Leader of the peasant guerrilla unit Gerasim Kurin: biography, achievements and interesting facts

The history of the Patriotic War of 1812 is known to most Russians only in general terms. Moreover, the names of many of its heroes, especially people from the people, are undeservedly forgotten or are only familiar to specialists. Although Gerasim Kurin is not among the unknown patriots who fought for the freedom of the Motherland, and his name is included in school textbooks, the detailed biography of the famous partisan will certainly be of interest to everyone who is not indifferent to the history of his country.

Origin

Kurin Gerasim Matveyevich was born in the village of Pavlovo, Vokhon Volost, near Moscow, in 1777. His father and mother, and therefore he himself was not serfs. The fact is that Pavlovo even under Ivan the Terrible became the property of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, and after the secularization of the church lands, conducted by Catherine II, became state. Thus, Gerasim Kurin was the so-called economic peasant. People with this status rarely engaged in agriculture, as the land was mostly owned by the landlords. Their occupations were handicrafts, trade and crafts.

Biography of Kurin Gerasim Matveyevich (briefly) until 1812

There is almost no information about what the guerrilla hero was doing before Napoleon's campaign to Russia. The researchers suggest that he worked in the shop of his father, who, most likely, had a good income, and his family was respected by fellow villagers.

Gerasim Matveyevich was married to Anna Savina, who came from a merchant family. In the marriage they had 2 children: Terenty and Anton. The boys were 13 and 8 years old at the start of the war, respectively.

The situation in the occupied territories

The entry of Napoleon's troops into Moscow in the autumn of 1812 did not lead to the capitulation of Russia, as the French emperor hoped. On the contrary, partisan detachments were spontaneously organized in all the occupied territories, thanks to which their army began to feel a great shortage of food. This forced the French command to equip the foragers' detachments in all directions from the capital. Since they were often attacked, Napoleon gave Marshal Ney 4 thousand infantry soldiers and cavalry, as well as several artillery batteries. The famous French commander deployed his headquarters in Borovsk, where he commanded the actions of foragers and defending units. One of these groups of "food hunters" reached the village of Pavlovo, where Gerasim Kurin lived with his family.

Organization of the detachment

Learning that the French foragers on the approach to the village, he organized a group of 200 farmers and began fighting. Soon the residents of neighboring villages began to join them, and the number of partisans reached 5,800 people, including 500 riders. The main reason for forcing people to take up arms was the brutal behavior of the French, who, being embittered by a protracted military campaign and malnutrition, often engaged in ordinary robbery and looting. In addition, Gerasim Kurin possessed the gift of persuasion and was an authority for fellow villagers.

Operations

From September 23 to October 2, 1812, Kurin Gerasim, along with his detachment, participated seven times in clashes with French troops. In one of the battles, his men managed to repel the convoy with weapons, seizing about 200 rifles and pistols, and 400 cartridge bags. This allowed the guerrillas to provide themselves with ammunition for a long time and make more daring forays into the camp of the enemy.

Marshal Ney was furious with the "uncivilized" behavior of the Russian peasants and sent 2 squadrons of dragoons to fight Kurin's detachment. Apparently, the French had no idea about the number of partisans, since otherwise they would not be limited to such a small detachment.

The commander of the detachment decided to try to solve the matter by peace and "condescended" to the point that he sent to the "savages" the parliamentarian - the former tutor. He began to convince the partisans not to interfere with the foragers to do their duties, apparently, implying the robbery of peasants under this.

While negotiations were going on, Kurin was preparing to attack. First of all, he sent a detachment of peasant cavalry towards Bogorodsk, commanded by volost Yegor Stulov. Then Kurin applied military cunning, leaving most of his "troops" in ambush and getting into a fight with the French with several dozen guerrillas. When the battle was in full swing, he gave the order to retreat, dragging the dragoons behind them, intoxicated by an easy victory over the Russian muzhik. Unexpectedly for themselves, the dashing French warriors were surrounded, as the horsemen of Stulov arrived. As a result of the battle, two French squadrons were defeated, and some dragoons were captured.

Recent operations

Enraged, Ney sent regular troops against the partisans. Learning about the offensive of the French columns, Kourin decided to give them a fight in his native village. He arranged for the peasant households the bulk of his forces, which he headed personally. At the same time, Gerasim Matveyevich sent Stulov's horsebacks to an ambush near the village of Melenka, located near the road Pavlovo-Borovsk, and the reserve was located behind a river in the Yudinsky gully, instructing the commander Ivan Pushkin.

When the French entered Pavlovo, there was no one to be seen. However, after a while a deputation came to them, consisting of power-like peasants. They entered into negotiations with the military, who this time politely asked the peasants to sell their food, after allowing them to inspect the warehouse. The peasants agreed to conduct foragers who did not even realize that the most sensitive and representative negotiator is Kurin himself.

Worthy of special mention

Several successful raids made the partisans more confident in their abilities, and they decided to attack the occupied Bogorodsk. However, by that time, Ney had already received an order to return to Moscow. Kurin Gerasim with his detachment missed his corps for only a few hours and continued to protect his native village and its surroundings from French marauders.

Rewarding

The feats of the partisan commander and his partisans did not go unnoticed by the Russian command. Many military commanders were surprised that the peasant without any idea of tactics and rules of warfare acted so successfully that he fled and destroyed the detachments of the regular French army, while his squad carried minimal losses.

In 1813, Kurin Gerasim Matveyevich (1777-1850) was awarded the St. George cross of the 1st class. This order was established specifically for lower ranks and civilians, and it was supposed to be worn on a black and orange ribbon. Although it is often mentioned in the literature that Gerasim Kurin was also given the title of honorary citizen, this information can not be considered reliable, since honorable citizenship was not appropriated to representatives of the peasant class. Moreover, it was founded only in 1832. Thus, because of his origin, Gerasim Matveyevich could not have such a title, despite the fact that he really deserved it.

In peacetime

When the Patriotic War of 1812 ended, Gerasim Kurin returned to his usual life. However, fellow villagers and residents of the surrounding villages did not forget about his exploits, and he was for them an indisputable authority on many issues.

It is also known that in 1844 he participated as an honored guest in the opening of Pavlovsky Posad - a city formed as a result of the merger of Pavlov and four surrounding villages.

The hero died in 1850 at the age of 73 years. He was buried at Pavlovsky Cemetery.

Now you know that Gerasim Matveyevich Kurin is a partisan who organized his own detachment in 1812 and successfully defended his native village and its surroundings from the French invaders. His name stands alongside the names of such folk heroes as Vasilisa Kozhina, Semyon Shubin, Yermolai Chetvertakov, who proved that in the time of trials for their native country, the Russian people can rally and organize themselves, contributing to victory over the enemy.