Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2008
- Messages
- 9,001
Dasha Sebastopolskaja…
When the Russians suffered another very bloody defeat on the Alma River during the Crimean War on September 20, 1854 ...
... a woman appears for the first time in history who still enjoys the status of a saint and a legend among the Russians - but in the West is almost unknown ...:
Today it is generally only called "Dasha Sebastopolskaja" ...:
"Dasha Sebastopolskaja" was born in 1836 (her exact date of birth is unknown) as Darja Lawrentiewna Mikhailowna in the village of Kljuchischij Kazan.
She came from a family of seafarers who mostly served in the Russian fleet and lived with her father after her mother's death.
On November 30, 1853, the father was killed during the Sea Battle of Sinope ...
When the Crimean War breaks out and the Allies land near Sebastopol, the 19-year-old orphan works as a laundress in the Sebastopol garrison.
She immediately sells all the belongings that her father left her, buying a wagon, a horse, food and bandages from a Jewish trader.
She cuts her hair, disguised herself as a sailor and moves with the army to the Alma.
On the battlefield on the Alma littered with corpses and wounded, she is literally the only one looking after the wounded after the fighting!
She brings them water, wine and food and connects them as best it can. She even sacrifices parts of her clothing that she cleaned with vinegar when she ran out of bandages!
The soldiers quickly see through their disguise, but tolerate their self-sacrificing activity, which they continue at the first aid station on the Katscha river (near the Alma battlefield).
At that time it was absolutely inconceivable in Russia for women to carry out such activities - that was the job of field doctors, field surgeons and their - often poorly trained - assistants.
Darja Michailovna participates in the retreat of the Russian troops as far as Sebastopol - without interrupting their work - and, no longer disguised, works in the besieged fortress as a nurse and also trains other women in caring for the wounded.
But Dasha does much more than that!
She spends most of her free time supplying the soldiers in the front line with water and food.
In doing so, it becomes so well-known and so popular that the soldiers give it the honorary name "Dasha Sebastopolskaja" ("Dasha von Sebastopol").
"Dasha" is the pet form of her name Darja.
For her incessant work for the wounded, Tsar Aleksandr II awarded her a gold medal with the inscription "For bravery" to be worn on the black and orange ribbon of the St. George's Cross.
This valor purchase award was only given three more times to the defenders of Sebastopol - but only in silver!
Dasha Sebastoplskaja is to this day the only non-noble Russian who has ever received such an award!
She also received a gift of five gold rubles from the tsar - at that time an unimaginable sum for ordinary people - a multiple of the price for a horse and cart!
The tsarina gives her a silver cross with the inscription "Sebastopol".
In 1855 Dasha will marry a wounded soldier Maksim Khvorostov, who was therefore retired and opened a tavern with him in the village of Bel'bek (near Sebastopol).
For the wedding, she receives another cash gift of 1,000 silver rubles in the name of the tsar (which she uses to finance the tavern).
This is where people work and live - still highly admired.
After the death of her husband (from being drunk) she will return to her home village and die there in 1910.
The following picture was taken in 1901 and shows very old veterans of the Crimean War at the original location in Sebastopol.
In front right - with the white headscarf - sits Dascha Sebastoplskaja ...:
Here is another picture of her - from around the same time ...:
Countless legends circulate about Dasha Sebastopolskaja, symbolizing “heroism in the besieged city” and the patriotic “spirit of sacrifice” of Russian women.
The poet Aleksandr Pushkin will romanticise it in his work, so that it is a legend to this day.
In addition to monuments and statues ...
... Dasha Sebastopolskaja is also immortalized in the famous Crimean War panorama by Franz Alexejewitsch Roubaud at Sebastopol ...
When the Russians suffered another very bloody defeat on the Alma River during the Crimean War on September 20, 1854 ...
... a woman appears for the first time in history who still enjoys the status of a saint and a legend among the Russians - but in the West is almost unknown ...:
Today it is generally only called "Dasha Sebastopolskaja" ...:
"Dasha Sebastopolskaja" was born in 1836 (her exact date of birth is unknown) as Darja Lawrentiewna Mikhailowna in the village of Kljuchischij Kazan.
She came from a family of seafarers who mostly served in the Russian fleet and lived with her father after her mother's death.
On November 30, 1853, the father was killed during the Sea Battle of Sinope ...
When the Crimean War breaks out and the Allies land near Sebastopol, the 19-year-old orphan works as a laundress in the Sebastopol garrison.
She immediately sells all the belongings that her father left her, buying a wagon, a horse, food and bandages from a Jewish trader.
She cuts her hair, disguised herself as a sailor and moves with the army to the Alma.
On the battlefield on the Alma littered with corpses and wounded, she is literally the only one looking after the wounded after the fighting!
She brings them water, wine and food and connects them as best it can. She even sacrifices parts of her clothing that she cleaned with vinegar when she ran out of bandages!
The soldiers quickly see through their disguise, but tolerate their self-sacrificing activity, which they continue at the first aid station on the Katscha river (near the Alma battlefield).
At that time it was absolutely inconceivable in Russia for women to carry out such activities - that was the job of field doctors, field surgeons and their - often poorly trained - assistants.
Darja Michailovna participates in the retreat of the Russian troops as far as Sebastopol - without interrupting their work - and, no longer disguised, works in the besieged fortress as a nurse and also trains other women in caring for the wounded.
But Dasha does much more than that!
She spends most of her free time supplying the soldiers in the front line with water and food.
In doing so, it becomes so well-known and so popular that the soldiers give it the honorary name "Dasha Sebastopolskaja" ("Dasha von Sebastopol").
"Dasha" is the pet form of her name Darja.
For her incessant work for the wounded, Tsar Aleksandr II awarded her a gold medal with the inscription "For bravery" to be worn on the black and orange ribbon of the St. George's Cross.
This valor purchase award was only given three more times to the defenders of Sebastopol - but only in silver!
Dasha Sebastoplskaja is to this day the only non-noble Russian who has ever received such an award!
She also received a gift of five gold rubles from the tsar - at that time an unimaginable sum for ordinary people - a multiple of the price for a horse and cart!
The tsarina gives her a silver cross with the inscription "Sebastopol".
In 1855 Dasha will marry a wounded soldier Maksim Khvorostov, who was therefore retired and opened a tavern with him in the village of Bel'bek (near Sebastopol).
For the wedding, she receives another cash gift of 1,000 silver rubles in the name of the tsar (which she uses to finance the tavern).
This is where people work and live - still highly admired.
After the death of her husband (from being drunk) she will return to her home village and die there in 1910.
The following picture was taken in 1901 and shows very old veterans of the Crimean War at the original location in Sebastopol.
In front right - with the white headscarf - sits Dascha Sebastoplskaja ...:
Here is another picture of her - from around the same time ...:
Countless legends circulate about Dasha Sebastopolskaja, symbolizing “heroism in the besieged city” and the patriotic “spirit of sacrifice” of Russian women.
The poet Aleksandr Pushkin will romanticise it in his work, so that it is a legend to this day.
In addition to monuments and statues ...
... Dasha Sebastopolskaja is also immortalized in the famous Crimean War panorama by Franz Alexejewitsch Roubaud at Sebastopol ...
