Dasha of Sevastopol - this was the name of one of the sisters of mercy during the Crimean War. Like the names of other participants in the Crimean War, her surname was undeservedly forgotten by our contemporaries. Meanwhile, this woman was one of the first Russian sisters of mercy. Many soldiers who took part in the Crimean War owe her life. Contemporaries praised her work: she was introduced to the royal family and received several high awards. We will try to follow the life of this amazing woman, whose name is Dasha Sevastopol.
short biography
The real name of Dasha of Sevastopol is Daria Lavrentievna Mikhailova. She was born in 1836 on the outskirts of Sevastopol in the family of a sailor. She lost her mother early and earned her living by washing clothes. With the money she earned, she was able to buy a cow, which was her only wealth.
At this time, the combined Anglo-French troops landed on the territory of Crimea. There was a battle of Sinop, in which her father died. Dasha was left all alone. “How can an orphan survive?” - neighbors fussed. And then Dasha decided on a desperate act. She sold a cow-nurse, her dilapidated house and with the money raised she bought a horse with a wagon, vinegar, wine and dressings. She cut off her braid and, dressed in a man’s dress, went to the front line, where the most fierce battles were fought.
Defense of Sevastopol
During the defense of Sevastopol , a volunteer movement of "Sevastopol Patriots" was formed. Its main participants were the sisters, wives and mothers of the soldiers who defended the Crimean border. Dasha Sevastopol, along with other sisters of mercy, helped the wounded on the battlefield, pulled them out of the fire, and provided emergency assistance.
Her "carriage of grief" - the so-called Dasha convoy of her acquaintances - became the first sanitary combat mobile station in history, and Dasha Sevastopolskaya herself rightfully earned the title of first Russian sister of mercy. According to the memoirs of the great surgeon Nikolai Pirogov, the sanitary situation and medical care were extremely unsatisfactory, the wounded often lay on the battlefield for several days, and many of them died not so much from the wounds as from the medical assistance not provided on time. Dasha of Sevastopol sent her convoy to them lying on the bare ground. Like an angel of mercy, she found wounded soldiers, disinfected their wounds, comforted her with warm words. She had no medical education, she was helped by natural ingenuity and folk experience. She extended her mercy to all the wounded — both her own and those of strangers: she did not deprive the British, Turks, or French of her participation. Few people knew her middle name and last name - among the wounded, she was known as Dasha of Sevastopol. The Sister of Mercy not only fulfilled her immediate duties, but also established herself as an excellent scout: having dressed in a man’s suit, she went into reconnaissance and took part in battles.
After the war
Various sources claim that after the Crimean events, Dasha Sevastopolskaya was able to buy a tavern on the Black Sea in the village of Belbek. From archival documents it became known that in 1855 she married the sailor Maxim Hvorostov and began to be called Daria Hvorostova. After the end of hostilities, the couple left the Crimea and for some time lived in Nikolaev. The names of the children of this married couple have not been preserved in history. Soon Daria Sevastopol left her husband and, leaving the mainland, returned to Sevastopol again. According to one version, the reason for the separation was the unbridled drunkenness of Hvorostov, according to another - his death.
Life ending
In Sevastopol, the life of the great ascetic, sister of mercy, ended; here she died in 1910 and was buried in a cemetery in the Dokovoy ravine. Unfortunately, the wars of the twentieth century did not save the place where Dasha of Sevastopol was buried. The biography of this woman in the twentieth century did not interest anyone, and a city park was laid out on the site of an old cemetery.
Awards
The feat of Dasha Sevastopol highly appreciated by contemporaries. Seeing the zeal and humanism of the young sister of mercy, Nikolai Pirogov took her into submission. At this time, the emperor’s brothers arrived in Crimea to strengthen the spirit of the Russian army. They personally wrote about Dasha to the emperor, praising her courage and mercy. On the personal initiative of the emperor, she was the only one of her class who was awarded a gold medal on the Vladimir tape “For zeal”.
You should know that only those who already had similar three
silver medals could receive such a reward
. But an exception was made for Dasha Sevastopol. In addition to this medal, she received another - “For the Defense of Sevastopol”, which was issued to active participants in the hostilities. At the highest command of the tsar himself, she was given 500 rubles in silver and promised another 1,000 rubles - after Dasha Sevastopol, sister of mercy, marries. The award was presented to her by representatives of the Romanov clan - Grand Dukes Mikhail and Konstantin. For her selfless work, she was revered by representatives of various social strata; she was remembered and respected by all those whom she saved.
Monuments
In the panorama building dedicated to the defense of Sevastopol, the bust of Dasha occupies one of the central places. The third city hospital in this city bears her name, and a memorial in her honor opened in the village of Shelanga.