"Hurray! Field Marshal Suvorov!"

36
"Hurray! Field Marshal Suvorov!"
Commander A. V. Suvorov. Lithograph by A. Grevedon


"I'm not German, but a natural Russian!"


The exact year of birth of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov is unknown. Suvorov himself sometimes indicated one or another year of his birth (1729 and 1730). Apparently, he himself did not know exactly. Therefore, the 295th anniversary of the great Russian commander can be celebrated two years in a row - in 2024 and 2025. Alexander Vasilyevich was born on November 13 (24), 1729 (or 1730).



There is a well-known textbook case from the childhood of the future commander, when an old friend of Vasily Ivanovich, "Peter the Great's blackamoor" and the emperor's godson, General Abram Petrovich Gannibal, came to their country estate. They had known each other since their youth from their service with the tsar. Both, by the way, were Peter's godsons and the emperor's orderlies (officers for assignments).

Abram Petrovich went into little Sasha's room and, to his surprise, found the "sickly and weak-health child," as he was told, playing with soldiers, and a serious game at that, in accordance with all the rules of military tactics on the battlefield. After questioning the boy, the general learned that he had already read the works of Western European military historians, knew about the campaigns of Caesar and Hannibal, and knew about the glorious victories of Maurice of Saxony and Raymond Montecuculli, famous European commanders. Well, Alexander's father told him about the deeds of Peter the Great and his great achievements. The surprised Abram Hannibal returned to the living room to the hosts and told them that their son was now hosting "glorious guests," and predicted a military career for the boy.

Having relatively weak health, Suvorov constantly hardened himself physically. He doused himself with cold water. He fasted. He avoided luxury and led a Spartan lifestyle.

At the age of 12, Alexander was enrolled in the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment, one of the oldest Russian regiments stationed in St. Petersburg. But he arrived there only at the beginning of 1748, that is, at the age of 17 or 18. He began his real service as a corporal of the guard, and before that he was on formal leave and studied. He learned several languages. For a long time, he served in low ranks, carried out diplomatic missions.

But he dreamed of war, so he did not go into diplomacy or army supply, as his father wanted. At the same time, under his father's patronage, Suvorov quickly advanced in the service and in 1758 was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

He gained his first combat experience in the Seven Years' War. At first, he served at the headquarters of various military leaders in this war. He personally observed the famous Battle of Kunersdorf, even led mounted dragoons into the attack, and was present at the storming of the Kolberg fortress. He commanded separate cavalry units. During numerous skirmishes with the Prussians, he showed himself to be a brave cavalry commander.


Drawing by an unknown artist "Suvorov with soldiers at a halt"

Science win


In 1762, Suvorov was promoted to the rank of colonel and appointed commander of the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment, then from 1763 to 1769 he commanded the Suzdal Infantry Regiment in Novaya Ladoga. He compiled the "Regimental Institution" - an instruction containing the basic provisions and rules for the education of soldiers, internal service and combat training of troops.

In June 1765, the Suzdal regiment took part in large maneuvers that regularly took place in Krasnoe Selo. Suvorov was commended in the order following the maneuvers. From 1768, brigadier.

At this time, Alexander Vasilyevich became a real "father to the soldiers." He understood the soul of a simple man, a soldier, and began to enjoy their complete trust and love. The commander was always with the soldiers, on the march, at rest, and in battle. He took care of them like a family member. He taught the soldiers not to be afraid of death. He always made sure that the officers treated the soldiers humanely, and not like slaves and serfs.

Future The great commander persistently studied himself and trained his soldiers and officers. He said: "War is the strictest teacher, and it gives good marks only to the diligent and skillful." Suvorov studied not only military affairs very well. He knew a lot about stories, geography, mathematics and philosophy.

At critical moments, when the enemy's superior forces began to gain the upper hand, Suvorov immediately appeared in the front ranks. He joked and cursed, encouraged the soldiers. He inspired them: "Heroes, the enemy trembles before you!"

"A soldier must be healthy, brave, firm, decisive, fair, pious. Pray to God! Victory comes from him. Miracle heroes! God leads us - he is our general!"

"Brothers! Strike with the bayonet, stab with the butt! Don't linger: move quickly forward! Whoa, swing! Shake your head, forward, brothers! Miracle heroes, forward! We are Russian!»

And his miracle heroes performed miracles. They took "impregnable" positions and fortresses, drove away hordes of enemies.

As a result, the Suvorov cadets, soldiers and officers who served under the command of Alexander Vasilyevich were ready to follow him through fire and water.

So The Suvorov military school, the most advanced one, was formed. Suvorov, ahead of his time, was able to develop and enrich the best traditions of military art. They were embodied in the famous Suvorov manual - the book "The Science of Victory", written by him in 1796.

In fact, Suvorov's basic principles of military art are "eye, speed and onslaught" – were perfectly mastered and brought to life by another great commander of that era, Napoleon Bonaparte.


"Brothers! Hit with a bayonet, stab with a rifle butt!"


The numerous wars waged by Russia contributed to Suvorov's rise. During the war with the Bar Confederation (1769-1772), Alexander Vasilyevich, in the rank of brigadier general, inflicted a number of heavy defeats on the troops of the Polish lords. The Confederate troops, armed by Polish magnates who fought against Russia's ally King Stanislav Poniatowski, hoped for help from Turkey and France.

The French even sent military advisers, including the famous General Dumouriez, considered an experienced strategist. Suvorov met this commander at the fortress of Landskrona and completely defeated his entire Polish-French army.

Then the Russian commander defeated Hetman Oginsky's corps at Stolovichi and forced the enemy garrison in Krakow to capitulate. Suvorov's actions significantly influenced the outcome of the campaign. The Bar Confederation was routed. Russia regained part of Western Rus' during the First Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.


Surrender of the Krakow Castle. French officers give A. V. Suvorov their swords. I. Schubert

Suvorov gained great fame as a commander in the wars with the Ottomans, where he fought first under the command of Pyotr Rumyantsev, then the most serene prince Grigory Potemkin. Empress Catherine II began to single him out, calling him "my general." And to complaints she responded: "Winners are not judged!"

Turtukai, Girsovo, Kozludzhi. Suvorov's successes became one of the determining factors in the victory of the Russian army in the war of 1768-1774. The talented general was thrown against Pugachev, whose rebellion almost caused new unrest. But the impostor had already been defeated by Colonel Mikhelson. He participated in suppressing unrest and strengthening defensive lines in the south of the empire, in the development of Novorossiya. He contributed to the annexation of Crimea and the pacification of local peoples.

During the new war with Turkey in 1787-1791, he made a decisive contribution to Russia's victory. In a fierce battle, he threw the enemy's landing force into the sea at Kinburn. For the defense of Kinburn, Suvorov received the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, and was wounded twice in battle. He crushed the enemy at Focsani, and destroyed the strongest army of the great Turkish vizier Yusuf Pasha on the Rymnik River. For this, he was awarded the title of Count of Rymnik.

One of the most famous victories was the capture of the "impregnable" Turkish fortress of Izmail on the Danube in December 1790, when Suvorov with a smaller Russian army routed a larger Turkish army, which was also sitting behind the powerful walls of the fortress. He routed and completely destroyed it in one day of an unprecedented assault! At the same time, before Suvorov, other generals could not take the fortress.

“My first shot is already captivity, an assault is death,” Suvorov wrote to the commandant of the fortress, to which he received the famous answer that “the sky would sooner fall to the earth and the Danube would flow backwards than Izmail would surrender.”

For this feat, Suvorov did not receive any awards (except for the honorary title of lieutenant colonel of the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment), and generally fell into disgrace, was removed from the southern theater of military operations and sent to inspect fortresses in Finland.

"Hooray! Warsaw is ours!


After the death of Potemkin, who envied Suvorov's glory, he was appointed commander of the troops in Novorossiya in 1792. At that time, Russia was preparing the Constantinople operation - the capture of the Strait zone and Tsargrad-Constantinople.

The Kosciuszko Uprising in Poland distracted Russia. Suvorov was again sent to pacify the Poles. Suvorov's corps inflicted several defeats on the enemy and reached Warsaw.

On November 4, 1794, Suvorov's cadets stormed Prague, a fortified suburb of the Polish capital. They covered the pits with wattle fences and ladders, filled the ditches with fascines, climbed the rampart with ladders or drove in bayonets. They knocked down the Poles on the rampart with bayonet blows, fought with rifle butts, sabres and knives. Suvorov demanded not to shoot unnecessarily, not to waste time, "to beat and drive the enemy with a bayonet; to work quickly, swiftly and bravely, in the Russian way!"

The Poles fought fiercely. According to von Kluge (Klugin), a participant in the storming of Warsaw, the Poles "wouldn't say that they fought with ferocity, no - they fought with rage and without any mercy... In my life I have been to hell twice - during the storming of Izmail and during the storming of Prague... It's scary to remember!"

The Poles were unable to stop Suvorov's "miracle heroes". One of the inspirers of the Polish defense, General Zajączek, received a bullet in the stomach and was taken to the other bank of the Vistula at the very beginning of the battle. General Wawrzecki tried to organize a defense, but, realizing that the matter was lost, he fled across the bridge before Lassi's column encircled the Prague garrison.

In places the Poles counterattacked, but their attacks were repelled. The Polish defense collapsed. But the Poles continued to fight in separate bastions, fortifications and houses. Only a small part of the Polish garrison managed to escape by boat or by swimming (about 1 thousand people). Many drowned. The rest were killed or captured.

The Russian soldiers, enraged by the stubborn resistance of the Poles and memories of the Warsaw Matins, tried not to take prisoners. Civilians also suffered. According to von Kluge, when they shot from houses, our soldiers, breaking into them, spared no one. Suvorov did not continue the battle and ordered the bridge to the other bank to be burned.

The fierce battle ended in 9 hours. In just a few hours, the Polish garrison of Prague was almost completely destroyed. Everywhere there were piles of corpses. Suvorov ordered to leave them before the arrival of the Warsaw delegation, in order to have a psychological impact on her. In a report from Suvorov on November 7, it was reported that they had counted the killed Poles of 13340, the prisoners of 12860, sank more than 2 thousand people. Among the prisoners were three generals (Mayen, Gesler and Krupsinsky) and 442 officers, and among the dead were four generals (Yasinsky, Korsak, Kvasnevsky and Grabovsky). The Russian army lost 1,5 thousand people.

It must be said that in the wars of that time this was a common practice. The same Poles, or Ottomans, and the French often acted even more harshly than the Russian army. Suvorov was always cruel to the resisting enemy and merciful to those who had collapsed. weaponDuring the storming of Izmail, the Russian army acted in a similar manner.

Following his usual practice towards an already defeated enemy, Suvorov ordered the release of up to 6 captured militiamen. Then, at the request of the Polish king, Suvorov also released the captured officers. This gesture of goodwill greatly elevated the Russian commander in the eyes of the Poles. Suvorov also took responsibility and declared an amnesty in the name of the empress. Those who laid down their arms were promised "freedom and oblivion of everything that had happened."

Shocked by the instantaneous death of the entire Praga garrison, the inhabitants of Warsaw demanded that the command surrender the capital. Suvorov dictated the terms of capitulation to the delegates. Soon the Russian army entered Warsaw. The uprising in Poland was suppressed. The rebels surrendered and went home, fled abroad.

Catherine II awarded the great commander the title of Field Marshal General. This was done in the manner characteristic of the Empress. To Suvorov's report: "Hurray! Warsaw is ours!" the Empress responded: "Hurray! Field Marshal Suvorov!" This happened when Alexander Vasilyevich was already 65 years old.

Field Marshal Suvorov was appointed commander of all Russian troops in Poland, then commander-in-chief in Novorossiya.

The Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm sent the Russian commander the Order of the Red Eagle and the Great Black Eagle. The Austrian Emperor Franz presented Suvorov with his portrait, strewn with diamonds.


A. Orlovsky, Storm of Prague, 1797

"Here lies Suvorov"


After Catherine's death in 1796, her son Paul I ascended the Russian throne, who had his own vision of foreign policy and the army. Suvorov fell into disgrace again and went to his estate Konchanskoye. But after the military-political situation in Europe worsened and the French army succeeded, the old commander was remembered and returned to service. A series of brilliant victories over the French in Italy followed.

At the same time, the great commander had to "defeat" our allies, the Austrians, who were afraid of the successes of the Russian army. Although it was Russia that saved the Austrian Empire from complete defeat.

The crowning achievement of the field marshal's military leadership was the Swiss campaign of 1799 and the famous crossing of the Alps. In essence, the Austrians had betrayed Russia and the Russian army. The Russians were supposed to die in battle with the superior forces of the French or die freezing in the mountains. But Alexander Vasilyevich saved the army.

For this miracle he was granted the highest military rank – Generalissimo. Paul I, seeing the intrigues of Austria and England, refused an alliance with them.

Prince of Italy, Count of the Russian Empire Suvorov-Rymniksky, Prince of the Kingdom of Sardinia, Count of the Roman Empire, Generalissimo of the Russian land and naval forces, Field Marshal of the Austrian and Sardinian troops - Suvorov was awarded all the Russian orders of his time, as well as many foreign military orders.

Suvorov never lost a single battle, and all of them were won despite the enemy’s numerical superiority.

Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov died upon arrival in St. Petersburg on May 6 (18), 1800, and was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. When the hearse with his body approached the gates of the Lavra, it did not fit through the gates. Then Suvorov's soldiers, who were carrying the hearse, raised it on bayonets above the gates and, shouting: "It will pass, I have passed everywhere!", carried it to the place of its final burial. On the slab of his grave it is written: "Here lies Suvorov."


"Suvorov's Crossing of the Alps". Painting by Vasily Surikov
36 comments
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  1. +8
    30 November 2024 05: 30
    Suvorov never lost a single battle, and all of them were won despite the enemy’s numerical superiority.

    I really miss Alexander Vasilyevich now.
    But I don't believe that the Russian land has become depleted of talent. It's just that those talents are not allowed to break through.
    1. +2
      30 November 2024 10: 21
      We are missing Suvorov now, but we would not have allowed him to demonstrate all his military leadership talents.
      The Supreme One apparently has some other plans, unknown to us.
    2. man
      0
      30 November 2024 10: 48
      I really miss Alexander Vasilyevich now.
      But I don’t believe that the Russian land has become depleted of talent.

      Thank God, at least there are enough Abram Petrovichs
    3. 0
      30 November 2024 11: 44
      Then all the other accompanying attributes of that era are needed: serfdom, conscription for 25 years, estates, etc. The titular nation lived the worst of all at that time.
      1. -1
        30 November 2024 17: 35
        Quote: Oldrover
        Then all the other accompanying attributes of that era are also needed: serfdom, conscription for 25 years, estates

        No. For well-functioning social lifts, none of this is necessary.
        1. +1
          30 November 2024 21: 41
          Suvorov is a product of his time, namely when the Russian Empire was at least on par with its opponents in terms of technological development, when there was an empire in which the main titular nation was at the level of cattle, people were sold, bought, recruited, they were used as a resource for the needs of the empire.
  2. +4
    30 November 2024 05: 33
    I thought I would read something interesting.
    Looks like I read an article from Wikipedia.
    Hooray, Suvorov!!! soldier
  3. +5
    30 November 2024 09: 11
    There are only a few Suvorovs, but there are tons of Puziks
  4. +1
    30 November 2024 10: 38
    For modern "commanders" the slogans "chatter, rhetoric and doing nothing is the key to a quick victory."
    If instead of Suvorov there were modern military leaders, we would still be heroically fighting the Chud near Novgorod.
  5. -1
    30 November 2024 11: 07
    There is one very serious mistake in the painting "Suvorov's Crossing of the Alps" by Vasily Surikov.
    No one comes down from the mountains with fixed bayonets. There is a high probability of the shashlik effect, when new arrivals are impaled on the bayonets of those who are ahead. About 40 years ago there was such a question on "What, where, when"
  6. +1
    30 November 2024 11: 49
    "Suvorov's Crossing of the Alps". Painting by Vasily Surikov


    I have always been amazed at the stupidity of artists in terms of logic. Was there really no one who could have explained to Surikov at the sketch stage that he had depicted the suicide of an army? With such a descent, there are not even 10% of survivors.
    1. +2
      30 November 2024 13: 05
      Be more lenient with the artist, after all, this is a work of art, not a "documentary".
    2. +2
      30 November 2024 17: 36
      I've always been amazed at the stupidity of artists when it comes to logic.
      He is an artist, he sees it that way.
      1. 0
        1 December 2024 23: 03
        He sees history and launches it, passed through himself, into the contemplating listener. The other day I watched a film about the Great Patriotic War with one reenactor. How do you like the film, I ask. The tank barrel is the wrong length, the muzzle brake on the machine gun is wrong, nails on the sole...
        1. -1
          2 December 2024 10: 33
          He sees history and launches it, passed through himself, into the contemplating listener. The other day I watched a film about the Great Patriotic War with one reenactor. How do you like the film, I ask. The tank barrel is the wrong length, the muzzle brake on the machine gun is wrong, nails on the sole...


          Are you even able to distinguish between props and action? lol
          1. -1
            2 December 2024 10: 43
            What does my abilities have to do with it? Did you understand what I wrote correctly?
          2. -1
            2 December 2024 11: 10
            Don't bother with the answer. I just meant that excessive criticism of details sometimes interferes with the perception of the artistic image.
            1. -1
              2 December 2024 11: 12
              Don't bother with the answer. I just meant that excessive criticism of details sometimes interferes with the perception of the artistic image.


              And did I talk about details? We were talking about the event, sick man. Where the suicide is depicted on the canvas. lol
              1. -1
                2 December 2024 11: 16
                I'm talking about art, you're talking about suicide. But it seems like we were talking about the same picture. Don't be rude, it doesn't suit you.
                1. -1
                  2 December 2024 11: 23
                  I'm talking about art, you're talking about suicide. But it seems like we were talking about the same picture. Don't be rude, it doesn't suit you.

                  Art is, after all, a reflection of reality, not fantasy.
                  1. -1
                    2 December 2024 11: 58
                    Someone should explain to Petrov-Vodkin that a horse can't be red. Let's end this dialogue on a positive note. If you're in St. Petersburg, I'll be happy to accompany you to the fourth floor of the Hermitage. Perhaps your opinion on this issue will not be so categorical.
                    1. -1
                      2 December 2024 12: 23
                      Someone should explain to Petrov-Vodkin that a horse can't be red. Let's end this dialogue on a positive note. If you're in St. Petersburg, I'll be happy to accompany you to the fourth floor of the Hermitage. Perhaps your opinion on this issue will not be so categorical.


                      Thanks, I'll manage somehow. After all, I've been living in it for 20 years.
                      But I don’t change my opinion about “heroic” paintings of this type.
        2. 0
          Today, 21: 15
          Спустя пару дней, под впечатлением минуса изменил своё мнение. Вон этого лоха чилийского Сурикова из Русского Музея. Люди говорят, что штыками солдатики при спуске упорятся, а останки генералиссимуса дожрёт животина в пропасти. Флуд конечно, посему и каюсь. А статья.Людям в теме-ничего нового. Дочери дал прочесть и увидел интерес к дальнейшему познанию родной истории.
  7. -1
    30 November 2024 12: 27
    He joked and swore

    Suvorov was a deeply religious man and I don’t think that swearing ever came from his lips.

    Suvorov himself named the main source of his invincibility:
    "I trusted in God and was steadfast,"
    and this is the main secret of Suvorov's "Science of Victory". He loved God, and God loved him, sent him trials and gave him strength to overcome them, helped and saved him from the seemingly inevitable death
    New Russia

    It is difficult to imagine the creation of Novorossiya without Suvorov.

    However, almost all monuments to him in Ukraine have already been demolished. I wonder how they will explain the appearance of Odessa, Mariupol, etc.? belay
    1. +3
      30 November 2024 12: 59
      I wonder how they will explain the appearance of Odessa, Mariupol, etc.

      Let's not forget that it was the ancient Ukrainians who dug up the Black and Azov Seas. It is assumed that these cities were originally settlements of diggers laughing
    2. +1
      30 November 2024 13: 58
      However, almost all monuments to him in Ukraine have already been demolished. I wonder how they will explain the appearance of Odessa, Mariupol, etc.?

      In Moldova, his boss Rumyantsev was demolished in 1992 in Cahul.
      1. +1
        30 November 2024 14: 28
        Quote: Julian_B
        In Moldova, his boss Rumyantsev was demolished in 1992 in Cahul.


        In Kahul the unveiling of the monument to Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev took place, under whose command the Russian troops here routed the Turkish army and liberated the inhabitants of the region from the Ottoman yoke. It was necessary to install a new monument to the Russian commander because the previous one was stolen by someone in the early 90s. The authors of the new one are sculptor Boris Dubrovin and architect Lidia Rotar. The initiators of its creation and installation were the Cahul City Hall, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Moldova, and the Congress of Russian Communities of the Republic of Moldova. A bronze bust of the Field Marshal General was installed in front of the entrance to the local theoretical lyceum, which bears the name of the outstanding commander. At the opening ceremony of the monument, the mayor of Cahul and other attendees paid tribute to the grateful memory of P. Rumyantsev and all those who liberated these lands from the occupiers, and noted that the monument will become one of the symbols of friendship and fruitful ties between the peoples of Moldova and Russia.16-11-2001 Independent Moldova)


        The Monument to the Battle of Cahul near Vulcanesti has also been restored.

        There is also a Potemkin obelisk at the site of Potemkin's death.

        I hope the monuments will not be touched.
  8. +5
    30 November 2024 12: 39
    A cross between Wikipedia and a paragraph from a history textbook for middle school children. What's the point of writing this for this local audience? Just for ballast in the section? I don't understand it. request
  9. -1
    30 November 2024 13: 54
    I wonder what a man with Suvorov’s ingenuity and spirit would say about the current strategies of Russian military leaders.
  10. 0
    30 November 2024 15: 48
    Quote: Slon_on
    There are only a few Suvorovs, but there are tons of Puziks
  11. 0
    30 November 2024 19: 30
    It's funny: "Brothers! Hit with a bayonet, stab with a rifle butt!" - maybe it's the other way around? smile
  12. +1
    30 November 2024 19: 45
    Russia is alive as long as we remember our heroes and glorious history. That is why the "democratic progressive" public is trying to deprive us of it.
  13. 0
    1 December 2024 01: 30
    Yeah
    The Alexander Nevsky Lavra is not the Novodevichy Lavra or the Kremlin Wall...
    1. 0
      1 December 2024 08: 28
      Quote from: nepunamemuk
      The Kremlin wall...

      yeah, it's like putting modern remains in the Egyptian pyramids
  14. 0
    1 December 2024 10: 02
    Why keep saying that Potemkin allegedly envied Suvorov? Repeating Soviet tales.
  15. +2
    1 December 2024 10: 04
    Suvorov knew war. For one phrase that the highest humanity in war is to end it as quickly as possible, monuments should be erected to him in military academies and memorial plaques should be hung. So that the next generation of "commanders" would think ahead.