have enough strength to capture Napoleon himself, although he somehow encountered the imperial dormez.

Then he had the opportunity to participate in the “battle of the nations” near Leipzig, in the wars in Persia and the Caucasus, and in the battles with the Polish rebels of 1830. The hero of the war of 1812, Davydov, never enjoyed any special favor from his superiors, he was known as a freethinker and impudent, he was the author of many satirical poems directed against the most respectable persons, a member of the literary circle “Arzamas” (Pushkin began with him), a friend of such “sovereign traitors”, like Odoevsky, Kuchelbecker, Bestuzhev.

Hussar bard

With full right, D.V. Davydov can also be considered the founder of the Russian bard movement. As a poet, he did not reach the level of Pushkin (although his friends were two representatives of this family, Vasily Lvovich and Alexander Sergeevich, uncle and nephew), but he was known as the author of poetic epigrams, romantic and table ballads and poems, which he himself wrote. performed with guitar. He also wrote a lot of prose, mainly memories of the partisan war.

Such pillars of literature as Zagoskin, Griboedov, Zhukovsky and Walter Scott were proud to know Davydov. Pushkin was also one of his admirers.

General from the Cossacks

Similar in character to Davydov was M.I. Platov (1753-1818), ataman of the Don Cossacks, founder of the city of Novocherkassk, participant in all wars at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries. Near Borodino, the Platov Cossacks managed to protect the flanks of the Russian army and did not allow the enemy to bypass it, and during the entire campaign they managed to capture 548 guns from the enemy, which is approximately equal to the forces of the French artillery in the Battle of Borodino.

Platov also took part in the foreign campaign, the battles of Leipzig and Dresden. It is believed that it was his Cossacks who enriched the French language with the word “bistro”, demanding that the Parisian garçons pour them “quickly”.

Battery Raevsky

But General N.N. Raevsky (1771-1829), although he was Davydov’s cousin, did not resemble him at all. He was an exemplary soldier, a representative of an ancient noble family, who believed in “faith, king and fatherland.” He served in the guard, fought under Potemkin, and took part in battles in the Caucasus. At the initial stage of the Patriotic War, Raevsky’s corps turned out to be the main force in the battle of Saltanovka.

And on the Borodino field, “Raevsky’s battery” turned out to be the most famous position. It was very beneficial for artillery. The French were determined to capture it. In the end they succeeded. But before that, the battery managed to become “the grave of the French cavalry.”

What was it like for the law-abiding general when three Decembrists suddenly appeared in his family - a brother and two sons-in-law, and his daughter Maria became one of 12 women who went to Siberia for their Decembrist husbands! By the way, Raevsky, who forcibly married his daughter to his comrade, General S.G. Volkonsky (the groom was 20 years older than the bride, and she actually didn’t know him), was then categorically against her trip to Siberia!

Monuments to the heroes of the War of 1812

The War of 1812 received a high moral assessment when it was not yet completed - for a long time Christmas (which coincided with the expulsion of Napoleon from Russia) was revered in the state as a kind of Victory Day. How many people know which temple is dedicated to the heroes of the War of 1812? In memory of its heroes, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was built in Moscow. In St. Petersburg there is Alexander Square with a column. The monument to Kutuzov and Barclay was erected there. There were memorials in Smolensk, a large complex was built near Borodino. In Nizhny Novgorod there is now a monument “1000th Anniversary of Rus'”, which is decorated with figures of many heroes of 1812.

But there is also a more original memory. So, near Alushta there is a monument to Kutuzov - the Kutuzov fountain, which is simply a spring. According to legend, its water served in 1774 to provide first aid to Colonel Kutuzov, who was wounded in the head in a battle with the Turks. And the capital's Kutuzovsky Avenue, with its super active traffic and eternal traffic jams, is one of the most famous streets in the world.

The Second Patriotic War erected a monument to Bagration - the operation to liberate Belarus from the Nazis was named after the general.

As already mentioned, the word “bistro” can be considered a French monument to Ataman Platov.

And near Borodino there is a monument... to the French. It was put up by Russia, agreeing (and rightly!) with Napoleon’s opinion that in 1812 the French showed themselves worthy of victory, and the Russians worthy of remaining invincible. So all of them are heroes of the War of 1812, and their exploits will forever remain on the pages of history...

DEVOTS OF THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE IN THE WAR OF 1812 IN RUSSIAN LITERATURE

Nikita the Elephant

class 4 “b”, Lyceum school No. 5, Orenburg

Dolgova Valentina Mikhailovna

scientific supervisor, teacher of the highest category, primary school teacher,

Lyceum school No. 5, Orenburg

2012 was declared the Year of Russian History. In September, our country celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812. During reading lessons we were told a lot about military events. Our school hosted various events related to the Patriotic War of 1812.

In this article we will describe the exploits of the Russian people in the Patriotic War of 1812, presented in fiction. To do this, we will consider the texts of works of children's and adult literature; we will determine the heroes’ affiliation with military affairs (soldier, general, partisan-peasant, etc.); Let's analyze poetic and prose texts. The research material included works of children's literature: S.P. Alekseev's stories (“Where to look for Bagration?”, “Tishka and Minka”, “Big Consequences”), E.S. Kholmogorov “The Generous Russian Warrior”; works of adult literature: N.A. Durov “Notes of a cavalry maiden”, I.A. Krylov “Wolf in the kennel”, M.Yu. Lermontov “Borodino”, V.A. Zhukovsky "Singer in the camp of Russian warriors".

Let's look at the exploits of the heroes of the War of 1812 in children's literature. In the story S.P. Alekseev “Where to look for Bagration?” it talks about the courage and courage of General Bagration during the Battle of Borodino. Bagration's army occupied the left flank. Kutuzov understood that here (the place was open) the French would launch an attack. And so it happened, three cavalry corps, infantry, the best French marshals Ney, Davout, Murat moved into battle. Messengers from Kutuzov cannot find Bagration because he is always in the hottest place of the battle. Bagration himself often said: “I am not a general, but the first soldier.”

Story "Tishka and Minka" tells about the boys who saved a Russian officer from death. They risked their lives to get out of the basement and drag him into the house. Tishka tore a tuft from his undershirt and applied it to the officer’s lacerated wound; they gave him a drink and poured water on his head. When the Russians came to the city, the boys' father handed the officer over to the orderlies.

The exploits of hussar D. Davydov are described by Alekseev in the story "Big Consequences". Davydov told his boss, Prince Peter Bagration, his plan to fight the French: “We need to leave our cavalry detachments in the rear so that they can probe the French convoys and small units. There will be considerable damage to the enemy. I ask the Cossacks and hussars - I will prove it as possible.” Bagration approved his decision. This is how the first partisan detachment arose.

Story E.S. Kholmogorova “The Generous Russian Warrior” reports about the brave General Raevsky. One day, Raevsky receives an order to delay the advance of the French Marshal Davout. Raevsky is the first to start a battle so that the French think that the main forces are in front of them. Raevsky’s trick was a success, but Raevsky’s soldiers began to slowly retreat, the forces were too unequal. At the turning point of the battle, the general rushed to the front lines, with his two sons (16-year-old Alexander and 10-year-old Nikolai). He shouted: “Forward, guys! Me and my children are with you!” A fierce battle began. The menacing appearance of the approaching Russian soldiers frightened Davout, and he gave the order to retreat.

Let us describe the heroism of the Russian people in the Patriotic War in literature for adults. Book N. Durova “Notes of a cavalry maiden” tells about the exploits of a woman during the war. The notes are written on behalf of the heroine herself; she consistently describes the events. On her name day, the seventeenth, Nadezhda cut off her braids, put on a Cossack jacket and a hat with a red top. To confuse her tracks, she ran to Kama and left her woman's dress on the shore. She introduced herself as the son of a landowner, Alexander Durov. The Cossack colonel allowed “Alexander Vasilyevich Durov” to join the ranks of the first hundred. The campaign lasted more than a month. Durova was accustomed to the hardships of military service: wearing men's clothing, wielding a saber and pike, and constantly sitting in the saddle. In Grodno, Durova enlisted in the regular troops - as a private in the Konnopol Uhlan Regiment, under the name Sokolov. Durova was eager to serve the Fatherland. In the battle on May 22, 1807, Durova performed a heroic feat - risking herself, she saved the life of a wounded officer, Lieutenant Finlyandsky. On May 29 and 30, Durova again participated with the regiment in two-day battles near Heilsberg, showing miracles of courage. Cornet Alexandrov takes part in the battles of 1812 (at Mir, Romanov, Dashkovka, in a cavalry attack near Smolensk, in the Battle of Borodino). In the Battle of Borodino he received a concussion in the leg. On August 29, Alexandrov was promoted to lieutenant, and after leaving Moscow he became an orderly of the Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal M.I. Kutuzova. It is interesting to read these notes because they belong to the participant in the hostilities herself. Reading the notes, we share with Nadezhda all her feelings: fear that deception will be revealed (she is a woman!), love for her horse Alcides, fearlessness in battle, etc. The example of Nadezhda Durova once again proves to us that the war was Patriotic.

Fable I.A. Krylov "Wolf in the kennel" written on the events of 1812, when Napoleon entered Moscow and began to look for ways to make peace with Russia. But Kutuzov decisively rejected the French proposals. Krylov satirically describes the situation in which the enemy found himself: « A wolf at night, thinking of getting into the sheepfold./ Ended up in the kennel./ Suddenly the whole kennel yard rose up./ Smelling the gray one so close to the bully.” In the image of the Wolf, Krylov sees Napoleon. Krylov’s dogs are Russian warriors who want to stand up for their Fatherland. The Russians were able to defend themselves and maintain a combat-ready army. Bonaparte never received the keys to Moscow; the triumph that the commander was counting on did not happen. Krylov very well conveys the situation in which Napoleon found himself after occupying empty Moscow: « My wolf sits with his butt pressed into the corner / With his teeth clicking and fur bristling, / With his eyes, it seems like he would like to eat everyone.” In the image of a gray-haired hunter, Krylov portrays the wise and experienced Kutuzov, who is categorical and adamant: « You are gray, and I, friend, am gray, / And I have known your wolfish nature for a long time; /And therefore my custom /is not to make peace with wolves otherwise, /as if by skinning them away.” In the comments to the book we read that “according to contemporaries, Kutuzov, having received the fable from Krylov, read it to the assembled officers. At the words “and I, friend, am gray,” he took off his cap and shook his bowed head.” The final phrase of the fable sounds victorious; Krylov has no doubt at all about the victory of Russian weapons.

Poem M.Yu. Lermontov "Borodino" we studied in reading lessons. In the poem, the story of the war is entrusted to an ordinary participant in the battle - a soldier. In the first lines the question is posed and the answer has already been given: in the Battle of Borodino the heroic forces of the people were revealed. The patriotism of the soldiers was the force that decided the outcome of the war. The third stanza begins at a slow pace (“We silently retreated for a long time...”), which conveys the leisurely flow of events, and the discontent of the soldiers, their bitterness, pain, shame. When moving to the fourth stanza, the words “And so” are important, emphasizing that the Battle of Borodino took place at the will of the people too. The story about the behavior of the soldiers on the night before the battle is all permeated with anticipation: “But our open bivouac was quiet: / Who cleaned the shako, all beaten up, / Who sharpened the bayonet, grumbling angrily, / Biting his long mustache.” The image of the colonel, his speech and the oath of the soldiers are the ideological and emotional center of the poem. The next three stanzas are the Borodino battle itself. Each of them begins with an exclamation, then a picture of the battle is given and the feelings of the soldiers are expressed. In the penultimate part of the poem two feelings are expressed; pride for Russian soldiers and grief for the dead. Despite the losses, the living remained in their positions and this testifies to the moral victory of the Russians over Napoleonic troops. This means that the death of the heroes was not in vain. This is the answer to the question in the first stanza of the poem. Therefore, a reflection appears, completing the poem and repeating the second stanza. In “Borodino” the poet depicts a just, national, liberation war. The word “Russian” is repeated more than once in the poem; the word “homeland” sounds like a call to battle. The poet emphasizes the attitude of the people towards war as a serious military duty. This is probably the main thing in the poem: the community of people in the face of the enemy.

V.A. Zhukovsky "Singer in the camp of Russian warriors." From the comments to the poem, we learned that in 1812 Zhukovsky signed up as a warrior in the Moscow noble militia. In the context of hostilities, he composed the poem “A Singer in the Camp of Russian Warriors,” which was published on the battlefield in Tarutino, where the main headquarters was located. The title of the work determines the location and characters. In the circle of soldiers, the singer glorifies the heroes of Russian history: Svyatoslav, Donskoy, Peter, Suvorov. In addition to historical heroes, he calls for raising cups for modern heroes: Kutuzov, Ermolov, Raevsky, Platov, for the dead Bagration and Konovnitsyn. In this poem, the poet raises a patriotic theme, defending the idea of ​​nationality, praising Russian weapons and the heroism of soldiers.

We entered the results we obtained in the course of our work into a table:

Table 1.

From the obtained material the following conclusions can be drawn:

1. All works are permeated with the same spirit of struggle against Napoleon’s army.

2. Regardless of whether a work belongs to children’s or adult literature, all works are united by one thing - “memory of the heart”, a passionate desire to tell the truth about the roads traveled in the war.

3. The entire Russian people: adults and children, fathers and sons, nobles and peasants, men and women stood up to defend their Motherland.

In carrying out this work, I would like to once again remind you of the difficult days of our Motherland. The victory of the people in the war is the victory of every Russian person - a patriot of his Motherland.

Bibliography:

1. Alekseev S.P. One hundred stories from Russian history. - M.: AST, Astrel, 2008. - 256 p.
2. Durova N.A. Notes of a cavalry maiden / Preface. A.A. Sheptalina. ― Izhevsk: Udmurtia, 2012. ― 112 p.
3. Zhukovsky V.A. Singer in the camp of Russian warriors: Poems. Ballads. Poems. - M.: Eksmo, 2008. - 608 p.
4. Krylov I.A. Wolf in the kennel // Borodino Field: 1812 in Russian poetry: for senior school age / comp., preface. L.G. Frizman. - M.: Children's literature, 1989. - P. 56.
5. Lermontov M.Yu. Borodino // Borodino field: 1812 in Russian poetry: for senior school age / comp., preface. L.G. Frizman. - M.: Children's literature, 1989. - P. 222.
6. Kholmogorova E.S. The generous Russian warrior - M.: Malysh, 1991, 40 p.