Her Majesty's cavalier regiment Empress Maria Feodorovna. The glorious history of the cavalry guards in Russia

Breastplate officer of the Cavalry regiment 1880s

The participation of the cavalry guards in the Battle of Austerlitz

The cavalry regiment received its baptism of fire on November 20, 1805 near Austerlitz. At a critical moment of the battle, when the Russian guard was pressed by superior French forces to the Raustitsky brook, the cavalry guards crossed the stream along the dam, after which the first three squadrons turned to the right, holding back the enemy's onslaught, and the fourth and fifth squadrons attacked the French light cavalry, which was besieging the Semyonovsky regiment. The 4th squadron under the command of Colonel Prince N. G. Repnin-Volkonsky and the 1st platoon of the 1st patron squadron under the command of the cornet Alexander Albrecht were surrounded. Only 18 people managed to escape - the rest were killed or taken prisoner wounded. In total, the regiment lost a third of its officers and 226 lower ranks in the battle. For this battle, the chief of the regiment, Lieutenant General F.P. Uvarov and the commander of the regiment, Major General N.I.Depreradovich received the Order of St. George 3rd degree, Colonel N.G. Repnin-Volkonsky - the Order of St. George 4th degrees, the remaining squadron commanders Colonels A.N. Avdulin, N.V. Titov, S.I.Ushakov, A.L. Davydov and Uvarov's adjutants, staff captain P.I. Vladimir, 4th degree, all wounded officers - golden weapons (swords), all other officers - Annenskie crosses "For Bravery" on swords. Juncker were promoted to officer.

The participation of the cavalry guards in the Battle of Borodino

In 1812, the regiment under the command of Colonel K. K. Levenvold distinguished itself at Borodino. The brigade of Major General I.E. Shevich (Horse and Cavalry Regiments) entered the battle at a critical moment, during the third French attack on the Rayevsky battery. Despite the death of Colonel Levenwold at the very beginning of the battle, the cavalry guards attacked Pear's cavalry and crushed it. In battle, the regiment lost 14 officers and 93 lower ranks. The surviving officers were awarded: N.F. Levashov - the Order of St. George, 4th degree, M.S.Lunin, S.P. Lanskoy and K.V. Levashov - golden swords, all the rest - the next orders , and 63 lower ranks - with the Insignia of the military order.

The regiment's 100th anniversary was magnificently celebrated on January 11 of the year. A commemorative medal and a special badge were made. The compilation of a four-volume edition of the biographies of the cavalry guards began, which eventually included the biographies of the officers who served in the regiment in 1724-1908. On this day, a parade of the regiment was held in the Mikhailovsky Manege with the presentation of a new banner, after which breakfast was given for the officers in the Anichkov Palace.

Military uniform, 1914. Her Majesty's Cavalier Regiment of Empress Maria Feodorovna

Regimentals

... the regiment with its appearance revived in memory the long-obsolete times of the era of Alexander I and Nicholas I, performing in white uniforms-tunics, and in winter - in greatcoats, over which shiny copper cuirasses were worn, with broadswords and rattling steel sheaths and in copper helmets, onto which were screwed sharp cones or, in special cases, silvered two-headed eagles. For some reason, these eagles were called "doves" among the soldiers. The saddles were covered with large red saddlecloths trimmed with silver galloon. The first line is with pikes and weather vane.

Our usual marching uniform was black single-breasted uniforms and caps, and the armament was common to all cavalry: checkers and rifles.

But this, however, did not stop there, since the so-called palace dress uniform was assigned to the cavalry guards and horse guards for the honor guards in the palace. A cuirass of red cloth was worn over the uniform, and white suede leggings, which could only be pulled when wet, and medieval boots, were worn on the legs.

Finally, for the officers of these first two cavalry regiments, there was also a so-called ball uniform, which was worn two or three times a year at palace balls. If we add to this the Nikolayev's greatcoat with a cape and a beaver collar, then one can understand how expensive the wardrobe of the Guards cavalry officer was. The majority tried to give orders to different tailors before the release: the so-called first numbers of uniforms - to expensive tailors, and the second and third - to cheaper tailors. Unbearable for the officers, the cost of uniforms caused the creation of a cooperative guards economic society with its own workshops. Similar economic societies subsequently appeared with all large garrisons.

The cost of uniforms was added to the cost of purchasing riding horses. In the guards cavalry, each officer, entering the regiment, had to present two of his own horses that meet the requirements of combat service: in the army cavalry, the officer had one of his own horses, and the other - a state one.

Famous people who served in the regiment

• Voeikov, Vladimir Nikolaevich - colonel, the last palace commandant of Nicholas II
• Volkonsky, Sergei Grigorievich - Major General, Decembrist
• Davydov, Denis Vasilievich - hero Patriotic War 1812, major general, poet
• Dantes, Georges Charles, Baron de Heeckeren - the assassin of A.S. Pushkin
• Ignatiev, Alexey Alekseevich - author of the memoir "50 years in the ranks"
• Krivsky, Pavel Alexandrovich - Member of the State Council
• Lunin, Mikhail Sergeevich - Decembrist
• Maltsov, Sergei Ivanovich - Major General, First Director of the School of Jurisprudence, Industrialist
• Mannerheim, Carl Gustav Emil - Colonel of the Russian Army, Field Marshal Finnish army, Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Armed Forces, President of Finland
• Martynov, Nikolay Solomonovich - murderer of M. Yu. Lermontov
• Muravyov, Alexander Mikhailovich - Decembrist, younger brother of Nikita Muravyov
• Orlov-Davydov, Vladimir Vladimirovich - Governor of Simbirsk
• Orlov-Denisov, Pyotr Mikhailovich - the hero of the assault on Geok-Tepe
• Petrov, Pavel Ivanovich - Podolsk Governor
• Rodzianko, Mikhail Vladimirovich - Chairman of the III and IV State Duma
• Skobelev, Dmitry Ivanovich - Lieutenant General
• Skobelev, Mikhail Dmitrievich - General of Infantry
• Skoropadsky, Pavel Petrovich - hetman of Ukraine
• Sukhtelen, Pavel Petrovich - Lieutenant General, Adjutant General

Bibliography

• Cavalier guards. Russian army regiments. M., 1997
• Age of the Cavalier Guards. Documentary... 10 episodes. Russia, 2002.
• Collection of biographies of cavalry guards (ed. S. A. Panchulidzev). M: 2001-2008. In 4 volumes. Reprint of the 1901 edition.

The cavalry regiment as a permanent combat unit was formed on January 11, 1799; it was originally called the Cavalry Corps and consisted of only 189 people. But already on January 11, 1800, the corps was reorganized into a three-squadron cavalry regiment of the imperial guard.

In fact, the cavalry guards appeared in Russia much earlier - back in 1724. However, throughout the 18th century, they did not represent a regular large military formation, but were a temporary honorary escort of emperors and empresses, as evidenced by their name (from the French cavalier - horseman, and garde - guard).

"Cavalry Guard" of Peter I

For the first time, the cavalry guards performed the function of an honorary guard on the day of the coronation of Empress Catherine I - March 30, 1724. At the same time, they were led by the Emperor Peter I himself, who assumed the title of captain of the cavalry guards; generals and colonels were listed as officers, lieutenant colonels were corporals, and 60 of the tallest and most representative chief officers were privates. Immediately after the end of the coronation celebrations, this company of cavalry guards was disbanded.

Cavalier Guards of Catherine II

After that, the "cavalry guard" was restored several more times: under Empresses Catherine I, Elizabeth I and Catherine II. However, this "unit" was actually not a military one, but was either an imperial escort of the highest dignitaries at important celebrations (under Catherine I) or a noble guard at the Empress's chambers (under Elizabeth I and Catherine II). At the same time, the number of cavalry guards rarely reached 100 people, only under Catherine II the number of cavalry guards, in which they began to enroll and distinguished themselves in battles of the guards, reached 350 people. At the same time, the composition of the "cavalry guard" remained exclusively noble.

Cavalier Guards of Paul I

And so in 1799, Emperor Paul I established a regular Cavalry Corps as the personal guards unit of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (which was Paul himself). It consisted of 189 people from the nobility, awarded for merit with the sign of the Maltese Cross. This feature was reflected in the form of the Pavlovsk cavalry guards, on the red supervests of which white Maltese crosses flaunted. The uniform assigned to the cavalry guards in 1799 was white with red and silver, in the form of a cuirassier of that time, and with cuirassier weapons. Moreover, the cavalry guards usually wore triangular hats, but on solemn days they wore silver cuirasses and silver cones with ostrich feathers.

Ceremonial helmets ("shishaki") of the cavalry guards of Paul I

The purpose of creating a corps of cavalry guards was: to make the Russian noble youth really serve, and not be listed in the service, and, forcing them to experience the full burden of the service of the lower rank, thereby prepare the young nobles for the rank of officer of the army cavalry.
The corps was created by Field Marshal Count Valentin Platonovich Musin-Pushkin, who became the first chief of the cavalry guards. The first commander of the new unit was Lieutenant General Marquis Jean Franck Louis Dotischamp, an emigrant from revolutionary France who did not know Russian at all. This circumstance made it difficult for the commander to communicate with his subordinates, and did not contribute to the popularity among the cavalry guards of this good military specialist, who was considered one of the best cavalry commanders of that time.

The creators of the Cavalry Corps: Chief of the Cavalry Guards, Field Marshal General Count Valentin Platonovich Musin-Pushkin and their commander, Lieutenant General Marquis Jean Franck Louis Dotischamp

And on January 11, 1800, the Cavalry Corps was reorganized into a three-squadron Cavalier Regiment, which became part of the Guard troops on the same rights as other guards regiments. At the same time, the new guards unit was deprived of the previous privilege of cavalry guards formations - the recruitment of personnel exclusively by nobles. Now the nobles represented officers and partly non-commissioned officers in the Cavalry Regiment, while the rank and file cavalry guards were recruited from tall and stately recruits of peasant origin, or transferred to the regiment of guard soldiers.

Cavalier Guards of Alexander I in 1805: Private and NCO

The reorganization of the corps into a regiment was handled by the new chief of the cavalry guards - the emperor's adjutant general Fyodor Petrovich Uvarov; he was also approved by the commander of this regiment. Under him, discipline in the unit improved significantly - Uvarov personally selected personnel, preventing the transfer of servicemen from other military units to the cavalry guards, who were noticed in indiscipline and unseemly actions.

Chief of the Cavalry Regiment throughout all the wars against Napoleon, Adjutant General of the Emperor Fedor Petrovich Uvarov

Soon after the accession to the throne of Emperor Alexander I, the Cavalry Regiment was increased to 5 squadrons - now the regiment's staff consisted of 991 people (41 officers, the rest were non-commissioned officers and privates). At the same time, Major General Pavel Vasilyevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov was appointed commander of the regiment, but in 1803 he was replaced in this post by Major General Nikolai Ivanovich Depreradovich, who commanded the cavalry guards until the spring of 1812, although he was appointed commander 1 in 1810. -th cuirassier division, which included the Cavalier Regiment. In May 1812, Colonel Karl Karlovich Levenwolde replaced Depreradovich as commander of the cavalry guards, but he did not lead this regiment for long: on August 26, Colonel Levenwolde died during the Battle of Borodino. After the death of Levenvolde, the cavalry guards were led by Major General Ivan Zakharovich Ershov; under his command, the regiment participated in the foreign campaigns of the Russian army in 1813-1814. The chief of the Cavalry Regiment throughout all the wars against Napoleon was the Emperor's Adjutant General Fyodor Petrovich Uvarov.

The first commanders of the regiment of cavalry guards: Major General Pavel Vasilyevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, Major General Nikolai Ivanovich Depreradovich and Major General Ivan Zakharovich Ershov
(the portrait of K.K. Levenvolde could not be found)

The new Guards regiment received its baptism of fire in 1805 at the battle of Austerlitz, showing itself at the same time better side... At the critical moment of the battle, when the Russian Guards infantry was pushed by the superior forces of the French to the Raustitsky Brook, the cavalry guards managed to save the Transfiguration and Semenovites. They quickly crossed the stream along the dam, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd squadrons of the cavalry guards, led by General Depreradovich, cut into the ranks of the French infantry, allowing the Transfiguration and Semenovites to cross to the other side. At the same time, the 4th and 5th squadrons under the command of Colonel Prince N.G. Repnin-Volkonsky attacked the French cavalry, which was marching to the aid of their infantry. In the course of the ensuing fierce battle to help the crushed squadrons of General Rapp, Napoleon's guards cavalry arrived in time and surrounded Repnin's cavalry guards. In the wheelhouse with superior enemy forces, the surrounded 4th squadron of cavalry guards lay down almost in full force: only 18 people were able to escape, the rest were killed or wounded were captured. In total, at Austerlitz, the regiment lost 26 officers and 226 lower ranks (out of 800 people who were in the ranks). For this battle, the chief of the regiment, Lieutenant General F.P. Uvarov and the regiment commander, Major General N.I. Depreradovich received the Order of St. George, 3rd degree, Colonel N.G. Repnin-Volkonsky - Order of St. George, 4th degree, the rest of the squadron commanders - orders of St. Vladimir, 4th degree, all wounded officers - golden weapons (swords), all other officers - Annenskie crosses "For Bravery" for swords. The cadets who participated in the battle were promoted to officers.

Cavalier guards in the battle with the Turkish Alla

In 1807, the cavalry guards played an important role in the Battle of Heilsberg. When the powerful onslaught of the French almost overthrew the vanguard of General Bagration, it was the fierce attacks on the enemy of the cavalry guards that allowed Bagration to safely retreat, while maintaining order in his troops. For this battle, two cavalry guards were the first in Russia to be awarded the recently approved Insignia of the Military Order, awarded to lower ranks "for military merit and for bravery shown against the enemy." They were non-commissioned officer Yegor Ivanovich Mityukhin (badge number 1) and private Karp Savelievich Ovcharenko (badge number 3).

Cavalier guards in the form of 1812: private, timpani and officer

In the Patriotic War of 1812, 4 active squadrons of the regiment (35 officers and 725 lower ranks) were in the 1st Western Army in the 1st cuirassier division of Major General N.I.Depreradovich; the reserve squadron was in the combined cuirassier regiment in the corps of Lieutenant General P. Kh. Wittgenstein. As already mentioned, he commanded the cavalry guards at initial stage war Colonel K. K. Levenvolde.
The cavalry guards were the elite of the Russian cavalry, and therefore the command kept them in reserve, sending them into battle only as a last resort. So, the cavalry guards were used in the battle on July 15 (27) near Luchesa, where they covered the flank of the rearguard, and then in the Smolensk battle. As a result of these battles, by the beginning of the Borodino battle, 30 officers and 549 lower ranks remained in the ranks of the Cavalry Regiment.
During the Borodino battle, the regiment was initially also in reserve - the command wanted to throw the guardsmen into battle at the most decisive moment. Only after 14 hours, General MB Barclay de Tolly ordered the Cavalry and Life Guards Cavalry Regiments to be brought into battle - during the last enemy attack on N.N. Raevsky's battery, at the most dramatic and critical moment of the battle. The guards attacked the Saxon cuirassiers and Polish lancers, who were rushing to the Kurgan battery. At that moment, the commander of the cavalry guards, Colonel Levenwolde, was killed with a buckshot in the head. Nevertheless, despite the death of the commander, the guardsmen with a swift attack crushed Pear's cavalry and began to pursue it. In order to avoid separation from the rest of the forces, the command gave a signal to return, but part of the cavalry guards, carried away by the pursuit, burst far ahead, and ran into a new wave of enemy cavalry. Thus, about a hundred cavalry guards found themselves face to face with the superior forces of the enemy; The guardsmen instantly formed a formation, and the officers who were among them decided to attack the enemy - this was the only way out, because if the detachment turned around to return to its own, it would inevitably be crushed. A hundred armored cavalry guards rushed at the enemy; the enemy cavalrymen, taken aback, did not accept the battle and retreated, which allowed the detached group to return to the location of their troops.

Attack of the cavalry guards in the battle of Borodino

These attacks at Borodino cost the cavalry guards the loss of 14 officers and 93 lower ranks. For the courage shown in battle, all the surviving officers were awarded orders and golden swords, and 63 lower ranks were awarded with the Insignia of the Military Order.
The reserve squadron of cavalry guards, which was part of the combined cuirassier regiment of General Wittgenstein's corps, which covered the St. Petersburg direction, was not idle either. This squadron took part in the case at the Svolnya River, in both battles near Polotsk, in the battles at Baturah (November 11), at Borisov (November 15) and at Studenka (November 16).
After the expulsion of Napoleon from Russia, the Cavalry Regiment took part in the Foreign campaign, distinguished itself in 1813 at Lutzen, Kulm and Leipzig, and in 1814 at Fer-Champenoise. For heroic deeds in the Patriotic War, the Cavalry Regiment was awarded St. George's standards with the inscription "For distinction in the defeat and expulsion of the enemy from the borders of Russia in 1812", and for the battle at Fer-Champenoise the regiment was awarded the St. George Trumpets.

With the ending Napoleonic Wars for the cavalry guards, a long period of peace began - for about a hundred years they did not have a chance to prove themselves in battles with the enemy. Only twice did a military thunderstorm disturb this Guards regiment. So, in the gunpowder turmoil of the December uprising on Senate Square in 1825, the Cavalier Guards Regiment, which had taken the oath to Nicholas I, remained on the side of the new emperor. Summoned to Petersburg from Tsarskoye Selo, the cavalry guards left their place so hastily that they came to Senate Square without cuirasses and on horses saddled "in a manege style", and one squadron in general wearing uniforms and caps. This caused displeasure and even indignation of the emperor and his retinue. In order not to see further this "shameful spectacle", the cavalry guards were removed behind their backs - to Admiralteyskaya Square.

At three o'clock in the afternoon the guards cavalry was ordered to attack the rebels. The horse guards and cavalry guards did it with obvious reluctance (no one wanted to shed the blood of their comrades in arms), and retreated at the very first shots from the square of the rebels. This was repeated several times; as an eyewitness testified: "The cavalry regiment went on the attack evenly, but without great success." Since the cavalry did not want to solve the problem, the rebels were eventually dispersed by artillery volleys.
Despite the fact that during the uprising all the cavalry guards were in the ranks of government forces, after the suppression of the rebellion, many officers of this regiment were accused of participating in a conspiracy: a total of 28 officers of the Cavalry Regiment were involved in the case of the Decembrists - mostly just for "free-spirited chatter" and acquaintance with the conspirators. Nevertheless, the punishment of these "Decembrists" was rather cruel: some of the officers were transferred with a demotion to other regiments, and four (Lieutenant Annenkov, Cornet Svistunov, Cornet Muravyov and Captain Count Chernyshev) were sent to hard labor. Note that the attitude of the regiment's officers to the convicts was generally negative, although many felt sorry for them, as their comrades in arms, "bewildered by freethinking."
The second time the Cavalry Regiment was raised on alert during Crimean War(1853-55) and sent to the Polish city of Biala Podlaska: on the western border Russian Empire the Prussian and Austrian troops were concentrated, threatening to invade, and the cavalry guards, together with other troops, were preparing to repel the attack (but - it worked out ...).

Private of the Cavalry Regiment in mid-19th century uniform

As already mentioned, the peaceful everyday life of the guards continued for a hundred years. V Peaceful time The cavalry guards occupied an internal guard every day in the palace in which the emperor stayed, and on solemn occasions they wore armor. In addition to serving at the court, the cavalry guards decorated with their presence all the parades and imperial reviews. Life went on as usual: regimental commanders changed, officers came and went, the staff structure and name changed. From 1881 until February revolution In 1917, the chief of the regiment was Empress Maria Feodorovna, wife and then widow of Emperor Alexander III. In her honor, since 1894, the regiment began to be called the Knight Guards of Her Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna's regiment.

Empress Maria Feodorovna

Empress Maria Feodorovna with sponsored cavalry guards

At this time, as in previous decades, the cavalry guards wore a white cuirassier uniform; the collar and cuffs of the uniform were red, with guards buttonholes: for the lower ranks from yellow braid, for officers - from silver thread. This color was traditional for the cavalry guards at all times, while the cut of the uniforms changed over the years according to fashion. The instrumental metal in the regiment of cavalry guards was white (for officers - silver). The saddlecloths under the saddles are red, with a black border, lined with yellow braid at the lower ranks, for officers with a silver galloon. However, in addition to the ceremonial white uniform, the cavalry guards also had a festive red uniform, and at the beginning of the 20th century, according to experience Russo-Japanese War for everyday wear in all parts Russian army a khaki uniform was introduced.

The uniform of the Cavalier Guards at the beginning of the 20th century: white ceremonial, red festive, protective everyday

The helmets of the cavalry guards had an interesting feature: in ceremonial and festive uniforms, metal double-headed eagles were attached to them. In everyday form in the ranks, the eagles were screwed together, and in their place stylized "flaming grenades" were installed, and outside the formation, instead of helmets, the cavalry guards wore white caps with a red band.

Hats of the Cavalier Regiment:
front helmet, everyday helmet for action, everyday cap out of action

Even during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I, certain features of the manning of the Cavalry Regiment developed, which existed until the very end of its history. The regiment was staffed by exceptionally tall, beardless, gray and blue-eyed blondes. Equipping the regiment with horses was also regulated. For the 1st squadron, horses were selected light-chestnut without marks, for the 2nd - bay with marks, in the 3rd - bay without marks, and the 4th - dark-bay without marks. The trumpeters of the cavalry guards rode only on gray horses.

Private cavalry guards in early 20th century uniform

Every year on September 5, on the day of Saints Zechariah and Elizabeth, the cavalry guards celebrated their regimental holiday, and on January 11, 1899, they magnificently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the regiment. A commemorative medal and a special badge were made. The compilation of a four-volume edition of the biographies of the cavalry guards began, which eventually included the biographies of the officers who served in the regiment in 1724-1908. On the day of the jubilee, a parade of the regiment was held in the Mikhailovsky Manege with the presentation of a new banner, after which breakfast was given for the officers in the Anichkov Palace.

Regimental badge of cavalry guards, appeared in 1899

Such an easy existence continued until the tragic summer of 1914. But already at the very beginning of World War I, the cavalry guards went to the front. As part of the 1st Guards Cavalry Division, the cavalry guards arrived in the Consolidated Cavalry Corps of the 1st Russian Army; the corps was commanded by Lieutenant General Huseyn Khan Nakhichevan. The regiment took its first battle on August 6, 1914, near the village of Kaushen during the East Prussian operation. The cavalry guards launched a horse attack on the enemy; however, the German artillery set up a powerful fire barrier, effectively thwarting the attack. The horses, not accustomed to shooting, were frightened by the breaks and ceased to obey the riders. Then the cavalry guards dismounted, and again attacked the enemy - already on foot, with carbines and bayonets attached to them; in front of the chains with a bared saber walked the regiment commander, Major General Prince Alexander Nikolaevich Dolgorukov. The cavalry guards, under heavy fire, nevertheless reached the enemy and, after a fierce battle, turned him to flight. In that battle at Kaushen, the Cavalry and Life Guards Cavalry Regiment lost more than half of the available officers in killed and wounded; the total losses were about 380 people. The Germans lost 1,200 people.

The commander of the cavalry guards in 1914, Major General Prince Alexander Nikolaevich Dolgorukov

Then, until 1916, the regiment took part in hostilities on various fronts. In the conditions of that war, the cavalry guards had to forget about white uniforms and golden cuirass, and get used to the uniform of a khaki; instead of training in horse formation, cavalry guards were now taught to dig in, dash, and crawl. In July 1916, the regiment took part in the famous Brusilov breakthrough; this was his last combat mission, at the end of the offensive the cavalry guards were taken to rest in the rear.
After the emperor's abdication in March 1917, the Cavalry Regiment began to guard the Shepetovka and Kazatin railway stations; the guards were ordered to stop the deserters fleeing the front. The disintegration of the Russian army could not but affect the rank and file of the guards units; therefore, on August 30, in Sarny and Kazatin, where squadrons of cavalry guards were stationed, rallies were held, the participants of which decided "to express no confidence in the entire officer corps." The Commissar of the Special Army ordered: "In view of the acute distrust of the soldiers in the command staff, all officers who are in the ranks by September 1 must leave the regiment to replace them with more democratic ones." As a result, only four officers remained in the Cavalier Guards Regiment, and even those were sent to Kiev by the new commander, Colonel Abramov from the 8th Dragoon Astrakhan Regiment, who arrived in Kiev at the beginning of November. A few days later, the Cavalry Regiment was completely disbanded.
However, the disbandment of the regiment by the Bolsheviks did not mean the complete disappearance of the cavalry guards. The officers of the Cavalry Regiment, dismissed in September 1917 by the decision of the commissars, for the most part joined the white movement, and they tried to stick together whenever possible. Having joined the Circassian Cavalry Division, the cavalry guards in the fall of 1918 formed a platoon (which had grown into a squadron in two months) of cavalry scouts of the Consolidated Guards Regiment. By July 1919, the cavalry guards had already formed three squadrons, the combat biography of which ended in the fall of 1920 in the Crimea during the evacuation of the White Guard troops from Russia.
In emigration, the former cavalry guards created the regimental association "Cavalier Guards", which helped and supported the officers in need. In 1938-1968, this association published the annual magazine "Bulletin of the Cavalry Guards Family".

During the existence of the Cavalier Regiment, many officers served in it, who later became famous people... Among the most famous former cavalry guards can be called the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, partisan and poet Denis Vasilyevich Davydov; In the ranks of the Cavalry Regiment, the future Decembrists Ivan Alexandrovich Annenkov, Sergei Grigorievich Volkonsky, Mikhail Sergeevich Lunin fought against Napoleon. The notorious murderers of poets A.S. Pushkin and M.Yu. Lermontov - Georges Charles Dantes and Nikolai Solomonovich Martynov. Former cavalry guards were both the head of the Greek Revolution, Alexander Konstantinovich Ypsilanti, and the famous hero of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-78. General Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev. In the Cavalry Regiment, the Moscow mayor, the first honorary citizen of Moscow, Alexander Alekseevich Shcherbatov, the chairman of the III and IV State Duma Mikhail Vladimirovich Rodzianko, the hetman of Ukraine Pavel Petrovich Skoropadsky and Marshal, and then President of Finland Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim, also began their biography.

This publication is an essay on the history of the Cavalry Regiment from the moment of its formation to 1851. No other part of the Russian Guard had such an amazing history. “We do not strive to be the first, but we will not allow anyone to be better than us,” was the motto of the cavalry guards. The officers of the regiment have really always been distinguished by their loyalty to knightly traditions, natural aristocracy and self-sacrifice. The creation of the most privileged of the regiments of the Russian army dates back to 1724 - the time of the coronation of the wife of Peter the Great, Empress Catherine I. A detachment of 50 drabants or the Cavalry Corps was formed as an honorary guard for this ceremony. During the XVIII century. this formation as an honorary guard of the emperor, recruited exclusively from representatives of the Russian nobility, was modified, disbanded and formed again. In 1800, Emperor Paul I reorganized the Cavalry Corps into the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, which became part of the Guards on equal terms with other guards regiments, without retaining the privilege of recruiting only nobles. The first chief of the regiment was General F.P. Uvarov, and since 1803, Major General N.I. Depreradovich (died in 1813). From the beginning of the reign of Nicholas I, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna became the chief of the regiment, and from 1831 the regiment was called Her Majesty's Cavalier Guards Regiment. Since 1857, the Cavalry Regiment was the first of the six regiments of the 1st Guards Cavalry Division, which, in addition to four cuirassier (heavy cavalry), included two Guards Cossack regiments.

The Cavalry Regiment received its baptism of fire in the battle of Austerlitz (November 20, 1805). At a critical moment in the battle, the cavalry guards attacked the French cavalry besieging the Semyonovsky regiment, however, they themselves were surrounded. Of the two squadrons of the regiment, only 18 people managed to escape, and the rest were killed or captured. In total, in this battle, the regiment lost a third of its officers and 226 lower ranks. For this feat, almost all the officers of the regiment received awards. During the Patriotic War of 1812, the cavalry guards distinguished themselves in the battle of Borodino, where the regiment lost 14 officers and 93 lower ranks. During the foreign campaigns of the Russian army, the cavalry guards were with the person of Alexander I, fought heroically at Lutzen and Ferschampenoise, and participated in the solemn entry of the allied troops into Paris. During the reign of Nicholas I, the Cavalry Regiment was mainly at the court, participating in numerous court ceremonies. The only military campaign in which the cavalry guards took part was the suppression of the Polish uprising in 1830-1831, during which they occupied Warsaw and participated in the campaign to the Modlin fortress.

A feature of this publication is the appendices where decrees, reports, extracts, lists of commanding persons, officers and first cavalry guards are published, lists of generals, the headquarters and chief officers of the Cavalier regiment, awarded for distinction in hostilities, a list of the headquarters and chief officers of the Cavalier regiment killed and mortally wounded during the fighting.

Life Guards Cavalry Regiment.

Seniority from 11/01/1799

Regimental holiday - September 5, on the day of St. Zacharias and Elizabeth

1799 January 11. The Imperial Order for the compilation of the Guard of the Person of the Great Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem Emperor Paul I established the Cavalry Corps. The emperor himself, having appointed officers and non-commissioned officers of the corps, gave the right to choose the rank and file of the Cavalry Guards from the non-commissioned officers of the entire guard, the Vice-Admiral of the Baltic rowing fleet Count Litta, who was in the rank of lieutenant of the Grand Master. On April 6 of the same year, the staff of the corps was approved: Chief - in the rank of full General; Commander - Major General, 2 colonels, 1 captain, 2 cornet. 9 non-commissioned officers, of whom one for the watchmaster, 75 cavalry guards, 1 timpani, 4 trumpeters, 32 non-combatants of various ranks. All non-commissioned officers and privates of the Cavalier Guards were from the nobility.

Note: The original establishment of the cavalry guards belongs to Peter the Great.

1724 March 31. The Emperor verbally ordered Major General Lefort (the nephew of his famous mentor) to form 60 people in Moscow for the upcoming coronation of Empress Catherine from army and zapolosh (over the set) officers in Drabant or Cavalier Guards. The Emperor himself took the title of captain of this company, and appointed Lieutenant General Yaguzhinsky as Lieutenant-General. After 19 days after the coronation on May 26, the cavalry guards were disbanded, having handed over their uniforms to the Moscow uniform office. On December 3, 1725, Prince Menshikov announced the Imperial command to recruit the cavalry guard again, including, as under Peter the Great, and to transfer to them the cavalier garment that was kept in the uniform office. The perfect formation of this Cavalry Guard followed in December 1726, and on January 1, 1727, it first appeared at the Imperial Court. The rank of Captain was accepted by Empress Catherine, and Prince Menshikov was granted the Captain-Lieutenant. On May 7 of the same year, Emperor Peter II received the Captain of the Cavalry Guard, and on September 9, in place of Menshikov, he appointed Yaguzhinsky's experiment. On June 18, a renaming followed: Lieutenant Captain - Lieutenant Commander, Lieutenant - Lieutenant and Cornet - Non-commissioned Lieutenant, and three vice corporals of major rank, 12 private cavalry guards and 1 clerk were added from the previous state.

1730, February 12. Empress Anna Ioannovna accepted the title of Captain of the Cavalry Guard, without changing anything in the composition, and on July 7, 1731, the order to disband the Cavalry was issued. Some of her ranks entered the newly established Izmailovsky Life Guards regiment, others entered the army; most of them were assigned to the new Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, to which Yaguzhinsky was appointed Lieutenant Colonel.

1741 December 31. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, in rewarding the services rendered to her upon accession to the throne by the Grenadier Company of the Life Guard of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, commanded this company to be separate from the regiment under the name of the Life Company and, having given it great advantages, replaced the Cavalry Guard with it. The Empress, having accepted the title of Company Captain herself, conferred the rank of a full General to the Captain-Lieutenant, the rank of a full General, two Lieutenants - Major General, Adjutant - Brigadier, Warrant Officer - Colonel, 8 Sergeants - Lieutenant Colonel, 6 Lieutenant Sergeants - Premier Major, Warrant Officer and Quartermaster Major Seconds, 12 Corporals - Lieutenant Captain, 30 Grenadiers - Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant and Warrant Officer, 4 drummers and 4 flutes - Sergeant.

1742 At the time of the celebrations on the occasion of the sacred Crowning of the Empress, 60 grenadiers of the Life Company with 1 sergeant, 1 vice sergeant and 4 corporals were the Empress for the cavalier guards and had the uniform and armament of the former Cavalry Guard with the most insignificant change. The lieutenant-captain was General Feldzheichmester, Landgrave Ludwig of Hesse-Homburg. Upon returning to St. Petersburg, the Cavalry Guards again became part of the Life-Company.

1762 March 21. Emperor Peter III ordered to dissolve the Life Company. On July 6 of the same year, Empress Catherine II ordered the Actual Chamberlain General-in-Chief, Count Gendrikov, to recruit the Cavalry Guard mainly from the ranks of the dissolved Life Company, indicating that the state should be accepted as the foundation on April 30, 1726. Count Gendrikov was appointed Chief of the Cavalry Guard; in addition to him, it consisted of: 1 sergeant in the rank of Colonel, 1 vice sergeant and 3 corporals with the rank of lieutenant colonel, 3 vice corporals - Prime Major, 60 privates - Second major, Captain and lieutenant, 1 clerk - Captain and 2 copyist - Sergeant. At the Cavalry Guards, two more trumpeters, a timpani, and a blacksmith were appointed. healer, 2 medicinal apprentices, 4 paramedics and 6 watchmen for uniform things. The coronation of the Empress took place in Moscow on September 15, and the Cavaliers participated in it according to the same ceremony that was adopted at the coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna. Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, the Cavalry Guards during the entire reign of Empress Catherine II kept an internal guard near her chambers in a special room, which received the name of the Cavalier Guards.

1764 March 24, a new state of the Cavalry Guards was approved, renamed into the Cavalry Corps. It should be: Chief (Count Grigory Grigorievich Orlov) in the rank of a full General, Lieutenant - the rank of Lieutenant General, Wahmister - Colonel, 2 corporals - Lieutenant Colonel, 2 corporals of the Prime Major and 60 Cavaliers in the ranks of Lieutenant. Lieutenants and lieutenants of the army.

1776 After the dismissal of Count Orlov from the service, Prince Potemkin was appointed Chief.

1777 Added to the staff of Cornet (Adjutant wing of the Empress Major General Zorich). After the death of Prince Potemkin, the patronage vacancy remained unsubstituted for two years. 1793 On October 21, Feldseichmeister-General, Count Zubov, was appointed Chief of the Cavalier Guards. and Count Dmitriev-Mamonov, who was under Potemkin, was left as the Lieutenant. The Cavalier Guards remained in this composition throughout the entire reign of the Empress; after her death, they kept 16 people every day on guard at the body of the deceased empress, participated in the funeral procession and for this, after 6 weeks after her death, they were promoted and dismissed, whoever wished for what kind of service. At the same time, Emperor Paul I ordered Count Musin-Pushkin to recruit a new Cavalry Squadron, all officers and half of the lower ranks of which were selected from the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment.

1796 December 31. It was ordered to send 500 non-commissioned officers from all the regiments of the guard to the Count Musin-Pushkin to form two new cavalry squadrons.

1797 January 26. Their staff was approved: Chief from the Generals, to him in Headquarters - General or Colonel, 3 staff officers for commanding squadrons, 3 captains. 3 head captain, 6 lieutenants. 6 cornet, 3 sergeant, 3 standard-junkers, 54 non-commissioned officers and 600 cavalry guards - all of noble origin.

1797 The cavalry squadrons, together with the Horse Guards, took part in all coronation ceremonies in March, and during the stay of the Imperial Family in Moscow they kept the internal palace guards. On July 20 of the same year, instead of three squadrons, they were divided into five, and on September 21, they were disbanded in other regiments and partly dismissed from service altogether.

1800 January 11, it was ordered to reorganize the cavalry corps into a three-squadron cavalry regiment on the same position with the guards regiments, without assigning it the previous advantage of being made up of nobles. All non-commissioned officers and privates from the nobility who served in the corps, at their request, were released into another kind of service by the chief officers. On May 16, the regiment's staff was approved: General, 3 colonels, 22 chief officers, 42 non-commissioned officers, 384 cavarguards, 7 trumpeters and non-combatants of various ranks and ranks - 116.

1804 March 14. The new staff of the regiment in five-squadron composition was approved. On May 26, the Reserve Squadron was approved at the regiment.

1810 November 8. The reserve squadron is directed to reinforce the existing ones.

1812 December 27. The regiment was reorganized into 6 active squadrons, with one Reserve.

1831 August 22, the regiment was named Her Majesty's Cavalry Guards

1832 May 2. A new staff was approved for the number of 6 active and 1 reserve squadrons.

1836 April 6. The Guards Reserve Squadron No. 1 was established and assigned to the regiment, and the former 7th Reserve Squadron was named 7 Reserve.

1842 January 25, for the preparation of the Reserve Forces it was ordered to have 8 squadrons in cadres from the lower ranks without expiration date.

1856 July 26. The new staff of the regiment was approved, consisting of 6 active and 2 reserve squadrons, and on September 18, it was ordered to have four active squadrons and one reserve. No. 5.

1860 November 6. The regiment was commanded to be called as the cavalry guard.

1863 December 29. The fifth reserve squadron was separated from the regiment into a special Guards reserve cavalry brigade and ordered to call it, without a number, the reserve squadron of the Cavalry regiment.

1864 August 4. The reserve squadron was added to the regiment, and the Directorate of the Guards Reserve Brigade was abolished.

1866 December 24. Approved: the new staff of the regiment in the composition of 4 active squadrons and the provision on reserve squadrons.

1875 July 27. The reserve squadron is named as a reserve squadron.

1881 March 2. The regiment is named Her Majesty's Horse Guards.

1883 August 6. The reserve squadron was reorganized into a cadre department.

1894 November 2. The regiment was named the Horse Guards of Her Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna.

Source:Imperial Guard: reference book of the Imperial2 headquarters / ed. VC. Schenk. 2nd ed., Rev. and add. -SPb .: printing house V.D. Smirnov, 1910.

Having approved the main seat of the [Maltese] Order in St. Petersburg, Emperor Paul wished to have with him, by the rank of Grand Master, a special guard composed exclusively of nobles. The first order to form this guard, under the name of the Cavalry Corps, was announced to Count Litte on January 8, 1799, and on the 11th of the same month, the following Imperial Order was issued: , appointed: Chief - Lieutenant of the Grand Master Count Litta, and Lieutenant - Major General Prince Dolgorukov, who is in the Retinue of His Imperial Majesty - 4th ...
The staffing of the corps took place only in April 1799, and prior to its approval, there were no written rules regarding the size and officer ranks of the corps. According to the highest confirmed state on April 6, 1799 ... in the Cavalry Regiment they are appointed: chief, in the rank of full general, commander - major general; 2 colonels, 1 captain, 2 cornet, 9 non-commissioned officers, of which one is for the watchmaster; 75 cavalry guards, 1 timpani, 4 trumpeters and 32 non-combatants of various ranks. From the Chief to the cavalry guards, inclusive, all the ranks named here were supposed to be, as intended when the corps was established, from the nobility, and ordinary cavalry guards were made directly to the cornet and ensign of the guards and army cavalry and infantry. In addition to noble dignity, the chief and commander were certainly from the Commanders, and the entire headquarters, chief and non-commissioned officers - from the knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. The commanders wore the order cross (white, enamel, with gold lilies in the corners and with a gold crown at the upper ends) around their necks, and the cavaliers had it in their buttonhole; both on a black ribbon. In addition, on the left side of the tunic and uniform, the commanders and cavaliers had an image of the order's cross made of linen or other white matter sewn on the left side of the tunic and uniform. The corps also received - for the first time since 1731 - a standard of crimson damask with a white rectilinear cross.
On August 9, 1799, Emperor Paul appointed his Adjutant General, Major General Uvarov, with the name of a brave officer who combined the fame of an expert in cavalry service, as his chief.
Exactly one year after the establishment of the Cavalry Corps, on January 11, 1800, Emperor Paul ordered it to be reorganized into a three-squadron Cavalry Regiment, in the same position as the Life Guards regiments.
Emperor Pavel, taking care of the brilliant, in all respects, arrangement of the new Cavalry regiment, made it up almost entirely from the Horse Guards, for which he himself, personally, from the put into operation of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment 7 non-commissioned officers, 5 trumpeters, 249 privates and 245 horses. Together, take off, 9 officers moved from this regiment to the Cavalier Guards.

Source: History of Her Majesty's Cavalry Guards and Her Majesty's Cavalry Regiment from 1724 to July 1, 1851. - SPb., 1851.- P.40-49.

It is printed with abbreviations.

There is not so much to tell about the final stage of the history of the Cavalry Regiment. After all, cavalry men at arms are much more consistent with knightly, medieval times than with the era of "affirmation of bourgeois relations" ...

The life of the Cavalier Regiment went on as usual at that time. Regimental commanders changed, officers came and went, someone went as a Volunteer to the next war ... The regular structure of the regiment changed, or, as they usually say, improved. So, back in 1856, the regiment was transferred from a six-squadron to a four-squadron, and the fifth squadron was a reserve one. In 1880, the reserve cavalry squadron became part of the Guards. reserve cavalry regiment.

On November 2, 1894, the regiment became known as Her Majesty's Cavalry Regiment, Empress Maria Feodorovna. Such a ceremonial-court existence of the cavalry guard continued until the very summer of the memorable 1914. This summer, as usual, the regiment spent in its camp location near Krasnoye Selo - in Pavlovskaya Sloboda.

On July 10, the troops of the Krasnoselsky camp gathering were held the highest review, at which the President of the French Republic Raymond Poincaré stood next to Emperor Nicholas II (in less than a month, the Russian tsar and the French president would become allies in the great war).The inspection took place in the usual way, but immediately after its completion, the Guards cavalry regiments were ordered to go to 8 Petersburg and its suburbs to provide assistance to the police. At this time, the largest Putilovsky and Obukhovsky factories were on strike in the city, and processions of strikers and protesters marched through the streets.

Raymond Poincaré

A day later, on July 72, when the cavalry guards again took their places in their city barracks, Nicholas II promoted pages and cadets of graduation classes to officers. The regimental family of cavalry guards included cornets Mikhail and Sergei Bezobrazovy, Nikolai Kaznakov, Dmitry Dubasov, Alexander Shebeko, Prince Igor Repnin. This was the last production of peacekeeping officers.

Five days later, on July 17, the regiment received an order for general mobilization, and on the 21st, a parting prayer was served in the barracks on Shpalernaya Street. At this prayer service, for the last time, the old cavalry guards gathered together, led by the oldest surviving regimental commander, Adjutant General Greenwald. Who would have known that the cavalry guards paraded along the regimental parade ground for the last time ... After all, there was no return from that war. On the same night, the regimental commander, Major General Prince Alexander Nikolaevich Dolgorukov, sent the first echelon of cavalry guards to the Varshavsky railway station to board the carriages.

According to the combat schedule, 1st Guards. the cavalry division - without the 3rd Cossack brigade - became part of the cavalry detachment of Lieutenant General Khan-Nakhichevan, which made up the right group of the army cavalry of the 1st army. Their first combat mission in the world war - to conduct reconnaissance in battle across the border river Shirvint - the cavalry guards, like more than a hundred years ago, performed side by side with the Horse Guards. Having crossed the river, the Cavalry Regiment began to attack the village of Wabbeln, the Life Guards Horse - on Bilderweigen. The German border guards were quickly driven out of the villages, and the divisional commander ordered the brigade to be taken back to its original position. During the retreat, the cavalry guard Zelenin was mortally wounded - the first irrecoverable loss of the regiment.

For some time, the cavalry guards mastered in the theater of hostilities: they carried out patrol service, were in skirmishes with the enemy, conducted reconnaissance. Finally, on August 6, the regiment took its first battle - the very first battle in a long line of upcoming battles and battles. In many of its features, this battle resembled the baptism of fire of the cavalry guards at Austerlitz. In the reckless courage, contempt for death, in the insolence and chivalry of the last cavalry guards, those best qualities that they inherited from their ancestors - the cavalry guards of the Alexander reign ...

Hussein-Ali, Khan of Nakhichevan. General of the Russian service, Azerbaijani.
Under his command, the cavalry guards served in 1914.

In the direction of the village of Kaushen, the regiment first marched in horse formation - until the German artillery struck, did not put up a dense barrier. I had to turn back. We retreated calmly, but then the rear platoons suddenly hurried and began to jump forward.

"Cavalier guards do not leave at a gallop!" - shouted to the soldiers the cornet Veselovsky, an officer who volunteered in the Balkan War, wounded there in 1912. These words, reminiscent of the glorious traditions of the regiment, were enough for people to calm down, let the horses take a step,

After a while, dismounted, the cavalry guards again moved on the enemy. The Germans unleashed artillery fire on the chains. Almost immediately, Colonel Prince Cantacuzen, who was walking in front of the ranks, was seriously wounded by a shrapnel bullet in the stomach. The 4th squadron supported the advancing on horseback - despite the increasing rifle fire and shrapnel. Here the cornet Kartsov was mortally wounded, the cornet Volzhin was wounded. In the ranks of other squadrons, Captain-Captain Kossikovsky and Lieutenant Prince Kildishev were mortally wounded.

There was a lot from the 19th century and the former cavalry guard, and in how Lieutenant Voevodsky 2nd, having gathered his remaining eleven cavalry guards, again led them to the enemy battery. Six people died in this daring attack, the rest were wounded, and the lieutenant himself bandaged the wounds of each ... But the rush of the attacking cavalry guards was in vain - at the most German positions they were awaited by the reality of the new century - a barbed wire fence. I had to retreat. And then the cavalry guards attacked the Germans again, and Prince Dolgorukov himself walked in front of the chains with a naked saber. And shrapnel relentlessly beat on the chains, machine-gun bursts tore through the ranks. I had to stop, lie down, dig in. In one of the attacks, the Voevodsky 4th cornet was struck. Dying, he managed to shout to the lieutenant: "Farewell, brother!"

That, too, was some kind of rock that hung over the cavalry guards: in the battle at Austerlitz, Nikita Lunin and the captain Kazimir Levenwolde, who served in the regiment at the same time with their brothers, were killed. And in this battle at the village of Kaushen, an officer who served in the regiment with his brother was also killed. And they were all younger brothers.

Finally, closer to the end of the day, when the cavalry guards came to the aid of the cavalry guards, the life hussars and the guards artillery supported the attack, they managed to break through the enemy's defenses. During the pursuit, another officer was killed - the cornet Baron Pillar von Pilhau.

On August 13, the cavalry guards took Friedland, a city near which in 1807 a fierce battle took place between the Russian and French armies. Then the victory still went to the enemy. Now a few artillery volleys were enough for the Germans to hastily clear the city.

This is how the war for the cavalry guards began, which contemporaries called the Second Patriotic War, and the descendants called the imperialist one. Now it is most often called forgotten. Forgotten, overshadowed by subsequent events that radically changed the entire course of Russian history ...

The cavalry regiment went along the roads of war - from one sector to another, from the front to the front. The cavalry guards fought in the Augustow and Kozlovo-Ruda forests, in the Warsaw region, at Petrakov, Lyudinov, Sventsian ... In addition, this logic is quite difficult to understand, the regiment very often changed its subordination. It was logical that at first all four cuirassier regiments united in the 1st Guards. division, then two guards divisions converged into a cavalry corps, and then new changes began, so that at one time the cavalry guards were even assigned to ... the Ussuri cavalry brigade of General Krymov, which included the Nerchinsky and Ussuriysky Cossack regiments, the Primorsky Dragoon regiment and two Don Cossack regiments batteries.

Regimental commanders changed quite often. In November 1914, when the regiment was on the Southwestern Front, Prince Dolgorukov was enrolled in the retinue and the command was assumed by Colonel Prince Alexander Nikolaevich Eristov, commander of the 1st battery of the Guards. conio-artillery brigade. In May 1916, the prince was appointed a brigade commander, and Colonel Nikolai Ivanovich Shipov, Commander of the 5th Ural Cossack regiment, became the regimental commander of the cavalry guards, he belonged to the number of "indigenous cavalry guards", for back in 1911 he commanded the 4th squadron in the regiment ... But a year later, Shipov was replaced by Colonel A. V. Yeletskaya, the "root" officer of the Ulan regiment ...

Who would have recognized then, in the trenches of the World War, those very horsemen-guards in shiny armor and helmets with eagles, the honorary guard at the throne of the Russian emperors? Airplanes, machine guns, gases, powerful artillery turned out to be very significant opponents for the cavalry. So now the guards cavalrymen were more taught to act not in horse formation, but on foot, with them they practiced dashing, entrenching, throwing hand grenades. Of course, white tunics, red superwests and golden cuirasses were completely forgotten, they were replaced by "khakis". Austerlitz and Borodino were now also not remembered ...

Painting by N. Samokish, depicting a cavalry guard in winter uniform

In the first ten months of the fighting, the Russian army suffered significant losses. Infantry units suffered especially, and therefore it was allowed to send willing cavalry officers to the infantry. With what indignation would they have reacted to such a proposal of the cavalry guards of the times of Uvarov and De-Preradovich! But times are different, volunteer officers responded immediately. The first to go to the 13th Life Grenadier Erivan Regiment were the Adjutant Wing Lieutenant Prince Bagration-Mukhransky, lieutenants Buturlin and Gerngross, cornets Bezob-razov and Pashkov, Warrant Officer Count Medem. Cornet Orzhevsky was enrolled in the forefront - guards. Preobrazhensky regiment. Very soon Orzhevsky and Prince Bagration were killed ...

At the end of 1915 (after more than half a century), the 5th and 6th active squadrons were formed in the regiment. However, the infantry was required even more than the cavalry, so that in May 1916 under the 1st Guards. The cavalry division formed a rifle division, initially consisting of four foot squadrons. Somewhat later, their number doubled. The squadrons bore the names of regiments, from which they received officers, non-commissioned officers and privates: cavalry guards, horse guards, cuirassiers. The first commander of the 1st foot squadron was staff captain V.N.Bibikov. For a short time in the ranks of the squadron, many officers of the regiment had to serve.

In July 1916, the cavalry guards were again transferred to the Southwestern Front to break the offensive, which would be called the Brusilov Breakthrough. On July 14, the regiment took up positions in the direction of Kobel, but stayed here a little more than a week - on July 23, the cavalry guards were replaced at positions near the village of Krovatki by the 93rd Infantry Irkutsk Regiment.

More cavalry guards did not have to fight. Revolutionary events began in the country, which, as you know, directly affected the affairs of the front ...

On March 5, 1917, the regiment received a telegram announcing the emperor's abdication. After reading the manifesto, the chief of staff of the Guards. of the cavalry corps, General Vinniken shot himself. He obviously felt that this was the beginning of the end, and did not want to drink to the bottom of that bitter cup that many other generals and officers had to take ...

Emperor Nicholas II in the uniform of a colonel of the Cavalry regiment

Since March, the Cavalry Regiment received the task of guarding railway stations Shepetivka and Kazatin. They were not guarded from Germans or Austrians - from their own Russian deserters. The army was falling apart, discipline was falling rapidly. But it would be naive to believe that the valiant Cavalry Regiment will be able to remain a stronghold of order and loyalty to the oath for a long time in the stormy sea of ​​anarchy and anarchy that surrounded it. The anti-national forces in the country were well aware that the state machine could be completely destroyed only after the army was disintegrated.

The first waves of deserters were stopped by cavalry guards patrols, order was restored at the stations, but soon the guards were forced to be only observers of how the wreckage of the crumbling front rolled past them. But all sorts of agitators - Socialist-Revolutionaries and anarchists, Bolsheviks and Mensheviks - were frequenting the cavalier guards themselves - all their propaganda had a single ultimate goal: to "overthrow" one of the few remaining "bastions of tsarism", to draw to their side a military unit that has not yet lost its combat capability. But by that time, many of the officers had already clearly understood that it was time to leave the regiment - without waiting for the Bolshevik turmoil.

On August 30, in Sarny and Kazatin, where divisions of cavalry guards were stationed, events occurred that confirmed the correctness of such a decision. At the same time, rallies were held in both divisions, the participants of which decided to "express no confidence in the entire officer corps." Such demands were quite satisfactory for the commissars of the Provisional Government, who were in charge at the front. The Commissar of the Special Army immediately energetically ordered: "In view of the acute distrust of the soldiers in the command staff, all officers who are in the ranks by September 1 must leave the regiment to replace them with more democratic ones." The assistant commissar of the front was not so quick in his decisions; he demanded that only eleven officers be immediately removed, and all the others removed as the shift arrived ...

A group of cavalry guards. Photo of the early twentieth century

By November 1, only four officers remained in the Cavalry Regiment: the acting commander captain G. S. Voevodsky, staff captains V. N. Zvegintsov, A. V. Chicherin and His Serene Highness Prince A. P. Aiven. A day later, on November 3, a new commander, invested with the confidence of the new government, arrived to them - Colonel Abramov from the 8th Dragoon Astrakhan Regiment. He brought the officers an order to leave for Kiev. The last cavalry guards immediately left the regiment.

"With the departure of the last officers, - wrote in his book" Cavalier Guards in the Great and civil war"Vladimir Nikolaevich Zvegintsov, - the last link with the past was broken. The soul of the regiment flew off. The regiment died ..."

Former cavalry guards - officers, non-commissioned commanders, soldiers - in the overwhelming majority fought on various fronts of the white movement. In the ranks of the Volunteer Army in southern Russia, there were cavalry squadrons.

But all this is a completely different story ...