In Russian history, there will no longer be soldiers who have served nearly a hundred years and took part in 10 bloody wars. Vasily Kochetkov, a soldier of three emperors, according to various estimates, served from 80 to a hundred years, taking part in almost all military companies of the XIX century as part of the army of the Russian Empire. He died on the way to his native village, when at the age of 107 he retired.
The beginning of an army career
Vasily Nikolayevich Kochetkov was born in 1785 in the former Kumysh district in the Simbirsk province, in the family of a soldier who had a lower military rank. Therefore, he became a cantonist, assigned to the military department. Due to origin, he was obliged to serve in the Russian army. In 1811 he began serving in the Life Guards Grenadier Regiment, with the outbreak of World War II he was asked to join the army. Was identified in the Life Guards Pavlovsky Regiment.
The soldier Vasily Kochetkov went through the whole war, starting with the rear-guard battles of 1812, when the Russian army retreated to Moscow. He fought in the famous battle of Borodino, which made a turning point in the course of the war, and the “battle of the peoples” near Leipzig, which became the largest battle of the 19th century. Participated in the capture of Paris, ending the company against Napoleon in the rank of sergeant major.
End of military service
The next military company of Vasily Kochetkov will be the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829, when the Ottoman Empire lost significant territories. He happened to take part in the assault on the Ottoman fortresses of Varna, Isakchi and the campaign on Silistra.
The following year, after the end of the war, the Pavlovsky Guards Regiment was aimed at suppressing the Polish uprising. Fierce fighting lasted a whole year. Kochetov took part in the defeat of the rebels on Grokhovsky field and at Ostroleka, where the 48 thousandth Polish army was defeated. In 1831, he was part of the Russian troops, who stormed Warsaw. This battle marked the beginning of the complete entry of Poland into the Russian Empire.
By 1836, the illustrious veteran had served the prescribed term of military service (25 years) under the two emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I, and could already calmly resign. But Kochetkov did not think of himself outside the army.
Prisoner of the Caucasus
After several years of peaceful life, Vasily Kochetkov as part of the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment goes to the Caucasus. The celebrated veteran is already 58 years old, but he is still actively involved in the clashes.
During the year of service at the Caucasian theater of war, he was wounded twice. The first time it will pierce the neck and the second - two legs, while the left lower leg was fragmented. In 1845, the veteran was again wounded in the left shin in a battle at the village of Dargo, and he was captured by Chechens. In captivity, Vasily Kochetkov spent almost ten months.
When the wound healed, he managed to escape from the mountain village, showing outstanding military ingenuity and simply wonders of resourcefulness. For this feat, he was awarded the St. George Cross 4th degree.
In 1849, after six years in the Caucasus, Kochetkov departed with his military unit for Hungary to suppress a liberation uprising directed against the Austrian Empire. He took part in the decisive battle at Debrecin.
After the defeat of the Hungarian troops, he passes the exam for an officer rank (in seniority) and receives the rank of second lieutenant. However, the illustrious veteran refuses the epaulette, preferring simple soldier's epaulets. In recognition of his military merits, he receives the right to wear a silver chevron on the sleeve of his uniform and officer lanyard for a saber. The military salary was set at 2/3 of the second lieutenant's salary. The next two years, until 1851, he served at the headquarters of the corps.
Crimean company
After forty years of impeccable service, in 1851 Vasily Kochetkov retired honorably. However, the honored veteran rested only a couple of years. He again goes to military service when the Crimean War began. Upon appeal, he was assigned to the Kazan Horse-Jaeger Regiment.
Once again, the soldier was at the forefront, among the participants in the heroic defense of Sevastopol. Despite his age, he participated in attacks on enemy positions with teams of hunters. During fierce battles during the defense of the Kornilovsky bastion, he was wounded by fragments of a nearby bomb that exploded.
After the war ended, he continued to serve in the Life Guards Dragoon Regiment, in accordance with the personal order of Emperor Alexander II. In 1862, the celebrated veteran was enrolled in the honorary company of the palace grenadiers and was awarded the next rank of non-commissioned officer. At this time he was already 78 years old.
The veteran held a position high enough for a soldier, and had a good financial position. But a quiet life was not for him.
The conquest of Turkestan
In 1869, he sent a report to the command for transfer to a military unit that fought with the Uzbek khanates. In Central Asia, Vasily Nikolaevich took part in the battles for Samarkand and Turkestan. In 1874, he participated in the march of a detachment under the command of Adjutant General Kaufman, who went through the desert and took Khiva with an unexpected assault. In the same year, Vasily Kochetkov was recalled to Russia, again at the highest command, and sent to serve in the guard of the imperial train.
In 1876, the Balkan countries - Serbia and Montenegro revolted against Ottoman rule, with the help of a five-thousand-strong volunteer detachment from Russia. To help the Slavic peoples went and 92-year-old volunteer Vasily Kochetkov. After the start of the next Russian-Turkish war, the veteran joined the 19th cavalry artillery brigade, which included in the famous Battle of Shipka, where he was again wounded and lost his left leg.
Last trip
In 1878, he was transferred to the Life Guards for equestrian artillery brigade for special merits. After the war he returned to service in the grenadier company, where he served another 13 years. At the age of 107, he retired from the army, and decided to go home. The veteran died on the road on May 30, 1892. Vasily Nikolaevich served in the army for 81 years.
In 2013, a memorial stone was laid in Ulyanovsk at the site of the future monument to the “soldier of three emperors” Vasily Kochetkov, as a symbol of all Russian military personnel. However, local historians are embarrassed that there were no publications about him in the Siberian press. The only source of information about the heroic soldier is the Governmental Gazette issue for September 1892.