CAUCASUS PEOPLE IN RUSSIA’S PATRIOTIC WAR OF 1812
Vestnik Kavkaza
Sept 10 2012
Russia
Author: Alexei Balashov, exclusively to VK
Today, Europe celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Battle of
Borodino. Being the bloodiest battle in the history by the number
of dead per hour (according to conservative estimates, 2,500 people
per hour of the battle), Borodino, or, as it is called in Europe,
Battle of Moscow had a decisive influence on the fate of nations and
peoples of Europe in the XIX and the subsequent XX centuries.
Prince Pyotr Bagration is considered to be one of the main heroes of
the battle. Descendant of the ancient Armenian-Georgian Bagrationi
family, great-grandson of King of Kartli Jesse, Pyotr Bagration was
born in Kizlyar. His family did not have sufficient funds to pay for
a good education and a prince of royal blood began his service to
the Russian Tsar as a private of Astrakhan regiment. Later, he was a
prisoner of the mountaineers, but he was bought out. Bagration passed
all the stages of military steps of that period, distinguished himself
in the assault of Ochakov, and participated in the Italian campaign
of Suvorov. Dashing swordsman, accustomed to serve in the army and to
lead his regiments to the battle, and not to flaunt in the salons of
St. Petersburg, Bagration was always popular and loved by the troops.
The messenger trying to find Bagration during the battle for the
transmission of an important package is said to receive the following
answer: “Find the hottest place in the battle, the bitterest massacre.
You will find Bagration there.”
By the beginning of the War of 1812 Bagration became General of
Infantry and was known far beyond Russia. Before going to Russia,
Napoleon saud: “Russia has no good generals, except for Bagration.”
However, Bagration was not so highly appreciated in his Fatherland.
For instance, the Emperor Alexander I wrote: “What can a man do
more than follow his best principle?.. It made me assign Barclay
commander of the 1st Army on the basis of his reputation in past wars
against the French and the Swedes. This belief led me to think that
his knowledge is larger than the knowledge of Bagration. Although
little satisfied with what I had seen in the actions of Barclay,
I considered him less bad than the other one (Bagration), in the
strategy which he does not imagine”.
Be that as it may, not accepting the tactics of retreat and being an
ardent supporter of the decisive battle against Napoleon, Bagration
skillfully enough avoided the superior forces of the French, and they
suffered significant losses. Largely due to his skillful maneuvers, two
Russian armies were able to reunite near Smolensk, thereby destroying
Napoleon’s plan to defeat separate units of the Russian army alone.
In the fateful day of August 26 (September 7, new style) Bagration
commanded the most vulnerable left flank of the Russian position. The
famous Bagration posts repulsed four French attacks, staying on a
rather bad position for more than five hours, under heavy enemy fire.
General Bagration, who led his troops, was wounded by shrapnel in his
thigh and taken from the battlefield. “It seemed that the soul left
the Russian left wing,” – an eyewitness wrote on this moment of the
battle. After that the Russian position did not resist very long,
and soon the French defeated the Russians.
Prince Pyotr Bagration always considered himself a Russian soldier,
a Russian general. His behavior and actions are said to have no hint
of ethnic separateness. Being loyal to the Throne and to one single
power, Bagration served to the interests of Russia. Dying in Vladimir
Province, the General wrote: “I am not quite lightly wounded in my left
leg with a bullet which broke the bone; but I am not sorry about this,
since I was always ready to sacrifice the last drop of my blood for
the sake of the defense of the Motherland and the august Throne …”
In 1839, at the initiative of the poet-partisan Denis Davydov who
revered the memory of Bagration, his dust was transferred to the
Borodino field and buried in the Greater Redoubt, better known as
Rajewski Battery. Why the decision was made to bury the hero in the
center of the Russian position, not in the post which he defended
and where he was mortally wounded? This is unknown. But perhaps it’s
for the best. The empty walls look more historic. They received their
share of the glory of Bagration.
13 generals of Georgian origin participated in this war. (See
).
In addition, it is known that Karabakh Cavalry Regiment, composed of
Azerbaijanis, participated in the battle of Borodino and distinguished
itself by its courage and desperate bravery. Shortly before the war,
in 1805, Kurekchay peace treaty was signed between Russia and the
Karabakh khanate; it led to a true alliance between the Karabakh
ruler Ibrahim Khan and the Russian Tsar Alexander.
Miracles of bravery were also displayed by Circassians – first
under the command of Bagration, and then of Denis Davydov. There is
even a legend about shapsugs squad led by Mohammed Hatha. Dashing
horseman and a fearless warrior, Hatha and the guerrillas of Davydov
attacked the French in the rear, took away their wagons and destroyed
headquarters. The legend says that he came to Paris riding the same
horse of Adyghe breed.
Several officers of Circassian origin also excelled in the battles of
the war. Among them there were Kabardian Wark (Adyghe representative
of the feudal aristocracy) Begidov, Circassian princes Balatukov,
Hunkalov, etc. living in Crimea. Some of them fought under the command
of the famous Cossack General Matvei Platov, Adygi.ru reports.
Another famous Circassians – Alexander (Ali) Chechenski – also got
involved In the battle of Borodino and in dashing guerrilla raids of
Denis Davydov. During the fightings near Moscow, he was awarded the
Order. Later he took part in the foreign campaign of the Russian army
and distinguished himself in the battle of Leipzig (Battle of Nations);
by the end of the war, he became Major-General.
We should not forget that there was the Caucasian War, Russia
strengthened its positions in the Caucasus and the relations between
St. Petersburg and North Caucasian highlanders were not trouble-free
and peaceful. However, in a difficult moment for the whole country,
the Caucasians swear allegiance to the Emperor and boldly rushed to
battle for Russia, for the independence of their great country.
Today, surfing on the restored walls, looking at the sunset behind
the Utitski forest (by the way, the forest has become much closer to
the fortifications now), it is impossible to resist the feeling that
covers everyone on the field of Russian glory. The land is watered
with the blood of countless and unknown soldiers. Two hundred years
ago, here there was the greatest triumph of the national spirit,
Russian spirit, the spirit of all the peoples of the Russian Empire.