Domestic history has preserved the names of many heroes of the defense of Sevastopol who distinguished themselves during the Crimean War of 1853-1856. However, among the officers and admirals, a special place is occupied by the simple Russian sailor Pyotr Markovich Koshka, whose image appears in many works of art telling about this glorious epic.
Navy guy from the Ukrainian village
The future hero of Sevastopol was born on January 10, 1828 in the village of Ometintsy, located on the territory of the current Vinnitsa region of Ukraine. His parents were serfs. As for the nationality of Sailor Cats, historians have no consensus on this issue, but many of them believe that he was Russian.
Upon reaching the statutory age, Peter was appointed to the recruits and, serving his military duty, served as a sailor in the Black Sea Fleet. As part of the crew of the battleship “Yagudiil”, he participated in the hostilities from the first days of the Crimean War. When, in 1854, the almost two-year blockade of Sevastopol began, the sailor Koshka, among other crew members, was sent ashore, where he joined the defenders of the fortress.
Fighting on a battery commanded by Lieutenant A.M. Perekomsky, Pyotr Markovich was distinguished by outstanding courage and resourcefulness. He showed these qualities especially vividly in reconnaissance and in capturing prisoners. It is known that as a volunteer he participated 18 times in sorties into the territory captured by the enemy, and more than once alone he carried out the tasks. Legends circulated about his heroism, bordering on recklessness.
Nightmare of the invaders
Sailor Peter Koshka often had to carry out various sabotage missions in the territory occupied by the enemy. No one could compare with him in the ability to silently "remove" the sentry or get the "language". They told, for example, that somehow during military operations, he managed to capture three enemy soldiers with only one knife in his hands. Another time, getting close to the enemy’s trenches, he dug out of the ground, and under heavy fire dragged the body of a Russian sapper, killed by enemies, and blasphemously buried waist-deep into the ground.
And the story about how once the sailor Cat, penetrated the French camp and, having stolen a beef leg from their kitchen boiler, delivered it to his hungry comrades, seems absolutely incredible. There was also a case when he stole an enemy horse, and did this only to sell, donate the proceeds to a monument to another hero of Sevastopol - the sailor Ignatius Shevchenko.
Deserved Glory
The command appreciated the heroism of Peter Markovich and, in early 1855, he was awarded the “Insignia of the Military Order” - an award established for the lower ranks and corresponding to the Order of St. George, that is, the George Cross. Then the sailor Cat was promoted to non-commissioned officer and became a quartermaster. During 1855, he was twice wounded, but both times returned to duty thanks to the art of the famous Russian surgeon N.I. Pirogov, who was also among the defenders of Sevastopol.
The courage shown during the performance of combat missions, even during the war, made the simple Russian sailor Pyotr Markovich Cat famous throughout the country. As the holder of the highest award, awarded to the lower ranks, he was presented to the Grand Dukes Mikhail Nikolayevich and Nikolai Nikolaevich in February 1855.
Together with them, the artist V.F. Timm, who created a gallery of portraits of the heroes of Sevastopol, including Peter Markovich. Lithographs with his image quickly spread across Russia, and all the major newspapers printed a biography of the national hero and stories about his exploits. Later, his image was presented on the pages of the works of Leo Tolstoy, and in Soviet times, the writer S. Sergeyev-Tsensky.
Soon the glorified sailor was bestowed with a golden pectoral cross, the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna herself was the wife of Emperor Nicholas I. Despite the fact that it was just a gift and also of a purely religious nature, the Cat carried it on his chest over his uniform, as a reward.
Short peaceful life
In 1856, when the war was over, a decree of the new emperor Alexander II was issued, according to which every month spent by the defenders in the besieged city, was counted by him for a year of experience. As a result, Pyotr Markovich received the right to be fired, which he did not fail to take advantage of. At the end of the year, he left the army and left to reside in his native village, however, according to the law, Koshka was to remain in reserve for another 15 years.
Returning to a peaceful life, yesterday's sailor engaged in ordinary village labor and soon married a local peasant woman who, after a while, gave birth to his son. Local authorities, having heard about the heroic past of their peasant, often entrusted him with the protection of convoys bound for the ports of Odessa, Nikolaev and Kherson. This was a very important task, since dashing people on Russian roads have never been translated.
In the Baltic Fleet
However, in 1863, fate was pleased to again send the St. George Knight to the warship. This time, the occasion was the uprising that seized the Kingdom of Poland, which was under the jurisdiction of the Russian emperor. Since by that time Pyotr Markovich was still in the reserve, he was again called up for the fleet, but not the Black Sea, but the Baltic.
Being near the capital, he repeatedly participated in the parades of St. George cavaliers and receptions arranged for them in the Winter Palace. When the term of dismissal came to an end in 1869 (this time “outright”), Cat refused this opportunity and remained in the navy crew for another 4 years, after which he finally returned to his village.
Return to civilian life
It should be noted that in those days, veterans were honored not only with pompous speeches, but also provided (even the lower ranks) a decent life after leaving the army. Those of them who were awarded orders and medals during their service received additional bonuses. So Pyotr Markovich, who received in addition to the St. George Cross, which was described above, several more awards established for the lower ranks, but which had a very high dignity, after retiring received a pension two times higher than his previous salary of a non-commissioned officer.
However, despite the material wealth, the former sailor Cat did not want to sit back. Soon after returning to his native village, he secured for himself a public position as a buster in a local forestry. In this regard, his pension, which was already considerable, was supplemented by an official salary, and also during his service he received at his disposal a house built at the state expense with an adjacent plot.
The end of life, the beginning of immortality
Pyotr Markovich died early when he was barely 54 years old, but he did it exactly as befits a hero. In the winter of 1882, he threw himself into a wormwood, saving two girls who had failed in her. As a result, the lives of children were out of danger, and he fell ill from hypothermia and, having lain unconscious for several days, died on February 25. He was buried in a village cemetery, subsequently liquidated. The grave of the hero was not preserved.
Having passed away, the famous St. George Knight became a symbol of selfless service to the motherland. The monument to the sailor Cat was erected in Sevastopol, during the defense of which, he covered himself with unfading glory. Also, the street adjacent to the Mamaev Kurgan was named after him. In addition, the hero's busts adorn the Walk of Fame and museum complexes in various cities of the country.
As already mentioned above, the image of the hero inspired many famous Russian writers who dedicated him both small stories and large literary works. Perhaps most fully presented in the book "Cat Sailor", written by historian and writer K.K. Golokhvostovym and out of print in 1895, but reprinted in our time.
About a kind word
In conclusion, I would like to give one story that once again illustrates the composure and resourcefulness inherent in P.M. Koshka, and at the same time, reveals the true meaning of one well-known winged expression. They say that once during a visit by Admiral V.A. Kornilov fighting positions, an enemy grenade fell at his feet. Nearby Pyotr Markovich was not taken aback and, grabbing it, threw it into a cauldron with boiling porridge, which caused the wick to go out, and the explosion did not follow. The admiral warmly thanked the resourceful sailor, after which he answered him with a phrase that became winged: "A good word - and it’s nice for the Cat."