Baklanov Yakov Petrovich, Cossack ataman: biography

In the history of Russia, the participants in the Crimean War, like the campaign itself, occupy a special place. This page is written in the blood of tens of thousands of soldiers and is very important for all Russians. One of the heroes of the war with the Turks for the Crimea was General Baklanov. The hereditary Cossack, the fearless warrior, the thunderstorm of enemies and at the same time a wise diplomat, he left an important mark in the history of his native country, defending her life all her life not only in the Crimea, but also in other regions. Biography of Baklanov must necessarily be carefully studied. Especially those who consider themselves a patriot of Russia.

Furious Bokluk, Donskoi Suvorov, Groza of Chechnya - these nicknames deserved the hero of the Caucasian War Baklanov. "If you were afraid of Allah Almighty as well as Baklanova, you would have long been holy people," the commander-in-chief of the mountain army, Imam Shamil, told his people.

Childhood and youth of the hero

Kuban gave the world many heroes. On its fertile lands, in the village of Gugninskaya, and born on the fifteenth of March 1809 Baklanov Yakov Petrovich. His father Petr Dmitrievich was the choir of the Don Army, and his mother Ustinya (in the nee Malakhov) - a classic Cossack woman. Baklanov the elder was distinguished by his powerful physique and fearless disposition. During his service in the army he won the reputation of a formidable warrior, whom his comrades respected and panickedly feared by enemies.

In the intervals between military campaigns, Peter D. engaged in the education of his son, trying to grow from him a real Cossack. At the age of three the boy was riding a horse in his yard, and at five he was walking along the street. When Yakov was eight, his father took the heir with him to Bessarabia, where his regiment was heading. Thus began the marching life of the future hero of the Russian Empire.

And even though the boy had only partially learned to read, the Cossack army was not the worst teacher. Baklanov, Jr. was husband before his eyes, quickly mastered the martial arts and soon there was no better soldier in his native village than he.

At the age of fifteen he began to serve as a sergeant, at seventeen he married (to the daughter of a priest from his native village). At the age of nineteen, he received the rank of cornet and, as part of the regiment commanded by his father, went to his first war.

Jacob Baklanov participated in crossing the Balkans and crossing the river Kamchik, along with his comrades took Burgas and other strategically important objects of the Russian-Turkish campaign. From the very beginning he showed himself to be a brave and courageous warrior. His recklessness shocked even his father, who more than once dubbed an overly zealous heir with a whip on his back and insisted that his son behave more wisely while in combat.

But the military authorities appreciated the heroism of the young officer with dignity, and after the war he was awarded the Order of St. Anne third and fourth degree.

Commencement of service in the Caucasus

After a short rest from the battles, the young Baklanov returned to the service, full of the desire and further glorify the heroic Don Cossacks. For some time Yakov Petrovich guarded the Russian border along the Prut, and in 1834 was returned to the Kuban in the regiment Zhirov, in which he made his first trips to the mountaineers.

Brave Cossacks stormed the Kuban auls, located on the banks of the rivers Psefir, Belaya, Laba and Chamlyk. During one such expedition, Baklanov received a serious wound to the head, and during the other, with brilliance, emerged from a seemingly hopeless situation, destroying the enemy virtually with his bare hands. And this despite the fact that the mountaineers were four times the size of the detachment of Cossacks.

Very quickly from the young and ardent warrior Baklanov Yakov Petrovich turned into an experienced, cunning and skilful combat officer. His fame grew, and for his exploits by this time he received the Order of St. Vladimir of the fourth degree.

Polish retreat

In 1837 Baklanova was sent to the captains, and four years later the Don Cossack regiment No. 36, which at that time was Yakov Petrovich, was sent to Poland to guard the borders with Prussia.

Years spent in the West were not distinguished by major military achievements, but played a very important role in the life of Baklanov. While in Poland, the future general took up his education, for which he had no time or energy. He read classical literature, got acquainted with the memoirs of European culture, studied the history of wars, etc.

The Polish period can be called a kind of cultural retreat, a little respite before the big battles.

Thunderstorm of Highlanders

Returning from a western mission, Baklanov Yakov Petrovich was promoted to the sergeant-major and received at the disposal of the Don Cossack regiment number twenty, who controlled the Kura fortification.

From this moment the brightest period in the life of the hereditary Cossack began. His career quickly went up the hill, and the name thundered all over the Caucasus and far beyond.

In the Baklanov's regiment, the regiment was initially ruled by confusion and vacillation. Discipline was absent, the Cossacks were wearing ragged clothes, indulging in drunkenness, playing cards and not being zealous for service.

Very quickly, the new sergeant-major changed the situation radically. He banned alcohol and took up education of soldiers, arranging special lessons in military strategy and tactics.

The Cossack ataman showed himself to be a wise leader, and under his command regiment No. 20 performed many heroic campaigns. Almost all of his salary Baklanov spent on bribing spies in the camp of the enemy, who promptly informed him of the enemy's plans, and eventually the Cossacks were always "on horseback."

In those days, the Don Army was engaged in confrontation with the mountaineers who made regular raids on Russian villages. With the arrival of Yakov Petrovich, the enemy moved from the position of attack to defense, for now the Cossacks burned the auls of Chechens, hijacked people and cattle, took valuable property and food.

The mountaineers pronounced the name Baklanov in a whisper, calling him the Russian devil. They really believed that this person was supported by the unclean, and they were afraid of him panicky. A two-meter-long, broad-shouldered Cossack with a pock-marked face, magnificent mustache and thick eyebrows with pleasure maintained the established image. One day he, caught unawares, jumped out on the battlefield wearing a burka over his bare body with a sword over his shoulder. And another time he unexpectedly appeared before the enemy, when he thought that Baklanov was dying after a serious wound.

These and similar cases only strengthened the reputation of an invincible warrior. And even the main mountaineer - the formidable Shamil - respectfully treated the Cossack ataman. True, his subordinates scolded because they were too afraid of him.

During his service in the Caucasus from 1846 to 1863 Baklanov Yakov Petrovich rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General and received many awards, among them the Order of St. George of the fourth degree, the Order of Vladimir of the third degree and others.

When the 20th regiment was disbanded, Prince Vorontsov made sure that Yakov Petrovich remained in the ranks and received another regiment - No. 17. Many considered Baklanov an indispensable officer. After all, he managed to radically change the balance of power between the Russians and the mountaineers in favor of their compatriots.

Twenty years of impeccable service

On April 10, 1853, Baklanov was awarded the Order of St. Stanislaus of the 1st degree for valor shown during the attack of the enemy's positions near the village of Gurdali. On the eleventh of March of the same year he was appointed to the headquarters of the Caucasian Corps as commander of the cavalry of the left flank. The headquarters was located in the fortress of Grozny (the present city of Grozny).

June 14, 1854 for the courage, courage and difference shown in the defeat of the mountain forces between the fortress of Grozny and Urus-Martan, Baklanov announced imperial thanks. On the twenty-second of August of the same year, he was awarded an honorary decoration of honorless service for twenty years.

Fateful mascot, or Baklanovsky badge

The glory of the heroism of the legendary commander spread far beyond the borders of the Caucasus. Baklanov was loved and respected throughout the Russian Empire. With his name, many associated the Don Cossacks of those times.

And then one day the ataman received a parcel from an unknown admirer. Opening it, Yakov Petrovich found inside a black badge of silk with embroidery in the form of a white Adam's head (skull with bones) and the inscription "The Tea of the Resurrection of the Dead and the Life of the Future Century." Amen".

Cormorants simply fell in love with this gift and did not part with him for the rest of his life. Creepy icon became his mascot. He even terrified the Cossacks, and even the mountaineers at the sight of a fluttering black banner above the giant figure of the rider simply fell into a panic. They were sure that it was death itself that was rushing towards them, so they all ran away. And then they told their children about the terrible giants who were sent to the earth by the Shaitan.

The image of the Russian commander is still preserved in legends and fairy tales of Chechens. He also entered the songs of Don Cossacks.

Duel with Janem

Among the enemies from time to time were people who claimed that they would destroy the Russian devil. They boasted that the commander of the Cossack army hero will fall from their mighty hand. One of these daredevils was a mountain shooter named Janem. He threatened to kill Baklanov when he led the cutting of the clearing.

The scouts reported to Yakov Petrovich about this intention, and he made an unexpected decision - to appear where his enemy would wait for him to try his fortune.

The first shot of Janem went by. A second bullet pierced the edge of a Cossack fur coat. And then the shooter could not stand his nerves, and he leaned out of his hiding place. Cormorants reacted instantly and killed the enemy on the spot with a shot from the union. The bullet hit right into the forehead. After this incident, even the biggest skeptics believed in the magical powers of the general. The mountaineers were convinced that the Shaytan defended this Russian demon in the flesh.

Crimean War

As is known, in 1853 the Russian-Turkish conflict broke out with renewed vigor. And since 1855 the participants of the Crimean War could contemplate next to them on the battlefield of the legendary General Baklanov, who was temporarily transferred to the hottest point of the Russian Empire. There he was appointed commander of the regular cavalry, which guarded the already defeated fortress from the Turks and helped to take new ones.

The Crimean Cossack regiment of Ataman Baklanov was famous for his successes on the battlefield, and he himself was well known to the enemy, who was afraid of him and called "batman-cane" (hero with a half-pooded sword).

During the Russo-Turkish War, Yakov Petrovich was seriously bruised in the head, but remained in the ranks. For military merits, he was awarded the Order of St. Anne of the first degree.

At the end of 1855 Baklanov left the Crimea and plunged into a peaceful life, settling in Novocherkassk. But the rest did not last long. Already in 1857 he was sent back to the Caucasus.

Service in Vilna

Another important period in the life of Yakov Petrovich Baklanov was his service in Vilna, where he was at the head of the Don Cossack regiments from 1863 to 1867.

The brave southern warriors were sent here to suppress the insurrection that occurred in Poland, and the leadership felt that the experienced general would be able to bring considerable benefits in this situation. True, in the power operations Cormorants did not participate, but helped Count Muravyov in suppressing the mutiny by other means.

The latter had a very bad reputation among the local population, and when he had a two-meter-tall Cossack in his aides, real fear came over the people. Baklanov attributed the cruelty of animal cruelty and temper. But soon the opinion about him changed dramatically.

Muravyov entrusted his assistant to manage the August province, which is teeming with rebel gangs of forest rangers. Two weeks after Baklanov's arrival, the province turned into a model of calm and obedience. To achieve this result, Yakov Petrovich managed to successfully combine military prosecutions with administrative measures. Local residents began to treat him with deep respect.

General Baklanov personally traveled to the territory entrusted to him and conducted several hundred conversations with the local population, trying to find out the mood of people. He tried to meet everyone who wanted a peaceful and peaceful life. Often he even allowed himself to disobey Muravyov and did not take property away from the insurgents, although the "boss" insisted on mandatory confiscation. Cormorants, however, believed that in this way he would only set up against the local, and the conflict would inflame even more. He wanted to dispel rumors of Russian ferocity, and he succeeded.

Learning that Yakov Petrovich helps the young heirs to keep the farms of exiled parents in Siberia, Muravyov was enraged, but eventually took Baklanov's position.

last years of life

Even during his Lithuanian business trip, Yakov Petrovich Baklanov seriously fell ill - he passed the liver. In 1864, he went home to improve his health, and then again returned to Vilna. In the summer of the same year, all the ataman's property and money burned down in Novocherkassk, which, naturally, did not have the best effect on the well-being of the elderly Cossack.

In 1867, the hero of the Caucasian War and other high-profile campaigns returned to the Don, and then moved to St. Petersburg, where his last years passed.

Baklanov led a quiet, inconspicuous life, after the loss of savings, barely making ends meet. I no longer thought about battles, only recalled the past, working on memoirs "My Fighting Life".

The disease did not recede, and on Oct. 18, 1873, Yakov Petrovich died. He was buried in the cemetery of the Novodevichy Convent. The ceremony was financed by the Don Military.

Memory of the hero

Five years after the hero's death, a monument was erected above his grave for voluntary donations, representing a rock with a collar and a fur hat thrown at her. And from under the fur cap you can see the legendary Baklanovsky badge.

In 1911, the general "returned home." His ashes were transported to his homeland and reburied in Novocherkassk. Next to Baklanov, in the tomb of the Ascension Cathedral, rest and other heroes of Russia - Platov, Orlov-Denisov, Efremov ...

The memory of a fearless warrior, a wise general, a great patriot of his country and just a kind soul to a man with a harsh appearance is alive today. From generation to generation, songs of Cossacks are transmitted, in which there is an image of a brave ataman and his legendary "Cormorant kick", in which the sword cut through the rider with a horse. The name of the Russian general is mentioned in the legends of the peoples of the Caucasus.

In honor of Baklanov in 1909, the 17th Don Cossack Regiment was named. Also his name is now the village where Yakov Petrovich was born. And the inhabitants of Novocherkassk received in memory of the hero Baklanovsky Prospekt (formerly it was called Troitsky) and several monuments. Also, a monument to the ataman stands in Volgodonsk today.

Immortalized in stone, Jacob Baklanov looks the same as in life - severe, formidable, harsh. Only one kind of general at one time caused panic among the enemies. But friends and relatives knew that under the powerful, unapproachable shell hidden sensitive heart and vulnerable soul.

The hero of the Don Baklanov is an example of a real warrior who comes to the battlefield not because he craves blood or adrenaline, but because he loves his homeland and is ready to fight for it until his last breath. The personality of a brave Cossack should not be forgotten by descendants and deserves to be an example for young people.