Pyotr Khristianovich Wittgenstein (1769-1843), Russian field marshal. As the commander of a Hussar regiment, he participated in the war with France in 1805-1807. In the Patriotic War of 1812, he commanded the 1st infantry Corps covering St. Petersburg, thanks to the successful actions of which the French offensive on the capital was stopped. In April-May 1813, he was commander-in-chief of the combined Russian-Prussian forces, but after the failures at Lutzen and Bautzen, he was removed from command. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, he was commander-in-Chief of the active army.

The first mentor of Peter Wittgenstein in the field of military glory was General Wilhelm Khristoforovich Derfelden. This "Catherine's eagle" for thirty years fought alongside A.V. Suvorov, was highly valued by the generalissimo and had something to pass on to his subordinates. Under Derfelden's command, Wittgenstein distinguished himself in the war against the Bar Confederation, which supported the Polish gentry in their desire to secede from the Russian Empire. In the battle of Ostrolenka on October 18, 1794, he led a squadron of famously attacked an enemy battery and captured it. The Order of St. George, 4th class, was awarded to him.

Suvorov - "natural hare". Derfelden is an Estonian German. Wittgenstein is a German "Nezhinsky" (in the sense that he was born in Nezhin). All of them (and other heroes who are innumerable - the Georgian P. I. Bagration, the Scotsman M. B. Barclay de Tolly, the son of the "Turkish subject" A. I. Kutaisov, the Armenian V. G. Madatov...) Russia was both a much-loved Fatherland and an altar to which they brought their military talent. So the deeds and exploits of Wittgenstein, the scion of a noble German family, belong to Russia.

Pyotr Khristianovich fought with the Poles, the Turks, and the Swedes. But he especially distinguished himself in the Patriotic War of 1812. By the time of Napoleon's invasion, Wittgenstein, who had survived an unjustified dismissal under Emperor Paul I and was returned to the service of Emperor Alexander I, was already a lieutenant general, a knight of many orders, including St. George, 3rd class. In Barclay de Tolly's 1st Western Army, he commanded a 23,000-strong corps tasked with closing the path of the French to the Russian capital along the Dvina River.

Barclay left the Drisa camp with the main part of the army, which threatened to become a trap for Russian troops, and headed through Polotsk to Vitebsk to join Bagration's 2nd army. Wittgenstein's corps stayed behind to complete the task. The Russian corps was attacked by the corps of MacDonald and Oudinot. The French commanders intended to bypass it and close the ring from the rear. Wittgenstein made the only correct, though risky, decision - to consistently attack the enemy's troops while they were acting separately.

Oudinot was the first to test the accuracy of Russian guns and the strength of the Russian bayonet. A military clash occurred on July 18 near the village of Klyastitsy. It turned into a three - day battle, in which more than 23 thousand people participated on the French side, and 18 thousand on the Russian side. Artillery fire, incessant maneuvering of the troops, clear and timely orders from the commander-all contributed to the success of the Russians. Oudinot, having lost up to 10 thousand bayonets, was forced to return to Polotsk. "Hardly anyone could have done better," M. I. Golenishchev - Kutuzov said about the results of the battle of Klyastitsy, emphasizing that it was "a complete victory." But it was hard for the Russians, and the lives of 4,300 people were paid for it, including the legendary General Ya. P. Kulnev. Wittgenstein himself was wounded in the head in the battle.

Pyotr Khristianovich received special favors from the Sovereign Emperor. Bypassing the established order, not yet having the Order of Alexander Nevsky, he received the Order of St. George of the 2nd degree and an annual pension of 12 thousand rubles, his wife became a cavalryman's lady of the Order of St. George. Catherine of the Lesser Cross.

But he didn't have to rest on his laurels. The enemy did not abandon their plans. In the first days of August, General Saint-Cyr joined Oudinot, after which the French forces began to number 45 thousand people against 17 thousand from the Russians. The French marshal intended to use his almost threefold superiority to give a decisive battle at Polotsk and not only avenge the defeat at Klyastitsy, but also finally eliminate the obstacle on the way to St. Petersburg. Wittgenstein, who had originally planned to cross the Dvina River to attack MacDonald's corps, was forced to make urgent adjustments to his calculations.

He tried to cut through the French battle lines to cut off their corps from each other. Legrand's division, which had counterattacked our center, was "bayoneted" by the Russians and driven back to the outskirts of Polotsk. Oudinot was wounded in the attack, and Saint-Cyr assumed command. On August 6, in a diversionary maneuver, he attacked the Russian center and left flank. The battle with varying success lasted a whole day, and after losing about 2 thousand people, the parties retreated to their original positions. Napoleon, wishing to strengthen the courage of Saint-Cyr, made him a marshal. But the enemy could not advance to the capital of the Russian Empire.

Wittgenstein was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. Later, the St. Petersburg merchants presented him with 150 thousand rubles as the savior of the capital. And from the residents of Pskov, he received an equally expensive gift - an icon with the image of the patron saint of the city, St. Prince Gabriel, and the inscription "I will not give my honor to anyone." The emperor ordered it to be included in the family coat of arms of the commander.

To Wittgenstein's credit, he knew very well to whom he owed these honors. Informing the corps of the Pskov people's offering, he wrote in the order: "I remain perfectly confident that each of the soldiers of the 1st corps, defending his dear homeland, like St. Prince Gabriel of Pskov, who wrote on his sword 'I will not give up my honor to anyone', will continue to prove that honor, Fatherland and the glory of our August Monarch is dearer than our life and all our possessions."

...The retreat from Moscow put the French flank corps in a difficult position. Wittgenstein took advantage of this in his theater of operations. On October 11, as soon as a reliable bridge was built in Polotsk, his corps moved to the left bank of the Dvina and began to pursue the French. On October 18, at Chashniki, he defeated the troops of Victor, who had hurried from Smolensk to help his own, and Saint-Cyr. On October 25, he took Vitebsk, and on November 2, he inflicted a new defeat on Viktor at the village of Smolna (Smolyantsakh). Six times the village changed hands, and more than once the Russian infantry threw themselves into bayonets. Addressing the troops on the occasion of this victory, Wittgenstein said in an order: "The enemies are proud, exhausted by the cold, fatigue and cold in the midst of Moscow itself, amazed at the extraordinary bravery of the troops and the incredible donations of our compatriots... they are already fleeing from our borders... Friends? Let us complete, with the help of the Almighty, our great feat, justify the power of attorney of the Sovereign and the Fatherland to us, overcome all the labors that are still ahead and ... make the surprised Europe exclaim with us: "Great is the Russian God! Who is against God and Russia!"

Pyotr Khristianovich undoubtedly possessed knightly courage, was loved by the troops, and understood the essence of the battle well. But still, he did not belong to the military leaders who were able to conduct large independent operations and make original decisions. This was once again confirmed by his actions at Borisov, when the current circumstances set him and Admiral P. V. Chichagov the task of preventing the French army from crossing the Berezina River on November 15-16. Hitherto Wittgenstein had had to compete on the battlefield with Napoleon's marshals and generals, and here he had to fight a duel with Bonaparte himself. Imitating the construction of a ferry south of Borisov, he arranged for the construction of a real bridge in another place, to the north of the city, and thus disappeared. Unfortunately, the Russian commanders very quickly believed that the French emperor was completely demoralized, he had lost the ability to use the art of war, and he would never be on the right bank of the Berezina! And, as we can see, in vain. Wittgenstein sweetened the bitter pill with a victory over the troops of Victor, who lost 5 thousand people killed and 13 thousand prisoners. The Russians ' human losses amounted to 4 thousand.

With the transfer of military operations outside of Russia, the troops led by Wittgenstein distinguished themselves more than once. On February 27, 1813, after delivering several sensitive blows to MacDonald, who was retreating from Riga, they entered Berlin. After Kutuzov's death, it was Wittgenstein who was chosen by the Russian and Prussian sovereigns to play the role of commander-in-chief of the Allied forces, although of the worthy candidates (Generals A. P. Tormasov, M. A. Miloradovich and German Marshal Blucher), he had the least experience in the rank. But the relative failures of the Allies in the battles of Lutzen (April 20) and Bautzen (May 9) prompted him to submit a petition to Alexander I, containing a petition for the appointment of Barclay de Tolly in his place.

The last serious action of Wittgenstein's troops was participation in the Allied battle of Bar-sur-Obe (February 15, 1814). Here Peter Khristianovich was wounded in the leg, but did not leave the battlefield until the thunder of cannons subsided. Twenty years later, the King of Prussia appreciated his services in this battle by raising Wittgenstein to the princely dignity with the title of lordship, which was also recognized in Russia.

Pyotr Khristianovich was not offended by the lack of attention to his merits at home. By order of Alexander I, he was introduced to the State Council. And from Nicholas I in 1826, he received the rank of Field Marshal General and also became chief of the Hussar Regiment.

With the beginning of the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829. Wittgenstein was appointed commander-in-chief of the troops operating in the Danube Theater. Within a short time, the Russians occupied Moldavia and Valakhia. This success gave reason to Nicholas I, who arrived in the army, to transmit to the Field Marshal the diamond badges of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, which he received during the Battle of Lutzen.

The famous military historian A. I. Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky wrote after Wittgenstein's death in 1842 that his name-the defender of Petrov Grad-would remain precious to Russia. So we remember Pyotr Khristianovich with gratitude. So the historian was indeed right.

Permanent link to this publication: