September 28: In memory of General Nikolai Raevsky, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812
On September 28, the general died in the Kyiv province. Nikolay Raevsky — a military leader, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812. One of the most beloved generals by soldiers.
Napoleon spoke of him like this:
This Russian general is made of the stuff marshals are made of.
Childhood and family
Born in 1771 Petersburg. His father, Nikolai Raevsky Sr., a colonel, died in the Russo-Turkish War, leaving his pregnant wife with their one-year-old first child. She grieved the loss, which affected Kolya's health—at first, he was often ill.
Later, the mother married a general. Lev Davydov: legendary hussar Denis Davydov — his nephew. The family grew to include three more boys and a girl.
Serving Potemkin
Kolya was enlisted in the military at the age of three. He began serving in earnest at the age of 14—in 1786, he was appointed ensign in the field marshal's army. Grigory Potemkin, my maternal great-uncle. He instructed:
Try to test whether you are a coward
He put his grandfather's instructions into practice a year later, volunteering for the next Russo-Turkish War. He was assigned to a Cossack detachment, with instructions from Potemkin:
To be used as a simple Cossack
Knowledge of soldier's life proved invaluable to the future commander. The 19-year-old returned from this war as a lieutenant colonel. He became a colonel at 20.
At 22, he took command of the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment. He married his granddaughter. Lomonosov Sofia Konstantinova She wasn't a beauty, but she could charm anyone. Ivan Dolgorukov wrote about her:
Her conversation is so entertaining that you wouldn’t exchange her for any beauty of high society.
Resignation and return to the army
His brilliant career was interrupted in 1797 - Paul I eradicated the "Potemkin spirit" from the army.
The dismissed Raevsky went to the provinces to arrange his mother’s estate, take care of his family, and read military literature.
In 1801 Alexander I Raevsky was reinstated, promoted to major general. But Raevsky left the service again to raise his family: he had two sons and four daughters.
Raevsky returned to active duty in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars. He participated in all the major battles of that period, sustaining wounds and receiving military awards.
General Nikolai Raevsky in the War of 1812
When in June 1812 the army Napoleon invaded Russia, commanded the 7th Infantry Corps of the army Bagration. The army began to retreat to join up with the troops Barclay de Tolly. Napoleon sent the "Iron Marshal" corps to intercept Davu.
Battle of five divisions of Davout's corps near the village Saltanovka Gave Raevsky's corps command. At a critical moment, he personally led the Smolensk Regiment into attack—according to legend, his teenage sons were at his side:
Soldiers! My children and I will open the path to glory for you!
Raevsky was wounded, but the commander's example "inspired the troops to the point of frenzy." The enemy retreated. Bagration's army continued on its way.
After Saltanovka, he became a folk hero. He became a legend after the Battle of Borodino: he and his corps stood on Kurgan Heights, which was attacked by the main French forces. For several hours, Raevsky's battery, nicknamed "the grave of the French cavalry," held off the onslaught of cavalry, infantry, and 150 guns.
At the council in Fili spoke out in favor of surrendering Moscow and preserving the army, supporting Kutuzova.
In November 1812, in the battle near Krasnoye, Raevsky's corps virtually finished off the remnants of the marshal's troops. Nope.
He took part in the campaigns of 1813-1814. His corps distinguished itself in the largest battle of the era, the "Battle of the Nations" near Leipzig. He was wounded in the chest, but remained in the saddle until the end of the battle.
Kyiv and Pushkin
After the war he lived in Kyiv.
He was friends with and helped the disgraced man To Pushkin. The poet recalled:
I spent the happiest moments of my life among the family of the venerable Raevsky. I didn't see him as a hero, the glory of the Russian army; I loved him as a man with a clear mind, a simple, beautiful soul.
To one of Raevsky's daughters, Mary'sPushkin harbored romantic feelings. For example, in "Eugene Onegin," he admires young Masha running on the waves during their trip to the Caucasus:
How I envied the waves,
Running in a stormy line
Lie down at her feet with love!
Last years
In 1825, his beloved mother died. After the Decembrist uprising, his brother and two sons-in-law were arrested and exiled from the capital. His beloved daughter, Masha, married. Volkonskaya — she followed her husband to Siberia.
He died at 58. His tombstone reads:
He was in Smolensk shield,
Russia's sword in Paris