Bagration Pyotr Ivanovich (born (exact date of birth unknown) June 29 (July 10) 1765 - death September 12 (24), 1812) - prince, legendary Russian commander, infantry general, took part in the Russian-Turkish war (1787–1791), Italian and Swiss campaigns, in the war against France (1805–1807), the Russian-Swedish war. During the Patriotic War of 1812, the commander-in-chief of the 2nd Army, mortally wounded in the Battle of Borodino. Member of 15 wars and 150 battles. During his entire military service, Bagration did not suffer a single defeat.
Origin
Peter was born in the North Caucasus, in the city of Kizlyar. Prince Bagration came from an old family of Georgian kings. The family did not live well, little Petrusha was brought up simply and studied at a school for officers' children, where he could get a mediocre education. From an early age, he showed great interest and love for military affairs, dreaming of a military profession. Father, Prince Ivan Alexandrovich, was a Russian colonel. 1796 - Peter's father died in poverty.
Military service
His military service began in 1782 (or 1783), when Peter was enlisted as a sergeant in the Caucasian Musketeer Regiment, and because he had no patronage, he could only rise to the rank of major after 11 years. In the battles of 1783-1786. in the Caucasus, Bagration created a reputation for himself as a brave military officer, was repeatedly wounded. 1788 - the regiment in which he served was transferred near Ochakov, to the front of the Russian-Turkish war. The siege of the fortress lasted for several months, and only in December Potemkin, who was the commander of the Russian army, decided to storm. Bagration was among the first to break into the fortress.
1792, June - he, already a captain, was transferred to the Kiev horse-jaeger regiment, and then to the Sofia carabinieri. As part of this regiment, Bagration took part in the Polish campaign of 1794, under the command of A. V. Suvorov, and was awarded the field marshal's praise for the daring attack near Warsaw. Then he received the rank of lieutenant colonel and attracted the attention of MI Kutuzov.
Promotional video:
1798 - he is already a colonel, commanding the 6th Jaeger Regiment, next year - Major General. 1799 - Bagration, under the leadership of Suvorov, the commander of the combined Russian-Austrian troops, takes part in the Italian and Swiss campaigns. Their purpose was to save Austria, defeated by French troops, and to prevent its withdrawal from the anti-French coalition. Bagration becomes in fact the right hand of Suvorov, who appoints him as the commander of the vanguard of the allied army. Then Bagration took part in the siege and capture of Torton and Turin.
The campaign of 1799 glorified Bagration and finally formed his talent as a cold-blooded general, constantly striving for victory.
1) Ekaterina Pavlovna Romanova; 2) Ekaterina Skavronskaya (Bagration).
Personal life
1800 - there were changes in Bagration's personal life. In fact, by order of Paul I, he married the 18-year-old Countess Ekaterina Pavlovna Skavronskaya, who did not love him. On September 2, a modest and, in general, joyless wedding took place. They had no children. 1809 - his wife moved to Naples, then to Dresden, then to Vienna, got along with Metternich, gave birth to a daughter from him. 1830 - the princess remarried. This time for the Englishman. But their marriage soon fell apart, and Ekaterina Pavlovna again took the name of Bagration. She never returned to Russia.
Character
Peter Ivanovich, whose biography was closely intertwined with the war, nevertheless, had a meek disposition. The great commander shone with a flexible and subtle mind, anger was alien to him, he was always ready for reconciliation. Such qualities were surprisingly combined with decisive character. The general did not hold evil against people, and he never forgot benefits.
Continuation of service
1804 - the formation of the third anti-French coalition consisting of England, Russia, Austria, Sweden and the Kingdom of Naples. 1805 - a new war against France began. Russian troops under the command of Kutuzov were sent to the aid of Austria, which was defeated by Napoleon Bonaparte. But because the Austrians were finally defeated at Ulm, Kutuzov decided to withdraw the army to join the troops moving from Russia. The retreat began. Napoleon rushed after him, intent on encircling and defeating the Russian army.
Bagration, commanding the rearguard, did not give him such an opportunity. On November 4, Kutuzov left a 5,000-strong detachment of Bagration near the village of Shengraben with the order not to let the French through. The detachment was actually left to die, because the 30 thousandth corps of Murat acted against it. The battle went on throughout the day. When it became known that Kutuzov was out of danger, Bagration with a bayonet attack was able to break through the encirclement ring and, with the surviving half of his detachment, joined the Russian troops.
1) Alexander I; 2) A. V. Suvorov
After the defeat at Austerlitz, Kutuzov was removed from command. 1806 - the fourth anti-French coalition was formed, which included England, Prussia, Russia, Sweden and Saxony. However, the French, having defeated Prussia, were able to prevent the unification of the coalition forces. The whole brunt of the struggle against Napoleon again fell on the Russian army. 1807, 7-8 February - a major battle took place near the town of Preussisch-Eylau. Bagration, at the head of the 4th Infantry Division, with a banner in his hands, knocked the French out of the town. In May he defeated them at Ankendorf. However, due to the incompetent command, Russia lost the campaign and made peace with Napoleon in Tilsit.
1808 - Russian-Swedish relations worsened. The fighting took place in Finland, and in 1809 they were transferred to Sweden. In March, Bagration's corps took part in a campaign on the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia. Its units, overcoming natural difficulties, were able to break through the defenses of the Swedes and three days later occupied the Aland Islands. On September 17, Sweden signed a peace treaty, according to which Finland and the Aland Islands ceded to Russia.
Petersburg met Peter Ivanovich Bagration as a hero. In his honor balls and dinners were given, poetry was written. He was very modest. Pyotr Ivanovich led an almost ascetic lifestyle: he did not drink, did not drag after the ladies of the court, although he himself was distinguished by amazing hospitality and, in order to amuse the guests, often went into debt. Then he began an affair with the 18-year-old sister of Alexander I - Ekaterina Pavlovna Romanova. The royal family was alarmed: Catherine was urgently married off, and Bagration in 1809 was sent to command the Moldavian army.
1811, August - Alexander I appointed Bagration as the commander-in-chief of the Podolsk army in Ukraine, and in the spring of 1812 he was already the commander-in-chief of the 2nd Western Army, formed on the basis of Podolsk. The prince developed his own plan for the defense of Russia and offered it to the emperor, but he approved the plan of the Prussian general in the Russian service of Ful.
Portrait of the commander Bagration (V. Tropinin 1815).
Patriotic War of 1812
With the outbreak of the Patriotic War of 1812, Bagration's 45,000-strong army began to withdraw, seeking to unite with the 1st Army of Barclay de Tolly. Napoleon, intending to defeat the Russian armies separately, threw the 70 thousandth corps of Marshal Davout in pursuit of the 2nd Army. On June 28 at Mir, Platov's Cossacks defeated the French and Polish cavalry, on July 11, Raevsky's corps delayed the movement of the French for a day, and Bagration, having crossed the Dnieper, joined up with Barclay's army at Smolensk.
It was then that disagreements began between them. Pyotr Ivanovich accused Barclay of improper conduct of the war, of constant retreat and believed that he himself should command the troops. The end of the disagreements was put by the appointment of the commander-in-chief M. I. Kutuzov.
On the Borodino field, the 2nd Army occupied the left flank of the Russian front, fortified with flashes. This is where the main blow of the French was directed, which was dealt by Marshal Davout, and then Marshal Ney. Several times the French were able to capture the flushes, but Bagration beat them off with counterattacks.
“They found moments of inspiration for him,” wrote the participant of the Patriotic War F. N. Glinka - and this happened precisely in moments of danger; it seemed that the fire of battles had recorded something in his soul - and then his facial features, elongated, deep, interspersed with mountain ash, and sideburns, carelessly let go, and other petty features came into a kind of agreement: from a plain man he became a handsome general. His eyes were shining; he commanded and, in a burka, with a whip, on a simple bottom, rushed ahead of the columns, so that from a commanding general to become a simple advanced warrior. It was our prince Bagration!"
Fatal wound of General Bagration. (Artist A. Vepkhvadze).
Wound. Death
Going for the eighth time in a counterattack, the general was seriously wounded: his tibia was shattered. Bagration reconciled with Barclay, when during the bandaging he saw Barclay's adjutant next to him, he said: “Tell General Barclay that the fate of the army and its salvation depend on him. Everything is going well so far. May God keep him. Three weeks later, in the village of Sima, Vladimir province, 46-year-old General Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration died of gangrene.
Interesting Facts
They were similar to Suvorov. Petr Ivanovich slept only 3-4 hours a day, was unpretentious and simple. Any soldier could wake him up without any ceremony. He slept always dressed, in his general's uniform. The general did not part with the sword and whip even in his sleep. Of the 30 years of service, Bagration spent 23 years in military campaigns.