And there in the distance a discordant ridge, But forever proud and calm, Mountains stretched - and Kazbek
Sparkled with a pointed head.
And with a secret and hearty sadness, I thought: a pitiful man.
What does he want … the sky is clear
There is a lot of space under the sky for everyone
But incessantly and in vain
One is at enmity - why?
(Valerik. M. Yu. Lermontov)
The history of firearms. Last time we looked at how AS Pushkin duel, and now it was the turn of another star of our poetry - M. Yu. Lermontov, who also died in a duel on pistols. And very young. I must say that, unlike Pushkin, he was not a noteworthy duelist and at his 26 years old he could write down only three duels at his own expense, well, from four comrades he still managed to dissuade him. Again, unlike Pushkin, a purely civilian man, Lermontov was a combat, army officer. And not just an officer, but the head of a detachment of "hunters" called "Lermontovsky" is clearly not accidental. Twice during his participation in battles in the Caucasus, he was presented for awards. The first time - a golden saber with the Order of Svyatoslav, then replaced by the Order of Vladimir, but both times the awards were bypassed by the will of the emperor.
The duel between M. Yu. Lermontov and NS Martynov took place on Tuesday, July 15, 1841 near Pyatigorsk, at the very foot of Mount Mashuk. There he died, and, although there were seconds present, much in this tragic event, as it was unclear, remains to this day. First of all, the testimony of eyewitnesses - both Martynov himself and the seconds M. P. Glebov and A. I.
The reason for the quarrel: Martynov and the seconds are speaking
So, during the investigation, Major Martynov gave the following explanation for the reason for the duel:
“Since his arrival in Pyatigorsk, Lermontov did not miss a single occasion where he could tell me something unpleasant. Sharpness, taunts, ridicule at my expense … At an evening in one private house (I meant the house of the Verzilins), two days before the duel, he pulled me out of patience, becoming attached to my every word, showing a clear desire at every step annoy me. "I decided to put an end to this."
Second Glebov confirmed:
"The reason for this duel was ridicule on the part of Lermontov at the expense of Martynov, who, as he told me, warned Lermontov several times …"
The second Vasilchikov showed:
“The only thing I know about the reason for the duel is that on Sunday, July 13th, Lieutenant Lermontov offended Major Martynov with mocking words; with whom it was and who heard this quarrel, I do not know. It is also unknown to me that there was any long-standing quarrel or enmity between them …"
Leave your jokes in front of the ladies
With a favorable opinion for Lermontov and naming specific names, others also said the same, since young officers, including Martynov and Lermontov, often visited the house of General MI Verzilina; and sharp jokes, and often backbiting along with dancing and flirting, were a characteristic feature of all these gatherings. Moreover, both Lermontov and Martynov took care of Verzilina's daughter, E. A. Klingenberg (in the future Shan-Girey), who described the fatal quarrel in detail:
“On July 13, several girls and men gathered for us … Mikhail Yuryevich gave his word not to make me angry anymore, and we, having waltzed, sat down to talk peacefully. We were joined by L. S. Pushkin, who was also distinguished by his malice, and the two of them began to sharpen their tongues … They did not say anything evil, but a lot of funny things; but then they saw Martynov talking very kindly to my younger sister Nadezhda, standing at the piano, on which Prince Trubetskoy was playing. Lermontov could not resist and began to joke at his expense, calling him "montagnard au grand poignard" ("highlander with a large dagger", since Martynov was not dressed in a uniform, but in a satin Circassian coat, and he changed them almost daily, and all of them he had different colors, he also had an impressive mountain dagger). It had to happen so that when Trubetskoy struck the last chord, the word poignard rang out throughout the hall. Martynov turned pale, bit his lips, his eyes flashed with anger; he came up to us and in a very restrained voice told Lermontov: “how many times have I asked you to leave my jokes in front of the ladies,” and so quickly turned away and walked away that he didn’t let Lermontov come to his senses … The dancing continued, and I thought that was the end the whole quarrel."
Challenge to a duel
However, their quarrel did not end there, but continued upon leaving Verzilina's house. Since they spoke in private, it is clear that both the measure of punishment and the further fate of Martynov should have depended on the recognition of the one who initiated the duel. Therefore, he thought out his answers very well and showed the following:
“… I told him that I had previously asked him to stop these unbearable jokes for me - but now, I warn you that if he once again decides to choose me as an object for his sharpness, then I will make him stop. - He would not let me finish and repeated several times in a row: that he did not like the tone of my sermon: that I could not forbid him to say what he wanted about me, - and finally told me: “Instead of empty threats, you would much I would have done better if I had acted. You know that I never refuse duels - therefore, you will not frighten anyone with this "… I told him that in that case I would send my second to him."
What Martynov said actually meant a challenge to Lermontov, while he was making a "step towards reconciliation." But Lermontov did not want to put up. This is how Martynov presented the case, and the seconds confirmed it.
Not two, but four
But there is another point of view that Lermontov's answer was more peaceful. Whereas the testimony given by Martynov, Glebov and Vasilchikov was biased. Moreover, although the official documents contain the names of only two seconds - Glebov and Vasilchikov, in fact there were four of them: A. A. Stolypin (Mongo) and S. V. Trubetskoy. It was decided not to report them, since in the Caucasus they were in the position of exiles, and it was known that Nicholas I disliked them. The decision of the participants in the duel was noble, but they had to fantasize in their testimonies. Glebov - to call himself Martynov's second, and Vasilchikov - Lermontov. But in a letter to D. A. Stolypin from 1841, Glebov described who was a second to whom differently. There is also such an assumption that both Stolypin and Trubetskoy were simply late for the duel because of the rain, so the opponents fired precisely with two seconds "by agreement of both sides." In any case, there was more than enough confusion about who was behind whom and who was not there.
Duel
The duel, according to the testimony of the seconds, took place on July 15 at about 7 pm. And its place is a small clearing by the road from Pyatigorsk to the Nikolaev colony on the north-western slope of Mount Mashuk, at a distance of four miles from the city, which was then much farther from this place than it is now. At the indicated place, the Investigative Commission noticed trampled grass, wheel tracks, and "". Well, about how the duel took place, Martynov showed:
“A barrier of 15 steps was measured and ten more steps from it in each direction. - We are at the extreme points. - According to the terms of the duel, each of us had the right to shoot whenever he pleases - standing still or approaching the barrier …"
However, the draft of Martynov's testimony contains other information:
“The conditions for the duel were: 1st. Everyone has the right to shoot whenever he wants … 2nd. Misfires were to be counted as shots. 3rd. After the first miss … the enemy had the right to call the shooter to the barrier. 4th. More than three shots from each side were not allowed …"
Glebov, having read this, sent Martynov a note with the following content:
“I have to say that I tried to persuade you for lighter conditions … Now, for the time being, do not mention the condition of 3 shots; if later there is a request about that, then there is nothing to do: it will be necessary to tell the whole truth."
However, the "request" did not follow, therefore Martynov did not show "the whole truth". And thus the completely deadly conditions of the duel (the right to shoot three times) were hidden from the investigation. Even the distance between the duelists is not known exactly. They talk about 15 steps. But Vasilchikov later announced 10. It seems that these conditions were proposed by R. Dorokhov in order to force both participants of the duel to refuse it. There was no doctor at the place of the fight, there was no crew - and what does this mean? That people couldn't think of anything about it? Or did they not believe that the fight would take place? This, too, could very well be!
Who shot first?
From Martynov's testimony:
“… I was the first to come to the barrier; waited a few times for Lermontov's shot, then pulled the trigger …"
Vasilchikov's testimony:
“… having placed our opponents, we, the seconds, loaded our pistols (belonged to A. A. Stolypin), and at the given sign the gentlemen, the duelists began to converge: when they reached the barrier, both stood; Major Martynov fired. Lieutenant Lermontov fell already unconscious and did not have time to fire his own shot; I fired from his loaded pistol much later into the air."
Glebov:
"The duelists fired … at a distance of 15 steps and converged on the barrier at the sign given by me … After the first shot made by Martynov, Lermontov fell, being wounded in his right side right through, which is why he could not make his shot."
However, among the Pyatigorsk society, a rumor immediately spread that in fact Lermontov shot in the air, but Martynov took advantage of it. There are many entries about this in diaries and letters from Pyatigorsk, but they were all made from the words of second persons, that is, not participants in the duel.
So, officer Traskin, who was the first to interrogate both Glebov and Vasilchikov, wrote to General Grabbe on July 17 that Lermontov said that he would not shoot, but would expect Martynov to fire. Judging by the act of medical examination of the body of the murdered, Lermontov stood with his right side to Martynov, as it should be, but his right arm was extended upwards. That is, he could well have shot in the air and still remain in this position when Martynov's shot followed.
And - yes, later it turned out that the seconds from the investigation hid the fact that Martynov shot at Lermontov, possibly at the very moment when he either raised his hand with a pistol above the level required for the sight, or even fired into the air.
If not Lepage, then who?
It is known that the pistols of Johann Andre Kuchenreuter, a German gunsmith, who produced both very high-quality hunting rifles and dueling pistols, and very high-quality, were used in the duel.
Both smooth-bore pistols with a 50-caliber barrel and rifled ones are known. Barrels were usually round, but with a flat sighting plane extending almost the entire length of the barrel. The breech, the aiming bar and the muzzle could be inlaid with silver arabesques.
What happened after the duel?
Lermontov, having received a bullet, died almost immediately, without regaining consciousness. Vasilchikov immediately galloped into the city to fetch a doctor, while all the other seconds remained by the corpse. Then Vasilchikov returned, but … alone. There was a severe thunderstorm, and none of the doctors wanted to go up the mountain. After that, Glebov and Stolypin went to Pyatigorsk, hired a cart there and sent with it and Lermontov's coachman Ivan Vertyukov and Martynov's man Ilya Kozlov, to bring the body of the murdered man to his apartment, which was done at about 11 pm.
They buried him in his native land, in the church that stood and stands not far from the estate. Some of the officers, from those with whom he was then friends, served and fought, rose to high ranks and even received general's shoulder straps. And Lermontov went into eternity, both as a poet and as a military man, although in this latter capacity he remained forever only a lieutenant of the Tengin infantry regiment …
General A. P. Ermolov, having learned about the death of Lermontov, said:
"You can afford to kill any other person, whether he is a nobleman or a noble: there will be many such tomorrow, but you will not wait for these people soon!"
As for Martynov, as a military man, he petitioned that his case be transferred to a military court, and not a civil one. And he was tried by the Pyatigorsk military court, which sentenced him to deprivation of ranks and all rights of the state. However, the commander-in-chief in the Caucasus, then the minister of war and, finally, the sovereign Emperor Nicholas I himself mitigated the punishment. In particular, on January 3, 1842, the tsar indicated:
"Major Martynov should be kept in the fortress for three months, and then given over to church repentance."
General Velyaminov, who was in his youth in the chambers-pages of Nicholas I, later recalled that, having received a message about the death of Lermontov, the emperor said:
“Today I received sad news: our poet Lermontov, who gave Russia such great hopes, was killed in a duel. Russia has lost a lot in it."
