Ian Fleming, the father of the legendary "agent 007", once admitted that the prototypes of his heroes were several real-life British intelligence officers. It is a pity that Fleming knew nothing about the Russian military intelligence officer Alexander Chernyshev, who at the beginning of the 19th century acted against Napoleon and was much more successful than the superspy invented by the English writer …
Russian intelligence officer outsmarted Napoleon himself
"The cavalry guard is a short century …"
The future intelligence officer and minister of war Alexander Chernyshev was born in Moscow on December 30, 1785 in the family of Lieutenant General Senator IL. Chernysheva. Even in his childhood, Sasha was enrolled as a sergeant in the Horse Guards. Horse Guards, or, as they were also called, cavalry guards, more often shone at balls than on the battlefield.
Alexander Chernyshev, it seemed, was destined for the fate of a secular officer. In addition, the 15-year-old boy was able to show himself favorably in a conversation with Emperor Alexander I, for which he was granted a chamber page.
But the young cornet soon had a chance to sniff gunpowder in the war with the French. In December 1805, the battle of Austerlitz took place. The Chernyshev regiment also took part in it.
By that time he was already a lieutenant. As part of the horse guards, the young officer took part in the famous "deadly attack of the cavalry guards." Rescuing the infantry guards regiments, crushed by the enemy, the cavalry squadrons attacked the superior forces of Bonaparte, while suffering huge losses. But Lieutenant Chernyshev emerged from the battle unharmed. Fate kept him safe. For Austerlitz, Chernyshev received his first military award - the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree with a bow.
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In 1807, he first showed himself as a scout. After an unsuccessful battle for the Russians at Friedland, the cavalry guard managed to find a ford unknown to the French on the Alla River, along which the remnants of the retreating Russian units crossed to the other side. For this feat, Chernyshev was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree.
Personal friend of Bonaparte
The Battle of Friedland took place on June 14, 1807. And the very next day, negotiations on peace began between Napoleon and Alexander I. A personal meeting took place between the monarchs, and after the signing of the Tilsit Peace Treaty, the Russian and French emperors were in active correspondence. One of the couriers traveling between St. Petersburg and Paris was Alexander Chernyshev.
Clever and resourceful (who was also awarded military orders), the young officer liked Napoleon. However, the French emperor did not know that by that time Chernyshev was already working for Russian intelligence and used his constant visits to Bonaparte's headquarters to collect secret information about the Napoleonic army.
So, with the next letter from Alexander I, Chernyshev had to go to Napoleon in Spain, where the French were then fighting heavy battles. He managed to organize the way back so that he drove through the main rear of the French army, collecting important intelligence information. Chernyshev's detailed report made a good impression on the Russian tsar, he even promised to make an officer an adjutant wing. And on his next trip to Napoleon he sent him not only with a letter, but also with an order to be at the headquarters of the French army.
The king's request was granted. Bonaparte kindly received the Russian officer and left him in his retinue. Chernyshev's mission was announced in a regular bulletin on the French army. It is curious that in the bulletin Chernyshev was named a count and a colonel. His bewilderment, conveyed to Napoleon through Count Duroc, was answered that the emperor was sure that Chernyshev's rank and title were not far off. With the rank, Bonaparte was right. He himself contributed to this, enabling the Russian intelligence officer to deploy a spy network right under his nose.
Accompanying Napoleon during the Austrian campaign of 1809, Chernyshev studied the French army well and made useful contacts among generals and officers.
After the Battle of Wagram, which victoriously ended the Austrian campaign, Napoleon awarded Chernyshev the Order of the Legion of Honor and sent him to Petersburg with a report to Alexander I about the successful completion of the war.
In bed with the sister of the monarch
Finally, after a fire in the house of the Austrian ambassador in the winter of 1810, Chernyshev became "his own man" surrounded by Napoleon. It so happened that a curtain came on from a candle that was poorly fixed in the chandal. The guests invited to the ball at the embassy danced and flirted with enthusiasm. They noticed the fire only when it covered the entire building.
Panic began, the gentlemen rushed to the exit, roughly pushing the ladies. Only Chernyshev retained his composure and started saving people. He himself personally carried out of the fire two of Napoleon's sisters - Pauline Borghese and Caroline Murat. Soon, the loving Polina became the mistress of her 24-year-old savior. However, she was one of the many Parisian ladies who visited Chernyshev's bed. Among his passions was Pauline Fures.
During the Egyptian campaign, she was a mistress under General Bonaparte. Returning to Europe, Fures started a secular salon, which gathered the cream of Parisian society. Communication with them provided a lot of useful information for Chernyshev and Russian intelligence.
Alexander I highly appreciated the work of his resident at the court of Napoleon. “Why don't I have more ministers like this young man?” - such an inscription made by the tsar in the margin of one of Chernyshev's messages.
The war is inevitable …
In a short time, the Russian intelligence officer managed to create a network of informants in the most diverse strata of Parisian society. An employee of the French Ministry of War named Michel supplied Chernyshev with especially valuable information.
In addition to other top-secret documents, Michel had access to a detailed schedule of the strength of the French armed forces, drawn up on the basis of regimental and battalion reports every 15 days in one copy only for Napoleon. A copy of this most important document (like many others, including reports from French intelligence on the state of the Russian army), albeit with some delay, got to St. Petersburg, so that the Russian military leadership had a complete picture of the military preparations of the future enemy.
However, the French counterintelligence did not doze either. Chernyshev was put under surveillance. The clouds were gathering over him. Pauline Fures warned her lover about the danger and advised him to quickly leave France.
Going home in February 1812, Chernyshev made a fatal mistake: he burned all the secret papers in the fireplace, but one very important note accidentally fell under the carpet. The counterintelligence officers who appeared after his departure found the note and, by handwriting, determined that its author was Michel. The most valuable informant for Russia ended up on the guillotine.
The main conclusion that Chernyshev made from conversations with Napoleon and from communication with his agents was the following: "The war between Russia and France is inevitable …".
Guerrilla paths
In the initial period of the war with Napoleon, Chernyshev carried out secret orders from the emperor. He accompanied the king to Abo to negotiate with the Swedish prince Bernadotte. It was extremely important for Russia to secure Sweden's neutrality. The negotiations in Abo ended with the signing of an agreement beneficial to Russia. This was facilitated by the personal meetings of Chernyshev with the Swedish king who sympathized with him since the times of Paris.
At the last stage of the war, Chernyshev managed to remember his combat youth. He received command of a cavalry flying detachment and went on a raid on the rear of the enemy. His unit acted boldly and decisively. During the defeat of one of the French columns, Chernyshev managed to free the Russian general Vincengerode, who was captured when he went as a parliamentary officer to Marshal Mortier, who was preparing to blow up the Kremlin during his retreat from Moscow.
Having received the rank of major general in November 1812, Chernyshev ended the war in Paris, becoming in 1814 already lieutenant general and holder of many orders of Russia and the allied powers.
In 1832, he became Minister of War, a position he held for almost twenty years. All this time, Chernyshev continued to oversee military intelligence and personally assigned tasks to Russian agents working abroad.
Author: German Sviridov. Magazine: Mysteries of History No. 6 / C