Golden saber of General Chechensky
Alexander Nikolaevich Chechensky
Ali from the village of Aldy
History General Alexander Chechensky began with the war in the North Caucasus. At the end of the 1780s, the highlanders raised the first armed uprising against Russian troops. The leader of the movement was Sheikh Mansur. One of the many battles took place on the site of modern Grozny - in those days it was the village of Aldy.
Sixteen-year-old warrant officer Nikolai Raevsky took part in the battle for the village, who noticed little Ali among the burning ruins. His mother died in childbirth five years ago, and his father fought with the Russian army and subsequently died. The future hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, Raevsky, was imbued with pity for the orphan and took him in for his upbringing.
The five-year-old boy was taken to Raevsky’s mother, to whom he became like a son. In the new family, the future general was given the name Alexander, patronymic Nikolaevich, and last name Chechensky. This was a common practice - noble families often took in children from rebellious regions, naming them after their place of birth and the people to which they belonged.
It is interesting that Raevsky had a son named Alexander, and the surviving correspondence of relatives has confused historians a lot. Nikolai Nikolaevich added ambiguity when he called Alexander Chechensky in his letters by his family - Raevsky.
The history of Chechensky is developing rapidly. Being under the influence of his godfather, he could not choose any other service than the military. At the age of 14, Alexander graduated from the Noble Boarding School of Moscow University, a closed educational institution for young men from the nobility. Previously, Raevsky himself studied here.
After Moscow, Alexander Chechensky heads to the Caucasus, where, with the rank of sergeant, he serves in his godfather’s regiment in Kizlyar. At the age of 16 he was an ensign, and at 24 he became a second lieutenant of the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment. At the beginning of the XNUMXth century, Russia had many armed conflicts in the south, and they could not have happened without the participation of Alexander of Chechnya. Raevsky's godson went on expeditions to the Caspian Sea and fought with the Ottomans in the Black Sea region.
The western borders of Russia are gradually flaring up, and Chechensky asks for a transfer to the Gordny Hussar Regiment. Since 1805, he was already a participant in the war with Napoleon as part of the 1st column of Prince Bagration. These were the times of the Russian-Austro-French War, when the coalition fielded almost half a million people against Napoleon. The war did not end very well for Russia, but peace with France was never signed.
In Europe, Chechensky commands a half-squadron and wins himself military glory. For the battle of Preussisch-Eylau in 1807, he was awarded the Order of St. George, IV degree with bow. The battle is considered the bloodiest in a series of battles of the Russian-Austro-French war. The losses of the Russian army ranged from 8 to 12 thousand people.
In the foreign campaigns of the Russian army, Chechen distinguished himself with courage and dedication in the battles of Myshenitsy, Gutstadt and Akkendorf. For Gutstadt, Alexander is awarded the golden saber of St. George with the engraving “For Bravery.”
Yary Chechensky
Chechensky meets the invasion of Napoleon's army with the rank of captain in the partisan detachment of Denis Davydov as commander of the Bug Cossack regiment. The immediate commander describes the appearance of Alexander Chechensky as follows:
“The captain of the Chechen cavalry was a Circassian (at that time all Caucasians, including Chechens, were called Circassians), taken from Chechnya as an infant and matured in Russia. Small in stature, lean, hook-nosed, bronze complexion, black hair like a raven's wing, eagle's gaze. The character is ardent, passionate and indomitable: a clear friend or enemy; boundless enterprise, quick wit and instant determination.”
Chechensky was well acquainted with Davydov from his time serving in the Grodno Hussar Regiment.
About the military prowess of Chechen Davydov in his “Combat Notes” writes the following:
“Meanwhile, the Chechensky with the Bug regiment completely crossed the path of the attacked French battalion, which, expecting reinforcements, imagined holding in the village until its arrival and opened fire on us from the huts and vegetable gardens. Seething with vengeance, I called the hunters to set fire to the huts in which the enemy had holed up. Seeing imminent death, the battalion began to run out of the village in all directions. The Chechen noticed this, struck and took 119 privates and the captain prisoner.”
And more:
“At one time, captain Chechensky met wagons with provisions, spending the night in the forest on the road from Vopka to Vyazma. The enemy, noticing the Cossacks, hurried to form the convoy in a semicircle in order to defend themselves because of it. But Chechensky did not give them time to complete this formation, he struck and took possession of the transport. Then the cover, consisting of infantry, rushed into the middle of the forest, continuing continuous fire... Ardent Chechensky hurried his troops, rushed into the forest and hit the enemy with darts. This daring act completed the defeat..."
In 1812, Alexander Chechensky and his regiment took part in battles with the French near Vitebsk, Tarutin and Smolensk. For military valor he is awarded the Orders of St. Anne, Vladimir and George. In the Battle of Borodino, the future general fights the French in the corps of Ataman Platov.
Battle of Leipzig
In December 1812, the 1st Bug Regiment clashed with Napoleon's Austrians near Grodno. Chechensky's contemporaries point to the commander's considerable diplomatic talent. Liberating the city head-on would result in unprecedented losses among the Russian army and in the enemy camp. Through envoys, Captain Chechensky invites General Freilich of the Grodno garrison to surrender the city without a fight and go home.
The times of knights had not yet passed, and in order to win the favor of the enemy commander, Alexander Chechensky returned two captured hussars to Freulich. The Austrians were not against leaving Grodno, but first promised to burn all the provisions. But the captain managed to convince the enemy to withdraw all four thousand soldiers along with artillery without a fight and leave the city untouched.
It didn’t happen quickly – it took a few days, but Grodno was worth it. Truly, the best battle is the one that is avoided. For the bloodless capture of the city, Chechensky was promoted to major.
In March 1813, our hero repeated the victory in Grodno near Dresden. Only now his regiment, with its very appearance, caused the enemy to flee from the city. In the same year, the Chechen regiment distinguished itself in the battles of Bautzen and Lucin. And of course, the famous “Battle of the Nations” near Leipzig did not happen without the active participation of the commander.
This was the beginning of the end of Napoleon's army and the largest battle of the 140th century, in which almost XNUMX thousand soldiers were killed. In the same year, Barclay de Tolly awarded Chechensky the rank of lieutenant colonel. Just a year after receiving the rank of major. From that time on, he was a commander in the Life Guards Hussar Regiment.
After the “Battle of the Nations,” the French army lost a series of battles, which ultimately resulted in the capture of Paris and Napoleon’s abdication. Among the winners of 1814, Alexander Chechensky occupies a special place. His regiment captured the city of Soissons and took part in the capture of Lyon. In one of the battles, the lieutenant colonel was wounded in the arm and leg, but he continued to command the battle.
For his courage and bravery, Alexander Chechensky was awarded the Order of St. Anne with diamonds. Paris also fell with the active participation of our hero, for which he was promoted to the rank of colonel and awarded the medals “For Entering Paris” and “In Memory of 1812”, as well as the Order of St. Vladimir II degree and St. Anne II degree with diamonds.
The apotheosis of Alexander Chechensky’s glorious career in the Patriotic War was his participation in the parade of winners on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. The colonel rightfully took his place in the retinue of Emperor Alexander I next to his senior comrades Nikolai Raevsky and Denis Davydov.
After the war, Alexander Chechensky started a family - Ekaterina Bychkova gives her husband a son and six daughters. Alexander names his only heir Nikolai in honor of his grandfather. Chechensky was promoted to major general in 1822 and transferred to the headquarters of the 2nd Hussar Division.
But his military service was coming to an end - his turbulent combat youth could not be in vain for the general’s health. In 1824, he went on vacation to restore himself with mineral waters in Carlsbad.
December 1825 was marked by an unprecedented event - General Alexander Chechensky refused to swear allegiance to the new Emperor Nicholas I. Our hero arrived in St. Petersburg at the height of the Decembrist uprising and witnessed the cowardice of the future sovereign. Denis Davydov described what happened as follows:
“I always believed that Emperor Nicholas was gifted with courage, but the words spoken to me by my former subordinate, the completely fearless General Chechensky, and some other circumstances shook these beliefs in me. Chechensky once told me: “You know that I know how to value courage, and therefore you believe my words. Being near the sovereign on December 14, I watched him all the time. I can assure you with my word of honor that the sovereign, who was pale all the time, had his soul in his heels.”
By the way, among the Decembrists there were many people close to Alexander - among them the half-brother of Nikolai Raevsky and his sons.
Alexander Nikolaevich Chechensky
Alexander Chechensky’s act, full of pride, did not turn into a tragedy for his family and himself, but he never returned to military service. At the age of 55, the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812 died suddenly in Dresden, Germany.
Throughout his entire life, the Russian general carried the indomitable, fearless, courageous and valiant spirit of the Chechen.
Information