Underrated Russian Commander Boris Sheremetev
B. P. Sheremetev in the portrait of T. Shevchenko
Boris Petrovich Sheremetev can certainly be called one of the most underrated Russian military leaders. On the one hand, his name is constantly mentioned in stories about the Northern War. But on the other hand, he invariably ends up in the shadow of Peter I, who is traditionally credited with all of Sheremetev's merits and almost all of his victories. Thus, the only successes during the First Azov Campaign are associated with the actions of Sheremetev's corps. But the most striking example is the famous Battle of Poltava, in which Peter I is unanimously called the winner. However, in fact, Peter commanded one of the second-line divisions at the time, and Sheremetev was the commander-in-chief.
Boris Petrovich was a very extraordinary person and stood out among others for his sense of self-worth and freethinking. In this he took an example from his father, Pyotr Vasilyevich Sheremetev Bolshoi, who, even under Alexei Mikhailovich, began to wear foreign (Polish) clothes and shave his beard.
Boris Petrovich Sheremetev did not strive to please Peter I and even directly refused to fulfill the demands of those that were not related to military and state affairs. He avoided participating in the confrontation between Peter I and his sister Sophia, and later categorically refused to participate in the trial of Tsarevich Alexei. He was the only one of Peter I's courtiers who never drained the "cup of the great eagle", and also ignored invitations to meetings of the "Most Joking, Most Drunken, and Most Extravagant Council".
But Boris Sheremetev's business qualities were so high that the tsar preferred to accept him as he was and not to aggravate the relationship. But many of Peter's closest associates could not stand the hero of the article, and the English ambassador Charles Whitworth reported to London that Menshikov was "Field Marshal Sheremetev's fierce enemy." But, according to the same Whitworth, "the soldiers love him extremely and the people almost adore him." He also gives him the following description:
“Sheremetev is the most polite person in the country and the most cultured.”
And Peter I called Sheremetev “his” Bayard and Turenne.
Aravitsky V. Portrait of Boris Petrovich Sheremetev in Russian dress
We will talk about Boris Petrovich Sheremetev in this article.
Origin and youth of the great commander
The boyar family of the Sheremetevs descended from the notorious Andrei Kobyla, who allegedly came to Moscow "from the Prussian land". In the "Armorial" of 1797, written on the basis of the "Velvet Book" (compiled in the XNUMXth century), he is called a descendant of the fourth son of the Prussian king Veydevut. A certain prince Glanda Kambila allegedly "went with his son and many subjects to Russia to the Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky and received the name John in Holy Baptism. His son, Andrei Ivanovich, nicknamed Kobyla, served the Moscow prince Simeon Ivanovich the Proud."
Not only the Sheremetevs, but also the Romanovs, Kolychevs, Yakovlevs, Neplyuevs, and Sukhovo-Kobylins considered themselves descendants of Andrei Kobyla. For some reason, foreign origins were considered very honorable among Russian boyars, but August Schlozer, who worked in Russia in the 18th century, did not believe in this legend. Many modern researchers believe that Andrei Kobyla arrived in Moscow not from Prussia, but from Novgorod, where his family probably lived on the "Prussian end." Others, such as A. Kuzmin, believed that Andrei Kobyla was of Kostroma origin.
The father of the hero of the article was Pyotr Vasilyevich Sheremetev the Great, a distinguished military leader who was the governor of Veliky Novgorod and Tobolsk at different times, on May 15, 1682, he negotiated with the rebellious Streltsy in the Kremlin, and then "was in charge" of Moscow for some time. At the time of the birth of his eldest son Boris (1652), he held the position of Kyiv governor. One of his subordinates at that time was a Scotsman in the Russian service, General P. Gordon, whom he always asked to "keep an eye" on his children during his absence. The hero of the article studied at the Kiev-Mohyla Academy. In 1665, at the age of 13, Boris received the court position of chamber steward. In 1669, he married Evdokia Alekseevna Chirikova, who bore him three children. She died in 1703, and for 10 years Boris Petrovich remained a widower.
The beginning of military service
Only under Tsar Feodor Alekseevich did B. P. Sheremetev begin to be called up for military service – first in his father’s army. At the age of 29 (in 1681) he was already a voivode and Tambov governor, fought against the Crimean Tatars, and became a boyar in 1682. In 1686 he participated in negotiations on the conclusion of the “Eternal Peace” with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and then headed the delegation sent to Warsaw to ratify this treaty. In 1688 he took part in a poorly prepared and unsuccessful campaign against Crimea, in which the army of Prince V. V. Golitsyn (the favorite of the ruler Sophia) reached Perekop, but turned back.
In 1692, we see Sheremetev as a voivode in Belgorod and Sevsk. Finally, in 1695, during the First Azov Campaign of Peter I, he successfully commands a separate detachment that captured three Turkish fortresses - Kyzy-Kermen, Eski-Tavan and Aslan-Kermen. These, by the way, were the only victories of that military campaign.
Euro-trip
In 1697-1699, Sheremetev went on a diplomatic mission to a number of European countries, visiting Poland, Austria, Italy, Malta, where (being Orthodox!) he became a knight of the Catholic Order of St. John of Jerusalem.
Reception of the Sheremetev embassy in Malta, 1698
In Vienna he met with Emperor Leopold I and his son Joseph, in Rome – with Pope Innocent XII, in Florence – with Cosimo III de Medici. But in Poland there was unrest, and he had to move through some regions disguised as a captain. However, in Krakow he was received by Augustus II – the future ally of Peter I in the Northern War. Returning to Russia, Sheremetev appeared before Peter I in a German waistcoat, which greatly pleased the Tsar and shocked many of his confidants.
The beginning of the Northern War
In 1845, a folk song with the following lines was recorded in the Arkhangelsk province:
"The Tsar's great boyar rises
Prince Boris Petrovich Sheremetev,
The campaign keeps to the Swedish land,
"He sends out Cossacks ahead."
Prince Boris Petrovich Sheremetev,
The campaign keeps to the Swedish land,
"He sends out Cossacks ahead."
However, the beginning of that war was not at all rosy.
On August 30, 1700 (according to the Gregorian calendar), a celebration was held in Moscow to mark the conclusion of peace with Turkey and the acquisition of Azov, at which "an excellent fireworks display" was set off. The next day, Peter I declared war on Sweden. Meanwhile, in the Russian army in 1700, only 4 regiments out of 33 were organized according to European models: the Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky Guards, Lefortovo and Butyrsky (much fewer than in Golitsyn's army that went to Crimea). According to the testimony of the Saxon General Langen, the soldiers of the four above-mentioned regiments were not inferior to the Germans in terms of weapons and training.
But the secretary of the Austrian embassy, Korb, spoke of the other regiments as "a rabble of the most worthless soldiers, recruited from the poorest rabble." F. A. Golovin (admiral since 1699, field marshal general since 1700) agreed with him, claiming that they "did not know how to pick up a musket." The movement to Narva was poorly organized, there were not enough horses and carts, the supply trains with food and ammunition lagged behind, and the soldiers were starving. It is not surprising that in the very first battle with the Swedes, the Russian army was utterly routed by the army of Charles XII.
A. Kotzebue. Battle of Narva
Charles XII at Narva. Engraving by Bernard Picart
But before the battle at Narva, Sheremetev, at the head of a five-thousand-strong detachment of noble cavalry, was sent to Reval and Pernov (Pärnu), where he encountered Swedish reconnaissance detachments and defeated them, but then, fearing encirclement, retreated to Narva. Peter I accused him of cowardice and ordered him to move forward again. As a result, Sheremetev's detachment was attacked by the main forces of the Swedes, but, although with great losses, he still led his cavalrymen to Narva.
By this time Peter had apparently begun to doubt the possibility of victory and therefore, leaving the army, went to Novgorod. And the Swedes, having attacked the Russian positions on the move, quickly broke through the center of the Russian positions - and a shameful panic began, during which soldiers killed foreign officers, and the bridge across the river collapsed, unable to bear the weight of hundreds of fleeing people.
However, on the right flank, the Preobrazhensky, Semenovsky and Lefortovsky regiments continued to fight, joined by soldiers from Golovin's division. And on the left, Adam Weide's division stood in a square. Under Charles XII, a horse was killed, Major General Johan Ribbing was killed, and Generals Rehnskiöld and Maidel were wounded. However, the Russian units on the flanks acted in isolation, and their commanders did not know that they were not fighting alone.
As a result, Generals Ya. Dolgorukov, I. Buturlin and A. Golovin stopped the battle, handing over 184 artillery pieces for the right to retreat unhindered. Only after this did Adam Weide stop resisting. Incidentally, the Swedes violated the agreement: they only let soldiers of the guards regiments pass freely, the rest were disarmed and robbed, and generals and officers of higher ranks were not released (10 generals and about 70 officers were captured). The Russian army lost about 6 thousand soldiers (and together with the sick and wounded, up to 12 thousand were out of action), the Swedish - 3 thousand people.
The remnants of the army were saved by B. Sheremetev, who managed to gather the fleeing soldiers and lead them to Novgorod. Peter I greeted him with the words:
“The Swedes will beat us more than once, but in the end they will teach us how to win.”
Just two weeks after the Battle of Narva, Sheremetev attacked (albeit not very successfully) one of General Schlippenbach’s detachments.
First victories over the Swedes
In June 1701, Sheremetev was ordered to organize the protection of Pskov and Veliky Novgorod and the surveillance of Swedish troops in Livonia and Livonia. In July, Bakhmetev, at the head of the Saratov, Samara and Ufa riflemen, Yaik Cossacks and Astrakhan Tatars (1973 people in total), defeated several small Swedish detachments.
In September, larger detachments of Mikhail Sheremetev (the son of the hero of the article, a participant in the Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689), Karsakov and Aigustov successfully operated against the Swedes. It was Mikhail Sheremetev's detachment (numbering 11 people) that won the first victory in a serious battle against the Swedes at Ryapina Manor; 042 people were taken prisoner, including two officers - a major and a lieutenant. The trophies included 80 cannons, 2 fusils, 104 pairs of pistols, 37 swords, 65 carbines, and 14 dragoon banners. The actions of Karsakov and Aigustov were also successful; in addition, the Swedes were bothered by Tatars and Yaik Cossacks.
Meanwhile, on July 8 (19), 1701, Charles XII, having crossed the Western Dvina, defeated the Saxon troops of A. Steinau, after which the Swedes completely took control of Courland.
The Russian army achieved its first major victory on December 29, 1701 (January 9, 1702) near the village of Erestfer. Schlippenbach's troops initially pushed back Boris Sheremetev's cavalry, but then infantry units arrived and the Swedes were forced to retreat, abandoning their baggage train and leaving the Russians with 6 artillery pieces and 16 banners. Among others, Colonel Lieven and Major Nolken were captured. Upon learning of this victory, Peter I said:
"We can finally beat the Swedes!"
M. Grekov. "Attack of the Swedes by Yaroslavl dragoons near the village of Erestfer on December 29, 1701." Painting, 1914.
It was after this battle that B. Sheremetev received the rank of Field Marshal General, as well as the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.
The officers were awarded gold coins: colonels received 10, lieutenant colonels and majors – 8, captains – 3, lieutenants – 2, ensigns – 1. Privates and non-commissioned officers were given a ruble and a ladle of wine.
Military campaign of the Russian army in 1702-1703.
On April 19 (May 1), 1702, Charles XII won another victory over the Saxons at Pultusk. However, the Swedes suffered defeats in the Baltics. In July of the same year, they were defeated at Gumolov Manor, 308 soldiers and officers (including 2 majors) were captured, and 21 Swedish banners were seized. After this, the lands of the Swedish commander-in-chief, Wolmar Anton von Schlipenbach, were devastated. In Livonia, Sheremetev's army captured 8 cities.
On August 27, 1702, 30 Russian karbas successfully attacked 8 large Swedish sea ships on Lake Ladoga: two of them were burned, one was sunk, and two more were captured.
Also in August, the Swedish garrison of a small fortress near the Menza estate capitulated to Sheremetev's army: 159 people were captured, including a lieutenant colonel and 4 captains. After this, the outskirts of Wolmar were ravaged and Marienburg was besieged. After an agreement was reached on the capitulation of Marienburg, the Swedish garrison, which remained nameless, artillery The ensign, at the head of several soldiers, blew up the armory: one and a half thousand poods of provisions were destroyed, and many civilians died in the city. The enraged Sheremetev ordered all the towers and bastions of the fortress to be destroyed. In addition to other trophies, 22 cannons, 880 fusils, and 54 swords were captured.
By the way, it was in Marienburg that the family of Pastor Gluck lived, where Marta Skavronskaya was raised, having recently married a Swedish dragoon. After this girl had been "used" a little by Russian soldiers, Sheremetev (but, according to other sources, General Bour) took her as a concubine, and then she went to Menshikov. Peter saw this dubious girl with him, and for some time he only periodically used her "services" (and even honestly paid for them), but then took her away from the favorite and sent her to Preobrazhenskoye, where his sister Natalia's estate was located. In 1707 or 1708, Marta was converted to Orthodoxy (Tsarevich Alexei became her godfather), in 1711 she secretly married Peter, and in 1712 - officially. In December 1721, Catherine was proclaimed empress and crowned in May 1724.
But let's return to 1702 and see that in the autumn, Russian troops captured the fortress of Noteburg (Oreshek) - the future Shlisselburg.
And in February or March of 1703, Boris Petrovich Sheremetev, who was returning from Moscow to the army, was almost killed near Tver by some drunk foreign sailor – one of those who were recruited abroad for service in the newly created navy. The convoy of these brave sailors, moving from Voronezh (where the ships were being built) to the Baltic Sea, blocked the road to the field marshal's carriage, the driver and orderly were beaten, and one of the foreigners put a pistol to the hero of the article's chest and fired. Fortunately, the pistol was loaded not with a bullet, but with a wad. Sheremetev wrote to the Tsar:
“I have never seen such fear over myself, wherever I have been against the enemy. And I was riding alone, only four orderlies and four cabbies... And the Russians who were with them, sailors and cabbies, no one stood up for me. And I shouted to them that you would be hanged if you let me be killed... I write this truly, without any pretense. And that they barked and cursed and tore my shirt - I will not mention that.”
Fortunately, everything worked out then, and on April 23 (May 4), 1703, Boris Petrovich Sheremetev moved his troops to Nyenskans – the fortress fell and was renamed Schlottburg. In his army at that time, the heir to the throne, Tsarevich Alexei, was in the rank of soldier in the bombardier company. Note: Alexei first took part in the war at the age of 12, and his father Peter – only at 23.
On May 7 (18), with the participation of Peter I and Menshikov, two Swedish ships were captured from her - the 10-gun boat "Gedan" and the 8-gun shnyava "Astril'd" ("Star"). On May 14 (25), the detachment of Major General N. Verden took the fortress of Yam (now Kingisepp), 13 days later the army of B. Sheremetev captured Koporye. And on May 16 (27), 1703, the city of St. Petersburg was founded.
Peter I against the backdrop of St. Petersburg and Kronstadt
To protect it, construction of Fort Kronshlot (originally Kronschloss) began in January 1704.
Fort Kronshlot repels an attack by the Swedes, early 18th century engraving from the Book of Mars
In July 1703, on the banks of the Sestra River near the village of Joutselkya, Russian troops under the command of Peter I defeated the Swedish units that were trying to regain control of the mouth of the Neva. And on August 22 (September 2), Sheremetev went from Yam to Pskov – through Livonia and Estonia. Schlipenbach, not daring to engage him in battle, retreated, burning bridges behind him and ravaging the surrounding area. In Poland, Augustus II continued to suffer defeats, and on October 3 (14), 1703, after a 5-month siege, the fortress of Thorn (Torun) surrendered to the Swedes.
In the next article we will continue the story about Boris Petrovich Sheremetev and his participation in the Northern War.
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