The 200th anniversary of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 is celebrated not only in Russia. Moscow – Tbilisi video conference "Georgians in the War of 1812" has been held in Moscow recently.
“When we talk about the Georgians in the War of 1812, in any case, it seems to me that we're talking about people who were associated with the Georgians just because they had Georgian surnames. In any case, the people who fought, who were in the high command posts, in all their reports and letters always stressed that they cared about the glory of the Fatherland. Pyotr Bagration repeat it several times in his letters”, - George Antelava, doctor of historical sciences, professor of Sukhumi State University, says. According to him, in this war, as it turned out in the documents kept in the Russian archives in Moscow, Leningrad and Simbirsk, in principle, this war was attended by12 or 13 generals and, generally, more than 70 ethnic Georgians, many of whom, howed true miracles of valor and courage, and thus they made their own invaluable contribution to the glory of Russian arms.
Otar Zhordaniya, vice-president of the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia, says that “there were few Georgians in Russia in the XVIII century and at the beginning of the XIX century; there were about 15-20 thousand people, only. But amongst those 15-20 thousand people there were such Russian army generals. These are the famous generals of the Russian army, an army which was famous for its military successes and its spirit, which was known throughout the world. No wonder that the most outstanding military leaders of the world said it was not enough to kill a Russian soldier, because it was also necessary to knock him down, because when he stood on his feet, he fought for his country, for his purposes. When you study this subject, you can really be surprised: the nobility of Georgia, who were in Russia at this time for various historical reasons, who had left their homeland and found refuge in Russia, was not a big group; it was about 400-500 people. And the Georgian nobility who settled in Russia and for whom Russia became home gave birth to such great commanders of the Russian army.
Being Georgians by birth, they realized it, they spoke the language, they still remembered the language of their ancestors. But they were sons of Russia who served to it loyally, and those who were around them imitated them; there was, to use modern terms, competition: everyone tried to prove that he loved this country more and that he would contribute more to its greatness.13 generals with Georgian surnames, of Georgian origin, made an outstanding contribution to the history of the Russian art of war. For example, Pyotr Bagration is amongst them, and we are very proud that in Moscow, on Kutuzov Avenue, there is a beautiful monument made by our countryman, Merab Merabishvili, and Boris Thor. This monument reflects the respect that the Russian people has always had and, I hope, will always have towards Bagration and to the people who contributed to our glory. Bagration is the glory of the Russian army, and, at the same time, the glory of Georgia. Bagration is a disciple of the great Russian commander Suvorov. Suvorov, as you know, turned to him only with some special gentle words; during one of the courts, Bagration, who knew no fear, always walking in front of his troops, cried because Suvorov said this from his heart. And he called him only "Prince Bagration." Moreover, he did not give him any orders: knowing his brilliant military abilities, knowing his courage and bravery, knowing his attitude towards his soldiers, he trusted him. Historical documents indicate that Suvorov gave him a little note, saying, for instance, "All of a sudden!" - and Bagration knew that he must attack the enemy suddenly, quickly and after that destroy him, and he managed to do it perfectly.
I must mention one more fact. When Paul I came to the Russian throne, something quite strange happened in the state. He bumped off people, then banished them, then punished them, then pushed them forward. But in regard to the military sphere he did something absolutely wrong and totally inaccurate. He suddenly dismissed seven field marshals, 333 generals and 2156 officers, including chief officers and staff officers, from the army. He carried out the inspection of units and regiments, and, imagine, he dismissed almost every one. Only one regiment commanded by Bagration earned his highest appreciation.
I should mention the Panchulidze brothers, Ivan Panchulidze and Semyon Panchulidze. In the Russian army there were a lot of great generals and brave warriors, but even in the Russian army people were surprised at their heroic deeds. They were two brothers from one family, Cavaliers of the Order of St. George, the highest military order of Russia, of the Third and Fourth Degree. The fourth degree was given to the officers, and the third degree is a military leader award, meaning it was given to generals, and during the war of 1812 the two Panchulidze brothers got this highest award.
…I should also recall the General Shalikov, or Shalikashvili (after the war, he changed his name to Shalikov). He also had the Order of St. George of the Third and Fourth degree.
…There were four famous members of the Zhivahov family in the military sphere; three of them were generals and one was an officer, and every one of them could compete with others in their love and the professionalism which they showed. Zhivahov or Dzhavahov (Russian pronunciation is Zhivahov,) it is the Dzhavakhishvili family of Georgian origin, the Georgian noble family of famous princes, that has provided and I hope will provide in the future renowned scientists and other prominent people to the country.
…I want to focus on one more general. This is General Guryalov. Georgian surnames were changed so much in the Russian reality that they sounded like Russian ones, and it was difficult to determine their origin; let us say, even when you say "Guryalov", "General Guryalov", you do not always understand if he is Georgian or not. But in fact it is a well-known Georgian surname, of a sovereign Georgian prince whose name was Gurieli. I would like to talk about this, because this was the 13th general who recently become known to our discipline. Who is this General Ivan Guryalov, who is warmly accepted by the Russian public, and even events dedicated to his memory are held? It is really nice to hear that in Russia there are people who respect their ancestors. He was a commander and a general from 1803 - this is quite significant. He commanded a regiment, commanded the 23rd Division, the 27th Division, he fought near Tarutino, near Smolensk and at Borodino, participated in the battles of Leipzig and in Bautzen, and participated in the capture of Paris. Indeed, when Russian people became aware of his deeds, the Russian public did him honor. Here is an example of the service to the Fatherland showed by our compatriots in Russia; it can never be erased from history. Although, I must say they fought for freedom in Russia. Clearly, they fought against an enemy who wanted to conquer Russia. This is their historical value and dignity. No matter how much time has passed, who has come to power, what the political situation in the country is, the memory of these Georgian heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812, as well as the memory of Russian soldiers and the soldiers of other nationalities who have participated in this war, I think, will remain forever”.
“In ten years we will celebrate the 300th anniversary of the creation of the military alliance of powerful Russia and Georgia, which was then a very small, weak country and could be broken by these tigers, our enemies, like present-day Iran and present-day Turkey”, -
Ivan Dolidze, journalist, essayist and historian, recalls. – “Literally, we were on the verge of devastation. We will never forget that it was the Russian Army that came to our aid. But Russia must never forget that the small population of Georgia has given such outstanding Russian army generals as Bagration; besides, there were more than 500 generals of Georgian origin in the imperial army alone, and 224 generals in the Soviet Army, including 72 generals who fought in World War II”.
