M.I

KUTUZOV MIKHAIL ILLARIONOVICH (1745-1813)

His Serene Highness Prince of Smolensk (1812), Russian commander, Field Marshal General (1812). Student of A.V. Suvorov. Participant in the Russian-Turkish wars of the 18th century, distinguished himself during the storming of Izmail. During the Russian-Austro-French War of 1805, he commanded Russian troops in Austria and with a skillful maneuver brought them out from the threat of encirclement. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1806-12, commander-in-chief of the Moldavian Army (1811-12), won victories near Rushuk and Slobodzeya, and concluded the Bucharest Peace Treaty. During the Patriotic War of 1812, commander-in-chief of the Russian army (from August), which defeated Napoleon's army. In January 1813, the army under the command of Kutuzov entered the West. Europe.

Youth and beginning of service . He came from an old noble family. His father I.M. Golenishchev-Kutuzov rose to the rank of lieutenant general and the rank of senator. Having received an excellent home education, 12-year-old Mikhail, after passing the exam in 1759, was enrolled as a corporal in the United Artillery and Engineering Noble School; In 1761 he received his first officer rank, and in 1762, with the rank of captain, he was appointed company commander of the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment, headed by Colonel A.V. Suvorov. The rapid career of the young Kutuzov can be explained both by receiving a good education and by the efforts of his father. In 1764-1765, he volunteered to take part in military skirmishes of Russian troops in Poland, and in 1767 he was seconded to the commission for drawing up a new Code, created Catherine II.

Russian-Turkish wars. The school of military excellence was his participation in the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774, where he initially served as a divisional quartermaster in the army of General P. A. Rumyantsev and was in the battles of Ryabaya Mogila, r. Largi, Kagul and during the assault on Bendery. From 1772 he fought in the Crimean Army. On July 24, 1774, during the liquidation of the Turkish landing near Alushta, Kutuzov, commanding a grenadier battalion, was seriously wounded - a bullet exited through his left temple near his right eye. Kutuzov used the vacation he received to complete his treatment to travel abroad; in 1776 he visited Berlin and Vienna, and visited England, Holland, and Italy. Upon returning to duty, he commanded various regiments, and in 1785 he became commander of the Bug Jaeger Corps. From 1777 he was a colonel, from 1784 he was a major general.

During the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1791, during the siege of Ochakov (1788), Kutuzov was again dangerously wounded - the bullet went right through “from temple to temple behind both eyes.” The surgeon who treated him, Massot, commented on his wound: “We must believe that fate appoints Kutuzov to something great, for he remained alive after two wounds, fatal according to all the rules of medical science.” At the beginning of 1789, he took part in the battle of Kaushany and in the capture of the fortresses of Akkerman and Bender. During the storming of Izmail in 1790, Suvorov assigned him to command one of the columns and, without waiting for the capture of the fortress, appointed him first commandant. For this assault, Kutuzov received the rank of lieutenant general.

Diplomat, military man, courtier. At the conclusion of the Peace of Yassy, ​​Kutuzov was unexpectedly appointed envoy to Turkey. When choosing him, the Empress took into account his broad outlook, subtle mind, rare tact, ability to find a common language with different people and innate cunning. In Istanbul, Kutuzov managed to gain the trust of the Sultan and successfully led the activities of a huge embassy of 650 people. Upon returning to Russia in 1794, he was appointed director of the Land Noble Cadet Corps. Under Emperor Paul I, he was appointed to the most important posts (inspector of troops in Finland, commander of an expeditionary force sent to Holland, Lithuanian military governor, commander of the army in Volyn), and was entrusted with important diplomatic assignments.

Kutuzov under Alexander I. At the beginning of the reign Alexandra I Kutuzov took the post of St. Petersburg military governor, but was soon sent on leave. In 1805 he was appointed commander of the troops operating in Austria against Napoleon. He managed to save the army from the threat of encirclement, but the arriving Alexander I, under the influence of young advisers, insisted on holding a general battle. Kutuzov objected, but was unable to defend his opinion, and at Austerlitz the Russian-Austrian troops suffered a crushing defeat. Having become the commander-in-chief of the Moldavian army operating against the Turks in 1811, Kutuzov was able to rehabilitate himself - not only defeated them at Rushchuk (now Ruse, Bulgaria), but also, showing extraordinary diplomatic abilities, signed the Bucharest Peace Treaty in 1812, which was beneficial for Russia. The emperor, who did not like the commander, awarded him the title of count (1811), and then elevated him to the dignity of His Serene Highness (1812).

French invasion. At the beginning of the 1812 campaign against the French, Kutuzov was in St. Petersburg in the secondary post of commander of the Narva Corps, and then the St. Petersburg militia. Only when disagreements among the generals reached a critical point was he appointed commander-in-chief of all armies operating against Napoleon (August 8). Kutuzov was forced to continue his retreat strategy. But, yielding to the demands of the army and society, he fought the Battle of Borodino (promoted to field marshal general) and at the military council in Fili made the difficult decision to leave Moscow. Russian troops, having completed a flank march to the south, stopped at the village of Tarutino. Kutuzov himself was sharply criticized by a number of senior military leaders.

Having waited for the French troops to leave Moscow, Kutuzov accurately determined the direction of their movement and blocked their path at Maloyaroslavets. The then organized parallel pursuit of the retreating enemy led to the virtual death of the French army, although army critics reproached the commander-in-chief for passivity and the desire to build Napoleon a “golden bridge” to exit Russia.

In 1813 he led the allied Russian-Prussian troops. Previous strain, a cold and “nervous fever complicated by paralytic phenomena” led to his death on April 16 (28). His embalmed body was transported to St. Petersburg and buried in the Kazan Cathedral.

Gulyaev Yu.N., Soglaev V.T. Field Marshal Kutuzov. M., 1995.

Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745-1813) - Russian field marshal general from the Golenishchev-Kutuzov family, commander-in-chief during the Patriotic War of 1812. He also proved himself as a diplomat (he brought Prussia to the side of Russia in the fight against France, signed the Bucharest Peace Treaty of 1812). The first full holder of the Order of St. George.

Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov was born into a family that belonged to an old noble family. His father, Illarion Matveevich, was a high-ranking officer in the Russian army. He completed his military service with the rank of lieutenant general, and then was a member of the Senate for several years.

Less certain information has been preserved about the mother. For a long time, family biographers believed that Anna Illarionovna came from the Beklemishev family. However, facts established by family biographers not so long ago showed that she was the daughter of retired captain Bedrinsky.

It turned out to be a difficult task to accurately establish the year of birth of the commander. In many sources and even on his grave, the year 1745 is indicated. At the same time, in private correspondence, in some formal lists and according to Mikhail Illarionovich himself, he was born in 1747. This date has recently been increasingly perceived by historians as more reliable.

The general's son received his initial education at home. At the age of twelve, he was enrolled in the Artillery and Engineering Noble School, of which his father was a teacher. Having proven himself to be a gifted student. Mikhail Illarionovich in 1759 received the rank of 1st class conductor, took the oath and was even involved in training officers.

After graduating from school, he remains within its walls for further service and teaches mathematics. A few months later he was transferred as an aide-de-camp to the Governor-General of Revel, Prince P. A. F. of Holstein-Beck. Having proven himself well in this field, in 1762 the young officer received the rank of captain and was assigned to the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment as a company commander.

For the first time, M. I. Kutuzov took part in hostilities in Poland, in the troops of Lieutenant General I. I. Weimarn in 1764. His detachment repeatedly participated in skirmishes with the Confederates. Mikhail Illarionovich’s excellent knowledge of foreign languages ​​helped him take part in the development of the new Code of 1797 as a secretary.

War with Turkey in 1768-1774.

In 1770, in the third year of the next Russian-Turkish war, M. I. Kutuzov was sent to the 1st active army under the command of Field Marshal P. A. Rumyantsev. He gradually gained combat experience by participating in a number of battles at Kagul, Ryabaya Mogila and Larga. Each time, demonstrating outstanding tactical thinking and personal courage, he successfully advanced through the ranks. For his distinction in these battles, he was promoted to prime major, and after the victory in the Battle of Popesty at the end of 1771, he received the rank of lieutenant colonel.

According to legend, the successful development of a military career in the first army was interrupted by a parody of the commander, shown in a narrow friendly circle. Nevertheless, P. A. Rumyantsev became aware of it, and he did not like such jokes. Soon after this, the promising officer was transferred to the 2nd Crimean Army at the disposal of Prince P. P. Dolgorukov.

The summer of 1774 was marked by fierce battles in the vicinity of Alushta, where the Turks landed a large landing force. In the battle near the village of Shuma on July 23, M.I. Kutuzov took part at the head of the Moscow battalion and was dangerously wounded in the head. A Turkish bullet pierced the left temple and exited near the right eye. For this battle the officer was awarded the Order of St. George 4th century and was sent to Austria to restore his health. Mikhail Illarionovich spent two years of his stay in Regensburg studying military theory. At the same time, in 1776, he joined the Masonic lodge “To the Three Keys”.

Upon returning to Russia, M.I. Kutuzov was engaged in the formation of new cavalry units. In 1778, the thirty-year-old commander married Ekaterina Ilyinichna Bibikova, the daughter of Lieutenant General I. A. Bibikov. She was the sister of the prominent statesman A.I. Bibikov, a friend of A.V. Suvorov. In a happy marriage, he became the father of five daughters and a son, who died in early childhood during a smallpox epidemic.

After being awarded the next rank of colonel, he takes command of the Lugansk Pike Regiment, stationed in Azov. In 1783, already with the rank of brigadier, he was transferred to Crimea as commander of the Mariupol light cavalry regiment. The commander takes part in the suppression of the Crimean uprising of 1784, after which he receives another rank of major general. In 1785, he headed the Bug Jaeger Regiment and served on the southwestern border of the empire.

Turkish War 1787–1791

In 1787, Mikhail Illarionovich again took part in the war with Turkey, winning a brilliant victory near Kinburn. During the siege of Ochakov in 1788, Kutuzov was again wounded in the head and again it was as if he was “born in a shirt.”

Having recovered from a terrible wound, he takes part in the battles for Akkerman, Kaushany and Bendery. During the storming of Izmail in 1790, the general commanded the sixth column. For his participation in the capture of the fortress, M. I. Kutuzov received the Order of St. George 3rd degree, the rank of lieutenant general and the position of commandant of Izmail.

The Russian army in 1791 under his command not only repelled all attempts by the Turks to return the fortress, but also delivered a crushing retaliatory blow near Babadag. In the same year, in a joint operation with Prince N.V. Repnin, M.I. Kutuzov won a brilliant victory near Machin. This success in the theater of military operations brought the commander the Order of St. George 2 tbsp.

Diplomatic Service

After the end of the war, M.I. Kutuzov clearly demonstrated his abilities in the diplomatic field. Appointed ambassador to Istanbul, he successfully contributed to the resolution of complex international problems to the benefit of Russia. M. I. Kutuzov fully demonstrated his audacity and courage in the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Despite the strict ban on men visiting the garden at the Sultan's palace, he did not fail to do so with impunity.

Upon returning to Russia, the general brilliantly used his knowledge of Turkish culture. The ability to brew coffee correctly made an indelible impression on Catherine II’s favorite P. Zubov. With his help, he gained the favor of the empress, which contributed to his obtaining high positions. In 1795, Kutuzov was simultaneously appointed commander-in-chief of all branches of the military in the Principality of Finland and director of the Land Cadet Corps. The ability to please the powers that be helped him maintain his influence and important positions under Emperor Paul I. In 1798, he received another rank - general of infantry.

In 1799 he again carried out an important diplomatic mission in Berlin. He managed to find convincing arguments for the Prussian king in favor of Prussia entering into an alliance with Russia against France. At the turn of the century, M.I. Kutuzov occupied the post of military governor, first in Lithuania, and then in St. Petersburg and Vyborg.

In 1802, a dark streak came in Mikhail Illarionovich’s fully accomplished life. Having fallen out of favor with Emperor Alexander I, he lived for several years on his estate in Goroshki, formally remaining the commander of the Pskov Musketeer Regiment.

First war with France

In accordance with the agreement with the countries of the anti-Napoleonic coalition, Russian troops entered the territory of Austria-Hungary. During this war, the Russian army won two victories at Amstetten and Dürenstein, but suffered a crushing defeat at Austerlitz. The assessment of the role of M. and Kutuzov in this failure is contradictory. Many historians see its reason in the commander’s compliance with the crowned heads of Russia and Austria-Hungary, who insisted on a decisive offensive without expecting reinforcements. Emperor Alexander I subsequently officially admitted his mistake and even awarded M.I. Kutuzov the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class, but in his heart he did not forgive the defeat.

Turkish War 1806–1812

After the sudden death of the commander of the Moldavian Army N.M. Kamensky, the emperor instructed Kutuzov to lead the Russian troops in the Balkans. With an army of 30,000 people, he had to confront a hundred thousand Turkish troops. In the summer of 1811, two armies met near Rushchuk. The tactical ingenuity demonstrated by the commander helped defeat the forces of the Turkish Sultan, which outnumbered him three times.

The defeat of the Turkish troops was completed by a cunning operation on the banks of the Danube. The temporary retreat of the Russian troops misled the enemy; the divided Turkish army was deprived of logistical support, blocked and defeated.

As a reward for victory in this war, even before the formal conclusion of peace, M.I. Kutuzov and his children were granted counthood. According to the soon concluded Peace of Bucharest in 1812, Bessarabia and part of Moldavia went to Russia. After this military and diplomatic victory, Count Kutuzov was recalled from the active army to organize the defense of St. Petersburg.

Patriotic War of 1812

Mikhail Illarionovich met the beginning of a new war with the Emperor of France as the head of the St. Petersburg, and a little later, Moscow militia. In mid-summer, at the insistence of part of the nobility, he was appointed commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of Russia. At the same time, he and his descendants were granted the title of His Serene Highness. The army was headed by M. I. Kutuzov on August 17, 1812.

The onslaught of superior enemy forces forced Russian troops to retreat deeper and deeper into their territory. The Russian commander for the time being sought to avoid a decisive open clash with the French. The general battle in the vicinity of Moscow took place on August 26 near the village of Borodino. For organizing this stubborn battle and maintaining a combat-ready army, Kutuzov was awarded the rank of Field Marshal. Although the Russian army was able to inflict significant damage on the interventionists, the balance of power after the battle was not in its favor, and the retreat was continued. After the famous meeting in Fili, it was decided to leave Moscow.

Having occupied the former capital, Napoleon waited in vain for more than a month for Russia’s capitulation and, in the end, due to poor supplies, was forced to leave Moscow. His plans to improve the supply of the army at the expense of the southwestern Russian cities soon failed. Russian troops, having completed the famous Tarutino maneuver, blocked the path of the French army near Maloyaroslavets on October 12, 1812. French troops were forced to return to the war-ravaged areas of the country.

Subsequently, M.I. Kutuzov again sought to avoid major battles, preferring numerous small operations to them. As it turned out, such tactics subsequently brought victory. The huge army, invincible until that time, was defeated and was eventually forced to retreat from Russia in a disorderly manner. For commanding the Russian army in 1812, Field Marshal Kutuzov received the Order of St. George I Art. with a contradictory and paradoxical formulation: “For the defeat and expulsion of the enemy from Russia” and became its first full cavalier in history.

In the January days of 1813, the Russian army crossed the border of its country and in mid-spring reached the Elbe. On April 5, near the town of Bunzlau in Silesia, the field marshal caught a bad cold and took to bed. Doctors were powerless to help the hero of 1812, and on April 16, 1813, His Serene Highness Prince M.I. Kutuzov died. His body was embalmed and sent with honors to St. Petersburg, where he was buried in the Kazan Cathedral.

The role of the personality of M. I. Kutuzov in historical events
The opinions of historians and contemporaries about Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov as a historical figure differed radically during his lifetime. Not only court ill-wishers, but also many famous military officers questioned his military genius, especially after the defeat at Austerlitz and for the lack of decisive action at the end of the War of 1812.

Heroes of the Patriotic War N. E. Raevsky, P. T. Bagration, M. B. Barclay de Tolly. A.P. Ermolov spoke impartially of him as a person prone to intrigue, capable of appropriating other people's ideas and merits. The famous historian Academician E. Tarle also expressed the opinion that the fame of Kutuzov’s military talent is greatly exaggerated and spoke about the impossibility of considering him equal to A.V. Suvorov or Napoleon.

At the same time, it is impossible to deny his military successes during numerous campaigns against the Ottoman Empire. Evidence of his talent as a commander are also awards from foreign countries: Prussia, Austria-Hungary, and the Duchy of Holstein. The extraordinary diplomatic skills of M. I. Kutuzov contributed to the resolution of complex issues in Russia’s international relations not only with Turkey, but also with other European states.

During short periods of peaceful life, Mikhail Illarionovich established himself as a capable statesman, holding the post of governor-general in various regions of the country. He used his knowledge and invaluable experience in organizing military education in the Russian Empire.

The memory of the outstanding Russian commander is immortalized in numerous monuments and names of city streets in Russia and beyond, in the name of a warship and an asteroid.

September 16 is the birthday of commander Mikhail IllarionovichGolenishcheva-Kutuzova (1745-1813). We offer one of a series of essays on military leaders1812.

For some, he is the savior of the Fatherland, for others, he is a traitor, an evil Freemason who gave Moscow up for plunder. An amazing image of Kutuzov came outTolstoy:there is no doubt that he turned out to be more charming than the prototype, one only has to remember his mercy towards the prisoners: “While they were strong, we did not feel sorry for them, but now we can feel sorry for them. They are people too." Although the genuine historical field marshal Golenishchev-Kutuzov remains an attractive personality for us. And philanthropy was indeed not alien to him.

A lot of controversy has swirled around this hero in recent years!

By origin - as they say, from Per-Russian Russian. The ancestor of the Golenishchev-Kutuzovs was the brave Gavrilo Oleksich, an associateAlexander Nevsky. The commander's father was a talented military engineer who served the Tsar and the Fatherland with dignity. This origin obliges one thing: Mikhailo had to devote all his strength to military service. “Happiness and the greatest honor is to wear a Russian uniform,” wrote Kutuzov.

Like Suvorov, Kutuzov won the main campaign of his life shortly before his death, at a respectable age, in the guise of an honored elder, a kind of “father of the Fatherland” and certainly the father of the army. Although Kutuzov’s authority in the Russian army was never as high as Suvorov’s in the 1790s.

At the age of fourteen, M.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov passed the exam at the United Artillery and Engineering School, where in 1759 he was enrolled as a corporal. By that time, he already had a good command of several foreign languages, but did not forget Russian. Many years later, Germaine de Stael, having talked with Kutuzov, noticed that the Russian general spoke French better than the Corsican Bonaparte.

From Kutuzov’s letters one can see how different his style is from Suvorov’s! The ability for diplomacy, for elegant, rounded speech, just flows...

Under the command of Suvorov, Kutuzov was listed more than once - starting with his service in the Astrakhan regiment, commanded by the future generalissimo. The apotheosis of their collaboration is, of course, the assault on Ishmael. Suvorov appoints Kutuzov as commandant of the fortress even before the final victory.

In 1764 he took part in hostilities in Poland, in 1770 he was transferred to Rumyantsev’s army. Great things begin, in which Kutuzov was involved while serving under Major General F.V. Baur. Together with Baur's corps, Kutuzov took part in the battles of Larga and Kagul. But service in Rumyantsev’s famous army was interrupted due to Kutuzov’s artistry: someone informed the commander that the young officer was copying his gait, manners and voice for fun. Yes, Kutuzov loved to show off his wit. True, after that incident he became more restrained...

He was transferred to the Crimean Army. In the battle of Alushta, Lieutenant Colonel Kutuzov, with a banner in his hands, led his battalion against superior enemy forces. The Turkish landing force was thrown into the sea, but the bullet found Kutuzov on the battlefield. Head wound. Let's say without exaggeration: he miraculously survived: the bullet hit his temple and exited near his right eye. The most perspicacious then noticed: the Lord is protecting Kutuzov for great deeds on earth...

He had the opportunity to undergo treatment in Europe, where he combined rest with useful meetings (he even met Frederick the Great and Laudon!). Upon returning to his homeland, Kutuzov was again sent to Crimea - this time to the army of Suvorov, who, in contact with Potemkin, was actually preparing the fertile peninsula for annexation to Russia. Kutuzov commands the Bug Jaeger Corps. By the beginning of the new war, Kutuzov's corps covered the border along the Bug, then took part in the siege of Ochakov.

Near Ochakov, during one of the Turkish attacks, in a short battle, Kutuzov received another bullet wound to the head. The bullet followed almost the trail of the Alushta woman. Doctors initially declared the wound fatal, but Kutuzov began to recover again, although his right eye could no longer see. “One must think that Providence is preserving this man for something extraordinary, because he was healed of two wounds, each of which was fatal,” the doctor would write in those days.

Near Izmail, he again finds himself next to Suvorov. Even before Suvorov appeared, advancing towards Izmail, he defeated the detachment of Osman Pasha. During the assault, he commands the sixth column, advancing on the left flank. It was Kutuzov, with the grenadiers of the Kherson regiment and the rangers of the Bug corps, who overcame the fierce resistance of the Janissaries at the Kiliya Gate and broke into the fortress. Suvorov, who was apparently wary of Kutuzov's Odyssean cunning, was pleased with the soldierly courage of his major general.

Let us add that the brave soldier Kutuzov did not discover the commander’s courage in the future, being a cautious and prudent strategist, but a play-by-play man in tactics. In the list of those nominated for awards, Suvorov wrote: “General Kutuzov walked on my left wing, but was my right hand.” And he told his friends about Kutuzov: “Smart, smart! Cunning, cunning! Even De Ribas won’t deceive him!”

On June 28, 1791, at Machin, the Russian army under the command of Prince Repnin defeated the army of the Supreme Vizier Yusuf Pasha. Kutuzov's corps, bypassing the mountains, unexpectedly struck the Turks from the right flank. This was the decisive maneuver for the entire battle. In a report to Catherine, Repnin wrote: “The quickness and intelligence of General Golenishchev-Kutuzov surpass all my praise.” For this feat, Kutuzov was awarded with some delay, but generously: the Order of St. George, second degree.

Since May 1791, Kutuzov, at the head of a 27,000-strong corps, took part in Kakhovsky’s Polish campaign and successfully fought the army of Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Catherine calls Kutuzov “my general”: after all, by that time his entire military career had passed under the empress, and by the time Catherine ascended the throne, Kutuzov was just a lieutenant.

Since 1793, Kutuzov has served for a year on the diplomatic line: Russian ambassador in Constantinople. “No matter how cunning a diplomatic career may be, but, by God, it is not as tricky as a military one, if it is done as it should be,” he wrote to his wife. Political games were easy for him.

In 1794 he was appointed director of the Land Cadet Corps, and showed himself to be a talented teacher. Upon the accession of Emperor Alexander, Kutuzov initially performed the duties of the capital's governor-general, after which he retired for some time to lead the troops of the anti-Napoleonic coalition in 1805.

The Russian army marched at an accelerated pace to join the Austrians, to Braunau. Due to disagreements with the Austrians, Kutuzov's army of fifty thousand was under threat of encirclement and destruction (Napoleon led an army of 200 thousand to Austria). Kutuzov masterfully avoids the worst by going to Znaim. In order to save the army, Kutuzov decides to give Vienna to the French and retreat to the left bank of the Danube with rearguard battles. On the left bank, the French corps of General Mortier was defeated. The general battle took place on November 20, 1805 - the infamous Austerlitz.

By this time, Kutuzov's army had received reinforcements and hoped for the arrival of new reserves. An 86,000-strong Russian-Austrian army and a 73,000-strong French army met on the field of Austerlitz. The battle will be called the “battle of three emperors”: in the allied army there were two emperors - the Russian and the Holy Roman Empire. Kutuzov was opposed to a general battle and proposed retreating, stretching the front and waiting for reserves. But this was a battle of emperors, not generals...

In the vanguard battle at Wischau, Russian squadrons, using their advantage in numbers, pushed back the French. At eight in the morning the battle of Austerlitz began. After intensified attacks on the French right flank, the Allies weakened the center, which Napoleon took advantage of. Having captured the Pratsen Heights, he cuts the front in two. The Russian-Austrian troops advancing on Davout's positions were in the bag. The attack of the cavalry guards delayed the onslaught of the French and allowed part of those surrounded to break through to their own. The Allies suffered a terrible defeat, losing a third of the army - 27 thousand (of which 21,000 were Russians) killed, wounded and captured. French losses amounted to 12,000 killed and wounded. After the Austerlitz tragedy, the Russian-Austrian coalition fell apart and the campaign ended with Napoleon's success.

Kutuzov was withdrawing Russian troops from Europe, and the army was grumbling against the Austrians. In February 1806, the emperor awarded Kutuzov the Order of St. Vladimir, first degree, but after Austerlitz this award could not bring satisfaction.

In the spring of 1809, Russia entered into another war against a considerably weakened Turkey - this time the reason for hostilities was the Serbian uprising. Full General Kutuzov enters the army of Field Marshal Prozorovsky - a commander, frankly speaking, overrated by the ardent Emperor Alexander in his youth, who awarded the old man Prozorovsky a high rank. Tensions with Prozorovsky led to an unsuccessful assault on Brailov - and soon Kutuzov was removed from the army, and Prozorovsky died. P.I. Bagration took command of the army, and immediately began vigorous action. Then Bagration was replaced by N.M. Kamensky, and after the latter’s illness, Kutuzov was called up. He took command in early April 1811.

Kutuzov gathers the army into a single fist, crosses the Danube and defeats the vizier’s army at Rushchuk. Later, Kutuzov leaves Rushchuk and retreats to the left bank of the Danube, luring the vizier into an encirclement trap. Unable to withstand the trials of winter, the vizier's trapped army was forced to surrender. Kutuzov, having taken part in drawing up a peace beneficial for Russia, on the eve of the Patriotic War was forced to transfer command to a successor - this time to Admiral Chichagov.

At the beginning of the Patriotic War, Kutuzov held positions similar to the honorable retirement of a high-ranking military man: commander of the Narva Corps, head of the St. Petersburg militia. Finally, in a critical situation, when the generals could no longer tolerate Barclay as commander, the emperor was forced to remember Kutuzov.

Napoleon respectfully called him “The Old Fox of the North.” A fearless soldier who was not stopped by wounds, over the years he turned into a cautious, strategically thinking commander who did not tolerate risks and preferred cunning maneuvers to high-speed actions. Under pressure from the patriotic nobility of the capital, Alexander assigns Kutuzov the title of His Serene Highness and soon appoints him commander-in-chief - in the active army.

When history reveals its verdict, Pushkin will write:

In front of the saint's tomb
I stand with my head bowed...
Everything is sleeping all around; some lamps
In the darkness of the temple they gild
Pillars of granite masses
And their banners are hanging in a row.

This ruler sleeps under them,
This idol of the northern squads,
The venerable guardian of the sovereign country,
Suppressor of all her enemies,
This rest of the glorious flock
Catherine's Eagles.

Delight lives in your coffin!
He gives us a Russian voice;
He keeps telling us about that time,
When the voice of the people's faith
Called to your holy gray hair:
“Go and save!” You stood up and saved...

None of the top officials in the army accepted Kutuzov's appointment with enthusiasm. For Barclay it was a blow to his pride. Bagration also saw himself as commander-in-chief and did not believe that Kutuzov was capable of offensive actions. The Emperor perceived Kutuzov’s appointment as a compromise: “It wasn’t me, it was the public who wanted him. And I wash my hands."

The armies receive a single control center. Kutuzov continued the “Scythian War” and continued Barclay’s retreat tactics. But the popular perception of Kutuzov as a student of Suvorov overshadowed the real character of the field marshal: “Kutuzov came to beat the French,” “Is it possible to retreat with such fellows?” - these images inspired me to fight.

On August 17 (old style) M.I. Kutuzov arrived in the village of Tsarevo-Zaimishche to the position chosen by Barclay for a general battle and took command of the Russian army. The army greeted the old hero with delight, although Bagration and Barclay - each in their own way - criticized the newly-minted prince. And Kutuzov was credited with the aphorism: “I don’t undertake to win, I hope to outwit!” He always sought to outwit his opponent.

“Kutuzov has arrived! ...soldiers, officers, generals - everyone is in admiration. Calmness and confidence took the place of fear; our whole camp is seething and breathing with courage,” Nadezhda Durova, the legendary cavalry maiden, recalled about this day.

When the fat, gray-haired general rode out to the army on horseback, an eagle flew over his head. Kutuzov bared his head and greeted the warlike bird. “Hurray!” - boomed all the way to the sky. The army saw the eagle's flight as an omen of victory.

Before this story had time to get into the newspapers, Derzhavin had already written an ode to “The Soaring of an Eagle”:

Take courage, stay awake, Prince Kutuzov!
If an eagle was visible above you, -
You will surely defeat the French
And, the Russians defending the limit,
You will save the entire universe from bonds.

Still, history seems to write some rhymes in advance, even before great achievements, in gold on granite: “Poltava - glory”, “Kutuzov - the French”...

Kutuzov knew how to inspire the army - sometimes resorting to deceit. “With such fellows, why should we retreat?” - he exclaimed loudly, knowing that the great retreat had just begun and the army had yet to be accustomed to the unbearable thought - the need to surrender Moscow.

Mikhail Illarionovich followed an even more radical retreat plan than Barclay’s proposals. Russia needed several months to gather reserves to organize resistance in Napoleon's extended rear in order to cut off the Grand Army from supplies. A huge empty city could become a trap for twelve languages. But Kutuzov could not surrender Moscow without a battle. This would be a fatal moral blow, after which the army would lose faith in its own abilities. This is a defeat. A general battle is inevitable. Kutuzov understood that it would not stop Napoleon - diseases and the city would stop him. But the battle was supposed to weaken the enemy as much as possible.

Having encouraged the army, Kutuzov ordered a further retreat to the east - but he did not hide the fact that he was looking for a convenient position for a general battle and was trying to strengthen the army with reserves and militia. It was more fun to retreat with Kutuzov.

He gives the general battle of Borodino largely under the influence of public opinion, although it is indisputable that in this greatest battle it was Kutuzov’s military talent, implicated in a complex vision of war, political and social processes. It has been said more than once about the foresight of Kutuzov, who, in a desperate situation for the Russian army, saw in the Battle of Borodino, after which the retreat of the Russian troops continued, the beginning of victory.

The decision to surrender Moscow to the enemy will at all times be perceived as controversial - even taking into account the victorious results of the 1812 campaign for Russia and Kutuzov. Therefore, it is not surprising that revealing publications about Kutuzov appear regularly - Freemasonry is certainly mentioned (in the case of Kutuzov, quite meaningful and consistent), and Kutuzov’s courtier talents. There is often even talk about direct betrayal of the field marshal (Kutuzov will receive the field marshal's baton for Borodino) in the campaign of 1812, about a double game in which the interests of the brothers - free masons for the commander turned out to be above the interests of Russia and military duty. Sensational revelations are a priori difficult to trust, but they eloquently testify to the complexity of Kutuzov’s mysterious personality.

For state ideology and army traditions, another Kutuzov is more important - a sage, wounded in battles from a young age, who lured Napoleon into Pyrrhic victories and expelled the strongest enemy from the borders of the Fatherland. And Emperor Alexander laid the foundation for this tradition, after a period of mistrust, he showered Kutuzov with awards in the days of defeat and flight of the Great Army.

Critics of the commander spoke about his senile laziness (he sleeps more than he works). Tolstoy praised this laziness and considered it a manifestation of the highest wisdom. Perhaps Kutuzov really did not have enough strength to control a huge army. He understood better than many the importance of supplying troops - but not everything was successful, there was not enough energy... The army sometimes found itself both hungry and barefoot. Although the percentage of non-combat losses in the Russian army in 1812 was still noticeably lower than that of Napoleon. Moreover, it was non-combat losses that became decisive for the fate of the campaign.

“Napoleon runs at night from place to place, but to this day we warn him everywhere. He needs to leave somehow, and that’s what he can’t do without great loss. Blessings to the children,” Kutuzov wrote to his wife in those days; all his life he felt the need to share with her, with her “dear friend,” everything that was most essential...

Kutuzov was proud: I am the first general from whom the formidable Bonaparte runs like that!

Moreover, he was the first who, having lost tactically, won strategically - and stuck to this line, taming his ambition.

On December 21, 1812, in Vilna, Kutuzov signed the main document in his life - the order for the army:

“Brave and victorious troops! Finally, you are on the borders of the Empire, each of you is the savior of the Fatherland. Russia greets you with this name. The rapid pursuit of the enemy and the extraordinary labors you undertook in this rapid campaign amaze all nations and bring you immortal glory. There has never been an example of such brilliant victories. For two months in a row, your hand punished the villains every day. Their path is strewn with corpses. Only in his flight their leader himself did not seek anything other than personal salvation. Death rushed through the enemy's ranks. Thousands fell at once and died. Thus, Almighty God expressed his anger at them and defeated his people.

Without stopping among heroic deeds, we now move on. Let us cross the borders and strive to complete the defeat of the enemy on his own fields. But let us not follow the example of our enemies in their violence and frenzy, which humiliates the soldier. They burned our houses, cursed the Holy, and you saw how the right hand of the Most High righteously noted their wickedness. Let us be generous and make a distinction between the enemy and the civilian. Justice and meekness in dealing with ordinary people will show them clearly that we do not want their enslavement or vain glory, but we are seeking to free even those very peoples who armed themselves against Russia from disaster and oppression. It is the indispensable will of Our All-Merciful Sovereign that the peace of the inhabitants is not disturbed and their property remains inviolable. In announcing this, I am hopeful that this sacred will will be fulfilled by every soldier in full. None of them will dare to forget her, but Messrs. In the name of His Imperial Majesty, I especially challenge corps and division commanders to have strict and unrelenting supervision over this.

Original signed: Commander-in-Chief of all armies, Field Marshal General

Prince Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky."

Kutuzov’s slowness, ability to “wait”, “wait it out” - all this has become a legend. But here’s an interesting touch: he remained a dashing rider until his last days. When General Kutuzov - after being wounded - in the Crimea demonstrated a risky riding style to Empress Catherine, she severely reprimanded him: “You must take care of yourself, I forbid you to ride mad horses and I will never forgive you if I hear that you do not fulfill my orders." Where there! Already near Ochakov, he was the first to rush towards the Turks on a stallion, intoxicated by battle.

And the field marshal caught his last cold when, on horseback, in a light raincoat, he rode with the army to Saxony. Averse to risk when it came to the fate of the army, he personally did not know how to take care.

At the beginning of April, Kutuzov fell ill and on the 16th, in Bunzlau (now the city of Boleslawiec in western Poland), he died. His body was embalmed to be buried with honors in St. Petersburg, in the Kazan Cathedral.

And the soldiers have already composed a song about their father-commander - not even a song, but a lament:

What, soldiers, why are they so ugly?
Are you in trouble at the hands of villains?
Hasn't the Russian heart trembled?
Russian heart, heroic?
Have your strong hands become weak?
Didn't your damask bayonet waver?
As all the little soldiers said:
It won't happen that the villain will break!
Do not tremble the Russian, heroic heart!
And sadness, melancholy, fierce grief
From the eyes, like night, white light drives.
Oh! The sun has not set,
The month is dark and covered in clouds;
How about from us, from the little soldiers,
Our father, Prince Kutuzov, has departed!
Not beyond the mountains, beyond the high ones,
He left us for mother earth.
Ah, it was not the dark forest that howled and rustled,
I burst into tears, cried tears
Russian army, Christian!
How can we not cry, not writhe?
We have no father, no Kutuzov!
As he used to say to us:
Are you Russians, good warriors...
Do you remember the order?
Heroic order,
How Suvorov walked along steep mountains,
How he led his army through the dark clouds;
He bequeathed a covenant to the little soldiers:
You, soldiers of the Russian land,
Do not be afraid of evil villains,
And neither cold nor hunger.
All the little soldiers flared up,
How did he, father, give such an order?
And how he bowed to the little soldiers,
How he showed his gray hairs,
We, little soldiers, are all in one voice
Let's shout: hurray! hooray! God is with us!
And we go on a hike happily.
Oh! And the winter did not chill us,
And the lack of bread did not screw up;
We were just thinking about how to drive away the villains
From the native lands of the Russians...

There couldn't be a better epitaph.

Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich (05/1/1745-04/16/1813), commander and diplomat, student and associate of A.V. Suvorov, Field Marshal General, His Serene Highness Prince of Smolensk (1812).

In 1759, Kutuzov graduated with honors from the Noble School and was retained there as a mathematics teacher. Participant in the Russian-Turkish wars of 1768-74 and 1787-91. During the first Russian-Turkish war he distinguished himself in the battles of Ryaba Mogila, Larga and Kagul. In 1774, near Alushta, he was wounded in the temple and right eye. On Dec. 1790, commanding the left column, participated in the assault and capture of the Turkish fortress of Izmail. In 1792-94, Kutuzov headed the emergency Russian embassy to Constantinople, and during this mission managed to achieve beneficial foreign policy and trade advantages for Russia. In 1794-95, Kutuzov was the director of the Land Noble Corps in St. Petersburg, in 1795-99 - commander and inspector of the ground forces in Finland, carried out important diplomatic assignments in Prussia, was Lithuanian (1780-99) and St. Petersburg (1801-02) military governor general.

In 1805, Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army, operating in alliance with Austrian troops against Napoleonic France. After the defeat of the combined Russian-Austrian troops at Austerlitz in December. 1805 Kutuzov led the Russian army out of threatening encirclement by superior French forces and thereby saved it from destruction. After the inglorious Austrian campaign, Alexander I dismissed Kutuzov from the army, but in 1806 appointed him commander of the Moldavian army, and in 1808-09 the military governor of Kyiv. In 1809-11 Kutuzov served as Lithuanian military governor. In n. March 1811 Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army during the war of 1806-12 with Turkey. In 1811, Kutuzov won major victories over the Turks at the fortresses of Rushchuk and Slobodzeya, for which he was elevated to the rank of count. In May 1812 (a month before the start of the Patriotic War of 1812), he signed a peace treaty with Turkey in Bucharest that was beneficial for Russia, according to which the main part of Bessarabia was annexed to Russia.

At the beginning of the Patriotic War, Kutuzov was elected head of the St. Petersburg and Moscow militias. Aug 8 1812 Alexander I appointed Kutuzov commander-in-chief of the 1st and 2nd united armies. Aug 26 The Battle of Borodino took place. Huge losses in the battle and the lack of reserves forced Kutuzov to retreat to Moscow. At the military council in Fili, he single-handedly made the responsible decision to sacrifice Moscow in order to preserve the army. After leaving Moscow, Kutuzov made a march maneuver, turning from the old Ryazan road to Kaluga, and stopped in Tarutino. The Tarutino camp played a huge role in replenishing and training Russian troops for the upcoming battles with Napoleonic army. Oct 6 1812, near Tarutino, the approaching corps of Napoleonic Marshal Murat was defeated, and on October 12. In a bloody battle, the Russian army near Maloyaroslavets blocked the path to the south of the main forces of Napoleon's army emerging from Moscow and forced him to retreat along the devastated Old Smolensk Road. In subsequent battles near Vyazma (October 22), Krasny (November 3-6) and when crossing Napoleonic troops across the river. Berezina (November 14-16), the French army suffered significant losses.

12 Dec. In 1812, Napoleonic troops were expelled from Russia. 1 Jan In 1813, the Russian army under the command of Kutuzov crossed the border. In current January-March 1813, the Russian army successfully advanced, liberating Polish and Prussian cities from French troops. 26 Feb. Berlin was liberated.

Kutuzov died in the German town of Bunzlau. He was buried in the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov 1745-1813 Field Marshal General. The victory in the Patriotic War of 1812, the crushing of Napoleon's army and its expulsion from Russia forever immortalized the name of Kutuzov. He went through the school of Rumyantsev and Suvorov, adopted their invincible military and patriotic spirit, but as a commander he had his own, unique face. His strategy was based on the art of defensive warfare, achieving victory through battles and operations extended in time and space, but united by a single plan. Along with examples of courageous leadership of troops on the battlefield, he gave an invaluable example of the organizer of a military victory and the implementation of large-scale military plans. However, his path to victory was far from cloudless.

Mikhail Kutuzov (Golenishchev-Kutuzov) was born into a noble family that had ancestral roots on Novgorod soil. His father, a military engineer, lieutenant general and senator, had a great influence on the education and upbringing of his son. Since childhood, Kutuzov was gifted with a strong build, combining inquisitiveness, enterprise and agility with thoughtfulness and a kind heart. He received his military education at the artillery and engineering school, which he graduated from in 1759 among the best, and was retained as a teacher at the school. In 1761, he was promoted to the first officer rank (ensign) and, at his own request, was sent as a company commander to the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment. Due to his excellent knowledge of languages ​​(German, French, and subsequently Polish, Swedish and Turkish), in 1762 he was appointed adjutant to the Governor-General of Revel. In 1764 - 1765 served in Poland in the troops of N. Repnin. In 1767 he was recruited to work in the “Commission for the Drawing up of the Code”; in 1769 he again served in Poland.

From 1770, during the decisive events of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768 - 1774, Kutuzov was sent to the 1st. Danube Army of P. Rumyantsev. As a combatant and staff officer, he took part in the battles that were the pride of Russian weapons - at Ryaboya Mogila, Larga and Kagul; at Larga he commanded a battalion of grenadiers; at Cahul he acted in the vanguard of the right wing. For the battles of 1770 he was promoted to major. As chief of staff of the corps, he distinguished himself in the battle of Popesti (1771) and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In 1772, due to manifestations of a cheerful disposition (sometimes he imitated the gait and speech of his superiors, including the commander), Kutuzov was sent by Rumyantsev to the 2nd Crimean Army of V. Dolgorukov. From that time on, Mikhail Illarionovich changed dramatically, learning to completely control his behavior and expression of thoughts. In 1774, in a battle with the Krymchaks near Alushta, with a banner in his hand, he led soldiers into battle; while pursuing the enemy, he was seriously wounded: a bullet entered below the left temple and exited at the right eye. Mikhail Illarionovich was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, and sent by Catherine II for treatment abroad. While recovering, he simultaneously became acquainted with the experience of military affairs in Austria and Prussia, and had a conversation with Frederick II the Great.

In 1776, upon returning to Russia, Kutuzov was sent by the Empress to Crimea to help Suvorov, who ensured order there. Gained his trust by performing important tasks; on the recommendation of Suvorov, he received the rank of colonel (1777), and then brigadier (1782). In 1784, on behalf of G. Potemkin, he negotiated with Crimea-Girey, the last Crimean Khan, convinced him of the need to abdicate the throne and recognize Russia’s rights to the lands from the Bug to the Kuban; for this he was awarded the rank of major general. From the next year, Mikhail Illarionovich commanded the Bug Jaeger Corps, which he himself formed; supervising his training, he developed new tactical techniques for the rangers and outlined them in special instructions. In 1787 he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd degree.

At the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war of 1787 - 1791. Kutuzov and his corps guarded the southwestern borders of Russia along the Bug River. As part of Potemkin's Yekaterinoslav army, he took part in the siege of Ochakov (1788). Here, while repelling a Turkish attack, he was seriously wounded for the second time (a bullet hit the cheek and exited the back of the head). When he recovered, the doctor who treated him remarked: “Apparently, Providence is preserving this man for something extraordinary, because he was healed of two wounds, each of which was fatal.” The very next year, commanding a separate corps, Kutuzov successfully fought at Akkerman and Kaushany, participated in the capture of Bender by Potemkin, and received new awards.

In November 1790, Kutuzov joined Suvorov’s troops besieging Izmail. During the assault on this formidable fortress, he led the 6th column. “General Kutuzov walked on my left wing,” said Suvorov, “but was my right hand.” At one point, when the success of the assault seemed doubtful, a messenger from Suvorov informed Mikhail Illarionovich that he had been appointed commandant of Izmail. Realizing what the commander was calling him to do, Kutuzov was among the first to break into the fortress. For Izmail, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd degree.

Having repelled the attempts of the Turks to regain Izmail, in June 1791 he defeated a 23,000-strong Turkish army at Babadag with a sudden blow. Acting as part of N. Repnin's army, he soon distinguished himself in the battle of Machin, inflicting a decisive blow on the enemy from the flank. Awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd degree. Then for the third time he was sent to Poland to act against the rebels.

In 1792, Catherine, trusting Kutuzov’s insightful and flexible mind, sent him as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Turkey. There he earned great trust from the Turkish court and was able to resolve a number of important diplomatic issues in favor of Russia. In 1794, Mikhail Illarionovich was appointed director of the Land Cadet Corps, proved himself to be a wise mentor and educator, and often himself lectured on tactics and military history.

Since 1795, Kutuzov was the commander and inspector of troops in Finland. The reign (1796 - 1801) of the restless and wayward Paul 1 did not harm him. Under him, he successfully completed a two-month diplomatic mission in Prussia, served as Lithuanian governor-general, was promoted to infantry general, and was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

Upon the accession of Alexander 1 to the throne, Kutuzov was appointed to the post of Governor-General of St. Petersburg. Not finding mutual understanding with the young emperor, he resigned in 1802 and went to the village. However, his rest was short-lived: in August 1805, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army, aimed at helping Austria in the war with Napoleon. Having barely entered the borders of Austria, Kutuzov’s army, due to the capitulation of the Austrians near Ulm, found itself face to face with a French army twice its size. From October 13 to November 10, Kutuzov made the famous retreat march from Braunau to Olmutz. Reflecting French attacks from the flanks along the way and hiding behind the rearguards, where Bagration and Miloradovich operated successfully, he left the trap and linked up with the approaching Russian corps of General Buxhoeveden.

The haste of Alexander 1 and the Austrian Emperor Franz 1, who arrived to the troops, led to a poorly prepared offensive by the allied armies and their defeat at Austerlitz (November 20). In this battle, Kutuzov only formally served as commander-in-chief of the allied army; he was constrained by the presence of two emperors and the battle plan drawn up by the Austrian general Weyrother. At Austerlitz, next to Kutuzov, the husband of his daughter Tizengauzen, who rushed forward with the banner, died, and Mikhail Illarionovich himself was wounded. Frustrated by the defeat, Alexander harbored a grudge against him. In 1806, the war in Europe broke out again, but it took place without the participation of Kutuzov, whom the tsar assigned to Kyiv as governor-general.

In 1808, Mikhail Illarionovich was sent to the Russian-Turkish war as the commander of the corps of the Moldavian army. The officers and soldiers loved him, but he felt his pride hurt by the position entrusted to him and disagreements with the inexperienced commander-in-chief A. Prozorovsky. In 1809 he left the army and was appointed governor general in Vilna. In 1811, when the war with Turkey reached a dead end, and the growing threat from France foreshadowed trouble, Kutuzov was again appointed to the Moldavian army, but with the rank of commander-in-chief. Soon he showed his skill as a commander in the battle of Rushchuk, where, under his leadership, 15 thousand Russians defeated a 60 thousand Turkish army. Realizing that pursuing the Turks and fighting them along the Danube line with a length of more than 1000 miles was of little prospect, Kutuzov chose a different path to achieve military victory. He deliberately withdrew his army back to the left bank of the Danube, encouraged the enemy to attack, breaking away from the bases, and achieved the dismemberment of the Turkish troops. Then part of his forces captured the right bank of the river and cut off the 40,000-strong Turkish army, lured to the left bank. Having completely blocked it and having almost no losses, Kutuzov forced the Grand Vizier to capitulate.

Awarded the titles of count and his serene prince for victories over the Turks, the commander still did not regain the full trust of the king. The Patriotic War of 1812 found him idle in St. Petersburg. While the Russian armies in the west were led by Barclay de Tolly and Bagration, Kutuzov was elected head of the St. Petersburg and then Moscow militias. Only after the surrender of Smolensk to the French, Alexander 1 was forced to meet the demands of the public and troops and appoint Mikhail Illarionovich commander-in-chief over both armies, which by that time had united. "Do you hope to defeat Napoleon?" - they asked Kutuzov at this time. “To break - no, but to deceive - I hope,” he answered with a smile.

Enthusiastically greeted by the population along the way, Kutuzov arrived to the troops on August 17. Not agreeing with the proposals to immediately give the French a general battle, he led the army back for several days and on the 22nd stopped at the village of Borodino, where preparations for the battle began. At dawn on August 26, the Russian army (155 thousand people with militia) met with Napoleon's army (about 134 thousand). Having built his troops in a deep battle formation, Kutuzov, with an energetic maneuver of forces and means, thwarted all attempts by Napoleon to achieve a decisive advantage, and he himself successfully counterattacked. At the cost of huge losses, the French managed to push back the Russians on the left flank and in the center, but recognizing the futility of further efforts. By evening, Napoleon withdrew his troops to their original positions. The Russian army lost 44 thousand people in this battle, the French - about 40. Kutuzov not only destroyed Napoleon’s dream of winning the war in one battle, but also preserved a combat-ready, morally strong army.

Carrying out a strategically winning plan for waging war, Kutuzov left Moscow to the enemy on September 2, but already at that time the replenishment of the Russian army with reserves began, and partisan warfare began behind enemy lines. Having secretly maneuvered to the village of Tarutino, Kutuzov blocked the French from going south, where they could get food and fodder. Realizing the critical situation. Napoleon sent an adjutant to Kutuzov with a proposal for peace negotiations, but he replied that the war was just beginning. The famous fable by I. Krylov “The Wolf in the Kennel” dates back to this time, which Mikhail Illarionovich himself read with pleasure.

Having left Moscow on October 7, Napoleon moved to Maloyaroslavets, where Kutuzov blocked his way and, after a bloody battle, forced the French to retreat along the Smolensk road they had destroyed. Having launched a counteroffensive, the Russian army launched attacks on the retreating French troops near Vyazma, Lyakhovo, and Krasny. Kutuzov’s caring attitude towards his soldiers is characteristic: seeing the gradual exhaustion of the French army, he said: “Now I won’t give ten Frenchmen for one Russian.” Hunger and the onset of cold weather increased the demoralization of the French army, and after the Berezina its retreat turned into flight. Napoleon lost more than 500 thousand people in Russia killed, wounded and prisoners, almost all the artillery and cavalry. On December 21, Kutuzov, in an order to the army, congratulated the troops on expelling the enemy from Russia. For his skillful leadership of the Russian army in 1812, he was awarded the rank of Field Marshal and the title of Prince of Smolensk. He also received the Order of St. George, 1st degree, as a reward, becoming the first full holder of the Russian Military Order.

Kutuzov met Alexander 1's decision to move the army further west without much enthusiasm: he was concerned about future human losses and the possible strengthening of France's European rivals. With the arrival of the Tsar to the troops, he gradually withdrew from the main affairs of the command, his health weakened, and on April 16 in Bunzlau (Poland) he died at the age of 67 years. His body was transported to St. Petersburg, where it was buried in the Kazan Cathedral with the general sadness of the people. The name of Kutuzov forever remained revered by the Russian people.

Mikhail Illarionovich left five daughters (his only son, Nikolai, died of smallpox in 1770). Since the field marshal did not leave any descendants in the male line, the surname Golenishchev-Kutuzov was transferred to his grandson, Major General P.M. Tolstoy, in 1859.

Book materials used: Kovalevsky N.F. History of the Russian State. Biographies of famous military figures of the 18th - early 20th centuries. M. 1997

KUTUZOV, Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky, Mikhail Illarionovich (5.9.1745 - 16.4.1813, Bunzlau), His Serene Highness Prince (29.7.1812), Field Marshal General (26.8.1812). From the ancient noble family of Golenishchev-Kutuzov. Son of Lieutenant General, Senator. He received his education in the Engineering and Artillery Cadet Corps. On January 1, 1761, he was promoted to ensign and in March sent to the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment, commanded by A.V. Suvorov. From 1.3.1762 aide-de-camp to the Governor of Revel, Prince of Holstein-Beck. Participant in military operations in Poland in 1764-65 and 1768-69, where he commanded a small detachment. In 1770, the army of Field Marshal P.A. was transferred. Rumyantse-pa, where he served as chief quartermaster of the avant-garde, General. Baura. Participant in the Russian-Turkish War of 1769-74, distinguished himself in many battles. In 1772 he was transferred to the 2nd Army for “disrespect” towards the command. In July 1774, while pursuing the enemy near the village of Shumy, he was seriously wounded and lost his right eye. At the end of the war, he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, and released abroad for treatment. Upon returning to Russia in 1776, he was placed at the disposal of Suvorov. From June 28, 1777 he served in the Mariupol Light Horse Regiment. He took part in the suppression of the Crimean Tatar uprisings, which ended in 1783 with the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Empire. On November 24, 1784, he was promoted to major general and soon appointed chief of the Bug Jaeger Corps. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-91, he distinguished himself during the siege and assault of Ochakov, and then led the troops guarding the border between the Dniester and the Bug. In Aug. - Sep. 1789 commanded a cavalry detachment on the right bank of the Dniester, took part in the battles of Kaushany and Bendery. In 1790, K. was entrusted with command of the troops in Akkerman. He became famous for his actions during the siege of the Izmail fortress (Oct. - Dec. 1790), during the storming of the fortress on December 11, 1790, he commanded the 6th left-flank column (3 battalions of the Bug Corps, 2 battalions of the Kherson Grenadier Regiment, 1000 Cossacks). After the capture of Izmail he became its commandant. For these distinctions, on March 25, 1791, K. was promoted to lieutenant general and awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd degree. He distinguished himself in the battle of Machina, where he commanded a “corps” of 12 battalions, 10-11 cavalry regiments with 24 guns. 18.3.1792 awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd degree. With the beginning of the war with Poland in 1792, K. was entrusted with command of the most powerful part of the Southwestern Army: 20 battalions, 30 squadrons, 6 Cossack regiments (about 15 thousand infantry and over 10 thousand cavalry, a total of 23.5 thousand people). On Sept. 1793 for distinction in the Polish campaign received estates in the Volyn province (more than 2.5 thousand souls). In June 1793 he was appointed ambassador to Constantinople. He proved himself to be a talented diplomat and contributed to the improvement of Russian-Turkish relations. In 1794 he returned to Russia and took the post of Kazan and Vyatka Governor-General. At the beginning of 1795, in view of a possible military conflict with Sweden, K. was appointed commander-in-chief of the ground forces, flotilla and fortresses in Finland, and then also became the chief director of the Land Noble Cadet Corps. After the accession of Paul 1 K. 20.1 on 1.1796 he was recalled to St. Petersburg and at the beginning of 1797 he was sent as Minister Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Berlin. He was, according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, the “greatest” courtier, and the only one of the “Catherine’s” generals who retained the favor of Paul 1. In December. 1797 K. was dismissed from the post of chief director of the cadet corps and was soon appointed inspector of the troops of the Finnish Inspectorate and chief of the Ryazan Musketeer Regiment (from April 2, 1798 it was called the Musketeer Regiment of General Golenishchev-Kutuzov). On January 4, 1798, he was promoted to infantry general. In the campaign of 1799, after the unsuccessful actions of Gen. Herman in Europe, K. was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian troops in Holland, but did not have time to take office, due to the defeat of the Russian troops and Paul I breaking the alliance with Austria and England. In Oct. 1799 K. became the chief of the Pskov infantry regiment and was granted an estate with 1 thousand peasant souls. From 12/19/1799 to 7/11/1801 Lithuanian Governor-General. He enjoyed great confidence from the emperor and was one of the main candidates for the post of commander-in-chief in the event of the outbreak of large-scale hostilities. On November 13, 1800, the Ukrainian, Brest and Dniester inspections were transferred to his command, and on December 14. he was appointed commander-in-chief of the army (about 75 thousand people) formed in the region of Vladimir Volynsky. At the beginning of 1801, K. was entrusted with the post of St. Petersburg military governor. 11.3.1801, the day before the assassination of Paul 1, K. dined with the emperor. After the accession to the throne of Alexander 1 and the resignation of General. Count P. A. Palena, K. 17.6.1801 appointed St. Petersburg military governor. Since July 1801 inspector of the Finnish army. On August 29, 1802, after the emperor expressed dissatisfaction with the state of the St. Petersburg police, K., at his own request, was dismissed from the post of military governor and left for the Gorshki estate in the Zhitomir district. Here, in March 1805, he learned of his appointment as commander-in-chief of the Russian army intended for action against France. K.'s army (approx. 50 thousand people) was due to 8 (20). 10.1805 reach the river. Inn. II Sept. on the way to Teshen K. took command of the army. Acting with extreme caution, K. decisively rejected the insistent requests of the Austrian command to speed up the movement; only 7(19) Oct. Most of the army arrived in Braunau. The vanguard was brought forward by Gen. Prince Bagration for the river. Inn. 6(18) Oct. K. assembled a Military Council, which spoke out in favor of giving battle to Marshal Marmont's corps, but K. rejected the council's proposal. After joining the army of Austrian units, Gen. Kienmayer and Count Nostitz, the size of the army reached 50 thousand people, but K. again rejected all proposals to intensify actions, and then, after receiving information about the French army, decided to retreat. 14(26) Oct. K.'s army began to retreat. Oct 19 under Lambach the French. The troops attacked and drove back the Russian-Austrian detachment (4 battalions, 1 squadron, 12 guns), but overall K. managed to retreat almost without a fight. Oct 24 I. Murat's cavalry overtook the rearguard of the general at Amstetten. Bagration and forced him to retreat, but during the pursuit she collided with the approaching detachment of the general. Miloradovich and was defeated. Due to the concentration of French troops, K. changed the direction of retreat, abandoning the original plan to cover Vienna. 30.10 (11.11).1805 attacked the corps of Marshal Mortier at Dürrenstein with a huge advantage and forced him to retreat, and Russian troops took 1,600 prisoners. At first K. concentrated troops in Krems, but, having learned about the approach of the French, on November 2. left the city, assigning a detachment of the general for cover. Bagration, who 4(16) Nov. survived the difficult battle of Shengraben. 8(20) Nov. K. Prosnitz finally managed to connect with the army of the general. Buxhoeveden. By 12 Nov. (December 2) K. already had 70 thousand infantry and 16 thousand cavalry in Olshany (Napoleon, together with the troops that could arrive within a short time, -73 thousand. people), in fact, command of the army passed to the emperors Alexander 1 and Franz 1 who arrived here. November 15 (27). Russian-Austrian troops launched an offensive, to which K. objected. K. himself received command of the center of the army and only one (3rd) column of Lieutenant General Przybyshevsky (about 14 thousand people) was under his command. During the defeat of the Russian army, under Austerlitz, he was the nominal commander of the army, although decision-making depended primarily on the emperor. The actions of K., who was with the 4th column, were unsuccessful. In total, at Austerlitz, the united army lost 27 thousand people, 155 guns and 30 banners. K. was entrusted with negotiating peace with the French, and on January 13, 1806 he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st degree. Despite all these differences, K. did not receive any position upon arrival in St. Petersburg and only at the beginning of October. 1806 was appointed Kyiv military governor. The appointment itself meant an honorable exile and many advised K. to resign, but he accepted the appointment. At the end of 1807, at the request of the commander-in-chief of the Danube Army, the elderly Prince Prozorovsky, K. was appointed his assistant. 20.4.1808 K. arrived in Iasi and took control of the quartermaster part of the army. K. was Prozorovsky's closest assistant and headed individual detachments and corps. He distinguished himself during the capture of Brailov. However, he soon came into conflict with Prozorovsky, who accused him of intrigue and turned to the emperor with a request to remove K. from the army. On July 3, 1809, K. was appointed military governor of Vilna. In March 1811, K. was ordered to replace the sick commander-in-chief of the Danube Army, Field Marshal General Count Kamensky. On April 1, 1811, he took command of the army (approx. 40-46 thousand people). He defeated the Turkish troops in the battles of Rushchuk and Silistria. On October 29, 1811 he received the title of count. He brilliantly conducted negotiations that ended with the Peace of Bucharest in May 1812 (Alexander 1 was dissatisfied with the results of the peace and the fact that a Russian-Turkish alliance was not concluded). On April 5, 1812, K. was recalled from the army and appointed a member of the State Council. 12.5.1812 surrendered the army to Admiral P.V. Chichagov. On July 16 (28) he was elected by the Moscow nobility as chief of the Moscow militia, and on July 17 (29) he was also elected chief of the St. Petersburg militia.

Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (Golenishchev-Kutuzov), famous Russian commander, field marshal general (August 31, 1812). (His Serene Highness Prince Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky from 1812), Hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, the first full holder of the Order of St. George.

Always cheerful, sociable, he was distinguished by amazing composure in the most difficult situations. Strict calculation and restraint were his hallmarks. He knew how to talk to a soldier and, like Suvorov, knowing that ceremonial tinsel and external splendor were not to the heart of the Russian commoner, he, being already the commander-in-chief, appeared before the troops on a small Cossack horse, in an old frock coat without epaulettes, in a cap and with a whip across shoulder.

Origin of Kutuzov: from Boots and Kutuz

The noble family of Golenishchev-Kutuzov traces its origins to a certain Gabriel, who settled in the Novgorod lands during the time of Alexander Nevsky (mid-13th century). Among his descendants in the 15th century was Fyodor, nicknamed Kutuz, whose nephew was called Vasily, nicknamed Boots. The sons of the latter began to be called Golenishchev-Kutuzov and were in the royal service. Grandfather M.I. Kutuzov only rose to the rank of captain, his father was already promoted to lieutenant general, and Mikhail Illarionovich earned hereditary princely dignity.

Childhood and youth of Mikhail Kutuzov

Mikhail Kutuzov is the only son of Lieutenant General and Senator Illarion Matveevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov (1717-1784) and his wife, née Beklemisheva. Mikhail Kutuzov's father, Illarion Golenishchev-Kutuzov, rose to the rank of lieutenant general and the rank of senator.
Having received an excellent home education from the age of 7, Mikhail completed a course in the artillery and engineering corps (his father taught artillery art there). At the age of 14 he entered the service as a corporal of artillery, then he was a conductor in the engineering corps and at the age of 16 he was promoted to officer.

Fate threw him from headquarters to the line and back; He served both in the army of Rumyantsev and under the command of Potemkin, and in 1762, with the rank of captain, he was appointed commander of a company of the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment, headed by Colonel A.V. Suvorov. The rapid career of the young Kutuzov can be explained both by receiving a good education and by the efforts of his father. In 1764-1765, he volunteered to take part in military skirmishes of Russian troops in Poland, and in 1767 he was seconded to the commission for drawing up a new Code created by Catherine II.

Kutuzov's dizzying military career

The school of military excellence was his participation in the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774, where he initially served as a divisional quartermaster in the army of General P. A. Rumyantsev and was in the battles of Ryabaya Mogila, r. Largi, Kagul and during the assault on Bendery. From 1772 he fought in the Crimean Army. On July 24, 1774, during the liquidation of the Turkish landing near Alushta, Kutuzov, commanding a grenadier battalion, was seriously wounded - a bullet exited through his left temple near his right eye. Kutuzov used the vacation he received to complete his treatment to travel abroad; in 1776 he visited Berlin and Vienna, and visited England, Holland, and Italy. Upon returning to duty, he commanded various regiments, and in 1785 he became commander of the Bug Jaeger Corps. From 1777 he was a colonel, from 1784 he was a major general.

Kutuzov family

Kutuzov got married in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Golenishchevo, Samoluksky volost, Loknyansky district, Pskov region. Nowadays, only ruins remain of this church.
Mikhail Illarionovich's wife, Ekaterina Ilyinichna (1754-1824), was the daughter of Lieutenant General Ilya Aleksandrovich Bibikov, the son of Catherine's nobleman Bibikov. She married thirty-year-old Colonel Kutuzov in 1778 and gave birth to five daughters in a happy marriage (the only son, Nikolai, died of smallpox in infancy).

Daughters: Praskovya, Anna, Elizaveta, Ekaterina, Daria. Two of them (Liza and Katya) had their first husbands die fighting under the command of Kutuzov. Since the field marshal did not leave any descendants in the male line, the surname Golenishchev-Kutuzov was transferred to his grandson, Major General P.M., in 1859. Tolstoy, son of Praskovya.

On the brink of death

During the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1791, during the siege of Ochakov (1788), Kutuzov was again dangerously wounded - the bullet went right through “from temple to temple behind both eyes.” The surgeon who treated him, Massot, commented on his wound: “We must believe that fate appoints Kutuzov to something great, for he survived after two wounds, fatal according to all the rules of medical science.”

At the beginning of 1789, he took part in the battle of Kaushany and in the capture of the fortresses of Akkerman and Bender. During the storming of Izmail in 1790, Suvorov assigned him to command one of the columns and, without waiting for the capture of the fortress, appointed him first commandant. For this assault, Kutuzov received the rank of lieutenant general.

"I serve Russia!"

At the conclusion of the Peace of Yassy, ​​Kutuzov was unexpectedly appointed envoy to Turkey. When choosing him, the Empress took into account his broad outlook, subtle mind, rare tact, ability to find a common language with different people and innate cunning. In Istanbul, Kutuzov managed to gain the trust of the Sultan and successfully led the activities of a huge embassy of 650 people.

Upon returning to Russia in 1794, he was appointed director of the Land Noble Cadet Corps. Under Emperor Paul I, he was appointed to the most important posts (inspector of troops in Finland, commander of an expeditionary force sent to Holland, Lithuanian military governor, commander of the army in Volyn), and was entrusted with important diplomatic assignments.

Hot spots: Austerlitz and Ruschuk

At the beginning of the reign of Alexander I, Kutuzov took the post of St. Petersburg military governor, but was soon sent on leave. In 1805 he was appointed commander of the troops operating in Austria against Napoleon. He managed to save the army from the threat of encirclement, but the arriving Alexander I, under the influence of young advisers, insisted on holding a general battle. Kutuzov objected, but was unable to defend his opinion, and at Austerlitz the Russian-Austrian troops suffered a crushing defeat.

Having become the commander-in-chief of the Moldavian army operating against the Turks in 1811, Kutuzov was able to rehabilitate himself - not only inflicted defeat on them near Rushchuk (now Ruse, Bulgaria), but also, showing extraordinary diplomatic abilities, signed the Bucharest Peace Treaty in 1812, which was beneficial for Russia. The emperor, who did not like the commander, awarded him the title of count (1811), and then elevated him to the dignity of His Serene Highness (1812).

French invasion

At the beginning of the 1812 campaign against the French, Kutuzov was in St. Petersburg in the secondary post of commander of the Narva Corps, and then the St. Petersburg militia. Only when disagreements among the generals reached a critical point was he appointed commander-in-chief of all armies operating against Napoleon (August 8). Kutuzov was forced to continue his retreat strategy. But, yielding to the demands of the army and society, he fought the Battle of Borodino (promoted to field marshal general) and at the military council in Fili made the difficult decision to leave Moscow. Russian troops, having completed a flank march to the south, stopped at the village of Tarutino. Kutuzov himself was sharply criticized by a number of senior military leaders.

“The entry of the enemy into Moscow does not yet mean the conquest of Russia,” wrote Mikhail Illarionovich to the emperor, who did not expect that Moscow would be abandoned. “Now, not far from Moscow, having gathered my troops, I can wait with a firm foot for the enemy, and while the army of Your Imperial Majesty is intact and driven by a certain courage and our zeal, until then the loss of Moscow is not the loss of the Fatherland.” In the village of Panki near Moscow, the field marshal celebrated his last birthday. He was sixty-seven years old. His days were already numbered.

Kutuzov’s Tarutino maneuver became one of the hitherto unseen masterpieces of world military art. While Napoleon, sitting in Moscow, was waiting for surrender from the Russian Tsar, our army rested, perked up and was significantly replenished. When Moscow went up in flames, the debate over whether the commander-in-chief had acted correctly ceased; now everyone saw the genius of his plan and the benefit of the position he had chosen.

Finally, Napoleonic ambassador Lauriston arrived to Kutuzov. Seeing the Russian field marshal in front of him, whose only eye shone with confidence in the impending victory, Lauriston plaintively exclaimed: “Is this unprecedented, this unheard-of war really supposed to continue forever? The Emperor sincerely wants to put an end to this feud between two great and generous peoples and stop it forever.” .
It’s as if it wasn’t the French who came to us as uninvited guests, it wasn’t the French who robbed everything in their path, it wasn’t the French who behaved barbarically towards the Russian people, it wasn’t Napoleon who even ordered all the crosses to be removed from Moscow churches and bell towers, but we invaded France, took and They burned Paris, raked out the treasures of Versailles! And Lauriston still dared to call his European robbers “generous people”!

Kutuzov’s answer was full of dignity: “When I was appointed to the army, the word “peace” was never mentioned. I would have brought upon myself the curse of posterity if I had been considered the culprit of the agreement with you. This is the current way of thinking of my people!”

Having waited for the French troops to leave Moscow, Kutuzov accurately determined the direction of their movement and blocked their path at Maloyaroslavets. The then organized parallel pursuit of the retreating enemy led to the virtual death of the French army, although army critics reproached the commander-in-chief for passivity and the desire to build Napoleon a “golden bridge” to exit Russia.

On October 6, Murat's corps attacked the Russian army near Tarutino and was defeated. From this day began the triumphant expulsion of Napoleon from the borders of the Fatherland. Emperor Alexander, who had hitherto still not recognized the correctness of the surrender of Moscow, sent Kutuzov congratulations on his victory. But at the same time, he demanded to give another general battle, and Kutuzov only tiredly repeated: “No need. All this will now fall apart on its own.” A wise diplomat and politician, he understood perfectly well that the complete defeat of Napoleon within Russia could lead to England taking possession of France. He said: “Napoleon’s inheritance will go not to Russia, but to that power that already dominates the seas, and then its dominance will be unbearable.”

Kutuzov's further victory over Bonaparte did not consist in a general battle, but in the fact that he did not allow the enemy to leave Russia through the rich lands of the Oryol region and Little Russia, forcing the uninvited guests to retreat along the war-ravaged old Smolensk road. At the same time, Mikhail Illarionovich was forced to defend his plan for the slow extermination of the “great army”, to argue with those who demanded that he encircle the remnants of the French troops and take them prisoner.

It is also surprising that Napoleon, without actually losing a single battle to Kutuzov, completely lost his powerful army and crawled away from Russia, content only with the looted goods. It's funny, but thanks to this, the French still consider the War of 1812 a success! They claim that they won the Battle of Borodino, took Moscow, made a great profit - why not a victorious campaign! But be that as it may, in reality it was not Napoleon who won a complete victory, but a wiser commander, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov.

A magnificent swan song!

In December 1812, 18 thousand pitiful, ragged and frostbitten people, who could no longer be called soldiers, returned from Russia to Europe through the Neman. 130 thousand ended up in Russian captivity, and 350 thousand Europeans from twelve countries remained forever in the vast and beautiful Russian expanses.

At the beginning of 1813, Kutuzov led military operations in Poland and Prussia with the goal of completing the defeat of the remnants of Napoleonic army and liberating the peoples of Europe from Napoleon's yoke, but death interrupted his implementation of his planned plan. His body was embalmed and transported to St. Petersburg, where he was buried in the Kazan Cathedral.
Kutuzov's military leadership was distinguished by the breadth and variety of all types of maneuver in offensive and defensive, and the timely transition from one type of maneuver to another. All contemporaries, while differing in their assessment of Kutuzov’s secondary qualities, unanimously noted his exceptional intelligence, brilliant military and diplomatic talents and selfless service to the Motherland. During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, the Order of Kutuzov of the 1st, 2nd (July 29, 1942) and 3rd degree (February 8, 1943) was established in the USSR.

The adoration and unconditional trust of the soldiers, a very special gift to command, doing it so that the command sounded like a gentle request, the charm of the mind and the alluring nobility of character - in a word, everything that in Kutuzov captivated people from the very first years of his life is, of course, very , helped Kutuzov, with all his fatigue, with all the attacks of malaise that he skillfully hid from those around him, to bear the incredibly heavy load of work and responsibility.

The old man, who, counting, for example, from the day of the Borodino battle to the day of death, had exactly seven months and three weeks to live, bore the burden of gigantic labor...

He, a great patriot, a victorious commander, would rightfully have the honor of leading the Russian army into Paris in March 1814; him, and not Barclay or anyone else. But death overtook him at the very beginning of new bloodshed, which led to the final triumph he had foreseen...

During the four months of his foreign campaign, Kutuzov, old and sick, clearly felt more independent of the court than during the entire campaign of 1812. The conqueror of Napoleon, the savior of Russia, the idol of the people, he could feel for minutes much more like a king than Alexander. Kutuzov's orders were carried out throughout Russia in the most zealous manner...

At the end of March it became difficult for the old field marshal to move; in April he fell ill and never had to get up. On April 28, Kutuzov died.

It must be said that during his illness at the end of March and throughout April, Alexander, who completely took over the reins of the army, managed, contrary to the wishes of the field marshal, to implement some measures and give some orders that subsequently had a harmful effect...

“Will you forgive me, Mikhail Illarionovich?” - “I forgive you, sir, but Russia will not forgive you” - such a conversation took place between them at the deathbed of the great field marshal.