The topic of the number of Ossetian generals in the army of the Russian Empire has been discussed more than once in the republican media. But nowhere was the exact number of those who had the chance to wear general's shoulder straps stated. And there is confusion with the names themselves. Therefore, there is a need to bring some clarity to this issue. It should be borne in mind that there are two types of generals - those who were retired “with the rank of major general” (or “promoted to major general with dismissal from service”) and those who served in the ranks of generals. We will talk about “servants”.
The rank of general first appeared in the Russian army in 1655, but the rank system was established only by the Table of Ranks, published in 1722. It remained virtually unchanged until the end of 1917. During all this time, about 15 thousand people served in the ranks of generals. How many of them were Ossetians?
The first general was Ignatius (Aslanbek) Mikhailovich TUGANOV, born in 1804. He began his military service in 1823 in the Kabardian infantry regiment, and in 1827 he was promoted to officer. From 1827 he served in the Life Guards of the Caucasian Mountain Half-Squadron of the Imperial Convoy. In 1841 he was promoted to colonel and later commanded the Mountain Regiment and the 7th Brigade of the Caucasian Linear Cossack Army. On December 6, 1851, he was promoted to major general and from that time until his death in 1868 he was attached to the Caucasian Corps.
The next to conquer the general's height was Mussa Alkhasovich KUNDUKHOV. Taken by the amanat to St. Petersburg, he was assigned to the Pavlovsk Military School, from which in 1836 he was released as an officer in the Caucasian Corps. From that time on, his long-term military service, full of different events, began. Kundukhov rose to the very important position of head of the Ossetian Military District of the Terek Region. In 1860 he received the rank of major general. And then there was a sharp turn in his fate. In 1865, he led the resettlement of the highlanders to Turkey. Both before and now there are many assumptions about why he did this. But the most likely version is that this was a special operation by the Russian authorities to remove part of the highlanders from Russia and General Kundukhov, as a reliable person, was entrusted with carrying it out. Later he commanded the Turkish troops, but in battles with the Russians he lost all the battles, not really striving for victory. Mussa Kundukhov died in 1889 in Erzurum.
General Magomed Inalovich DUDAROV was born in 1823 and began his service in 1841 in the Mountain Cossack Regiment. Then he was in the Life Guards in the Uhlan Regiment. In 1850, he was enlisted in the Life Guards of the Caucasian Mountain Half-Squadron of the Imperial Convoy, but served under the chief commander of the Military Educational Institutions. He was promoted to colonel. In 1861 he was appointed commander of the Terek Cavalry Irregular Regiment. He was known and respected both at the Royal Court and in the mountain villages of the Caucasus. By appointing Dudarov to such a responsible position, the authorities hoped that with his authority he would calm the unrest in the Terek region. In this case, the authorities were not mistaken. Basically, the Terek Regiment took part in the fighting in Chechnya and Dagestan. For his distinction in dealings with the mountaineers during the winter expedition in the Argun district in 1861, Colonel Dudarov was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 2nd degree with swords. In 1865, with the end of the Caucasian War, the Terek regiment was disbanded, and on its basis the Terek permanent militia was formed, and Colonel Dudarov was appointed to be at the disposal of the head of the Terek region. On September 18, 1871, he was promoted to major general, and from 1885 to 1889 he was in the reserve. The general died in 1893 in Vladikavkaz.
Major General Mikhail Georgievich BAEV, born in 1837. He graduated from the Konstantinovsky Military School and the Academy of the General Staff (the first of the Ossetians). Most of the time he served in customs units. Since 1872, he commanded the Taurogen border guard brigade, then was the head of the Jurburg customs district. Since 1881, he was in the Caucasus to monitor the affairs of the customs department. In 1883 he was promoted to major general. From 1888 to January 1895 he was the head of the Bessarabia customs district. He died in Vladikavkaz in 1895.
General Temirbulat DUDAROV was born in 1844, graduated from the 2nd Cadet Corps. Served in artillery units. Since 1879, he commanded the 2nd battery of the 39th artillery brigade, and since 1895, the 3rd division of the 4th artillery brigade. In 1900, he was promoted to major general and appointed commander of the 2nd Turkestan Artillery Brigade, which he headed until 1904, when he was dismissed.
Inal Tegoevich KUSOV, born in 1847 became the first Ossetian to receive the rank of lieutenant general and lead a division. He began his service in His Imperial Majesty's Own Convoy. He served as an officer in the 80th Kabardian Infantry Regiment, then was transferred to the cavalry - the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment. He particularly distinguished himself in the Russian-Turkish war - for military distinction he was awarded the Order of St. George 4th Art. and "Golden Weapon". Since 1889, he commanded the Dagestan Cavalry Regiment, and since 1896, the 1st Labinsky Regiment of the Kuban Cossack Army. On December 3, 1900, he was promoted to major general and appointed commander of the 1st brigade of the 1st Caucasian Cossack division. Since 1906, lieutenant general, head of the 1st Caucasian Cossack division. In July 1908 he was dismissed. Died in 1918.
General Sergei Semenovich KHABALOV, born in 1858, rose to high positions. He graduated from the 2nd St. Petersburg Military Gymnasium, the Mikhailovsky Artillery School and the Academy of the General Staff. He began serving as an officer in the 1st Terek Cossack Battery, then served on the General Staff. He taught at various military schools. In 1903 he became the head of the Alekseevsky Military School, in 1904 he was promoted to major general and a year later he headed the Pavlovsk Military School. In 1910 he became a lieutenant general, and in 1914 he received the post of military governor of the Ural region and ataman of the Ural Cossack army. In June 1916, he was entrusted with the responsible post of chief commander of the Petrograd Military District, and since January 1917 he has been the commander of the troops of the same district. To this day, General Khabalov is accused of being unable to control the situation in Petrograd, and of being responsible for the abdication of the Sovereign Emperor. After retiring, General Khabalov was in the ranks of the white forces in the South of Russia during the Civil War. In March 1920, he was evacuated from Novorossiysk to Greece. He died in exile in 1924.
Among the most famous Ossetian generals was Sozryko Dzankhotovich (Iosif Zakharovich) KHORANOV, born in 1842. No one questions his personal courage, but he was not a commander. Nevertheless, without even commanding a hundred, he became the head of a division. He began his service in His Imperial Majesty's Own Convoy. During the Russian-Turkish War he was under General Skobelev, who continued to patronize him. Participant in the Russian-Japanese War. Awarded the Arms of St. George. On January 31, 1905, he was promoted to major general. Since May 1907, he served with the troops of the Caucasian Military District. Member of the First World War. Since April 1916, commander of the 1st brigade of the 1st Terek Cossack division. On August 8 he was promoted to lieutenant general, and on August 23, 1917 he became the head of the 2nd Caucasian Native Cavalry Division. During the Civil War, he was included in the Armed Forces of the South of Russia. Remained in the USSR, died in Ossetia in 1935.
General Dmitry Konstantinovich ABATSIEV, born in 1857, also began serving under General Skobelev..
Unlike Khoranov, he went through all the levels of the military hierarchy, becoming a real commander and the most militant of all Ossetian generals. He was General Skobelev's personal orderly. For military distinctions in the Russian-Turkish war he was awarded the St. George Cross of the 4th, 3rd and 2nd degrees. After the war, he passed the officer exam at the Vilna Infantry Junker School. Already an officer with General Skobelev, he participated in the Ahal-Tekin expedition and was awarded the “Golden Weapon”. From 1883 he served in the Imperial Convoy. From April 1902 to May 1903 he commanded the 3rd hundred of the Convoy, then was assistant commander of the Convoy. Colonel since 1903. From 1904 to 1906 he commanded the Ussuri Cossack Regiment, with which he participated in the Russian-Japanese War. For military distinction, on March 28, 1906, he was promoted to major general. In 1907, he was appointed commander of the 2nd brigade of the 1st Caucasian Cossack division. Since 1912, Abatsiev was lieutenant general, head of the 2nd Caucasian Cossack Division. Participant of the First World War on the Caucasian front. For the capture of Bitlis he was awarded the Order of St. George 4th Art. Since June 1916 he has been commander of the 6th Caucasian Army Corps. In September 1917, he was enlisted in the reserve ranks of the headquarters of the Caucasian Military District. In February 1918, he was appointed commander of the Caucasian Native Cavalry Corps; on September 30, 1918, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Front, he was promoted to cavalry general for military distinction. Member of the White Movement. In the Volunteer Army since the end of 1918. On June 13, 1919, he was confirmed with the rank of cavalry general and appointed an honorary representative of the mountain peoples under the commander of the troops of the North Caucasus. Since 1920 in exile in Yugoslavia. Chairman of the Court of Honor for Generals. He died in 1936 in Belgrade.
General Alexander Mikhailovich BORUKAEV was born in 1850, graduated from the Konstantinovsky Military School. Served in the artillery. Participant in the Russian-Turkish and Russian-Japanese wars. Since 1895, commander of the battery of the 35th artillery brigade. Since 1903, colonel, commander of the 1st division of the 40th artillery brigade. Since 1905, commander of the 10th Artillery Brigade. In 1907 he was promoted to major general, and in July 1908 he was dismissed. Died in Vladikavkaz in March 1919.
Lieutenant General Afako Patsievich Fidarov, born in 1859, after the Konstantinovsky Military School, he served in units of the Terek Cossack Army. Since 1902 he was a military instructor in Persia. Participated in the Russian-Japanese War as part of the Terek-Kuban regiment. For military distinction he was awarded the “Golden Weapon”. Since 1907, he commanded the 1st Khoper Regiment of the Kuban KV. On July 23, 1910, he was promoted to major general and appointed brigade commander of the 2nd Caucasian Cossack Division. During the First World War he commanded the 1st Turkestan Cossack Division. Since 1916, Lieutenant General. During the Civil War, as part of the white forces of the South of Russia. Remained in the USSR. Shot in December 1929 in Vladikavkaz.
The son of an officer of the village of Novoosetinskaya of the Terek Cossack army, Zaurbek Dzambulatovich TURGIEV was born in 1859, graduated from the Stavropol gymnasium and the 2nd Konstantinovsky military school. He was released as an officer into the 1st Gorsko-Mozdok Regiment, then served in the 1st Sunzhensko-Vladikavkaz Regiment. Participated in the Russian-Japanese War. In February 1904 he was promoted to military sergeant major and became assistant regiment commander. Since 1907, he was the commander of the 2nd Black Sea Regiment of the Kuban KV, and was promoted to colonel. In 1908, he headed the 1st Yeisk regiment of the Kuban KV. In 1911, he was appointed commander of the 1st brigade of the 1st Caucasian Cossack division. On October 21, 1913, Zaurbek Turgiev was promoted to major general. According to the mobilization plan in the event of war, he was supposed to lead the Terek Cossack division, but in March 1914 he became seriously ill, was hospitalized and died in June 1915. He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant general.
The last general of the Russian Empire from among the Ossetians was Elmurza Aslanbekovich MISTULOV, a native of Art. Chernoyarsk Terek Cossack army. He was born in 1869, graduated from the Stavropol Cossack Junker School. Served in the 1st Sunzhensko-Vladikavkaz Regiment. Participant of the Russian-Japanese War as part of the Terek-Kuban Regiment. For military distinction he was awarded the Order of St. George 4th class, “Golden weapon” and promoted to esaul. Since 1913, he commanded the 2nd Sunzhensko-Vladikavkaz Regiment, at the head of which the First World War found him with the rank of colonel. Since March 1916, he was the commander of the 1st Caucasian Regiment of the Kuban KV. From December 1916 he became commander of the 2nd brigade of the 1st Kuban Cossack division. In January 1917, Elmurza Mistulov was promoted to major general. Since September he has been the brigade commander of the 3rd Kuban Cossack Division. He was an active participant in the uprising of the Terek Cossacks against Soviet power. From July 1918 he commanded the troops of the Terek Army. On July 12 he was seriously wounded in a battle near St. Cool. Having recovered, he again assumed the post of commander on October 17. Unable to stop the retreat of the Cossack troops, on November 9, 1918, he shot himself in the village of Prokhladnaya.
Thus, it turns out that thirteen Ossetians served in the ranks of generals. Of these, the youngest general was Kundukhov, who received general's shoulder straps at 42 years old, and later than all the Khorans - at 63 years old. Two did not die by natural causes: Mistulov (shot himself) and Fidarov (shot). General Khoranov lived the longest, dying at the age of 93. And the last to die, in 1935, was General Abatsiev.
Although there are not so many serving Ossetian generals, but, firstly, for little Ossetia this is an impressive figure, and, secondly, what kind of generals they were! Those who have gone through the crucible of severe trials and demonstrated their worthiness in them! It is also necessary to take into account the fact that there were even more—three times more—retired generals. And all together they made their invaluable contribution to the military glory of the Russian army, entered the galaxy of generals of the Russian Empire and formed the glorious traditions of the Ossetian military intelligentsia.
Mikhail BAEV
Alexander BORUKAEV Temirbolat DUDAROV
Afako Fidarov Sergei KHABALOV
Sozryko KHORANOV Moussa KUNDUKHOV
Inal KUSOV Elmurza MISTULOV
Aslambek TUGANOV
http://ossetia.kvaisa.ru/news/show/22/397
Article 14 of the Basic State Laws of the Russian Empire proclaimed the emperor “the sovereign leader of the Russian army and navy.” The sovereign determined the structure of the army and navy, issued decrees and commands regarding “... everything generally related to the structure of the armed forces and defense of the Russian State” 1. On the eve of the First World War, on July 16, 1914, the “Regulations on Field Command of Troops in Wartime” was approved, which allowed the Emperor, if he “does not deign to lead the troops personally,” to delegate control of the armed forces to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The Commander-in-Chief received the broadest powers, his orders in the theater of military operations were equated to the highest commands. He was appointed by the emperor, obeyed only him and reported to him 2.
For the first time in Russian history, the position of Supreme Commander-in-Chief was filled on July 20, 1914. In total, during the years of the Great War until the signing of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army was replaced by eight people, among whom, along with full generals, there was an ensign and even, in an unprecedented case, a “shtafirka”, a civilian.
On March 9, 1918, the last Supreme Commander-in-Chief was relieved of his post, and on March 27, the Russian army itself ceased to exist.
Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Romanov (junior) (6.11.1856 - 5.01.1929)
Term of command. 20.07.1914 - 23.08.1915
Rank, rank.
Battle path. With his participation in 1914, the unsuccessful East Prussian and triumphant Galician operations were carried out, the enemy offensive was repelled during the Warsaw-Ivangorod and Lodz operations, and the Przemysl fortress was taken. He was extremely popular among the troops. Even major setbacks at the front in 1915 - the loss of Galicia, Poland and a large part of the Baltic states - did not affect his reputation.
He was removed from office at his own request (another version is due to political intrigue). After the decision of Nicholas II to personally lead the army, he was appointed governor in the Caucasus and commander-in-chief of the Caucasian Front.
Before abdicating the throne on March 2, 1917, Nicholas II again appointed Nikolai Nikolaevich as commander-in-chief. However, a week later, the Provisional Government forced the Grand Duke to resign - hatred of the Romanov dynasty was already seething over the edge.
Awards. Order of St. George 4th degree, St. George 3rd degree, St. George 2nd degree; St. George's weapon, decorated with diamonds, with the inscription "For the liberation of Chervona Rus."
STROKE TO THE PORTRAIT
A man of great scope, straightforward, decisive, who had completed a higher military education, who had the experience of the Turkish war behind him... who was impressive with his appearance, who held a number of military positions from a junior officer to the commander-in-chief of the capital district inclusive - this is how the appearance of the Grand Duke of Russia was depicted 3.
_Infantry General A.Yu. Danilov
(06.05.1868 - 17.07.1918)
Term of command. 23.08.1915 - 2.03.1917
Chin. Colonel of the Guard.
Combat path. With the outbreak of the war, Nicholas II wanted to personally lead the army, but was forced to yield to the government, which categorically did not accept this decision. The “Great Retreat” of the summer of 1915 strengthened the tsar’s conviction to fulfill his royal duty - “when the enemy went deeper into the empire, to assume supreme command of the active troops and... to defend the Russian Land from enemy attacks” 4 .
He made successful personnel changes and appointed the experienced and popular General M.V. as chief of staff. Alekseev, established supplies, raised the morale of the troops. All this led to the stabilization of the front and largely prepared the Brusilov breakthrough of 1916, which became a turning point in the war.
Awards. Order of St. George 4th degree.
STROKE TO THE PORTRAIT
It’s calmer with the Emperor. His Majesty gives instructions that are so consistent with combat strategic tasks that you develop these directives with full conviction of their expediency. He knows the front perfectly and has a rare memory 5 .
_Infantry General M.V. Alekseev
(03.11.1857-08.10.1918)
Term of command. 1.04.1917 - 21.05.1917
Rank, rank. Infantry General, Adjutant General.
Combat path. Trying to stop the disintegration of the army, he demanded that all orders for the army go through the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. After the appearance of the order N1 and the soldiers' committees, he compromised, hoping to take control of the committees by introducing officers into them. The “Temporary Regulations on the Organization of the Ranks of the Active Army and Navy,” sent out on March 30, 1917, authorized military committees, but limited the scope of their competence.
He participated in the creation of the "Union of Army and Navy Officers", and at the First Congress on May 7 he spoke out against the demand for peace without annexations and indemnities. On May 21, he demanded the restoration of the activities of military courts and the introduction of the death penalty at the front, after which he was removed from his post and appointed military adviser to the Provisional Government.
Awards. Order of St. George 4th degree, St. Anna 4th degree "For bravery", St. Stanislaus 3rd degree with swords and bow, St. Anna 3rd degree with swords and bow, St. Vladimir 4th degree with swords and bow, St. Stanislav 1st degree with swords; Golden weapon with the inscription "For bravery."
STROKE TO THE PORTRAIT
Tremendous efficiency, excellent familiarity with the army and its needs, great caution, and thoughtfulness ensure [Alekseev] the systematic conduct of operations without risky moves that do not correspond to the current disordered state of the army 6 .
_Cavalry General A.M. Dragomirov
(01.08.1853-17.03.1926)
Term of command. 22.05.1917 - 19.07.1917
Rank, rank. General of the cavalry, adjutant general.
Combat path. One of the best commanders of the First World War, who developed and carried out a fateful breakthrough. After the abdication of Nicholas II, he was considered as an alternative to Alekseev for the post of Commander-in-Chief, and after his resignation he headed the army.
On May 22, 1917, by order at the front, he began the formation of “special shock revolutionary battalions recruited in the center of Russia,” designed to “carry along the hesitant” during the offensive 7 . Brusilov was preparing an offensive under the red flag, but on the basis of a plan developed by the Tsarist Headquarters. The offensive of the Russian army in the summer of 1917 failed. As the retreat began on July 12, military revolutionary courts were established and the death penalty was restored at the front.
Awards. Order of St. George 4th degree, St. George 3rd degree, St. Stanislaus 3rd degree with swords and bow, St. Anna 3rd degree with swords and bow, St. Stanislav 2nd degree with swords, White Eagle with swords; St. George's weapon, decorated with diamonds, with the inscription "For the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian armies in Volyn, Bukovina and Galicia on May 22-25, 1916."
STROKE TO THE PORTRAIT
The head of a broad flight of thought and a clear understanding of the matter... The only general who combines both brilliant strategic talents and a broad understanding of Russia's political tasks and is able to quickly assess the current situation 8.
_Chairman of the State Duma M.V. Rodzianko
(18.08.1870-31.03.1918)
Term of command. 19.07.1917 - 27.08.1917
Chin. General of Infantry.
Battle path. He gained fame after escaping from Austrian captivity in July 1916. After the February Revolution, in five months he went from corps commander to Supreme Commander-in-Chief. On July 19, 1917, he agreed to accept supreme command on the condition of non-interference with his orders. The front was stabilized by tough measures.
At the State Conference on August 12-15 in Moscow, he outlined his program for establishing order in the rear. At the end of August, from Headquarters he negotiated with Kerensky about establishing firm power in the country, but the words of the Commander-in-Chief were regarded as an ultimatum. He was declared a rebel, removed from his post, and after the suppression of the protest on August 25-31, he was arrested.
Awards. Order of St. George 4th degree, St. George 3rd degree, St. Vladimir 3rd degree with swords, St. Stanislav 2nd degree with swords, St. Vladimir 3rd degree with swords, St. Stanislav 1st degree with swords, St. Anna 1st degree with swords.
STROKE TO THE PORTRAIT
“Kornilov is brave, courageous, stern, decisive, independent and will not stop at any independent actions required by the situation, and at any responsibility” 9.
_Lieutenant General A.I. Denikin
Alexander Fedorovich Kerensky (22.04.1881-11.06.1970)
Term of command. 30.08.1917 - 3.11.1917
Chin. I didn't. Civilian "shtafirka". Declared himself Supreme Commander.
Combat path. On May 3, 1917, he was appointed Minister of War, in this capacity, in preparation for the summer offensive, he toured front-line units with patriotic speeches, for which he received the nickname “chief persuader.”
Having dealt with Kornilov, in view of the refusal of other candidates, he declared himself supreme commander-in-chief. In September, he formed the “Business Cabinet” and declared Russia a republic, held a Democratic Conference and formed the Pre-Parliament. At this time, the army actually found itself in the hands of committees and was rapidly disintegrating.
Awards. Soldiers' St. George Crosses of the 1st, 2nd and 4th degrees (awarded to the Minister of War for “great feats in the struggle for the freedom of the Russian land” by soldiers and officers).
STROKE TO THE PORTRAIT
Kerensky should be considered one of the greatest orators of his kind in history. There was nothing charming about his performances. His voice became rough from constant screaming. He gestured little... but he spoke and spoke with endearing conviction 10 .
_British Consul General R.B. Lockhart
(01.12.1876-20.11.1917)
Term of command. 3.11.1917 - 9.11.1917
Chin. Lieutenant General.
Combat path. One of A.A.’s closest assistants. Brusilova. On September 10, 1917, Kerensky's chief of staff, after the latter's escape, became acting Commander-in-Chief. He ordered the troops to stand in position, and on November 7-8 refused to negotiate peace with the enemy on behalf of the Council of People's Commissars, since "only the central government, supported by the army and the country, can have sufficient weight and significance for the opponents." “For disobedience to government orders and for behavior that brings unprecedented misfortune to the working masses of all countries and especially the armies” he was dismissed from his post. Waiting for the arrival of the new commander-in-chief, on November 18 he ordered the release of Kornilov from custody, remained at Headquarters and on November 20 fell victim to soldier lynching.
Awards. Order of St. George 4th degree, St. George 3rd degree, St. Stanislav 2nd degree with swords, St. Vladimir 4th degree with swords and bow, St. Vladimir 3rd degree with swords; St. George's weapon.
STROKE TO THE PORTRAIT
Dukhonin was a broad-minded, frank and honest person, far from political squabbles and machinations. Unlike some older officers, he did not complain and grumble about the “new system” and did not at all idealize the old army... There was nothing in him from the old military bureaucrat and martinet 13.
_A.F. Kerensky
Nikolai Vasilievich Krylenko (05/02/1885-07/29/1938)
Term of command. 9.11.1917 - 5.03.1918
Chin. Ensign
Combat path. After the October coup, he joined the first Council of People's Commissars as a member of the Committee on Military and Naval Affairs. After N.N.’s refusal Dukhonin was appointed to negotiate peace on November 9 by V.I. Lenin Supreme Commander-in-Chief. On November 12, he gave the order to all units at the front to begin negotiations on an armistice; on November 13, he began negotiations with Germany, which ended on December 2 with an armistice.
He reported to the Council of People's Commissars about the army's loss of combat capability and advocated peace on any terms. After the signing of the Brest Peace Treaty, he resigned, and on March 13, 1918, the post of Supreme Commander-in-Chief was abolished.
Awards. didn't have
STROKE TO THE PORTRAIT
Ensign Krylenko, by his revolutionary nickname - “Comrade Abram”, squat, short-legged, stooped, with unshaven red stubble on his cheeks, in a protective jacket, with his combat equipment carelessly put on and hanging awkwardly... 14.
_Major General G.I. Goncharenko (Yuri Galich)
1. Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire. Third meeting. Volume XXV. 1905. Dept. I. Ch. I. C. 457.
2. Regulations on field control of troops in wartime. St. Petersburg 1914. From 1-3.
3. Danilov Yu.N. Russia in the World War of 1914-1915. Berlin. 1924. P. 144.
4. The highest rescript to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. August 23, 1915. Quoted. by: Polivanov A.A. Nine months at the head of the War Ministry (June 13, 1915 - March 13, 1916) // Questions of history. 1994. N3. P. 121.
5. Quote. by: Multatuli P.V. God bless my decision... Emperor Nicholas II at the head of the active army and the conspiracy of the generals. M. 2002. P. 115.
6. Telegram from Dragomirov to Minister of War Guchkov, March 21, 1917 // Zayonchkovsky A.M. Strategic outline of the war of 1914-1918. P. 128.
7. Order on the front N 561 of May 22, 1917 // Golovin N.N. Military efforts of Russia in the World War M. 2001. P. 359.
8. Letter from M.V. Rodzianko G.E. Guchkov March 18, 1917 // Zayonchkovsky A.M. Decree. Op. P. 125.
9. Denikin A.I. Essays on Russian Troubles. The collapse of power and the army. Paris, 1921. P. 193.
10. Lockhart R.B. History from the inside. Memoirs of a British agent. M., Berlin, 2017. P. 195.
11. Conversation between the government and headquarters via direct wire on November 9, 1917 // Worker and Soldier. N 20.1917. November 9.
12. Ibid.
13. Kerensky A.F. Russia is at a historical turning point. Memoirs. M.: Republic, 1993. P. 297.
14. Yuri Galich. Death of Dukhonin. On the sixth anniversary of his death. (From an eyewitness diary) // Today. Riga. N267. 1923. November 30
Forgotten pages of the Great War
Generals of the 14th year
Academy of the General Staff
Yes, Suvorov was not found among the Russian generals of 1914. However, Napoleon was not found among the French generals, Caesar among the Italians, and Generalissimo Eugene of Savoy among the Austrian ones. The German generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff were, of course, outstanding figures of the First World War, but they lost the war. So the assertions that Russia and its army suffered more than others - both allies and adversaries - from the incompetence of the command are, to put it mildly, biased.
Finally, it is worth noting that military geniuses, like our Alexander Vasilyevich, are born on the planet extremely rarely. Commanders of this level can be counted on one hand. And most of the wars in history were fought by far less gifted commanders.
What are they in our case? Who are they - the generals of the 14th year?
First, some statistics that will help us determine the “passport data” of the command staff of the Russian Imperial Army. By 1914, there were 1,574 generals on staff: full (something between a modern army general and colonel general) - 169, lieutenant generals - 371, major generals - 1034.
56 percent had higher military education (Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, Mikhailovsk Artillery Academy, Nikolaev Academy of Engineering, Alekseevsk Law Academy, Quartermaster Academy). Among full generals, the percentage is higher - 62. In 1914, the army consisted of 36 army corps and 1 guards corps. Of the 37 corps commanders, 33 had higher military education, the vast majority graduated from the Academy of the General Staff. It is interesting that among those who did not have a higher education were the commander of the Guards Corps, General Bezobrazov, and the future heroic commander of the Southwestern Front, and in 1914, the commander of the 12th Army Corps, Brusilov.
If we compare the senior officers of Russia before the Russo-Japanese and the First World Wars by educational category, the changes are striking. Among regiment commanders, 9 percent more could boast of higher education. It was 30%, now it is 39%. But among corps commanders it was 57%, now 90%!
The changes also affected the age limit. In 1903, among corps commanders over 60 years old there were 67%, in 1914 only 10% remained. Among the regimental commanders who have passed the 50-year mark, 28% remained from 49%. The bulk of the commanders of the infantry divisions were aged 51-60 years, the cavalry divisions - 46-55 years old. In absolute numbers – 65 and 13 lieutenant generals, respectively.
As you know, there was no “nationality” column in the empire’s questionnaires. It was replaced by the column “religion”. However, statistics were also kept on the “national topic”. The vast majority of generals were Russian: 86%. Every tenth general was either an ethnic German or a Pole (7 and 3 percent respectively).
As for class origin, again the overwhelming majority of generals were from the nobility. Almost 88%. But service nobles, not local ones. At the beginning of the twentieth century, few representatives of the noble class remained landowners. And even more so among the officers. Thus, among the corps commanders, only five had land ownership. The same number is among division commanders. Even among the commanders of the Guards regiments, and the Guard is the country's military elite, less than 40% owned land and estates. They lived on a salary. It, by the way, was noticeably inferior to the salary of civil officials who occupied the same positions in the Table of Ranks as generals.
In addition to corps, divisions and regiments, before 1914, generals served in the Ministry of War, military educational institutions, artillery, engineering and railway troops, the Separate Corps of Gendarmes, the border guard, and the navy. By the way, 60 admirals also served in the Imperial Navy.
Nicholas II and the son of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Sr., grandson of Emperor Nicholas I
It's time to introduce several people from the top generals of the Russian Army. Ten days before Russia entered the First World War, the Emperor's uncle, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr., was appointed Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Among the members of the family he was called Nikolasha, in the army - the Evil One (from the prayer “Our Father” - “...deliver us from the evil one”).
There were reasons for such a nickname among the troops. The son of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Sr. and grandson of Emperor Nicholas I inherited some of the character traits of his grandfather and great-grandfather Paul I. He was quick-tempered and terrible in anger. This did not contribute to the desire of the commanders of formations and units to meet with the Grand Duke once again at parades, exercises and other events.
In the Soviet Union, the generals of the tsarist army who sided with the Bolsheviks were treated with great respect. Each of them had their own reasons for breaking their oath to the emperor.
Mikhail Bonch-Bruevich
Mikhail Dmitrievich Bonch-Bruevich became the first tsarist general to defect to the “Reds” after the October Revolution. One of the reasons why he, who swore allegiance to the Tsar and the Fatherland, turned away from the old regime and took the side of the enemy of his Sovereign, was the discrepancy between the ideals that the Tsarist government preached and the reality in which the Russian people lived. Bonch-Bruevich himself wrote: “Devotion to the monarchical system presupposed the confidence that we, in Russia, have the best form of government and because everything is better here than anywhere else. “Leave” patriotism was inherent in all people of my profession and circle, and that is why every time the true state of affairs in the country was revealed, the crack in my soul widened. It became clear that Tsarist Russia could no longer live like this, and even more so could not fight...”
According to Mikhail Dmitrievich, “the interests of Russia and the dynasty are by no means the same thing; the former were to be unconditionally sacrificed to the latter.” Since the Romanov dynasty was closely related to the German princes and the emperor of the German Empire, the Romanovs forgave, according to Bonch-Bruevich, even the most outright betrayals during the war, if they were committed by people close to the imperial court. Bonch-Bruevich saw in the “Reds” “the only force capable of saving Russia from collapse and complete destruction.”
Alexey Brusilov
Alexey Alekseevich Brusilov, famous for his famous “Brusilov breakthrough,” after the February and October revolutions, firmly decided not to separate from the soldiers and remain in the army “as long as it exists or until I am replaced.” Later, he said that he considered it the duty of every citizen not to abandon his people and live with them, no matter what the cost.
The general's past was the reason for Brusilov's arrest by the Cheka in August 1918, but thanks to the petition of the general's colleagues who were already in the Red Army, Brusilov was soon released. While he was under house arrest until 1918, his son, a former cavalry officer, was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army. Fighting on the fronts of the Civil War, during the offensive of General Denikin’s troops on Moscow, he was captured and hanged.
For his father, this was the last straw. Judging by his memoirs, “My Memoirs,” he never fully trusted the Bolsheviks. But he fought on their side until the very end.
Vasily Altvater
Rear Admiral of the Russian Fleet Vasily Mikhailovich Altfater, who participated in the defense of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War and worked in the Naval Administration during the First World War, became the first commander of the RKKF. This is what he wrote in his statement to the Bolsheviks: “Until now, I served only because I considered it necessary to be useful to Russia. I didn't know you and didn't trust you. Even now I don’t understand much, but I am convinced that you love Russia, more than many of ours.”
Altvater succumbed to general disappointment in the previous regime, which was unable to lead the country out of the crisis. On the one hand, he saw corruption and a decayed fleet management apparatus, on the other, a new force, the power of the soviets, which with loud slogans easily won the hearts of sailors, soldiers and ordinary people. According to sources, for Altvater, service in the navy was not a means of livelihood, but a profession as a “defender of the Motherland.” A sense of longing for the future of Russia pushed him to go over to the side of the “Reds”.
Alexander von Taube
Alexander Alexandrovich von Taube, a lieutenant general of the Russian army, defected to the Soviet government and became known as the “Siberian Red General.” He, like Altvater, was one of the first to go over to the side of the Bolsheviks, guided by his personal conviction about the rightness of the communist cause. Not the least role in his choice was played by the devastation that reigned in the army, which neither the emperor nor the Provisional Government could cope with. During the Civil War, he participated in the creation of a combat-ready Red Army and actively and successfully fought the White Guard forces.
Dmitry Shuvaev
Dmitry Savelyevich Shuvaev, an infantry general, Minister of War of the Russian Empire during the First World War, was arrested by the Cheka immediately after the October Revolution and was unable to emigrate from the country. Therefore, after his release, he decided to take advantage of the offer of the Soviet government and join the Red Army.
Shuvaev took the position of chief military quartermaster in Petrograd, as well as the position of teacher at the Vystrel higher tactical rifle school in Moscow. But in 1937 he was twice accused of counter-revolutionary activities and anti-Soviet agitation, and was shot in Lipetsk.
On Friday I finally finished fiddling around with preparing the “general’s” file for calculations, which took almost a year and a half. For 36.2 thousand people. I had to place conventional symbols and numbers in 9 columns: the number of representatives of the clan to which the person belongs, since when this clan has been in the service of the Republic of Ingushetia, its origin (Baltic Sea, Polish, etc.), the rank of the person himself, he is a military man or civilian, father's rank, max. brothers rank, max. the rank of sons and their presence (or only daughters, or childless), the total number of children. This study should constitute the 2nd part of the book about the Russian service stratum (the 1st part of which represents an already written general outline of its history from the Middle Ages with a maximum of all available digital data). It will take some time to check typos and do the calculations, but in the fall I hope to present it in the form of a dozen tables.
Military and civilian ranks of 1-4 (until 1796 - also 5th) classes were taken into account, and only those received during active service, and not upon retirement (there are 2-3 times more of these). Initially, I was interested in a simple thing - the degree of self-reproduction of the “generals” (what percentage of “generals” have a father who is also a “general” and vice versa), but “appetite comes with eating” and led to what it led to. Things went slowly, because every time I tried to find, wherever possible, a genealogical list: although all the main sources of this kind were initially included in my so-called. “common database” (where there are now about 2 million records), but in a scattered form there are many paintings on all sorts of regional and amateur sites and publications, and fiddling with the Baltic Sea publications is Gothic, where different branches of the same genus can be found in different volumes, and it was necessary to bring them together into a general generation system, at the same time converting the stupid German system “by lines” into the “Dolgorukov system” (by generations) that was necessary for my purposes - something altogether.
But there is nothing to do, because... it was necessary to separate namesakes, but there were dozens of noble families with common surnames alone (for example, about a hundred Ilyins, 98 Makarovs, 83 Matveevs, 82 Pavlovs, 76 Davydovs, 72 Danilovs, etc.), although, of course, more than 90 % of the “generals” belonged to the 1-3 oldest and most prominent of the same family families. Moreover, the paintings are usually not complete, and even for famous titled families there is usually some left. number of persons, undoubtedly to them according to the official. state belonging to sources, but not reflected in the list (because general state records were not kept, and the lists were compiled by genealogists in archival cases about the nobility, initiated by individuals who may not have mentioned the side branches in their petitions).
Until the end of the calculations, I will refrain from making assessments, since I know well how deceptive impressions from “examples” are (even with all the experience of working with mass material, I can say to myself that exceptions are usually remembered at least three times better and create a corresponding deviation in the assessment). On the one hand, dozens of representatives of a number of well-known families are impressive (upon closer observation, drowning, however, in the sea of “Ivanov-Petrovs”), on the other hand, there are numerous examples of this kind: the son of a craftsman is a doctor (col.ass), and his six children and grandchildren - active state and secret councilors, all five sons of the St. Petersburg tailor - in the ranks of generals, etc. (but the proportion of such people in the total mass is also not at all the same as according to the first impression).
For now, we can only say absolutely definitely that RI is an absolutely typical example of a “bureaucratic” society: even throughout the entire period, almost half of all “generals” are the only representatives of their kind (in “aristocratic” societies the situation is mirrored - there are 2-3% of them, whereas up to 30-40% are given by births, constituting 2% of all births, and 10% of births give 60-80% of all higher ranks), and in the 1st and especially the 2nd half of the 19th century, naturally, even more .
Of course, the number of representatives of clans among the “generals” largely depends on the age of the clan (which allowed it to multiply greatly by the 18th-19th centuries), but this is only one factor; in general, the “influence” of a clan should be judged by the proportion of persons who have reached the highest ranks in the total number of its adult men (and according to this indicator, not the most numerous may lead). I counted 55 clans that produced 20 or more “generals” (about a dozen - even 40 or more: 118 books by Golitsyn, 81 by Tolstoy, 63 books by Dolgorukov, 52 by Bibikov, 44 books by Gagarin, 42 books by Volkonsky, Arsenyevs and Bar. Korfov, 40 Engelhardts), of these 55 - 9 families of Rurikovich and Gediminovich, 31 belong to Russian families known no later than the 16th century, 13 Baltic, 1 “late” Russian (Demidovs) and 1 “late” foreign (Cliffs). However, these taken together are “a drop in the bucket” (about 4%).
In general (with the exception of the 1st half - mid-18th century), the proportion of clans known in the service before the beginning of the 18th century. relatively small: in any case, out of about 2 thousand of the most prominent such families, only 128 gave 10 or more “generals” to the Republic of Ingushetia, and more than a third had only one or none at all (despite the fact that the remaining 1.5 thousand no old births were given). Moreover, hundreds of old births were not given birth in the 18th-19th centuries. not even a single person in the “staff officer” ranks (8th class and above), without rising in active service above a titular adviser or captain, and many simply by the end of the 19th century. did not serve, but lived as peasants on their small plots