Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev(September 17 - June 25 [July 7]) - Russian military leader and strategist, infantry general (1881), adjutant general (1878).
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✪ 57. Mikhail Skobelev.
✪ Lecture 8. From David to Solomon. Skobelev Mikhail Anatolevich
✪ 57 Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev
✪ Commander, equal to Suvorov. General Skobelev M.D.
✪ Lecture 8. From David to Solomon. Skobelev Mikhail Anatolyevich. Answers on questions
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Biography
Childhood and adolescence
Until the age of six, he was raised by his grandfather and family friend, the keymaster of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, Grigory Dobrotvorsky. Then - a German tutor, with whom the boy did not have a good relationship. Then he was sent to Paris, to a boarding house with the Frenchman Desiderius Girardet. Over time, Girardet became a close friend of Skobelev and followed him to Russia, where he served as a home teacher for the Skobelev family.
Mikhail Skobelev continued his education in Russia. In 1858-1860, Skobelev was preparing to enter St. Petersburg University under the general supervision of Academician A. V. Nikitenko, then, for a year, his studies were supervised by L. N. Modzalevsky. In 1861, Skobelev successfully passed the exams and was accepted as a high-ranking student in the mathematical category, but he did not study for long because the university was temporarily closed due to student unrest.
Military education
On November 22, 1861, Mikhail Skobelev entered military service in the Cavalry Guard Regiment. After passing the exam, Mikhail Skobelev was promoted to harness cadet on September 8, 1862, and to cornet on March 31, 1863. In February 1864, he accompanied, as an orderly, Adjutant General Count Baranov, who was sent to Warsaw to promulgate the Manifesto on the liberation of the peasants and the distribution of land to them. Skobelev asked to be transferred to the Life Guards Grodno Hussar Regiment, which carried out military operations against the Polish rebels, and on March 19, 1864 he was transferred. Even before the transfer, Mikhail Skobelev spent his vacation as a volunteer in one of the regiments pursuing Shpak’s detachment.
Since March 31, Skobelev, in the detachment of Lieutenant Colonel Zankisov, has been participating in the destruction of the rebels. For the destruction of the Shemiot detachment in the Radkowice Forest, Skobelev was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 4th degree “for bravery.” In 1864, he went on vacation abroad to see the theater of military operations of the Danes against the Germans. On August 30, 1864, Skobelev was promoted to lieutenant.
In the fall of 1866, he entered the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. Upon completion of the academy course in 1868, Skobelev became the 13th of 26 officers assigned to the General Staff. Skobelev had lackluster success in military statistics and photography, and especially in geodesy, but this was corrected by the fact that in the subjects of military art Skobelev was second, and in military history first in the entire graduation, and was also among the first in foreign and Russian languages, in political history and many other subjects.
First cases in Asia
In view of the petition of the commander of the troops of the Turkestan Military District, Adjutant General von Kaufman I, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev, was promoted to staff captain and in November 1868 was appointed to the Turkestan District. Skobelev arrived at his place of service in Tashkent at the beginning of 1869 and at first was at the district headquarters. Mikhail Skobelev studied local methods of combat, also carried out reconnaissance and participated in small matters on the Bukhara border, and showed personal courage.
At the end of 1870, Mikhail was sent to the command of the commander-in-chief of the Caucasian army, and in March 1871, Skobelev was sent to the Krasnovodsk detachment, in which he commanded the cavalry. Skobelev received an important task; with a detachment he was supposed to reconnoiter the routes to Khiva. He reconnoitered the route to the Sarykamysh well, and walked along a difficult road, with a lack of water and scorching heat, from Mullakari to Uzunkuyu, 437 km (410 versts) in 9 days, and back to Kum-Sebshen, 134 km (126 versts) at 16.5 hours, with an average speed of 48 km (45 versts) per day; With him there were only three Cossacks and three Turkmen.
Skobelev presented detailed description route and roads departing from the wells. However, Skobelev unauthorizedly reviewed the plan for the upcoming operation against Khiva, for which he was dismissed on 11-month leave in the summer of 1871 and transferred to the regiment. However, in April 1872 he was again assigned to the main headquarters “for writing studies.” He participated in the preparation of a field trip of officers of the headquarters and the St. Petersburg military district to the Kovno and Courland provinces, and then he himself took part in it. After which, on June 5, he was transferred to the General Staff as a captain with an appointment as senior adjutant of the headquarters of the 22nd Infantry Division, in Novgorod, and on August 30, 1872, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel with an appointment as a staff officer for assignments at the headquarters of the Moscow Military District. He did not stay in Moscow for long and was soon assigned to the 74th Stavropol Infantry Regiment to command a battalion. He fulfilled the requirements of the service there regularly. Skobelev established good relations with his subordinates and superiors.
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. Khiva was the target for Russian detachments advancing from different points: Turkestan, Krasnovodsk, Mangishlak and Orenburg detachments. The path of the Mangishlak detachment, although it was not the longest, was still fraught with difficulties, which increased due to the lack of camels (a total of 1,500 camels for 2,140 people) and water (up to half a bucket per person). In Skobelev’s echelon it was necessary to load all the combat horses, since the camels could not lift everything that was supposed to be carried on them. They left on April 16, Skobelev, like other officers, walked.
When passing the section from Lake Kauda to the Senek well (70 versts), the water ran out halfway. On April 18 we reached the well. Skobelev showed himself in a difficult situation to be a skilled commander and organizer, and when leaving Bish-Akta on April 20, he already commanded the forward echelon (2, later 3 companies, 25-30 Cossacks, 2 guns and a team of sappers). Skobelev supported in his echelon perfect order and at the same time took care of the needs of the soldiers. The troops covered 200 versts (210 km) from Bish-Akta to Iltedzhe quite easily and arrived in Iteldzhe by April 30.
Skobelev carried out reconnaissance all the time in order to secure the passage of the army and inspect the wells, moving with a cavalry detachment in front of the army in order to protect the wells. So on May 5, near Itybay’s well, Skobelev with a detachment of 10 horsemen met a caravan of Kazakhs who had gone over to the side of Khiva. Skobelev, despite the numerical superiority of the enemy, rushed into battle, in which he received 7 wounds with pikes and checkers and could not sit on a horse until May 20.
After Skobelev was out of action, the Mangishlak and Orenburg detachments united in Kungrad and, under the leadership of Major General N.A. Veryovkin, continued to move towards Khiva (250 versts) through very rough terrain, cut by many canals, overgrown with reeds and bushes, covered with arable land, fences and gardens. The Khivans, numbering 6,000 people, tried to stop the Russian detachment at Khojeyli, Mangyt and other settlements, but to no avail.
Skobelev returned to duty and on May 21, with two hundred and a missile team, moved to Mount Kobetau and along the Karauz ditch to ruin and destroy Turkmen villages in order to punish the Turkmens for hostile actions against the Russians; He fulfilled this order exactly.
On May 22, with 3 companies and 2 guns, he covered the wheeled convoy, and repelled a number of enemy attacks, and from May 24, when Russian troops stood at Chinakchik (8 versts from Khiva), the Khivans attacked the camel convoy. Skobelev quickly realized what was going on and moved with two hundred hidden, in the gardens, 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 400 camels recaptured by the enemy.
On May 28, the main forces of General N. A. Veryovkin carried out reconnaissance of the city wall and captured the enemy blockade and a three-gun battery, and, due to N. A. Veryovkin’s wound, command of the operation passed to Colonel Saranchov. In the evening, a deputation arrived from Khiva to negotiate surrender. She was sent to General K.P. Kaufman.
On May 29, General K.P. Kaufman entered Khiva from the south. However, 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, which caused an assault on the northern part of the wall. 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. The assault was stopped by order of General K.P. Kaufman, who at that time was peacefully entering the city from the opposite side.
Khiva submitted. The goal of the campaign was achieved, despite the fact that one of the detachments, Krasnovodsk, never reached Khiva. To find out the cause of the incident, Skobelev volunteered to carry out reconnaissance of the section of the Zmukshir - Ortakuyu route (340 versts) that Colonel Markozov had not traversed. The task was fraught with great risk. Skobelev took with him five horsemen (including 3 Turkmen) and set out from Zmukshir on August 4. There was no water in the Daudur well. When there were still 15-25 miles left to Ortakuy, Skobelev, on the morning of August 7, near the Nefes-kuli well, came across Turkmen and barely escaped. There was no way to break through, and therefore Mikhail Skobelev returned to the starting point on August 11, having covered more than 600 miles (640 km) in 7 days, and then submitted a proper report to General Kaufman. It became clear that in order to transport the Krasnovodsk detachment to Zmukshir, during a waterless journey of 156 versts, it was necessary to take timely measures. For this reconnaissance, Skobelev was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree (August 30, 1873).
In the winter of 1873-1874, Skobelev was on vacation and spent most of it in southern France. But there he learned about the internecine war in Spain, made his way to the location of the Carlists and was an eyewitness to several battles.
On February 22, Skobelev was promoted to colonel, and on April 17, he was appointed aide-de-camp and enrolled in the retinue of His Imperial Majesty.
On September 17, 1874, Skobelev was sent to the Perm province to participate in the implementation of the order on military service.
Major General
In April 1875, Skobelev returned to Tashkent and was appointed head of the military unit of the Russian embassy sent to Kashgar. He had to appreciate the military significance of Kashgar in all respects. This embassy headed to Kashgar through Kokand, whose ruler Khudoyar Khan was under Russian influence. However, the latter, with his cruelty and greed, provoked an uprising against himself and was deposed in July 1875, after which he fled to Russian borders, to the city of Khojent. The Russian embassy followed him, covered by Skobelev with 22 Cossacks. Thanks to his firmness and caution, this team, without using weapons, brought the khan to Khojent without losses.
In Kokand, the rebels, led by the talented Kipchak leader Abdurrahman-Avtobachi, soon triumphed; Khudoyar's son Nasr-eddin was elevated to the khan's throne; was proclaimed “gazavat”; at the beginning of August, Kokand troops invaded Russian borders, besieged Khojent and agitated the native population. Skobelev was sent with two hundred to clear the outskirts of Tashkent from enemy gangs. On August 18, the main forces of General Kaufman (16 companies of 8 hundreds with 20 guns) approached Khujand; Skobelev was appointed chief of the cavalry.
Meanwhile, the Kokands concentrated up to 50,000 people with 40 guns at Makhram. When General Kaufman was moving towards Makhram, between the Syr Darya and the spurs of the Alai Range, the enemy horse masses threatened to attack, but after shots from Russian batteries they scattered and disappeared into the nearby gorges. On August 22, General Kaufman's troops took Makhram. Skobelev and his cavalry quickly attacked numerous enemy crowds of foot and horsemen, put them to flight and pursued them for more than 10 miles, promptly using the support of a rocket battery, while he himself was slightly wounded in the leg. In this battle, Mikhail Dmitrievich showed himself to be a brilliant cavalry commander and the Russian troops won a convincing victory.
Skobelev arrived at the Balkan theater of military operations as a very young and semi-disgraced general. Skobelev showed outstanding examples of military art and care for his subordinates, and also proved himself to be a good military administrator.
Skobelev became very famous after the war. On January 6, 1878, he was awarded a gold sword with diamonds, with the inscription “for crossing the Balkans,” but the attitude of his superiors towards him remained unfavorable. In a letter to one relative on August 7, 1878, he wrote: “The more time passes, the more the consciousness of my innocence before the Emperor grows in me, and therefore the feeling of deep sorrow cannot leave me... only the duties of a loyal subject and soldier could force me to temporarily come to terms with the unbearable the severity of my situation since March 1877. I had the misfortune of losing confidence, this was expressed to me, and this takes away from me all the strength to continue to serve with benefit for the cause. Therefore, do not refuse... with your advice and assistance for my removal from office, with enlistment... in the reserve troops.” But gradually the horizon before him became clearer and the charges against him were dropped. On August 30, 1878, Skobelev was appointed adjutant general to the Emperor of Russia, which indicates the return of trust in him.
After the war, Mikhail Dmitrievich began preparing and training the troops entrusted to him in the Suvorov spirit. On February 4, 1879, he was confirmed as corps commander and carried out various assignments in Russia and abroad. Skobelev paid attention to assessing some aspects of the German military system, which he considered the most dangerous enemy Russian Empire, is very close to the Slavophiles.
General of Infantry
In January 1880, Skobelev was appointed commander of a military expedition against the Tekins. Skobelev drew up a plan, which was approved and should be recognized as exemplary. Its goal was to deal a decisive blow to the Teke Turkmens inhabiting the Ahal-Teke oasis. For their part, having learned about the campaign, the Tekins decided to move to the Dengil-Tepe fortress (Geok-Tepe) and limit themselves to desperate defense of only this point.
There were 45 thousand people in the Dengil-Tepe fortress, of which 20-25 thousand were defenders; they had 5 thousand rifles, many pistols, 1 gun and 2 zembureks. The Tekins carried out forays, mainly at night, and inflicted considerable damage, even once capturing a banner and two guns.
Skobelev himself made a sortie, walked all the way, checked all the wells and roads, and after that 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 formed an easily accessible collapse. The dust had not yet settled when Kuropatkin's column rose to attack. Lieutenant Colonel Gaidarov managed to capture the western wall. The troops pressed back the enemy, who, however, offered desperate resistance. After a long battle, the Tekins fled through the northern passes, with the exception of a part that remained in the fortress and died fighting. Skobelev pursued the retreating enemy for 15 miles. Russian losses during the entire siege with the assault amounted to 1,104 people, and 398 people were lost during the assault (including 34 officers). Inside the fortress, up to 5 thousand women and children, 500 Persian slaves and booty estimated at 6 million rubles were taken.
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 seemed to give these rumors greater credibility. “It’s remarkable,” a contemporary noted, “that the same opinion was held in intelligent circles. Here it was expressed even more definitely: persons were named who could participate in this crime, allegedly directed by Bismarck... The same message attributed to Bismarck the disappearance of the plan for the war with the Germans, developed by Skobelev and stolen immediately after the death of M.D. Skobelev from his estate.”
This version was also supported by some representatives of official circles. One of the inspirers of the reaction, Prince N. Meshchersky, wrote to Pobedonostsev in 1887: “Any day now, Germany could pounce on France and crush it. But suddenly, thanks to Skobelev’s bold step, the common interests of France and Russia were revealed for the first time, unexpectedly for everyone and to the horror of Bismarck. Neither Russia nor France were already isolated. Skobelev fell victim to his convictions, and the Russian people have no doubt about it. Many more fell, but the job was done.”
There were also rumors that Skobelev was plotting to arrest the Tsar and force him to sign the constitution, and for this reason he was allegedly poisoned by police agents.
I came to the conclusion that everything in the world is a lie, a lie and a lie... All this glory, and all this glitter is a lie... But what, what is this lie, this glory worth? 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 battles.
V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko. "Skobelev"
Memory of Skobelev
Monuments
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.
In 2005, a proposal was considered to build a monument to General Skobelev in Ilyinsky Park in Moscow.
On December 9, 2014, in Moscow, near the building of the Academy of the General Staff, a new monument was inaugurated, created on the initiative of the Russian Military Historical Society. The monument consists of a four-meter bronze equestrian statue of General Skobelev on a granite pedestal. The author of the monument is People's Artist of Russia Alexander Rukavishnikov.
Name Skobelev
- In 1910-1924, the city of Fergana (Uzbekistan) was called Skobelev.
- In 1912-1918, Tverskaya Square in Moscow was called Skobelevskaya Square.
- A street in Moscow is named after him, as well as an avenue in St. Petersburg - Skobelevsky Prospekt (1886).
- Immediately after the death of General M.D. Skobelev, the sail-screw corvette “Vityaz” was renamed in his honor.
- During the Civil War, the name “Skobelev” was borne by an armored train of the All-Soviet Union of Socialists.
- In the Bulgarian city of Pleven there is a park-museum named after General Skobelev, on the territory of which there is a building with a panorama of the “Pleven Epic”. The monument-bust to M.D. Skobelev is currently also located in Pleven, next to the house-museum of Tsar-Liberator Alexander II.
- In the city of Pomorie (Bulgaria), one of the streets in the central part of the city is named “General Skobelev”.
- One of the central boulevards in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, is named after M.D. Skobelev, and on the wall of one of the houses there is a memorial plaque with the name and image of the general.
- Five Bulgarian villages bear the name of the Russian general:
- Skobelevskaya (Krasnodar region)
Memorial Museum
In 1962, the abandoned grave of the commander and his parents in the family estate of the Skobelevs in the village of Spasskoye, Ryazhsky district,
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev - short biography
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev - a large detailed article from the XVIII volume of the Russian Biographical Dictionary by A.A. Polovtsova
The future hero of Russia and the favorite of the army, Mikhail Skobelev, was born on September 17, 1843 into a military family: he was the first-born son of a lieutenant of the Cavalry Guard Regiment, later a participant in the Crimean War, a holder of the honorary golden sword. Mikhail’s grandfather, Ivan Nikitich, was an adjutant to Kutuzov himself during the Patriotic War of 1812, rose to the rank of infantry general, and was commandant Peter and Paul Fortress and at the same time an original military writer and playwright. The grandfather was the main figure in the home education of his grandson. After his death, the mother of young Skobelev decided to send her son to France, where he studied at a boarding school, mastered a large amount of knowledge and several languages. Returning to his homeland, Mikhail entered St. Petersburg University in 1861, but soon family traditions prevailed, and he petitioned the tsar to enlist him as a cadet in the Cavalry Regiment. Thus began his military service.
On November 22, 1861, 18-year-old Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev, in the ranks of the cavalry guards, took the oath of allegiance to the Sovereign and the Fatherland and with zeal began to learn the basics of military affairs. In March 1863 he became an officer, the following year he transferred to the Life Guards Grodno Hussar Regiment, which bore the name of the hero Patriotic War 1812 Y. Kulneva, promoted to lieutenant. In the memoirs of the officers of the Grodno regiment, he remained “a true gentleman and a dashing cavalry officer.”
In 1866, Mikhail Skobelev, having passed the entrance exams brilliantly, entered the Academy of the General Staff. This was the heyday of the academy, in which such prominent military scientists as G. Leer, M. Dragomirov, A. Puzyrevsky taught. But studying was not easy for the temperamental officer; he either studied hard, delighting the teachers with his knowledge, or gave up going to lectures, indulging in bachelor parties. He probably would not have been able to complete the academy course if it had not been for Professor Leer, who, with his faithful instinct, recognized his exceptional military talents and took care of him. At the request of Leer, Captain Skobelev, upon graduation from the academy, was enrolled in the staff of officers of the General Staff.
In the next four years, Mikhail Dmitrievich, as a representative of the General Staff, visited the border with the Bukhara Khanate, traveled to the Caucasus, and, under the leadership of N. Stoletov, participated in an expedition to the southeastern shores of the Caspian Sea. In 1872, Skobelev became a lieutenant colonel. In 1873, he participated in the Khiva campaign of Russian troops under the command of General K. Kaufman, which had the goal of forcing the Khiva Khan to peaceful relations with Russia.
Skobelev led the vanguard of the Mangyshlak detachment; in skirmishes with the enemy he received several light checker wounds, but remained in service and took part in the capture of Khiva. His courage and courage were noticed by everyone. The brave officer received his first military award- Order of St. George, 4th class.
In 1874, Mikhail Dmitrievich was promoted to colonel and adjutant, married the Empress's maid of honor, Princess M. Gagarina, but a comfortable family life was not for him. The following year, he again sought to be sent to Turkestan, where the Kokand uprising broke out (in 1876 his marriage was dissolved). As part of Kaufman's detachment, Skobelev commanded the Cossack cavalry, and his decisive actions contributed to the defeat of the enemy near Mahram. Then he was instructed, at the head of a separate detachment, to act against the Kara-Kirghiz who participated in the uprising; Skobelev's victories at Andijan and Asaka put an end to the uprising. Dressed in a white uniform, on a white horse, Skobelev remained safe and sound after the hottest battles with the enemy (he himself, paying tribute to superstition, inspired himself and others that in white clothes he would never be killed). Already at that time, a legend had developed that he was charmed by bullets. For his exploits in the Kokand campaign, Skobelev was awarded the rank of major general and the Order of St. George, 3rd class. and St. Vladimir, 3rd Art., as well as a golden saber with the inscription: “For bravery.” The first glory came to him.
In April 1877, the Russian-Turkish war began, in which Russia came to the aid of the fraternal Slavic peoples, and Skobelev decided to definitely participate in it. But in St. Petersburg, by that time, an unfriendly opinion had formed about the young general: envious people accused him of excessive ambition, an “intemperate” lifestyle, and even of embezzling government money. With difficulty, Skobelev achieved an appointment to the Danube Army as chief of staff of the Cossack division (his father commanded it), but soon he was sent to the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. When the days of preparation of the Russian army for crossing the Danube arrived, Mikhail Dmitrievich secured his secondment as an assistant to the head of the 14th division M. Dragomirov. The division was tasked with being the first to cross the Danube, and Skobelev’s arrival came at a very opportune time. Dragomirov and the soldiers greeted him as “one of their own,” and he actively became involved in the work of preparing the crossing at Zimnitsa. Skillfully organized, it was successful on June 15, despite strong Turkish resistance.
After the army crossed the Danube, the Advance Detachment of General I. Gurko moved forward to the Balkans, and on behalf of the Commander-in-Chief, Skobelev helped the detachment in capturing the Shipka Pass. By this time, large Turkish forces under the command of Osman Pasha launched a counter-offensive against the main forces of the Russian army and organized a strong defense of Plevna, a strategically important fortress and city. Mikhail Dmitrievich had the opportunity to become one of the active participants in the epic struggle for Plevna. The first two assaults on the city (July 8 and 18), which ended in failure for the Russian troops, revealed serious flaws in the organization of their actions. Skobelev was given little consolation by the fact that during the assault on July 18, the combined Cossack division, which he commanded, advanced further than its neighbors, and during the general retreat retreated back to in perfect order. In the interval between the second and third assaults, he proposed to capture Lovcha, an important junction of roads leading to Plevna. The “White General” actually led the actions of the Russian detachment that took Lovcha, since the head of the detachment, Prince Imeretinsky, completely entrusted him with carrying out the attack.
Before the third assault on Plevna at the end of August, Skobelev was given command of parts of the 2nd Infantry Division and the 3rd Infantry Brigade. Showing enormous energy and putting everyone on their feet, he and his chief of staff A. Kuropatkin brought their troops into the most combat-ready state. On the day of the assault, Skobelev, as always on a white horse and in white clothes, led the actions of his detachment on the left flank of the advancing troops. His squad went into battle with music and drumming. After fierce battles with the enemy, he captured two Turkish redoubts and broke through to Plevna. But it was not possible to break the enemy in the center and on the right flank, and the Russian troops received the order to retreat. This failure near Plevna brought Skobelev more fame and made his name better known throughout Russia than all his previous successes. Alexander II, who was near Plevna, awarded the 34-year-old military leader the rank of lieutenant general and the Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st class.
The sharp increase in Skobelev's popularity was largely due to the eccentricity of his personality and ability to win the hearts of soldiers. He considered it his sacred duty to take care of his subordinates, whom he provided with hot food in any combat situation. With sincere and emotional patriotic slogans and lively appeals to the troops, the fearless general influenced them like no one else. His associate and permanent chief of staff Kuropatkin recalled: “On the day of the battle, Skobelev every time presented himself to the troops as especially joyful, cheerful, handsome...; Soldiers and officers looked with confidence at his warlike beautiful figure, admired him, joyfully greeted him and answered him with all their hearts “we are glad to try” to his wishes that they be well done in the upcoming task.”
In October 1877, Mikhail Dmitrievich took command of the 16th Infantry Division near Plevna. Three regiments of this division were already under his command: Kazan - near Lovcha, Vladimir and Suzdal - during the assault on Plevna. During the period of complete encirclement and blockade of the city, he put his division in order, upset by heavy losses in previous battles. After the capitulation of Plevna, which could not withstand the blockade, Skobelev took part in the winter transition of Russian troops through the Balkans. His order before heading into the mountains said: “We have a difficult feat ahead of us, worthy of the proven glory of Russian banners: today we begin to cross the Balkans with artillery, without roads, making our way, in sight of the enemy, through deep snowdrifts. Don’t forget, brothers, that we have been entrusted with the honor of the Fatherland. Our holy cause!”
As part of the Central detachment of General F. Radetsky, Skobelev with his division and the sidemen attached to it overcame the Imetliysky pass, to the right of Shipka, and on the morning of December 28 came to the aid of the column of N. Svyatopolk-Mirsky, who had bypassed Shipka on the left and entered into battle with the Turks at Sheinovo . The attack of Skobelev's column, carried out almost on the move, without preparation, but according to all the rules of military art, ended in the encirclement of Wessel Pasha's Turkish corps. The Turkish commander surrendered his saber to the Russian general. For this victory, Skobelev was awarded a second golden sword with the inscription: “For bravery,” although, according to many, he deserved more.
At the beginning of 1878, Mikhail Dmitrievich was subordinate to the head of the Western detachment, General I. Gurko, and, heading the vanguard corps, ensured the occupation of Adrianople (Edirne). After a short rest, his corps set out for Istanbul (Constantinople), and on January 17 broke into Chorlu, which is 80 kilometers from the Turkish capital. Exhausted, Türkiye sued for peace. The peace treaty signed in San Stefano was quite beneficial for Russia and the Balkan peoples, but six months later, under pressure from the European powers, it was revised in Berlin, which caused a sharply negative reaction from Skobelev.
By the end of the 70s. The struggle between Russia and England for influence in Central Asia intensified, and in 1880, Alexander II instructed Skobelev to lead an expedition of Russian troops to the Akhal-Teke oasis of Turkmenistan. The main goal of the campaign was to capture the Geok-Tepe fortress (45 kilometers northwest of Askhabad) - the main support base of the Tekins. After a five-month struggle with the sands and the courageous Tekins, Skobelev’s 13,000-strong detachment approached Geok-Tepe, and on January 12, after the assault, the fortress fell. Then Askhabad was occupied, and other regions of Turkmenistan were annexed to Russia. On the occasion of the successful completion of the expedition, Alexander II promoted Skobelev to infantry general and awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd class.
Alexander III, who ascended the throne in March 1881, was wary of the great fame of the “white general.” In turn, Skobelev did not seek to win the trust of the new tsar and allowed himself to say everything he thought about the reigning house, about the politics of Russia and its relations with the Western powers. Fascinated by the ideas of Slavism, Orthodoxy and the rise of national consciousness, he repeatedly and publicly declared the danger threatening Russia from the west, which caused a stir in Europe. The general spoke especially harshly about Germany and the “Teutons.” In March and April 1882, Skobelev had two audiences with the tsar, and although the content of their conversations remained unknown, according to eyewitnesses, Alexander III began to treat the general more tolerantly. Skobelev wrote to his friend General Kuropatkin: “If they scold you, don’t believe it too much, I stand for the truth and for the Army and I’m not afraid of anyone.”
On June 22, 1882, Mikhail Dmitrievich left Minsk, where he commanded the corps, to Moscow, on the 25th he had dinner at the Anglia Hotel (at the corner of Stoleshnikov Lane and Petrovka), then went down to visit a certain girl Altenroe, and at night she came running to the janitor and said that an officer had died in her room. The arriving physician confirmed Skobelev’s death from paralysis of the heart and lungs. Suspicions that he was the victim of a political assassination remained suspicions.
The memorial service on June 26 attracted a huge number of military personnel and people, people went to say goodbye to Skobelev all day, the church was buried in flowers, wreaths and mourning ribbons. On the wreath from the Academy of the General Staff there was a silver inscription: “To the hero Skobelev, equal to Suvorov.” The peasants carried the coffin of Mikhail Dmitrievich in their arms 20 versts to Spassky, the Skobelev family estate. There he was buried in the church next to his father and mother.
In 1912, a beautiful monument to the great Skobelev was erected on Tverskaya Square in Moscow using public funds.
In 1918, the monument was demolished in accordance with the Bolshevik decree “On the removal of monuments to the tsars and their servants and the development of projects for monuments to the Russian Socialist Revolution.”
Book materials used: Kovalevsky N.F. History of Russian Goverment. Biographies of famous military figures of the 18th - early 20th centuries. M. 1997
Source: www.chrono.ru
Photo: www.el-soft.com/panorama/en/
Skobelev Mikhail Dmitrievich (09/17/1843 - 06/25/1882) - the son of Lieutenant General Dmitry Ivanovich Skobelev and his wife Olga Nikolaevna, nee Poltavtseva, was born in St. Petersburg. In childhood, the future warrior already showed in him: he was very brave, proud and persistent, but at the same time, extremely impressionable and quick-tempered. The influence of the parents on the upbringing of their son was exactly the opposite: the father stood for extreme severity, while the mother spoiled him greatly. Initially, the father's aspirations triumphed.
Unfortunately, Dmitry Ivanovich assigned an unsuccessfully chosen German tutor to his son and gave him unlimited power over the boy. The cruel tutor whipped the pupil with rods for the slightest mistake when memorizing German vocabulary, as well as for any childish prank. The relationship between tutor and pupil became more and more strained. It happened one day that the tutor scolded the boy for answering something. The tutor hit him in the face. Mikhail could not bear the insult, spat in the German’s face and responded with a slap in the face. Then the father paid off the tutor and gave the boy to be raised by the Frenchman Desiderius Girardet, who had a boarding house in Paris.
In the person of Girardet, Mikhail met an educated, honest and kind teacher, who also sincerely loved his pet. It is possible that French influence, having fallen on Slavic soil, the receptivity of which was further strengthened by the negative activities of the German tutor, prepared the later national sympathies and antipathies of Mikhail Dmitrievich. For his part, the young man fell in love with his teacher, who tried to develop in him a consciousness of duty and responsibilities. The ebullient nature of M.D. Skobeleva could not, of course, accept and digest all this at once; nevertheless, the pet was aware of the beneficial influence of the mentor, who later became his best friend. Girardet followed Skobelev to Russia; it happened that he was not separated from him even during hostilities; Mikhail Dmitrievich, on all important occasions of his life, consulted with his former teacher.
After finishing his studies with Girardet, Mikhail Skobelev, at the request of his parents, returned to Russia to further continue his education. At this time, he was a young man who was still unsettled and, to a certain extent, fit the type of “golden youth.” However, already at that time he revealed extraordinary abilities and remarkable originality of mind and feelings, inherent only in selected natures. Not everything he was taught interested him, but whatever his attention focused on, he grasped quickly and mastered it perfectly. This was so in the field of knowledge, and so it was in the field of feelings and concepts.
In 1858-1860 M.D. Skobelev was preparing to enter St. Petersburg University. These classes were conducted under the general supervision of Academician A.V. Nikitenki were so successful that Mikhail Dmitrievich even passed a home preliminary exam in the presence of a trustee and some professors. In 1861 M.D. Skobelev was supposed to go to university, but, apparently, he was least attracted to the subjects of university teaching, which he had to study. Already at that time, he was reading books of various contents, mainly historical, and, feeling a calling and love for military affairs, looked with envy at his peers who put on officer epaulettes. Meanwhile, student unrest began, leading to the temporary closure of the university. Dmitry Ivanovich Skobelev now himself was concerned about accepting his son into military service, into the Cavalry Guard Regiment, which took place on November 22, 1861.
After passing the prescribed exam M.D. Skobelev was renamed a harness cadet on September 8, 1862, and on March 31, 1863 he was promoted to cornet in his own regiment. Having quickly explored all aspects of the life of a brilliant guards officer, accepted in the capital's highest society, moving with feverish impetuosity from pleasure to studying military history and generally reading books, M.D. Skobelev was not satisfied with this peaceful activity and was looking for a field that would be more consistent with the energy and passionate love for activity and glory hidden in him.
In February 1864 M.D. Skobelev accompanied, as an orderly, the Adjutant General Count Baranov, who was sent to Warsaw to publish a manifesto on the liberation of the peasants and the allocation of land to them. At this time, Mikhail Dmitrievich was seduced by the combat situation in which the Lieutenant-Guards was located. The Grodno Hussar Regiment, which took part in military operations against the Polish rebels, asked to be transferred to this regiment, which took place on March 19 of the same year. But even before this transfer, having gone on vacation to his father, M.D. Skobelev accidentally met on the way one of the guards regiments pursuing Shpak’s gang, he immediately joined this regiment and spent almost the entire vacation in pursuit of the rebels purely out of love for the cause, as a “volunteer”.
M.D. Skobelev reported to the regiment on March 31 and participated in all the expeditions that took place under him; although the gangs were already ending their activities at that time, Mikhail Dmitrievich still managed to take part in one successful search in the detachment of Lieutenant Colonel Zankisov, which ended in battle and the destruction of the Shemiot gang in the Radkovitsky forest. For distinction in this matter M.D. Skobelev was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 4th degree, with the inscription “for bravery.”
The peculiar conditions of the situation largely compensated for the modesty of these operations. M.D. Skobelev here already understood the importance of reconnaissance in the matter of orienting commanders, as well as all the difficulty of carrying out reconnaissance in wooded areas, with the dubious and sometimes hostile attitude of a more or less significant part of the population. Here he realized that against such an enemy as the rebels, he must act as decisively and with full energy as possible, trying to “beat him in the imagination” and undermine his moral strength.
Off duty M.D. Skobelev indulged in his favorite hobby of military history, and carefully studied various campaigns with a compass and pencil in his hands, sitting at the table or even lying on the floor over the plans, which often occupied half the room; It happened that he locked himself with a key so that his comrades would not interfere with these activities. In conversations, he often talked about going to Asia, but even then he was studying the military systems of Western European states.
In 1864 M.D. Skobelev went on vacation abroad and, although he was not in time for the Danish military operations against the Germans, he nevertheless inspected this theater of military operations. Nevertheless, Mikhail Dmitrievich did not shy away from his comrades and was even the first to come up with various desperately daring inventions during the various adventures of the hussar company. So, he, together with one comrade, risking his life, swam across the Vistula River during the ice drift, jumped out of a second-floor window into the park on a bet, etc. It was hardly an act. It would be more accurate to assume that it was simply a tribute to an ebullient nature that thirsted for activity and strong sensations.
August 30, 1864 M.D. Skobelev was promoted to lieutenant. The narrow framework of peacetime combat service did not satisfy him and he began to prepare to enter the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, with the goal of obtaining a higher military education and achieving the opportunity to act in a broader field, corresponding to the calling that he felt in himself. In the fall of 1866, having passed the entrance exam quite satisfactorily, he was accepted into the academy, leaving a good memory among the Grodno residents as “a true gentleman and a dashing cavalry officer.”
At the Academy M.D. Skobelev, like many remarkable people, had difficulty fitting into everyone’s common standard. Often he did not pay due attention to what was required by the school routine, and at the same time he enjoyed doing what attracted him, mainly the same military history. Mikhail Dmitrievich gathered his comrades, read his notes to them or made messages of military-historical content. These messages caused lively debate and speculation. At the same time, Skobelev did not have to refuse communication with the circle to which he belonged by birth and by virtue family relations; He himself did not refuse various pleasures and entertainment in the company of comrades and friends, and the academic listener was not inferior to the former hussar cornet in regard to various antics and manifestations of daring, from dressing in a Scottish suit to sailing on bad boats in the Gulf of Finland. Under such conditions, despite his excellent abilities, M.D. Skobelev could not always answer equally well on academic exams, and his superiors considered him, although very capable, to be lazy.
Upon completion of the course at the Academy M.D. Skobelev was appointed 13th of 26 officers awarded membership in the general staff; at the same time, he was released in the 2nd category, which is explained by his relatively lackluster successes in military statistics and surveying, and especially in geodesy; however, this was abundantly rewarded by the fact that in the subjects of military art M.D. Skobelev was second, and in military history first in the entire graduation, not to mention the fact that in foreign and Russian languages, in political history and in general in subjects general education he was also among the first. The academic authorities, releasing him to the general staff, could be sure that they were opening a wide path for a real military man, whose shortcomings were so pale in comparison with his strengths that the former had to be forgotten because of the latter.
In view of the petition of the commander of the troops of the Turkestan Military District, Adjutant General von Kaufmann 1st, M.D. Skobelev, promoted shortly before (May 20) to staff captain along the line, was appointed to serve in the Turkestan district in November 1868 and arrived at the new place of service at the beginning of 1869. Upon arrival in Tashkent, Mikhail Dmitrievich was first at the headquarters districts. Here he did not waste time, studied the methods of action of Asian peoples in battle and in war in general, carried out reconnaissance and took part in small matters on the Bukhara border, and showed personal courage.
The modest nature of these cases could not, of course, satisfy M.D. Skobelev, who longed for broad activity and now felt able to put his name on the pages of that very history that until now he had only had to study. However, he took the first steps in this direction under very unfavorable conditions, for which, however, he himself was to blame. At this time they looked at him as a St. Petersburg upstart who allowed himself to teach old and experienced people. M.D. Skobelev needed to show proper restraint, tact and modesty; If he possessed these same qualities then, it was only to a small extent. This was the main source of the misfortunes that M.D. Skobelev had to endure before being transferred to the General Staff.
During a reconnaissance on the Bukhara border, he antagonized the Cossack who accompanied him and who then, upon returning to Tashkent, began to spread information unprofitable for M.D. Skobelev information about his actions. Many took the Cossack's side; Skobelev sharply condemned them and was challenged to a duel by two representatives of the Tashkent golden youth. He emerged from these duels with honor. Nevertheless, General Kaufman, who was convinced by Mikhail Dmitrievich’s enemies of his guilt, convened the garrison officers and, in their presence, brutally scolded M.D. Skobeleva.
It is very possible that the reason for the aggravation of this matter, in addition to the undoubted prideful passion of M.D. Skobelev, there was envy, etc. feelings that some of his enemies had towards him. There is not the slightest reason to believe the accusation brought against him. Nevertheless, this incident greatly contributed to the emergence of a rumor unfavorable for Mikhail Dmitrievich, which spread far beyond the borders of Turkestan and which he had to reckon with many years later.
At the end of 1870 M.D. Skobelev was sent to the disposal of E.I.V. commander-in-chief of the Caucasian Army (Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich - note by the site author), and in March 1871 he went to the Krasnovodsk detachment, in which he commanded the cavalry. At this time, the Khivans treated us so hostilely that it was impossible to tolerate it for a long time. Khiva sooner or later had to become the subject of our actions. It was necessary to conduct reconnaissance of the routes to Khiva.
At this time M.D. Skobelev reconnoitered the route to the Sarykamysh well, and walked along the road, partly rocky and partly sandy, with a lack of water and its poor quality, during scorching heat, from Mullakari to Uzunkuyu, 410 versts in 9 days, and back to Kum-Sebshen , 126 versts in 16 1/2 hours, with an average speed of 45 versts per day; with him were only three Cossacks and three Turkmens. M.D. Skobelev presented a detailed description of this path and wonderful trails? (French croquis, detailed image - note by the site author), collecting in addition information about the paths branching off in different directions from the wells passed. However, at the same time, he went too far and discovered the plan for the proposed operation. This caused the displeasure of the top management and was the reason for the dismissal of M.D. Skobelev on 11-month leave in the summer of 1871 and his assignment to the regiment.
However, in April 1872 he was again assigned to the general staff and seconded to the main headquarters “for written studies,” or rather for testing. Here Skobelev participated in the preparatory work for the field trip of officers of the main headquarters and the St. Petersburg military district, and then in the trip itself in the Kovno and Courland provinces. They say that at the same time M.D. Skobelev was once tasked with reconnaissance of a section of the river in order to find the most convenient point for crossing a significant cavalry detachment. When the persons who carried out verification and evaluation of these activities appeared, Skobelev, instead of the usual answer, jumped on his horse, encouraged him with a whip and safely swam across the river in both directions. The person on whom the assessment of these studies mainly depended was delighted with this solution to the task given to him and insisted that Mikhail Dmitrievich be awarded a transfer to the general staff.
Whether this incident occurred or not, there is no doubt that M.D. Skobelev passed this new test quite successfully, after which on July 5 he was transferred to the general headquarters as a captain with an appointment as senior adjutant of the headquarters of the 22nd Infantry Division in Novgorod, and on August 30, 1872 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel with an appointment as a staff officer for assignments with headquarters of the Moscow military district. He did not remain in Moscow for long, as he was soon assigned to the 74th Stavropol Infantry Regiment to command a battalion. He fulfilled the requirements of the service here regularly and demanded the same from his subordinates, but outside of service he treated them with comradeship and M.D. Skobelev was loved here. Studying military history and reading continued as before, and M.D. continued in exactly the same way. Skobelev moved from them to a wide variety of amusements, such as setting up a whole cheerful company in a bivouac on a square in the middle of the city, with cooking fire, illumination, etc.
It didn’t take long for M.D. Skobelev languished in peacetime inaction, since in the spring of 1873 he managed to take part in the Khiva campaign, as an officer of the general staff under the Mangyshlak detachment of Colonel Lomakin. Khiva was to be the subject of action and the point of connection for our detachments, Turkestan, Krasnovodsk, Mangyshlak and Orenburg. The path of the Mangyshlak detachment, although it was neither the longest nor the most difficult, was still fraught with enormous difficulties, which increased due to the fact that this detachment was supplied with camels in less proportion than other detachments (1,500 camels for 2,140 people ), and had very little water with him (up to 1/2 a bucket per person).
At first we had to make a very difficult, waterless journey of 70 versts from Lake Kaunda to the Senek well, at 37° (and 42° in the sand) and in a very sultry wind. In the echelon in which M.D. was located. Skobelev, it was necessary to load all the combat horses, since the camels could not lift everything that was supposed to be carried on them, and fell; On April 16, Skobelev, like other officers, walked; On April 17, halfway to the Senek well, the water taken was drunk. Only on April 18, the troops concentrated at the Senek well, having many sick people in their ranks and throwing 6,000 pounds of various provisions and 340 camels along the way. This movement was carried out randomly.
M.D. Skobelev had to strain all his strength to rescue the troops from a critical situation. He took part in the discussion of relevant measures and orders, in finding means to eliminate noticed difficulties for the future, etc. All this did not disappear without a trace and brought M.D. It greatly benefited Skobelev to find out in a very short time the whole essence of the matter of organizing and performing marching movements in the steppes. He himself acquired a well-known tact and ability to behave in relation to both juniors and equals, and elders. The commanders use him at every step as an officer of the general staff, and are generally pleased with him.
When leaving Bish-Akta on April 20, Skobelev already commanded the echelon and, moreover, the advanced one (2nd, later 3 companies, 30-25 Cossacks, 2 guns and a sapper team). During this march, he informed the commander of the second echelon about the features of the path traveled and tried to warn the following echelons about everything that could facilitate their movement. At halts and overnight stays, the troops made waterskins from goat skins and thus increased their water-lifting means. The movement was orderly.
April 28, on the way to the Cherkezly well, M.D. Skobelev noticed that one company began to stretch out. He led her under the drum, with guns on his shoulder, for several miles and put her in order and generally did not lose sight of anything that could lead to maintaining proper order in the echelon entrusted to him. internal order, showing at the same time remarkable care for the needs of the troops. Under such conditions, the troops marched 200 versts from Bish-Akta to Iltedzhe quite easily, with almost no sick people at all, and arrived in Iltedzhe on April 29/30. Both in this case and in further movement, M.D. Skobelev carried out reconnaissance to inspect the paths to the wells and the wells themselves.
Near the borders of Khiva, the most difficult transition was from Kyzyl-akhyr to Baychagir, 62 miles with only one well. Fearing for the integrity of this well, on which the fate of the detachment depended, M.D. On May 2, Skobelev ahead of a train with 22 horsemen, arrived at the well after 8 hours of non-stop movement and immediately began constructing a trench with two embankments to provide riflemen from the front and rear. This is one of the proofs of his usual foresight and caution in such cases.
On May 5, the troops approached the Itybai well. M.D. Skobelev again got ahead of a train with only 10 horsemen, collided with a caravan of Kyrgyz-Adaevites who had betrayed us and demanded that they surrender; when some of them discovered hostile intentions, he and the available men rushed into checkers and chopped up several Kirghiz, but he himself received 7 wounds with pikes and checkers. After the approach of the infantry M.D. Skobelev was placed on a cart and could not mount a horse until May 20. Perhaps he should not have rushed into the armed crowd with a handful of people; however, this is partly explained by his youth, and partly by conscious self-education in the spirit of non-stop movement towards any dangers.
Upon the departure of M.D. Skobelev out of action, the Mangyshlak and Orenburg detachments united in Kungrad and, under the command of Major General Verevkin, continued to move to Khiva (250 versts) through very rough terrain, cut by many canals, overgrown with reeds and bushes, covered with arable land, fences and gardens. The Khivans (6,000 people) tried to stop our detachment at Khojeyli, Mangyt and other points, but to no avail.
M.D. Skobelev returned to duty at the first opportunity. On May 21, he, with two hundred and a missile team, moved to Mount Kobetau and along the Karauz ditch to ruin and destroy Turkmen villages in order to punish the Turkmens for hostile actions against the Russians; He fulfilled this order exactly. On May 22, with 3 companies, 2 hundreds and 2 guns, he covered the wheeled convoy, and repelled a number of enemy attacks, and from May 24, he commanded the vanguard almost all the time and had a number of skirmishes with the enemy.
On May 27, when our detachment was stationed at Chinakchik (8 versts from Khiva), the Khivans attacked the camel train with special energy. M.D. Skobelev, having heard a shootout in his rear, quickly realized what was happening, moved with two hundred secretly, gardens, to the rear of the Khivans, came across a large crowd of 1,000 people, overthrew them on the approaching cavalry, then attacked the Khivan infantry, converting them too fled and returned 400 camels captured by the enemy.
On May 28, the main forces of General Verevkin carried out a reconnaissance of the city wall and captured the enemy's blockade and three-gun battery, and, due to General Verevkin's wound, command passed to Colonel Saranchov. M.D. Skobelev was at first in the rear, but then moved forward and took over the troops retreating after reconnaissance. In the evening, a deputation arrived from Khiva with an expression of submission and for negotiations. She was sent to General Kaufman, who at that time was in mid-transition south of Khiva. General Kaufman notified the head of the Orenburg-Mangishlak detachment that he would enter Khiva on the 29th and ordered not to open fire. However, due to the anarchy that prevailed in Khiva, part of the population was preparing to fight back, which prompted the offensive of the Orenburg-Mangishlak detachment on the 29th and the assault on the northern part of the wall. M.D. Skobelev with two companies stormed the Shakhabat Gate, the first made his way inside the fortress and, although he was attacked by the enemy, he held the gate and rampart behind him. This case was discontinued by order of General Kaufman, who at the same time was peacefully entering the city from the opposite side. Accusations again rained down on Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev, which, however, cannot be considered fair, since he only carried out the orders of his boss.
Khiva submitted. The goal of the campaign was achieved, despite the fact that one of our detachments, Krasnovodsk, did not reach Khiva. It was important to find out the reason for his failure. M.D. Skobelev reported to General Kaufman about his readiness to carry out reconnaissance of the section of the Zmukshir - Ortakuyu road (340 versts) not traversed by Colonel Markozov and received permission to carry out this task, which was associated with great risk and danger, because at each well he could stumble upon an embittered enemy, not to mention about the difficulty of movement. Skobelev, taking with him five horsemen (including 3 Turkmens), set out from Zmukshir on August 4 and at 4 pm on August 6 arrived at the Daudur well (258 versts in 50-60 hours). The loose sands made movement extremely difficult; at the end of the transition we had to lead the horses; there was no water here.
Moving further, M.D. By the morning of August 7, Skobelev turned to the Nefes-kuli well (another 42 miles of waterless path); Having reached the last, he encountered the Turkmens and escaped with difficulty. There were still 15-25 miles left to Ortakuy. There seemed no need to get there, and therefore M.D. Skobelev set off on the return journey and returned to his starting point on August 11, having covered more than 600 miles in 7 days, and then submitted a proper report to General Kaufman. This reconnaissance revealed that for the success of the further movement of the Krasnovodsk detachment to Zmukshir, during a waterless journey of 156 versts, it was necessary to take timely appropriate measures; under the given conditions, this movement could lead to the death of the named detachment. For this reconnaissance, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree (August 30, 1873).
Winter 1873-1874 M.D. Skobelev spent most of his time in southern France, where he went for the purpose of rest and entertainment. But here he became interested in the internecine Spanish war, made his way to the location of the Carlists in Spain and was an eyewitness to several battles. February 22 M.D. Skobelev was promoted to colonel, and on April 17 he was appointed aide-de-camp with assignment to the Retinue of His Imperial Majesty.
On September 17, 1874, M.D. Skobelev was sent to the Perm province to participate in the implementation of the charter on military service. Meanwhile, they started talking about him not only in Russia, but also in England, which vigilantly followed our successes in Central Asia. It was natural to continue the military activity he had begun there.
In April 1875 M.D. Skobelev was sent to the disposal of the Turkestan Governor-General and, upon arrival in Tashkent, was appointed head of the military unit of our embassy sent to Kashgar. He had to appreciate the military significance of Kashgar in all respects. This embassy went to Kashgar through Kokan, whose ruler Khudoyar Khan was under our influence. However, the latter, with his cruelty and greed, provoked an uprising against himself and was deposed in July 1875, after which he fled to Russian borders, to the city of Khojent. Our embassy followed him, covered by Skobelev with 22 Cossacks. Thanks to his firmness and caution, this team, without even using weapons, brought the khan to Khojent without losses.
Fanatics, led by the talented Kipchak leader Abdurrahman-Avtobachi, soon triumphed in Kokand; Khudoyar's son Nasr-eddin was elevated to the khan's throne; was proclaimed "gazavat"; at the beginning of August, Kokan gangs invaded our borders, besieged Khojent and agitated our native population. M.D. Skobelev was sent with two hundred to clear the environs of Tashkent from enemy gangs, and after the concentration, by August 18, of General Kaufman's main forces (16 companies and 8 hundreds with 20 guns) was concentrated in Khujand, he was appointed chief of cavalry. Meanwhile, the Kokands concentrated up to 50,000 people at Mahram. with 40 guns. During the movement of General Kaufman to Makhram, between the Syr Darya and the spurs of the Alay Range, enemy cavalry masses disturbed the Russians. When the enemy threatened to attack, the cavalry lined up on the side of the threatened flank, and the batteries opened fire. The enemy quickly scattered and disappeared into the nearest gorges, after which the movement continued. Similar attacks were repeated and each time one cavalry maneuver and fire forced the enemy to retreat. The numbers and daring of the enemy, not accustomed to a united onslaught, M.D. Skobelev opposed close formation and order, combined with fire not only from artillery, but also from riders and advanced chains, and this gave success.
On August 22, General Kaufman's troops took Makhram. M.D. Skobelev and part of the cavalry quickly attacked numerous enemy gatherings, on foot and on horseback, put them to flight and pursued them for more than 10 miles, promptly taking advantage of the support of a rocket battery. Our troops won a brilliant victory. Mikhail Dmitrievich was slightly wounded in the leg. On August 21 and 22, Skobelev’s brilliant abilities as a cavalry commander were revealed: either restrained and cold-blooded, he met the enemy with fire, then, choosing a surprisingly successful moment, he launched a frantic attack, and in both cases, brilliantly applied to the situation.
Having occupied Kokand on August 29, our detachment moved to Margelan on September 5; Abdurrahman fled. M.D. was dispatched to pursue him. Skobelev with 6 hundreds, a rocket battery and 2 companies mounted on carts. This persecution represents a sample of actions of this kind. At the same time, Skobelev was forced to change the direction of movement several times, but followed Abdurrahman relentlessly and thereby destroyed his detachment; Autobachi abandoned artillery, horses, weapons and even his “Mecca badge” and only fled for his life.
Meanwhile, an agreement was concluded with Nasr-eddin, according to which we acquired the territory north of the Syr Darya, which formed the Namangan department. However, the Kipchak population of the Khanate did not want to admit that they were defeated and were preparing to resume the fight. Abdurrahman deposed Nasr-eddin and elevated Pulat-bek to the khan's throne. The center of the movement was Andijan. Major General Trotsky, with 5 1/2 companies, 3 1/2 hundreds, 6 guns and 4 rocket launchers, moved from Namangan and took Andijan by storm on October 1, with M.D. Skobelev made a brilliant attack. Then this detachment had to return to Namangan and on the way back had heated affairs with the enemy. At the same time, on the night of October 5, Skobelev, with 2 hundreds and a battalion, made such a swift attack on the Kipchak camp that they fled.
October 18 M.D. Skobelev was promoted to major general for military distinction and appointed to E.I.’s Retinue. Majesty. In the same month, he was left in the Namangan department, as its chief, with 3 battalions, 5 1/2 hundreds and 12 guns. Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was ordered to “act strategically and defensively,” i.e. without leaving our borders. But the force of circumstances forced him to act differently. Restless elements in the country continued to be agitated; an almost continuous small war broke out in the Namangan department; Uprisings broke out in Tyurya-Kurgan, then in Namangan, etc.
M.D. Skobelev kept a vigilant eye on all this and took excellent advantage of the benefits of his central position; upon receiving news of the appearance of the enemy on our shore, or of his concentration in the coastal points of the Kokand side, he quickly moved against the enemy, tried to take the enemy by surprise and inflicted defeats on him. So he defeated Batyr-tyur’s gang at Tyurya-Kurgan on October 23, then hurried to the rescue of the Namangan garrison, and on November 12 he defeated up to 20,000 enemy crowds at Balykchy. After all the successes, he had to return to Namangan every time.
Under such conditions, the offensive enterprises of the Kokand people could not be stopped. The need was felt to put an end to this in order to maintain the charm of the Russian name and provide the population under our control with the opportunity for a peaceful and safe life. General Kaufman recognized the forces of M.D. Skobelev are insufficient to keep at least the majority of the Khanate in our hands; in the meantime, Skobelev was ordered to move in winter to Ike-su-arasy, part of the khanate along the right bank of the Darya (up to the course of the Naryn) and limit himself to a pogrom of the Kipchaks wandering there.
M.D. Skobelev set out from Namangan on December 25 with 2,800 people. with 12 guns and a rocket battery and a convoy of 528 carts. The squad's equipment was thought out down to the last detail. In general, the preparation for this campaign represented an example of care for the troops and application to local conditions. M.D. Skobelev was already in this case a worthy student of General Kaufman and the best representative of the Turkestan system of military education, based on constant and comprehensive care for the soldier.
Skobelev’s detachment entered Ike-su-arasy on December 26 and in 8 days passed through this part of the Khanate in different directions, marking its path by destroying villages. The Kipchaks avoided battle and some even asked for mercy. One way or another, there was no subject of action worthy of this name in Ike-su-arasa. This could most likely have been Andijan, where Abdurrahman gathered up to 37,000 people.
M.D. On January 1, 1876, Skobelev crossed to the left bank of the Kara Darya, then moved to Andijan, on the 4th and 6th he made thorough reconnaissance of the outskirts of the city and on the 8th he captured Andijan through an assault. On the 10th, the Andijan people expressed their submission after Abdurrahman fled to Assaka and Pulat Khan to Margelan. On the 18th, Skobelev moved towards Assaka and completely defeated Abdurrahman, who wandered for several more days and finally surrendered on January 26th. On the 27th, the detachment of Baron Meller-Zakomelsky sent by Skobelev captured the village of Uch-Kurgan through an assault, which M.D. Skobelev acknowledged in his report “a truly brave feat.” Pulat Khan barely escaped with his life. On February 19, the Kokand Khanate was annexed to Russia and formed the Fergana region, and on March 2, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was appointed military governor of this region and commander of the troops in it.
Actions of M.D. Skobelev's Kokand campaign can withstand the strictest criticism: everything is exemplary, from studying the situation and setting goals to the details of preparing and executing the planned action plans. The troops have to make long marches under extremely unfavorable conditions, and yet their condition is generally excellent and their spirit is excellent; they have to storm fortified points and participate in many battles; there are no failures and losses are small; branches of arms and units of the detachment act in the spirit of the most effective mutual assistance; private bosses are managerial and have initiative; officers of the General Staff keep up everywhere in order not only to carry out their direct task, but also to set an example for others, teach them and even lead them in battle. With all this, proper internal order is maintained in the detachment at all times.
Of course, the Turkestan troops were excellent, the officers and private commanders knew their business, but in order for the entire detachment to act like this, such a wonderful detachment commander was needed, which already in this case was the 32-year-old Major General Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev. In addition to the above awards, he also received for this campaign the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class with swords, and St. George, 3rd class, a gold saber and a gold sword decorated with diamonds, with the inscription “for bravery.”
Having become the head of the region, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev strove to pacify the region, and carried out and recommended wonderful methods in relation to the conquered tribes. The Sarts greeted the Russians sympathetically; they should only have been given time to get used to the new order of things; however, the weapon was taken away. The warlike Kipchaks, once conquered, honestly keep their word - they should be treated “firmly, but with heart.” Finally, the Kara-Kirghiz (who inhabited the Alai ridges and the valley of the Kizyl-su river) continue to persist, despite the fact that the whole country has calmed down; it is necessary to cross their wild mountains and gorges with weapons in hand and brutally punish them.
M.D. Skobelev defeated one gang of Kara-Kirghiz in March and took lvl. Gulcha, and on April 25 defeated the rebels at Yangi-aryk. Not limiting himself to this, in July and August he carried out a search with reconnaissance of the Alai ridges in three columns from Uch-Kurgan, Osh and Gulcha; At the last column were Skobelev and a scientific expedition that explored this country scientifically. On August 16, the detachment, having gathered at Archi-Bulak, moved to Doraut Kurgan. On August 31st they began to come to M.D. Skobelev foreman with an expression of humility. Having reached the borders of Karategin and leaving a garrison here, Mikhail Dmitrievich turned back, since the above goal had been achieved. Not limiting himself to this, he also outlined measures in the form of a final cessation of robberies, which, however, he no longer had to carry out.
As the head of the region, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev fought with particular energy against the abuses of those who were in one way or another involved in spending government money. This created many enemies for him and soon a denunciation was received in St. Petersburg, platooning M.D. Skobelev faces the most serious charges. Having learned about this, he asked for leave, went to St. Petersburg and submitted a report with supporting documents in order to prove the injustice of the accusation. But this needed time, and meanwhile, on March 17, 1877, he was expelled from the post of military governor and commander of the region’s troops, leaving E.I.V. in his retinue. and at the General Staff.
For 8 years M.D. Skobelev had to participate in campaigns, and in the end, independently direct military operations in Central Asia. It was an excellent combat school that prepared him for the Akhal-Teke expedition of 1880-1881. During these campaigns, he discovered not only the diligence, private initiative and courage of a junior commander, but also the remarkable talent of an independent leader.
Then it should be noted: a thorough study and knowledge of the enemy and the situation in general, the ability to choose important targets, excellent preparation for campaigns, excellent supply of troops, reconnaissance and general orientation during operations; an amazing ability to extract from each type of weapon everything that it can give (sufficiently prolonged fire from artillery and infantry, the formation of a cavalry rifle division, cavalry fire in some cases, speed and pressure in others); skillfully occupying the conquered area and securing it from the side from which danger could threaten; finally, personal tirelessness, energy and valor, thanks to which M.D. Skobelev was an example for others.
It is impossible not to admit that Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was already an excellent administrator at that time, but the unfair accusation of abuse brought against him, in connection with the previous sins of the still fledgling hussar staff captain, destroyed in the minds of many his merits, not only civil, but even the military, and the latter seemed to others to be simply “inflated.” Our society was then distrustful and even unfriendly towards those who advanced in battles and campaigns against the “neglects”. Mikhail Dmitrievich had to experience this attitude, and the fruits of his previous sins, and all the poison of slander and injustice, and upon returning to Europe, almost start all over again what he had already accomplished so brilliantly in Asia.
Meanwhile, on the Balkan Peninsula, since 1875, the struggle of the Slavs against the Turks took place. Russia was also involved in this struggle. M.D. Even before this war, Skobelev was interested in the Slavic question, but in 1875 and 1876. he could limit himself to only platonic sympathy for the fighters for the liberation and independence of the Slavs. In 1877, he himself went into the active army to take personal part in the struggle, and at the same time correct and restore his shaken position, and regain lost trust with new merits.
At first, there was no suitable place for Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev in the active army. However, he was allowed to be in the main apartment. He himself tried to find a job somewhere and participated, as a volunteer, in various small matters before crossing the Danube. At this time, it was considered possible to appoint him only and. D. Chief of Staff of the consolidated Cossack division, which was commanded by his father.
On June 14/15, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev participated in the crossing of General Dragomirov’s detachment across the Danube at Zimnitsa. Here, having taken command of 4 companies of the 4th Infantry Brigade, he struck the Turks on the flank, forcing them to retreat. Here, due to the absence of orderlies, Mikhail Dmitrievich himself volunteered and conveyed the order of General Dragomirov under heavy enemy fire, as stated in the report from the head of the detachment: “I cannot help but testify to the great help provided to me by E.V.’s Retinue, Major General Skobelev. .. and about the beneficial influence that he had on young people with his brilliant, invariably clear calmness." After this they started talking about him; For this crossing, Major General Skobelev was awarded the Order of St. Stanislav, 1st degree with swords.
After the crossing, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev participated: on June 25 in the reconnaissance and occupation of the city of Bela; July 3 in repelling the Turkish attack on Selvi, and July 7, with the troops of the Gabrovsky detachment, in occupying the Shipka Pass. On July 16, with three Cossack regiments and a battery, he carried out reconnaissance of Lovchi; found out that it was occupied by 6 camps with 6 guns, and reported to whomever it was necessary about the need to take Lovcha before the second assault on Plevna, but at that time it was already decided to go back. On 17 July he moved to Bogota and took part in the second attack on Plevna on 18 June. Having carried out reconnaissance of the southern approaches to the enemy position, M.D. Skobelev found out that its strategic key was on the right flank of the Turks and that this flank was not fortified. His report on this issue only caused the reinforcement of the Cossack brigade entrusted to him with an infantry battalion and 4 guns. According to the disposition, Skobelev was supposed to cut off communications between Plevna and Lovcheya and guard the left flank of our troops attacking the location of Osman Pasha.
Scattered attacks by the columns of Generals Velyaminov and Prince Shakhovsky, whose general commander was considered General Baron Kridener, ended in failure for us and a “disorderly” retreat. M.D. Skobelev with part of his forces reached the 3rd ridge of the Green Mountains, from where he saw the enemy camp and reserve (up to 20,000 people) near Plevna. The Turks sent part of their forces against him and tried to push him back.
The actions of Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev with small forces against an excellent enemy were exemplary and showed what our cavalry could be capable of in in capable hands even on the most unfavorable terrain for its operations and generally under the most unfavorable conditions. Skobelev extended the battle as long as necessary, and retreated when it was impossible to hold out any longer and when there was no longer a need for it. Despite the heavy losses and the generally difficult situation of his detachment, he took measures to ensure that all the wounded were picked up in a timely manner.
Chaining the enemy to the spot, M.D. Skobelev was the best at solving the problem of “suppressing” communications with Lovcheya. His actions eased the position of Prince Shakhovsky, who also had to retreat under pressure from the Turks. Skobelev immediately achieved what others could not achieve for a long time on the battlefields of this campaign: his cavalry, infantry and artillery skillfully and heroically supported each other. July 22 M.D. Skobelev, with 5 battalions, 19 squadrons and hundreds with 12 guns, was ordered to cover Selvi towards the Lovcha side, tie up the detachments stationed in Selvi and opposite Plevna, and find out the forces of the Turks in Lovcha. Skobelev carried out this reconnaissance very skillfully from July 23 to 26 (with battle) and found out the following: a) Lovcha is occupied by 8-10 battalions; b) the mountains surrounding it are natural positions, moreover, strongly fortified; c) an attack from the north is almost impossible, and from the east it is possible only with thorough artillery preparation; d) changes in the position and importance of Lovchi occurred after July 16, why we can expect its further strengthening if we allow this.
At the end of July and the beginning of August (1877 - approx.) Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was again at the main apartment. In view of Suleiman's attacks on Shipka and the possibility of Osman Pasha moving to Gabrov to assist Suleiman, a detachment of 4 battalions, 12 hundreds and 14 guns under the command of Skobelev was allocated, which was supposed to cover the right flank and counteract Osman. Having concentrated this detachment on August 12 at a position near Kakrin, M.D. Skobelev carried out reconnaissance of the mountain passes to Imetli, Kalofer and Troyan, which convinced him that it was impossible for the Turks to attack Gabrovo. Moreover, he believed that the movement of 9 battalions from Selvi and Kakrin to the rear of Suleiman through the Imetli Pass “could be decisive” and that we should “maneuver.” Unfortunately, his views and considerations did not find proper assessment at that time.
By August 18, it became clear that there was nothing to fear on Shipka; It was decided to take Lovcha, and then Plevna. M.D. Skobelev, first of all, strengthened the position and improved the bivouac location, because, even if he had to attack, he considered it necessary to be ready for defense, and no matter what had to be done, concerns about the troops never left his thoughts. A detachment of General Prince Imereti (22 battalions, 21 squadrons and hundreds, 88 foot and 12 horse guns) was assigned to take Lovcha. This detachment also included units under the command of Skobelev, to whom Prince Imeretinsky invited him to make a proposal for the attack.
On the 19th, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev presented a well-known note in which, having clarified the essence of the task and the situation, he established the principles that should be followed in this case: a) thorough acquaintance with the terrain and the location of the enemy; b) extensive artillery preparation; c) gradual attack; d) promotion of engineering art; e) strong reserves and their economical use; g) timely capture of the enemy’s retreat route, and h) illumination of directions along which reinforcements may approach the Turks. The order of the task is then outlined. This note is rightly recognized as an example of preparatory orders for battle.
Naturally, the author of the note played an outstanding role during the attack of Lovchi on August 22. Here M.D. Skobelev with 10 battalions, 56 guns and 3 squadrons captured Red Mountain, suffering only minor losses, and then began to descend into the city. Prince Imereti reinforced him with 2 battalions and a battery. 80 guns operated against the Turks from the right bank of the Osma, which prepared the occupation of Lovchi and the attack of the trans-river redoubt. The city was occupied without difficulty.
M.D. Skobelev carried out reconnaissance, which confirmed the correctness of the assumption to direct the main attack on the right flank of the Turks. An attack by 10 battalions attracted all the forces of the Turks to their left flank, after which Skobelev withdrew the hitherto hidden reserve from the city (7 battalions with a convoy squadron on the flank) and rushed with drums beating and banners flying, like an unstoppable stream capable of breaking everything , on the right flank and against the retreat path of the Turks and put them to flight. They were immediately attacked by cavalry. The Turks' losses exceeded 2,000, and ours - 1,500 people. Success was not cheap, but its moral significance was important, not to mention the acquisition of the mentioned strategic benefits.
In this case, Prince Imeretinsky makes excellent use of his talented subordinates, both to draw up a battle plan and to conduct the main attack and, for his part, makes this matter easier for him in every possible way. The actions of M.D. himself Skobeleva are exemplary and represent a wonderful combination of determination and caution. If there are shortcomings that can be noted, they are few and of (relatively) minor importance: for example, a general command of the artillery was not established.
After the Plevna failures, a brilliant victory was won near Lovcheya, and M.D. Skobelev showed his outstanding talent in battle against an enemy who was well armed and, in terms of stamina, could compete with the best European troops. New merits of Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev began to break through the ice that seemed impenetrable: for distinction in cases against the Turks, mainly for the battle of Lovcha, M.D. Skobelev was promoted to lieutenant general (September 1 of the same year). Soon after the capture of Lovcha, the detachment of Prince Imereti was drawn to Bogota, and with it moved to the vicinity of Plevna and Skobelev.
At the end of August (1877 - approx.), with the arrival of reinforcements, it was decided to carry out a third assault on the Plevna fortified camp, for which 107 battalions (including 42 Romanian) and 90 squadrons and hundreds (including 36 Romanian) were assigned. or 82,000 bayonets and 11,000 sabers with 444 guns (including 188 Romanian). At the head of the western detachment were: its nominal commander and the actual commander of the Romanian troops, Prince Karl, and his assistant, the chief of staff and the actual commander of the Russian troops, General Zotov, i.e. there was no unification of power.
General Zotov determined the Turkish forces at 80,000 people with 120 guns, i.e. twice as opposed to reality, apparently did not believe in the success of the attack and placed all his hope in preparing it with artillery fire. This preparation was carried out from 26 to the start of the assault on August 30 and benefited not us, but the Turks, convincing them of the powerlessness of our artillery against their earthen fortifications.
The troops of our right flank, Romanian infantry and 6 Russian battalions, stormed Grivitsky redoubt No. 1 on the least important left flank of the Turks. This redoubt was taken only thanks to the participation of our troops. The troops on the right flank lost 3,500 people, after which it was decided not to advance here further, despite the fact that there were still 24 fresh (Romanian) battalions left.
In the center, behind which was the “main reserve” (9 battalions), 6 attacks were made on the regiments and these attacks were repulsed with the loss of 4,500 people. A total of 18 attacked and 17 more battalions remained; of the latter, 14 received special appointments. Here it was also decided (at dusk) to stop the battle.
On our left flank M.D. Skobelev, supported by the troops of Prince Imeretinsky, with 16 battalions captured Skobelevsky redoubts No. 1 and 2, and these battalions were greatly upset. There were still 6 battalions left to defend and guard the rear and flanks, but 3 of them were also very upset. There was nothing to develop success with. It remained to fortify and hold on to the redoubts until reinforcements were sent, but none were sent: however, 1 regiment from the center was sent to Skobelev on the initiative of a private commander, but he also arrived late.
M.D. Skobelev, having only 1/5 of our total forces, attracted more than 2/3 of all the forces of Osman Pasha (up to 35 camps). On August 31, Osman, who was already preparing to retreat, seeing that 4/5 of our forces were inactive and did not support Skobelev, surrounded him with superior forces from both flanks and subjected him to execution. Skobelev lost 6,000 people, repelled four Turkish counterattacks and, in view of the fifth counterattack, retreated step by step, in reasonable order. The assault ended in complete failure.
The reasons for the failure were rooted in the improper organization of the management of the allied detachment, in the personal properties of the two main commanders of this detachment, in their errors and the consequences that flowed from here. Military talent M.D. Skobelev showed himself in all his brilliance in this battle: the troops entrusted to him do incomparably more than in other sectors, and especially the infantry, directed by him personally and his valiant associates, accomplishes things that would have been considered impossible if they had not happened in reality; Skobelev himself shows an amazing ability to direct troops forward, and looks at himself as the last reserve, which he brings into action at the decisive moment, and this brings success; when it is necessary to retreat from the redoubts, then this retreat is carried out in such an order, the mere presence of which, despite the most difficult conditions, makes us recognize this retreat as a rare example in military history in its instructiveness in the positive sense.
During the taxation of Plevna, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev stood at the head of the Plevno-Lovchinsky detachment and the IV section of the taxation in the same area in which he acted during the 3rd attack of Plevna. Skobelev did not sympathize with the idea of a blockade, which delayed for a long time the resolution of the issue of Plevna, which slowed down our military operations; every day of fringing cost the army and especially the state a lot; what were the months worth? M.D. Skobelev was right in disagreeing with Totleben in this regard, since the most appropriate would be a combination of an attack with a close blockade, i.e. turning the blockade into an accelerated gradual attack. So he tried to act, but had to abandon it, in view of Totleben’s categorical order, and limit himself only to more active behavior towards the enemy than in other sectors, which had a huge positive impact in terms of raising the morale of the troops.
At this time M.D. Skobelev was entrusted with command of the 16th Infantry Division, in which 133 officers and 5,065 lower ranks were out of action, the previous 116 officers and 4,642 lower ranks remained, and the arriving personnel were insufficient in both numerical and qualitative terms; there are 14 former company commanders left, 10 battalion commanders, 1 brigade commander; regimental commanders and chief of staff were reappointed.
The position of the new division chief was very difficult. It was necessary to make this division into a tightly knit, completely healthy organism that could not be shaken. And Skobelev did it as quickly as no one else could do in this campaign. With him, all troops are imbued with the true military spirit, all branches of arms are united into one whole, and special branches of service perform their duties exemplarily or, in the worst case, more successfully than in other sectors.
Among the junior commanders, the spirit of private initiative comes to life, the soldier “understands his maneuver” and is proud of the name “Skobelevtsa”. At Skobelev, some of the people were armed with recaptured Turkish rifles, which were superior to the Krnkov rifles in terms of flatness, accuracy and shooting ability; In relation to supplying the troops with everything necessary, rare commanders showed such care as M.D. showed. Skobelev and his associates.
On November 28 (1877 - approx.) Osman Pasha made an attempt to break through and attacked the grenadier; The resulting battle ended with the surrender of Osman's army. M.D. Skobelev was the head of the reserve from units of the 3rd Guards and 16th Infantry Divisions, who rushed to the aid of the grenadiers. He was accused of delaying the guards brigade in order to allow his brigade to distinguish itself, but this is unfair, since if he had allowed the immediate reinforcement of the combat unit by this brigade, then the only general reserve would have been prematurely used up.
After the fall of Plevna Grand Duke the commander-in-chief decided to cross the Balkans in the winter and advance to Constantinople. Division M.D. Skobeleva was sent to join the detachment of General Radetzky, which was strengthened to 45,000 and had 35,000 Turks of Wessel Pasha against it. General Radetzky left 15 1/2 battalions with artillery at the Shipka position against the Turkish front and remained with them, and at the same time sent: a) the right column of M.D. Skobelev (15 battalions, 7 squads, 17 squadrons and hundreds and 14 guns) from Toplish through the Imetli Pass, bypassing the left flank of the Turks and b) the left column of Prince Svyatopolk-Mirsky (25 battalions, 1 squad, 4 hundreds and 24 guns) through Travna , Gusovo and Maglish, bypassing the right flank of the main forces of Wessel Pasha, who were in fortified camps near the dd. Shipka and Sheinova.
On December 27, Prince Mirsky acted alone against the main forces of the Turks and met stubborn resistance; Skobelev, having managed to cross only part of his forces, did not attack that day. On the 28th, all three units of General Radetzky’s detachment attacked the enemy, and the entire army of Wessel Pasha surrendered (30,000 people with 103 guns); our losses reached 5,600 people. A brilliant victory was won; M.D. Skobelev played an outstanding role in this: Wessel Pasha surrendered to him. Nevertheless, Skobelev was accused of not supporting Prince Mirsky, that he promised to support him and did not keep his word, that he was playing some kind of game here, etc.
These accusations are hardly fair. M.D. Skobelev was going through a difficult internal struggle at this time. The bitter experience of the Plevna battles left a deep imprint on his soul. He became more and more cautious. Personal conversation with F.F. Radetsky, who suggested the possibility of a “blockade of Imetlia”, etc., further confirmed his decision to be extremely careful. This can be seen from his notes addressed to the chief of staff. So on December 22, at 3 1/4 o'clock in the afternoon (upon returning from Radetzky) he wrote: “where are our priests... I saw something like this. Before reaching the Senek well 20 miles on April 18, 1873, people were dying from the heat , thirst and exhaustion. The regimental priests of the Shirvan and Absheron regiments brought great benefit. In the Russian army, in difficult moments, a priest... with a cross leads where the voice of the commanders and even the banner were forgotten. We will have to endure a lot of difficult things; we should not neglect this moral string..." Then instructions are given on how to apply this in this case.
Internal state of M.D. Skobelev's situation is deteriorating, especially since the chief of staff has been out of action. At the most difficult moment he is alone. Dark thoughts take possession of him. Skobelev recalls that he was repeatedly confirmed that he should rely only on his own strength. The one who came out earlier must wait for the one who came out later, i.e. Prince Mirsky must conform to Skobelev. In the worst case, no danger threatens Prince Mirsky, since he is strong enough. If he, Skobelev, attacks now (27th) with half his forces and is repulsed, then the whole operation may be upset. Therefore, the attack must be postponed until all forces have been concentrated. In view of these considerations, Skobelev did not attack until he concentrated forces, which he recognized as sufficient for the attack.
After crossing the Balkans, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was appointed head of the army's vanguard (32 battalions and 25 squadrons and hundreds with artillery and 1 sapper battalion) and moved through Adrianople to the outskirts of Constantinople. At the beginning of this march, on January 5 (1878 - approx.), he pulled the vanguard to Trnov, making 82 versts in 40 hours. After the cessation of hostilities, on May 1, he was appointed head of the “left detachment” of the army, and then was part of the army when it was located within Turkey and during the gradual clearing by parts of the territory of Turkey itself, as well as of Bulgaria, newly created by Russia.
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev appears in the Balkan theater of military operations as a very young general, although he has rendered great services, but has found himself in a position of semi-disgrace. There is no place for him and he himself tries to find something to do, not disdaining the smallest. Gradually, prejudice against him gives way to respect for his military talent and he is given more and more serious and responsible assignments. On July 18 (1877 - approx.), during the second attack of Plevna, and on August 22 (1877 - approx.) near Lovcheya, he gives outstanding examples of art, as far as he could show them as a private commander; in the latter case, he was entrusted with the conduct of the most difficult and main part of the matter, which is how he decided the success of the whole matter, and the losses were small compared to the Plevna battles.
During the third attack of Plevna, during its investment and during the transition through the Balkans M.D. Skobelev also shows remarkable skill, despite some shadow sides in the execution of these operations. In this campaign he completes his self-education as a military leader. If he has not yet declared himself as a commander, then he is already close to becoming one. And his concern for the soldier and his subordinates in general, the organization of the food department and his military-administrative activities in general, and finally, his understanding of the importance of the moral element and the ability to influence the troops in this sense are so exemplary that it is not easy to find a repetition of the combination of all these advantages in the same campaign .
It is not surprising that M.D. Skobelev, it was during this war that he gained almost worldwide fame. Nevertheless, his position at the end of the war and in the first time after it was unbearable, since the accusations brought against him had not yet lost their force. On January 6, 1878, he was awarded a golden sword, decorated with diamonds, with the inscription “for crossing the Balkans,” but the attitude of some commanders and comrades towards him was unfavorable, and his enemies took advantage of this.
In a letter to a relative on August 7, 1878, M.D. Skobelev wrote: “...The more time passes, the more the consciousness of my complete innocence before the Sovereign grows in me, and therefore the feeling of deep sorrow cannot leave me... only the duties of a loyal subject and soldier could force me to temporarily come to terms with the unbearable burden my position since March 1877. I had the misfortune of losing confidence, this was expressed to me and this takes away from me all the strength to continue to serve with benefit for the cause. Therefore, do not refuse ... with your advice and assistance for my removal from office, with enrollment. .. for reserve troops..."
But at this time the horizon for M.D. Skobelev began to clear up. He managed to completely refute the accusations brought against him. On July 7, 1878, he was appointed temporary commander of the 4th Corps, and on August 22 he was included in the lists of the 64th Kazan Infantry E.I.V. Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich regiment, and on August 30 he was appointed adjutant general to His Imperial Majesty. This high Royal mercy, testifying to the return of trust, appeared for M.D. Skobeleva triumphed over his enemies and rewarded him for the moral suffering he had endured.
At the end of hostilities M.D. Skobelev directed the education, training and combat training of the troops entrusted to him in a purely Suvorovian spirit. If there was a difference, it was only depending on the differences in the situation. He was confirmed as corps commander on February 4, 1879.
M.D. Skobelev carried out various assignments at this time, both in Russia and abroad, and presented wonderful reports. His thoughts concerning the assessment of certain aspects of the German military system, which he considered the most dangerous of our opponents and which since then he has been constantly studying, deserve special attention. This was in connection with the study of the Slavic question, the importance of which for Russia Skobelev understood even before the war of 1877-1878.
After the war M.D. Skobelev reads many books, brochures, periodicals, etc., and becomes close to the Slavophiles. He follows the meetings of diplomats at the Berlin Congress and any reduction in the rewards received by Russia and the Slavs resonates painfully in his heart. Meanwhile, the specter of a new war is already looming. Skobelev is ready to fly against a new enemy, but there is no war. Skobelev is languishing. It couldn’t have come at a more opportune time when his appointment as head of the expedition against the Tekins arrived, for which Skobelev had been participating in meetings at the main headquarters since January 1880.
In the western part of Central Asia M.D. Skobelev least of all knew the Akhal-Teke oasis and the 80-90,000 Akhal-Teke people who lived there, who could be supported by the 110,000 Merv-Teke people living along Murghab. These were natural, terrible warriors. One of their main means of livelihood was the Alamans, i.e. robberies. It was impossible to tolerate such neighbors. However, our expeditions up to and including 1879 were unsuccessful. The peoples we conquered raised their heads. It was urgently necessary to repeat the expedition and put an end to the Tekins. But for this it was necessary to march with the troops through a bleak desert, devoid of vegetation and water, unsuitable even for the life of the Turkmens, in a hot climate and other difficult conditions. Only camel caravans and troops with camel convoys could move along the routes of Turkmenistan, relying on at least one camel for each person.
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev drew up a plan, which was approved and should be recognized as exemplary: purpose his goal was to deliver a decisive blow to the Teke Akhal-Teke; he decided to approach his goal systematically and carefully; concentrate as much stock as necessary to complete the task; use all possible methods and means provided by art and science; as everything necessary accumulates, move forward and, when everything is ready, finish off the Tekins with a decisive battle. For their part, the Tekinites, having learned about the appointment of M.D. Skobelev, in April 1880 they decided to move everyone to the Dengil-Tepe fortress and limit themselves to the desperate defense of only this one point.
M.D. Skobelev arrived in Chekishlyar on May 7 and, first of all, ordered the withdrawal of part of the troops to the Caucasus in order to reduce the number of mouths and speed up the accumulation of supplies. An unimaginably difficult task began. We had to transport 2,000,000 pounds of various supplies. Two supply lines were set up; One of them had a railway line. It was decided to purchase 16,000 camels to transport everything necessary for 11,000 people. with 3,000 horses and 97 guns.
May 10 (1880 - approx.) M.D. Skobelev occupied Bami and began to establish a solid basis for action at this point, for which 800,000 pounds of various supplies were transported here over the course of five months; the harvest was about to take place on the Tekin fields; fortifications were erected. At the beginning of July Skobelev, with 655 people. with 10 guns and 8 rocket launchers, carries out reconnaissance, approaches two miles to Dengil-Tepe and fires at this fortress. Masses of Tekins surround him, but Skobelev fights them off and, having completed the reconnaissance, slowly retreats back. In this way, he makes a strong impression on the Tekins, and most importantly, raises the spirit of the troops entrusted to him, which ensures the success of the operation.
From Bami the necessary supplies are transported to the Samur fortification (12 versts from Dengil-Tepe). By December 20, 7,100 people (including non-combatants) and reserves for 8,000 people were concentrated here until the beginning of March 1881. Not limited to this, M.D. Skobelev sends Colonel Grodekov to Persia, who prepares 146,000 pounds of necessary supplies on Persian territory, just one step from Dengil-Tepe. This side base provided food for the troops after the capture of the fortress. From this it is clear how great Skobelev’s foresight was in supplying the troops with everything necessary.
On December 15 (1880 - approx.) Colonel Kuropatkin’s detachment of 884 people with 900 camels arrived in Samurskoye (due to the petition of M.D. Skobelev) from Turkestan, having overcome extreme difficulties when moving through the desert and strengthening Skobelev’s troops not so much in numbers, how much in moral terms. Soon after this, the approaches begin and the gradual approach to the fortress begins, and the troops prepare in every possible way for the assault: the transformation of Samursky into a strong point ends, which must be defended by a small garrison when all our forces are under the fortress; exercises are carried out, during which and after which it is necessary to open fire in order to drive away the Tekins; troops practice escalating walls and storming breaches; the M.D. compiled is sent to the troops. Skobelev’s highly instructive “instructions for detachment officers,” etc.
In the fortress (Dengil Tepe - approx.) there were 45,000 people, of which 20,000-25,000 were defenders; they had 5,000 rifles, many pistols, 1 cannon and 2 zembureks (pack gun - approx.). The Tekins made forays, mainly at night; Taking advantage of their superior forces and their courage, they inflicted considerable damage on us, even once captured a banner and two guns, but were always repulsed. Meanwhile, in the rear, the Yomuds were ready to rebel en masse, and rumors began to circulate in the detachment about the impossibility of continuing the siege with the available forces, etc.
Skobelev immediately put an end to this. “Forward, forward and forward. God is with us. No literature, but battle... The siege will not be lifted under any circumstances; the assaults will be repeated to the last extreme. In no case will there be a retreat from Geok-Tepe.” . These were his words, and his actions fully corresponded to them. The ridiculous talk stopped. The troops were imbued with a readiness to carry out the will of their leader at all costs.
On January 6, 1881, at the tip of the 2nd parallel, 200 fathoms from the corner of the fortress, a breach battery was built, armed on January 8 with 12 guns. M.D. Skobelev was preparing for the assault on the 10th, but, due to a collapse in the mine gallery and damage to the fan, he postponed it until January 12, promising the miners, if successful, 3,000 rubles and 4 insignia of a military order for 30 people. By midnight on the 10th-11th, the mine gallery approached the ditch 2 fathoms below the horizon, and on the night of the 12th the mine chambers were filled. On the surface of the earth, the saps are connected by an epaulement 5 fathoms from the ditch; Moreover, an armored sapa was driven into the same ditch.
By January 12, M.D. Skobelev concentrated 4,788 infantry, 1,043 cavalry, and 1,068 artillerymen, for a total of 6,899 people with 58 cannons, 5 canisters and 16 mortars. 280 tours, 380 fascines, 1,800 earthen bags, 47 assault ladders and 16 wattle fences were collected. Before the assault, a mine had to be exploded to cause a collapse, and 22 guns had to widen and make accessible the gap made by the artillery and, if possible, break through another.
According to Skobelev’s disposition, three columns were appointed for the assault: a) Colonel Kuropatkin (11 1/2 companies, 1 team, 6 guns, 2 rocket launchers and 1 heliograph) must take possession of the collapse from the mine explosion, firmly establish themselves on it and fortify in the south- eastern corner of the fortress; b) Colonel Kozelkov (8 1/4 companies, 2 teams, 3 guns, 2 rocket launchers and 1 heliograph) must take possession of the artillery gap and firmly establish itself on it; Columns 1 and 2 (carrying out the main attack) must enter into communication with each other; c) Lieutenant Colonel Gaidarov (4 1/2 companies, 2 teams, 1 1/2 hundreds, 4 guns, 5 rocket launchers and 1 heliograph, carrying out a demonstrative attack) should actively assist the first two columns, for which purpose, having captured the Mill Kalaya and the nearest retrenchments , operate with increased rifle and artillery fire at internal space fortresses and to the rear of the enemy, concentrated against the main attack.
The assault took place on January 12, 1881. At 11:20 a.m. a mine exploded. A dull underground blow followed, the soil trembled and a huge column of earth and pieces of the wall rose high above the ground and slowly fell, filling the nearest trenches. The eastern wall fell by 9 fathoms. and formed an easily accessible collapse. The Tekins who were here died. The explosion had not yet had time to settle down when parts of Colonel Kuropatkin’s column emerged from behind a nearby dam and rushed towards the collapse, shouting “Hurrah”.
Colonel Kozelkov's column was supported by a battalion from the reserve and captured the gap. Another battalion from the reserve formed the link between these two columns. Skobelev also had a reserve of 13 companies, 5 squadrons and hundreds and 18 guns. He promptly sent 8 companies to the breach to replace those who stormed. 4 guns were placed at the collapse. Lieutenant Colonel Gaidarov, having captured a section of the western wall, moved north and entered into contact with Colonel Kuropatkin, parts of whose column acted as guides and followed in front of the others, along with two companies from the left column. Our troops pushed back the enemy, who, however, put up desperate resistance.
For a long time a fierce battle raged in the fortress, but the skill of the leaders with Skobelev at the head and the courage of the soldiers finally broke the Tekins, who fled through the northern passes, with the exception of a small part that remained in the fortress and died fighting. Our troops pursued the retreating enemy, partly with fire, partly following on his heels; Mikhail Dmitrievich himself was ahead of the infantry with 4 squadrons and hundreds with 2 guns; The pursuit and cutting continued for 15 miles.
Our losses during the entire siege with the assault reached 1,104 people, and during the assault they amounted to 398 people (including 34 officers). Inside the fortress, up to 5,000 women and children, 500 Persian slaves and booty estimated at 6,000,000 rubles were taken.
Soon after the capture of Dengil-Tepe, Skobelev sent detachments under the command of Colonel Kuropatkin; one of them occupied Askhabad, and the other marched more than 100 miles north of Dengil-Tepe, disarming the population, returning it to the oasis and spreading proclamations for the speedy pacification of the region. In these types of M.D. Skobelev took a number of skillfully calculated measures, thanks to which a peaceful situation was soon established in our Trans-Caspian possessions. At the same time, Skobelev had to take part in the decision the following questions: a) maintaining friendly relations with Persia, subject to not conceding to it in anything, b) delimitation with Persia, c) relations of the occupied region and administration to the Persian regions and d) the actual spread of our power in the oasis and relations to Merv.
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev's communications on all these issues, his considerations and actions reveal in him an extremely broad outlook, the ability to understand not only military, but also state issues, and skillfully coordinate military and state interests. The bloodless annexation of Merv that followed some time later showed what a thunderous blow was dealt to the Turkmen in Dengil Tepe and how great was Skobelev’s foresight.
Akhal-Teke expedition 1880-1881 presents a first-class piece of art. The center of gravity of operations is in the sphere of military-administrative issues. Everything is exemplary, from the painstaking, slow, systematic preparation to the decisive, all-shaking blow; however, one can note the excessive number and variety of artillery weapons and the almost complete absence of forage reserves. The iron energy with which M.D. Skobelev, in the most difficult times, forces the troops to increase the tension of their forces to quickly approach the enemy chest to chest, the moral influence on the troops, whose spirit rises to the extreme limit, the remarkable ability to unite the entire detachment into one harmonious organism, constituting one whole with its leader - all this shows that Skobelev possessed an extraordinary gift, inherent in only a few leaders, the ability to master people and lead them towards all the horrors of war and battle. In short, in this campaign M.D. Skobelev is a commander in the full sense of the word.
On January 14 (1881 - approx.) Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was promoted to infantry general, and on January 19 he was awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd degree; On April 27, I left Krasnovodsk back to the 4th Corps, in Minsk. Here he directed the education and combat training of the troops entrusted to him as before, in the spirit of Suvorov’s ideas, as can be seen from his orders, etc., and especially from the maneuvers, exercises and inspections of troops he carried out, during which everything was assessed exclusively from the point of view from the point of view of the requirements of combat, and not the parade ground, and all departments of the education and training of troops were placed in proper relations with each other. And here the troops believed in their leader and were ready to follow him anywhere.
At times M.D. Skobelev traveled to his estates, mainly to the village of Spasskoye in the Ryazan province, and even declared his desire to seriously engage in farming. He treated the peasants very well, who called him nothing more than “our hero” and “father.” Mikhail Dmitrievich especially loved children who studied in schools, seeing in them the future defenders of Russia. He spoiled them with gifts.
At this time, the mood of Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was mostly depressed. The previous life could not help but affect his body. During the Akhal-Teke expedition, he suffered a terrible grief: his mother was killed by the man whom he had benefited. It is impossible to describe the impression that the news of this atrocity made on Skobelev. Then came another blow: the martyrdom of his beloved Emperor Alexander II. Mikhail Dmitrievich was not happy in family life. He was married to Princess Maria Nikolaevna Gagarina, who was educated abroad. The couple soon separated and then divorced.
At the end of the Akhal-Teke expedition and return to European Russia, M.D. Skobelev began again to study Slavic and other related issues.
M.D. Skobelev paid special attention to the issue of Russia's supposed war with its western neighbors, which was intensely discussed in the Austrian and German press after the war of 1870-1871. and especially after the Berlin Congress. Skobelev could not help but notice that a new direction had emerged in Austrian literature, by virtue of which Austria-Hungary should go hand in hand with Germany, spread German culture in the southeast of Europe, paralyze the influence of Russia on the Slavic peoples of the Balkan Peninsula and subjugate these peoples to its influence.
At the same time, Austrian military writers, not limiting themselves, as before, to the defense of Galicia, argued the need to seize the Kingdom of Poland and even the Little Russian provinces. German writers went even further and argued for the need to “take away Finland, Poland, the Baltic Sea provinces, the Caucasus and Russian Armenia from Russia” and “the destruction of Russia in the sense of a great European power.” The indignation that gripped M.D. Skobelev, when reading such works, defies description.
Meanwhile, M.D. Skobelev had to carry out various official assignments, among which the most important was a business trip to maneuvers in Germany. Skobelev's reports on the execution of these orders are remarkable, like everything that came from his pen. Particularly worthy of attention are his thoughts concerning certain aspects of the German military system, which he appreciated highly, but was not a supporter of slavish admiration and blind imitation and considered it necessary to improve, as much as possible, our military system, preparing to evade our weak one and expose strong side.
A stay in Germany led M.D. Skobelev came to the conclusion that not today, but tomorrow our Western neighbors will declare war on us and that the main enemy of Russia was a strong Germany. Diplomats also feared this, but disagreed with Skobelev regarding the definition the best way counteract this evil. Their tendency towards extreme compliance and passivity M.D. Skobelev opposed a program based on firmness and a highly active course of action. This explains his further activities, starting with rapprochement with the French, supporters of the Franco-Russian alliance, and ending with speeches addressed to Slavic students, etc.
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was a real loyal subject, a real Russian warrior, who only rushed forward to serve the Sovereign and Russia as quickly as possible as he knew how; he was torn in the very direction that led to the formation of a dual alliance that postponed the war. He was more zealous than required and was not sufficiently restrained. Skobelev did not take care of his health and thus shortened his life. Shortly before his death, he had a presentiment of it and told his friends about it. Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev died in Moscow on June 25, 1882.
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev achieved high distinction and the highest military rank at an age when his peers commanded regiments, and in the army even companies. M.D. Skobelev achieved this due to the fact that he was a real military man, a warrior by vocation, who loved military affairs with all his heart. In his service, Skobelev set maximum demands not only on others, but above all on himself, serving as an example to others. His energy was amazing, and the source of real strength is rooted in energy.
The meaning of the moral element, the spirit of the troops, M.D. Skobelev understood it completely and wielded it artistically, no worse than all the great commanders, and this is, mainly, the key to success in military affairs. Therefore, Skobelev’s charm as a leader was enormous. He combined with amazing harmony a remarkable understanding of the essence of the theory and knowledge of all its necessary details with the desire for the practical study of military affairs and for the most practical implementation of the provisions of the theory. Theorists and practitioners can agree among themselves and find in him both deeply calculated considerations and caution in actions in the proper combination with decisiveness, and in general everything that Suvorov was called a “naturalist” for.
M.D. Skobelev had a thorough general and military education and constantly continued to study; With special love he devoted himself to studying military history, the significance of which he fully understood even at school. Over time, his horizons expand, and at the same time, the cycle of knowledge that he tries to assimilate also expands. And in this regard, his successes are amazingly fast.
Skobelev perfectly understood the importance of knowing “the lady in war, the situation.” He studies it constantly by all means and means and achieves remarkable results: he begins to fluently read that book that is accessible only to the great masters of the art of war. Knowing and understanding the situation as well as possible, he sets the right goal, after which nothing can deviate him from acting in the spirit of the decision once made.
Always and everywhere Skobelev sacrifices the secondary in favor of the main, both in the theater of military operations and on the battlefield. He doesn’t accept half measures, he doesn’t want to hear about a template: under Sheinov he developed a battle formation of the European type, but in battles in Central Asia it is completely different, and even in Asia against the Tekins he acts differently than against the Kokans, etc. .
As a private commander, especially at the head of the cavalry, M.D. Skobelev combines selfless courage with an amazing ability to quickly assess the state of affairs, quickly make decisions and quickly implement them. At the head of large detachments, although he learns, he provides a number of positive examples of art, before which some of the shadow sides of his conduct of military operations pale.
Towards the end of his career M.D. Skobelev is fully formed: he is a ready-made commander. At this time, he provides exemplary solutions to all problems of strategic and tactical art. Skobelev just did not find an opportunity to prove in such a way that it was obvious to everyone that his place was among the great commanders, of whom he himself was more interested in Napoleon than others, but more and more followed the path of Suvorov.
As a statesman war time, as a representative of strategy, obliged to take into account the interests of higher politics, or as a representative of the combined authorities, civil and military, in a region that is a theater of military operations, M.D. Skobelev would rise to the occasion of the most difficult positions and combinations both in Asia and in Europe.
In peacetime M.D. Skobelev did not show in some cases, in Europe, the balance necessary for a statesman, but again in Asia he was impeccable in this regard. This is explained by the complexity of the European situation, Skobelev’s fiery temperament, and his ardent patriotism. In all likelihood, over time, Skobelev would have become the same in Europe as he was in Asia. Russia lost in him a future leader in the event of serious clashes with other nations, whose name alone would raise the spirit of our troops and increase the chances of success.
Grief gripped all of Russia and all its friends at the news of the untimely death of M.D. Skobelev, and even his enemies had to be silent when the following words were inscribed from the height of the Throne in the name of his sister: “I am terribly shocked and saddened by the death of your brother. The loss for the Russian army is difficult to replace and, of course, greatly mourned by all true military men. Sad, It’s very sad to lose such useful and dedicated people. Alexander.”
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was buried in his family estate, the village of Spassky-Zaborovsky, Ranenburg district, Ryazan province, in the left aisle of the local church of St. Michael, next to his parents, where he prepared a place for himself during his lifetime, anticipating his death.
Sources
— Archive of the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. Cases for 1866-1868, especially case No. 39 for 1868-1869. with the application.
— Archive of the military-historical commission at the General Staff, especially the handwritten notes of M.D. Skobelev and his closest associates, orders, instructions, reports, etc.
- "Bibliographic index of literature related to the biography of M. D. Skobelev." Compiled by M. Polyansky. St. Petersburg 1902 "White General M.D. Skobelev", 1895
— Vereshchagin A., “At Home and at War.” Ed. 2nd. St. Petersburg, 1886
— "New stories." St. Petersburg, 1900
— Vereshchagin V., “Raid on Adrianople in 1877,” Russian Antiquity 1888, “Transition through the Balkans.” Ibid., 1889
- "At the war in Asia and Europe." St. Petersburg 1894
- “Memories of M. D. Skobelev”, Scout, 1895, No. 261.
— Gaines, “Essay on the combat life of the Ahal-Tekin detachment.” St. Petersburg 1882
— Geisman, “Slavic-Turkish struggle 1876-1878,” Part II. Book 1.
— Geifelder, “Memoirs of a doctor about Skobelev,” Russian Antiquity. 1886
— Gershelman, “The Moral Element in the Hands of Skobelev,” Military Collection, 1893 — Him, “The Moral Element in the Hands of an Experienced Chief,” Military Collection, 1888
— Hoppe, “Chronicle of War.” St. Petersburg 1877
- Gradovsky, "M. D. Skobelev. A study on the characteristics of our time and its heroes" St. Petersburg. 1884
— Grinev, “Skobelev beyond the Danube” Kyiv 1894
— Grodekov N.I., “Khiva campaign of 1873.” 1883. His same, "War in Turkmenistan. Skobelev's campaign in 1880-1881." 1884
— Greene, "Russian Army and its campaigns in Turkey 1877-1878" 1879-1880. His, "Sketches of Army life in Rusisa". 1879
— Demurov, “Fight with the Tekins.” Military Collection 1882, No. 3.
— Dukmasov, “Memories of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and M.D. Skobelev.” 1889
— Zayonchkovsky, “Offensive battle based on the experience of General Skobelev in the battles of Lovcha, Plevna and Sheinovo.” St. Petersburg 1893
— His, “The Battle of Lovcha on August 22, 1877.” St. Petersburg 1895
— Kashkarov, “Views on politics, war, military affairs and the military by M. Dm. Skobelev.” St. Petersburg 1893
— Kolokoltsev, “Expedition to Khiva in 1873.” St. Petersburg 1873
— Krestovsky V., “Twenty months in the active army.” St. Petersburg 1879
— Kuropatkin A.N., Turkmenistan and Turkmens. St. Petersburg 1879, "Lovcha and Plevna" vols. I and II. St. Petersburg 1885
- His, “Siege of Plevna”. Military Collection 1885-1886-1887.
— His, “The Battle of Plevna on November 28, 1877,” Military Collection, 1887, (as amended). His, “To the storming of Plevna on August 30-31, 1877.” Military Collection of 1885. His same, “Crossing the Balkans of General Skobelev’s detachment and the battle near the village of Sheinova on December 28, 1877.” Military Collection of 1889. His same, “Conquest of Turkmenistan”. 1899
— Maksimov, “Two Wars 1876-1878.” St. Petersburg 1879
— Mayer, “A Year in the Sands.” "Essays on the Ahal-Tekin Expedition". Kronstadt, 1886
— Maslov, “The Siege of the Dengil-Tepe Fortress.” Engineering Journal, 1882, etc.
- McGahan, "Actions on the Oxus and the Fall of Khiva." Moscow, 1875
- Prince of Meshchera, "Collection of military stories." St. Petersburg, 1878
— Mozer Henri, "A travers l"Asie centrale, la Steppe Kirghise, le Turkestan Russe", Paris, 1885.
— Nemirovich-Danchenko, “Year of War.” 1877-1878 St. Petersburg, 1879 T. I and II. Ed. 2nd.
— His, “M.D. Skobelev, personal memories.” St. Petersburg, 1882
— Parensov P., “From the past. Memoirs of an officer of the General Staff.” St. Petersburg 1901 2 hours
- Regimental histories, especially the Life Guards. Grodno Hussar Regiment. (Compiled by Yelets, Warsaw 1898).
— Various articles in newspapers and magazines, Russian and foreign (except for those mentioned above and below), especially in the Military Collection, Russian Invalid, Russian Antiquity, New Time, Jahrbucher für die deutsсhe Armee und Marine, etc.
— "Collection of materials on the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 on the Balkan Peninsula." Publication of the Military Historical Commission of the General Staff.
— Description of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. on the Balkan Peninsula (same commission). St. Petersburg 1901. T. 1 and 2.
— Skobelev’s service records (last 1882).
— Skobelev’s posthumous papers, “Historical Bulletin” 1882
— Skobelev’s letters and notes, published in various publications and unpublished.
- Skobelev orders, published under the editorship of engineer-captain Maslov. St. Petersburg 1882
- "Skobelevs, grandfather and grandson." (Materials for their biographies), "Russian Antiquity", 1898, XCV, 61-68.
— Strusevich, “One of the heroes of the 19th century.” Island 1899 and St. Petersburg. 1900
— Trotsky, “Materials for the history of the Khiva campaign in 1873.”
— “The Khiva campaign, according to official sources, in 1873.” St. Petersburg 1874
— Thilo von Trotha, "Die Operationen in Etropol Balkan. Der Kampf um Plewna."
— Tilo von Trotha, "The Battle of Plevna." Translation edited by N. Nechaev. 1878 Filippov, "M. D. Skobelev." St. Petersburg 1894
- Faure (Le) Amedee. "Histoire de la guerre d"Orient". 1877-1878. With notes by M.D. Skobelev (see No. 5862, 1892, "New Time").
— Chantsev I.A., “Skobelev as a commander.” St. Petersburg 1883
— Chernyak A., “Note on the expedition of General Skobelev to Ahal-Tek.” Military Collection 1889 No. 12.
— Cherevansky, “Under Battle Fire.” St. Petersburg 1898
— Shakhovskoy K., “Expedition against Akhal-Tekins 1880-1881.” Russian Antique 1885
— Shcherbak A.V., “Akhal-Tekin expedition of General Skobelev in 1880-1881.” St. Petersburg 1884
— Publications listed in the “Bibliographic Index” of M. Polyansky and not listed above.
Pl. Geisman and A. Bogdanov.
Russian biographical dictionary: Sabaneev-Smyslov. — Ed. under the supervision of the Chairman of the Imperial Russian Historical Society A. A. Polovtsov. — St. Petersburg: type. V. Demakova, 1904. - T. 18. - ss. 564-584
Alexander Alexandrovich Polovtsov (May 31, 1832 - September 24, 1909) - statesman and public figure of the Russian Empire, philanthropist, industrialist. At the expense of his personal funds, the Russian Biographical Dictionary was published in 1896.
“White General” - Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev.
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev (September 17 (29), 1843 - July 7, 1882) - Russian military leader and strategist, infantry general (1881), adjutant general (1878).
Participant in the Central Asian conquests of the Russian Empire and the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, liberator of Bulgaria. He went down in history with the nickname “White General” (Turkish Ak-paşa [Ak-Pasha]), which is always associated primarily with him, and not only because he participated in battles in a white uniform and on a white horse. The Bulgarian people consider him a national hero
V. Miroshnichenko Portrait of General M.D. Skobeleva
Mikhail Skobelev was born in the Peter and Paul Fortress, the commandant of which was his grandfather, Ivan Nikitich Skobelev. Son of lieutenant (later lieutenant general) Dmitry Ivanovich Skobelev and his wife Olga Nikolaevna, daughter of retired lieutenant Poltavtsev
Ivan Nikitich Skobelev (1778 or 1782-1849) - Russian infantry general and writer from the Skobelev family. Father of General Dmitry Skobelev, grandfather of General Mikhail Skobelev.
Dmitry Ivanovich Skobelev (October 5 (17), 1821 - December 27, 1879 (January 8, 1880)) - Russian military leader, lieutenant general, commander of His Imperial Majesty's Own convoy, head of the Company of Palace Grenadiers. Father of General Mikhail Skobelev.
Vladimir Ivanovich Gau
Olga Nikolaevna Skobeleva (née Poltavtseva) (March 11, 1823 - July 6, 1880) - the wife of General D. I. Skobelev and the mother of General M. D. Skobelev. The head of the infirmaries during the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878.
Childhood and adolescence
Until the age of six, he was raised by his grandfather and family friend, the keymaster of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, Grigory Dobrotvorsky. Then - a German tutor, with whom the boy did not have a good relationship. Then he was sent to Paris, to the boarding house of the Frenchman Desiderius Girardet. Over time, Girardet became a close friend of Skobelev and followed him to Russia, where he served as a home teacher for the Skobelev family.
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev in childhood Lithograph 1913
Mikhail Skobelev continued his education in Russia. In 1858-1860, Skobelev was preparing to enter St. Petersburg University under the general supervision of academician A. V. Nikitenko, then, for a year, his studies were supervised by L. N. Modzalevsky. In 1861, Skobelev successfully passed the exams and was accepted as a high-ranking student in the mathematical category, but he did not study for long because the university was temporarily closed due to student unrest.
Alexander Vasilyevich Nikitenko. Portrait by Kramskoy (1877)
Lev Nikolaevich Modzalevsky, portrait by F. E. Burov
Military education
On November 22, 1861, Mikhail Skobelev entered military service in the Cavalry Regiment. After passing the exam, Mikhail Skobelev was promoted to harness cadet on September 8, 1862, and to cornet on March 31, 1863. In February 1864, he accompanied, as an orderly, the Adjutant General Count Baranov, who was sent to Warsaw to promulgate the Manifesto on the liberation of the peasants and the provision of land to them. Skobelev asked to be transferred to the Life Guards Grodno Hussar Regiment, which carried out military operations against the Polish rebels, and on March 19, 1864 he was transferred. Even before the transfer, Mikhail Skobelev spent his vacation as a volunteer in one of the regiments pursuing Shpak’s detachment.
Mikhail Skobelev when he was a cadet
Since March 31, Skobelev, in the detachment of Lieutenant Colonel Zankisov, has been participating in the destruction of the rebels. For the destruction of Shemiot's detachment in the Radkowice Forest, Skobelev was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 4th degree, “for bravery.” In 1864, he went on vacation abroad to see the theater of military operations of the Danes against the Germans. On August 30, 1864, Skobelev was promoted to lieutenant.
Young lieutenant M. D. Skobelev, 1860s
In the fall of 1866, he entered the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. Upon completion of the academy course in 1868, Skobelev became the 13th of 26 officers assigned to the General Staff. Skobelev had lackluster success in military statistics and photography, and especially in geodesy, but this was corrected by the fact that in the subjects of military art Skobelev was second, and in military history first in the entire graduation, and was also among the first in foreign and Russian languages, in political history and many other subjects.
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev - lieutenant
First cases in Asia
In view of the petition of the commander of the troops of the Turkestan Military District, Adjutant General von Kaufmann I, Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev, was promoted to headquarters captain and in November 1868 was appointed to the Turkestan District. Skobelev arrived at his place of service in Tashkent at the beginning of 1869 and at first was at the district headquarters. Mikhail Skobelev studied local methods of combat, also carried out reconnaissance and participated in small matters on the Bukhara border, and showed personal courage.
Konstantin Petrovich von Kaufman
At the end of 1870, Mikhail was sent to the command of the commander-in-chief of the Caucasian army, and in March 1871, Skobelev was sent to the Krasnovodsk detachment, in which he commanded the cavalry. Skobelev received an important task; with a detachment he was supposed to reconnoiter the routes to Khiva. He reconnoitered the route to the Sarykamysh well, and walked along a difficult road, with a lack of water and scorching heat, from Mullakari to Uzunkuyu, 437 km (410 versts) in 9 days, and back to Kum-Sebshen, 134 km (126 versts) at 16.5 hours, with an average speed of 48 km (45 versts) per day; With him there were only three Cossacks and three Turkmen.
Skobelev presented a detailed description of the route and the roads leading from the wells. However, Skobelev voluntarily reviewed the plan for the upcoming operation against Khiva, for which he was dismissed on 11-month leave in the summer of 1871 and transferred to the regiment. However, in April 1872 he was again assigned to the main headquarters “for writing studies.” He participated in the preparation of a field trip of officers of the headquarters and the St. Petersburg military district to the Kovno and Courland provinces, and then he himself took part in it. After which, on June 5, he was transferred to the General Staff as a captain with an appointment as senior adjutant of the headquarters of the 22nd Infantry Division, in Novgorod, and on August 30, 1872, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel with an appointment as a staff officer for assignments at the headquarters of the Moscow Military District. He did not stay in Moscow for long and was soon assigned to the 74th Stavropol Infantry Regiment to command a battalion. He fulfilled the requirements of the service there regularly. Skobelev established good relations with his subordinates and superiors.
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. Khiva was the target for Russian detachments advancing from different points: Turkestan, Krasnovodsk, Mangishlak and Orenburg detachments. The path of the Mangishlak detachment, although it was not the longest, was still fraught with difficulties, which increased due to the lack of camels (a total of 1,500 camels for 2,140 people) and water (up to half a bucket per person). In Skobelev’s echelon it was necessary to load all the combat horses, since the camels could not lift everything that was supposed to be carried on them. They left on April 16, Skobelev, like other officers, walked.
Khiva campaign 1873. Through the dead sands to the wells of Adam-Krylgan (Karazin N.N., 1888).
When passing the section from Lake Kauda to the Senek well (70 versts), the water ran out halfway. On April 18 we reached the well. Skobelev showed himself in a difficult situation to be a skilled commander and organizer, and when leaving Bish-Akta on April 20, he already commanded the forward echelon (2, later 3 companies, 25-30 Cossacks, 2 guns and a team of sappers). Skobelev maintained perfect order in his echelon and at the same time took care of the needs of the soldiers. The troops covered 200 versts (210 km) from Bish-Akta to Iltedzhe quite easily and arrived in Iteldzhe by April 30.
Skobelev carried out reconnaissance all the time in order to secure the passage of the army and inspect the wells, moving with a cavalry detachment in front of the army in order to protect the wells. So on May 5, near Itybay’s well, Skobelev with a detachment of 10 horsemen met a caravan of Kazakhs who had gone over to the side of Khiva. Skobelev, despite the numerical superiority of the enemy, rushed into battle, in which he received 7 wounds with pikes and checkers and could not sit on a horse until May 20.
After Skobelev was out of action, the Mangishlak and Orenburg detachments united in Kungrad and, under the leadership of Major General N.A. Verevkin, continued to move to Khiva (250 versts) through very rough terrain, cut by many canals, overgrown with reeds and bushes, covered with arable land, fences and gardens. The Khivans, numbering 6,000 people, tried to stop the Russian detachment at Khojeyli, Mangyt and other settlements, but to no avail.
General Verevkin Nikolai Alexandrovich
Skobelev returned to duty and on May 21, with two hundred and a missile team, moved to Mount Kobetau and along the Karauz ditch to ruin and destroy Turkmen villages in order to punish the Turkmens for hostile actions against the Russians; He fulfilled this order exactly.
On May 22, with 3 companies and 2 guns, he covered the wheeled convoy, and repelled a number of enemy attacks, and from May 24, when Russian troops stood at Chinakchik (8 versts from Khiva), the Khivans attacked the camel convoy. Skobelev quickly realized what was going on and moved with two hundred hidden, in the gardens, 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 400 camels recaptured by the enemy.
On May 28, the main forces of General N. A. Veryovkin carried out reconnaissance of the city wall and captured the enemy blockade and a three-gun battery, and, due to N. A. Veryovkin’s wound, command of the operation passed to Colonel Saranchov. In the evening, a deputation arrived from Khiva to negotiate surrender. She was sent to General K.P. Kaufman.
At the fortress wall. “Let them come in!”, Vasily Vereshchagin
Painting in memory of the capture of Khiva by Russian imperial troops
On May 29, General K.P. Kaufman entered Khiva from the south. However, 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, which caused an assault on the northern part of the wall. 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. The assault was stopped by order of General K.P. Kaufman, who at that time was peacefully entering the city from the opposite side.
Vasily Vasilievich Vereshchagin - "Luck"
Khiva submitted. The goal of the campaign was achieved, despite the fact that one of the detachments, Krasnovodsk, never reached Khiva. To find out the cause of the incident, Skobelev volunteered to carry out reconnaissance of the section of the Zmukshir - Ortakuyu route (340 versts) that Colonel Markozov had not traversed. The task was fraught with great risk. Skobelev took with him five horsemen (including 3 Turkmen) and set out from Zmukshir on August 4. There was no water in the Daudur well. When there were still 15-25 miles left to Ortakuy, Skobelev, on the morning of August 7, near the Nefes-kuli well, came across Turkmen and barely escaped. There was no way to break through, and therefore Mikhail Skobelev returned to the starting point on August 11, having covered more than 600 miles (640 km) in 7 days, and then submitted a proper report to General Kaufman. It became clear that in order to transport the Krasnovodsk detachment to Zmukshir, during a waterless journey of 156 versts, it was necessary to take timely measures. For this reconnaissance, Skobelev was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree (August 30, 1873).
In the winter of 1873-1874, Skobelev was on vacation and spent most of it in southern France. But there he learned about the internecine war in Spain, made his way to the location of the Carlists and was an eyewitness to several battles.
Battle of Trevino
On February 22, Skobelev was promoted to colonel, and on April 17, he was appointed aide-de-camp and enrolled in the retinue of His Imperial Majesty.
On September 17, 1874, Skobelev was sent to the Perm province to participate in the implementation of the order on military service.
Major General
In April 1875, Skobelev returned to Tashkent and was appointed head of the military unit of the Russian embassy sent to Kashgar. He had to appreciate the military significance of Kashgar in all respects. This embassy headed to Kashgar through Kokand, whose ruler Khudoyar Khan was under Russian influence. However, the latter, with his cruelty and greed, provoked an uprising against himself and was deposed in July 1875, after which he fled to Russian borders, to the city of Khojent. The Russian embassy followed him, covered by Skobelev with 22 Cossacks. Thanks to his firmness and caution, this team, without using weapons, brought the khan to Khojent without losses.
In Kokand, the rebels, led by the talented Kipchak leader Abdurrahman-Avtobachi, soon triumphed; Khudoyar's son Nasr-eddin was elevated to the khan's throne; “Gazavat” was proclaimed; at the beginning of August, Kokand troops invaded Russian borders, besieged Khojent and agitated the native population. Skobelev was sent with two hundred to clear the outskirts of Tashkent from enemy gangs. On August 18, the main forces of General Kaufman (16 companies of 8 hundreds with 20 guns) approached Khujand; Skobelev was appointed chief of the cavalry.
Kokand. Entrance to the palace of Khudoyar Khan, built in 1871
Meanwhile, the Kokands concentrated up to 50,000 people with 40 guns at Makhram. When General Kaufman was moving towards Makhram, between the Syr Darya and the spurs of the Alai Range, the enemy horse masses threatened to attack, but after shots from Russian batteries they scattered and disappeared into the nearby gorges. On August 22, General Kaufman's troops took Makhram. Skobelev and his cavalry quickly attacked numerous enemy crowds of foot and horsemen, put them to flight and pursued them for more than 10 miles, promptly using the support of a rocket battery, while he himself was slightly wounded in the leg. In this battle, Mikhail Dmitrievich showed himself to be a brilliant cavalry commander and the Russian troops won a convincing victory.
Syr Darya River
Having occupied Kokand on August 29, Russian troops moved to Margelan; Abdurrahman fled. To pursue him, Skobelev was sent with six hundred men, a rocket battery and 2 companies mounted on carts. Skobelev followed Abdurrahman relentlessly and destroyed his detachment, but Abdurrahman himself fled.
Meanwhile, an agreement was concluded with Nasreddin, according to which Russia acquired the territory north of the Syr Darya, which formed the Namangan department.
Kokand Khanate. City of Andijan. Gate to the palace
Kokand Khanate. City of Andijan. Main caravanserai
However, the Kipchak and Kyrgyz population of the Khanate did not want to admit that they were defeated and were preparing to resume the fight. Abdurrahman deposed Nasreddin and elevated “Pulat Khan” (Bolot Khan) to the khan’s throne (he was the son of a Kyrgyz mullah named Asan, his name was Ishak Asan uulu, one of the leaders of the struggle for the independence of the Kokand state). The center of the movement was Andijan.
Kokand Khanate. City of Andijan. Palace of the son of Kokand Khan
Kokand Khanate. City of Andijan. Palace of the Son of Kokan
Major General Trotsky, with 5½ companies, 3½ hundreds, 6 guns and 4 rocket launchers, moved from Namangan and took Andijan by storm on October 1, and Skobelev carried out a brilliant attack. Returning to Namangan, the detachment also met the enemy. At the same time, on the night of October 5, Skobelev, with 2 hundreds and a battalion, carried out a swift attack on the Kipchak camp.
General Trotsky Vitaly Nikolaevich
On October 18, Skobelev was promoted to major general for military distinction. In the same month, he was left in the Namangan department as a commander with 3 battalions, 5½ hundreds and 12 guns. He was ordered to “act strategically defensively,” that is, without going beyond the boundaries of the possessions of the Russian Empire. But circumstances forced him to act differently. Subversive elements constantly infiltrated the area; In the Namangan department, an almost continuous small war broke out: uprisings broke out in Tyurya-Kurgan, then in Namangan. Skobelev constantly stopped the attempts of the Kokand residents to cross the border. So he defeated Batyr-tyur’s detachment at Tyurya-kurgan on October 23, then hurried to help the Namangan garrison, and on November 12 defeated up to 20,000 enemies at Balykchy.
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev.
Under such conditions, the offensive enterprises of the Kokand people could not be stopped. There was a need to put an end to this. General Kaufman found Skobelev’s forces insufficient to hold at least the majority of the Khanate and ordered Skobelev to move in the winter to Ike-su-arasy, part of the Khanate along the right bank of the Darya (up to the Naryn) and limit himself to a pogrom of the Kipchaks and Kyrgyz wandering there.
Skobelev set out from Namangan on December 25 with 2800 people with 12 guns and rocket batteries and a convoy of 528 carts. Skobelev’s detachment entered Ike-su-arasy on December 26 and in 8 days passed through this part of the Khanate in different directions, marking its path by destroying villages. The Kipchaks avoided battle. There was no worthy resistance in Ike-su-arasy. Only Andijan could provide resistance, where Abdurrahman gathered up to 37,000 people. On January 1, Skobelev crossed to the left bank of the Kara Darya and moved towards Andijan, on the 4th and 6th he made thorough reconnaissance of the outskirts of the city and on the 8th he captured Andijan after the assault. On the 10th, the Andijan resistance ceased; Abdurrahman fled to Assaka, and Pulat Khan to Margelan. On the 18th, Skobelev moved towards Assaka and defeated Abdurrahman, who wandered for several more days and finally surrendered on January 26th.
Medal "For the conquest of the Khanate of Kokand"
On February 19, the Kokand Khanate was completely conquered by the Russian Empire and the Fergana region was formed, and on March 2, Skobelev was appointed military governor of this region and commander of the troops. In addition, 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.”
Breastplate for the Golden Weapon "For Bravery"
Some Kyrgyz rebels were forced to move to neighboring Afghanistan. Among them was Abdyldabek, the son of Kurmanjan Datka, known by the nickname “Alai Queen”.
Military governor
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. Skobelev treated them “firmly, but with heart.” Finally, the Kirghiz, who inhabited the Alai ridges and the valley of the Kizyl-su River, continued to persist. Skobelev had to go into the wild mountains with weapons in his hands and use them also against civilians, using methods that have always been used in wars in the East. In addition to the punitive operation against the Kyrgyz, the expedition to the mountains also had scientific goals. Skobelev and his detachment walked to the borders of Karategin, where he left a garrison, and almost everywhere the elders appeared to him with expressions of humility.
Map of the Fergana region of the Russian Empire
As the head of the region, Skobelev especially fought against embezzlement; this created many enemies for him. Denunciations against him with serious accusations poured into St. Petersburg. On March 17, 1877, Skobelev was removed from the post of military governor of the Fergana region. Russian society at that time was distrustful and even unfriendly towards those who advanced in battles and campaigns against the “neglects”. In addition, many still perceived him as the fledgling hussar captain he had been in his youth. In Europe, he had to prove by deeds that his success in Asia was not given to him by chance.
Creation initiator modern city Fergana, which was founded in 1876. The project for the construction of a new city, called New Margilan. Since 1907 it was renamed Skobelev, and since 1924 it has been called Fergana. In December 1907, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the death of M.D. Skobelev, the city was renamed in his honor. A marble triumphal column was installed, topped with a bronze bust of M. D. Skobelev by the sculptor A. A. Ober. The city bore the name of the first governor of the Fergana region until 1924.
Skobelev. Governor's Street in 1913.
Directly at the initiative of M.D. Skobelev, the initial project for the creation of a new city included the house of officers' meeting, regional administration, military headquarters, police department, treasury, post office, governor's residence, city garden and other objects that still decorate the city.
Adjutant General
Meanwhile, on the Balkan Peninsula, since 1875, a liberation war of the Slavs against the Turks took place. In 1877, Skobelev went into the active army to take personal part in the Russian-Turkish War. At first, Skobelev was only at the main apartment and participated in small operations on a voluntary basis. Then he was appointed only the chief of staff of the combined Cossack division, which was commanded by his father, Dmitry Ivanovich Skobelev.
Dmitry Ivanovich Skobelev
On June 14-15, Skobelev participated in the crossing of General Dragomirov’s detachment across the Danube at Zimnitsa. Taking command of 4 companies of the 4th Infantry Brigade, he struck the Turks on the flank, forcing them to retreat. What is said in the report of the head of the detachment: “I cannot help but testify to the great help provided to me by E.V.’s retinue, Major General Skobelev... and the beneficial influence that he had on young people with his brilliant, invariably clear calm.” For this crossing he was awarded the Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st degree with swords.
Portrait of general and statesman Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov
Ilya Efimovich Repin
After the crossing, Skobelev participated: on June 25 in the reconnaissance and occupation of the city of Bela; July 3 in repelling the Turkish attack on Selvi, and July 7, with the troops of the Gabrovsky detachment, in occupying the Shipka Pass. On July 16, with three Cossack regiments and a battery, he conducted reconnaissance of Lovchi; found out that it was occupied by 6 camps with 6 guns, and considered it necessary to take Lovcha before the second assault on Plevna, but it had already been decided otherwise. The battle at Plevna was lost. Scattered attacks by the columns of Generals Velyaminov and Prince Shakhovsky, whose general commander was considered General Baron Kridener, ended in retreat. Skobelev and his troops guarded the left flank of the Russian troops and showed what cavalry is capable of in capable hands and held out against superior enemy forces for as long as it was necessary to cover the retreat of the main troops.
“Shipka-Sheinovo. Skobelev near Shipka"
Vasily Vasilievich Vereshchagin
After the Plevna failures, a brilliant victory was won on August 22, 1877: during the capture of Lovchi, Skobelev again showed his talents in commanding the forces entrusted to him, for which on September 1 Skobelev was promoted to lieutenant general. At the end of August, it was decided to carry out a third assault on the Plevna fortification, for which 107 battalions (including 42 Romanian) and 90 squadrons and hundreds (including 36 Romanian) or 82,000 bayonets and 11,000 sabers with 444 guns (including 188) were allocated Romanian). General Zolotov determined the Turkish forces at 80,000 people with 120 guns. Artillery preparation began on August 26 and ended on August 30 with the start of the assault.
The troops of the right flank, Romanian infantry and 6 Russian battalions, stormed Gravitsky Redoubt No. 1 on the least important Turkish left flank. The troops on the right flank lost 3,500 people and it was decided to stop the offensive in this area, despite the fact that there were still 24 fresh Romanian battalions remaining. The center of Russian troops launched 6 attacks and these attacks were repulsed with losses of 4,500 people. After which, with the onset of twilight, it was decided to stop the battle. The left flank under the command of Skobelev with the support of Prince Imeretinsky, with 16 battalions, captured two enemy redoubts, while the battalions were greatly upset. There was nothing to develop success with. All that remained was to fortify and hold the redoubts until reinforcements arrived. But no reinforcements were sent, except for one regiment sent on the initiative of one private commander, but he also arrived late. Skobelev had 1/5 of all Russian and Romanian forces, and attracted more than 2/3 of all the forces of Osman Pasha. On August 31, Osman Pasha, seeing that the main forces of the Russians and Romanians were inactive, attacked Skobelev from both flanks and executed him. Skobelev lost 6,000 people and repelled 4 attacks by the Turks, then retreated in perfect order. The third assault on Plevna ended in failure for the allied forces. The reasons were rooted in the improper organization of troop control.
Artillery battle near Plevna. Battery of siege weapons on the Grand Duke's Mountain
Nikolay Dmitriev-Orenburgsky
During the siege of Plevna, Skobelev was at the head of the Plevno-Lovchinsky detachment, which controlled the IV section of the siege ring. He was against the siege, which he argued with Totleben, since it greatly slowed down the advance of the troops. Meanwhile, Skobelev was busy putting the 16th Infantry Division in order, which had lost up to half of its personnel. Some of the division's soldiers were armed with rifles captured from the Turks, which were superior in accuracy to the Krnka rifles used by the Russian infantry.
On November 28, Osman Pasha made an attempt to break out of the encirclement. The ensuing battle ended with the surrender of Osman's army. Skobelev took an active part in this battle with the 3rd Guards and 16th Infantry Divisions.
“Capture of the Grivitsky redoubt near Plevna”
N. D. Dmitriev-Orenburgsky, (1885), VIMAIViVS
N. D. Dmitriev-Orenburgsky, (1889), VIMAIViVS
After the fall of Plevna, the commander-in-chief decided to cross the Balkans and move to Constantinople. Skobelev was sent under the command of General Radetzky, who with 45,000 stood against Wessel Pasha with 35,000. General Radetzky left 15½ battalions at the Shipka position against the Turkish front, and sent:
A) Skobelev’s right column (15 battalions, 7 squads, 17 squadrons and hundreds and 14 guns)
B) the left column of Prince Svyatopolk-Mirsky (25 battalions, 1 squad, 4 hundreds and 24 guns) bypassing the main forces of Wessel Pasha, who were in fortified camps near the villages of Shipki and Sheinova.
On the 28th, all three parts of General Radetzky’s detachment attacked the enemy from different sides and forced Wessel Pasha’s army to capitulate (30,000 people with 103 guns); Skobelev personally accepted the surrender of Wessel Pasha.
Fedor Fedorovich Radetsky
Nikolai Ivanovich Svyatopolk-Mirsky
After crossing the Balkans, Skobelev was appointed head of the army's vanguard (32 battalions and 25 squadrons of hundreds with artillery and 1 battalion of sappers) and moved through Adrianople to the outskirts of Constantinople. After the cessation of hostilities, on May 1, he was appointed head of the “left detachment” of the army, and then was part of the army when it was located in Turkey and during the gradual clearing of the territory of Turkey itself and Bulgaria, newly created by Russia.
Skobelev arrived at the Balkan theater of military operations as a very young and semi-disgraced general. Skobelev showed outstanding examples of military art and care for his subordinates, and also proved himself to be a good military administrator.
"General M.D. Skobelev on horseback"
N. D. Dmitriev-Orenburgsky, (1883)
Skobelev became very famous after the war. On January 6, 1878, he was awarded a gold sword with diamonds, with the inscription “for crossing the Balkans,” but the attitude of his superiors towards him remained unfavorable. In a letter to one relative on August 7, 1878, he wrote: “The more time passes, the more the consciousness of my innocence before the Emperor grows in me, and therefore the feeling of deep sorrow cannot leave me... only the duties of a loyal subject and soldier could force me to temporarily come to terms with the unbearable the severity of my situation since March 1877. I had the misfortune of losing confidence, this was expressed to me, and this takes away from me all the strength to continue to serve with benefit for the cause. Therefore, do not refuse... with your advice and assistance for my removal from office, with enlistment... in the reserve troops.” But gradually the horizon before him became clearer and the charges against him were dropped. On August 30, 1878, Skobelev was appointed adjutant general to the Emperor of Russia, which indicates the return of trust in him.
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev.
After the war, Mikhail Dmitrievich began preparing and training the troops entrusted to him in the Suvorov spirit. On February 4, 1879, he was confirmed as corps commander and carried out various assignments in Russia and abroad. Skobelev paid attention to assessing certain aspects of the military system of Germany, which he considered the most dangerous enemy of the Russian Empire, and was very close to the Slavophiles.
M. D. Skobelev among the officers and lower ranks of the “Skobelev” division
General of Infantry
In January 1880, Skobelev was appointed commander of a military expedition against the Tekins. Skobelev drew up a plan, which was approved and should be recognized as exemplary. Its goal was to deal a decisive blow to the Teke Turkmens inhabiting the Ahal-Teke oasis. For their part, having learned about the campaign, the Tekins decided to move to the Dengil-Tepe (Geok-Tepe) fortress and limit themselves to the desperate defense of only this point.
The beginning of the Trans-Caspian railway, built to support the Turkmen campaign of the Russian army.
Skobelev's artillery.
Uniforms of Russian soldiers, officers and Cossacks who fought with the natives of Central Asia in the 19th century.
There were 45 thousand people in the Dengil-Tepe fortress, of which 20-25 thousand were defenders; they had 5 thousand rifles, many pistols, 1 gun and 2 zembureks. The Tekins carried out forays, mainly at night, and inflicted considerable damage, even once capturing a banner and two guns.
Skobelev himself made a sortie, walked all the way, checked all the wells and roads, and after that returned back to his troops. Then the assault began.
The mitrailleuse battery repels the attack of the Turkmen cavalry. These “light machine guns”, which took part in Skobelev’s Geok-Tepa expedition, were serviced by military sailors.
Russian heliographic post in the vicinity of Geok-Tepe.
Breakthrough into the fortress of one of the attacking columns.
The Russian flag over the Dengil-Tepe mound - the last center of defense of the defenders of the fortress.
The assault on the fortress took place on January 12, 1881. At 11:20 a.m. a mine exploded. The eastern wall fell and formed an easily accessible collapse. The dust had not yet settled when Kuropatkin's column rose to attack. Lieutenant Colonel Gaidarov managed to capture the western wall. The troops pressed back the enemy, who, however, offered desperate resistance. After a long battle, the Tekins fled through the northern passes, with the exception of a part that remained in the fortress and died fighting. Skobelev pursued the retreating enemy for 15 miles. Russian losses during the entire siege with the assault amounted to 1,104 people, and 398 people were lost during the assault (including 34 officers). Inside the fortress, up to 5 thousand women and children, 500 Persian slaves and booty estimated at 6 million rubles were taken.
Painting by Nikolai Karazin "Storm of Geok-Tepe".
Soon after the capture of Geok-Tepe, Skobelev sent detachments under the command of Colonel Kuropatkin; one of them occupied Askhabad, and the other went more than 100 miles to the north, disarming the population, returning it to the oases and distributing a proclamation with the goal of speedily pacifying the region. And soon a peaceful situation was established in the Trans-Caspian possessions of the Russian Empire.
Alexey Nikolaevich Kuropatkin
Akhal-Teke expedition 1880-1881. represents a first-class example of military art. The center of gravity of the operation was in the sphere of military-administrative issues. 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. 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 left Krasnovodsk for Minsk. There he continued to train troops
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. He was accompanied by several staff officers and the commander of one of the regiments, Baron Rosen. As usual, Mikhail Dmitrievich stayed at the Dusso Hotel, intending to go to Spasskoye on June 25 (July 7) to stay there “until the big maneuvers.” Upon arrival in Moscow, Skobelev met with Prince D. D. Obolensky, according to whom, the general was not in good spirits, did not answer questions, and if he did answer, it was abruptly. It was clear from everything that he was alarmed about something. On June 24, Skobelev came to I.S. Aksakov, brought a bunch of some 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."
Portrait of the poet and Slavophile Ivan Sergeevich Aksakov.
Ilya Efimovich Repin
The next day there was a dinner hosted by Baron Rosen in honor of receiving the next award. After dinner in the evening, M.D. Skobelev went to the Anglia Hotel, which was located on the corner of Stoleshnikov Lane and Petrovka. Girls of easy virtue lived here, including Charlotte Altenrose (according to other sources, her names were Eleanor, Wanda, Rose). This cocotte of unknown nationality, who seemed to have come from Austria-Hungary and spoke German, occupied a luxurious room on the ground floor and was known throughout the revelry of Moscow.
Late at night, Charlotte ran to the janitor and said that an officer had suddenly died in her room. The deceased was immediately identified as Skobelev. The arriving police calmed the residents, transporting Skobelev's body to the Dusso hotel, where he was staying.
A tangle of legends and rumors grew around the tragedy in the Moscow hotel. The most varied, even mutually exclusive, assumptions were expressed, but they were all united in one thing: the death of M. D. Skobelev is associated with mysterious circumstances. Reporting a widely circulated rumor of suicide in Russia, one of the European newspapers [source not specified 639 days] wrote that “the general committed this act of despair in order to avoid the dishonor that threatened him as a result of revelations certifying him as a nihilist” [source not specified 639 days ].
General Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev
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 seemed to give these rumors greater credibility. “It’s remarkable,” a contemporary noted, “that the same opinion was held in intelligent circles. Here it was expressed even more definitely: persons were named who could participate in this crime, allegedly directed by Bismarck... The same message attributed to Bismarck the disappearance of the plan for the war with the Germans, developed by Skobelev and stolen immediately after the death of M.D. Skobelev from his estate.”
This version was also supported by some representatives of official circles. One of the inspirers of the reaction, Prince N. Meshchersky, wrote to Pobedonostsev in 1887: “Any day now, Germany could pounce on France and crush it. But suddenly, thanks to Skobelev’s bold step, the common interests of France and Russia were revealed for the first time, unexpectedly for everyone and to the horror of Bismarck. Neither Russia nor France were already isolated. Skobelev fell victim to his convictions, and the Russian people have no doubt about it. Many more fell, but the job was done.”
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.
General Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev on his deathbed. Drawing by Nikolai Chekhov. 1882.
Interesting Facts
He knew 8 languages, and spoke French especially well.
The Order of St. George, 4th degree, which previously belonged to M. D. Skobelev, was awarded in 1916 to Colonel V. I. Volkov, who in 1918 played one of the main roles in the events that led to the all-Russian power of Admiral A. V. Kolchak
Bust of General Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev in the park of Pleven, Bulgaria
Bust of General Skobelev in Ryazan
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 his 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 (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 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. Foundation " Modern society“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
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev
General of Infantry. Hero of the conquests in Central Asia and the Russian-Turkish war for the liberation of the Balkan Slavs. From a hereditary military family - she won’t give birth. A modest origin did not prevent a brilliant career. Shortly before his death he was promoted to full general. He died in June 1882 in Moscow at the age of 38. At the time of his death, he was the most popular person in the country. This happens to generals in Russian history. Just remember Lavr Kornilov, Grigory Zhukov, Alexander Lebed.
Skobelev's fame is explained simply. After Russia's defeat in the Crimean War and the shameful peace, the nation felt humiliated. Therefore, with incredible enthusiasm, the people perceived the successful campaigns of conquest in Central Asia, which made it possible to significantly expand the borders of the empire, as well as the victorious Russian-Turkish war 1877-78, when Russian troops brought freedom to the Bulgarian brothers. Skobelev skillfully created a reputation for himself as almost the most successful military leader of these companies. The press tried. In reality, he only led his last operation - the Ahal-Tekin campaign. Russia owes the annexation of Turkmenistan to Skobelev.
In other companies he was in second and third roles. But it is worth noting that Skobelev always won specific battles. They love winners. In addition, Mikhail Dmitrievich was distinguished by incredible courage: in the front rows, under bullets, always in a white uniform and on a white horse, for which he was nicknamed the “White General”. The soldiers adored him for his incredible democracy and sincere concern for them.
He was an excellent speaker. With military directness in his speeches, he always defended the interests of Russia, without diplomatic equivocations. By the end of his life, he was already so incredibly popular that his lithographed portraits were sold throughout Russia, just as posters of pop stars are sold in our time.
VERSION ONE: HEART ATTACK
Having received a month's leave on June 22, 1882, M. D. Skobelev left Minsk, where his corps headquarters was located, for Moscow. He was accompanied by several staff officers and the commander of one of the regiments, Baron Rosen. As usual, Mikhail Dmitrievich stayed at the Dusso Hotel, intending to go to his Ryazan estate Spassky on June 25 to stay there “until the big maneuvers.” Upon arrival in Moscow, Skobelev met with Prince Dmitry Obolensky, according to whom the general was not in good spirits, did not answer questions, and if he did answer, it was somehow abrupt. It's clear that he's worried about something. On June 24, Skobelev came to the famous publicist Ivan Aksakov, brought a bunch of some 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."
The next day there was a dinner hosted by Baron Julius Rosen in honor of receiving the next award. Skobelev was thoughtful and gloomy. “And remember,” he said to his comrades, “how at the funeral in Geok-Tepe the priest said: the glory of man is like passing smoke... the priest behaved, but... he said well.”
After dinner in the evening, Skobelev went to the Anglia Hotel, which was located on the corner of Stoleshnikov Lane and Petrovka. Here, on the first floor, a huge room was occupied by girls of easy virtue, including Charlotte Altenrose (according to other sources, her names were Eleanor, Wanda, Rose).
Next, we will give the floor to the famous Moscow reporter Vladimir Gilyarovsky. “Two gates led into the courtyard, one from Stoleshnikov Lane, and the other from Petrovka, next to the cabman’s tavern. In the courtyard there were outbuildings with numbers. One of them, two-story, was entirely populated by kept women and girls of easy virtue who dressed smartly. These were mainly foreigners and Germans from Riga. A large room, luxuriously furnished on the lower floor of this outbuilding, was occupied by the blonde Wanda, a huge, beautifully built German woman who was known throughout revelry Moscow.
And there, in the yard, I learned from eyewitnesses that early in the morning of June 25, a frightened Wanda ran to the janitor and said that an officer had suddenly died in her room. One of the first to run into the room was the hairdresser I. A. Andreev, the back doors of whose apartment were directly opposite the doors of the outbuilding. On a chair, in front of a table laden with wines and fruits, Skobelev was reclining without signs of life. Andreev immediately recognized him. Wanda was silent, at first she didn’t want to name him. At this time, the bailiff Zamoyski appeared, immediately kicked everyone out and ordered the residents: “Sit in your room and don’t show your nose in the corridor!”
The police dispersed the people from the yard, a carriage with curtained windows appeared, and at one moment Skobelev’s body was taken to Dusso, and at 12 o’clock in the afternoon, in rooms decorated with flowers and palm trees, the highest Moscow authorities were already present at the funeral service.”
The autopsy was performed by Moscow University professor Ivan Neiding. The protocol said: “He died from paralysis of the heart and lungs, the inflammation of which he suffered so recently.”
The results of the police investigation have not been found. We don’t know for certain what happened in “England”. Meanwhile, death was surrounded by rumors.
The famous collector Pyotr Shchukin in 1912 stated from the words of the long-dead Minister of Internal Affairs Dmitry Tolstoy: “Skobelev was found in “England” naked and tied up. Allegedly, he ordered himself to be whipped with rods or wet towels.”
True, it is worth clarifying that the source of this information is rumors circulating in Moscow and recorded by Count de Vollan, a traveler, writer and diplomat, who was not disposed towards Skobelev. By the way, de Volland writes that Skobelev was then having fun in “England” with five girls at the same time.
A certain A.F. Snegirev in 1917 in the newspaper “Morning of Russia”, referring to the forensic investigator I.P. Pobedimov who was in charge of Skobelev’s case, stated: traces of rods were found on Skobelev’s body after death, which he resorted to as an “exciting means." It was the sadomasochistic games with Wanda’s “girls” that contributed to the heart attack.
Skobelev was not some kind of supernatural voluptuous person, but he was not a monk either. Everything is within normal limits. He loved women. In youth, even, they say, too much. In his youth he led such a hussar life - feasts and many available women. He settled down with age. He drank, but within normal limits – he preferred wine. I didn’t drink anything strong at all. It's the same with women. He was divorced, that is, free.
He used the services of ladies like Charlotte Altenrose, but no more than the average rich, young, free and healthy man. The story about the orgy in “England” is quite plausible: in those days he was on edge, he even drank more than usual, mixed champagne with porter. One can, of course, assume that, having drunk, he allowed himself more than usual and with women.
The body of the military general, who had risked his life more than once, could not stand it. During the Turkestan campaigns he received several sword wounds, and in the war with the Turks he was shell-shocked twice. Nervous excitement, alcohol and sex - all above the norm - combine to cause a heart attack. Skobelev turned out to have a weak heart, and a stressful situation (extreme sex with several prostitutes) led to his premature death.
This is how his attending physician Oscar Geifelder describes the general’s health: “Compared with his height and years, Skobelev’s pulse was rather weak and small, and accordingly the activity of the heart was weak and the sounds of the heart, although clear, were dull. This result of auscultation and palpation, the condition of all the veins and arteries, as far as they are accessible to external examination, together with the pathological condition of the veins, gave me reason to conclude that the vascular system in general is poorly developed and the muscles of the heart are poorly developed.”
So, everything is quite simple. The thirty-eight-year-old hero became a victim of his own intemperance.
But heroes don’t die like that—not heroically and not secularly. Immediately after his death, rumors spread: Skobelev had been killed.
VERSION TWO: KILLED BY SPIES
The same comrade-in-arms of Skobelev, Doctor Geifelder, who first expressed the idea that the general was predisposed to coronary artery disease, noted his extraordinary endurance and energy. The “White General” could make long marches on horseback for days without sleep, maintaining vigor and efficiency. This suggests that in reality Skobelev’s cardiac system could not have caused his premature death.
Meanwhile, it is known that Skobelev never complained about his heart. Throughout his life, this man was distinguished by incredible endurance. He could spend weeks in the saddle. He did not care about the deserts of Turkestan and the mountain passes of the Balkans. Somehow all this does not fit with the image of a heart patient. Well, the stomach, liver and intestines were not entirely in order - the same Geifelder reports this. And who has them in order, especially when traveling around Central Asia?
Skobelev’s colleague, General Kaspar Blumer, argued: there was no medical autopsy; moreover, according to him, the authorities did not allow a personally devoted Montenegrin doctor to see the general’s body. Post-mortem diagnosis is falsification.
Many believed (and still believe) that Skobelev was poisoned by the Germans. That's what the people said. Many representatives of the educated class thought so. It is worth recalling that in the Russian Empire a significant part of the bureaucracy consisted of ethnic Germans. As a result, in Rus' the Germans were not liked, and all sorts of vile things were attributed to them - normal xenophobia. But in the case of General Skobelev, the search for a German trace is not such nonsense. There were certain grounds for such suspicions.
By and large, at that time there were two German states left - Austria-Hungary and Germany proper - two powerful empires. The German Empire arose only in 1871. The generator of the unification of German lands around Prussia was Otto von Bismarck, the famous Iron Chancellor. This father of German statehood throughout the 70s and early 80s determined the external and domestic policy Germany, and it was he who, in the eyes of Skobelev, represented the greatest danger to Russia. Accordingly, the Russian patriot Skobelev considered Bismarck a personal enemy. No one in Europe would want to have an enemy like Skobelev - a brilliant commander, plus an informal leader of the nation. For Bismarck, Skobelev was a constant irritant. The death of a white general is a real gift for the Iron Chancellor.
In February 1878, Russia essentially won the war with Turkey. The vanguard of the Russian army stood one day's march to Istanbul (Constantinople). Skobelev commanded them. Had he entered Istanbul, an Orthodox cross might have soared over Hagia Sophia. And Skobelev would have become no less famous than Napoleon or Alexander the Great. Russia would gain access to the Mediterranean Sea. But European diplomats, who gathered a few months later at the Berlin Congress, announced: the capture of Constantinople means war of the European coalition against the Russian Empire. And if Russia considered Austria-Hungary and England as opponents, then the betrayal of Bismarck and Germany became a knife in the back. Bismarck stole victory from Russia, and Skobelev’s dream and world fame.
Skobelev, having become involved in politics, acted in the same way as on the battlefield: he exposed himself to bullets on a white horse and in a white uniform. He cut from the shoulder, but, apparently, he did not act spontaneously. His first high-profile political speech took place in January 1882 in St. Petersburg, and, surprisingly, it was a toast. At the celebration of the anniversary of the capture of Geok-Tepe, which predetermined the success of the Ahal-Tekin expedition, Skobelev made a toast in which he appealed to the patriotic feeling of those gathered.
At a specially organized celebration in Borel's restaurant, he spoke about the historical mission of Russia as the leader and defender of the Slavic peoples and about certain foreign ill-wishers who do not allow this mission to be fulfilled. In the end, he directly accused Austria-Hungary, as they would now say, of the genocide of the Slavs: “Gentlemen, at the very time when we joyfully gathered here, there, on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, our fellow tribesmen, defending their faith and nationality, were called robbers and they treat them as such!.. There, in our native Slavic land, German-Magyar rifles are aimed at the breasts of our fellow believers... I can’t finish the word, gentlemen... My heart aches painfully. But the great consolation for us is the faith and strength of Russia’s historical calling.”
Skobelev did not limit himself to the aforementioned toast. In 1882 he went to Paris, and France was Germany's main enemy. And there he gives an anti-German speech to Serbian students: “The enemy is Germany.
The struggle between the Slavs and the Teutons is inevitable. She's even very close. It will be long, bloody, terrible, but I believe that it will end in the victory of the Slavs. I can assure you that if states recognized by European treaties are affected, be it Serbia or Montenegro... in a word... you will not fight alone. Thank you again and, if fate wills it, goodbye to the battlefield shoulder to shoulder against the common enemy.”
Skobelev was, of course, an excellent speaker, but first of all he was a man of action, so he did not limit himself to speeches. In Paris, he establishes close contact with the leader of the Republicans, Prime Minister of France Leon Gambetta and his closest assistant Juliette Adam. He is conducting some negotiations, accompanied by statements about the need for an alliance between France and Russia against Germany and Austria-Hungary. Such a union would become a reality after Skobelev’s death during the reign of Alexander III. Skobelev correctly sensed the impending changes in the political situation in Europe.
This is real politics. Skobelev becomes the main enemy of Germany in Russia and a dangerous enemy. In St. Petersburg at court the Germanophile party is still very strong. The general is recalled from vacation. He returns, and six months later dies under mysterious circumstances in Moscow, at the London Hotel.
True, the murder left no traces. Those who spoke about the German trace gave only one argument - Skobelev died in the room of the Austrian citizen Charlotte (or Wanda) Altenrose, who, it turns out, was an agent of Bismarck. The official autopsy results do not indicate poisoning.
Many people saw Skobelev’s body after his death. Several memoirists describe strange phenomenon. The body was quickly decomposing. The most detailed description was left by Skobelev’s friend, writer Vasily Nemirovich-Danchenko. It is worth noting that among his contemporaries Nemirovich had a reputation as a liar (Nemirovich-Vralchenko). This, however, does not necessarily mean that his description is not true. “Blue spots appeared on Skobelev’s yellow, terribly yellow face... The lips stuck together, merged... The eyes were sunken... And he was all somehow sunken... His chest had sunk in so that his shoulders with epaulettes stuck forward, his neck had sunk in, as if his head had been separated from it.”
Apart from the whispers of people on the streets of Moscow and conversations in social drawing rooms, which began immediately - this is evidenced by many (the same Nemirovich in his later memoirs, as well as Kartsov, Tolbukhov, Markov and others), then the first version of the murder of Skobelev by hostile intelligence voiced by the same Juliette Adam, Gambetta's assistant. She wrote about this directly. But it is worth considering that Adam had reasons to talk about the German trace. She was interested in continuing the work begun by Skobelev - the creation of an anti-German alliance between Russia and France. Attributing the murder of a national hero to the Germans is an excellent move.
“It’s remarkable,” a contemporary noted, “that the same opinion was held in intelligent circles. Here it was expressed even more definitely: persons were named who could participate in this crime, allegedly directed by Bismarck... The same message attributed to Bismarck the loss of a plan for war with the Germans, developed by Skobelev and stolen immediately after the death of the general from his estate.”
This version was also supported by some representatives of official circles. The emperor’s advisor, Prince Vladimir Meshchersky, wrote to Pobedonostsev in 1887: “Any day now, Germany could pounce on France and crush it. But suddenly, thanks to Skobelev’s bold step, the common interests of France and Russia were revealed for the first time, unexpectedly for everyone and to the horror of Bismarck. Neither Russia nor France were already isolated. Skobelev fell victim to his convictions, and the Russian people have no doubt about it. Many more fell, but the job was done.”
However, even if Bismarck sent his agent to Skobelev, he did not achieve his political goal. Russia was getting closer and closer to the enemy of the German Empire - the Republic of France.
VERSION THREE: POLITICAL MURDER INITIATED BY ALEXANDER III
The third version is the most exciting. They first started talking about her more than thirty years after Skobelev’s death. Previously they couldn’t. A revolution had to happen, because it was simply unthinkable under censorship conditions to openly declare that Skobelev was poisoned on instructions or, at least, with the knowledge of Emperor Alexander III.
So, according to this version, the Russian Tsar was behind the murder of one of his best commanders, who conquered new lands for the empire and considered the enemies of his homeland his personal enemies. To take this step, the reasons must be very compelling.
And they were. There are serious reasons to believe that Skobelev posed a danger to Alexander III, who unexpectedly found himself on the throne after the tragic death of his father.
It is worth recalling the story of the accession to the throne of Emperor Alexander III.
Alexander III inherited the throne in March 1881 after the assassination of Emperor Alexander II by Narodnaya Volya. He became the heir after the death of his elder brother Nikolai in 1864. He was officially crowned only in May 1883 - a two-year pause was caused by mourning for his father. Immediately after the coronation, he came up with a program for creating a powerful power vertical, which he immediately began to implement.
The relationship between the emperor and the commander, it turns out, was short-lived - a little more than a year. The history of these relations is easy to trace. It's well documented.
Soon after the death of Alexander II, Skobelev returned victorious from the Ahal-Tekin campaign. Throughout the country, his train is greeted by crowds of thousands of people and glorified him as a national hero. Skobelev arrives in St. Petersburg.
Reception with the new autocrat. Alexander is distinctly cold and almost rude. Not a word about grandiose military success. And in parting, a caustic question: “What about you, general, with discipline in your squad?” Skobelev comes out furious. The conversation is retold in all the capital's living rooms, which only adds fuel to the fire. To be honest, the question of discipline is not so empty. Skobelev himself did not suffer from discipline. Why not assume that he also has freemen in his detachment.
Perhaps Alexander heard some rumors that Skobelev spoke of him as a complete nonentity and quite reasonably believed that he, Skobelev, would have a hard time in the new reign.
At the court of the old emperor, Mikhail Dmitrievich had powerful support - a whole scattering of his relatives occupied prominent positions during the era of reforms, and Alexander II himself treated Skobelev with sincere sympathy. Skobelev, for example, believed that Alexander's army reform was the greatest benefit for Russia. Knowing the new king as an heir, he - rightly, as history has shown - was afraid of counter-reforms.
In a word, the “White General” did not expect anything good from Alexander III. Somewhere he said something - and we know exactly what he said (Valuev and Wrangel write about this) - Alexander probably became aware of these statements. This was precisely the time when Skobelev began to turn from a commander into a politician. His words were given special meaning.
This is where the real political thriller begins. The very victorious return of Skobelev from Central Asia at a time when the supreme power was experiencing a crisis - the assassination of the emperor seriously undermined the authority of the monarchy - forced some contemporaries to look for parallels with the return of Napoleon from Egypt.
Rumors spread at court. The first is that Skobelev will stage a coup during the coronation and take the throne himself under the name of Michael III. The second is that Skobelev will stage a military coup in favor of one of the grand dukes.
For historians who have studied this version, it is obvious that Skobelev was really up to something in the last year and a half of his life. On his last visit to Moscow, according to Prince Dmitry Obolensky, he had in his hands a million rubles, which mysteriously disappeared almost on the eve of his death.
Skobelev, according to the same Obolensky, turned securities into money and sold something from his Ryazan estate and, allegedly, collected this huge amount. Skobelev hinted that he was going to spend this amount on Bulgarian affairs, but one can assume - and such assumptions were made - that the general would use this money not in Bulgaria, but in his homeland. The period between the death of the old emperor and the coronation of the new one is the most convenient for a coup.
There is memoir evidence from Narodnaya Volya member Sergei Ivanov that in Paris Skobelev tried to establish contact with “People’s Will,” that is, with the terrorists who killed the previous emperor. Skobelev offered to meet with the patriarch of populism, Pyotr Lavrov, for negotiations, but he refused.
At the same time – and we also know about this from the memoirs of Narodnaya Volya members (the same Ivanov and Esper Serebryakov) – in St. Petersburg, General Dragomirov, one of the Russian army commanders closest to Skobelev, had contacts with “People’s Will”.
There is one more important fact- in 1881, in a conversation with Count Valuev, Skobelev said that an immediate war with Germany would help Russia resolve the dynastic issue, among other things.
Were such plans dangerous? Without a doubt. The Emperor knew that “People’s Will” was still deadly dangerous. It is so dangerous that Alexander preferred to be in Gatchina: they could get killed in the capital. The coronation was also postponed - it traditionally took place in Moscow.
Could Skobelev really be planning a coup? Like all selfless conspirators in world history, Skobelev wished for greatness and prosperity for his homeland. In his views, Skobelev was close to the Slavophiles - hence the ideas of pan-Slavism, etc. He was not a hardened conservative, just as, in essence, the Russian Slavophiles were not one, which is sometimes forgotten today. Herzen, for example, considered moderate Russian nationalists his strategic allies because they were doing the same thing, approaching from different sides.
Skobelev dreamed of a great Russia at the head of a free Slavic world. Judging by some information, the general saw the greatness of Russia in representative government with the preservation of some form of monarchy. At the very least, he was a supporter of Ignatiev’s projects to convene a Zemsky Sobor, which were rejected at the beginning of the reign by Alexander III. That is, he was in favor of deepening reforms, which he saw as the key to Russia’s greatness. He was not a patriot in the modern sense, when patriotism and pure conservatism are equated. In a word, Skobelev was for everything that could not be expected from the new emperor.
In 1917, the memoirs of a certain Fyodor Dubuk were published, in which he talks about the story he heard from reliable sources. In the inner circle of Alexander III, under the chairmanship of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, a special secret court was established, which sentenced Kobelev to death by a majority of 33 votes out of 4 ° for subversive anti-state activities. This sentence was carried out at the Anglia Hotel.
A number of memoirists say that Skobelev was killed by agents of the “Sacred Squad”, a secret monarchist organization - also very closely connected with the court, respectively, with the knowledge of the tsar. The “Holy Squad” arose after the assassination of Alexander II with the aim of countering revolutionary terror using the methods of the terrorists themselves.
The mysterious Skobelev million also disappeared somewhere. The story is very dark. The general himself told Prince Obolensky that he disappeared in the following way. A certain Maslov, a close person to the Skobelev family, certainly devoted to them, managed all the family’s financial affairs for decades. So this Maslov, on the instructions of Mikhail Dmitrievich, took this million, and then suddenly went crazy. He was completely insane. The general himself was never able to find out from him where the money was. We don’t know whether Skobelev told Obolensky the truth. A million is missing. Skobelev drank heavily on this occasion on the eve of his death.
Supporters of the version of the murder of the “White General” by the royal court point to the following fact. That night, when Skobelev was relaxing in Charlotte Altenrose’s room, a friendly group was walking next door, behind the wall. Knowing that Mikhail Dmitrievich was nearby, they loudly toasted the “White General”. It ended with the neighbors sending him a glass of champagne, which Skobelev drank. That's where the poison was. The company was completely Russian and the Germans had nothing to do with it.
Around the tragedy in the Moscow hotel, a tangle of legends and rumors grew like a snowball. The most varied, even mutually exclusive, assumptions were expressed, but they were all united in one thing: the death of M. D. Skobelev is associated with mysterious circumstances.
Reporting a widely circulated rumor of suicide in Russia, one of the European newspapers wrote that “the general committed this act of despair in order to avoid the dishonor that threatened him as a result of revelations certifying him as a nihilist.”
No matter why Skobelev died, he passed away, although untimely, but on time. People like him felt like black sheep at the court of Alexander III.
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 for the grave
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