Facts of the immortalized memory of the Patriotic War of 1812.

04.02.2022

1. In the photo, eyewitnesses and participants in the war of 1812. They were found for the celebration of the anniversary in 1912.

2. Due to the fact that Napoleon broke the class order in the army, a large number of persons of "non-noble" origin were admitted to the officers, who had to constantly study in order to break into people, the level of training of French officers was noticeably higher than Russians.

3. In the autumn of 1812, the invincible Napoleonic army, exhausted by the cold and partisans, retreated from Russia. The brave "conquerors of Europe" turned into frozen and hungry ragamuffins. Now they did not demand, but humbly asked the Russian peasants for something to eat, addressing them “cher ami” (“love friends”). The peasants, who are not strong in foreign languages, have nicknamed the French beggars - “sharomyzhniks”. Not the last role in these metamorphoses was played, apparently, by the Russian words “to fumble” and “mykat.

4. In 1812, four empires fought with Russia at once: Catholic - France and Austria and Islamic - Ottoman Turkey and Iran. The Turkish and Persian Wars began long before 1812 and continued on their own.

5. At the beginning of the war, Emperor Alexander I constantly interfered in the plans of the generals with absurd proposals, but soon the harm of his stay with the army became so obvious that in early July the closest confidants of the king (A. S. Shishkov, A. A. Arakcheev and A. D. Balashov) convinced him to leave under the pretext of the need to be present in the capital to prepare reserves.

6. During the Patriotic War of 1812, there were frequent cases of killing and wounding of officers of the Russian army by their own soldiers, especially in the evening and at night, because of the habit of officers to speak French among themselves.

7. Not all French made it to France. Many of those taken prisoner were employed by the Russian nobles. Of course, they were not suitable for suffering, but how tutors, teachers and leaders of serf theaters came in handy. They examined the peasants sent to the casting and, if they did not see any talent in the applicant, they waved their hand and said “Chantra pas” (“not fit for singing”). The further history of this word, I think, is clear.

8. Since the peasants were not always able to provide "humanitarian aid" to the former occupiers, they often included horse meat, including the fallen, in their diet. In French, “horse” is cheval (hence, by the way, the well-known word “chevalier” – knight, rider). However, the Russians, who did not see a special chivalry in eating horses, christened the miserable Frenchmen with the word "trash", in the sense of "rags". So this word came into our everyday life.

9. A funny incident from the life of the organizer of the partisan movement in 1812, Denis Davydov In early 1807, Davydov was appointed adjutant to General P. I. Bagration. At one time, Davydov in one of his poems joked about Bagration's long nose and therefore was a little afraid of the first meeting with him. Bagration, seeing Denis, said to the officers present: "Here is the one who made fun of my nose." To which Davydov, not at a loss, replied that he wrote about his nose only out of envy, since he himself practically does not have it. Bagration liked the joke. And he often, when they reported to him that the enemy was “on the nose,” asked again: “On whose nose? If on mine, then you can still dine, and if on Denisov, then on the horses!

10. Never after the Mongol-Tatar invasion did Russia experience such a massive infusion of foreign blood as in the Patriotic War of 1812. By the beginning of 1813, the number of prisoners in Russia amounted to more than 200 thousand people, most of whom remained to live in Russia.

11. The valiant Russian soldiers, having victoriously entered Paris in 1814, so to speak, with a return visit of the Napoleonic army (which had ingloriously left the occupied Moscow at one time), did not behave too ceremoniously in the restaurants there, demanding without fail and loudly vodka with a snack: "Quickly! Quickly!" and without bothering to take care of the existing furniture and inventory. And there was an enterprising person who, in order to avoid ruining the restaurant property, thought of arranging a meeting for the Russian winners right at the entrance, and not just with a bow, but with a tray on which “drink and eat” had already been prepared. The Russian army then returned home, and the word took root and laid the foundation for a new direction in the restaurant business - the bistro.

In December 1812, Napoleon abandoned his army retreating from Russia and fled to Paris under the protection of two hundred selected guards. December 14, 1812 is considered the day of the end of the Patriotic War. It was during these days that Napoleon uttered one of his legendary aphorisms "from the great to the ridiculous - only one step, and let posterity judge him ..."

Napoleon twice wooed Russian princesses

Napoleon, as you know, did not receive the title of monarch by inheritance. At one time, he had a fixed idea - to marry a representative of some monarchical house, which would allow him to legitimize his coronation. In 1808, he wooed Grand Duchess Catherine, sister of Alexander I, but was refused. He was informed that the princess was engaged to the Prince of Saxe-Coburg.

Grand Duchesses Ekaterina Pavlovna and Anna Pavlovna

In 1810, persistent Napoleon tried again. This time, the object of his desire was the Grand Duchess Anna, who at that time was 14 years old. But Napoleon was again refused. Of course, these events did not become the reasons for starting the war, but the Russian-French "friendship" was significantly "damaged".

Napoleon wanted to join the Russian army

It is known that Napoleon was an excellent mathematician and even discovered a way to construct a square with one ruler with two serifs. He was very fond of opera, but at the same time he never distributed applause and did not allow others to do it.

Back in 1788, Lieutenant Napoleon wanted to enlist in the Russian army. But just up to a month before Napoleon filed a petition, Russia issued a decree that foreigners, entering the Russian service, lose one rank. The careerist-Napoleon, of course, did not agree to this.

Map with errors

Barclay de Tolly's military intelligence worked just fine. It is known for certain that Napoleon in 1812, unaware of anything, used a copy of the "capital" map of Russia, which was obtained by French intelligence in St. Petersburg before the start of the war. But, advancing on Moscow, the French ran into a problem - errors were deliberately introduced into the map.

Russian officers also died from their own

Ordinary hussar regiments: Mariupol (1), Belorussian (2), Elizavetgrad (3), Pavlograd (4), Izyum (5), Sumy (6).

Ordinary soldiers, when recognizing "friend or foe", were primarily guided by speech, especially if a person was approaching in the dark and from afar. Russian officers preferred to communicate in French rather than in Russian. For this reason, educated Russian officers died at the hands of their own.

"Sharomyzhnik" and "bistro"

In the autumn of 1812, the soldiers of the invincible Napoleonic army, exhausted by the cold and partisans, turned from "brave conquerors of Europe" and hungry ragamuffins. They no longer demanded, as a few months ago, but asked the Russian peasants to eat. At the same time, they addressed "her ami" ("dear friend"). The peasants were not strong in French, and the French soldiers began to be called "sharomyzhniks."

When the Russian army entered Paris with a return visit, so to speak, after the Napoleonic army was ingloriously expelled from Moscow, the Russian soldiers in Parisian restaurants behaved without much ceremony, did not bother to respect the interiors and loudly demanded vodka with a snack , accompanying the requirements with the words “Quickly! Quickly!". A certain enterprising Frenchman, trying to avoid the ruin of his institution, came up with the idea of meeting Russian soldiers at the entrance with a tray, on which there was immediately a “drink and a snack”. This institution laid the foundation for a new type of restaurant business - "bistro", and the word has taken root in France.

Kutuzov did not wear a black armband

Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, who led the Russian army in the war against Napoleon, received 2 head wounds one after another. Moreover, each medicine of that time was regarded as fatal. The bullet passed twice from the left temple of Kutuzov to the right. "Death rushed through his head!" - said Derzhavin about Kutuzov. Ordinary soldiers spoke of him only as the chosen one of heaven. This is understandable: the bullets of smooth-bore pistols and guns of the end of the 18th smashed the skull to smithereens.

Terrible wounds, although they spoiled the vision of the great commander, but until the end of his days he saw well with his right eye and could read. Field Marshal Kutuzov put on an eye patch only a few times in his life - as a rule, on marches when dust rose. There is not one lifetime image of Kutuzov with a bandage. The commander was put on in 1944 by the creators of the film "Kutuzov".

Most of the captured French remained to live in Russia

The Patriotic War of 1812 was the first massive infusion of foreign blood after the Mongol-Tatar invasion. At the beginning of 1813, the number of French prisoners of war in Russia was 200 thousand people, and most of them remained to live in Russia. Many captured Russian nobles sluggish to their service. Of course, they were not suitable for work in the field, and teachers, tutors and heads of serf theaters turned out to be excellent from them.

100 years after the war

In 1912, on the 100th anniversary of the Patriotic War, the government of the Russian Empire decided to search for living participants and eyewitnesses of the war. In the Tobolsk region, they found Pavel Yakovlevich Tolstoguzov, a participant in the Battle of Borodino, who at that time was 117 years old.

In the memory of descendants

The Patriotic War of 1812 until 1917 was the leader among other historical events in terms of the number of studies devoted to it. More than 15 thousand articles and books have been written about this war. In memory of the victory over Napoleon's army, many memorials and monuments have been erected, the most famous of which are the Palace Square ensemble with the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

The Military Gallery in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg houses 332 portraits of Russian generals who fought in the Patriotic War of 1812. Most of them belong to the brush of the British George Doe.

Throughout its history, Russia, whatever its name, has had to repel attacks from its neighbors. Invaders and robbers came from the west, and from the east, and from the south. Fortunately, from the north Russia is covered by the ocean. But until 1812, Russia had to fight either with a certain country or with a coalition of countries. At the beginning of the 19th century, all of Europe fell upon the Russians. Napoleon brought with him a huge army, consisting of representatives from all countries of the continent. Russia's allies were (without giving a single soldier) only Great Britain, Sweden and Portugal.

Napoleon had an advantage in strength, chose the time and place of the attack, and still lost. The steadfastness of the Russian soldier, the initiative of the commanders, the strategic genius of Kutuzov and the nationwide patriotic upsurge were stronger than the training of the interventionists, their military experience and the talent of Napoleon as a commander.

Here are some interesting facts about that war:

1. The pre-war period was very similar to the relations between the USSR and Nazi Germany before the Great Patriotic War. The parties quite unexpectedly concluded the Tilsit peace, which was received by everyone very coolly. However, Russia needed several years of peace to prepare for war.

Alexander I and Napoleon in Tilsit

2. Another analogy: Hitler said that he would never have attacked the USSR if he knew the number of Soviet tanks. Napoleon would never have attacked Russia if he knew that neither Turkey nor Sweden would support him. At the same time, they are seriously talking about the power of both German and French intelligence services.

3. Napoleon called the Patriotic War the “Second Polish War” (the first ended with a miserable piece of Poland left). He came to Russia to stand up for weak Poland...

4. For the first time, the French, albeit veiled, started talking about peace on August 20, after the battle of Smolensk.

5. An end to the dispute about who won Borodino can be put by answering the question: whose army was in a better position at the end of the battle? The Russians withdrew to reinforcements, weapons depots (Kutuzov at Borodino did not use 30,000 militias armed only with pikes) and food supplies. Napoleon's army entered the empty burnt Moscow.

6. For two weeks in September - October, Napoleon offered peace to Alexander I three times, but never received an answer. In the third letter, he asked to be given the opportunity to save at least honor.

Napoleon in Moscow

7. Russia's budget spending on the war amounted to more than 150 million rubles. Requisitions (free seizure of property) were estimated at 200 million. Citizens voluntarily donated about 100 million. To this amount must be added approximately 15 million rubles spent by the communities on the uniforms of 320,000 conscripts. For reference: the colonel received 85 rubles a month, beef cost 25 kopecks. A healthy serf could be bought for 200 rubles.

8. The soldier's respect for Kutuzov was caused not only by his attitude towards the lower ranks. In the days of smooth-bore weapons and cast-iron cannonballs, a person who survived and retained his capacity after two wounds to the head was rightfully considered the chosen one of God.

Kutuzov

9. With all due respect to the heroes of Borodino, the outcome of the war was predetermined by the Tarutinsky maneuver, by which the Russian army forced the interventionists to retreat along the Old Smolensk road. After him, Kutuzov realized that he was strategically outplaying Napoleon. Unfortunately, this understanding and the euphoria that followed it cost the Russian army tens of thousands of victims who died in the pursuit of the French army to the border - the French would have left without any pursuit.

10. If you are going to joke about the fact that Russian nobles often spoke French, not knowing their native language, remember those officers who died at the hands of subordinate soldiers - those in the dark, hearing French speech, sometimes thought that they were dealing with spies, and acted accordingly. There were many such cases.

11. October 26 should also be made a day of military glory. On this day, Napoleon decided to save himself on his own, even if he abandoned the rest of the army. The retreat along the Old Smolensk road began.

12. Some Russian historians and publicists only at the place of earnings claim that the partisan struggle in the occupied territories unfolded due to the fact that the French requisitioned too much grain or livestock. In fact, the peasants, unlike modern historians, understood that the farther and faster the enemy was from their homes, the more likely they were to survive, and their economy.

13. Denis Davydov, for the sake of commanding a partisan detachment, refused to return to the post of adjutant to the commander of the army, Prince Bagration. The order to create a Davydov partisan detachment was the last document signed by the dying Bagration. The Davydov family estate was located near the Borodino field.

Denis Davydov

14. On December 14, 1812, the first invasion of the united European troops into Russia ended. Having whistled to Paris, Napoleon laid down a tradition according to which all civilized rulers who invaded Russia were defeated due to terrible Russian frosts and no less terrible Russian impassability. The great French intelligence (Benigsen allowed it to steal about a thousand incorrect wooden clichés supposedly maps of the General Staff) ate disinformation without choking. And for the Russian army, a foreign campaign began.

Time to go home…

15. Hundreds of thousands of prisoners who remained in Russia not only raised the general level of culture. They enriched the Russian language with the words "sharomyzhnik" (from cher ami - dear friend), "shantrapa" (most likely from chantra pas - "does not know how to sing." Apparently, the peasants heard these words when they were selected for a serf choir or theater) "trash ”(in French, a horse is cheval. In well-fed times of retreat, the French ate fallen horses, which was a novelty for the Russians. Then the French diet consisted mainly of snow).

In December 1812, Napoleon abandoned his army retreating from Russia and fled to Paris under the protection of two hundred selected guards. December 14, 1812 is considered the day of the end of the Patriotic War. It was during these days that Napoleon uttered one of his legendary aphorisms “from the great to the ridiculous - only one step, and let posterity judge him ...” Today, about the interesting facts of the Russian-French war.

Napoleon twice wooed Russian princesses

Napoleon Bonaparte tried to enlist in the Russian army

Back in 1788, Lieutenant Napoleon wanted to enlist in the Russian army. But just a month before Napoleon filed a petition, Russia issued a decree that foreigners, entering the Russian service, lose one rank. The careerist-Napoleon, of course, did not agree to this.

The French, advancing on Russia, used a map with errors

The murder of a Russian officer by his own soldiers was a common thing in the war of 1812

Ordinary soldiers, when recognizing "friends - foes", were primarily guided by speech, especially if a person was approaching in the dark and from afar. Russian officers preferred to communicate in French rather than in Russian. For this reason, educated Russian officers died at the hands of their own.

The words "sharomyzhnik" and "bistro" come from 1812

Kutuzov wore a black armband only a few times

Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, who led the Russian army in the war against Napoleon, received 2 head wounds one after another. Moreover, each medicine of that time was regarded as fatal. The bullet passed twice from the left temple of Kutuzov to the right. " Death rushed through his head!”Derzhavin spoke about Kutuzov. Ordinary soldiers spoke of him only as the chosen one of heaven. This is understandable: the bullets of smooth-bore pistols and guns of the end of the 18th smashed the skull to smithereens.

Most French prisoners of war stayed in Russia

The red line on the graph is the size of the Napoleonic army that entered the territory of Russia. The black line is the retreat, the number of French who left the country.

100 years after the war, all its living participants were gathered

In 1912, on the 100th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812, the government of the Russian Empire decided to search for living participants and eyewitnesses of the war. In the Tobolsk region, they found Pavel Yakovlevich Tolstoguzov, a participant in the Battle of Borodino, who at that time was 117 years old.

Patriotic War of 1812 - the record for the number of studies devoted to it

In the Military Gallery in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, in the city the most famous Russian duels, there are 332 portraits of Russian generals who participated in the Patriotic War of 1812. Most of them belong to the brush of the British George Doe.