Forever gone into the history of the Patriotic War of 1812 , today looks at us from the portraits of its heroes hung on the walls of the famous Hermitage Hall dedicated to their memory. Among those thanks to whose unbridled courage and heroism Russia with honor came out of this test, Lieutenant General Ivan Semenovich Dorokhov remained in the memory of the descendants.
The son of a veteran of the Russian-Turkish war
From documents of the past it is known that on April 14, 1762, a son was born to a retired second-major Semen Dorokhov, who retired by injury and was living in Tula by that time. In holy baptism, the boy was named Ivan. That, perhaps, is all that is reliably known about the birth of the future hero and the fearless hussar, who gained unfading glory in battles.
Having received a home education suitable for his noble origin, in 1783 Ivan entered the Petersburg Artillery and Engineering Cadet Corps. It was a highly privileged educational institution. It is enough to say that among the classmates of Dorokhov were then quite young A. A. Arakcheev and S. V. Nepeytsyn - people who in the future held leading public posts.
First fire baptism
In October 1787, barely having time to celebrate graduation with the rank of a hussar and graduating with the rank of lieutenant, the young officer went to receive a baptism of fire. His military debut took place at the beginning of another war with Turkey, which began that year and lasted for four years. A desperate grunt, fearing only one thing - to show himself a coward, the future general Dorokhov in August 1789 managed to distinguish himself in the battle of Fokshany, and a month later in the famous battle of Rymnik he was the orderly of A.V. Suvorov.
This was a great start to his career - noted in the report of the Commander-in-Chief sent to him by his highest name, Dorokhov for “jealousy of service and fearlessness” was elevated to captain and assigned to the Fanagori Grenadier Regiment. For a man who entered the military path relatively late (Ivan was in his twenty-second year when he entered the cadet corps), such a debut exceeded all expectations.
In rebellious Poland
By fate, during the uprising that swept Poland in early 1794, Dorokhov ended up in Warsaw and became a participant in its suppression. Subsequently, the events of those days received various moral and legal assessments from historians and publicists, the military man was obliged to fulfill his duty, and Ivan Semyonovich did this with his inherent brilliance.
Legends circulated about his fearlessness. They talked about how, leading a company that reflected the attack of numerous rebels, and having lost all the calculation of the only weapon at his disposal, Dorokhov himself fired, fulfilling the duties of both a gunner, and a loader, and a commander. He was wounded twice, but nevertheless held his position for a day and a half. Only after the order to retreat was received, he and the surviving soldiers, breaking through a continuous enemy barrier, went out to their own.
Forced resignation
As soon as healed the wounds, he again rushes into battle and when taking one of the suburbs of Warsaw, he was the first to break into the position of the enemy battery. For this feat, Captain Dorokhov was awarded the title of second major, just as his father, the same as he was, the undaunted warrior.
Further, Ivan Semyonovich continued to serve in different parts, and in 1797 the Hussar Regiment was assigned to the Life Guards with the assignment of the rank of colonel, but was unexpectedly dismissed by the emperor Paul I who had ascended to the throne by the time and was deprived of his monarch’s will not only military service, which made up the meaning of his life, but even recently received the rank, replaced by the rank of college adviser corresponding to him on the ranking table.
Back in the saddle
Retiring to his Tula estate and relying on God's will in everything, the fighting hussar was waiting for changes in fate, and they were not slow to follow. As you know, the reign of Paul I was short-lived and in March 1801 his son, Alexander I, occupied the vacated throne. This made it possible for Dorokhov to return to army life dear to his heart. Already in August of the same year he was promoted to major general and appointed commander of the Izyumsky hussar regiment.
Under the banner of this glorious regiment, General Dorokhov fought the entire campaign of 1806-1807, participated in almost all of its major battles and was awarded the Orders of Saints George and Anna of the third degree for heroism. In one of the fights, he was seriously wounded in the leg and went on long-term treatment.
The beginning of the great war
On the night of June 24, 1812, the four hundred thousandth Napoleonic army, crossing the Neman, invaded Russian territory. This was the beginning of the first war in the history of our country, called the "Patriotic War". Having conquered a large part of Europe and putting under arms a significant part of its population, the ambitious Corsican considered Russia as the final stage of his victorious campaign.
General Dorokhov met the outbreak of hostilities as the commander of the vanguard of the infantry corps, stationed in those days between Grodno and Vilna. It so happened that, in view of the enemy’s onslaught, a decision was made to retreat from the border Neman, but in the cycle of affairs the command did not send an order to the headquarters of Dorokhov, and as a result of this, of course, a criminal by military standards oversight, the general and the units under his command were surrounded by.
Having made the decision, despite all the risk, to make his way to his own, General Dorokhov makes an unparalleled raid on the territory occupied by the enemy. Soon, with minimal losses, he manages to withdraw the parts entrusted to him from the environment. In August, commanding the rearguard of the Russian troops moving towards Borodino, Ivan Semenovich was seriously wounded, but nevertheless remained in service.
On the Borodino field
Of course, the brightest page in the life and military career of General Dorokhov was August 26, 1812 - the day of the Battle of Borodino. From early morning he was in the reserve corps of Baron Korf and at about nine o'clock, when a threatening situation developed at the positions occupied by Bagration, he headed to the rescue of four cavalry regiments.
As a result of a successful counterattack, his regiments managed to defeat the enemy and provide the Russian forces with an advantage in this area of ​​the battle. On the same evening, the general led the cavalry regiment into battle , who managed to stop the enemy, who was trying to enter the rear of Raevsky’s battery. For heroism shown on this historic day for Russia, General Dorokhov, whose portrait of that time was presented in our article, was presented to the Order by M. I. Kutuzov, and emperor promoted to lieutenant general by the emperor.
Partisans - the storm of the invaders
Shortly after the Russian troops left Moscow, Ivan Semenovich Dorokhov, a lieutenant general from the cavalry, who already had a wealth of combat experience, opened a new page in his biography. He led one of the largest partisan detachments, which included the hussar, dragoon and three Cossack regiments.
At that time, the main area of ​​guerrilla operations was the Mozhaisk road. There, his fearless cavalrymen, suddenly appearing in front of enemy columns, inflicted crushing blows, and in mid-September they managed to destroy the detachment under the command of Colonel Mortier.
The operation, which became the climax of the glory of the general
But the most notorious General Dorokhov, the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, won during the capture of the city of Vereya, which was the most important communication center of the enemy. Having crossed the river of Protva around the city under cover of night, Dorokhov and his people quietly approached the enemy’s positions and removed the sentries in complete silence.
Penetrating without a single sound behind the defensive rampart, they unexpectedly attacked the enemy, for whom their appearance was a complete surprise. After a short but bloody battle, the French were forced to surrender and the city was in the hands of our troops. As a result of such a brilliantly conducted operation, Dorokhov’s numerous awards were replenished with a golden sword, showered with diamonds, granted to him personally by the sovereign.
The end of a military career
Subsequently, Ivan Semenovich fought as part of the sixth infantry corps, commanded by another hero of the Patriotic War of 1812 - infantry general Dmitry Sergeyevich Dokhturov. Together with him, on October 24, Dorokhov took part in the battle near Maloyaroslavets, which occurred shortly after the Napoleonic troops retreated from Moscow. During one of the cavalry attacks he led, the general was seriously injured, after which he could no longer remain in service and was forced to resign.
General Dorokhov, whose biography is an endless list of campaigns and battles, spent the last years of his life in his family estate in Tula, where he was once born and where his childhood passed. We can only guess what the honored veteran was going through in those years, who, by the will of fate, was torn from his usual range of dangers and adventures.
The finale of heroic life
He died on April 25, 1815, and, according to his last will, was buried in the Nativity Cathedral of that same city of Vereya, the capture of which brought him fame three years ago. He left this world not at all an old man, fifty-three years for a seasoned fighter is far from the limit. Apparently, he simply could not, and did not want to eke out a continued existence without what was the meaning of his whole life.
Today, visitors to the St. Petersburg State Hermitage Museum pass through a hall in which the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 look at them from portrait frames. Among them is General Dorokhov. Merits to the Motherland gave him every right to take a place in their honorary ranks.
The Russians have always been of great interest to everything related to the heroic past of our country. Numerous publications, exhibitions, as well as television and radio broadcasts are devoted to him. The role played by General Dorokhov in the Patriotic War of 1812 also becomes public. Little-known facts from the hero's life invariably attract everyone's attention. And this is quite natural, since only with the examples of high patriotism of past years can the current generation be instilled with love for their Motherland. In the city of Vereye today stands a monument to the illustrious military leader.