Such buckets of oil were poured onto the figure of Mikhail Skobelev, who left early, but made a fair splash, that it is almost impossible to study him impartially using basic sources and biographies. At the same time, through the ideologized iconography, the tragedy of a living, restless man, an honest officer and a careless politician is still visible.
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was born in 1843 into a military family. His father Dmitry Ivanovich reached the high ranks of general, and his grandfather Ivan Nikitich, also a general, rose through the ranks of sergeants' children, starting with ordinary soldier service in the infantry.
At first, Skobelev went to get an education at St. Petersburg University, where he intended to study mathematics. But just in 1861, after his admission, the university was temporarily closed due to student unrest.
Not wanting to waste time and succumbing to family tradition, Skobelev enlists in military service.
Mikhail Dmitrievich's military career was rapid. Promoted to cornet in the spring of 1863, the very next year he was appointed orderly to General Eduard Baranov in rebellious Poland. At his own request, Skobelev was transferred to the regiment of the Life Guards of the Grodno Hussars, where he received his first baptism in battle - and the first order: Anna 4th degree with the wording “for bravery.”
Next was the General Staff Academy, and in 1868 Skobelev went to Turkestan, to the headquarters of Konstantin von Kaufmann, the future conqueror of Khiva. He repeatedly distinguished himself in reconnaissance missions, for one of them, already in the Khiva campaign of 1873, he received the Order of St. George, 4th degree.
Ten years of career - and thirty-year-old Skobelev is already a colonel, moreover, enlisted in the imperial retinue. At 32 years old - major general. How did this become possible?
Mikhail Dmitrievich was a charismatic, brave and diligent officer, despite the fact that, according to the recollections of his colleagues, in his graduation from the General Staff Academy he did not shine with perseverance and meticulousness, although he was distinguished by a broad outlook that went far beyond the typical army (primary university education affected). However, this alone was not enough.
Of course, Skobelev’s career was strongly supported by his relatives: his father Dmitry Ivanovich, who in 1858-1864 commanded His Imperial Majesty’s Own Convoy (the sovereign’s personal guard, made up of Cossacks and loyal Caucasian highlanders), and then his aunt’s husband, General Count Alexander Adlerberg , in 1869-1881, former Minister of the Imperial Household.
However, one should not draw hasty conclusions from this. Yes, Skobelev would hardly have been able to make such a career alone. But he did not disappear into the court generals - on the contrary, he definitely set himself the goal of standing out everywhere.
Skobel's style was shaped by the Asian War. The difficult, harsh region, which did not forgive mistakes and required special courage, perfectly suited Skobelev’s character. Everything that would make him the idol of the army during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 was laid there, under the command of Kaufman and in communication with experienced officers of Turkestan.
It was from there, from Asia, that Skobelev brought the nickname that stuck to him for the rest of his life: “White General” (“Ak-Pasha”).
He went to the war of 1877 in a not very favorable position: the chief of staff of the Cossack division, commanded by his father. But it was here, in Bulgaria - near Lovcha and Plevna, that Skobelev gained his fame. What especially surprised the soldiers was that their general never hid from enemy fire, even showing off, appearing in the most dangerous areas.
There are plenty of recklessly brave people in any army in the world. But Skobelev was not reckless. Another of his personal characteristics played a role here - a subtle and sharp mind, superbly honed by reading. Even in Turkestan, colleagues recalled that Skobelev’s desk was always littered with books, and he read in several languages and everything: from military history and other works in his specialty to philosophical treatises and academic medical works.
Mikhail Dmitrievich was not only an officer and a patriot, he deliberately built an ideal image of a military leader whom people would follow.
And this is already politics. The charismatic General Skobelev was a politician - moreover, a very risky politician. It is no coincidence that he eventually became an icon of statists and Slavophiles. A sharp opponent of Germany and Austria, Skobelev played the role of protector of the Slavic peoples, and he succeeded in it. As a result, he managed to ride the pan-Slavist sentiments that were rising in those years.
The Empire was already preparing to unite the Balkan Orthodox peoples under the rule of St. Petersburg, and Skobelev corresponded to the idea of the “Cross over Hagia Sophia” like no other.
But he returns to Turkestan to achieve a new resounding victory there. In 1880, he commanded the Akhal-Teke expedition against the rebellious Turkmens. In January 1881, troops under the command of Skobelev, four times outnumbered by the Turkmen, took the Geok-Tepe fortress near Ashgabat. This victory resounded almost louder than Skobelev’s actions in Bulgaria. Another Order of St. George, glory and return to Russia.
In 1882, Skobelev travels abroad and holds a series of speeches in Paris, where he attacks Germany, accusing it of an aggressive policy, and demands to protect the Slavic peoples of the Balkans. This behavior, which provoked an international scandal, caused the highest displeasure. Emperor Alexander III ordered Skobelev to return to Russia.
And then a surprise happened. General Skobelev, a hero of Russia, most popular both in the army and among the population, died at the age of 38 in July 1882.
The circumstances of his death are extremely awkward, although there is nothing strange about it. Skobelev died in a room at the Moscow Hotel Anglia, which was rented by the light-hearted demi-society lady Charlotte Altenrose.
There was nothing particularly compromising about such a visit: Skobelev had been divorced since 1876, his marriage could not be called a great success. Such connections, of course, were not widely advertised, but they were usually not a big secret either. The scandal began later, when Skobelev’s political supporters began to look for reasons behind his death. They blamed either the imperial court and the general's court opponents, or Britain or Berlin, who decided to settle scores with the charismatic defender of the Slavs, disgracing him with the circumstances of his death.
Skobelev’s opponents also did not stand aside, constructing a version of a conspiracy against the throne, in which the general, destined for the role of a super-popular dictator, was allegedly drawn into. They say that in this way the secret police prevented a coup d'état. Let us remember that the times were nervous: in the spring of 1881, Emperor Alexander II was killed by terrorists, the power of his son Alexander III could not yet be called strong, and Skobelev’s connections with Count Loris-Melikov, a well-known supporter of the establishment of a constitutional monarchy, were no secret to anyone.
Rumors also circulated about the possible suicide of Skobelev, who was either disillusioned with his professed ideals or decided in this way to avoid exposure.
But judging by the results of the autopsy, everything was much simpler. An unhealthy lifestyle, including an abundance of bad habits, wore out Skobelev’s heart. According to the testimony of pathologists, the question was not why Mikhail Dmitrievich died, but rather how he managed to live so long. Heredity further complicated the matter: his father Dmitry Ivanovich died at the age of 59 from the consequences of an organic heart defect.
From the memory of the untimely departed general, politicians quickly made an ideal washed out to a shine, covered with gold leaf. But the falsity came out of this image left and right.
Skobelev belonged to that type of “people out of place and out of time” who remain in history, but their fates rarely turn out smoothly or at least not tragically. A persistent and competent military man who had outgrown the army, he stepped into big politics at a time when the empire was not yet ready to accept a convinced charismatic other than in the role of God’s anointed.
It is no coincidence that there are endless rumors (far from the truth, as far as one can judge) about conspiracies to seize power, in which Skobelev, who was excessively popular among the people and among the military, was allegedly drawn into. This strong man was cramped in the country that he loved more than anything in the world.
Russia has known favorites and all-powerful temporary workers like Menshikov, Biron, Orlov or Potemkin, it has given birth to excellent service apparatchiks like Osterman, Speransky, Arakcheev, Muravyov, Gorchakov or Witte. Even such intellectual ideocrats as Pobedonostsev survived and flourished in it.
But Russia did not have enough of the healthy Russian peasant Skobelev, endlessly convinced of his own rightness and overstrained himself on this.
Play Skobelev's march! To the 170th anniversary of the birth of the “White General”.Don’t forget, brothers, that we have been entrusted with the honor of the Fatherland! Our cause is sacred!
M.D. Skobelev
And Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev did not live forty years, but after the heroes of 1812 there was no general in the Russian Empire who was equally beloved among the people.
He was a hereditary military man. His father, Dmitry Ivanovich, was well known both in the army and at court. The elder Skobelev died with the high rank of lieutenant general.
A soldier on the battlefield and a sage in a learned conversation, Mikhail Dmitrievich was a comprehensively educated person, no stranger to literary talent. He loved Lermontov, carefully studied the Slavophiles - Khomyakov, Kireevsky, Aksakov, was friends with many of them, corresponded. He was capable of rhyming impromptu like Suvorov, whose memory he bowed to.
What is the secret of Skobelev’s extraordinary popularity?
It seemed that after the Napoleonic Wars the times of giant heroes had passed. The revolutionaries seized the halo of romance from the commanders... And Skobelev in people's memory managed to stand on a par with Rumyantsev, Suvorov, Bagration...
He was a genius of offensive warfare. His associate and permanent chief of staff Kuropatkin recalled: “On the day of the battle, Skobelev appeared to the troops every time as especially joyful, cheerful, and handsome... The soldiers and officers looked with confidence at his warlike, handsome figure, admired him, joyfully greeted him and answered him with all their hearts.” We are happy to try” to his wishes that they be great in the upcoming task.”
In those years, by and large, the doors to Europe were closed to Russia. The Paris Treaty of 1856, which recorded the results of the Crimean War, deprived the Russian Empire of the unofficial status of a European superpower, which was undeniable during the years of the omnipotence of the Holy Alliance.
Imperial ambitions now had to be satisfied in Central Asia and the Far East. It was there that Russia's rivalry with the British Empire continued. Where the Russian soldier managed to reach, the slave trade ceased and slave markets were closed.
Skobelev considered himself a “Turkestan student.” In his fate, campaigns in Central Asia played a key role: it was there that he studied the character of the Russian soldier, and the soldiers fell in love with their general, endowed with the ability to raise ranks to death - not only against enemy artillery, not only on pikes and sabers, but also in defiance of nature itself .
The Khiva campaign was, as Skobelev himself admitted, “a continuous struggle with nature.” The Khanate was annexed to Russia with “little blood”, although at the cost of cruel trials. Skobelev’s reconnaissance raid became a legend when he, together with five daredevils, covered more than 600 miles in the desert in a week, constantly risking running into armed nomads who knew the area much better.
For that reconnaissance, Skobelev received his first George - 4th degree. Skobelev’s commanding style developed there: he demonstrated miracles of courage to the soldiers, and they responded in kind. Contempt for death is contagious, as is cowardice.
In 1875–1876, it was the turn of the Khanate of Kokand. And in this campaign, Skobelev showed himself to be a star of the first magnitude, his cavalry detachment became a threat to the enemy: the Russians attacked unexpectedly, stunning. In one of the fights, Skobelev was seriously wounded in the leg.
He - like Peter the Great and Suvorov - learned to talk to soldiers with inspiration and persuasiveness.
Over the years, he addressed the soldiers:
“I can only wish for one thing, that I would fight with troops as brave and as valiant as those with whom I had to serve and fight here,”
“Soon we will face a combat test, I ask everyone to know about this and strengthen their spirit with prayer and meditation, which is what duty, oath and honor of the Russian name requires of us,”
“Our attitude towards the defeated people must be not only lawful and correct, but also generous, for the brave Russian army from time immemorial did not know how to beat a lying person,”
“I am convinced that the brave troops entrusted to me will not tarnish their immortal glory.”
It was in Turkestan that he received the rank of general and there they began to call him the White General. In battle, he was seen on an unchanged white horse, in an equally white uniform. It was believed that he was charmed from bullets as long as he was dressed in white. This superstition helped the soldiers to trust their commander. The uniform already bore George of the 2nd degree and the Order of St. of the same degree. Vladimir.
For some time, Skobelev was governor in Fergana, but the administrative field brought his first severe disappointments: denunciations against the young general began to pour into St. Petersburg and he was removed from power. It is clear: the combat cavalryman, imbued with romantic ideals, hated bribery, and in the East bribery flourished, including among Russian administrators.
The war began in the Balkans - the last big war with the Ottomans for the freedom of Orthodox peoples. Perhaps the most noble war of all that Russia waged. Skobelev, like no one else, was soulfully devoted to the cause of liberation of fraternal peoples.
Mosques have risen in the Serbian region;
Janissaries, in the crowd, in broad daylight,
In the bazaars he crushed his wives with his hoof
Your Arabian horse.
– wrote A.N. Maikov.
For Skobelev, Slavic freedom is the dawn of the future glory of Russia, independent, strong, capable of challenging the main European powers of that time - the British Empire and Germany.
But Skobelev arrived in the Balkans in a semi-disgraced position, although in the aura of Turkestan glory. At first, his status was questionable: he was at the Headquarters, and then headed the headquarters of the division commanded by his father.
He managed to distinguish himself in battle while crossing the Danube at Zimnitsa. From then on, Skobelev’s miracles began - miracles of courage and heroism, military ingenuity and military leadership’s firmness. In 1877, the white general accomplished the impossible... On July 7, Skobelev’s detachment fought to occupy the Shipkinsky Pass. Ak Pasha, as he was called in the East, took risks again, again remained invulnerable...
Skobelev showed himself clearly during the third assault on impregnable Plevna. His detachment took on the blow of a third of the Turkish troops, although it was only a fifth of the Russian army that stormed Plevna. “Only Skobelev knows how to lead troops in an assault!” they said in the army. The Skobelevites captured the most important fortifications, the path to Plevna was open, but the command was in no hurry with reinforcements - and they had to begin a long siege.
After taking Plevna and crossing the Balkan ridge, the Russian army overthrew Turkish troops on the Shipka-Sheinovo line, and Skobelev’s troops again played a decisive role in this battle. After this, at the head of the vanguard, Skobelev captured Adrianople and San Stefano. Here it is, Constantinople, Constantinople - just a stone's throw away! Skobelev dreamed of liberating the Orthodox capital. But, as you know, the Turks asked for peace...
The general was not happy with the Berlin peace, although in those days he was showered with awards. He dreamed of a great future for the Slavic peoples.
Skobelev had to prove himself in one more campaign - in the Ahal-Tekin expedition. Mikhail Dmitrievich, demonstrating experience and foresight, drew up a plan for advancing to the Geok-Tepe fortress, which the Tekins intended to defend. They had about 25 thousand troops, Skobelev did not have even 7 thousand, but the superiority of the Russian army in weapons and training was beyond doubt. On January 12, 1881, Skobelev led his troops on an assault.
When the Russians burst into the fortress, most of the Tekin troops fled. Skobelev organized the persecution. After the capture of Geok-Tepe, silence reigned for a long time in the Trans-Caspian possessions of the empire. The losses of the Russian army in the entire expedition were about 1,500 dead and dead...
Skobelev lived in a relatively happy time for Russia: the empire seemed powerful. But the general’s worldview was formed during the days of the tragic Sevastopol epic. The Crimean War knocked complacency out of the patriots - and Skobelev understood that the Motherland was entering a period of crisis. How to save yourself, how to protect yourself from defeat and decay?
The general wrote: “My symbol is short: love for the Fatherland; science and Slavism. On these whales we will build such a political force that we will not be afraid of either enemies or friends! And there is no need to think about the belly, for the sake of these great goals we will make all the sacrifices.”
He dreamed of reviving the “crushed Russian self-consciousness” and very deeply (not at all like a soldier!) analyzed the growing phenomenon of revolutionary nihilism. In recent years, more than once Skobelev fell into apathy; sometimes he stopped believing in his own strength and became disappointed in people. At such moments, he repeated: “I came to the conclusion that everything in the world is a lie, a lie, a lie. All this is glory, and all this glitter is a lie. Is this true happiness? How many are killed, wounded, suffering, ruined.” And then he returned to the fight.
He was a zealous opponent of Germany and German influence in Russia, and foresaw a big war with the Germans. Skobelev proposed relying on an alliance with France: the Russians seemed to have nothing to share with her.
Skobelev’s plans were not Manilov’s: Emperor Alexander III, with whom Skobelev did not have good relations, would after some time choose exactly this tactic. But... the general made a fatal mistake: he rushed into politics. But Suvorov warned: a commander should not plunge into a political whirlwind. There is death there.
And now the White General began talking with his comrades about the crisis of the Romanov dynasty, that it would not be a bad idea to replace it, about how the generals should behave during the revolution... It is unlikely that he was the leader of the conspiracy, but sometimes “it’s better to be a sinner than be considered a sinner." It is much worse that at court he was considered a conspirator.
His is Skobelev, whose word in the army was worth its weight in gold and lead. God forbid you bring such an enemy! And now “all of St. Petersburg is talking about him as a seeker with dynastic claims.”
It was believed that the general would lead a coup during the coronation of Alexander in Moscow. And instead of Alexander III, Skobeleva will be crowned king. He dreamed of a free union of the Slavic peoples with the decisive word of the Russian Tsar, a common army and a common currency, but with the autonomy of governments. Slavic Garibaldi was inspired by the revelations of Khomyakov and Aksakov...
Of course, those around the new emperor were at least wary of Skobelev. And the general was still thinking about how to preserve and strengthen a great power in the conditions of the omnipotence of moneylenders?
He led a life far from ascetic. On the warm evening of June 25, 1882, at the Anglia Hotel, on the corner of Petrovka and Stoleshnikov Lane, Skobelev had dinner in a noisy company of casual acquaintances, after which he headed to his room with a certain flirtatious woman - as they said later, a German woman... In her room, the general and was found dead.
How many times did he walk under bullets on the battlefield - and die in someone else's bed. The report after the autopsy said: “He died from paralysis of the heart and lungs, the inflammation of which he suffered so recently.”
But Moscow, mourning the hero, did not believe the newspapers. Few doubted that Skobelev was killed. They thought the same in Bulgaria, which plunged into mourning. There were all kinds of versions - they blamed the German woman, the policeman, and the merchants who were carousing in the restaurant... It was rumored that a secret court sentenced the conspirator Skobelev to death. The cheerful merchants were agents of the secret police, they carried out the sentence, poisoned the hero... Of course, there were rumors about suicide. It's sad when the death of a hero is overshadowed by such versions.
Farewell to Skobelev took place in the Church of the Three Saints, near the Red Gate (this modest church has not survived). And they buried him in his native village - Spassky-Zaborov, on Ryazan land. The speech at the funeral was made by Bishop Ambrose of Dmitrov. The capitals were already arguing about where to erect a monument to Skobelev...
It will take off in Moscow, near the Governor General’s house, not far from the place of the general’s death, approximately where the monument to Yuri Dolgoruky is now. The wonderful monument will be destroyed at the 1918 May Day.
In Soviet times, Skobelev was not erased from history: he was considered a leading general, a successor to the best Suvorov traditions. And yet Skobelev remained on the sidelines of the parade of history’s heroes.
True, in 1954 the film “Heroes of Shipka” was released, in which the role of Skobelev was played by Evgeny Samoilov, energetically and charmingly. And in the 1970s, Skobelev became the hero of Boris Vasiliev’s epic novel “They Were and They Were Not,” which rediscovered that Russian-Turkish war for many of us...
Skobelev completed the galaxy of Russian heroic commanders, each of whom was the personification of the military valor of the people. In later times, brave people and talented strategists in Rus' did not disappear, but the era of millions of armies, the era of weapons of mass destruction began. The will of one person could not decide the fate of campaigns. That is why Russia remembers Skobelev, the last of the Mohicans.
The commanders of the Great Patriotic War were proud when their exploits were compared with the acts of Skobelev. Let us remember the commander not only on his birthday! Russians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Serbs - everyone whose freedom he fought for. And let the Skobelevsky March sound for us - breakthrough, cheerful, as it should be.
Audio recording of Skobelev's march.
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Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev
I would like to understand why some people in Rus' (and in Russia) enjoy special popular love? What qualities must a person have to be worthy of this love?
Such questions also arise when the name M.D. is mentioned. Skobeleva. The facts of his biography alone will not reveal the secret of this general’s popularity among the people. Yes, a hereditary military man. But is this a rare case in our country? Yes, he was brave and brave in battles. But this is not uncommon either. Yes, I knew 8 foreign languages. But some knew more. So why did they love Skobelev so much and still remember him, even though his life was very short: he lived only 38 years?
Let's try to see and understand behind the bare facts of the biography person.
Family
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was born in 1843 in St. Petersburg into a family of hereditary military men: his grandfather was an infantry general, his father was a lieutenant general. M.D. himself Skobelev was an infantry general and then an adjutant general. Despite the fact that Skobelev Jr. followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather professionally, spiritually he was very close to his mother, Olga Nikolaevna Skobeleva (nee Poltavtseva). She had a very great influence on her son, who saw her as his lifelong friend. Therefore, let's say a few words about this wonderful woman.
Olga Nikolaevna Skobeleva (1823-1880)
Portrait of O.N. Skobeleva. Watercolor by V. I. Gau (1842)
She was the middle of the five Poltavtsev sisters. In 1842 she graduated from the Smolny Institute and soon married Lieutenant General Dmitry Ivanovich Skobelev. Their family had four children: the first-born Mikhail and three daughters.
Dmitry Ivanovich Skobelev
Olga Nikolaevna was a secular woman, but in the best sense of the word: she was not only smart and educated, but also knew how to deeply delve into the affairs of her husband and children, living with their interests and concerns. This is how the Russian historian and critic Baron N.N. characterizes it. Knorring: “Olga Nikolaevna was a very interesting woman, with a powerful and persistent character. She loved her only son very much, visited him even on a camping trip, and with her extensive charitable activities supported his policy on the Slavic issue.” After the death of her husband in 1879, Olga Nikolaevna went to the Balkan Peninsula, where she headed the Bulgarian department of the Red Cross Society. She founded an orphanage for 250 orphans in Philippopolis (now Plovdiv), and organized orphanages and schools in several cities. Participated in organizing supplies for hospitals in Bulgaria and eastern Rumelia (the historical name of the Balkans). In the Balkans, Olga Nikolaevna Skobeleva was known not only as the wife and mother of glorious generals, but also as a generous philanthropist and courageous woman.
In Rumelia, she wanted to establish an agricultural school and a church in memory of her husband, but did not have time - her life was tragically cut short: on June 6, 1880, she was brutally hacked to death with a saber by a Russian lieutenant, Skobelev’s orderly, captain of the Rumelian police A. A. Uzatis for the purpose of robbery. Non-commissioned officer Matvey Ivanov, who was accompanying Skobeleva, was able to escape and raised the alarm. Uzatis was caught up, surrounded, and he shot himself.
The Philippopolis City Council erected a monument at the site of the murder of Olga Nikolaevna Skobeleva. And she was buried in her family estate, in the church.
Monument at the site of the murder of O.N. Skobeleva
The monument is in the form of a pedestal ending with a cross. The pedestal is made of tuff. Its height is 3.1 meters. Inscription: “Olga Nikolaevna Skobeleva, born March 11, 1823. You came to us with a high purpose. But a terrible hand has shortened your days. Holy forgive me! Iv. Vazov. Killed by a villain on July 6, 1880. The city of Plovdiv is forever grateful to her.”
Childhood and youth of M.D. Skobeleva
His first teacher was a German tutor, whom the boy hated for his hypocrisy, meanness and cruelty. Seeing how his son was suffering, D.I. Skobelev sent the child to Paris to a boarding house with the Frenchman Desiderius Girardet, who later became a close friend of Skobelev, followed him to Russia and was with him even during hostilities.
Mikhail Skobelev continued his further education in Russia: he entered St. Petersburg University, but the university was temporarily closed due to student unrest. And then Mikhail Skobelev entered military service in the Cavalry Regiment (1861). Thus began his military career. Even before entering the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, he was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 4th degree, “for bravery,” and in 1864 he observed the theater of military operations of the Danes against the Germans. And after graduating from the Academy, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was promoted to staff captain and in November 1868 was appointed to the Turkestan district.
M.D. Skobelev in the Khiva campaign
In difficult conditions of the campaign (travel on foot, lack of water, heavy equipment that was beyond the strength of even camels, etc.), Skobelev showed himself to be a skilled commander; he not only maintained perfect order in his echelon, but also took care of the needs of the soldiers, which was very quickly gained their favor: a simple person always appreciates a good attitude towards himself. And I'm always grateful for that.
Skobelev carried out reconnaissance in order to inspect wells and ensure safe progress. There were also clashes with the enemy - in one of them he received 7 wounds with pikes and checkers and for some time could not sit on a horse.
After returning to duty, Skobelev was sent to ruin and destroy Turkmen villages in order to punish the Turkmens for hostile actions against the Russians.
Later, he covered the wheeled convoy, and when the Khivans attacked the camel convoy, Skobelev moved with two hundred to the rear of the Khivans, came across a large detachment of 1000 people, overthrew them on the approaching cavalry, then attacked the Khivan infantry, put them to flight and returned the 400 repelled by the enemy camels.
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev
On May 29, General K.P. Kaufman entered Khiva from the south. Due to the anarchy that prevailed in the city, the northern part of the city did not know about the capitulation and did not open the gates; the assault on the northern part of the wall began. M.D. Skobelev stormed the Shahabat Gate, was the first to get inside the fortress, and although he was attacked by the enemy, he held the gate and rampart behind him. The assault was stopped by order of General K.P. Kaufman, who at that time was peacefully entering the city from the opposite side.
So Khiva submitted. The goal of the campaign was achieved, but one of the detachments, Krasnovodsk, never reached Khiva. To find out the reason, Skobelev decided to carry out reconnaissance. This was a very dangerous task, because... the terrain was alien, they could be attacked at every step. Skobelev with five horsemen, among whom there were 3 Turkmens, set out on reconnaissance. Having stumbled upon the Turkmen, he barely escaped, but realized that there was no way to break through. Skobelev returned, having covered 640 km in 7 days. For this reconnaissance and report, Skobelev was awarded on August 30, 1873 the Order of St. George, 4th degree.
Vacation in the winter of 1873-1874. Skobelev spent in southern France. There he learned about the internecine war in Spain, made his way to the location of the Carlists (a political party in Spain, it still exists, but no longer plays a serious role in politics) and was an eyewitness to several battles.
On February 22, 1874, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was promoted to colonel, and on April 17 he was appointed adjutant and was included in the retinue of His Imperial Majesty.
In September 1874, Skobelev participated in the Perm region in the implementation of the order on military service.
And again Central Asia
Returning to Tashkent in April 1875, Skobelev took up a new position - head of the military unit of the Russian embassy sent to Kashgar through Kokand. The ruler of Kokand, Khudoyar Khan, was on the side of the Russians, but was too cruel and selfish, and in July 1875 he was deposed and fled to Russian borders. The Russian embassy followed him, which was covered by Skobelev with 22 Cossacks. Thanks to his talent, caution and caring attitude towards the people entrusted to him, they reached Khojent without a single fight and without the use of weapons at all. But at the beginning of August, Kokand troops invaded Russian borders and besieged Khojent, where Skobelev was sent to clear the outskirts of Tashkent from the enemy. Soon the main forces of General Kaufman approached Khojent; Skobelev was appointed chief of the cavalry.
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev
In this battle, Mikhail Dmitrievich showed himself to be a brilliant cavalry commander, the Russian troops won a convincing victory, although Skobelev himself was wounded in the leg. An agreement was concluded with Nasreddin, according to which Russia acquired the territory north of the Syr Darya, which formed the Namangan department.
But the Kipchak and Kyrgyz population of the Khanate did not want to admit that they were defeated and were preparing to resume the fight. On the night of October 5, with 2 hundreds and a battalion, Skobelev carried out a swift attack on the Kipchak camp, for which on November 18 he was promoted to major general. He was ordered to “act strategically defensively,” that is, without going beyond the boundaries of the possessions of the Russian Empire.
However, Skobelev was never afraid to take the initiative into his own hands. And here he did the same. The Kokand people did not give up trying to cross the border, so a small war was constantly taking place here. Skobelev resolutely suppressed attempts to cross the border: he defeated Batyr-tyur’s detachment at Tyurya-kurgan, then went to the aid of the Namangan garrison, and on November 12 defeated up to 20,000 enemies at Balykchy. It was necessary to put an end to this. Kaufman ordered Skobelev to move to Ike-su-arasy in winter and defeat the Kipchaks and Kyrgyz wandering there. Skobelev set out from Namangan on December 25, with 2,800 men, 12 guns, a rocket battery and a convoy of 528 carts at his disposal. The Kipchaks avoided the battle, not offering worthy resistance.
On January 1, 1876, Skobelev crossed to the left bank of the Kara Darya, made thorough reconnaissance of the outskirts of the city, and on January 8, after an assault, captured Andijan. By February 19, the Kokand Khanate was completely conquered by the Russian Empire, the Fergana region was formed here, and on March 2, Skobelev was appointed military governor of this region and commander of the troops. For this campaign, 32-year-old Major General Skobelev was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd degree with swords and the Order of St. George, 3rd degree, as well as a gold sword with diamonds with the inscription “for bravery.”
Medal in honor of the conquest of the Kokand Khanate
How was the hero greeted in St. Petersburg?
Having become the head of the Fergana region, Skobelev found a common language with the conquered tribes; elders came to him almost everywhere with an expression of submission.
But there was something that the military elite of that time did not like (however, just as today’s elite would not like): as the head of the region, Skobelev especially fought against embezzlement, which made him many enemies. Denunciations against him with serious accusations were sent to St. Petersburg, which were not confirmed, but on March 17, 1877, Skobelev was removed from the post of military governor of the Fergana region.
Russian society was very unfriendly and distrustful of those who showed themselves in battles and campaigns against “ negligers" Many considered Skobelev an upstart, whose milk had not yet dried on his lips, and he had already received such high military awards. Common human envy, the desire to humiliate others who are more worthy but do not want to join their community. M.D. Skobelev showed himself in action, and not in cabinet battles. He was a stranger among them, and was distinguished not only by his extraordinary courage, but also by his humane attitude towards his subordinates and his general erudition.
Many believed that his success in Asia came by chance.
An eyewitness and participant in those events, Vasily Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko, speaks well about this (not to be confused with Vladimir Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko, a famous theater figure - this is his older brother).
Vasily Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko
Vasily Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko was a war correspondent during the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. (took part in hostilities and was awarded the soldier's St. George Cross), the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the Balkan Wars of the First World War of 1914-1918. Unlike his brother, Vasily Nemirovich-Danchenko did not accept the revolution and emigrated. Since 1921 he has lived first in Germany, then in Czechoslovakia. In the preface to his book “Skobelev”, he notes that he sought to write not a biography of the general, but “a series of memoirs and passages written under the living impression of the bereavement of this wonderful man. Between them there are sketches that may be found too small. It seemed to me that in such a complex character as Skobelev, every detail should count.”
IN AND. Nemirovich-Danchenko writes: “Even then they envied him, envied his youth, his early career, his George on his neck, his knowledge, his energy, his ability to deal with subordinates... Deep-minded turkeys who gave birth to every most consumptive idea with the painful attempts of a pregnant woman , did not understand this active mind, this ever-working laboratory of thoughts, plans and assumptions...
Skobelev studied and read under the most sometimes impossible conditions. At bivouacs, on the march, in Bucharest, on the ramparts of batteries under fire, during the intervals of a hot battle... He did not part with the book - and shared his knowledge with everyone. Being with him meant the same thing as learning on your own. He told the officers around him about his conclusions, ideas, consulted with them, entered into disputes, listened to every opinion. He looked at them and distinguished his future employees. The current chief of staff of the 4th Corps, General Dukhonin, by the way, characterized Skobelev this way:
“Other talented generals Radetzky and Gurko take only part of a person; they will not be able to take advantage of all his strengths and abilities. Skobelev, on the contrary... Skobelev will take everything that his subordinate has, and even more, because he will force him to go forward to improve, to work on himself...
He somehow rides in a stroller. The heat is unbearable, the sun is burning... He sees a soldier barely hobbling ahead, almost bending under the weight of his backpack...
- What, brother, is it difficult to walk?
- It’s difficult, yours...
- It’s better to go... The general is coming over there, dressed lighter than you, and you’re going with a backpack, this is not order... It’s not order, is it?
The soldier hesitates.
- Well, sit down with me...
The soldier hesitates... is he joking or something, the general...
- Sit down, they tell you...
The overjoyed Kirilka (that’s what we called the short army men) climbs into the stroller...
- Well, okay?
- Wonderful, yours.
- If you rise to the rank of general, you will ride the same way.
- Where are we?
- Yes, my grandfather started out as a soldier and ended up as a general... Where are you from?
And questions begin about the family, about the homeland...
The soldier gets out of the carriage, idolizing the young general, his story is transmitted throughout the regiment, and when this regiment falls into the hands of Skobelev, the soldiers no longer only know, but also love him ... "
They say that Skobelev never took his salary. It always went to various charitable causes, sometimes, according to some, petty ones, but Skobelev did not regard the requests addressed to him that way.
He instilled self-esteem in the soldiers, but at the same time demanded iron discipline. Having once found a colleague beating an ordinary soldier, he shamed him and said: “... As for the stupidity of a soldier, you don’t know them well... I owe a lot to the common sense of soldiers. You just need to be able to listen to them...”
But with each new feat, hostility towards him in the headquarters also grew. His comrades could not forgive him for such an easy success, in their opinion, such love from the soldiers, such luck in the war... Trying to denigrate him, they attributed to him cowardice, a desire for self-promotion, I don’t even want to repeat everything that befalls almost every talented and original person .
Often he was deceived even by those he helped. But Skobelev never took revenge on anyone, always trying to justify someone else’s action with the weakness of human nature.
He loved and understood the joke. He was not offended by witty attacks directed at himself. But, as Nemirovich-Danchenko notes, all this was appropriate for him in his free time. When it came to service, it was rare to find a person more demanding than him. And it couldn’t have been stricter than Skobelev.
Now let's talk about Akhal-Teke expedition.
N.D. Dmitriev-Orenburgsky “General M.D. Skobelev on horseback” (1883)
Akhal-Teke expedition
In January 1880, Skobelev was appointed commander of a military expedition against the Tekins. Tekins are one of the largest tribal groups within the Turkmen people.
According to Skobelev’s plan, it was necessary to deal a decisive blow to the Tekin Turkmen who inhabited the Ahal-Teke oasis. The Tekins, having learned about this, decided to move to the Dengil-Tepe (Geok-Tepe) fortress and defend only this point. There were 45 thousand people in the fortress, of which 20-25 thousand were defenders; 5 thousand rifles, many pistols, 1 gun and 2 zembureks. The Tekins usually made forays at night and caused considerable damage.
Skobelev himself walked the whole way, checked all the wells and roads and then returned back to his troops. Then the assault began.
The assault on the fortress took place on January 12, 1881. At 11:20 a.m. a mine exploded. The eastern wall fell and created a landslide. After a long battle, the Tekins fled, Skobelev pursued the retreating enemy for 15 miles. Russian losses amounted to 1,104 people, and they captured up to 5 thousand women and children, 500 Persian slaves and booty valued at 6 million rubles.
Akhal-Teke expedition 1880-1881. is a first-class example of military art. Skobelev showed what Russian troops are capable of. As a result, in 1885, the Merv and Pendinsky oases of Turkmenistan with the city of Merv and the Kushka fortress voluntarily became part of the Russian Empire. At the same time, his mother, Olga Nikolaevna Skobeleva, was killed by a man whom he knew well from the Balkan War. Then came another blow: Emperor Alexander II died as a result of a terrorist attack.
In his personal life, Skobelev was not happy. He was married to Princess Maria Nikolaevna Gagarina, but soon divorced her.
On January 14, Skobelev was promoted to infantry general, and on January 19 he was awarded the Order of St. George 2nd degree. On April 27, he went to Minsk, where he trained troops.
Death of General M.D. Skobeleva
It still causes a lot of talk today. It is officially recognized that General Skobelev died of a broken heart in Moscow, where he came on vacation, on June 25, 1882. He stayed at the Dusso Hotel. Upon arrival in Moscow, Skobelev met with Prince D. D. Obolensky, who notes in his memoirs that the general was not in good spirits, did not answer questions, and if he did answer, it was somehow abrupt. It was clear that he was alarmed about something. On June 24, Skobelev came to I.S. Aksakov, brought a bunch of documents and asked to keep them, saying: “I’m afraid that they will be stolen from me. For some time now I have become suspicious."
Late at night, one of the girls of easy virtue ran to the janitor and said that an officer had suddenly died in her room. The deceased was immediately identified as Skobelev. The police arrived and transported Skobelev’s body to the Dusso Hotel, where he was staying. Around the news of the death of General Skobelev, rumors and legends grew like a snowball, continuing to this day. They even said that it was an act of suicide. The majority was inclined to believe that “Skobelev was killed,” that the “white general” fell victim to German hatred. The presence of a “German woman” at his death (Charlotte Altenrose, and according to other sources her names were Eleanor, Wanda, Rose) gave these rumors greater credibility. There was an opinion that “Skobelev fell victim to his convictions, and the Russian people have no doubt about it.”
They say that M.D. Skobelev foresaw his imminent death. In the last months of his life, he became very irritable, often started talking about the fragility of life, began selling securities, gold jewelry and real estate, and drew up a will, according to which the Spassky family estate was to be transferred to the disposal of war invalids.
Among the letters that came to him, anonymous letters with threats began to appear more and more often. Who wrote them and why is still unknown.
Skobelev's death came as a bolt from the blue for many, many Russian people. She shocked all of Moscow. Emperor Alexander III sent a letter to his sister Nadezhda Dmitrievna with the words: “I am terribly shocked and saddened by the sudden death of your brother. The loss for the Russian army is difficult to replace and, of course, greatly mourned by all true military men. It’s sad, very sad to lose such helpful and dedicated people.”
A military general who has gone through so many wars! He was only 38 years old. The poet Ya. Polonsky wrote:
Why are people standing in a crowd?
What is he waiting for in silence?
What is the grief, what is the bewilderment?
It was not a fortress that fell, not a battle
Lost, Skobelev has fallen! gone
The force that was more terrible
The enemy has ten fortresses...
The strength that the heroes
Reminded us of fairy tales.
Many knew him as a man of encyclopedic knowledge, original thinking, and creative. The young men saw in Skobelev an example of a hero who personified devotion to the fatherland and loyalty to his word. For everyone who was sincerely interested in the prosperity of Russia, Skobelev was the hope for the implementation of political reforms. In their eyes, he became a leader worthy of leading the people.
Skobelev was buried in his family estate, the village of Spassky-Zaborovsky, Ryazhsky district, Ryazan province (currently the village of Zaborovo, Aleksandro-Nevsky district, Ryazan region), next to his parents, where during his lifetime, anticipating his death, he prepared a place. Currently, the remains of the general and his parents have been transferred to the restored Spassky Church in the same village.
Before the revolution, 6 monuments to General M.D. Skobelev were erected on the territory of the Russian Empire, but none of them have survived to this day.
Monument to Skobelev in Moscow
The monument in Moscow was unveiled on June 24, 1912. On May 1, 1918, it was demolished in pursuance of the decree “On the removal of monuments to the kings and their servants.” On the site of the monument, in the same 1918, a monument to the Soviet constitution was erected, in 1919 it was supplemented with the Statue of Liberty and existed until 1941, and in 1954 a monument to Yuri Dolgoruky was erected.
The design of the monument was created by retired Lieutenant Colonel P. A. Samonov. Constructed from Finnish granite, it was a very expressive and unique monument in an engineering sense: the composition of a rider on a horse had only two supports - the hind legs of the horse (in Russia there was another similar monument - the equestrian monument to Nicholas I in St. Petersburg by P.K. Klodt). On either side of the figure of the “white general” stood sculptural groups of loyal soldiers; bas-reliefs depicting episodes of the Russian-Turkish War were placed in the niches.
Recently, the question of perpetuating the memory of General Skobelev was raised again. The Modern Society Foundation initiated the collection of signatures in support of the restoration of the monument to the “white general” - Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev.
But why was Skobelev called the “white general”?
In battle, he was always ahead of the army in a white jacket on a white horse. Ak-Pasha (white general) was called his enemies. But many contemporaries noticed Skobelev’s strange predilection for the color white. The artist V.V. Vereshchagin explained it this way: “He believed that he would be more unharmed on a white horse than on a horse of a different color, although at the same time he believed that you could not escape fate.”
There is a legend that, while still a student at the military academy, he photographed the area on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. Returning, he got stuck in a swamp. The old white horse saved the life of Mikhail Dmitrievich: “I take it to the left, it pulls me to the right. If I have to ride a horse somewhere, so that I remember this white one, I will always choose a white one.”
Perhaps after this incident Skobelev developed a mystical addiction to white horses. And the white uniform was, as it were, a continuation of the whiteness of his horse. Skobelev believed that wearing white he was charmed from bullets and could not be killed by the enemy. Very often, only skillful handling of a horse and a saber saved him from death - he was wounded seven times in battles.
Bust of Skobelev in Ryazan
“My symbol is short: love for the Fatherland, freedom, science and Slavism!”
M. Skobelev
The most famous Russian military leader of the second half of the 19th century, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev (1843–1882), the conqueror of Khiva and liberator of Bulgaria, Mikhail Skobelev went down in history under the name of the “white general”. An outstanding strategist, a man of enormous personal courage, who died in the prime of his life under very mysterious circumstances.
In relation to the soldiers and the offensive strategy, he was called the “second Suvorov”, the Bulgarians, in tribute of gratitude, called him the “general liberator” and even offered to lead the Bulgarian people, and the Ottomans spoke with respect - “Ak Pasha” (“white general”). So, he was called for his uniform and white horse, as well as his attitude towards people. Skobelev said: “Convince the soldiers in practice that you take fatherly care of them outside of battle, that in battle there is strength, and nothing will be impossible for you.” The soldiers loved him and said, “He didn’t send him to death, but led him.” In Europe, the general was compared to Napoleon Bonaparte. His star was just rising, despite the fact that over the 19 years of his military career, Mikhail Dmitrievich managed to be in the fire of 70 battles. The path from lieutenant to general M.D. Skobelev passed in a surprisingly short period of time - 11 years (1864 - 1875). The geography of Skobelev’s service, from Central Asia to the Balkans, and knowledge of the religious and everyday traditions of local peoples also evoke respect. The legendary general knew the Koran and quoted it in Arabic, surprising the Turks
Mikhail Skobelev became famous not only as a military leader, but also as an exponent of the aspirations of the Slavic world, the leader of which he rightly considered the mighty Russian Empire. Mikhail Dmitrievich can rightfully be considered one of the ideologists of Slavism (Pan-Slavism), understood as the unity of peoples and countries related by blood and faith, led by Russia. Skobelev was a fighter for the unity of the Slavic world. The basis of such a unification were common Slavic roots, traditions, Russian language and Russian culture, which had powerful properties for the unity of many peoples around the Russian people, the core of Russian civilization. Russia's military power and military glory, which was usually achieved in the struggle for historical justice, also had a special unifying attraction. The strength of Russia, aimed at the struggle for justice, attracted other nations. This was the case during Russia’s struggle for the liberation of the Balkan peoples. And on an even larger scale, this property of the Russian people will manifest itself in the future, during the Great Patriotic War, when the heroic struggle of the USSR will attract the attention and sympathy of all progressive people of humanity. It is quite natural that Mikhail Dmitrievich saw the Russian people as the core of a vast and diverse Eurasian ethnic system, providing security to many different peoples and nationalities, capable of fairly solving the problems of internal development, and defeating any enemy.
When the Russian army, in the vanguard of which were the troops of Mikhail Skobelev, was advancing on Constantinople, the “second Suvorov” dreamed of entering the ancient city, the former “Tsargrad”, the capital of the Second Rome - Byzantium. He associated hopes for the revival of the Slavic world and its unification with the entry of Russian troops into Constantinople. However, the Western powers, and primarily Great Britain, did not allow such a development. This was also due to the political weakness of the figure of Emperor Alexander II, who did not have enough will to defend the fruits of the victory of 1877-1878, withstand Western pressure and end the war with a brilliant victory for Russia (the capture of the straits and Constantinople). The unification of the Slavic world was a terrible threat to the Anglo-Saxon project of globalization. England sought to preserve the ruins of the Ottoman Empire as a hostile power to Russia, a buffer holding back the movement of Russians to the South. Perhaps it was these geopolitical views of the general, given his enormous popularity, that became the reason for his sudden death. Unfortunately, during the years of Soviet power, the name of the “white general” was practically erased from literature and people’s memory.
Skobelev cadet.
Family, early biography and military education. First combat experience
The Russian military leader was the third in a line of famous generals (his grandfather and father had many military achievements). Mikhail Dmitrievich was born in St. Petersburg on September 17 (29), 1843. His father was Lieutenant General Dmitry Ivanovich Skobelev (1821-1879), and his mother was Olga Nikolaevna (1823 - 1880), née Poltavtseva. D. M. Skobelev was a participant in the Hungarian campaign and was awarded the Order of St. for military merits and courage. Vladimir 4th degree with a bow, as well as the Austrian Order of the Iron Crown 3rd degree. During the Eastern (Crimean) War he fought on the Caucasian front, was awarded a gold sword with the inscription “for bravery”, for distinction in the Basha-Kadiklar battle he was promoted to colonel and awarded the Order of St. Anna 2nd degree. He successively commanded the Elisavetgrad Dragoon Regiment, the Life Guards Cavalry Grenadier Regiment, was the commander of His Majesty's own convoy, and a cavalry inspector. He took part in the war with Turkey of 1877-1878, commanding the Caucasian Cossack Division together with the 4th Rifle Brigade. Then he was at the disposal of the commander-in-chief and took part in a number of cases. For the campaign of 1877-1878. Dmitry Ivanovich Skobelev received the Order of St. George, 3rd degree.
Mikhail had a very warm relationship with his mother, retained spiritual closeness with her throughout his life and inherited from her the “subtlety of nature.” Olga Nikolaevna was engaged in charitable activities and supported her son’s policy on the Slavic issue. After the death of her husband in 1879, she devoted herself entirely to charity, traveling to the Balkans and heading the Bulgarian department of the Red Cross Society. She founded an orphanage in Philippopolis (modern Plovdiv), organized orphanages and schools in several other cities, and organized supplies for hospitals in Bulgaria and eastern Rumelia. On June 6, 1880, Olga Nikolaevna was killed by robbers in the vicinity of Philippopolis. Her death was a great tragedy for Skobelev.
Mikhail's grandfather, Ivan Nikitich (1778-1849), was the son of a sergeant and a farmer, and began his service at the age of 14, joining the Orenburg 1st Field Battalion (later the 66th Butyrsky Infantry Regiment) as a soldier. With his abilities and energetic character, he soon attracted the attention of his superiors and in the 4th year of service he received the rank of sergeant, and then officer. As part of the 26th Chasseurs Regiment, he distinguished himself in the anti-French campaign of 1807. For the Swedish campaign he was awarded a gold sword with the inscription “for bravery” and the Order of St. Vladimir 4th degree. He was seriously wounded, but continued to serve and distinguished himself in the war against the Ottomans. He was retired for some time with the rank of captain. In 1812 he became M. Kutuzov's adjutant. He took part in the foreign campaign of the Russian army and distinguished himself in a number of cases. His last campaign was the Polish one, in the battle of Minsk he lost an arm. Ivan Nikitich not only went from soldier to infantry general, but also became a famous writer, speaking under the pseudonym “Russian invalid.” Skobelev wrote on military topics, and his works were very popular among the military. The general wrote in a lively vernacular language, using soldier’s humor and folk proverbs. Ivan Nikitich wrote in one of his stories: “I remember the good, I remember the bad, but, I admit, I don’t remember anything better than a Russian soldier.” His perfect knowledge of the Russian soldier led to great fame for his works. In addition, his writings were filled with faith and deep patriotism.
In the first years of Mikhail Dmitrievich’s life, the grandfather-soldier was the main figure in the home education of his grandson. The boy listened with great interest to Ivan Nikitich's stories about military campaigns and exploits, the Russian soldier. Unfortunately, soon I.N. Skobelev died, and the boy was left without his beloved grandfather-educator from the age of 6. A German tutor began to raise the child, but the relationship with him did not work out. Later, Mikhail was sent to Paris to a boarding house with the Frenchman Desiderius Girardet. In France, the future general mastered a large amount of knowledge and several languages. And Girardet will eventually become a close friend of Mikhail and follow him to Russia. In the Russian Empire in 1858-1860. the young man was preparing to enter St. Petersburg University. The preparation was successful, and in 1861 he entered the mathematics department of St. Petersburg University. However, further studies were prevented by student unrest, due to which the university was temporarily closed. As a result, family traditions took over and “too graceful for a real military man,” Skobelev entered the Cavalry Regiment as a volunteer in November 1861. This event became a turning point in his fate.
18-year-old Mikhail, in the ranks of cavalry guards, took the oath of allegiance to the sovereign and the Fatherland and eagerly began to study military affairs. On September 8, 1862, after passing the exam, he was promoted to harness cadet, and on March 31, 1863, to cornet. In 1864, at his own request, he was transferred to the Life Guards Grodno Hussar Regiment, which was stationed in Warsaw and fought against the Polish rebels. Mikhail Dmitrievich, in battles with the Poles, gains his first combat experience. As part of the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment, he pursued the Polish detachment under the leadership of Shpak. As part of a flying detachment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel K.I. Zankisov, a young officer took part in the destruction of the Polish gang under the command of Shemiot in the Radkowice Forest. For this battle, Skobelev was awarded the Order of St. Anna 4th degree "for bravery". In the memoirs of the officers of the Grodno regiment, young Mikhail Skobelev remained “a true gentleman and a dashing cavalry officer.”
Skobelev as lieutenant.
In 1864, while on vacation, Skobelev traveled to Europe to study the theater of military operations of the Danes against the Germans (in 1864 there was a conflict between Denmark, Prussia and Austria over the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein). In the same year, Skobelev was promoted to lieutenant. In 1866, the lieutenant entered the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, which then taught such prominent military figures as G.A. Leer, M.I. Dragomirov, A.K. Puzyrevsky. Skobelev studied unevenly, showing brilliant knowledge only in those subjects that interested him. So, he was first in the entire graduation in military history, showed excellent results in foreign and Russian languages, in political history, but did not shine in military statistics and photography, and especially in geodesy. Therefore, Skobelev did not graduate from the academy in the forefront, but was still enrolled in the General Staff.
According to the commander’s biographer, writer V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, Skobelev, during practical tests in the North-Western Territory, had to find the most convenient point for crossing the Neman River. To do this, it was necessary to study the entire course of the river. But Skobelev did not do this, living all the time in the same place. When the verification commission arrived with Lieutenant General G.A. Leer, Skobelev jumped on his horse and crossed the river, safely crossing the Neman in both directions. Leer was so delighted that he insisted on enlisting the promising, decisive and energetic officer in the General Staff. Shortly before graduating from the Academy of the General Staff, Skobelev was promoted to the next rank - staff captain.
First cases in Asia
In 1868, at the request of the commander of the Turkestan Military District, Adjutant General von Kaufmann 1st, Skobelev was sent to the Turkestan District. Mikhail Dmitrievich arrived in Tashkent at the beginning of 1869 and initially served at the district headquarters. The officer studied local battle tactics. Commanding the Siberian Cossack Hundred, he participated in small matters on the Bukhara border, showing personal courage. Conducted a cartographic survey of the Zarevshansky district, recently annexed to the empire. However, despite the demonstrated skills and courage, Skobelev’s service in the Turkestan district did not work out. Mikhail Dmitrievich, due to the “lack of necessary restraint and tact,” was a conflicted person, intolerant of other people’s weaknesses.
Skobelev quarreled with some Cossacks, and with two representatives of the Tashkent “golden youth” it came to a duel. This caused the displeasure of General Kaufman. Mikhail Dmitrievich was sent back and was assigned to the reserve squadron of the Life Guards of the Grodno Hussar Regiment.
At the end of 1870, Skobelev was placed at the disposal of the commander of the Caucasian Army. In the spring of 1871, Mikhail was sent to the Krasnovodsk detachment of Colonel N.G. Stoletov, on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea. There the officer commanded the cavalry and studied the possibility of the Russian army marching to Khiva through the northern part of the Karakum desert. Mikhail Dmitrievich reconnoitered the route to the Sarykamysh well, making a difficult journey with a total distance of 536 versts: from Mullakari to Uzunkuyu - 410 versts in 9 days, and back to Kum-Sebshen, 126 versts in 16.5 hours. Only six people accompanied him. Skobelev compiled a detailed description of the route and the wells there. But here, too, the officer displeased his superiors; he unauthorizedly reviewed the plan for the upcoming campaign in Khiva, for which he was sent on 11-month leave.
In April 1872, Mikhail was again assigned to the General Staff, to the Military Accounting Office. He participated in the preparation of a field trip of headquarters officers and the St. Petersburg Military District to the Baltic provinces. In June 1872, he was appointed senior adjutant of the headquarters of the 22nd Infantry Division, which was stationed in Novgorod. Already on August 30, 1872, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, becoming a staff officer at the headquarters of the Moscow Military District. But he didn’t stay in Moscow for long either; Skobelev was sent to the 74th Stavropol Infantry Regiment as a battalion commander.
Khiva campaign
Skobelev did not stay in the Maykop area, where the Stavropol regiment was located. At this time, the Russian armed forces were preparing a campaign against Khiva, “to liberate our compatriots” who were in slavery. In addition, there were constant complaints from local residents who had transferred to Russian citizenship; they were attacked by feudal lords supplied with English weapons. The Stavropol regiment was not included in the number of formations that were supposed to take part in this operation. But Skobelev was not going to stay away from the place where it would be hot. He asked for leave and arrived in Turkestan in the midst of preparations for the campaign. In April 1873, Russian troops set out on a campaign from four points: Tashkent (General Kaufman), Krasnovodsk (Colonel Markozov), Orenburg (General Veryovkin) and Mangyshlak (Colonel Lomakin). The total number of troops was 12-13 thousand soldiers with 56 guns. General command was exercised by General Konstantin Kaufman.
Skobelev led the vanguard of the Mangyshlak detachment of Colonel Nikolai Lomakin. They left on April 16, Mikhail Dmitrievich, like other officers, walked. There was a shortage of camels in the detachment (only 1,500 camels for 2,140 people), so they loaded all the combat horses. Skobelev was always distinguished by severity and exactingness in wartime conditions, and first of all towards himself. In peaceful life he could have doubts, but in military life he was as collected, responsible and courageous as possible.
In a difficult situation, when the water ran out halfway to the Senek well, Skobelev showed himself to be a skillful commander and organizer, maintaining complete order in his echelon and taking care of the needs of the soldiers. On May 5, while carrying out reconnaissance near Itybai’s well, Skobelev with 10 soldiers discovered a caravan heading to Khiva. Despite the enemy's numerical superiority, Skobelev attacked the enemy. In this battle he received several wounds from bladed weapons and returned to duty only on May 20. On May 21, the lieutenant colonel with a small detachment carried out a punitive operation against the Turkmens. They were punished for hostile actions against Russian troops. On May 22, Skobelev covered the convoy, repelling several attacks by the Khivans. On May 24, when Russian troops stood at Chinakchik (8 versts from Khiva), the enemy attacked a camel convoy. Mikhail Dmitrievich immediately took two hundred, quietly went to the rear and struck the Khivans. He overthrew the enemy cavalry, put the infantry to flight and repulsed 400 camels.
Khiva campaign 1873. Through the dead sands to the wells of Adam-Krylgan (Karazin N.N., 1888).
On May 26, the united Orenburg and Mangyshlak detachments reached Khiva, settling at the Shakhabad Gate. On May 28, reconnaissance in force was carried out. On May 29, a Turkestan detachment under the command of Kaufman approached the city from the southeast. The Khivans capitulated. Kaufman's troops began to enter the city from the south. But, due to the unrest in the city, the northern part of Khiva did not know about the capitulation and refused to surrender. Skobelev with two companies began the assault on the Shahabad Gate and was the first to make his way inside the fortress. The Khivans launched a counterattack, but Skobelev held the gate and rampart behind him. Soon, by order of Kaufman, the assault was stopped, and the city finally capitulated. Khiva submitted.
Scheme of the fortifications of Khiva.
During the campaign, the Krasnovodsk detachment of Colonel Markozov did not take part in the capture of Khiva and was forced to return to Krasnovodsk. Skobelev volunteered to carry out reconnaissance of the route not taken by the Krasnovodsk detachment in order to find out the cause of the incident. The task was fraught with great risk: it was necessary to pass the Zmukshir - Ortakay section of 340 miles, in a hostile environment. Mikhail Dmitrievich took only 5 people with him, including 3 Turkmens. On August 4 he set out from Zmukshir. There was no water in the Daudur well. 15-25 versts before Ortakuyu, Skobelev’s detachment on the morning of August 7, near the Nefes-kuli well, ran into a detachment of hostile Turkmens. The lieutenant colonel and his companions barely escaped. It was obvious that it was impossible to get further. On August 11, having covered 640 miles, Skobelev returned. The corresponding report was presented to Kaufman. This intelligence helped to drop the charge against Colonel Vasily Markozov, who was considered guilty of the failure of the Krasnovodsk detachment. For this reconnaissance, Mikhail Skobelev was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree.
In the winter of 1873-1874, the officer was on leave in Southern France. During it, he made a trip to Spain, where the Third Carlist War was going on (the uprising was raised by a party that supported the rights of Don Carlos and his heirs), and was an eyewitness to several battles. In February 1874, Skobelev was promoted to colonel, and in April he was enlisted as an aide-de-camp in the retinue of His Imperial Majesty.
Major General and Military Governor
At the end of May 1875, Mikhail Dmitrievich again sought appointment to Turkestan. Skobelev was appointed commander of a small military team (22 Cossacks), which escorted the Russian embassy sent to Kashgar. At the same time, he served as a reconnaissance officer - he had to assess the military significance of Kashgar. The embassy passed through Kokand, where Khudoyar Khan ruled under Russian influence. At this time, an uprising broke out against the khan, who fled to Khojent. The Russian embassy covered him up. Thanks to Skobelev’s skill, his caution and firmness, a battle that threatened to exterminate the small Russian detachment was avoided.
At this time, a gazavat against the infidels was proclaimed in Kokand and Kokand troops invaded Russian borders. Khojent was besieged. Unrest began among local residents. Skobelev with two hundred Cossacks was sent to fight the gangs. Soon Khojent was liberated by Kaufman's troops, Skobelev led the cavalry. On August 22, 1875, Russian troops took Makhram, the center of the rebel forces (numbered up to 50 thousand people). The Kokand people suffered a complete defeat, losing up to 2 thousand people killed (Russian troops lost 5 killed and 8 wounded). In this battle, Skobelev, with the support of a rocket battery, quickly attacked the enemy, put numerous enemy crowds of foot and horsemen to flight and drove them 10 miles. In this matter, the colonel showed himself to be an excellent cavalry commander.
The leader of the rebels, Abdurrahman, escaped; six hundred, two infantry companies and a missile battery under the command of Skobelev were sent to pursue him. Russian soldiers destroyed the enemy detachment, but Abdurrahman was able to escape. Russia annexed the lands north of the Syr Darya (Namangan department). However, the uprising continued. Abdurrahman deposed Khan Nasreddin (son of Khudoyar) and elevated Pulat Khan (Bolot Khan) to the throne. Andijan became the center of the uprising. On October 1, the detachment of Major General Vitaly Trotsky took the enemy fortress. Skobelev distinguished himself in this battle. On the way back, the Russian detachment met the enemy; on October 5, Skobelev destroyed the camp of the rebel Kipchaks with a night attack.
On October 18, for distinction in this campaign, Mikhail Skobelev was promoted to major general and appointed head of the Namangan department. Under his command there were three battalions, five hundred and 12 guns. Skobelev received the task of “acting strategically defensively,” that is, without leaving the borders of the Russian Empire. However, the situation was so difficult that Skobelev had to go on the offensive. “War of position” led to the enemy’s success. Bandit elements and gangs constantly crossed the Russian border, and a small war was going on almost continuously. Major General Mikhail Skobelev constantly stopped the enemy’s attempts to cross the border, on October 23 he defeated an enemy detachment at Tyurya Kurgan, and then helped the garrison of Namangan, where an uprising broke out. On November 12, he scattered a large enemy detachment (up to 20 thousand people) near Balykchy. It was necessary to answer. Kaufman ordered a limited offensive operation.
On December 25, Skobelev set out from Namangan with 2.8 thousand soldiers with 12 guns and a missile battery. Moving towards Ike-su-arasy, Russian troops destroyed “non-peaceful” villages. The enemy was unable to provide decent resistance. Only in Andijan did Abdurrahman decide to give battle and gathered up to 37 thousand soldiers. On January 8, 1876, Russian troops took the fortress by storm. Abdurrahman fled to Assaka, where on January 18 he suffered a new defeat. The rebel leader escaped again, wandered for some time, then surrendered to the mercy of the victors. The surviving “irreconcilable” rebels fled to Afghanistan.
Kokand. Entrance to the palace of Khudoyar Khan, built in 1871.
In February, the Kokand Khanate was transformed into the Fergana region and became part of the Russian Empire. On March 2, Mikhail Skobelev was appointed military governor and commander of the Fergana region. For the pacification of Kokand, Skobelev was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 3rd degree with swords and the Order of St. George, 3rd degree, and is also marked with a gold sword with diamonds with the inscription “for bravery.”
As the head of the region, Skobelev managed to pacify the Kipchaks, who gave their word to live peacefully. He also made a campaign against the Kyrgyz who inhabited the Alai ridges and the valley of the Kizyl-su River. The expedition to the borders of Kashgaria, to the Tien Shan, ended with the annexation of the Alai land to the Fergana region, the occupation of the Kashgar border and the construction of the Gulchin-Alai road. Skobelev served as governor for no more than a year; he was recalled to St. Petersburg. The general fought against embezzlement, making many enemies. Complaints constantly poured in against him in the capital. The accusations were not confirmed, but Skobelev was nevertheless recalledAli. Now he had to prove that successes in Central Asia were not accidental.
“My symbol is short: love for the Fatherland, freedom, science and Slavism!”
M. Skobelev
“Convince the soldiers in practice that you take fatherly care of them outside of battle,
that in battle there is strength, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
(M. D. Skobelev)
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev (1843-1882) was born 170 years ago - an outstanding Russian military leader and strategist, infantry general, adjutant general, participant in the Central Asian conquests of the Russian Empire and the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, liberator of Bulgaria. For Ryazan, his name has a special meaning, because Skobelev was buried on Ryazan soil, on his family estate.
There are not many famous military leaders in history about whom we can confidently say: “He did not lose a single battle.” This is Alexander Nevsky, Alexander Suvorov, Fedor Ushakov. In the 19th century, such an invincible commander was Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev. Heroically built, tall, handsome, always in a white uniform and on a white horse, prancing under the furious whistling of bullets. “White General” (Ak-Pasha) - as his contemporaries called him, and not only because he participated in battles in a white uniform and on a white horse...
Battles and victories
Why was he called the “white general”? For different reasons. The simplest one is a uniform and a white horse. But he wasn’t the only one wearing a white general’s military uniform. That means something else. Probably the desire to be on the side of good, not to become impoverished in soul, not to come to terms with the need to kill.
I came to the conviction that everything in the world is a lie, a lie and a lie... All this glory, and all this glitter is a lie... Is this true happiness?.. Does humanity really need this?.. But what, what is this lie worth? , this glory? How many were killed, wounded, suffering, ruined!.. Explain to me: will you and I answer to God for the mass of people whom we killed in battle?- these are the words of V.I. Skobelev. Nemirovich-Danchenko discovers a lot about the general’s character.
“An amazing life, the amazing speed of its events: Kokand, Khiva, Alai, Shipka, Lovcha, Plevna on July 18, Plevna on August 30, the Green Mountains, the crossing of the Balkans, the fabulously fast march to Adrianople, Geok-Tepe and unexpected, mysterious death - follow one after another, without respite, without rest.” ( IN AND. Nemirovich-Danchenko “Skobelev”).
His name made Central Asian khans and Turkish Janissaries tremble. And ordinary Russian soldiers treated him with respect. The staff officers, jealous of his success, gossiped that he was a poseur who flaunted courage and contempt for death. But V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko (brother of the founder of the Art Theater), who personally knew the general, wrote: “He knew that he was leading to death, and without hesitation he did not send, but led. The first bullet was his, the first meeting with the enemy was his. The cause requires sacrifices, and, having once decided the necessity of this cause, he would not back down from any sacrifices.”
However, Skobelev was not a simple “soldier” - brilliantly educated, knowing 8 languages, smart, ironic, cheerful, intellectual and reveler. But he devoted himself completely to the main cause of his life - service to the Fatherland. He was an amazing commander and an unusual person who became a true legend during his lifetime.
Early biography and military education
Skobelev cadet
A hereditary military man, he was born in St. Petersburg on September 17 (29 according to the current style), 1843 in the family of Lieutenant General Dmitry Ivanovich Skobelev and his wife Olga Nikolaevna, née Poltavtseva. Having inherited the “subtlety of nature” from his mother, he retained spiritual closeness with her throughout his life. In his opinion, only in the family does a person have the opportunity to be himself. “Too graceful for a real military man,” he, nevertheless, chose this path from his youth and already on November 22, 1861, entered military service in the Cavalry Regiment. After passing the exam, he was promoted to harness cadet on September 8, 1862, and to cornet on March 31, 1863. On August 30, 1864, Skobelev was promoted to lieutenant.
Skobelev with the rank of lieutenant
In the fall of 1866 he entered the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. Upon completion of the academy course in 1868, he became the 13th of 26 officers assigned to the general staff.
Khiva campaign
In the spring of 1873, Skobelev took part in the Khiva campaign, as an officer of the general staff under the Mangishlak detachment of Colonel Lomakin. The purpose of the campaign was, firstly, to strengthen the Russian borders, which were subject to targeted attacks by local feudal lords supplied with English weapons, and secondly, to protect those of them who came under Russian protection. They left on April 16, Skobelev, like other officers, walked. Severity and exactingness in the conditions of a military campaign, and first of all towards himself, distinguished this man. Then, in peaceful life there could be weaknesses and doubts, during military operations - maximum composure, responsibility and courage.
Scheme of Khiva fortifications
So on May 5, near the well of Itybai, Skobelev with a detachment of 10 horsemen met a caravan of Kazakhs who had gone over to the side of Khiva and, despite the numerical superiority of the enemy, rushed into battle, in which he received 7 wounds with pikes and sabers and could not sit on a horse until May 20. Returning to duty on May 22, with 3 companies and 2 guns, he covered the wheeled convoy, and repelled a number of enemy attacks. On May 24, when Russian troops stood at Chinakchik (8 versts from Khiva), the Khivans attacked a camel train. Skobelev quickly got his bearings, and moved with two hundred hidden, in the gardens, to the rear of the Khivans, overturned their approaching cavalry, then attacked the Khivan infantry, put them to flight and returned 400 camels captured by the enemy. On May 29, Mikhail Skobelev with two companies stormed the Shakhabat Gate, was the first to get inside the fortress and, although he was attacked by the enemy, he held the gate and rampart behind him. Khiva submitted.
Khiva campaign of 1873.
Transition of the Turkestan detachment through the dead sands - Karazin
Military governor
In 1875-76, Mikhail Dmitrievich led an expedition against the rebellion of the feudal lords of the Kokand Khanate, directed against the nomadic robbers who ravaged the Russian border lands. After this, with the rank of major general, he was appointed governor and commander of the troops of the Fergana region, formed on the territory of the abolished Khanate of Kokand. As the military governor of Fergana and the head of all troops operating in the former Kokand Khanate, he took part in and led the battles of Kara-Chukul, Makhram, Minch-Tyube, Andijan, Tyura-Kurgan, Namangan, Tash-Bala, Balykchi, etc. He also organized and, without any particular losses, completed an amazing expedition, known as the “Alai” expedition.
In a white uniform, on a white horse, Skobelev remained safe and sound after the hottest battles with the enemy, and then a legend arose that he was charmed by bullets...
Having become the head of the Fergana region, Skobelev found a common language with the conquered tribes. The Sarts reacted well to the arrival of the Russians, but still their weapons were taken away. The warlike Kipchaks, once conquered, kept their word and did not rebel. Mikhail Dmitrievich treated them “firmly, but with heart.”
This is how his stern gift as a military leader first manifested itself:
...War is war,” he said during a discussion of the operation, “and there cannot but be losses... and these losses can be large.
Russian-Turkish War 1877-1878
The peak of the career of commander D.M. Skobelev occurred during the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, the goal of which was the liberation of Orthodox peoples from the oppression of the Ottoman Empire. On June 15, 1877, Russian troops crossed the Danube and launched an offensive. The Bulgarians enthusiastically greeted the Russian army and joined it.
Skobelev near Shipka - Vereshchagin
On the battlefield, Skobelev appeared as a major general, already with the St. George Cross, and, despite the incredulous remarks of many of his comrades, he quickly gained fame as a talented and fearless commander. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. he actually commanded (being the chief of staff of the Combined Cossack Division) the Caucasian Cossack brigade during the 2nd assault on Plevna in July 1877 and a separate detachment during the capture of Lovchi in August 1877.
M.D. Skobelev near Plevna, August 20, 1877
During the 3rd assault on Plevna (August 1877), he successfully led the actions of the left-flank detachment, which broke through to Plevna, but did not receive timely support from the command. Commanding the 16th Infantry Division, Mikhail Dmitrievich took part in the blockade of Plevna and the winter crossing of the Balkans (through the Imitli Pass), playing a decisive role in the battle of Sheinovo. At the last stage of the war, while pursuing the retreating Turkish troops, Skobelev, commanding the vanguard of the Russian troops, occupied Adrianople and, in February 1878, San Stefano in the vicinity of Constantinople. Skobelev's successful actions created him great popularity in Russia and Bulgaria, where streets, squares and parks in many cities were named after him.
Siege of Plevna
Prudent people reproached Skobelev for his reckless courage; they said that “he behaves like a boy,” that “he rushes forward like an ensign,” that, finally, risking “unnecessarily,” exposes the soldiers to the danger of being left without a high command, etc. However, there was no more commander attentive to the needs of his soldiers and more careful about their lives than the “white general”. During preparations for the upcoming transition through the Balkans, Skobelev, who had anticipated such a development of events in advance and therefore did not waste time, developed vigorous activity. As the head of the column, he understood: regardless of the conditions of the transition, everything must be done to protect the detachment from unjustified losses along the way and to maintain its combat effectiveness.
Convince the soldiers in practice that you take fatherly care of them outside of battle, that in battle there is strength, and nothing will be impossible for you
- said Skobelev.
The personal example of the chief and his training requirements became the standard for the officers and soldiers of the detachment. Skobelev sent teams throughout the district to purchase boots, short fur coats, sweatshirts, food and fodder. Pack saddles and packs were purchased in the villages. On the route of the detachment, in Toplesh, Skobelev created a base with an eight-day supply of food and a large number of pack horses. And Skobelev carried out all this with the help of his detachment, without relying on the help of the commissariat and the partnership involved in supplying the army.
Russian-Turkish War 1877-1878
The time of intense fighting clearly showed that the Russian army was inferior in quality to the Turkish army, and therefore Skobelev supplied one battalion of the Uglitsky regiment with guns captured from the Turks. Another innovation was introduced by Skobelev. How the soldiers did not curse, each time putting heavy backpacks on their backs! You can’t sit down with such a burden, you can’t lie down, and even in battle it hindered your movements. Skobelev obtained canvas somewhere and ordered the bags to be sewn. And it became easy and convenient for the soldier! After the war, the entire Russian army switched to canvas bags. They laughed at Skobelev: they say, the military general turned into an agent of the commissariat, and the chuckles intensified even more when it became known about Skobelev’s order for each soldier to have a log of dry firewood.
Skobelev continued to prepare the detachment. As subsequent events showed, the firewood was very useful. At a rest stop, the soldiers quickly lit fires and rested in the warmth. During the transition, there was not a single frostbite in the detachment. In other detachments, especially in the left column, a large number of soldiers were out of action due to frostbite. All of the above made General Skobelev an idol among the soldiers and an object of envy among the highest military ranks, who endlessly blamed him for having too “easy” awards, unjustified, from their point of view, courage, and undeserved glory. However, those who saw him in action could not help but notice completely different qualities. “It is impossible not to note the skill with which Skobelev fought. At that moment, when he achieved decisive success, 9 fresh battalions still remained untouched in his hands, the very sight of which forced the Turks to capitulate.”
Akhal-Teke expedition
After the end of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. The “white general” commanded the corps, but was soon sent again to Central Asia, where in 1880-1881. led the so-called Akhal-Tekin military expedition, during which he carefully and comprehensively organized the campaigns of his subordinate troops and successfully stormed the Den-gil-Tepe fortress (near Geok-Tepe). Following this, Ashgabat was occupied by Skobelev’s troops.
As Juliette Lambert recalled:
If General Skobelev risked the lives of his soldiers as easily as his own, then after the battle he treated them with the greatest care. He always arranged comfortable accommodations for the sick and wounded, preventing their accumulation in hospitals, which, according to him, poses a double danger: epidemics and demoralization of the troops. He demanded that officers think first (to the extent possible) about the welfare of their soldiers than about their own, and in this regard he personally set an example for them. General Dukhonin, chief of staff of the 4th Corps, wrote about him:
“Our glorious generals Radetsky and Gurko knew how to perfectly guess the special abilities of officers and use them, but only Skobelev knew how to extract from each absolutely everything that he was capable of, and, moreover, with his personal example and advice, encouraged and improved them.”
He treated the Asians who were in Russian service in exactly the same way as he treated his soldiers. “This, he said, is the main guarantee of our strength. We are trying to make people out of slaves; this is more important than all our victories.”
During the battle there was no more cruel person than Skobelev. The Tekkins called him Guentz-Kanly, “Bloody Eyes,” and he inspired them with superstitious fear.
In conversations with Mr. Marvin, General Skobelev unceremoniously expressed how he understood the conquest of Central Asia.
- “You see, Mr. Marvin - but don’t print this, otherwise I will be known as a savage barbarian in the eyes of the League of Peace - my principle is that the peace in Asia is directly related to the mass of people slaughtered there. The stronger the blow, the longer the enemy remains calm. We killed 20,000 Turkmens at Geok-Tepe. Those who survived will not forget this lesson for a long time.
- I hope that you will allow me to express your view in print, since in your official report, you say that after the attack and during the pursuit of the enemy you killed 8,000 people of both sexes.
- This is true: they were counted and, indeed, it turned out to be 8,000 people.
- This fact aroused a lot of talk in England, since you admit that your troops killed women along with men.
In this regard, I must note that, in a conversation with me, Skobelev said frankly: “Many women were killed. The troops cut down everything they could get their hands on with sabers.”. Skobelev gave his division an order to spare women and children, and they were not killed in his presence; but the other divisions spared no one: the soldiers worked like machines and cut down people with sabers. Captain Maslov admitted this with complete frankness. As an eyewitness, he states in his essay “The Conquest of Ahal-Tekke” that in the morning, on the day of the attack, an order was given not to take anyone prisoner.
“It’s absolutely true,” said Skobelev, women were found among the dead. It's not in my nature to hide anything. That's why I wrote in my report: both sexes.
When I noticed to him that our main mistake in the last Afghan war was that, having entered this country, we did not put his principle (and Wellington’s) into practice, that is, we did not inflict the most brutal blows on the enemy, he replied: “The executions in Kabul, carried out on the orders of General Roberts, were a big mistake. I would never order the execution of an Asian with the aim of terrorizing the country, because this measure never produces the desired effect. Whatever execution you come up with, it is still always will be less terrible than those invented by some Masrulah or other Asian despot. The population is so accustomed to such cruelties that all your punishments seem insignificant to them. It is also important that the execution of a Muslim by an infidel arouses hatred. I would prefer to see the uprising of an entire country, rather than executing one person. When you take a city by storm and inflict a severe blow at the same time, they say: “such is the will of the Almighty,” and submit to this sentence of fate, without retaining in their hearts even a trace of the hatred that infects in This is my system: deliver strong and cruel blows until the resistance is destroyed, and then stop all massacres, be kind and humane with the lying enemy. After the declaration of submission, the strictest discipline must be observed in the troops: not a single enemy should be touched.
Skobelev near Geok-Tepe
An ardent supporter of the liberation of the Slavic peoples, Skobelev was tireless, reaching almost to Constantinople, and was very worried about the inability to complete the matter. IN AND. Nemirovich-Danchenko, who accompanied the general, wrote: “Strange as it may seem, I can testify that I saw Skobelev burst into tears, speaking about Constantinople, about how we are fruitlessly wasting time and the results of an entire war by not occupying it...
Indeed, when even the Turks erected masses of new fortifications around Constantinople, Skobelev made exemplary attacks and maneuvers several times, occupied these fortifications, showing the full possibility of capturing them without large losses. Once in this way he broke in and occupied the key enemy positions, from which the askers looked at him and did nothing.”
Skobelev M.D.:
I directly proposed to the Grand Duke: to occupy Constantinople with my detachment without permission, and the next day let me be put on trial and shot, so long as they don’t give him up... I wanted to do this without warning, but who knows what types and assumptions there are. ..
But Russia was not ready for the brilliant victory that the courage of the soldiers and the valor of such commanders as Skobelev provided it with. The barely nascent capitalism was not ready to fight England and France, to whom Russia lost the Crimean War about 20 years ago. If soldiers become victims of recklessness in war, then entire peoples and states become victims of reckless politicians. The “pan-Slavic unity” that the general hoped for was not born in either the First or Second World Wars.
Skobelev - infantry general
However, even then, in the late 70s - early 80s of the 19th century, Skobelev was able to discern the future Russian-German front of the First World War and assess the main forms of armed struggle in the future. Having received a month's leave on June 22 (July 4), 1882, M.D. Skobelev left Minsk, where the headquarters of the 4th Corps was located, to Moscow, and already on June 25, 1882 the general was gone. It was a completely unexpected death for those around him. Unexpected for others, but not for him... He more than once expressed forebodings of his imminent death to his friends:
Every day of my life is a reprieve given to me by fate. I know that I won't be allowed to live. It’s not for me to finish everything I have in mind. After all, you know that I am not afraid of death. Well, I’ll tell you: fate or people will soon lie in wait for me. Someone called me a fatal man, and fatal people always end in a fatal way... God spared me in battle... And people... Well, maybe this is redemption. Who knows, maybe we are wrong in everything and others paid for our mistakes?..
This quote reveals to us a complex, ambiguous, even unexpected character for a military man.
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was first and foremost Russian. And how almost every Russian person “carried within himself” the internal discord that is noticeable in thinking people. Outside of battle, he was tormented by doubts. He did not have the calmness with which the commanders of other countries and peoples send tens of thousands of people to their death, without experiencing the slightest reproach of conscience, commanders for whom the killed and wounded seem only to be a more or less unpleasant detail of a brilliant report.” However, there was no tearful sentimentality either. Before the battle, Skobelev was calm, decisive and energetic, he himself went to his death and did not spare others, but after the battle, according to contemporaries, “hard days and hard nights came for him. His conscience was not soothed by the awareness of the need for sacrifice. On the contrary, she spoke loudly and menacingly. The martyr awoke in triumph. The delight of victory could not kill the heavy doubts in his sensitive soul. In sleepless nights, in moments of loneliness, the commander stepped back and came to the fore as a man with a mass of unresolved issues, with repentance... The recent winner was tortured and executed as a criminal from all this mass of blood he himself had shed.” Such was the price of his military success. And the “white general” M.D. Skobelev paid it honestly and selflessly, just as honestly and selflessly as he fought for the good of his Fatherland.
Skobelev's funeral was of an unprecedented solemn nature and was truly popular. On June 26, the body was placed in a coffin in the ceremonial adjutant general's uniform. From the Academy of the General Staff, a wreath was laid at the coffin with the inscription: “To the hero Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev, commander, equal to Suvorov”; wreaths from the regiments in which Skobelev served, the Cavalry Guard and Grodno Hussars, from many institutions and unknown persons. Sovereign Emperor Alexander III sent a telegram to the sister of the deceased, Princess Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya: “I am terribly shocked and saddened by the sudden death of your brother. The loss for the Russian army is difficult to replace and, of course, greatly mourned by all true military men. It is sad, very sad to lose such useful and dedicated people. Alexander".
The Emperor ordered the corvette “Vityaz” to be renamed “Skobelev”.
Among those who saw off Skobelev were: Grand Dukes Alexei Alexandrovich and Nikolai Nikolaevich Sr., generals Ganetsky, Prince Imeretinsky, Radetsky. To give military honors, outfits from the regiments that fought under the command of Skobelev were allocated. The cavalry detachment was led by General Dokhturov. Deputations arrived from the troops of the 4th Cavalry Corps, the Moscow Military District, and from the General Staff. From the Dusso Hotel to the Church of the Three Saints, founded by Skobelev’s grandfather, where the funeral service took place, the troops stood in trellises (on twenty-two pillows they carried orders and three St. George’s crosses - 2nd, 3rd and 4th degrees). On the night of June 28, before the memorial service, about 60 thousand people visited the church, and “all these are common people,” wrote A.F. Tyutchev, “since the upper classes—the nobility and merchants—are absent from Moscow at this time.” Skobelev's horse was led behind the coffin. When the coffin was carried out, “the entire space from the church to the railway station was covered with a continuous carpet of laurel and oak leaves, and the entire huge area in front of the station was a sea of heads... the people, who could not enter the church to give the deceased their last kiss, rushed onto the platform from which the coffin had just been removed, and covered it with kisses.”
What was happening in Moscow these days was vividly depicted by A.I. Kuprin: “How all of Moscow saw off his body! All Moscow! It's impossible to describe. All of Moscow is on its feet in the morning. Only three-year-old children and unnecessary old people remained in the houses. Neither singers nor funeral bells could be heard above the sobs. Everyone was crying: officers, soldiers, old people and children, students, men, young ladies, butchers, peddlers, cab drivers, servants and gentlemen. Moscow is burying the white general!”
The picture is complemented by V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko: “...there’s already a whole sea on the square. People on the roofs of houses, on the Kremlin wall... on the lanterns. “People’s funeral,” says someone nearby. And indeed, we see that they are popular.” Under the roar of cannon and rifle fire, the coffin was carried in and placed in the carriage.
“People’s funerals became purely people’s when our train started moving. Our carriages moved to Ryazan along a corridor formed by masses of people... It was something unheard of until then. The peasants abandoned their field work, the factory workers abandoned their factories, and they all went to the stations, or even to the road surface. They were kneeling right next to the canvas. All this under the hot rays of the sun, tired from the long wait. Already from the first mile the train had to stop every minute. Each village appeared with its own clergy, with its own icons. Most of the villages came out to meet with banners - a completely exceptional and unprecedented phenomenon... In the end, it seemed that this was not the funeral of one person, but some grandiose natural phenomenon was taking place.
“It would be impossible for us,” said Charles Marvin, a shocked London Times correspondent, at the time.
“And it would be impossible for us,” one of his Russian colleagues answered him, “in no way possible, if not for Skobelev.”
So the train approached Ranenburg. Here the peasants of the village of Spassky were waiting for the coffin.” At the descent to the bridge over the river, they wanted to carry the coffin in their arms: “From this place we carried both his father and mother in our arms.”
They carried the coffin past the house, in front of which there was a flowerbed, depicting the words “Honor and Glory” in golden letters. Skobelev was buried in his family estate, the village of Spassky-Zaborovsky, Ranenburg district, Ryazan province, next to his parents, where during his lifetime, anticipating his death, he prepared a place. On June 30, under the ringing of bells, the coffin was lowered into the family crypt of the church in the village of Spassky. A combat badge made by Skobelev’s friend, artist V.V., was hung over the grave. Vereshchagin. This badge accompanied the White General on his last campaign. The soldiers and people said: “He was a man with a soul” and emphasized that they loved him for his courage, simplicity and love for the people. Everyone called him our Skobelev.” Skobelev’s funeral, the nationwide grief that gripped Russia, is a reproach to those who today are silent about the role of the White General in Russian history and the best answer to those who are silent about his significance for the people. No matter what strata of society people belonged to, it was clear to all of them that in the person of M.D. Skobelev Russia has lost the Great Patriot, a man of enormous intelligence and remarkable energy.
Until the 1860s, the Skobelev family owned huge plots of land, including several large villages (Mikhalkovo, Zaborovo, etc.). After the “liberation of the peasants,” the estate covered an area of more than 1,500 acres of land. The estate was passed from father to son by inheritance, and in 1879 it already belonged to M.D. Skobelev. After his death, the elder sister of the famous “white general”, Princess N.D. Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya, became the owner of the estate. In 1869 D.I. Skobelev added to the church, which was located in the village. There are two chapels in Zaborovo – the family tombs of the Skobelevs. M.D.’s father and mother are buried in the right aisle. Skobelev, in the left - himself. In 1881 M.D. Skobelev founded in the village. Zaborovo Zemstvo School. Children from surrounding villages studied there. The students were supported by the sister of Mikhail Dmitrievich, Prince. Nadezhda Dmitrievna. At the request of her brother, in 1910 she built a nursing home for veteran soldiers. On Sundays, the Knights of St. George came to church in full dress uniform and stood on the carpet in front of M.D.’s grave. Skobeleva.
Alas, during the years of the revolution the local estate of the Skobelevs was looted and destroyed, and in the 30s of the 20th century the church was almost completely destroyed. The graves were desecrated and looted for valuables. In September 2003, on the occasion of the 160th anniversary of the birth of M.D. Skobelev Spasskaya Church with its chapels was restored.
The Spasskaya Church, built in 1764, even before the Skobelevs took possession of Zaborov, was designated by them as a family mausoleum. M.D.'s father and mother are buried here. Skobelev, and then he himself. In this temple, two outstanding Russian generals, the Cavaliers of St. George, father and son Skobelev, rested, each in his own chapel. Dmitry Ivanovich (father) - rested in the chapel of St. Demetrius of Rostov, and his son - commander “Suvorov’s equal” - Mikhail Dmitrievich - respectively, in the chapel of the Archangel Michael.
The restoration work undertaken by the administration of the Ryazan region did not involve the restoration of the interior decoration of the temple; on the initiative of the White Warriors Information Agency, a unique iconostasis was designed from valuable wood. The project was submitted for consideration to Archbishop Pavel of Ryazan and Kasimov and blessed by him in 2007. For the patronal feast of the temple - the second Savior in 2009, the iconostasis was mounted and handed over to the rector, Father Sergius. The iconostasis is decorated with fine artistic hand carvings.
Iconostasis of the Transfiguration Church in the village of Zaborovo, Ryazan region
God bless and have mercy on the benefactors who donated their personal funds for the glory of God: Alexander, Alexander, Oleg, Oleg, Oleg, David, Sergius, Valentin, Vladimir.
Monument to Skobelev in Moscow 1912 - Samsonov
Before the revolution, at least six monuments to General M.D. Skobelev were erected on the territory of the Russian Empire, but none of them have survived to this day.
After 1917, not a single Russian commander was given over to such total oblivion and defamation as General Skobelev. Today, on the site of the monument to the hero of the Russian-Turkish war, stands the figure of the founder of Moscow, Yuri Dolgoruky. Many generations of Muscovites did not even suspect that before the revolution this square, which, by the way, was also called Skobelevskaya, looked completely different. The monument was a granite pedestal on which stood a four-meter equestrian statue of a general; on the right was a group of Russian soldiers defending the banner during one of the Central Asian campaigns. On the left are soldiers going on the attack during the Russian-Turkish war for the liberation of the Slavs. On the reverse side, a board was attached to the pedestal with Skobelev’s parting words to his soldiers near Plevna.
On May 1, 1918, the monument to the general was barbarically destroyed on the personal instructions of Lenin, in accordance with the decree on the removal of monuments erected in honor of the tsars and their servants. All the bronze figures and bas-reliefs, and even the lanterns surrounding the monument, were sawn, broken into pieces and sent for melting down. But we had to tinker with the granite pedestal; it did not yield to any tools, and then it was decided to blow it up, but the pedestal was completely destroyed only on the fifth attempt.
Then began the merciless uprooting of Skobelev’s name from Russian history. In accordance with the new guidelines of Marxist-Leninist ideology, Soviet historians declared the general an enslaver and oppressor of the working masses of the fraternal east. The name Skobelev remained banned even during the Great Patriotic War, when the names of Suvorov and Kutuzov were returned from oblivion. In place of the destroyed monument to the general, a plaster monument to revolutionary freedom was erected, which was later replaced by Yuri Dolgoruky. Alas, despite the efforts of many famous figures of science and culture, the current Russian authorities remain practically indifferent to the matter of perpetuating the memory of Skobelev - restoring the monument to him in Moscow, destroyed by the Soviet authorities in 1918, returning the general’s name to the squares and streets that bore it before the revolution etc.
Postage stamp dedicated to
135th anniversary of the liberation of Bulgaria
The situation is completely different with the memory of the hero of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. In Bulgaria. The author of the article “Monuments of Gratitude - a Bridge to the Future of Bulgaria” Milko Asparukhov proudly writes: “Almost every Bulgarian city has streets named after the heroes of the Liberation War, and the faces of its heroes turned into bronze and marble in squares and parks silently watch our present day” (p. 551). Today in Bulgaria, the author of the article notes, there are 450 monuments dedicated to the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. and a significant part of them are connected with Skobelev. Reading Asparukhov’s article, you can’t help but wonder what kind of country we are, “Ivanovs who don’t remember their kinship”?
A memorial service in honor of the 170th anniversary of General Mikhail Skobelev, held on Sunday in the center of Moscow, is considered by its organizers as another step towards the establishment of a monument to a historical figure capable of becoming a unifying symbol for Russians of various political beliefs. As an Interfax correspondent reports, the prayer service was served by a priest whose diocese includes the chapel in the monument to the Heroes of Plevna. Maybe it will still be possible to restore the monument to M. Skobelev in the center of the capital?
The 170th anniversary of the birth of the great commander was celebrated in Ryazan
In Ryazan on September 27, the grand opening of a scientific conference took place, which was dedicated to the 170th anniversary of the birth of the great commander Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev. The conference was attended by participants from many countries, including Bulgaria, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia.
Celebrations in honor of the 170th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Skobelev began with a rally and a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument to the legendary general on the street. New settlers in Ryazan. The memory of the military leader was honored with a gun salute. Then in the regional library. Gorky, a plenary session of the conference was held, chaired by library director Natalya Grishina.
The forum participants were welcomed by the acting Minister of Culture and Tourism of the region Vitaly Popov, President of the International Skobelev Committee, pilot-cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Alexey Leonov, Deputy Chairman of the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation Alexander Tsvetkov, Major General of the Reserve, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Head of the Administration Department Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation Alexander Kirilin. Alexey Leonov noted the great role of Ryazan residents in perpetuating the memory of Mikhail Skobelev, and presented a banner with the image of a new memorial plaque to the general on the wall of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg. He suggested turning to the President of Russia with a request to speed up the installation of the monument to Mikhail Skobelev in Moscow, which had long been sculpted in bronze by the famous sculptor Rukavishnikov.
(from here)
In honor of the celebration, the city authorities allocated funds for landscaping the park where the monument to the brave general is located. It’s good that in Ryazan there is still, albeit a modest, monument to Skobelev. Eternal memory to the White General!
Links:
Nemirovich-Danchenko V.I. Skobelev. M., 1993
Shcherbak A.V. Akhal-Teke expedition of General Skobelev in 1880-1881. St. Petersburg, 1900
Kersnovsky A.A. History of the Russian Army. Turkestan campaigns
Kostin B.A. Skobelev. M., 2000
Skobelev in encyclopedias and bibliographies on the portal Chrono.ru
Article with films in the magazine "Senator"
Sholokhov A. Infantry General Skobelev
Vasiliev B.V. Skobelev, or There is only a moment... (novel) M., 2004
Lambert J. General Skobelev. Memoirs of Madame Adam (Juliette Lambert). – St. Petersburg: type V.S. Balasheva, 1886.
