This hero of the war of 1812 became a legend for posterity. For contemporaries, he was the owner of an iron character and the first of the stubborn.
The heroic pages of the history of our Fatherland are covered with gloss over time, under which it is difficult to see real people. During his lifetime, General Ermolov was an idol of soldiers and a controversial character among his peers. Unlike officers who knew how to change their views depending on the political situation, he never resorted to such dirty tricks. If wrong, then monstrous and absolutely sincere.
Childhood
In ancient times, the Horde Murza Arslan-Yermol joined the Moscow Tsar. The title of nobility was retained for him, and after baptism, he was able to find a wife for himself. The descendants of the international union received the name Yermolov. The distant descendant of the formidable nomad Peter was not rich. He and his wife lived in Moscow, where he worked in the office of the Attorney General. In 1777, a son was born to the four Ermolovs, who was named Alexei.
As soon as the boy was born, he was enlisted in the army - this was the custom of the Catherine era. "They called" Alyosha to the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment. This was the merit of the boy’s mother - Maria, who was related to the favorites of the Empress Potemny and Orlov. Naturally, no one had mastered the infant on the parade ground, he was brought up by his relatives, and at the age of 9 he was sent to the Moscow University boarding school.
Military career and big politics
This service to the Fatherland for the heir to the Ermolovs began in 1792 at the headquarters of the Nzhegorodsky Dragoon Regiment. The thirst to continue his education led the young man to artillery - the most intellectual branch of the troops of that era. Such an officer was needed by Alexander Suvorov, who during the Polish campaign of 1794 emphasized the coherence of infantry and artillery. For participating in the suppression of the rebellion, Alex was awarded the St. George Cross.
Portrait of Alexei Petrovich Ermolov. Unknown artist
Field Marshal gave the young gunner a start in life. In 1795, Yermolov was included in the embassy in Italy, and a year later he stormed the Derbent fortress in Persia. Our hero did not approve the coming to power of Paul I and his rout of the elite of the Catherine’s era. Soon the sovereign became aware of a conspiracy brewing in the army, and Yermolov was among the members of the political circle. Unreliable lieutenant colonel was exiled to Kostroma. When local officials offered him intercession, the proud man refused, not wanting to pollute his biography with the service of the half-mad Paul.
Return to duty
The victories of Napoleon in Europe and the accession of the Russian Empire to the anti-French coalition disturbed the retirement. In 18001, he returned to the army and 4 years later took part in a number of battles. The command noted the courage of Alexei Ermolov - he did not flinch under Austerlitz, under Preisisch-Eylau it was his personal orders that saved the Russian soldiers from complete defeat.
Napoleon I on the battlefield near Eilau. Artist Antoine-Jean Gros
Returning to Russia, Alexei Petrovich managed to quarrel with Bogdan Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly. The gunner in expressions addressed to the identity of his enemy was not shy. In his slander, he slipped into openly obscene attacks that smacked of Nazism. Later, his rhetoric is borrowed by Peter Ivanovich Bagration, competing with Barclay de Tolly for the post of commander in chief.
World War II and foreign campaign
The difficult start of the war of 1812 under the command of the hated Bogdan Bogdanovich was replaced by confidence in the imminent counterattack on the Napoleonic armada when the emperor appointed commander in chief Kutuzov. Mikhail Illarionovich knew Ermolov by 1805, therefore, on the Borodino field, he entrusted him with reserves. In a difficult moment, he arrived at the aid of Raevsky. Barclay de Tolly praised the courage of his ill-wisher and asked Kutuzov for a reward for the brave man.
Military Council at Fili (1880). Artist Alexey Kivshenko
After the battle, Alexei Petrovich demanded not to surrender Moscow, but he did not make the decision. The transition from defense to offensive inspired the general, but he did not accept the idea of an overseas campaign. Remaining faithful to the oath, Ermolov fought in a foreign land with the same valor. When Alexander I was offered to raise the general from artillery in the rank, he refused, not wanting to see the brawler and the rude commander in chief. In 1816, a veteran of the war with Napoleon was able to return home to the village near Oryol, where his parents moved from the capital.
Wars in the East
Ermolov was remembered in connection with the aggravation of the situation in the Caucasus. The famous general was sent to defend the eastern frontiers of the state and monitor order there. Alexey Petrovich had a steep disposition. He responded to all the highlanders' attacks with large-scale military operations, and placed his soldiers in new fortresses. In troubled Dagestan, our hero started a family - he married according to local custom a certain Totai, recognized his son born to her.
Gimrinsky tower in Dagestan - one of the stakes of the highlanders of the rebels
When the Persians invaded the Caucasus in 1826, the general demanded that the new emperor Nicholas I send help. The emperor, who survived the Decembrist uprising, was shocked by the tone of Yermolov's letters. He asked his close associates to follow the insolent and received an impressive list of the hero's vices of 1812. The resignation of the brawler saved him from further proceedings.
