“Victory is where Skobelev is”: The Presidential Library presents the collection of historical materials about the legendary “White General”

"Skobelev's courage, which was amazing and unusual, is impressive, but even more important is his shrewdness and good military judgment" – famous war artist V. V. Vereschagin described the prominent military leader Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev, who is known as the "White General": on the battlefield he was always in the thick of the action, dressed in white uniform and mounted on a white horse. To mark the 175th anniversary of the birth of the renowned participant of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, the Presidential Library has built up the collection of unique historical documents, which features biographies of M. D. Skobelev, written during his lifetime and after his death, which cast light on the general’s life and service, his military exploits and the momentous Central Asian expedition, along with archival papers.

Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was born in Petersburg on September 17 (29), 1843, "on the day of holy martyrs: Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia. The four patron saints of the newborn child bestowed the following gifts upon him: a deep faith in God, a holy hope in the invincibility of the Russian people and exemplary love for the Tsar; Sophia ("wisdom" in Greek) imparted high intelligence to him”, the rare 1895 edition „The White General“ Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev” reads.

In 1861, Skobelev began military service, and made a successful career - in 1875 for military exploits he was promoted to Major-General.

One of Mikhail Dmitrievich’s distinctive features was the incredible courage. “A Few Words About General Skobelev” (1887) book provides an example: It was necessary to explore the vast sandy area separating the detachment of the General Lomakin, where Skobelev was, from another detachment in Fergana region. They had to deal with a very difficult problem of uniting these two detachments. According to the first-hand accounts of a well-known correspondent MacGahan, this case was an extraordinary display of courage and intelligence. Skobelev was the only one to fulfill the task brilliantly: follow the dangerous route almost alone (there were four people to accompany him), sketch the map of the area, find and explore the wells in the desert and decide on the amount of water they could give”, - MacGahan wrote.

On the battlefield he was no less brave: "Skobelev was not afraid of any danger. He listened to the whistle of bullets, the cracking of shells on the battlefield with the same calmness as we listen to the songs we know. He went through the biggest fire, several horses he rode were killed during the battle, but he remained calm, changed the horse and was not a bit worried even in the most dramatic moments of the battle. During the most desperate attacks, he led his troops to attack the enemy in a great order, and in the most terrible fire inspired them with a personal example and imperturbable common sense”, - S. F. Ditmar wrote in the above-mentioned book „The White General“ Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev”. The troops under his command won victories over and over again. Soldiers used to say: "Victory is where Skobelev is!"

An experienced tactician and strategist, a fearless and energetic general aroused love and respect among subordinate officers and soldiers. "At first, people were surprised, then they succumbed involuntarily to the immense charms of Mikhail Dmitrievich and became attached to him like children”, V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko wrote in the book “Skobelev”. The book, which presents the personal accounts of the military officer’s close friend, is a real treasury of information, which gives a chance to learn more about this outstanding person. Skobelev told Nemirovich-Danchenko that he owed everything to his teacher - the Frenchman Girardet, who taught him to love his Motherland in the first place: "He insisted that there was nothing more important in the world than the homeland, he said that no matter how humiliated it was, it was to be proud of... It was a person in the full sense of the word. <...> I am deeply grateful to this man. He made me study. He instilled love for science, knowledge”.

“Orders of General M. D. Skobelev (1876–1882)” is another source of information about Skobelev. Authors note in the preface: "The orders of the famous general not only attract great interest as military sources, but also provide valuable material for understanding the character of Skobelev. Love for a soldier and the deep understanding of the sacredness of duty underlie his orders; a result of this is selfless courage, determination and constant care for subordinates, the best feelings of a true serviceman. The Order of October 3–6, 1876 (about the quality of the flour) and Skobelev’s Order of November 26, 1876 (instructions for finding poor-quality food) prove this.

The Order of February 22, 1878 portrays the general character of Skobelev - an honest, just, grateful and generous person. The General addresses the troops: "After the glorious victory of Sheynovo, where you had destroyed 60 enemy battalions and captured 104 guns, you did not walk - you rushed to Constantinople. Your youth has overcome all difficulties and when you reached the walls of Tsargrad, the defeated Turkey asked our Commander-in-Chief for peace. On February 19, at 6 p.m., a glorious peace treaty between Turkey and Russia at the cost of your efforts and your blood, was signed. From now on, we are here in a friendly country. Our attitude towards the defeated people should be legitimately right, but also generous, for the brave Russian army could never beat the defeated enemy”.

Mikhail Skobelev's military campaigns are in the spotlight of the following books in the holdings of the Presidential Library: “Actions of General Skobelev’s Detachments during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78: Lovcha and Pleven”(1885), “The Remarkable Battle in Green Hills and Feats of Totleben and Skobelev”(1878), “Akhal-Tekke Expedition of General Skobelev in 1880–81: Featuring the Map and the Plan”(1884), “January 12, 1881: New Glorious 9-Hours-Long Complete Victory of General Skobelev over the Tekkes and the Conquer of Geok-Tepe and Dengel-Tepe”(1881) etc.  A rare map of the Central Asia, which features the main campaigns of the Russian army beginning from 18th century, is also available.

Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev - the glorious hero, beloved by the Russian people, died suddenly at the age of 38. He was buried in his estate in the Ryazan governorate.