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Biography, life story of Denis Vasilievich Davydov
Davydov Denis Vasilievich - Russian poet, representative of “hussar poetry”, ideologist and commander who led the partisan movement organized during the period Patriotic War 1812.Childhood
Denis Davydov was born in Moscow on July 27 (July 16, old style) in 1784 in the family of Vasily Denisovich Davydov, a brigadier who served under the command of the commander. Denis’s mother was the daughter of General-in-Chief Evdokim Alekseevich Shcherbinin. Little Denis was introduced to military affairs from an early age.
Since childhood, Denis Davydov treated with great respect and reverence. At the age of nine, he met his idol. stopped by Vasily Denisovich and, looking at his sons (there were two of them - Denis and Evdokim), declared that young Denis would be a military man, and extremely successful. This meeting made a huge impression on Denis Davydov.
When power passed into the hands of Paul the First, who did not particularly favor it, the Davydov family had a hard time. After an audit of Davydov Sr.’s regiment, it was discovered that one hundred thousand rubles were missing. This amount was ordered to be paid to the dismissed Vasily Davydov. The Davydov estate was sold. A little later, when the debts were over, Denis’s father acquired the small village of Borodino near Mozhaisk.
Activity
In 1801, Denis Davydov began serving in the cavalry. Later he managed to become the adjutant of General Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration. In 1806-1812, Denis Vasilyevich took part in wars with such powers as France, Turkey, and Sweden. During the battles, Davydov showed courage and determination.
In 1812, when the Patriotic War began, Denis Vasilyevich was the commander of the battalion of the Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment. In the same year, he put forward a proposal to organize, together with the Russian command, partisan actions in the rear of the army.
CONTINUED BELOW
In the period 1813-1814, Davydov took part in foreign campaigns and commanded a regiment of cavalrymen. In 1823, Denis Vasilyevich was dismissed, but three years later he returned to service. First he served in the Caucasus, then took part in the suppression of the Polish uprising, after which he resigned again.
Denis Vasilyevich Davydov is the author of many military historical works (for example, “Diary of Partisan Actions”). Davydov was the first to actively oppose what seemed to him the most absurd version of Russian cold weather as the main reason for the defeat.
Denis Vasilyevich showed himself as a poet back in 1803. He is rightfully considered the creator of such a genre movement in poetry as “hussar lyrics”. Davydov's poems are filled with aggression towards the tsar and the nobility, and they also openly tell about the everyday life of a Russian officer, whose thoughts are free and his mind is open to everything new.
Personal life
The first love of the dashing hussar Davydov was Aglaya de Gramont. But the girl rejected him and married him cousin Denis. Some time later, Denis Vasilyevich fell in love with the young ballerina Tatyana Ivanova. But these feelings did not bring happiness to Davydov - the artist was in love with her leader.
When Davydov served near Kiev, he again became interested in a charming girl. The chosen one's name was Liza Zlotnitskaya. The girl’s parents demanded that Denis obtain a government estate for rent from the sovereign. While Davydov was in St. Petersburg and settling this issue, Lisa managed to become carried away by the not entirely decent prince Pyotr Golitsyn. Denis never saw his beloved again - she conveyed her refusal to him through her own father.
In order to somehow support Davydov, who was suffering from a series of troubles in his personal life, friends introduced him to the daughter of the late General Chirkov, Sophia. At first, Sophia's mother was against their wedding, because she considered Denis a drunkard and a libertine. But she soon changed her mind. In 1819, Denis and Sophia got married.
When children appeared in the Davydov family (there were nine of them in total), Denis realized that military affairs was now not so important for him and all he wanted was to be close to his family. For some time, Denis Vasilyevich said he was sick in order to be at home more. At the age of 47, they stopped bothering him and started living the life he wanted. Denis and his family settled in the village of Verkhnyaya Maza, where he was engaged in creative work, read foreign books, sometimes hunted, was actively involved in raising his many descendants, and ran a household.
In 1831, Davydov visited his colleague in Penza. There he fell passionately in love with his friend’s 23-year-old niece, Evgenia Zolotareva. Despite the difference in age, the romance between Denis and Evgenia lasted three years, after which the girl married someone else, and Denis, without any torment or suffering, let go of his beloved and returned to the family.
Death
Denis Vasilyevich Davydov died on April 22, 1839. He was 55 years old. The cause of such an early death is a stroke. Davydov's ashes were buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.
Boltyshev Viktor Nikolaevich. Davydov in the battle near Saltanovka. 1812
“Our mother Russia is huge! Will not everything that is encountered, living and inanimate, along the wide path of the hurricane... of our army, the first in the world in its courage, discipline and organization, be destroyed, scattered, or swept away into dust from the face of the earth?
Russia has not yet risen to its full gigantic height, and woe to its enemies if it ever rises!”
Denis Davydov
Denis Vasilievich Davydov, famous poet- partisan, born on July 16, 1784 in the family of brigadier Vasily Denisovich Davydov, who served under the command of A.V. Suvorov. The most vivid impression of childhood was meeting with legendary commander, who prophesied to the boy: “This will be a military man...”. The parents gave their son an excellent education at home. With the help of his father, he early became involved in military affairs and brilliantly mastered horse riding. But he suffered because he was short, snub-nosed, and ugly. At the age of 17, he already served as a cadet in the Cavalry Guard Regiment, and a year later received the rank of cornet. The officers fell in love with the wit, modesty and charming personality of this small military man. Since 1807, Davydov was appointed adjutant of Prince Bagration. Together with him he took part in battles with the French, Swedes, and Turks, showing himself to be a desperately brave warrior. By the beginning of the war of 1812, he was already a lieutenant colonel of the Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment, which was in the vanguard of General Vasilchikov’s troops.
A few days before the Battle of Borodino, watching how soldiers dismantled his father’s house in the village of Borodino, where he spent his childhood, into fortifications, Davydov expressed the idea of the advisability of partisan actions behind enemy lines. He borrowed this idea from the Spanish partisans (Guerillas), whom Napoleon could not defeat until they united into a regular army. Davydov submitted a report to Bagration with a request to provide him with people to create partisan detachment. He received 50 hussars and 80 Cossacks under his command and was the first to use partisan methods in the fight against the enemy.
It was Davydov’s successes in partisan warfare that convinced Kutuzov that the people could beat the enemy in his deep rear, and the commander gave it wider development. Davydov’s outstanding feat was the battle near the village of Lyakhov, when he captured 2,000 soldiers from General Augereau’s detachment. The successful actions of the detachment under the command of Denis Davydov led to his liberation of the city of Grodno, for which he was promoted to colonel. It is known that Napoleon hated Davydov fiercely and ordered him to be shot on the spot upon his arrest. The Emperor singled out special squad 2,000 horsemen with 8 chief officers and 1 headquarters officer to capture the first partisan. However, Davydov with his thousand-strong detachment lured the French into a trap and captured all the officers.
Davydov fought no less successfully after the Russian army crossed the border, distinguishing himself in almost all the battles in which he took part. Yes, with forward detachment he occupied the city of Dresden and was put under house arrest for this, as he acted without orders. All of Europe created legends about the brave partisan, and residents of cities occupied by Russian troops took to the streets to see Davydov. In 1815, he was awarded the rank of major general for the battle near Paris, where 5 horses were killed near Davydov, but he still broke through to the French battery and chopped up the servants, deciding the outcome of the battle. He had to fight later - in 1827 he successfully fought the Persians, and in 1831 he suppressed the uprisings of Polish rebels. In the same year he received the rank of lieutenant general, and a year later he received conditional retirement, remaining in service until his death in 1839.
D.V. Davydov. Colored engraving by M. Dubourg based on the original by A. Orlovsky. 1814
Davydov described his military adventures in his memoirs “Diary of Partisan Searches of 1812” and “Military Notes”, and left memories of A.V. Suvorov, N.N. Raevsky, M. Kamensky. But his main work is the unique book “An Experience in the Theory of Guerrilla Action,” which was published in 1827. She entered Russian military as the first study of the theory of “small war”, created by a Russian author on Russian material.
Davydov was the first to note that by the beginning of the 19th century, European armies had become numerous and complex in structure, but vulnerable in the rear. And Russia may well make guerrilla warfare the main state defense policy, because it has two factors that give an advantage over European countries. These factors are the presence of “true” light cavalry - the Cossacks (the Cossacks combined the military art of the East and the West, possessing high fighting qualities) and the vastness of the territory, which makes it possible to retreat, evading enemy attacks, as in 1812. For the convenience of managing partisan detachments, Davydov proposed dividing them into three categories. First class units lead fighting in the rear of the enemy army, detachments of the second category act on enemy communications, third category - conduct searches on the supply lines of enemy troops. “Emergency” parties of partisans are also being formed as an operational reserve. The main tactical action of the partisans, Davydov noted, should be a surprise attack from an ambush. In addition, Davydov considered important the choice of the partisan commander, whose role in the conditions guerrilla warfare much more responsible than the role of an ordinary officer. Davydov's book is still in demand by interested readers.
In his personal life, Davydov was just as lucky as in military affairs. He dearly loved his wife Sofya Nikolaevna, who bore him 9 children. Last years In his life, the partisan poet was an exemplary family man, striving everywhere for his wife and children. He carried on an extensive correspondence, had a huge number of friends, was close to Pushkin, connected with many Decembrists who valued his political poems, but refused to join the secret society. In the history of Russian literature, Davydov is the creator of “hussar lyrics”, the hero of which is a young military man who loves riotous revelry, love adventures, a daring life and at the same time an opponent of violence against the individual, a free-thinking person.
Demakov Evgeny Alexandrovich. Poet, hussar and partisan Denis Davydov in the circle of fellow soldiers
Everyone who knew this man noted his constant “youth of heart and morals”, his cheerful character, infecting those around him, he was always the soul of friendly meetings.
Denis Vasilyevich Davydov remained in the memory of the Russian people as a Hero of the Patriotic War, an original author of military notes, a talented poet who enjoyed fame and attention during his life and was not forgotten after death. It is impossible not to note one more merit of Davydov to Russia. It was on his initiative that the ashes of Prince Bagration were reburied on the Borodino field. And on the centenary of the Patriotic War on August 26, 1912, the Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment was named after Denis Davydov.
Prepared based on materials:
http://www.bratishka.ru/archiv/2008/6/2008_6_13.php
http://www.denisdavydov.org.ru/
http://www.raruss.ru/lifetime-editions/page03/1016-davydov-first.html
Davydov Denis Vasilievich (1784-1839)
Denis Vasilyevich Davydov - hero of the war of 1812 - was born into the family of a colonel, commander of the Poltava Light Horse Regiment Vasily Denisovich on July 27, 1784. His father, due to his duty, had to move from place to place. Mother Elena Evdokimovna was sad, but Denis liked the nomadic life. There are so many unusual things around: the lights of soldiers’ bivouacs, the call of regimental trumpets, fast marches. Don Cossack, Denis’s “uncle” Philip Mikhailovich Yezhov, taught the boy horse riding, handling weapons, and fencing. He spoke very interestingly about the military campaigns and victories of the Russian commanders Rumyantsev, Potemkin, Suvorov. One day the boy was incredibly lucky. He met with Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov himself, who predicted a military career for him. Suvorov's words were destined to come true. Under the leadership of the famous commander Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration, Denis Davydov underwent excellent training in battles in Prussia, Finland and Turkey. He was awarded four orders, a gold cross on St. George's ribbon and a golden saber with the inscription: “For bravery.”
The brave guards cavalryman Denis Vasilyevich especially showed himself during the Patriotic War of 1812. He commanded the first battalion of the Akhtyn Hussar Regiment. The dashing hussar had the idea of creating partisan detachments from Cossacks and hussars, which would deliver surprise attacks on the French rear. The commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Field Marshal Kutuzov, after thinking about it, said: “Well... let Davydov take fifty hussars and one and a half hundred Cossacks. It's just a dangerous thing. He dooms himself to certain death, the reckless little head.”
Immediately after Borodin, when Russian troops began to retreat to Moscow, Davydov’s detachment began partisan activity full of risk, danger, bold attacks, ambushes, and attacks. The partisans attacked the enemy suddenly, out of the blue, interfered with the movement of troops, deprived them of provisions, and disabled small detachments. There were legends about the bravery of Davydov and his squad. Field Marshal Kutuzov was convinced of the enormous benefits of the partisan detachment and legitimized the actions of the partisans. On his orders, several more detachments of brave volunteers with cannons, cavalry, and infantry were sent behind enemy lines.
Davydov's exploits are sung in the immortal poems of Pushkin, Zhukovsky, Baratynsky, Yazykov.
Denis Vasilyevich himself also wrote poems, songs, freedom-loving and daring fables, notable for their accuracy of characterization, wit and topicality. Some of them were banned by censorship. The satires and fables of Denis Davydovich were very popular among the Decembrists. For his freedom-loving writings in 1804, Davydov was even expelled from the guard and transferred to the hussar regiment. In poetry, Davydov felt light and free. He knew how to both be sad and dream in poetry. He created in poetry the image of a brave warrior, but an intelligent brave man, because he was sure that “courage is nothing without a head.”
After the defeat of Napoleonic army, Davydov remained in service until 1831, and then retired with the rank of lieutenant general. He settled with his family in the village of Verkhnyaya Maza, Simbirsk province. Here, in the wilderness of the steppe, he completed work on the “Diary of Partisan Actions of 1812” and created a number of interesting military-historical essays and inspired poems.
He wrote about himself this way: “I put my name in 1812... I consider myself born solely for the fateful year 1812.” This is not entirely true. The fighting spirit of the indomitable, invincible partisan-patriot inspired the partisans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 to feats.
In recognition, one of the streets Russian capital named after the partisan poet.
Barkov, A. S. Indomitable partisan [Text] / Alexander Sergeevich Barkov. - M.: Malysh, 1989.
Barkov, A. S. Pet of the muses, pet of the battle... [Text]: stories / Alexander Sergeevich Barkov. - M.: Det. lit., 1985. - 79 p.: ill.
Soviet literature
Denis Vasilievich Davydov
Biography
Davydov Denis Vasilievich
Partisan of the Patriotic War of 1812, military writer, poet, lieutenant general (1831). Commanding a partisan detachment of hussars and Cossacks, he successfully operated in the rear of the French army. He was close to the Decembrists and A.S. Pushkin. Military historical works, theoretical works on partisan actions. In lyrics (“hussar” songs, love elegies, satirical poems) - new type a hero - a patriotic warrior, an active, freedom-loving, open person.
Biography
One of the most vivid impressions of childhood was the meeting of a nine-year-old boy with the legendary A. Suvorov, who prophesied his fate for Davydov: “This will be a military man...”
Davydov spent most of his life serving in the army, retiring in 1832 with the rank of lieutenant general. He fought bravely in 1806 - 1807 with the French in Prussia, in 1809 - with the Swedes in Finland, in 1809? with the Turks in Moldova and the Balkans, in 1812 - 1814 he crushed the French in Russia and drove them all the way to Paris.
In popular memory, the name of Denis Davydov is inseparable from the Patriotic War of 1812 as the name of one of the leaders of the army partisan movement, which played an important role in the victory over Napoleon.
He was a multi-talented person. Davydov’s first literary experiments date back to 1803 - 1805, when his political poems (the fables “Head and Legs”, “The River and the Mirror”, the satire “The Dream”, etc.) were widely circulated in manuscripts.
Davydov was associated with many Decembrists who valued his poetry, but he refused the offer to join the secret society.
He entered the history of Russian literature as the creator of the genre of “hussar lyrics”, the hero of which is a lover of wild life, at the same time a free-thinking person, an opponent of violence against the individual (“Hussar Feast”, “Song of the Old Hussar”, “Half-Soldier”, “Borodin Field”. The latter, written in 1829, is considered one of the best historical elegies of Russian romantic poetry).
A significant phenomenon in the literature of the 1830s was Davydov’s military prose - his memories of A. Suvorov, N. Raevsky, M. Kamensky. The poetry of Denis Davydov was highly appreciated by A. Pushkin, with whom he had a long-term friendship.
In recent years, he had long sought to transfer Bagration’s ashes to the Borodino field and eventually achieved this, but he himself was not able to participate in the ceremony. On April 22 (May 4 n.s.) he died suddenly.
Denis Vasilievich Davydov was born on July 27, 1784 in Moscow. The predictions of the great commander Suvorov about the military future became prophetic for nine-year-old Denis. Davydov devoted almost his entire life to military service. He experienced all the hardships of four military companies (in Prussia, Finland, Moldova and the Balkans, the Russian-French war).
The victory over Napoleon was largely possible thanks to the activities of the partisan movement under the leadership of Denis Vasilyevich. At the age of 48 he retired, having risen to the rank of lieutenant general.
But Davydov is known to the general public not only for his military exploits. He was a talented poet and military playwright. The first samples of Davydov's pen date back to 1803-1805. as a political poet who published the fables “Head and Legs”, “River and Mirror”, etc. His merits include the creation of a new literary direction"hussar lyrics" and introducing readers to the image of a patriotic warrior. The main characters of his works (for the most part) are brave, honest, strong personalities with a slightly quarrelsome character and wild life.
The author's Russian romantic poetry (among which the main place is occupied by the poem "Borodin Field") has been deservedly recognized by many critics as the best manifestation of the historical elegy of its time. Pushkin highly appreciated the works of his long-time friend. In the 1830s, Davydov tried his hand at a completely new direction for himself - in military prose. In particular, these are memoirs about meeting A. Suvorov, N. Raevsky, M. Kamensky. After more than 20 years of military service and a short peaceful life, Denis Vasilyevich Davydov died on May 4, 1839, without seeing the ceremony of transferring Bagration’s ashes to the Borodino field, which became possible only thanks to his efforts.
Denis Vasilyevich Davydov (July 16 (27), 1784, Moscow - April 22 (May 4), 1839, village of Verkhnyaya Maza, Syzran district, Simbirsk province) - Russian poet, the most bright representative"Hussar poetry", Lieutenant General. One of the commanders of the partisan movement during the Patriotic War of 1812.
A representative of the old noble family of the Davydovs. Born in the family of foreman Vasily Denisovich Davydov, who served under the command of A.V. Suvorov, in Moscow. A significant part of his childhood was spent in a military situation in Slobozhanshchina, where his father served. Denis got involved in military affairs early and learned horse riding well. But he was constantly tormented by his homely appearance: short stature and a small, snub-nosed, “button” nose.
At the end of the 18th century, the glory of the great Suvorov thundered throughout Russia, for whom Denis treated with extraordinary respect. Once, when the boy was nine years old, he had a chance to see the famous commander, he came to their estate to visit. Alexander Vasilyevich, looking at the two sons of Vasily Denisovich, said that Denis “this daring one will be a military man, I won’t die, and he will already win three battles,” and Evdokim will go into the civil service. Denis remembered this meeting for the rest of his life.
After the death of Catherine II and the accession to the throne of Paul I, who did not like Suvorov, the well-being of the Davydovs came to an end. An audit of the Poltava regiment, which my father commanded, discovered a shortage of 100 thousand rubles and Davydov Sr. was fired and ordered by court to pay this amount. Although his only fault was that he relied on the honesty of his quartermasters. I had to sell the estate. Over time, having gotten out of debt, my father bought a small village near Moscow, Borodino, near Mozhaisk. (In 1812, during the Battle of Borodino, the village, along with manor house burned out).
The father decided to assign his sons in accordance with Suvorov’s words - Denis to the cavalry guards, and his brother Evdokim to the archives of the Foreign Collegium.
In 1801, Davydov entered service in the Cavalry Regiment, located in St. Petersburg. At first, the officer on duty flatly refused to accept him because of his small stature. Nevertheless, Denis managed to be accepted. For his charm, wit and modesty, the officers of the regiment very soon fell in love with him and formed his patronage. On September 28, 1801, he became an Estandard Junker. “Soon, through the efforts of Prince Boris Chetvertinsky, with whom Denis had become friends before, and other friends of Kakhovsky, the matter that concerned Denis so much was settled.” His appearance after putting on his uniform was, of course, very funny. Alexander Mikhailovich Kakhovsky took up the task of filling the gaps in Davydov’s education. He composed a special message for Denis curriculum, selected books on a wide variety of branches of knowledge - from military history, fortification and cartography before economic theories English economists and Russian literature. In September 1802, Davydov was promoted to cornet, and in November 1803 to lieutenant. At the same time, he began to write poetry and fables, and in his fables he began to very caustically ridicule the top officials of the state.
Because of the satirical poems, Denis was transferred from the guard to the Belarusian Hussar Regiment with a deployment in the Podolsk province in Little Russia and was renamed captain. This was done to the cavalry guards very rarely and only for major offenses - cowardice in battle, embezzlement or cheating at cards. However, Denis liked the hussars. There he met the hero of his “desirable songs,” Lieutenant Burtsev. Dashing feasts, riotous jokes - he now sang all this in his “desirable songs”, leaving the writing of fables.
The only bad thing was that Denis Davydov almost missed the first war with Napoleon. The Guard took part in battles with the French, but his hussar regiment did not. A young cavalry officer who dreamed of feats of arms and glory, was forced to remain aloof from these events, while his brother Evdokim, having abandoned civil service at the Foreign Collegium, entered the cavalry guards and managed to become famous at Austerlitz. Evdokim was seriously wounded (five saber wounds, one bullet wound and one bayonet wound) and was taken prisoner. Napoleon, visiting the infirmary where Evdokim was lying, had a conversation with him. This conversation was described in all European newspapers.
Denis decided to go to the front at any cost. In November 1806, Davydov at night penetrated Field Marshal M.F. Kamensky, who was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army at that time. Kamensky, a small, dry old man in a nightcap, almost died of fear when Denis appeared in front of him and demanded that he be sent to the front. But all this turned out to be in vain, since Kamensky commanded the army for only a week. He was removed because he lost his mind. He went out to the army in a hare sheepskin coat and a scarf and declared: “Brothers, save yourself as best you can...” According to one version, he went crazy after Denis Davydov appeared in front of him at night.
But the fame of such a desperate hussar reached Maria Antonovna Naryshkina, the sovereign’s favorite. And she helped him in his desire to fight. At the beginning of 1807, he was appointed adjutant to General P. I. Bagration. At one time, Davydov made fun of Bagration’s long nose in one of his poems and therefore was a little afraid of his first meeting with him. Bagration, seeing Denis, said to the officers present: “This is the one who made fun of my nose.” To which Davydov, without being taken aback, replied that he wrote about his nose only out of envy, since he practically doesn’t have one himself. Bagration liked the joke. And he often, when it was reported to him that the enemy was “on the nose,” asked again: “On whose nose? If on mine, then you can still have dinner, and if on Denisov, then by horse!”
Already on January 24, 1807, Denis Davydov took part in battles with the French. In the battle of Preussisch-Eylau, he was under Bagration, who appeared with his adjutant in the most dangerous and critical areas. One battle, according to Bagration, was won only thanks to Davydov. He single-handedly rushed at a detachment of French lancers and they, chasing him, were distracted and missed the moment of the appearance of the Russian hussars. For this battle, Denis received the Order of St. Vladimir IV degree, a cloak from Bagration and a trophy horse. In this and other battles, Davydov distinguished himself with exceptional courage, for which he was awarded orders and a golden saber.
By the beginning of the war of 1812, Davydov was a lieutenant colonel in the Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment and was in the vanguard troops of General Vasilchikov. On August 21, 1812, in sight of the village of Borodino, where he grew up, where his parents’ house was already being hastily dismantled into fortifications, five days before the great battle, Denis Vasilyevich proposed to Bagration the idea of his own partisan detachment.
The first partisan detachment during the Patriotic War of 1812 was created on the initiative of Barclay de Tolly on July 22, 1812 under the command of General F. F. Wintzingerode. The logic was simple: Napoleon, hoping to defeat Russia in twenty days, took so much food with him. And if you take away carts, fodder and break bridges, then this will create for him big problems. From Davydov’s letter to Prince General Bagration:
Bagration's order to create a flying partisan detachment was one of his last before the Battle of Borodino, where he was mortally wounded.
On the very first night, Davydov’s detachment of 50 hussars and 80 Cossacks was ambushed by peasants, and Denis almost died. The peasants had little understanding of details military uniform, which was similar for the French and Russians. Moreover, the officers spoke, as a rule, French. After this, Davydov put on a peasant's caftan and grew a beard. With 50 hussars and 80 Cossacks in one of the forays, he managed to capture 370 French, while capturing 200 Russian prisoners, a cart with ammunition and nine carts with provisions. His detachment grew rapidly at the expense of peasants and freed prisoners.
His rapid successes convinced Kutuzov of the advisability of guerrilla warfare, and he was not slow to give it wider development and constantly sent reinforcements. The second time Davydov saw Napoleon was when he and his partisans were in ambush in the forest, and a dormez with Napoleon drove past him. But at that moment he had too little strength to attack Napoleon’s guards. Napoleon hated Davydov and ordered him to be shot on the spot upon his arrest. For the sake of his capture, he allocated one of his best detachments of two thousand horsemen with eight chief officers and one staff officer. Davydov, who had half as many people, managed to drive the detachment into a trap and take him prisoner along with all the officers.
One of Davydov’s outstanding feats during this time was the case near Lyakhov, where he, along with other partisans, captured General Augereau’s two-thousand-strong detachment; then, near the city of Kopys, he destroyed the French cavalry depot, scattered the enemy detachment near Belynichi and, continuing the search to the Neman, occupied Grodno. Denis Davydov’s awards for the 1812 campaign were the Orders of St. Vladimir, 3rd degree, and St. George, 4th degree: “Your Grace! While the Patriotic War continued, I considered it a sin to think about anything other than the extermination of the enemies of the Fatherland. Now I am abroad, I humbly ask your Lordship to send me Vladimir 3rd class and Georgy 4th class,” Davydov wrote to Field Marshal M.I. Kutuzov after crossing the border. From the memoirs of Lieutenant Colonel Denis Davydov: “…. In this case, we took over the store and hospital in Belynichi. In the first, four hundred quarters of rye, forty quarters of wheat, two hundred quarters of buckwheat and fifty quarters of hemp were found, and in the latter they took two hundred and ninety sick people and fifteen doctors. One lieutenant colonel, four captains and one hundred and ninety-two privates, the entire baggage train and one hundred and eighty guns were taken.”
After crossing the border, Davydov was assigned to the corps of General Wintzingerode, participated in the defeat of the Saxons near Kalisz and, having entered Saxony with an advanced detachment, occupied Dresden. For which he was put under house arrest by General Wintzingerode, since he took the city without permission, without orders. Throughout Europe, legends were made about Davydov’s courage and luck. When Russian troops entered a city, all the residents went out into the street and asked about him in order to see him.
For the battle on the approach to Paris, when five horses were killed under him, but he, together with his Cossacks, still broke through the hussars of the Jacquinot brigade to the French artillery battery and, having chopped up the servants, decided the outcome of the battle, Davydov was awarded the rank of major general.
After the Patriotic War of 1812, Denis Davydov began to have troubles. At first he was sent to command the dragoon brigade, which was stationed near Kiev. Like any hussar, Denis despised dragoons. Then he was informed that the rank of major general had been assigned to him by mistake, and he was a colonel. And to top it all off, Colonel Davydov is transferred to serve in the Oryol province as commander of a horse-jaeger brigade. This was the last straw, since he had to lose his hussar mustache, his pride. Huntsmen were not allowed mustaches. He wrote a letter to the king saying that he could not carry out the order because of his mustache. Denis was waiting for resignation and disgrace, but the tsar, when they reported to him, was in good location spirit: “Well then! Let him remain a hussar." And he appointed Denis to the hussar regiment with the return of the rank of major general.
His last campaign was in 1831 - against the Polish rebels. He fought well. “Davydov’s military merits were respected this time as, perhaps, in no previous war. Leaving the army, Denis Vasilyevich firmly knew that he had finished his last campaign in his life. He had no intention of fighting anymore. Now only a mortal threat to his dear fatherland could force him to take up his tried and tested hussar saber again. However, such a threat did not seem to be foreseen in the foreseeable future, thank God.
Personal life
While serving near Kiev, Davydov fell in love once again. His chosen one was the Kiev niece of the Raevskys - Liza Zlotnitskaya, daughter of General Anton Osipovich Zlotnitsky. At the same time, the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature elected him as a full member. He was very proud, since he himself had not dared to call himself a poet before.
An indispensable condition of Lisa’s parents was that Denis would obtain a government estate for rent from the sovereign (this was a form state support persons who are not rich, but have distinguished themselves in service). Davydov went to St. Petersburg to do some work. V. A. Zhukovsky, who simply adored Davydov, helped a lot. With his help, Davydov was quickly granted “in connection with his upcoming marriage” to rent the state-owned Balta estate, which brought in six thousand rubles a year.
But then he received a new blow. While he was busy in St. Petersburg, Lisa became interested in Prince Pyotr Golitsyn. The prince was a gambler and a reveler, and besides, he had recently been expelled from the guard for some dark deeds. But he was extraordinarily handsome. Davydov was refused. Moreover, Lisa did not even want to see him, conveying the refusal through her father.
Davydov took Lisa’s refusal very hard. All his friends began to save him and for this they arranged a meeting for him with the daughter of the late General Nikolai Aleksandrovich Chirkov, Sophia. At that time she was already at a mature age - 24 years old. But her friends vying with each other praised her. Pretty, modest, reasonable, kind, well-read. And he made up his mind. Moreover, he was already 35 years old. But the wedding was almost upset, as the bride’s mother, having learned about his “desirable songs,” ordered Davydov to be rejected as a drunkard, a dissolute person and a gambler. Friends of her late husband barely persuaded her, explaining that General Davydov does not play cards, drinks little - and these are only poems. After all, he is a poet!
In April 1819, Denis married Sophia. As soon as he and Sophia began to have children, Denis lost the desire to pull the military burden. He wanted to be at home, near his wife. Davydov called in sick every now and then and went on vacations of many months. Even Caucasian War, where he was sent under the command of General Ermolov, did not captivate him. He stayed in active army only two months, and then begged Ermolov for a six-week leave to improve his health. Stopping by for a view mineral water, having sent out several letters about his illness to convince him, he rushed to the Arbat in Moscow, where at that time three sons and Sophia, who was once again pregnant, were waiting for him. In total, nine children were born in the marriage of Denis and Sophia.
After the Polish campaign, when he was 47 years old and all he could think about was peace, they finally left him behind. True, he was never allowed to resign, but they did not touch him and his entire service was limited to wearing a lieutenant general’s uniform.
D.V. Davydov spent the last years of his life in the village of Verkhnyaya Maza, which belonged to the poet’s wife, Sofya Nikolaevna Chirkova. Here he continued to engage in creativity, conducted extensive correspondence with A.F. Voeikov, M.N. Zagoskin, A.S. Pushkin, V.A. Zhukovsky, other writers and publishers. He ordered books from abroad. I was hunting. He wrote military-historical notes. He was involved in raising children and running the household: he built a distillery, set up a pond, etc. In a word, he lived for his own pleasure.
On April 22, 1839, at about 7 o’clock in the morning, at the 55th year of his life, Denis Vasilyevich suddenly died of apoplexy on his estate Verkhnyaya Maza. His ashes were transported to Moscow and buried in the cemetery of the Novodevichy Convent. His wife Sofya Nikolaevna outlived Denis by more than 40 years. Zhukovsky responded to this sad news in poetry:
And the fighter is the son of Apollo,
He imagined Bagration's coffin
Conduct in Borodino, -
That reward was not given:
In an instant, Davydov was gone!
How many famous people disappeared with him?
Battle legends to us!
How sorry he is for his friend!..
As a person, Davydov enjoyed great sympathy in friendly circles. According to Prince P. A. Vyazemsky, Davydov retained an amazing youth of heart and disposition until his death. His gaiety was infectious and exciting; he was the soul of friendly conversations.
Poems by Denis Davydov.
BURTSOV:CALLING FOR PUNDSH
Burtsov, yora, bully,
Dear drinking buddy!
For God's sake and... arak
Visit my little house!
There are no beggars at the doorstep,
There are no mirrors, vases, paintings,
And the owner, thank God,
Not a great sir.
He is a hussar and doesn’t let you in
Tinsel dust in the eyes;
His brother replaces
All sofas are made of oats.
There are no incense burners, maybe
But a pipe with tobacco;
There are no paintings, but they will be replaced
Tashka with the royal monogram!
Instead of a mirror it shines
Clear saber stripe:
He only corrects her
Two kind mustaches.
And in place of beautiful vases,
White marble, large
There are terrible ones on the table
Five glasses of punch!
They are full, I assure you
The heavenly heat is hidden in them.
Come - I'm waiting -
Prove that you are a hussar.
HEAD AND LEGS
Tired of running every day
On mud, on sand, on hard pavement,
One day Legs very angrily
We talked to the Head:
"Why are we under your power like this,
That for a whole century they must obey you alone;
Day, night, autumn, spring,
You just wanted to run and drag around
Here, here, wherever you say;
And besides, wrapped in stockings,
Treads and boots,
You are starving us like exiled slaves, -
And, sitting at the top, you just blink your eyes,
Calmly judge everything
About the world, about people, about fashion,
About calm and bad weather;
You often amuse yourself at our expense
With ridicule, caustic words, -
And, in a word, with poor Legs
How you twirl checkers."
“Be silent, impudent ones,” the Head told them, “
Or I will force you to shut up!..
How dare you rebel
When is nature given to us to command?"
"All this is good, let you command,
At least she wouldn't throw us everywhere,
But we cannot fulfill your whims;
Yes, between us, I must admit,
If you have the right to rule,
Then we have the right to stumble,
And sometimes we can stumble, - how can we be -
Your Majesty will be smashed against a stone."
Everyone knows the meaning of this fable...
But it should - huh! - be silent: the one who keeps talking is a fool.