“Not jokingly, though it is indecent to talk about myself, I belong to the most poetic persons of the Russian army, not as a poet, but as a warrior; the circumstances of my life give me every right to do so …"
D. V. Davydov
Denis Davydov was born on July 16, 1784 in the city of Moscow. The Davydov family belonged to one of the old noble families. Many of his ancestors for their faithful service to the kings were granted fiefdoms, served as governors and stewards. Denis's grandfather, Denis Vasilyevich, was one of the most enlightened people of his era, had a huge library, knew several languages and was friends with Mikhail Lomonosov. Denis's father, Vasily Denisovich, served as the commander of the Poltava Light-Horse Regiment and was married to the daughter of the Kharkiv and Voronezh Governor-General Evdokim Shcherbinin. The Davydov family owned a number of estates in the Orenburg, Orel and Moscow provinces. Vasily Denisovich was famous for his wit and cheerful character and often met with prominent public and military figures of the Catherine period. Elena Evdokimovna was fifteen years younger than her husband, but she always looked at him with adoration and was rarely separated from him. In total, they had four children: sons Denis, Evdokim, Leo and daughter Alexander.
Denis's childhood years were wonderful - his father loved and pampered his eldest son, and turned a blind eye to all the pranks and pranks. Most of Davydov's childhood was spent in Ukraine, in the military camps of the Poltava region. Almost every evening, regimental officers gathered in his father's office, including the veterans of the Suvorov campaigns. Their conversations often boiled down to a discussion of the battles won by the legendary commander, as well as personal memories of him. During these friendly conversations, the eldest son of the Davydovs was always present - a snub-nosed and brown-eyed boy, listening with eager curiosity to stories about Alexander Vasilievich.
Together with his brother Evdokim, Denis had two tutors - a small and plump Frenchman, Charles Frémont, adopted by his mother, and an elderly and staid Don Cossack Philip Yezhov, who was appointed at the insistence of his father. The Frenchman taught the boys his language, noble manners, dances, music and drawing, while Philip Mikhailovich introduced them to military affairs, taught them to ride horses. Denis grew up as a playful and inquisitive boy, quickly learned to write and read, had an excellent memory, danced well, but the manners that Fremont taught were not given to him. The mentor told his mother: "A capable boy, however, he has neither endurance nor patience."
In the fall of 1792, Vasily Davydov received unexpected news - General-in-Chief Alexander Suvorov was appointed commander of the entire Yekaterinoslav corps, which included his Poltava light-horse regiment. In May next year, Poltava, as usual, moved to a summer camp on the Dnieper. Combat marches and exercises were held here around the clock. Denis, who dreamed of Suvorov, persuaded his father to take him and his brother to his camp. They did not have to wait long, one of the nights Alexander Vasilyevich arrived to them. After checking the regiment, Suvorov dined with Davydov senior. When the colonel's sons were introduced to the commander, he crossed them with a kind smile and suddenly asked, turning to Denis: "My friend, do you love a soldier?" Denis was not taken aback: “I love Count Suvorov. It contains everything: victory, glory, and soldiers! " The commander laughed: “How daring! A military man will be …"
Soon after Suvorov's memorable visit, Davydov Sr. received the rank of brigadier and was already preparing to take under his leadership a cavalry division stationed near Moscow. However, in November 1796, Catherine II died, and her son Pavel, who was extremely hostile to the favorites of his mother, ascended the throne. Everyone who was associated with the figures of the deceased empress - acquaintance, friendship, kinship - also fell into disgrace. Almost every day Vasily Denisovich received sad news. His brother Vladimir was expelled from St. Petersburg, another brother Lev was dismissed from service, nephew Alexander Kakhovsky was arrested, nephew Alexei Ermolov was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Davydov Sr. felt that his thunderstorm would not pass. And I was not deceived. A thorough audit was carried out in its part. The auditors counted for the regimental commander almost one hundred thousand state money, removed him from office and determined to bring him to justice. The situation of the Davydov family has deteriorated sharply. The old way of life, most of the old habits had to be abandoned. Having lost most of their estates, their family moved to Moscow.
Denis was already in his fifteenth year at that time. Despite his small stature, the young man was strongly built, tempered himself in every possible way - he doused himself with cold water, got up a little light, slept on a hard bed. He dreamed of a military career, learned to shoot accurately, and rode horses no worse than experienced cavalrymen. Even a stern father often admired his daring fit.
Among the Moscow friends of Vasily Denisovich, Ivan Turgenev, the real privy councilor, stood out for his education and intelligence. Denis, on the other hand, became close friends with his eldest sons, Alexander and Andrey, who studied at the Moscow University boarding school. The brothers were sociable, loved to debate on philosophical and literary topics, read Derzhavin, Dmitriev and Chemnitser by heart, showed Denis Karamzin's almanacs. Andrei Turgenev tried to compose himself, and once Denis was introduced to the young, but already famous poet Vasily Zhukovsky. The fame of the modest boy - his peer - hurt the pride of Denis Vasilyevich. He first awakened an interest in poetry, a passionate desire to try his hand in this field. For two weeks he diligently comprehended the wisdom of poetry. As he himself admitted, at times it seemed to him that nothing could be easier than putting words into smooth stanzas, but as soon as he took the pen in hand, the thoughts disappeared somewhere, and the words, like butterflies in a meadow, fluttered before his eyes.
Denis Vasilyevich strongly doubted the quality of his first poems, composed about a certain shepherdess Liza, and therefore hesitated to submit them to the strict trial of the Turgenev brothers. After much deliberation, he decided to show them to Zhukovsky alone, with whom he had already become close friends. After reading the poems, Vasily Andreyevich sadly shook his head: “I don’t want to upset you, but I can’t bend my soul either. There is not a single poetic line in them. But listening to your stories about the war, I clearly see that you are not alien to the poetic imagination. Dear Denis, you need to write about close things, not about sheep … . Davydov hid his poems, took Zhukovsky's advice into account, and secretly continued to compose from everyone. In addition, he did not stop stubbornly enriching his own military knowledge. He read and talked a lot with veterans of past wars who often visit his father.
Alexander Suvorov died in May 1800. This news stunned Denis Vasilyevich. The young man's grief was enormous, and his military career did not seem so tempting as before - he never dreamed of prancing on the Tsarskoye Selo parade ground in front of dignitaries in German uniforms. However, at the end of the same year, Davydov Sr., having visited St. Petersburg, managed to enroll his eldest son in the cavalry guards, and in the spring of 1801 Denis went to the Northern capital.
On September 28, 1801, Davydov was admitted to the cavalry regiment with the rank of standard-junker, a year later he was promoted to cornet, and in November 1803 - to lieutenant. The white cavalry uniform, embroidered with gold, was attractive and beautiful, but it was not easy for a nobleman with limited means and connections to wear it. Denis's comrades for the most part belonged to rich and noble families, lived recklessly and carelessly, had beautiful apartments, outings, boasted of carousing and women. Denis Vasilyevich had to live only on a salary. Possessing a hot-tempered character, troubles awaited him at every step, but Davydov himself perfectly understood this. From the very beginning, he firmly established certain rules of behavior for himself - he did not borrow money, avoided gamblers, drank little at parties and captivated his comrades with stories-anecdotes, as well as the independence of his judgments. Pavel Golenishchev-Kutuzov, a former regiment commander, spoke of him as an "executive officer." Other cavalry guards also adhered to the views that their "little Denis", albeit excessively thrifty, but on the whole a nice fellow.
In 1802, Vasily Denisovich died, and all the worries about the house, as well as his father's private and state debts, fell on Denis's shoulders. The only village of the Davydovs - Borodino - brought a very insignificant income, and no one in the family thought to ask for help from wealthy relatives - pride did not allow. On reflection, the Davydovs found another way out - the middle son Evdokim, for a penny working in the archive of foreign affairs, agreed to get a job in the cavalry guard. In this case, the brothers had the hope of joint efforts to pay off the debts over time, while Leo, Alexandra and their mother had to live on the Borodino income.
Simultaneously with the service, Davydov continued to write poetry. In the fall of 1803, Denis Vasilyevich wrote the first fable, entitled "Head and Legs" by him. With incredible speed, his work, ridiculing the top officials of the state, scattered throughout the city - it was read in the guards barracks, in high society salons, in state chambers. The literary success inspired the twenty-year-old cavalry guard, his second work - the fable "The River and the Mirror" - spread even faster, causing widespread rumors. But the fable "Eagle, Turukhtan and Teterev", written in 1804, was the most accusatory and impudent fable, containing insulting to Emperor Alexander I allusions to the murder of Paul. The action of the third fable in society was overwhelming, disciplinary sanctions fell on Davydov one after another. In the end, the sovereign thunder broke out - on September 13, 1804, Denis Vasilyevich was expelled from the cavalry regiment and sent with the rank of captain to the newly formed Belarusian army hussar regiment, stationed in the Kiev province. It is curious that this was done extremely rarely with cavalry guards and only for major offenses, for example, for embezzlement or cowardice in battle. The fables written in his youth, for the rest of his life, secured for Denis Vasilyevich the reputation of an unreliable person.
The young poet liked the service among the hussars. In the fall of 1804 he wrote the poem “Burtsov. Calling for a punch ", which became the first of Davydov's" hussar verses "to glorify him. Burtsov, a daring hussar-rake, very vaguely reminiscent of his prototype, became Denis Vasilyevich's new literary hero. No one better than Davydov was able to poeticize the life of the hussars with its carefree prowess, good companionship, dashing arrivals and dashing pranks. The "Burtsov" cycle marked the beginning of the "hussar theme" not only in Russian literature, but also in everyday life and culture. In his subsequent "casual" and "passing" poems, Denis Vasilyevich, in an easy and unconstrained manner, preserving various shades of lively speech, did not glorify the exploits of kings and commanders, but created picturesque images of military people - straightforward, alien to secular conventions, devoted to the simple joys of life and patriotic debt.
The only thing that did not suit Davydov among the dashing hussars was that his unit did not take part in the battles during the first war with Napoleon. In 1805, the Russian emperor, having actually eliminated Mikhail Kutuzov, together with the Austrian general Franz von Weyrother, gave a general battle at Austerlitz. Despite the valor and heroic efforts of the Russian troops on the battlefield, the battle, thanks to the mediocre leadership, was lost. Napoleon, having seized the initiative, began to crowd out the Russian forces, trying by roundabout maneuvers to cut them off from communication with Russia and supply routes. By the way, Denis's brother, Evdokim Davydov, who quit civil service, fighting in the ranks of the cavalry guards near Austerlitz, covered himself with glory. He was seriously wounded, receiving five saber, one bayonet and one bullet wound, but survived and, having been in captivity, returned to the army.
In July 1806, Davydov was notified that he was being transferred to the Guard, namely to the Life Hussar Regiment in the previous rank of lieutenant. However, fate continued to laugh at him. A new war, and the Belorussian regiment, from which Denis Vasilyevich had just left, was sent on a campaign to Prussia, and the guard, where he found himself, this time remained in place. All requests to send him to the active army were in vain.
The poet's desire to get to the battlefield came true only in January 1807, when he was appointed adjutant to Prince Peter Bagration - the best general in our army, according to Napoleon Bonaparte. On January 15, 1807, Denis Vasilyevich was promoted to headquarters captain and arrived in the town of Morungen at the time of the Russian army's campaign. It is curious that at one time, in one of his poems, the young poet ridiculed the long Georgian nose of Pyotr Ivanovich, and therefore was rightly afraid of meeting him. The fears were fully justified, as soon as Davydov entered the tent, Bagration introduced him to his entourage in the following way: "But the one who made fun of my nose." However, Denis Vasilyevich did not hesitate, he immediately replied that he wrote about the prince's nose only out of envy, since he practically does not have a nose. Bagration liked Davydov's answer, which determined their good relations for a long time. Subsequently, when Pyotr Ivanovich was informed that the enemy was “on the nose,” he asked with a smile: “On whose nose? If on mine, then you can still dine, but if on Denisov, then horses."
The first baptism of fire took place for Davydov on January 24 in a skirmish near Wolfsdorf. There, for the first time, in his own words, he "fumigated with gunpowder" and almost fell into captivity, rescued by the Cossacks who came to the rescue. In the battle of Preussisch-Eylau on January 27, Denis Vasilyevich fought in the most crucial and at the same time the most dangerous areas. One moment of the battle, according to Bagration, was won only thanks to the actions of Davydov, who single-handedly rushed to the French lancers, who, pursuing him, missed the moment of the attack of the Russian hussars. For this battle, Pyotr Ivanovich granted him a cloak and a trophy horse, and in April Denis Vasilyevich received a rescript of awarding him with the Order of St. Vladimir of the fourth degree.
On May 24, Davydov took part in the Battle of Gutshtadt, on May 29 - in the battle near the Prussian city of Heilsberg, and on June 2 - in the battles near Friedland, which ended in a crushing defeat for the Russian army and accelerated the signing of the Tilsit Peace. In all battles, Denis Vasilyevich was distinguished by exceptional courage, recklessness and unthinkable luck. He was awarded the Order of St. Anne of the second degree, as well as a golden saber on which was written "For Bravery." At the very end of the campaign, the poet-warrior saw Napoleon himself. When peace was concluded in Tilsit between the Russian and French emperors, Bagration, citing illness, refused to go and sent Denis Vasilyevich in his place. Davydov was also very upset by the events that were taking place, which, in his opinion, hit hard on the national pride of the Russian people. He recalled how at the very beginning of the negotiations a French envoy, a certain Perigoff, arrived at our headquarters, who in the presence of Russian generals did not take off his headdress and generally behaved with defiant arrogance. Davydov exclaimed: “My God! What a feeling of indignation and anger spread through the hearts of our young officers - witnesses of this scene. At that time there was not a single cosmopolitan between us, we were all Orthodox Russians, of an ancient spirit and upbringing, for whom an insult to the honor of the Fatherland was the same as an insult to their own honor."
As soon as the thunders that rumbled in the fields of East Prussia died down, the war began in Finland, and Denis Vasilyevich, together with Bagration, went there. He said: "There still smelled of burnt gunpowder, there was my place." In the spring and summer of 1808, in northern Finland, he commanded the vanguard of the detachment of the famous General Yakov Kulnev, who said "Mother Russia is good because in some place they fight." Davydov went on dangerous sorties, set up pickets, monitored the enemy, shared harsh food with the soldiers and spent the night on straw in the open air. At the same time, his work, the elegy "Treaties", was published for the first time on the pages of the Vestnik Evropy magazine. In February 1809, the high command decided to transfer the war to the territory of Sweden itself, for which Bagration's detachment was ordered to cross the Gulf of Bothnia on the ice, seize the Aland Islands and reach the Swedish coast. In search of glory and battles, and also striving to be as close to the enemy as possible, Davydov hastened to return to Bagration, having distinguished himself in the capture of the island of Bene.
The war in Finland ended, and on July 25, 1809, Denis Vasilievich, as an adjutant of Prince Bagration, went with him to Turkey in the Moldavian army and there he participated in the battles during the capture of Girsov and Machin, in the battles of Rasevat and Tataritsa, during the siege of the fortress of Silistria. At the beginning of the next year, having been on vacation in Kamenka, already the guard captain Denis Davydov asked the authorities to transfer him again to General Yakov Kulnev. Their relationship, according to the poet himself, "reached a true, one might say, intimate friendship", which lasted all his life. Under the guidance of this brave and experienced warrior, Davydov graduated from the "course" of the outpost service, which began in Finland, and also learned the value of the Spartan life necessary for everyone who decided "not to play with service, but to carry it."
In May 1810, Denis Vasilyevich took part in the capture of the Silistrian fortress, and on June 10-11 he distinguished himself in the battle under the walls of Shumla, for which he was awarded diamond badges to the Order of St. Anna. On July 22, Davydov participated in the unsuccessful assault on Ruschuk, and soon after that he returned to Bagration again. All this time, Davydov continued to write poetry. He said: "To write poems, you need a storm, a thunderstorm, you need to beat our boat." Denis Vasilyevich wrote his works both before the battle and after the battle, by the fire and “at the start of the fire,” wrote with such enthusiasm as, probably, none of the poets of that time. It is not without reason that Pyotr Vyazemsky compared his "passionate poetry" with corks escaping from champagne bottles. Davydov's works inspired and amused the military, made even the wounded smile.
With the onset of 1812, when a new war with Napoleon had already become obvious, the guard captain Davydov asked to be transferred to the Akhtyr hussar regiment, since this unit belonged to the advanced, preparing for future hostilities against the French. His request was granted, in April of the same year Denis Vasilyevich with the rank of lieutenant colonel arrived at the Akhtyrsky regiment, stationed in the vicinity of Lutsk. There he received under his command the first regimental battalion, which includes four squadrons. Davydov spent the whole summer participating in the rearguard operations of the Second Western Army. The Russian forces, retreating from the Neman, united under the city of Smolensk and continued their retreat to Borodino. Seeing himself useful in rearguard affairs no more than an ordinary hussar, five days before the Battle of Borodino, Denis Vasilyevich presented a report to Pyotr Bagration, in which he asked him to put one thousand cavalrymen at his disposal with the aim of attacking the rear of Bonaparte's army, selecting and eliminating enemy food transports, destroying bridges. By the way, the first detachment of partisans during the Patriotic War of 1812 was organized thanks to Barclay de Tolly on July 22. Mikhail Bogdanovich borrowed the idea from the Spanish partisans, whom Napoleon could not cope with until they decided to unite in the regular army. Prince Bagration liked Davydov's idea of creating a partisan detachment, he reported this to Mikhail Kutuzov, who also agreed with the proposal, however, instead of a thousand people due to the danger of the enterprise, he allowed to use just over a hundred horsemen (80 Cossacks and 50 hussars). Bagration's order to organize a "flying" partisan detachment was one of his last orders before the famous battle in which the commander received a mortal wound.
On August 25, Davydov, along with his cavalrymen, departed to the enemy's rear. Many considered his "flying" detachment doomed and saw him off as to death. However, the partisan war for Denis Vasilyevich turned out to be a native element. His first actions were limited to the space between Vyazma and Gzhatya. Here he, staying awake at night, and during the day, hiding in forests and gorges, was engaged in the extermination of transports, carts and small detachments of the enemy army. Denis Vasilyevich hoped for the support of local residents, but initially did not receive it. Seeing the approaching cavalrymen of Davydov, the local residents either fled from them into the forest, or grabbed the pitchfork. On one of the first nights, his men were ambushed by the peasants, and the commander of the detachment almost died. All this was due to the fact that in the villages they did not distinguish very much between similar Russian and French military uniforms, moreover, many of our officers preferred to speak French among themselves. Soon, Denis Vasilyevich decided to change his military uniform to a peasant army, took off the Order of St. Anna, and let go of his beard. After that, mutual understanding improved - the peasants helped the partisans with food, informed them of the latest news about the movements of the French, and worked as guides.
The attacks of Davydov's partisans, aimed primarily at the enemy's communications, had a strong impact on his offensive capabilities, and then, after the onset of frost, and at the end of the entire campaign. Davydov's successes convinced Michal Kutuzov of the importance of partisan warfare, and soon the commander-in-chief began to send reinforcements to them, which gave Denis Vasilyevich the opportunity to carry out larger operations. In mid-September, near Vyazma, partisans attacked a large transport convoy. Several hundred French soldiers and officers were taken prisoner, 12 artillery and 20 supply carts were captured. Other outstanding deeds of Davydov were the battle near the village of Lyakhovo, in which he, together with other partisan detachments, defeated the two thousandth French brigade of General Jean-Pierre Augereau; destruction of the cavalry depot near the city of Kopys; the dispersal of the enemy detachment near Belynichy and the occupation of the city of Grodno.
The French emperor hated the partisans Davydov, and he ordered Denis Vasilyevich to be shot on the spot when he was caught. However, his squad was elusive. Striking a blow, he instantly disintegrated into small groups, which after a while gathered in an agreed place. For the sake of capturing the legendary hussar, the French created a special detachment consisting of two thousand horsemen. However, Denis Vasilievich happily escaped a collision with the strongest enemy. On October 31, 1813, the daring soldier was promoted to colonel for his distinction, and on December 12, the sovereign sent Davydov the Order of St. George of the fourth degree and St. Vladimir of the third degree.
After the enemy was kicked out of the borders of our Fatherland, Davydov's "flying" detachment was assigned to the corps of General Ferdinand Vintsingerode. However, now it was no longer a partisan detachment, but one of the vanguards that preceded the movement of the advanced corps. Davydov did not like the sharp turn from free movement to measured transitions along the outlined routes, coupled with the prohibition to fight the enemy without special permission. As part of the forces of Vintzingerode, his detachment participated in the battle of Kalisch, and in March 1813, invading Saxony, occupied the Neustadt suburb of Dresden. Already three days later, Denis Vasilyevich was placed under house arrest, since he carried out the operation without an order, without permission. Soon the field marshal ordered the release of Davydov, but by that time his detachment had already been disbanded, and Denis Vasilyevich remained in the position of a captain who had lost his ship. Later he was appointed commander of the Akhtyrsky hussar regiment, leading which he ended the campaign of 1814.
In the operations of 1813-1814, Davydov distinguished himself in every battle, confirming his own words: "My name sticks out in all wars like a Cossack lance." During these years he did not write poetry, however, legends were made about his luck and courage throughout Europe. In the liberated cities, many townspeople came out to meet the Russian soldiers, dreaming of seeing that very "hussar Davydov - the storm of the French."
It is noteworthy that Denis Vasilyevich - a hero of the Patriotic War and an active participant in the battles of Larothier, Leipzig and Craon - did not receive a single award for all his campaigns abroad. An unprecedented case even came with him when, during the battle of Larottier (January 20, 1814), he was promoted to major general, and after a while it was announced that this production took place by mistake. Davydov had to put on his colonel's epaulettes again, and the general's rank was returned to him only on December 21, 1815.
After the end of the war, troubles began in Denis Vasilyevich's military career. At first he was put at the head of the dragoon brigade stationed near Kiev. The poet called the dragoons infantrymen mounted on horses, but was forced to obey. After some time, the too independent chief was transferred to the Oryol province to serve as the commander of the horse-jaeger brigade. For a veteran of military operations, who was in the balance of death many times, this was a huge humiliation. He refused this appointment, explaining in a letter to the emperor that the jaegers were not supposed to wear mustaches in uniform, and he was not going to shave off his own. Waiting for the Tsar's answer, Denis Vasilyevich was preparing to resign, but the Tsar forgave him these words, returning the rank of Major General.
After returning from Europe, Denis Vasilyevich became the hero of a whole series of poems. "Poet, swordsman and merry fellow" he was a suitable subject for expressive outpourings. On the contrary, the poems of the "grunt" became more restrained and lyrical. In 1815 Davydov was admitted to the literary circle "Arzamas", but the poet himself, apparently, did not take any part in his activities.
Beginning in 1815, Denis Vasilyevich changed many places of service, he was at the head of the second horse-jaeger division, the head of the second hussar division, was the brigadier commander of the first brigade of the same division, chief of staff of the seventh infantry corps, chief of staff of the third infantry corps. And in the spring of 1819 Davydov married the daughter of Major General Chirkov - Sofia Nikolaevna. It is curious that their wedding was almost upset after the bride's mother found out about the future son-in-law's "obsessive songs". She immediately commanded to refuse Denis Vasilyevich, as a gambler, libertine and drunkard. The situation was successfully resolved thanks to the comrades of her late husband, who explained that Major General Davydov does not play cards, drinks little, and everything else is just poetry. Subsequently, Denis Vasilyevich and Sofya Nikolaevna had nine children - five sons and three daughters.
In November 1823, due to illness, Denis Vasilyevich was dismissed from service. He lived mainly in Moscow, busy with the compilation of memories of the partisan war, trying to show its significance for the success of the strategic operations of entire armies. These notes resulted in real scientific works under the title "Partisan Diary" and "Experience of the theory of partisan actions." By the way, Davydov's prose is no less peculiar than his poems, in addition, he was also a strong satirist. Russian writer Ivan Lazhechnikov said: "He whips at someone with his lasso of his mockery, he flies head over heels from his horse." Nevertheless, Denis Vasilyevich never became a literary man, he did not see his calling in this and said: "I am not a poet, I am a partisan-Cossack …".
However, there was no new war on the horizon. Twice Yermolov asked to appoint Denis Vasilyevich as commander of the troops in the Caucasus, but he was refused. Meanwhile, people who knew Davydov said that this was an important blunder. The Caucasian line demanded a resolute and intelligent person, capable not only of fulfilling other people's plans, but of creating his own behavior. Denis Vasilyevich's civil life lasted until 1826. On the day of his coronation, the new Tsar Nicholas I invited him to return to active service. Of course, the answer was yes. In the summer of the same year, Davydov left for the Caucasus, where he was appointed temporary head of the Russian troops on the border of the Erivan Khanate. On September 21, his troops in the Mirak tract defeated the four thousandth detachment of Gassan Khan, and on September 22 they entered the lands of the khanate. However, due to the approaching winter, Davydov turned back and started building a small fortress in Jalal-Ogly. And after snow fell in the mountains and the passes became inaccessible for the Persian gangs, Denis Vasilyevich's detachment was disbanded, and he himself left for Tiflis.
Returning from the Caucasus, the poet lived with his family on his estate in the Simbirsk province. He often visited Moscow. For him, months of painful inaction again flowed, which echoed on him even more strongly, since after the Persian war the Turkish war began, and he was deprived of participation in it. Only in 1831 he was once again summoned to the military field in connection with the rebellion that broke out in Poland. On March 12, Davydov arrived at the headquarters of the Russian troops, and was deeply moved by the reception he was given. Old and young, familiar and unfamiliar officers and soldiers greeted Davydov with undisguised joy. He took over the leadership of three Cossack regiments and one Dragoon regiments. On April 6, his detachment took Vladimir-Volynsky by storm, destroying the rebel forces. Then he, together with Tolstoy's detachment, pursued Khrzhanovsky's corps to the Zamosc fortress, and then commanded the forward detachments in Ridiger's corps. In September 1831 he returned to Russia and forever "hung his saber on the wall."
The last years of his life Denis Vasilyevich spent in the village of Verkhnyaya Maza, which belonged to his wife. Here he continued to write poetry, read a lot, hunted, was engaged in housekeeping and raising children, corresponded with Pushkin, Zhukovsky, Walter Scott and Vyazemsky. On April 22, 1839, Denis Davydov died at the fifty-fifth year of his life from an apoplectic stroke. His ashes were buried in the cemetery of the Novodevichy Convent in the capital of Russia.
