Upon returning from Poland, on October 18, 1844, Baklanov was awarded the rank of centurion (according to other sources - military foreman); in the spring of 1845, Baklanov was assigned to the No. 20 Don Cossack Regiment, located on the left flank of the Caucasian line in the Kura fortification, which constituted the forward stronghold of the Russian Kumyk possessions. On July 20, 1845 he was awarded the Order of St. Anna 2nd degree for distinction rendered in battle during the defeat of Chechen batteries and fortified rubble in the Shaukhal-Berdy tract.
On July 5, 1846, for distinction, bravery and courage shown in the battle with Shamil’s crowd during the defense of the Vnezapnaya fortress, he was awarded the Order of St. by the Imperial Crown. Anna 2nd degree; in the same year he was appointed commander of the No. 20 Don Cossack Regiment.
On June 14, 1854, for the distinction and courage shown during the defeat of the mountain parties between Urus-Martan and the Grozny fortress, Baklanov was declared the highest favor; On August 22 of the same year he was awarded the insignia of impeccable service for 20 years.
Y. P. Baklanov in 1873
In 1855, by order of the commander-in-chief of the separate Caucasian corps, Count N. N. Muravyov, Baklanov was sent to the active army in the Caucasian theater of the Crimean War, where he was appointed head of the irregular cavalry in the detachment of Lieutenant General Brimmer. On September 17 of the same year, he took part in the column of General Bazin in the assault on Kars and was shell-shocked in the head by a cannonball, but remained in service. For distinction and courage shown during the assault on advanced fortifications, on February 21, 1856, he was awarded the Order of St. Anna 1st degree. At the end of December 1855, Baklanov left the army on leave to the Don and St. Petersburg.
On February 2, 1857, Baklanov was appointed marching ataman of the Don Cossack regiments located in the Caucasus.
From June 7, 1863 to January 7, 1867, Baklanov was on a business trip in Vilna and during the Polish uprising he was the head of the Don regiments in the Vilna district. On February 6, 1864, for his diligent and zealous service and labors, he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 2nd degree with swords above the order.
In 1867, Yakov Petrovich Baklanov retired and settled in St. Petersburg. After a serious and long illness, he died in poverty on October 18, 1873; the funeral took place in the cemetery of the St. Petersburg Novodevichy Convent at the expense of the Don Cossack Army. Five years later, his grave was decorated with a monument, created with voluntary donations and depicting a rock on which a cloak and a hat were thrown, with a black “Baklanovsky badge” pulled out from under the hat.
In 1911, the ashes of Yakov Petrovich were solemnly reburied in the tomb of the Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk, next to the graves of other heroes of the Don - M. Platov, V. Orlov-Denisov, I. Efremov.
Performance evaluation
Baklanov was one of the most popular heroes of the Caucasian War era. Having received command of a regiment that was in desperately poor condition, he quickly brought it into exemplary condition with his energy and, from the timid defense of his predecessors, moved on to the most energetic offensive and soon became a threat to the mountaineers, who considered “Bokla” akin to the devil himself and called him “Dajjal.” ( Satan). Baklanov knew about this and strongly supported the mountaineers in the belief that evil spirits were helping him. When in March 1850 he was wounded and the highlanders, having learned about this, decided to raid in a huge party, Baklanov, overcoming the pain, at night personally led the Cossacks against the highlanders, who fled in panic fear of his invulnerability.
While cutting a clearing across the Kachkalykovsky ridge, Baklanov, who knew that the famous mountain shooter Janem had promised to kill him when he stood in his usual place on the hill, nevertheless climbed the hill at the usual time and, when Janem, who missed twice, looked out from behind the mountain , from a nozzle to the forehead, he killed Janem on the spot.
Cossack songs dedicated to Baklanov mention the “terrible Baklanov blow” - Yakov Petrovich was known for cutting a rider in half with a saber from the shoulder to the pommel of the saddle.
Having made his name formidable in the Caucasus, Baklanov, during his activities in Lithuania, in contrast to the terrible rumors about himself, showed himself to be a stern but fair boss. Contrary to regulations, he did not indiscriminately confiscate the estates of the rebels, but whenever possible he established guardianship over the young children of the exiles and retained their property. Summoned on this occasion to Governor General M. N. Muravyov, Baklanov said: “You can put me on trial or dismiss me without asking, but I will say one thing: I managed the department on your behalf, which I always honored and respected; my goal was to act in such a way that no stain would fall on this name, and my conscience tells me that I have achieved success... I was and will be faithful to my Sovereign, Russia and you, my direct superior, but my thoughts were to weaken the rumors about Russian ferocity." This response aroused Muravyov’s gratitude.
In 1870-1871 Baklanov’s notes on the siege and assault of Kars in 1855 were published in the magazine “Russian Antiquity”.
Memory
Monument to Ya. P. Baklanov. Volgodonsk
- A monument to Baklanov was erected in Volgodonsk.
- A monument to Baklanov was also erected in Novocherkassk, on the southern side of the Ascension Military Cathedral. Baklanovsky Avenue in Novocherkassk is also named after him.
Sources
- Kazin V. Kh. Cossack troops. Directory of the Imperial Headquarters. St. Petersburg, 1911.
- // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
- Russian Biographical Dictionary: In 25 volumes / under the supervision of A. A. Polovtsov. 1896-1918.
- Baklanov Ya.P. Blockade and storming of Kars. (Notes of the Don Army of Lieutenant General Ya.P. Baklanov and stories of other participants in the event). 1855 / Communication. V.A. Potto // Russian antiquity, 1870. - T. 2. – Ed. 3rd. – St. Petersburg, 1875 – pp. 251-294.
- Baklanov Ya.P. My fighting life. (Notes of the Don Army by Lieutenant General Yakov Petrovich Baklanov, written by his own hand) // Russian antiquity, 1871. - T. 3. - No. 1. - P. 1-15; T. 4. - No. 7. – P. 154-161.
- Venkov, Andrey V. Thunderstorm of the Caucasus. The life and exploits of General Baklanov. M., Veche, 2008.
Notes
Categories:
- Personalities in alphabetical order
- Born on March 15
- Born in 1809
- Died on October 18
- Died in 1873
- Military leaders of the Russian Empire
- Generals of the Russian Empire
- Participants of the Caucasian Wars
- Participants in the Russian-Turkish War 1828-1829
- Participants in the Crimean War
- Knights of the Order of St. George, IV class
- Awarded the Golden Weapon "For Bravery"
- Buried at Novodevichy Cemetery (St. Petersburg)
- Participants in the suppression of the Polish uprising of 1830-1831
- Participants in the war against Polish insurgents in 1863
- Don noble families
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See what “Baklanov, Yakov Petrovich” is in other dictionaries:
- (March 15 (28), 1809, Gugninskaya village, near Tsimlyansk October 18 (31), 1873, St. Petersburg), Russian military leader, lieutenant general (1860), hero of the Caucasian War (see CAUCASIAN WAR). A hereditary Don Cossack, Yakov Baklanov was born into a family... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
- (born in 1809, died in 1873) the son of a poor Don Cossack; He received a very meager education, but the free steppe life developed him into a brave hero, who was also distinguished by his natural intelligence and military acumen. To the service... Biographical Dictionary
BAKLANOV YAKOV PETROVICH
Baklanov Yakov Petrovich (born in 1809, died in 1873) - the son of a poor Don Cossack; He received a very meager education, but the free steppe life developed him into a brave hero, who was also distinguished by his natural intelligence and military acumen. He entered service in 1825 as a police officer; in 1828 he went as a hunter to the assault on Brailov, and in the campaign of 1829 he participated in many affairs with the Turks. From 1834 to 1837, while in the Caucasus in Zhirov’s regiment, he was distinguished by his courage in fights with the highlanders; from 1837 to 1845 he served partly in Novocherkassk, partly in Poland, and in 1845 he was again sent to the left flank of the Caucasian line, where he commanded first a Cossack regiment, then a brigade, and brought his Donets to the point that they were not inferior to the linear Cossacks. B.'s stay in the Caucasus, from 1845 to 1853, represented a number of small and large, often very dangerous clashes with the mountaineers, which gave him a brilliant military reputation and, among other awards, the Order of St. George 4th degree. During this time, he rose to the rank of major general, and in 1853 he was appointed commander of the entire cavalry of the left flank of the Caucasian line. B. showed particular distinction in 1855, commanding a special cavalry detachment that observed the northern side of the Kars fortress. His name gained enormous popularity among the troops; His tirelessness and enterprise knew no limits. Nevertheless, having become thoroughly familiar with the circumstances, he was against the assault on the fortress planned by Muravyov, and his predictions came true. During the assault itself, B. was in the column of General Bazin, advancing on the Chakhmakh heights, and, during the general retreat, he was the last to emerge from the redoubts, where he riveted a gun and took 2 banners. Since 1857, B. was a marching ataman of the Don Cossacks in the Caucasian Army; in 1860 he was promoted to lieutenant general, and in 1863, at the height of the Polish rebellion, he was sent to Vilna, at the disposal of Governor General M.N. Muravyova. At first he was in charge of all the Don regiments in the area of the Vilna Military District, and then he was entrusted with the management of the Augustow province, through the dense forests of which numerous bands of insurgents roamed. Two weeks after his arrival there, general calm prevailed there, achieved both by the energetic pursuit of armed gatherings and by reasonable administrative measures, but not at all by cruelty, as they tried to spread rumors about. In 1867, B. was expelled back to the Don, and the last years of his life lived in St. Petersburg, where he died at the age of 64. His body was buried in the Novodevichy Convent. His curious notes were published in “Russian Antiquity” of 1870 and 1871. Wed. B. Potto "Yakov Petrovich Baklanov" (St. Petersburg, 1885).
Brief biographical encyclopedia. 2012
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The sharp, as if carved from stone, face of a Cossack in general's uniform looks at us from the century before last. This is Yakov Petrovich Baklanov, a legendary and extraordinary personality, a hero of the Caucasian and Turkish wars, about whom songs were composed.
Yakov Petrovich Baklanov was born on March 15, 1809 in the village of Gugninskaya of the Don Army in the family of a cornet - lieutenant general. His father was a participant in other wars of this period.
For his devoted service he earned the rank of officer, which gave him the right to hereditary nobility. Despite this, his son Yakov grew up and was brought up on the streets of his native village among the children of ordinary Cossacks.
Soon his father took him with him to the regiment. He believed that such a camp upbringing would only have advantages. The young Cossack learned to read and write by the age of sixteen from the regimental clerks. But better than science, he was able to wield a sword and a pike, shoot accurately and become a dashing rider.
Yakov Petrovich's military service begins at the age of sixteen. In 1825, he was enlisted as a constable in Popov’s Cossack regiment. Three years later, he already received the epaulets of a cornet and participated in military operations against the Turks.
In battles he showed himself to be a brave, daring and courageous Cossack. For excessive recklessness, his father taught him several times with a whip on his back. The military authorities also noted the young Cossack for his bravery, but with awards.
In 1834, the regiment was transferred to serve in the Caucasus, and Baklanov participated in many battles and military expeditions, turning from a young, dashing and reckless Cossack into a brilliant military officer. For courage he was awarded the 4th degree.
Three years later the regiment was sent to the Don. Until 1845, Baklanov served in the training regiment in Novocherkassk. In 1845, the regiment was sent to strengthen the Caucasian line, and in 1846 Baklanov was appointed head of the Kurinsky regiment. By the time Baklanov was appointed, the regiment had a very low combat effectiveness, because the Don people, in the unusual conditions of a mountain war, were inferior to the linear Cossacks and highlanders. There was a large percentage of sick people, many were sent to auxiliary work due to poor possession of small arms.
Yakov Petrovich abruptly changed the established order and began by returning all the Cossacks to the regiment. He himself strictly controlled the maintenance of horses and weapons. Without much ceremony, he could whip him with a whip for drinking oats. Organized the training of Cossacks in artillery and sapper work. He introduced an intelligence service and created the seventh hundred in the regiment, where he personally supervised the training of junior commanders and the Plastun team.
The Plastun team was intended to carry out the most dangerous and responsible operations. Without attaching much importance to the charter, he dressed his Cossacks in Circassian clothes, which were much more convenient for the mountainous areas. Added captured daggers, Circassian sabers and rifled guns to the armament.
He responded to the raids of the mountaineers with their own coin - he organized punitive expeditions, which were accompanied by ambushes, burned villages, trampled crops, and driven away herds. He spent almost all of his salary on an agent network among the mountaineers, which often allowed him to preempt the next predatory raid. Such tactics forced the mountaineers to increasingly think not about attacking Russian settlements and Cossack villages, but about defense against the Baklanites. The authorities turned a blind eye to the partisan methods of Yakov Petrovich; they were satisfied with the achieved result. Baklanov is awarded 2nd degree and a gold registered weapon.
At the request of Commander-in-Chief Vorontsov, Baklanov was left for a second term of service, entrusting the 17th Don Regiment to his management. Under the leadership of Baklanov, the regiment becomes exemplary. The mountaineers respected and feared Yakov Petrovich, attributing to him a devilish essence and calling him “shaitan.” This did not bother Baklanov at all; on the contrary, he did his best to strengthen the enemy in his delusions. This was facilitated by his appearance - a heroic two-meter height, a face pitted with smallpox, complemented by a huge nose and reinforced by a thick mustache turning into sideburns. Bushy eyebrows hung over his keen eyes.
In the summer the enemy saw him in a conspicuous red shirt, and in the winter in a sheepskin coat and a high hat. The signature “Cormorant” blow with a saber, which cut the enemy from the shoulder to the waist, was also terrible. In 1852 he was promoted to the rank of general. Shamil, the main opponent of Russian troops in the Caucasus, considered Baklanov a worthy opponent and respected his personal courage. Yakov Petrovich graduated from the Caucasian company with the rank of lieutenant general and full holder of the Order of St. Anna.
From 1861 he served as district general of the Don Cossack Army. In 1863, he participated in the pacification of the rebellious Poland, but unlike M.S. Muravyov, an infantry general who received the nickname “hangman,” he showed mercy. For the Polish company he was awarded the last state award - the Order of St. Vladimir 2nd degree. He died after a serious illness on January 18, 1873, without acquiring wealth, but leaving behind the memory of valor and heroism, a true Russian patriot.
Cossack general Yakov Petrovich Baklanov, one of the most colorful heroes of the Caucasian War of the century before last - a gloomy two-meter hero, a tireless persecutor of highlanders and Turks, an enemy of political correctness and “democracy” in any of their manifestations. He, like many of his contemporaries, achieved military victories for the Motherland and created the glory of Russia.
The future thunderstorm of the Caucasus was born on March 15, 1809 in the village of Gugninskaya (Baklanovskaya) of the Don Army. Yakov Petrovich was brought up on the streets of his native village with the children of ordinary Cossacks. By the age of sixteen, Yakov learned to read, write and count, but best of all he learned to wield a pike and saber, shoot accurately and became a dashing rider.
In 1826, his military service began, he was enlisted as a constable in Popov’s Cossack regiment. By 1828, Yakov Petrovich received the shoulder straps of a cornet. Participated in the war against Turkey. He distinguished himself in action near Burgas. In battles, Yakov Baklanov was brave, daring, and sometimes overly passionate.
In 1834, Baklanov's regiment was transferred to the Caucasus. It was the Caucasian period of service that brought Yakov Petrovich the greatest fame and helped the daring Cossack become a brilliant military officer. Under the command of the commander of the Kuban Line, Baron G.Kh. Zass, whom he called his teacher all his life, he participated in many expeditions and battles. For his daring and fearlessness he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree. True, already in the first serious skirmishes Yakov Petrovich could easily lay down his violent head.
In July 1836, he became interested in pursuing the enemy and found himself with a small detachment against heavily armed mountaineers who outnumbered the Cossacks three times over. In an hour, Baklanov managed to repel more than ten attacks, and then he himself went on the offensive, encouraging his fighters with the news that reinforcements were coming to them. In fact, a thunderstorm was approaching, and the shrewd commander passed off the peals of thunder as shots from Russian artillery. The daring action was a success - the Circassians fled in disarray. Another time, while conducting reconnaissance and again finding himself in an ambush, he immediately knocked down two enemies with a double-barreled shotgun, and after they laid down a horse under him, dismounted, hacked to death four Chechens with a saber and managed to dodge the shots of their comrades. Having escaped certain death, Baklanov immediately returned to command and managed to reliably cover the crossing of his detachment across the mountain river Laba. At the same time, incredible rumors began to spread in the mountains about a giant Cossack who could not be killed by a bullet.
In 1845, military foreman Baklanov was appointed commander of the 20th Don Regiment. It should be noted that by this time the regiment was distinguished by extremely low combat effectiveness: the Don Cossacks, unaccustomed to the conditions of mountain warfare, were inferior to the line Cossacks, and some of the Cossacks were generally doing auxiliary work...
Baklanov could not come to terms with this situation. First of all, he returned all the Cossacks of his regiment to duty. He established strict control over the maintenance of horses (he could be screwed for drinking oats) and weapons. He also introduced training for Cossacks in sapper and artillery work, and intelligence service. The seventh hundred was organized in the regiment, where, under the supervision of Baklanov, junior commanders and Plastun teams were trained to carry out especially dangerous cases - a kind of “special forces”.
And in many other ways, Yakov Petrovich found unexpected and non-standard solutions. So, he ordered the statutory uniform to be hidden until better times, and the regiment was transferred to uniforms and weapons exclusively with captured property. Thus, after some time, the 20th Regiment was dressed in Circassian coats, and the Cossacks flaunted expensive daggers, excellent Circassian sabers and rifled guns to each other.
In battle, Baklanov was terrible. In difficult moments of a combat situation, he was the first to rush forward on his horse with a saber in his hands. His famous “cormorant blow” cut the enemy from the crown to the saddle. Baklanov was irreconcilably strict and merciless towards cowards and usually said to the blundering Cossack, showing a huge fist: “Once again you’ll be a coward, see this fist of mine? I’ll smash you with this very fist!” But he encouraged his subordinates in every possible way for their courage and, if possible, taught them: “Show your enemies that your thoughts are not about life, but about the glory and honor of the Don Cossacks.” For his strict disposition, courage and strong health (Baklanov was wounded more than ten times), he was called “Ermak Timofeevich.” The Cossacks loved, were proud of and valued their commander. In one battle, Yakov Petrovich unsuccessfully exposed himself to targeted fire from mountain riflemen. Without hesitation, the famous reconnaissance scout Skopin, who by that time had three St. George Crosses, covered him with his body. The bullet shattered his shoulder, but Baklanov was saved. For this feat, Skopin was promoted to the officer rank of cornet.
Baklanov's regiment did not miss the slightest opportunity to fight the mountaineers, as well as to inflict damage on them in the form of a punitive expedition, an ambush, a burned village, trampled crops or a stolen herd. In general, Yakov Petrovich repaid the highlanders with their own coin, and his 20th regiment soon became an exemplary partisan unit. Having an extensive network of agents among the mountaineers, on whom he spent almost all of his salary, Baklanov could stay ahead of their predatory raids.
In this situation, the highlanders were forced from the attacking side to become the defending side. Now the conversation was no longer about attacking Cossack villages and Russian settlements, but about how to avoid becoming victims of Baklan’s raids. In his declining years, the conqueror of the Caucasus calculated that under his leadership the Cossacks requisitioned 12 thousand heads of cattle and 40 thousand sheep from the Chechens - an astounding scale.
The authorities were delighted with the results achieved and did not pay attention to his partisanship. For his successes in the war with the highlanders, Yakov Petrovich was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 2nd degree, and a golden weapon.
Under Baklanov, men and horses did not experience a shortage of provisions, and the commander himself, a staunch supporter of the idea of self-sufficiency for troops, could easily outwit the most crafty mountaineers, who unsuccessfully tried to hide their flocks from the voracious army of the 20th regiment. On the eve of Easter 1849, Yakov Petrovich presented his Cossacks with a big gift. There seemed to be nothing to break the fast with - the old stocks of lamb were eaten, and the Chechens hid their herds from prying eyes. During Lent, the efficient Baklanov personally explored all the secret paths and, on the eve of the bright holiday, made a successful foray for cattle.
The confused natives had no choice but to suspect the Cossack commander of friendship with the devil himself. The mountaineers called their sworn enemy Dajjal (Satan) and considered him cursed from death. Just the sight of “Shaitan-Boklyu (Leo) inspired mystical and superstitious horror on them - two meters tall, a heroic build, a face pitted with smallpox, a huge nose, bushy eyebrows, thick long mustaches turning into sideburns, which fluttered ominously in the wind, and in a red shirt - in their eyes, he was the living embodiment and messenger of hell. Even his compatriots could not marvel at the texture of Yakov Petrovich. The author of the famous memoirs, Alexander Vasilyevich Nikitenko, described his appearance as follows: “... it was as if such a program was imprinted on Baklanov’s face, that if he performed even a quarter of it, then he should have been hanged ten times.”
Yakov Petrovich supported his demonic reputation in every possible way. Once, Chechen elders came to look at the Cossack commander - they could not wait to make sure that the true accomplice of the devil was fighting with them. One cormorant appearance was enough for the desired impression, and when our hero met the guests in an inside-out sheepskin coat, with a face stained with soot and eyes rolling non-stop, no additional evidence was required.
The mountaineers were sure that “Shaitan-Boklya” could only be killed with a silver bullet, they shot at him with those, but they did not take the Cossack.
The shooter Dzhanem, well-known among the mountaineers, specially sent by Shamil, swore on the Koran to kill the hated “Boklya” with the first shot and boasted that he could break a chicken egg from fifty steps; to this, the highlanders, who had heard about the two-meter-tall Cossack, calmly replied that Baklanov would hit a fly with steps from one hundred and fifty. The duel took place on a hill near the Michik River. Yakov Petrovich appeared before Dzhanem on a horse. At the decisive moment, the Chechen sniper hesitated and fired two inaccurate shots. Baklanov, without dismounting, calmly took aim and fired a bullet between the opponent’s eyes. When Baklanov, turning his horse, began to descend from the hill, hurray rang out among the Russian troops!
Since then, a saying began to circulate around Chechnya, applied to hopeless braggarts: “Do you want to kill Baklanov?”
The black banner of the 20th Regiment brought no less horror to the highlanders. On a black silk cloth with Adam's dead head (skull) embroidered on it and two bones crossed under it, a gilded inscription from the "Creed" burned - "I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen." The banner was the Cormorant badge of the 20th regiment and was the calling card of a desperate warrior. Yakov Petrovich did not part with this military marching relic until the end of his days. One of the eyewitnesses wrote: “Wherever the enemy saw this terrible banner, fluttering high in the hands of a stately Don, the shadow of his commander, there also appeared the monstrous image of Baklanov, and inseparably with it, the inevitable defeat and death of anyone who got in the way. "
At the end of the service, now famous throughout the Caucasus, the 20th regiment, at the personal request of the commander-in-chief of the troops in the Caucasus M.S. Vorontsov, sent to the emperor (Vorontsov to the Minister of War: “Tell, dear prince, the sovereign that I beg him to leave us Baklanov"), Baklanov was retained for a second term. He was entrusted with the management of the 17th Don Regiment.
The Cossacks' love for their leader was so deep that many commanders and ordinary Cossacks of the 20th regiment remained with him. Soon the 17th Regiment becomes exemplary - and again there are battles, reconnaissance, ambushes...
On July 28, 1851, Baklanov was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd degree, for his distinction in the defeat of the highlanders in the Shali glade, and on November 16 of the same year, he was declared the Highest Favor for his distinction in the extermination of the village of Dakhin-Irzau.
In February 1852, by order of the commander of the left flank of the Caucasian line, Prince Baryatinsky, with a detachment of 3 infantry battalions, 4 guns and his Cossack regiment, Baklanov completed the clearing from the Kurinsky fortification to the Michik River. At the same time, Prince Baryatinsky set out from the Grozny fortress to Avtury for further travel through Greater Chechnya and Major-Tup to Kurinskoye. On February 17, Baklanov with two hundred of his regiment left for the Kochkalykovsky ridge. The scouts brought news that Shamil with 25 thousand troops was standing behind the Michik River, opposite the clearing, to cut off Baklanov’s return path. By nightfall, having concentrated 5 companies of infantry, 6 hundred Cossacks and 2 guns, Yakov Petrovich managed to deceive Shamil’s vigilance, made his way with a detachment through his line, without roads, through the wildest terrain and joined Prince Baryatinsky at the very moment when the latter had the most need for support when passing through forests. Commanding the prince's rearguard thereafter, Baklanov accomplished a number of new feats, for which he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, and promoted to the rank of major general.
“In reward for the excellent feats of courage and bravery shown against the highlanders when occupying from the battle the place designated for crossing the troops of the Chechen detachment, and inflicting a complete defeat on Shamil’s crowds.”
On April 10, 1854, for the distinction rendered during the attack of the enemy position near the village of Gurdali and the complete dispersion of Shamil’s cavalry, Baklanov was awarded the Order of St. Stanislav, 1st degree and appointed chief of the cavalry of the entire Caucasian Corps.
In 1855, Baklanov was sent to the Caucasian theater of the Crimean War. During the assault on the Kars fortress, Baklanov was shell-shocked, but remained in service. For his distinction and courage during the assault on enemy positions, he was awarded the Order of St. Anna 1st degree, and in 1860 he was promoted to lieutenant general.
During the Polish uprising in 1863, Baklanov was appointed commander of the Don regiments in the Vilna district. In Poland, Yakov Petrovich acted using completely different methods than in Chechnya. He described himself as a stern, but extremely fair boss. Contrary to regulations, he did not indiscriminately confiscate the property of the rebels, but whenever possible he established guardianship over the young children of exiled Poles and retained their property. To the Governor-General of Poland Muravyov, Baklanov fearlessly said: “You can put me on trial or dismiss me without asking, but I will say one thing: my goal was to act in such a way that no stain would fall on the name of the Russian army, and my conscience says, that I have succeeded." This response aroused Muravyov’s gratitude.
But the prowess was no longer the same - the old warrior was bothered by a diseased liver, and in 1864 a big fire in Novocherkassk deprived him of his home and all his property. Since 1867, Yakov Petrovich lived out his life in St. Petersburg - he distributed his entire general's pension to crippled soldiers and the poor. He died on February 18, 1873 in poverty and obscurity.
The hero was buried at the expense of the “grateful Don army” in the cemetery of the Resurrection Nunnery in St. Petersburg. A monument to the sculptor Nabokov was erected at the grave, which amazed the imagination of eyewitnesses: a cloak, a hat, a saber and the famous Cormorant badge made of dark bronze were thrown on a piece of granite rock. On October 4, 1911, Baklanov’s ashes, along with the monument, were transferred to the capital of the Don Cossacks, Novocherkassk.
Under the Bolsheviks, they tried to erase the memory of the hero of the Caucasian War, like many other heroes of Russia who did not fit into the doctrine of world international brotherhood. In the 1930s, the monument was partially destroyed. They tore off his cloak, hat, saber and bronze skull and crossbones. Only in 1996 the monument was restored to its original form.
On March 15, 1809, in the Don village of Gugninskaya, a famous military leader was born, the legendary commander of the 17th Don Cossack Regiment and the marching ataman of the Don Cossack regiments in the Caucasus, one of the most popular heroes of the era of the Caucasian War, Lieutenant General Yakov Petrovich Baklanov.
Yakov Petrovich Baklanov accomplished many feats, his name is covered with unfading military glory, his memory lives on for generations. 5 years after the death of the hero, his grave in St. Petersburg was decorated with a monument, created with voluntary donations and depicting a rock on which a cloak and a hat were thrown, with a black “Baklanovsky badge” pulled out from under the hat.
In 1909, when the centenary of the birth of the famous commander was celebrated, it was decided to rebury the remains in the capital of the Don, Novocherkassk. In 1911, along with the reburial of the ashes in the tomb under the Voyskovy Ascension Cathedral, the sculpture, with minor changes to the base and pedestal, was moved to Novocherkassk to Ermak Square. The monument is located on the southern side of the Ascension Cathedral. The grand opening of the monument took place on October 5, 1911.
Baklanovsky Avenue in Novocherkassk was named in honor of Yakov Petrovich, a monument to Baklanov was erected in Volgodonsk, and in the city of Shakhty the Shakhtinsky Cossack Cadet Corps bears his name.
Already in 1828, Baklanov Jr. found himself at war: he beat a Turk in the Balkans, for which he was promoted to the rank of cornet. For numerous exploits in the Turkish campaign of 1828 - 1829, he was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 3rd and 4th degrees. At the end of the war, he remained with the regiment on the border with the Ottoman Empire and was promoted to the rank of centurion.
The real fame of Ya.P. The Caucasian War brought Baklanov. The first serious expedition was a campaign against the Trans-Kuban villages in the summer of 1836. Pursuing a detachment of highlanders four times superior for ten miles, it withstood many enemy counterattacks and used up all its ammunition. Choosing an opportune moment, he hit the pikes, overthrew the enemy and pursued them for more than fifteen miles, destroying them almost completely. For this deed he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree with a bow.
In 1837 he was awarded the rank of captain, in 1844 - military foreman, in 1848 - lieutenant colonel. In 1849 he was awarded a golden saber with the inscription “For bravery.”
On February 10, 1850, he was promoted to colonel for distinguished service during the raid on the Gaitemir Gate. In the summer of the same year he was appointed commander of the 17th Don Cossack Regiment. The regimental legend says that one day in the name of Y.P. Baklanova's package arrived. It contained a large piece of black cloth, on which was depicted Adam’s head and a circular inscription from the Creed: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen". One of his contemporaries wrote: “Wherever the enemy saw this terrible banner, fluttering high in the hands of the giant Don, like the shadow of one following his commander, the monstrous image of Baklanov also appeared there, and inseparably with it was the inevitable defeat and death of anyone who fell upon paths."
In 1851 Ya.P. Baklanov was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd degree, for his distinguished service during the defeat of the highlanders at Shalinskaya Polyana.
In February 1852, Baklanov, with a detachment of three infantry battalions, four guns and his Cossack regiment, defeated the 25,000-strong army of Imam Shamil, for which he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, and in October 1852 - the rank of major general .
Interesting facts: the mountaineers of the Caucasus gave Baklanov the nickname “Dajal” (Satan). While cutting a clearing through the Kachkalykovsky ridge, Baklanov, who knew that the famous mountain shooter Janem had promised to kill him when he stood in his usual place on the hill, nevertheless at the usual time climbed the hill and, when Janem, who had missed twice, looked out from behind the mountain , from a nozzle to the forehead, he killed Janem on the spot. The distance was 320 meters.
Imam Shamil’s statement addressed to his murids is well known: “If you feared Allah as much as Baklanov, you would have been saints long ago. But do not be cowards. Persevere in the struggle and battles with enemies more than you have done so before.”
In Cossack families, legends are passed down about the famous “Cormorant blow” with a saber, with which Yakov Petrovich cut the rider in half from the shoulder to the pommel of the saddle.
With the beginning of the Crimean War Y.P. Baklanov was sent to the Caucasian front of combat operations, where he took part in the assault on the Turkish fortress of Kars, being seriously wounded, but remaining in service.
Upon his return from the Caucasus, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general, and for three years served as district general of the Second District of the Don Army Region.
In 1863 he was sent to Vilna during the Polish uprising to restore order. In contrast to the terrible rumor about himself, here Ya.P. Baklanov showed himself to be a stern but fair boss: he did not indiscriminately confiscate the rebels’ estates, but whenever possible, he established guardianship over the young children of the exiles and retained their property.
After a serious and long illness, Yakov Petrovich Baklanov died in poverty on October 18, 1873. The funeral took place at the cemetery of the St. Petersburg Novodevichy Convent. Five years later, his grave was decorated with a monument, created with voluntary donations and depicting a rock on which a cloak and a hat were thrown, with a black “Baklanovsky badge” pulled out from under the hat.
In 1911, his ashes were solemnly reburied in the tomb of the Ascension Military Cathedral in Novocherkassk, next to the graves of other heroes of the Don.
