The great military leader M. I. Kutuzov — in rare publications and historical documents of the Presidential Library

September 16, 2017, marks the 270th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian military leader Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov. The electronic fund of the Presidential Library contains numerous materials dedicated to the life and military activities of the Field Marshal General: rare editions of the XIX — the early XX century and studies, as well as historical documents.

In particular, there are the pages of the manuscript of 1759 “Report on the minors” so called young nobles over the age of seven, who did not yet reach the draft age. That is what has become one of the proofs that the future commander wasn’t born in 1745, but two years later — in 1747.

The information that was previously cited in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of F. A. Brockhaus and I. A. Efron and in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia is inaccurate, according to the staff employees of the President's Library's long-term partner, the Military History Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps, who conducted extensive research.

There are currently some important documents in the electronic reading room of the Presidential Library. One of them is the report of Major-General Muravyov to the Generalfeldzeugmeister P. I. Shuvalov confirms the appearance of the six-year-old M. I. Kutuzov on June 26, 1754, who was then “on his seventh year”, to the president’s of the heraldic office. Another is the “much obliged report” of Engineer Colonel Larion Kutuzov, the father of the future field marshal, dated April 17, 1759, addressed to the Generalfeldzeugmeister Count P. I. Shuvalov about assigning his son in the artillery corps where he says: “I have eleven years old son Mikhail, who on the first specified time, being then a seventh year old was brought into the Governing Senate in its president’s of the heraldic office is revealed…” Thus, from a simple comparison of the dates it follows that the future commander was born on September 5 (16), 1747. This information was included in the Great Russian Encyclopedia, where on page 475 of the 16th volume of the 2010 edition it is said that the commander, who earned all the highest awards of the Russian Empire and the only bearer of the unofficial title “Savior of the Native Land” was born on September 5 (16), 1747.”

In the 1873-year book entitled General Field-Marshal Prince Kutuzov of Smolensk could be read: “Since childhood Kutuzov has been placing great hopes on his development and his mind; in the first year from birth he began to walk and to talk. Kutuzov's abilities quickly developed; still a child, he expressed curiosity, and often with his questions perplexed the elders; he was of cheerful nature, with warm tender heart, and very good-looking. Bravery, enterprising and curiosity were Kutuzov's distinctive qualities from his youth.”

In 1761, Kutuzov graduated from the artillery school in St. Petersburg, where he was awarded for his excellent studies: …he carefully studied military history, tactics and excellently knew artillery and engineering. He loved history and literature, studied French, German, Latin, and later Swedish, English, Turkish and Polish languages,” — according to the magazine on the Presidential Library website.

His appointment by the company commander some time after graduation from school to commanded by Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov Astrakhan Regiment made all the difference in the character building of the future distinguished military leader: “Kutuzov saw unusual for this period of time pictures of everyday life and military training in the Astrakhan Regiment. They did not beat the soldier there, did not steal from him food and clothing. In the military training means a soldier's drill for the reviews and parades was given the very last place. Suvorov's main task was to train soldiers for war, to up bring them in fighting spirit, endurance, ability to figure out, to orient in any situation,” — G. G. Pisarevsky writes in published in 1942 work Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov.

Kutuzov was a grateful student: “…a person enlightened by science, rich in military experience, fully familiar with the soldiers’ demands and needs and rightly considered the military education of his subordinates the best and most reliable beginning of their success in future military engagements with the enemy” — one of Field-Marshal’s colleagues gives him this characteristic in the edition of 1858 Field-Marshal Prince Kutuzov at the end and the beginning of his military career: the first war of Emperor Alexander I with Napoleon I in 1805. Information about the military career of M. I. Kutuzov, his participation in various military campaigns can be found in such books as The Turkish campaign of the Russians, led by the general from the infantry of Golenishchev-Kutuzov in 1811 of 1840, The Patriotic War of 1812 and Kutuzov and The Glorious Leader of 1812 Kutuzov, published in 1912, and in many others as well. In addition, there is an extensive collection on the Presidential Library website The Patriotic War of 1812, which includes, among other pieces, the digitized copies of documents written by the own hand of the famous commander.

In the publication entitled The Most Serene Prince of Smolensk, Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov and His Contemporaries of 1896 the reader will get a chance to look at M. I. Kutuzov through the eyes of his contemporaries: “…nothing could compare with his courtesy in society and his ability to deal with people. At the courts of Frederick, Catherine, Paul, Alexander, Franz, Selim III, Gustavus Adolf he fascinated and charmed others,” — one of them recalled.

Even more vividly the personality of the commander is revealed in his personal letters — constantly traveling on military or state affairs, he sent many messages to his wife and his daughters. Some of them later became part of the book Kutuzov in Correspondence with His Family of 1912. In these lines we see Kutuzov as a loving husband and father: “Dear children, hello! I send to you Hamburg presents: the bracelets for Annushka, the earrings for Lizanka, and a golden needle and pin Katenka and Dashenka, each,” — a painstaking landlord: in April 1803 he wrote to his wife: “I heard that some book on water communications came out in St. Petersburg. Please, do me a favor, send in to me, I really need it here, because I think all the time about commerce.” In addition, these letters are invaluable evidences of the events of the Patriotic War from the first person: “We have been standing more than one week in one place and we look with Napoleon at each other, each one is waiting for right moment. In the meantime, we fight a little every single day and are always doing well. Every day we take about three hundred prisoners of war, and we lose so little that almost nothing,” — Kutuzov reports to his relatives in October 1812.

Materials about the life and work of Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov are a part of the Presidential Library stock, which currently numbers more than 550,000 items. The National Electronic Library saves the unique historical documents dedicated to the destinies of the great and talented personalities and important events.