Russian officers of the 19th century were not only experts and connoisseurs of the spiritual values of world and national culture, but they can also rightfully be considered their creators. The activities of Russian military officers in this field are truly immense.

... In November 1832, eighteen-year-old Mikhail Lermontov passed his exams and enrolled in the St. Petersburg School of Guards Sub-Ensigns and Cavalry Cadets. A few days later, an accident occurred in the riding arena: a horse kicked Lermontov's leg below the knee, breaking the bone. Despite this, Mikhail returned to the school five months later and successfully graduated in November 1834. Following his graduation, he was promoted to cornet in the Life Guards Hussar Regiment.

While still studying at the cadet school, young Lermontov persistently developed his abilities.

Having thoroughly studied both general education and military disciplines, Lermontov was well-rounded and had a broad general and military knowledge. He developed the traits of a military man. In 1832, it was no coincidence that the cadet wrote that "if there is a war," his place would be "at the forefront." As an officer, Lermontov possessed the qualities of courage, determination, and bravery. Contemporaries recall that in July 1840, during the assault on the enemy's barricades on the Valerik River in the Caucasus, Lieutenant Lermontov carried out his assignments with exceptional courage and composure, leading the first ranks of the bravest soldiers into the enemy's barricades.

The command many times sought to celebrate the military merits of Lermontov. In February 1841, Mikhail Yuryevich was presented for the award of the Order of St. John the Baptist. Stanislav of the 3rd degree. But being in disgrace because of the poem "Death of a Poet", he was removed from the award list. A month later, the commander of the Separate Caucasian Corps submits a report with a presentation for awarding Lermontov for his participation in the fighting in Little Chechnya. The award was also denied. Earlier, for his bravery and expertise in the second battle on the Valerik River, Lieutenant Lermontov was awarded a gold sword with the inscription "For Bravery."

In the field of literature, Mikhail Yuryevich accomplished a true creative feat. Over the past four years of his life, he created the greatest works of romantic poetry, including "The Demon," "Mtsyri," and "The Song of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich." He also wrote the unique novel "A Hero of Our Time." His exceptional poetic talent, self-discipline, and strong creative will all contributed to the creation of these masterpieces. Prince Colonel V. Golitsyn, the commander of the cavalry in the Caucasus, who highly appreciated Mikhail Lermontov's talent, said after the tragic duel on July 15, 1841: "Russia has lost a great poet and a brilliant officer. All of Pyatigorsk was in mourning, and the entire army mourned for him." In memory of the great poet-officer, the Lermontov Museum was established at the Yunker School, where he studied, with the permission of the Minister of War, D. Milyutin, in 1883. In May 1916, a monument to the poet and officer was solemnly unveiled.

Speaking about the contribution of Russian officers

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In the culture of Russia, it is necessary to mention such a master of the literary word as Fyodor Glinka. After graduating from the 1st St. Petersburg Cadet Corps, Glinka was commissioned as an ensign in the Apsheronsky Infantry Regiment, and then General M. Miloradovich transferred the young officer to his aide-de-camp. In 1806, Fyodor Nikolaevich retired, but with the outbreak of the Patriotic War of 1812, he returned to active duty as an aide-de-camp to Count M. Miloradovich. Takes part in the battles of Tarutin, Maloyaroslavets, Vyazma; with battles passes Poland, Silesia, Saxony; participates in the battle of Bautzen. He was awarded a number of Russian and foreign orders, a sword with the inscription "For bravery". Colonel F. Glinka wrote the well-known book "Letters of a Russian officer", each line of which is filled with patriotism, humanistic reflections of the author. "Emails..."they were a great success, they were eagerly read in all strata of society, in all parts of Russia," the press of that time noted. In 1822, Colonel F. Glinka leaves the service and completely devotes himself to literary activities. Fyodor Nikolaevich died at the age of 93. He was given military honors, a rifle salute sounded over the grave of a military officer.

It is probably not a surprise to many that the outstanding writer and public figure Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) also wore an officer's uniform. At the age of twenty-something, Leo Tolstoy left his family estate, Yasnaya Polyana, which he inherited from his father, and went to the Caucasus, where his older brother was serving in the army's artillery unit. After serving as a cadet for a while, young Tolstoy passed his exams and was promoted to an officer. When the Crimean War broke out, he was transferred to the Danube Army, which was fighting against the Turkish forces, and then he arrived in the besieged city of Sevastopol. During his time there, Tolstoy distinguished himself on the battlefield and was awarded the Order of St. Anna with the inscription "For Bravery" and various medals.

After the end of the war, Leo Tolstoy retired and went on a multi-month trip to the countries of Western Europe. Already the first works of the writer "Childhood", "Adolescence", Caucasian and Sevastopol military stories showed that a real artist came to Russian literature. The novels" War and Peace"," Anna Karenina"," Sunday " brought the retired officer world fame. All of Tolstoy's works share an epic scope in their portrayal of Russian reality, as well as their ability to truthfully depict individual human destinies against the backdrop of the fate of the people, in close connection with real historical events.

Another world - famous writer, F. P., also had a chance to wear officer's shoulder straps. Dostoevsky (1821-1881). In 1838, he entered the Main Engineering School, after which in 1843 he was enrolled as a field engineer-second lieutenant in the St. Petersburg Engineering Team. Having decided to devote himself entirely to literature, Fyodor Mikhailovich resigns with the rank of lieutenant. In 1849, Dostoevsky was arrested for visiting the circle of M. Petrashevsky, whose members discussed the transformation of judicial proceedings, freedom of printing, the liberation of peasants in Russia, and others. He is assigned 4-year hard labor with deprivation of "all rights of the state" and subsequent surrender to the soldiers. After serving the term of hard labor, the writer is enlisted as a private in the Semipalatinsk 7th Line Battalion. A year later, he is promoted to non-commissioned officer, and a year later - to ensign. In the spring of 1857, Fyodor Dostoevsky was restored to his hereditary nobility. Two years later, he was dismissed from the army due to health reasons, retaining his rank of second lieutenant.

The most famous works of the writer are the novels "Poor People", "Humiliated and Insulted", "Gambler", "Idiot", "Crime and Punishment", "The Brothers Karamazov". In 1877, Fr. Dostoevsky is elected a corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Even about the 25-year-old Dostoevsky, V. Belinsky wrote that he was " destined to play in our literature one of those roles that are given to too few." The work of the writer became a whole epoch in the development of Russian and world literature, which had a huge impact on the cultural life of the XX century, on the evolution of artistic and philosophical thought of progressive humanity. You can rightly be proud of this man, who served in the officer corps of Russia for more than one year.

The activities of another literary officer deserve attention. Ivan Liprandi, a participant in the battles of Smolensk, Borodino, Tarutino, Maloyaroslavets, and Krasnoye, retired in 1822 and was appointed an official of special assignments under Count Mikhail Vorontsov. A few years later, he was reinstated in the military with the rank of lieutenant colonel. According to Alexander Pushkin, Ivan Petrovich skillfully combined true scholarship with "excellent military qualities." It can be assumed that I. Liprandi was the prototype of Silvio in A. Pushkin's story "Shot". In 1827, Colonel Liprandi, who was fluent in several Eastern languages and had experience as an agent, was appointed head of the" supreme secret foreign police " and sent to the Danubian principalities to prepare the necessary military and political documents for the government and military leadership. During the execution of this task, three attempts were made on Ivan Petrovich. In 1829, he formed a partisan unit from the local population and commanded it for six months. Three years later, he retired with the rank of Major General. In 1840, he was appointed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs as an official with special assignments.

Ivan Petrovich left behind a significant literary legacy, including historical, ethnographic, and geographical works on the southern Slavs. In the 1820s, he was associated with military intelligence.

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and he collected strategic information about the Danubian principalities and, along the way, materials on the history, statistics, and ethnography of the western part of Turkey. The 30-volume encyclopedic dictionary "The Ottoman Empire", compiled by a remarkable officer, contains a wealth of information from the social life of the region. His numerous articles on the history and ethnography of the Slavs are interesting.

The future writer A. Kuprin was brought up under the impression of the victory of the Russian troops in the war with Turkey. In 1880, at the age of ten, he entered the Second Moscow Military Gymnasium, which was later transformed into a cadet corps. After graduating, Alexander Kuprin entered the Moscow Alexander Military School, from which he graduated as a lieutenant in 1890. The young officer was assigned to the 46th Infantry Dneprovsky Regiment, stationed in the Podolsk province, for further service. After an unsuccessful attempt to enter the General Staff Academy (he was suspended from taking the exams due to a conflict with a police officer), Alexander Ivanovich retired in August 1894 with the rank of lieutenant.

A. Kuprin began his literary career with articles in newspapers. In the second half of the 1990s, he wrote the short stories "Moloch," "Olesya," and "Stories from the Army." His works "At the Turning Point" ("The Cadets") (1900) and "The Duel" (1905) gained significant attention from his contemporaries, and the latter earned him European recognition. In the early 20th century, A. Kuprin made a name for himself as a publicist. In 1912, his complete works were published. In 1919, Alexander Ivanovich left for abroad. In 1933, the retired officer's remarkable novel "Yunkera" was published in Paris. Four years later, the writer returned to his homeland. A. I. Kuprin passed away in August 1938. His figurative speech, rich use of imagery, and ability to respond to others' pain have earned him posthumous fame.

It is difficult to overestimate the role of Russian officers in the development of music. For example, the composer and pianist Mikhail Mussorgsky (1839-1881) began his musical practice at home. After the family moved to St. Petersburg, he continued his studies under the guidance of a professional pianist. At the age of thirteen, the young man enrolled in the School of Guards Sub-Ensigns, and after graduation, he served as an officer in the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment for several years. In order to devote himself entirely to music, Modest Petrovich decided to retire and became a member of the creative association "The Mighty Five." Mussorgsky entered the history of world music as a brilliantly gifted innovative musician and a humanist who viewed his work as a form of active service to the people. His operas are the pinnacle of his creations. Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina (completed by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov) are unparalleled in terms of the monumentality of folk musical drama. Modest Petrovich's opera Sorochinskaya Yarmarka was completed by his friend, Major General Ts. Mussorgsky had a great influence on the development of Russian and foreign musical culture.

For six years, the famous Russian composer, teacher, and conductor Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) studied at the St. Petersburg Naval Cadet Corps. During his final years of study, he became actively involved in music, became close friends with Mily Balakirev, and joined the "Mighty Five." At the age of 27, Rimsky-Korsakov was invited to teach at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he remained a professor until the end of his life. He also served as an inspector of naval military orchestras for ten years.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov is one of the classics of Russian music and an outstanding master of world musical art. His works are distinguished by their patriotism, poeticism, and high level of instrumentation. Nikolai Andreevich has trained more than 200 composers and musical figures. The master composed 15 operas (Pskovitanka, Snegurochka, Sadko, Tsarskaya Nevesta, Zolotoy Petushok, and others), many suites, and dozens of romances. The composer also wrote several books and numerous articles on musical culture.

Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky, who was expelled from the Naval Cadet Corps early and participated in the Russo-Swedish War of 1788-1790, made a significant contribution to the art of navigation and ethnography. A few years later, as an educated and promising officer, he was assigned to the British Navy, where he traveled to America and India and participated in battles against the French fleet. He spent over a year in the United States, where he was received by President George Washington.

In 1798, Y. Lisyansky was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant commander. By this time, he is already a participant in 18 naval battles, commanding the frigate "Autotroil". In 1803, Admiral I. F. Krusenstern, knowing Yuri Fyodorovich from joint studies in the cadet corps as a capable sailor, offered him to command the frigate Neva in the first circumnavigation of the world in the history of the Russian Fleet. The expedition had diplomatic, commercial, and scientific goals. The report on the journey included landscapes and ethnographic sketches, where Yuri Lisyansky described the customs, rituals, and beliefs of the inhabitants of the Marquesas and Hawaiian Islands, as well as the Russian settlements in Alaska. At the end of the voyage, Yuri Fedorovich was promoted to the rank of captain 2nd rank. In 1809, he retired as a captain 1st rank. In 1812, a two-volume edition of his work "A Voyage Around the World in 1803-1806 on the Ship 'Neva'" was published in St. Petersburg. The officer's unique collections of seashells and ethnographic materials were donated to the Rumyantsev Museum in St. Petersburg. One of the Hawaiian islands he discovered was named after Lisyansky.

Such historical facts and examples could be continued, but the above is enough to conclude that Russian officers are closely connected with culture.

The upbringing of moral culture and ethical norms among Russian officers contributed to the development of their high spiritual qualities and a conscious desire for nobility. For an officer, knowing and loving their national and global culture was a necessity of the soul. The reward for this was the memory and gratitude of their descendants, the respect of their superiors and subordinates, the love and trust of their relatives and loved ones, and their own deep sense of moral satisfaction.

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