Peter Bagration:
The Best Georgian General
of the Napoleonic Wars
Part 1: The Early Years
By Alexander Mikaberidze,
Chairman of the Napoleonic Society of Georgia
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King David Kuropalates even interfered in the internal affairs of the Byzantine Empire in 979, during a rebellion against the Emperor Basil. King David sent him troops led by Torniké Eristavi, thereby helping the Emperor to save his throne and his empire. David Kuropalates' name was known throughout the Orient, where he commanded great authority. The Armenian historian Stepanos Taronets, a contemporary of David, wrote:
"The great David Kuropalates surpassed all the rulers of our time ... He established peace and good will in all eastern states, especially, in Armenia and Georgia. He put an end to wars...and defeated all the peoples living around, and all monarchs submitted to his authority of their own free will"
David Kuropalates initiated the political unification of Georgia. Supported by Joané Marushisdze, his contemporary Kartlian (Iberia) eristavi and active political figure, David Kuropalates raised his adopted son Bagrat Bagration to the throne of Kartli (Iberia) (in 975) and Abkhazia (in 978), thereby actually uniting Eastern and Western Georgia into a single state. The Bagration Dynasty governed Georgia for almost 900 years.
Among the ancestors of P. Bagration were many prominent kings and statesmen: the greatest King of Georgia, David IV the Builder, who liberated the country from the Seljuks -- with an army of 55,000 men defeating a 450,000 man Muslim coalition army in the Didgori Valley on 12 August, 1121; legendary Empress Tamar, the period of whose reign was called the "Gold Century" in Georgian history; King George VI the Brilliant, who expelled in 1334 the Mongolians from Georgia and freed all Georgian monasteries that were taken by Muslims; King George VII, who fought with the most fearsome enemy of Georgia, Temur (Tamerlan) who invaded 8 times in 14 years, during which he razed most of it to the ground, but could never managing to conquer it; Kings Bagrat V, Luarsab, Simon, Irakli II and many others, who assemble the Glory of the Georgia.
One of Peter Bagration's was King Vakhtang VI, an outstanding statesman during the first half of 18th Century. In 1723 after several years of struggle with Iran and Turkey, Vakhtang VI was compelled, together with retinue of 1200 men, to flee Georgia. The nephew of King Vakhtang VI, Alexander Bagration (son of Vakhtang's brother - Jese), stayed in Georgia continued the struggle against the Turks, but he too was forced to move to Russia in 1757. There he continued his military service in the Russian army.
As a lieutenant colonel, Alexander Bagration participated in the battles in the northern Caucasus, in a defense of southeast borders of the Russian Empire. He passed his military service on to his son Ivan Bagration, who became a colonel. He resigned and moved to the city of Kizlyar, where in 1765 his son Peter, the future famous Russian commander, was born.
Peter Bagration lived with his parents during his childhood. Unfortunately, little information is available about this period of his life. It is possible to assume, that, being brought up in family of officer, Peter frequently heard the stories from his father about his battles and campaigns, and the courageous struggle of the native people against enemies. Maybe for this reason, he showed great interest in and a love of military life. "With the milk of my mother, I have poured in myself a spirit of dash bravery" - wrote Peter Bagration. Soon his dream was fulfilled.
On February 21, 1782, at the age of 17 he enlisted as a sergeant in Caucasian Musketeer Regiment. His military career of almost 30 years had began.
The Caucasian Musketeer Regiment, together with other parts of Russian army, defended the southern border of the Russian Empire -- near the Kuban and Terek Rivers. The Ottoman Empire, held in the submission a significant territory of the Caucasus and organized continuous attacks along the Russian border. Occasionally it coordinated these attacks with groups of "separatist" princes ("Knyaz") of Northern Caucasus. For the Russian armies deployed on the Caucasian border, it was essential to be battle ready in order to be able to deflect these attacks.
In one of fights with the highland tribes (particularly with Chechens), Peter Bagration was wounded and left on a field among the killed and wounded soldiers. Chechens, who were searching for weapons, initially thought that young Bagration was one of them and rescued him. Soon they discovered who he was, and out of respect for his father, who had rendered them assistance in the past, returned him to his unit without demanding a ransom.
While assigned to the Caucasian Musketeer Regiment, Bagration participated in the campaigns of 1783, 1784, 1785, and 1786, having shown himself as a brave and courageous soldier, he was prepared for the difficulties of military life. He studied his military duties and learned from his experiences in the field -- giving back to his enemies more than he received. In 1788, the Caucasian Musketeer Regiment was directed to Fortress Ochakov, to participate in actions against this Turkish stronghold.
The commander-in-chief of the Russian army was Gregory Potyemkin, a powerful favorite of the Empress Ekaterina. Alexander Suvarov, the great Russian commander, led the left wing of the army. Prior to the battle, Suvarov suggested to Potyemkin a courageous plan of mastering fortress by storm. However the commander-in-chief rejected this plan, having ordered a gradual siege of fortress. Owing to his many disagreements with Potyemkin, Suvarov was compelled to leave. Only after some months, when the siege has not given positive results, Potyemkin was convinced of correctness of the Suvarov's plan and decided to storm the fortress. On 6 December (17), 1788, the Russians attacked Ochakov and gained a complete victory. During the assault, Bagration showed great bravery. He fought with great courage and was among the first to rushed into the fortress.
After the capture of Ochakov, Bagration returned to the Caucasus, where he took part in the campaign of 1790. He served in Caucasian Musketeer Regiment till June 1792 and consecutively pass all steps of a military service from the sergeant up to the captain.
From June, 1792 until May 1794 he served in the Kiev Cavalry Regiment in the ranks of second major and premier-major.
On 4 May 1794 he transferred to the Sofia Carabineers Regiment. He served with this regiment during the Polish campaign of 1794, which was headed by A. Suvarov.
During the battles and campaigns of 1783-1794 Bagration showed himself as a skillful commander. He was known for his calmness and boundless bravery in battle, speed and decisiveness of actions, and an eye for striking the enemy at the right moment. Stories about Bagration's courage were widespread among both the soldiers and officers.
Bagration soon came to the attention of General Suvarov, who grew fond of him - referring to him as "Prince Peter" ("Knyaz Peter") - and did not hide his respect and trust of him.
On 15 October 1794, Bagration was promoted lieutenant colonel. In 1798 he was promoted to colonel, commander of the 6th Regiment, and the next year he was a major general. He took part in the famous Italian and Swiss campaigns of the Russian army, which the extremely bright page of his military biography opens.
More Peter Bagration
Part 2: Change of Plans
Part 3: Withdrawal and Guerrilla War
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Note: All dates used in this article are in the old style calendar. Also, all numbers are given with reference to Russian sources.