Russian writer G.Ya. Baklanov raises the problem of cowardice.
The author showed a soldier who, first of all, was worried about himself, about how he wanted to stay alive, and he tried by all means to stay away from the firing points. Dolgovushin was afraid to be in combat positions. At first he was a reel-to-reel telephone operator, then a carriage operator. Everyone considered him unfit for real combat.
He abandoned the sergeant major when the Germans were in their rear. And when he got to his own people, Dolgovushin told how he tried to drag the dead foreman.
The writer wanted to say that war affects people in different ways. It is a rare person who is not afraid of death, but many try to overcome their weaknesses and behave with dignity. For Dolgovushin, the instinct of self-preservation always came first, which is why he was a cowardly person, and covered up his cowardice with “truthful” words. To deceive others, to look worthy in the eyes of others is a completely natural state for a cowardly person.
The result of one person's cowardice can be the death of another. Probably, it is easier for a cowardly person to live for some time, so he chooses not a difficult, but an easier path for himself.
In life, cowardice often manifests itself, especially when a young soldier takes part in battle for the first time. Nikolai Rostov, who participated in a military campaign for the first time, feared for his life. Instead of firing the pistol, he threw it at the Frenchman and ran away from him. Nikolai Rostov understood that he was acting like a coward. He was subsequently wounded. Rostov constantly thought that he should not be killed, because the whole family loves him so much. In the novel “War and Peace” L.N. Tolstoy writes that fear for life is the natural state of an inexperienced soldier.
There are people who behave cowardly in some situations and then feel ashamed of their own cowardice. As a representative of the authorities, Pontius Pilate, one of the heroes of M. Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita,” was afraid to stand up for the peaceful philosopher Yeshua and agreed to his execution. After signing the verdict, Pontius Pilate bitterly regretted this and considered cowardice to be the most terrible vice of a person.
So, the cowardly, cowardly behavior of a man who becomes a soldier does not make a person beautiful. It is known that people have long not forgiven cowardice, betrayal, and betrayal of the Motherland.
Updated: 2018-01-24
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turning around and firing back. Everyone got together, mixed up - through the falling snow
it was impossible to see what was happening there now.
FIRST FIGHT
By noon, when it had calmed down a little, Sergeant Major Ponomarev went to the OP. IN
Another time he would have sent a cart with lunch. But today, after that
shelling to which the battery commander was exposed at the observation post,
it was inconvenient for him, the sergeant major, to sit in firing positions next to
kitchen. And along with lunch he set off on his own.
In his long overcoat, taken to be taller for reasons that
it is warmer to cover yourself with it, with a stern, naked and as if rumpled face, on which
at forty-three, almost nothing grew, he walked ahead, inaccessible to any
extraneous feelings, except for the sense of duty. Trailing behind with a thermos on his back
and with bowler hats in both hands, the wagon driver Dolgovushin, a sad young guy,
assigned to carry lunch to the NP for educational purposes.
During the year of service in the battery, Dolgovushin changed many positions,
without showing any ability anywhere. He ended up in the regiment by accident, on the march. It was
at night. Artillery moved towards the front, sideways, in the dust, raising dust
the infantry stomped with many feet. And, as always, a few foot soldiers
They asked to go to the guns and drive up a little. Among them was Dolgovushin. Rest
then they jumped off, and Dolgovushin fell asleep. When I woke up, the infantry was already on the road
did not have. Where his company was going, what its number was - he didn’t know any of this, because
that it was only two days since I got into it. So Dolgovushin took root in
artillery regiment.
At first he was assigned to Bogachev in the reel control platoon
telephone operator Beyond the Dniester, near Iasi, Bogachev only once took it from
ourselves to the forward observation post, where everything was shot through
machine guns and where not only during the day, but even at night you can’t raise your head. Here
Dolgovushin foolishly washed everything off himself and was left in only his overcoat, and under
her - what the mother gave birth in. So he sat by the phone, his head wrapped around him, and his partner
and ran and crawled along the line with the reel until he was wounded. The next day
Bogachev kicked out Dolgovushin; to his platoon he selected people for whom
could rely on himself in battle.
And Dolgovushin ended up with the firemen. Uncomplaining, silently diligent,
Everything would have been fine, but he turned out to be too stupid. When there was a dangerous
task, they said about him: “This one won’t cope.” And if it can’t cope, why?
send? And they sent another. So Dolgovushin migrated to the carts. He is not
asked, he was transferred. Maybe now, towards the end of the war, due to inability
he would have fought somewhere in the PFS warehouse, but he was destined to be in the carts
fall under the command of Sergeant Major Ponomarev. This one did not believe in stupidity and
I immediately explained my settings:
“In the army it’s like this: if you don’t know, they’ll teach you; if you don’t want to, they’ll force you.” And he also said:
- From here you have only one path: to the infantry. Remember that.
- What about the infantry? And people live in the infantry,” Dolgovushin answered sadly,
More than anything else, he was afraid of ending up in the infantry again.
With that, the foreman began to educate him. Dolgovushin did not live. Here
and now he was dragging himself to the NP, under the very fire, all for the sake of the same upbringing.
Two kilometers is not a long way, but to the front, and even under fire...
Glancing cautiously at the distant explosions, he tried to keep up with the sergeant major.
We didn’t even go halfway, and Dolgovushin evaporated under a thermos: from time to time
he began to run, stumbling with his huge boots on frozen hummocks; wherein
the soup was shaking.
It was still snowing, although sparsely now. On the right flank two tanks were burning out.
From a distance it was impossible to tell whose. Fuel oil-black, thin smoke near the ground,
growing upward and merging together, they supported the sky.
Where along the ravine, where, running from crater to crater, Ponomarev and
Dolgovushin finally reached the battery observation post. All height
was loosened by shells and covered with earth thrown out by explosions. In one
In one place, the communication line was hit by a direct hit, and we had to climb over the rubble.
Here, in the first crack, lay the dead man. He lay uncomfortably, not as he would have laid himself,
and how they dragged him here. The overcoat crawled over the head from the back, so that
the strap turned out to be higher than the shoulder blades, the thick calves of the legs were convulsively tense. At
The worn-out shoe soles glistened dimly in the diffused winter light. Without seeing
faces, just by how deftly, low, and dapper the windings were wound,
The sergeant major identified the dead man as an experienced soldier.
Then we came across the wounded. All along the aisle they sat on the ground,
smoked and talked peacefully. From close explosions and whistling bullets, when
the sight of the dead, wounded and blood on bandages to Dolgovushin, who came here from
rear, it seemed that this was the leading edge. But for the wounded
Oleg Baklanov is an outstanding Soviet figure. His name is especially familiar to the older generation. The most global scientific discoveries in the field of defense and rocket and space industries are associated with it. He is also known for his vigorous political activity, being at different times the secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and a people's deputy of the USSR. He has many awards and honorary titles, including Hero of Socialist Labor and the Lenin Prize.
Years of study and first job
The life of the future candidate of technical sciences began in the city of Kharkov in Ukraine on March 17, 1932. After graduating from the seven-year school, the young man entered the local vocational communications school, where he studied from 1948 to 1950.
The young graduate was able to put his acquired knowledge into practice immediately after completing his studies, receiving his first job as an assembler at the Kharkov Instrument-Making Plant. The production association was one of the leading ones in the country, producing the most relevant defense items at that time - rocket and space products. It was within its walls that Baklanov acquired invaluable professional experience, learning the basic principles of producing complex technical products.
Career achievements
The hard work and perseverance in the work of a novice employee allowed him to receive a promotion: in a short time he rose to the position of a traffic controller for the production of radio equipment. Oleg Dmitrievich combined working shifts at the plant with his studies at the correspondence department at the All-Union Energy Institute. In the fall of 1958, by that time already the deputy head of the production workshop, Baklanov went on an important work mission to Moscow, where, under his leadership, work was carried out on debugging and delivery of manufactured devices to the customer. The business trip, which lasted about five months, was successful, allowing the Moscow plant to be supplied with Kharkov equipment on a regular basis.
Subsequently, the pace of work at the plant only increased, which gave the young specialist the opportunity to prove himself, occupying various positions (from deputy chief engineer to chief plant engineer), while delving even more deeply into the various intricacies of instrument making. The products produced by the plant in those years for on-board computers and launch vehicles were so durable that they could be reused by objects upon return from space.
Outstanding organizational skills
In 1975, Oleg Dmitrievich received a promotion, becoming general director of Monolit Production Association. The years of Baklanov’s reign coincided with the heyday of rocket and space production - objects were put on the assembly line, and about 24 thousand people worked at the plant itself. It was largely thanks to Oleg Dmitrievich’s ability to select skilled personnel and distribute each employee according to his abilities that the plant functioned smoothly, always supplying only high-quality products. For outstanding achievements in the development of special equipment in 1976, Baklanov was awarded the honorary title of Hero of Socialist Labor.
In the same year, by decree of his superiors, he was transferred to Moscow, where over the course of seven years he worked his way up to Minister of General Engineering. During his work at the ministry, Baklanov carried out the most important technical developments in the creation of the Energia-Buran complex and Zenit launch vehicles. Under his leadership, the Energia launch vehicle was successfully launched into space in 1987. Due to his duty, he often had to travel to Baikonur to monitor the launch of rockets for compliance with the necessary standards.
Political activism and biased arrest
The period of the collapse of the Soviet Union coincided with the beginning of the political activity of Oleg Dmitrievich, who by that time had been appointed to the post of Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. He also served as Deputy Chairman for Defense Affairs. Three years later, he became a member of the State Committee for Emergency Incidents, which, perhaps, became the most tragic period in his biography. The serious contradictions that existed at that time in the power structures regarding the preservation of the political status of the USSR led to the unjust arrest of Baklanov and his placement in the “Matroskaya Tishina” detention center. The falsified verdict against Oleg Dmitrievich seriously affected his wife Lydia Fedorovna, who, upon learning of her husband’s arrest, suffered a heart attack and ended up in the hospital for four months. In addition, the biased attitude of the authorities also affected the son of a politician: Dmitry Olegovich, an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who fought the drug business, lost his job.
The imprisonment of the prominent scientist lasted for a year and a half, until in 1993 the Russian State Duma issued a resolution granting an amnesty to all defendants involved in the State Emergency Committee case. During his stay in prison, Oleg Baklanov, without losing faith in a fair outcome, kept daily entries in his diary, the contents of which are now available to the public.
Tireless explorer
Today, Oleg Dmitrievich lives in Moscow and, despite his advanced age, continues to do his life’s work, heading the board of directors of OJSC Rosobschemash, as well as holding a number of other responsible positions, in particular, being the chairman of the Society for Friendship and Cooperation of the Russian and Ukrainian Peoples . He also authored a number of invaluable scientific works, which are a real treasure trove on issues of rocket and space research. And the book “Space is My Destiny”, published by him in 2012, which was in high reader demand, was released in two formats at once - book and electronic. The publication is a true confession of a man who devoted most of his life to space, from which the reader can learn about all the most important stages of the biography of a unique person.
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“Dajala” (devil, Satan), “Boklyu”, “Cormorant Pasha” - all these epithets refer to one person, the Don Cossack, one of the most popular heroes of the Caucasian War of 1801-1864, Yakov Petrovich Baklanov. During his 42 years of service to the Fatherland, Baklanov spent more than 30 years in battle. When meeting him, his enemies experienced mystical horror. In Russia and especially on the Don, he was a national hero.
The future thunderstorm of the highlanders Yakov Petrovich Baklanov was born on March 15, 1809 in the village of Gugninskaya. Over many years of service, his father rose from an ordinary Cossack to the first officer rank - cornet. The first officer rank gave the right to hereditary nobility. At the age of 16, Yakov was enlisted as a constable in Popov’s Cossack regiment. His father Pyotr Baklanov also commanded a hundred in the same regiment. Tall, powerfully built Yakov Baklanov, under the guidance of the old Cossacks, turned into a dashing rider, skillfully wielding a pike and saber.
Soon the war with Turkey broke out, and Yakov Baklanov set off as part of the regiment on his first military campaign. Before leaving for the campaign, the father admonished his son: “Serve, Yakov, faithfully and truly God, the Sovereign, our great Don army. Preserve inviolably the simplicity of your father’s customs, be strict with yourself, and most of all, do not forget your blessed homeland, our Quiet Don, which fed, nurtured and raised you!...” All his life Yakov Baklanov remembered and sacredly kept his father’s behest.
For his valor in the war with Turkey of 1828-1829, Cossack Yakov Baklanov received the rank of officer.
Centurion of the Don Cossack Army Yakov Petrovich Baklanov began his service in the Caucasus in the troops of General Grigory Khristoforovich Zass in 1834. From this time on, two extraordinary personalities, Shamil and Baklanov, would compete until 1859.
When Yakov Baklanov arrived in the Caucasus, the initiative in the war belonged entirely to Shamil’s murids. But General Zass did not wait for the attack of the highlanders and decided to take the initiative into his own hands. Soon, the Cossack regiment of Zhirov, in which Baklanov served as a centurion, crossed the Kuban River and launched a series of preventive attacks on the highlanders living between the Kuban and Laboi rivers. Here Baklanov first learned what the Caucasian War was.
During the 3 years of the Caucasian War, Baklanov repeatedly distinguished himself in cavalry and hand-to-hand combat, becoming famous not only for his courage, but also for his gigantic strength.
When Russian troops carried out an operation at the Chamly fortification, Baklanov found himself in a situation that almost cost him his life. The cutting was brutal, neither the Cossacks nor the highlanders wanted to give in. The outcome of the battle was decided by the reserve hundred, which at the decisive moment of the battle, with pikes at the ready, struck the highlanders on the flank. The Circassians wavered and ran away, the Cossacks followed. Baklanov rushed forward to stop the Cossacks who were carried away in pursuit. Jumping through the forest, he was ambushed. Four dismounted mountaineers were waiting for him. A volley rang out and the horse underneath was killed. Yakov Petrovich found himself alone in the forest, against four mountaineers. Seeing the hero in front of them, the Circassians became shy for a moment. This confusion cost them dearly. Baklanov emptied his pistols at two of them, the third fell to the orderlies who arrived in time, the fourth managed to escape.
In 1837, Yakov Petrovich received the rank of captain and was sent to the Don. In 1839, he was transferred to a training regiment, where the Cossacks had to study the new regulations. In the future, service in this regiment brought him a lot of benefits.
In 1845, with the rank of military foreman, Baklanov was appointed to the 20th Don Cossack Regiment and in 1846 became its commander. From this moment on, Baklanov reveals himself as an extraordinary personality. He is not only a fearless Cossack slasher, but also a wise, far-sighted military leader. In the subordinate regiment, Yakov Petrovich organizes combat training and allocates the 7th training squad especially for this. In it, the Cossacks were trained in reconnaissance service, sapper and artillery work. The Plastun team (reconnaissance company - modern) was formed from the best shooters and riders at the regiment. Before Baklanov, there were no Plastun teams in the Don regiments. Upon arrival in the Caucasus, the Cossacks of his regiment changed into Circassian clothes. Baklanov rearmed the regiment - all the Cossacks had captured weapons. Very quickly the 20th Regiment became the best regiment on the left flank of the Caucasian line.
Taking care of his subordinates, Baklanov demanded from them strict adherence to combat discipline. “No one in the Baklanovsky regiment dared to leave the ranks during the battle; those who were lightly wounded had to remain at the front, those who had lost a horse had to fight until they got themselves a new one.” Instructing the Cossacks before the battle, Yakov Petrovich said: “Show the enemies that your thought is not about life, but about the glory and honor of the Don Cossacks.”
Having trained and united the Cossacks of the regiment, Baklanov and his Don men began to launch preventive strikes on Chechen villages. In battles and forays, Yakov Petrovich personally led Cossack lavas against the highlanders. When organizing combat work, he skillfully used human intelligence and carefully studied the terrain and enemy tactics. The name of the military foreman Baklanov very soon became terrible for all the rebellious. To a large extent, this was facilitated by the demonstrative fearlessness, decisive, and sometimes cruel actions of the glorious Cossack. The Chechens nicknamed him “Dajala” - the devil. But Yakov Petrovich was not offended, but, on the contrary, in every possible way supported his “devilish” reputation among the highlanders.
One day the Circassians asked the Cossacks to show them Baklanov. They wanted to make sure whether it was true that the formidable Cormorant Pasha was the devil. When Baklanov was informed about this, he smeared his face and hands with soot and ordered the guests to be brought in. The mountaineers entered. Yakov Petrovich sat all black and rolled his eyes wildly, then he stood up and slowly began to approach the guests, baring his teeth and clicking his teeth. The frightened Circassians shied away from the room...
The fact that Baklanov threw himself into the thick of the battle and came out unscathed, the fact that, even being seriously wounded, he remained in the ranks, all this inspired the idea not only of the highlanders, but also of the Cossacks and soldiers that he was bewitched, under a spell. The only way to kill him is with a silver bullet. The mountaineers feared “Baklu” more than the wrath of Allah. The Cossacks who served under his command spoke of him: “The commander is such that you don’t even need your own father with him. If you have a need, go straight to him: he will help with a kind word, advice, and money. Such simplicity that he will not regret anything, he will take off his last shirt and give it away, and he will help you out in your need. But in the service, my brothers, keep your ears open: do not be afraid of the Chechens, but be afraid of your Asmodeus: a step back will cut you into pieces.”
It turns out that Baklanov was a thunderstorm both for his enemies and for his careless comrades.
The entire Caucasian army knew then a song about Baklanov:
Honor of our great-grandfathers-atamans, Bogatyr, dashing fighter, Hello, our brave Baklanov, our daring hero!
In January 1850, military operations were moved to Argun. It was necessary to build a clearing through Greater Chechnya. On February 23, Baklanov and his regiment arrived in the village of Khasav-Yurt, where the expeditionary detachment was gathering. At night, the detachment set out in the direction of the Goitemir Gate, with Baklanov’s Cossacks in the vanguard. They reached the gate without losses, but the mountaineers themselves were not going to give up the Goitemir Gate without a fight. Significant forces of horse and foot mountaineers accumulated here. Seeing the Cossacks, the mounted warriors disappeared into the forest, while the Baklanovites dismounted and, with pikes in their hands, rushed towards the Cherkessians. A hand-to-hand fight began. But a group of mountaineers occupied the mound and began to fire at the Cossacks. They reported to Baklanov. Resentment that the Cossacks could not knock the Circassians out of the mound, and anger seized him. Having sobered up the Cossacks with a whip, he led them on an attack. The mound was taken.
In this battle, the Cossacks lost 6 people killed. The highlanders left 17 people on the battlefield. For this battle, Baklanov received the rank of colonel.
In the spring of the same 1850, the Don regiments were to be replaced. The 20th regiment was returning to the Don, but Baklanov, 5 of his centurions and a large group of Cossacks remained in the Caucasus of their own free will. Yakov Petrovich was given command of the newly arrived 17th Don Cossack Regiment. At the beginning of 1851, Baklanov received a parcel. There was a banner in it. On a black background, Adam’s head embroidered in silver and crossed bones under it, in a circle there was the inscription “Tea of the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen". It made a painful impression on the Cossacks, but when they saw the horror this banner brought to the enemy, they fell in love with it. Baklanov did not part with him until the end of his life.
Pressed on all sides by Russian troops, the highlanders decided to take a desperate step. Attack the Kura fortification, where the Baklanov regiment was quartered. The day was hot, and Yakov Petrovich, having had lunch, lay down to rest, taking off absolutely everything, even his undershirt. Suddenly - alarm! The mountaineers are attacking the fortifications! Baklanov, naked as he was, jumped into the saddle with one saber, snatching the second one from the orderly along the way. And, like an ancient god, with two sparkling blades in his hands, he rushed into the thick of the melee. Two-handed - this is what our ancestors called a warrior who masterfully wielded a sword, saber or saber with both hands. In the princely squads and Cossack regiments this was considered the pinnacle of the warrior’s martial art.
The next time, in order to psychologically influence the enemy and at the same time raise the morale of the Cossacks, Baklanov challenged the brave horseman to a duel. In a fair fight, he cut him to the saddle with one blow of his saber. The Cossacks tied the bloody remains to a horse and released it into the mountains - the horse would find its way to the house, and the warrior’s body would be buried with honor.
One day, knowing that he would be ambushed by a skilled shooter who had sworn an oath on the Koran to kill the hated “Boklya,” Baklanov rode out alone to meet him. Yakov Petrovich responded to the bullet that whistled near his ear with a well-aimed shot.
The main guarantee of Baklanov's victories was not only his fearlessness and combat skill, but also his high intelligence, ability to negotiate and respect for the enemy. He learned the Chechen language, diligently comprehended the psychology of the enemy and the mentality of the mountaineers. Among them, Yakov Petrovich had many friends.
In 1855, Baklanov took part in the assault on the Turkish fortress of Kars.
From 1857-1860, Yakov Petrovich Baklanov held the position of marching ataman of the Don Cossacks in the Caucasus, and from 1861 - district general in the Don.
After the pacification of the uprising in Poland, Baklanov was appointed head of the Augustow and Suwalski districts. The glory earned by Baklanov in the battles in the Caucasus caused awe among the Poles, but their fears were in vain. As an administrator in 1863-1867, Yakov Petrovich was full of mercy towards the civilian population. In the districts under his control there were no reckless arrests or deportations to Siberia.
During his service to the Fatherland, Yakov Petrovich went from an ordinary Cossack to a general. Taking part in numerous wounds, he was wounded: in 1848 - with a bullet in the left collarbone, in 1850 - with a bullet in the right thigh, in 1852 - with a saber in the left hand, in 1855 - seriously wounded in the head. He was awarded the military orders: St. Stanislaus 1st class, St. Vladimir 2nd class with swords and 4th class with a bow, full holder of the Order of St. Anne, golden weapons for bravery and many other awards.
Yakov Petrovich Baklanov died on January 18, 1873. He was buried in St. Petersburg in the Novodevichy Convent, and there his friends erected a monument over his grave. A Caucasian burka and a Don hat were thrown onto a granite rock. Under the hat lies the famous Baklanov black banner, and under the banner there is a wreath with the inscription: “Don Troops Yakov Petrovich Baklanov. Born 1809, died 1873”; on the pedestal of the monument are depicted the names of all the places where Yakov Petrovich fought.
Before the October Revolution of 1917, the 17th Don Cossack Regiment bore the name of Baklanov. At the beginning of the twentieth century, his ashes were transferred to the Novocherkassk temple and placed in a tomb next to the graves of the famous Don Cossacks I. Efremov, V. Orlov-Denisov and M. Platov.
An avenue in Novocherkassk and his native village, the former Gugninskaya, bear the name of Baklanov.
In Russian history there are names of people who, during the bloody Caucasian War of the 19th century, were simultaneously surrounded by an aura of heroism and valor, and mystical horror and mystery. One of these personalities tightly connected with the history of the pacification of the Caucasus is Lieutenant General Yakov Petrovich Baklanov. Gloomy, two meters tall, endowed by nature with heroic strength, during his lifetime he became the hero of all kinds of rumors and legends.
The hero of the Caucasian War, Yakov Petrovich Baklanov, was born on March 15, 1809 in the village of Gugninskaya (Baklanovskaya) of the Don Army into the family of a cornet. His father, a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812, as well as other wars of that time, earned the rank of officer, which gave the right to hereditary nobility. Due to the specifics of his profession, the father had few opportunities to raise his son, so Yakov Petrovich grew up and was brought up on the streets of his native village with the children of ordinary Cossacks, which for the children of Cossack noble officers was the rule rather than the exception. When Yakov was five years old, his grandmother gave him “to study” to an old woman named Kudimovna. Then he fell into the hands of the parish sexton, and then the village sexton. Teaching literacy and science was limited to the study of the psalter and book of hours. The boy was 6 years old when his father returned from foreign campaigns, having fought all over Europe. He was already an esaul, with the Annin cross on the hilt of his sword and three wounds, while acquiring a reputation as one of the bravest Cossack officers. Yakov Petrovich remembered this meeting until the end of his days, which he described in his “Memoirs”, written when he was already retired. The entire village then came out to greet the warriors who returned with glory. Old men, veterans of Suvorov’s campaigns, fervently crossed themselves and, falling to the ground, joyfully exclaimed: “May our Cossacks serve God, the sovereign and the Great Don Army!”
Soon the father took his son with him to the regiment, reasoning that his son would be under his supervision, and Yakov would learn to read and write from the regimental clerks, and it was never too early for a Cossack to start learning military skills, in general, all advantages. The favorite pastime of the future hero of the Caucasus during the months spent at the cordon was to sit in a hut with experienced Cossacks and eagerly listen to their stories about military exploits: how the villagers once went to war against the “Tursky Saltan”, fought back in the “Azov Seat”, how they won victory over the great army of Bonaparte. Recent events especially excited the boy's imagination. The Donets had something to boast about: in the Patriotic War of 1812, the Cossacks exterminated up to 18,500 French, captured 10 generals, 1,050 officers, 39,500 lower ranks, captured 15 banners and 346 guns. The future general especially liked to hear about the heroic exploits of his father, about how in 1814 a German general even appointed him commandant of the small French fortress of Sasfogent. And the boy’s heart caught fire, and he dreamed of the same great feats, of battle glory...
Having returned with his father from Bessarabia to the Don, Yakov finally left the primer and began to take care of the farm: he plowed the land with his father, mowed hay and grazed herds, where, by the way, he learned to ride unbroken, skittish steppe horses.
This giant of a heroic physique (his height was 202 centimeters) inspired sovereign fear in his enemies. He was truly invincible. Among the military leaders of the Russian army, there are few generals more popular in the Caucasus than Yakov Petrovich Baklanov. Even many decades after his peaceful death, the Chechens had a saying: “Do you want to kill Baklanov?” This strange question was addressed to someone who wanted to make it clear that he was a hopeless braggart and did not realize his words. For it turned out that no one could kill Yakov Petrovich in battle, as the warlike highlanders were convinced of in dozens of large battles and small skirmishes. He was often wounded, but always endured them with incredible courage, remaining on his feet even after great loss of blood, which is why the Circassians and Chechens considered him to be under a spell of death.
The name of Yakov Petrovich gained enormous popularity among the troops; His tirelessness and enterprise knew no bounds. It is no coincidence that Imam Shamil reproached his murids: “If you feared Allah as much as you fear Baklanov, you would have been saints long ago.” But in addition to courage and amazing courage, the Cossack leader also had the ability to quickly navigate the situation and make the right decisions, mastered mountain dialects and created such a reliable network of spies and informants that the enemy’s intentions very often became known to him.
So, in 1825, Yakov Petrovich’s military service began; he was enlisted as a constable in Popov’s Cossack regiment. By 1828, Yakov Petrovich received the epaulets of a cornet, and soon went with his regiment, which by that time was commanded by his father, to the Russian-Turkish war. Taking part in the war against Turkey, Baklanov was a hunter in the assault on Brailov, distinguished himself in action near Burgas, and when crossing the Kamchik River, he was the first to rush into the water under the fire of twelve Turkish guns. In battles, Baklanov was brave, daring, and for excessive ardor his father more than once personally “whacked him on the back with a whip,” as Yakov Petrovich later admitted. These qualities of his were noticed not only by his father, but also by his superiors - for the valor shown in the Turkish War, Baklanov was awarded the Order of St. Anne IV and III degrees.
In 1834, Yakov Petrovich was transferred to the Caucasus with Zhirov’s Cossack regiment. Service in the Caucasus was considered troublesome and dangerous for the Donets: accustomed to fighting the enemy in the free steppe, the Cossacks in the mountains felt extremely uncomfortable, suffering heavy losses not from the warlike mountaineers, but from epidemics and an unusual climate. About 100 thousand Donets fought with the highlanders in the 19th century, of which 1,763 people were killed in battle, and more than 16 thousand died from disease. Until the mid-1840s, it was believed that people from the Don were almost useless in the Caucasian War - they tried to employ the Cossacks as orderlies, messengers, and orderlies, that is, to hide them away from military clashes. The desperate Yakov Petrovich Baklanov managed to dispel the myth that the villagers were unsuitable for serious business in the Caucasus. Luckily for him, in the early 1830s a fundamentally new tactic of fighting the enemy entrenched in the mountains appeared. Baron Grigory Zass of Courland, commander of the Kuban Line, was an ardent supporter of active offensive actions. Without waiting for the attack of the highlanders, Baron Zass attacked first, brilliantly organizing reconnaissance behind enemy lines. A descendant of the Teutonic Knights, Baron Zass was a stranger to sentimentality and with equal zeal exterminated the Circassians, their villages, livestock and crops. In his reports, he listed in detail the mountain leaders he sent to the next world, and phrases like “those who resist, together with the village, are betrayed to fire and sword” were found there almost every month.
Under the command of Baron G. Kh. Zass, Yakov Petrovich took part in many expeditions and battles. For his daring and fearlessness, he was presented with a bow to the Order of St. Vladimir, IV degree. It was the Caucasian period of service that brought Yakov Petrovich the greatest fame, and helped the daring Cossack become a brilliant military officer.
In 1837, Baklanov was included in the Cossack Regiment No. 41, assembled for the ceremonial welcome of Nicholas 1, who visited the Don. Then, with the Cossack regiment No. 36, Yakov Petrovich carried out cordon service in Poland, near the border with Prussia. Upon returning to the Don, he received the rank of military sergeant.
In 1845, military foreman Baklanov was assigned to the 20th Don Regiment in the Kurinsky fortification on the left flank of the Caucasian line. His first military action here was participation in the completion of the Dargin expedition, which was led by the Caucasian governor M. Vorontsov. Russian troops, returning after a grueling campaign to the village of Dargo, had difficulty making their way through the ambushes of the highlanders, and Baklanov’s raid with battles towards Vorontsov turned out to be very timely. For this raid, Yakov Petrovich was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 2nd degree.
The bloody Dargin expedition of 1845 cost the Russian army 3,809 people killed and wounded. For comparison, the irreplaceable losses of the Russian army in the two-year Persian War of 1826-1828 amounted to 1,200 people. It was after the Dargin expedition that Emperor Nicholas I and the highest generals of St. Petersburg stopped interfering in the management of the military campaign in the Caucasus.
At the beginning of 1846, Prince Vorontsov entrusted Baklanov with leading the Cossack Regiment No. 20. It should be noted that by this time the regiment was distinguished by extremely low combat effectiveness: the Don Cossacks, unaccustomed to the conditions of mountain warfare, were inferior to the line Cossacks, some of the Cossacks were doing auxiliary work. The lack of training in the use of weapons also had a negative impact (the Don men of this regiment were especially poor at using small arms), and it was impossible to defeat the highlanders with courage alone, and it was difficult to surprise them with it.
Of course, Baklanov could not put up with such a situation. Therefore, Yakov Petrovich began to turn his regiment into a thunderstorm for the Circassians and Chechens by returning all his Cossacks to duty, not even taking into account the admonitions of high-ranking officials, who were sorry to lose free servants. He established strict control over the maintenance of horses (he could get screwed for drinking oats) and weapons. Also, he introduced training for Cossacks in sapper and artillery work, and intelligence service; the seventh hundred was organized in the regiment, where, under the supervision of Baklanov, junior commanders and the Plastun team were trained to carry out especially dangerous cases.
And in many other respects, Yakov Petrovich was not distinguished by excessive pedantry in observing the regulations. So he ordered the statutory uniform to be hidden until better times, and the regiment was transferred to uniforms and weapons exclusively with captured property. Thus, after some time, the 20th regiment was dressed in Circassian shorts, and the Cossacks flaunted to each other expensive daggers, excellent Circassian sabers and rifled English rifles, which overseas travelers supplied in abundance to the warring highlanders.
No one in his regiment dared to leave the ranks during the battle; the lightly wounded were to remain at the front; those who lost a horse had to fight until they got themselves a new one.
Possessing amazing physical strength, iron health and tireless energy, Yakov Petrovich, according to the chronicler of the Caucasian War - Potto, could not remain inactive for even the shortest time. Staying awake for several nights, scouring impenetrable thickets with scouts, meant nothing to him. He personally led patrols and taught his Donets to conduct observation and reconnaissance in a mountainous country that was unusual for them. In difficult moments of a combat situation, Baklanov, with a saber in his hands, was the first to rush forward on his horse. His saber “ruined” the enemy from crown to saddle. He was uncompromisingly strict and merciless towards cowards and usually said to the blundering Cossack, showing a huge fist: “Once again you will be cowardly, see this fist of mine? So I’ll smash you with this very fist!” But he encouraged his subordinates in every possible way for their courage and took care of his subordinates whenever possible.
For his strict disposition, courage, and powerful health, he was called “Ermak Timofeevich.” For the mountaineers, “Boklyu” was “shaitan”, “devil”. It was believed that he could only be killed with a silver bullet, they shot at him like that, but they didn’t take the Cossack either. His pockmarked face overgrown with hair, his large nose, and huge hat enhanced the terrifying effect he produced. Once, a delegation of mountain elders came to the Cossacks and asked the Cossacks to show them Baklanov. They wanted to make sure whether it was true that the formidable Buccleuch was indeed a “dajjal,” that is, the devil. The Cossack orderly reported this to Baklanov. - Ask! - said Baklanov. He quickly stuck his hand into the stove and smeared his face with soot. The mountaineer delegates entered, stood in the hut and huddled together in fear. Yakov Petrovich sat and rolled his eyes wildly. Then he stood up and slowly began to approach the guests, clicking his teeth. The frightened delegates began to back away towards the doors and finally fled from the room shouting - Dajjal! Dajjal!
Gradually, Baklanov's warriors became involved in difficult Caucasian service, acquired practical skills, and became accustomed to vigilance. Thus, the Cormorant regiment did not miss the slightest opportunity to fight the highlanders, as well as inflict any damage on them. Punitive expeditions, ambushes, burned villages, trampled crops, stolen herds. In general, Baklanov repaid the mountaineers with their own coin. In this situation, the mountaineers were forced to think not about attacking Cossack villages and Russian settlements, but about how to avoid becoming victims of a Baklan raid themselves. The authorities were delighted with the results achieved and did not pay attention to his partisanship. For his services, Yakov Petrovich was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1848, and the following year he was awarded a golden saber with the inscription: “For bravery.” For valiant actions in breaking through the strong barrier of the highlanders at the Goytemirovsky Gate in 1850, the commander of the Cossack regiment, Yakov Petrovich Baklanov, received the rank of colonel.
In April 1850, the Don regiments located in the Caucasus were to be replaced. The Don Cossack 20th Regiment had to go home, and its commander along with it. But Baklanov was needed in the Caucasus, and the commander-in-chief of the troops, Prince Vorontsov, wrote to the Minister of War, Count A.I. Chernyshov: “Report to the Emperor that I beg Him to leave Baklanov to us... This man is dear to us for his outstanding courage, his knowledgeable mind, for his military abilities , knowledge of places and the fear that he instilled in the enemy...” This request was fulfilled, and Baklanov remained on the front line, receiving the Don Cossack 17th Regiment under his command. Five hundred commanders and an adjutant, as well as several ordinary Cossacks, remained with him of their own free will. Soon the 17th Don Regiment became exemplary.
In 1851, Baklanov received a parcel from the Don in which he was sent a badge - on a black cloth a skull with crossbones and the inscription - “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen". This gloomy symbol, called the “Baklanovsky badge,” terrified the highlanders, and Yakov Petrovich did not part with it until the end of his life.
In the early 50s, Baklanov, under the command of Baryatynsky, took part in expeditions deep into Chechnya where he commanded the entire cavalry. For his brilliant actions on the expedition, he received a new award - the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd degree. Returning to the Kura fortification, he continued active offensive operations towards Aukha, along the Michik River valley, towards Gudermes and Dzhalka. On December 30, 1852, Baklanov received the long-deserved Order of St. George, IV degree, and was elevated to the rank of general. In 1854, in response to the raids of Shamil's murids, Baklanov's troops destroyed 20 Chechen settlements.
In 1855, Baklanov participated with the Cossacks in reconnaissance of the approaches to Kars and in the assault on Kars on November 16. However, Baklanov’s relationship with Commander-in-Chief N.S. Muravyov did not work out, and soon Yakov Petrovich asked for leave to go to the Don.
In 1857, Yakov Petrovich returned to the Caucasus, where Baryatinsky became commander-in-chief. This time Baklanov was entrusted with the position of marching chieftain. He was mainly involved in administrative affairs, without participating in hostilities. In 1859, Yakov Petrovich received the Order of St. Anne, 1st degree, becoming a full holder of this order, and the following year he was promoted to lieutenant general.
In 1861, Baklanov was appointed district general of the 2nd district of the Don Cossack Army, and in 1863 he was sent to Vilna, where infantry general M.S. Muravyov (brother of N.S. Muravyov) was gathering troops for a campaign in rebellious Poland. At first, Yakov Petrovich headed the Cossack regiments of Muravyov’s army, then served as head of the administration of the Suwalski-Augustovsky district. In Poland, Baklanov acted using completely different methods than in Chechnya. In contrast to the terrible rumors about himself, Baklanov showed himself to be a stern, but extremely fair boss. Contrary to the regulations, he did not indiscriminately confiscate the estates of the rebels, but, if possible, established guardianship over the young children of the exiles and retained their property. Summoned on this occasion to Governor-General Muravyov, Baklanov fearlessly said: “You can put me on trial or dismiss me without asking, but I will say one thing: I managed the department on your behalf, which I always honored and respected; my goal was to act in such a way that no stain would fall on this name, and my conscience tells me that I have achieved success... I was and will be faithful to my Sovereign, Russia and you, my direct superior, but my thoughts were to weaken the rumors about Russian ferocity." This response aroused Muravyov’s gratitude. Baklanov spent in Poland until 1867. For the Polish campaign, Baklanov received his last award - the Order of St. Vladimir, II degree.
Retired in 1867 by the Don Army, Baklanov spent the rest of his life in St. Petersburg, where he wrote his memoirs “My Combat Life.” By that time, Yakov Petrovich’s health had deteriorated and he had been ill for a long time. Died in poverty on January 18, 1873. The funeral took place at the cemetery of the St. Petersburg Novodevichy Convent at the expense of the Don Army. Five years later, in 1878, a monument was erected on his grave, created with voluntary donations and depicting a rock on which a Caucasian cloak and a hat were thrown, with a black “Baklanovsky badge” pulled out from under the hat.
On October 3, 1911, the ashes of Yakov Petrovich Baklanov were solemnly reburied in the tomb of the Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk, next to the graves of other heroes of the Don - M. Platov, V. Orlov-Denisov, I. Efremov. The obelisk from the St. Petersburg grave of the general was delivered to Novocherkassk and installed near the cathedral. At the same time, Baklanov Avenue appeared in the Cossack capital, and the general’s native village, Gugninskaya, henceforth began to be called Baklanovskaya.
With the Bolsheviks coming to power in the Don, the tomb was looted twice. The monument to Yakov Petrovich Baklanov also suffered from the new government. So, some vandals tore off a cloak, a hat, a saber and a bronze skull with crossbones from the obelisk. Only with the revival of the Cossacks on the Don in 1995, the monument to Baklanov was restored to its original form and again, as before, with a voluntarily collected donation. And two years before that, on May 15, 1993, the reburial of the Don atamans, who wrote their names in golden letters in the history of Russia, took place.
