A huge amount of literature has been written about this historical figure , because it is he who is considered the main author of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 , that is how he, in particular, is shown in the great novel War and Peace. Thanks to such attention, the portrait of Kutuzov became so elaborate, received so many small details that you can simply drown in this sea of information. Therefore, it makes sense to return to the portrait only slightly outlined, consisting of only a few strokes, but showing the main thing.
The beginning of the service and the first significant successes
The portrait of Kutuzov in history, like the portrait of any nobleman of that time, begins with origin. His father, Illarion Matveyevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, was a high rank of lieutenant general, and after the birth of his son, he became a senator. Mikhail Illarionovich, as all the nobles under Catherine II first arrived in the army immediately as an officer, many years after he formally entered the service. He received his first baptism of fire in the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment, commanded by A.V. Suvorov.
The Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774 and 1877-1878 became the school of military art for young Kutuzov. He quickly promoted not only thanks to his father's connections, but also thanks to his courage in battles. During these wars with the Turks, he received two head injuries, both of which were considered fatal in those years (because of one of them, he was forced to wear a blindfold on his eye, which was actually preserved).
Austerlitz
Incomplete would be a portrait of Kutuzov without his participation in the battle of Austerlitz. Before the battle, Mikhail Illarionovich commanded one of the two Russian armies, therefore, had a word among the generals during the battle itself. Austerlitz became one of Napoleon I’s greatest victories. The Allies believed that the French had no strength to attack, and simply did not let the enemy leave, because they left the dominant heights without regret. But Napoleon’s troops, instead of retreating, occupied these heights and defeated the forces set against them. In the literature, it is repeatedly emphasized that Kutuzov was against those orders given by the allied command. However, this general was not completely eliminated from command, which says a lot. You should not think that if later Kutuzov strategically defeated Napoleon, then all his life he surpassed the French emperor in military art.
Russian-Turkish war of 1806-1812
This war went on relatively long and to no avail. The main forces of the Russian troops were concentrated on the western and north-western borders, relatively small forces were put up against the Turks. However, when M.I. Kutuzov was appointed commander of the Moldavian army, the situation changed dramatically. In the Battle of Ruschuk on June 22 (July 4), 1811, having only 18 thousand soldiers at his disposal, the general defeated the 60 thousandth army of the enemy. But his success was not limited to this. The portrait of Kutuzov at all times was characterized by the non-standard of his thinking. Instead of advancing after such a brilliant victory, the Russian troops, on the contrary, retreated beyond the Danube, and when the Turks tried to organize a persecution, blocked them at the crossing. Thanks to the energetic and non-standard actions of Kutuzov, this war was ended in complete victory, despite the fact that relatively small forces of the Russian army were involved there.
Patriotic War
This confrontation is considered the finest hour of Mikhail Illarionovich. It is often presented in literature as a double portrait of Kutuzov and Napoleon, namely their opposition, although, strictly speaking, the opponents were Napoleon I and Alexander I, and Kutuzov was only the second commander. The strategic plan of the company was not developed by Kutuzov, but it was he who brought its implementation to its logical conclusion and broke his skepticism of both the emperor and the army. Also, it was Kutuzov who commanded the Russian troops during the great battle of Borodino. In general, the company really became a triumph of Kutuzov and the crown of his military career. It is known that he did not want to continue it, he believed that a foreign campaign would bring the allies of Russia much more benefit than Russia itself.
Historical portrait of Kutuzov
What kind of person was Mikhail Illarionovich? It is known that this is a man of great military talent, as evidenced by his victory, and considerable personal courage, as indicated by his battle wounds. But at the same time, the portrait of Kutuzov will be incomplete without mentioning his caution. He always left for himself a path to retreat, as well as cover. And even the fateful decision for his career to leave Moscow, he made not himself, but waited until the speech of another speaker, whose opinion simply supported. Relatively little has been written about Kutuzov’s cautious steps to build and maintain his career in a huge amount of literature, but this is also an integral part of his personality.