Why were all the monuments to the hero of the Russian-Turkish war, Mikhail Skobelev, demolished in Russia?

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

"White General", "Equal to Suvorov" - at the end of the 19th century, the name of Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was known to any schoolchild, his portraits hung in almost every peasant hut, next to the icons, squares and cities were named after him, and they wrote about his exploits and campaigns songs. In Bulgaria, the Russian general is still considered a national hero, but in Russia he was consigned to oblivion for a whole century.

Probably, the fate of this boy was a foregone conclusion from birth - what if not a hero-warrior could a child born within the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress become? It happened on September 17, 1843. His grandfather was the commandant of the main citadel of the country, and the childhood of the future hero passed here. An old friend of his grandfather, who served as the head of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, became Misha's main friend and mentor in the early years. The education of the young man, oddly enough, was given exclusively to civilians. Usually boys from military families were sent in those years to study in the cadet corps, then in the guard, but the young Mikhail Skobelev was sent to an elite boarding school in France. Probably, the breadth of views and the lack of drill since childhood made him such a unique phenomenon for the Russian army. The general knew eight languages and read a lot. Even during military expeditions, he constantly received magazines on science and literature, got acquainted with the works of Western military theorists. At one time he even preached the theory of the "baionnette intelligente" - a very unusual idea for those years that a soldier should be independent, educated and smart.

Mikhail Skobelev entered the army only at the age of 18, having studied for some time at St. Petersburg University. Putting on a hussar uniform, he entered the Cavalry Regiment. The first years of the young rake's service were very stormy, he led a life of, as they would say now, “golden youth”, got into the Academy of the General Staff, but studied there somehow, on a desk in one of the auditoriums, for example, for many years all listeners could contemplate "Hello" from the gallant general - a portrait of a naked woman, which he drew during the lesson instead of a military map.

However, in the early 1870s, the young man ended up in Turkestan and began to move up the career ladder very quickly. The young man showed a clear military talent. All contemporaries recognized that each of his awards was well-deserved. The young staff captain Skobelev went on reconnaissance, disguised as a local resident, participated in skirmishes, was injured, and sometimes performed diplomatic missions. By the age of 32, he had risen to the rank of major general. Around the same time, he married the maid of honor of the Empress Princess Maria Nikolaevna Gagarina, but the short months of family life showed that he was completely unprepared for her. Very quickly escaping from his wife, Skobelev got a divorce a couple of years later, and this was the end of his official personal life. Subsequent years he really lived only for the sake of the fatherland, giving the service all the time and energy.

The military general's track record includes many glorious victories: the defeat of the 60,000-strong army of the Kokand rebels, 17 times greater than the number of Russian troops (our losses were only 6 people); assistance to the people of Bulgaria against the Ottoman yoke - Skobelev is considered the liberator of this country; and, of course, his victories in the Russian-Turkish war - the defeat and capture of the entire army of Wessel-Pasha and the capture of two fortresses during the assault on Plevna. In all these battles, the general himself led the soldiers. White tunic, beloved white horse - people began to call him the White General. In addition to desperate courage, Skobelev proved himself to be an excellent administrator. He understood how important a soldier's life is, and how victories depend on him, so he was a real "father to soldiers". For example, during a difficult passage through the mountains, none of his privates died of the cold, since the prudent general forced everyone to take at least one additional log for a fire before the campaign. The soldiers of the other generals were freezing, and the Skobelevskys were warmed up and fed with hot food. Like another great commander, Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov, Skobelev did not shy away from soldiers, he could eat and sleep with them.

His amazing organizational skills also manifested themselves in a fairly peaceful area - being appointed head of the Fergana region (now this territory is divided between Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan), the combat general proved himself to be an excellent and wise manager. He found a common language with the conquered tribes, ending the massacre. He was able to eradicate slavery, which still flourished in these remote Central Asian possessions of the Russian Empire, held a post and telegraph office, and began building a railway. By the way, the city of Fergana was founded in 1876 on his personal initiative. The general himself planned the future provincial center; important administrative buildings and a city garden were laid there. The original name of New Margilan in 1907 was changed to Skobelev - in honor of the founder of the city (after 1917, his brainchild was renamed again, now to Fergana). True, this page in the life of Mikhail Dmitrievich did not end very well. A fierce fighter against embezzlement, he became a victim of intrigue. Numerous complaints to the king began to be written against him, the accusations became more serious, and in the end this led to his resignation. For several years Skobelev fell into real disgrace, which greatly depressed him. The situation was corrected only by his glorious victories in the Russian-Turkish war.

The death of the heroic general, who did not even live to be 40 years old, became a real tragedy for the whole country. Her circumstances can be called peculiar, but many considered them suspicious. In the summer of 1888, while on vacation, he arrived in Moscow, stayed at the Dusseau Hotel and went to the Angleterre establishment to see ladies of easy virtue. One of them in the middle of the night and reported his death. According to the official version, Skobelev died of a heart attack. His personal doctor, according to his recollections, was not surprised by this and explained that the difficult camp life and numerous experiences really undermined the general's health, but numerous rumors spread about suicide and the murder of Skobelev by German spies. However, there is no evidence for such versions, and modern researchers are inclined to the version of his natural death.

Unfortunately, exactly thirty years later, another death awaited the famous Russian general - now in the memory of the people. According to the decree "On the removal of monuments erected in honor of the kings and their servants" dated April 12, 1918, all of Skobelev's monuments in Russia (there were at least six of them) were destroyed. Of course, the names of streets, squares and cities in his honor have also been changed. The name of one of the most glorious Russian commanders remained only on the pages of military history textbooks, from which it was simply impossible to remove him.

Another great commander of ours, Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov, was known seasoned character and spartan habitsthat helped him withstand the hardships of a camping life.