Dasha Sevastopolskaya - presentation. Dasha Sevastopol - heroine of the Crimean War

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Dasha of Sevastopol - this was the name of one of the sisters of mercy during the Crimean War. Like the names of other participants, her surname was undeservedly forgotten by our contemporaries. Meanwhile, this woman was one of the first Russian nurses. Many servicemen who took part in the Crimean War owe their lives to her. Contemporaries highly appreciated her work: she was introduced to the royal family and received several high awards. We will also try to follow the life of this amazing woman, whose name is Dasha Sevastopolskaya.

short biography

Dasha Sevastopolskaya's real name is Daria Lavrentievna Mikhailova. She was born in 1836 on the outskirts of Sevastopol in the family of a sailor. She lost her mother early and earned her living by washing clothes. With the money she earned, she was able to buy a cow, which was her only wealth.

At this time, joint Anglo-French troops landed on the territory of Crimea. It happened in which her father died. Dasha was left completely alone. “How can an orphan survive?” - the neighbors were gossiping. And then Dasha decided on a desperate act. She sold her nursing cow, her dilapidated house, and with the money raised she bought a horse and cart, vinegar, wine and dressings. She cut her braid and, changing into a man's dress, went to the front line, where the fiercest battles were taking place.

Defense of Sevastopol

During this time, the volunteer movement of “Sevastopol patriots” was formed. Its main participants were the mothers of the fighters who defended the Crimean line. Dasha Sevastopolskaya, along with other sisters of mercy, helped the wounded on the battlefield, pulled them out of the fire, and provided emergency care.

Her “carriage of grief,” as Dasha’s acquaintances called her convoy, became the first medical mobile combat station in history, and Dasha of Sevastopol herself rightfully earned the title of the first Russian sister of mercy. According to the memoirs of the great surgeon Nikolai Pirogov, the sanitary situation and medical care were extremely unsatisfactory, the wounded often lay on the battlefield for several days, and many of them died not so much from their wounds as from medical care not provided on time. Dasha of Sevastopol directed her convoy towards them, lying on the bare ground. Like an angel of mercy, she found wounded soldiers, disinfected their wounds, and consoled them with warm words. She did not have any medical education; her natural ingenuity and folk experience helped her. She extended her mercy to all the wounded - both her own and others: she did not deprive the British, the Turks, or the French of her participation. Few people knew her patronymic and surname - among the wounded she was known as Dasha Sevastopolskaya. The sister of mercy not only carried out her immediate duties, but also proved herself to be an excellent intelligence officer: dressed in a man's suit, she went on reconnaissance missions and took part in battles.

After the war

Various sources claim that after the Crimean events, Dasha Sevastopolskaya was able to buy a tavern on the Black Sea coast, in the village of Belbek. From archival documents it became known that in 1855 she married sailor Maxim Khvorostov and began to be called Daria Khvorostova. After the end of hostilities, the couple left Crimea and lived in Nikolaev for some time. The names of the children of this married couple have not been preserved in history. Soon Daria Sevastopolskaya left her husband and, leaving the mainland, returned to Sevastopol again. According to one version, the reason for the separation was Khvorostov’s heavy drinking, according to another, his death.

End of life

The life of the great ascetic, sister of mercy, ended in Sevastopol; here she died in 1910 and was buried in the cemetery in Dokovo Ravine. Unfortunately, the wars of the twentieth century did not preserve the place where Dasha of Sevastopol was buried. No one was interested in the biography of this woman in the 20th century, and a city park was laid out on the site of the ancient cemetery.

Awards

The feat of Dasha of Sevastopol was highly appreciated by her contemporaries. Seeing the zeal and humanism of the young sister of mercy, Nikolai Pirogov took her under his command. At this time, the emperor's brothers came to Crimea to strengthen the spirit of the Russian army. They personally wrote about Dasha to the emperor, highly appreciating her courage and mercy. On the personal initiative of the emperor, she was the only one of her class to be awarded a gold medal on the Vladimir ribbon “For Diligence.”

You should know that such an award could only be received by those who already had similar three. But for Dasha of Sevastopol, an exception was made. In addition to this medal, she received another - “For the Defense of Sevastopol”, which was given to active participants in hostilities. By the highest order of the Tsar himself, she was given 500 rubles in silver and promised another 1000 rubles - after Dasha of Sevastopol, a sister of mercy, got married. The award was presented to her by representatives of the Romanov family - Grand Dukes Mikhail and Konstantin. For her selfless work, she was revered by representatives of various social strata, she was remembered and respected by all those whom she saved.

Monuments

In the building of the panorama dedicated to the defense of Sevastopol, the bust of Dasha occupies one of the central places. The third city hospital in this city bears her name, and a memorial created in her honor was opened in the village of Shelanga.

Panorama “Defense of Sevastopol”, fragment

The glorious city of Sevastopol is a city with a great historical past. The sights of Sevastopol reflect the rich history of this Hero City with a capital letter. Twice erased from the face of the earth, Sevastopol survived, was restored and now boasts numerous historical monuments. One of them attracts special attention - the Panorama Museum, dedicated to the first defense of Sevastopol. This place is very iconic, because here is one of the most famous and largest panoramas in the world - Panorama " Defense of Sevastopol 1854-1855 - the main object of the State Museum of the Heroic Defense and Liberation of Sevastopol, from which its history began.

This outstanding work of art, created by the founder of Russian panoramic art, Franz Alekseevich Roubaud, can rightfully be called a masterpiece of the 20th century.

The panorama was opened on May 14, 1905 in honor of the 50th anniversary of the city's defense. The events of one of the episodes of the heroic defense of Sevastopol June 6, 1855 during the Crimean War is reflected so historically truthfully and vividly that the veterans of those very battles, who became the first visitors to the Panorama, were surprised and touched by the authenticity of the reproduction of the events.

In one of the fragments of the panorama you can see a girl with a rocker on her shoulder, bringing water to the soldiers. The name of this girl is Dasha Sevastopolskaya. She became famous among the people as one of the very first military nurses. Dasha is a national heroine of the defense of Sevastopol in the Crimean War of 1853-1856.

Despite outstanding victories at sea and on land, on the whole Russia lost the war, which is understandable: by this time both its military and economic power had been shaken. However, we are talking about something else - about what our country has always been strong about. About the amazing heroism of her sons and daughters.

Yes, in the forty years that have passed since the Napoleonic Wars, Europe has significantly surpassed Russia in terms of technical equipment for the army and navy. And also, having forgotten about the glorious common victories over Bonaparte, the former allied powers managed to be filled with anti-Russian sentiments. Strange hostility towards the country that liberated the civilized world from a dictator, saved peoples, dynasties!

But, unlike, for example, the French troops, who were engaged in outright robbery on Russian soil, our soldiers came out of it without causing any damage to either the civilian population or the treasures of French culture. And now, just 40 years later, in the clash between Russia and Turkey, the always bitter rivals, England and France, reluctantly united to support the Ottomans.

Of course, there were reasons for this: they were terrified of the economic and military strengthening of the Russian Empire. Some inconsistency in foreign policy and the eccentricity of the Russian monarchs caused fear among European governments. The fact that Europe had become significantly bourgeoisized by the 1850s also played a role, and a new powerful force, which subsequently crushed everything that remained in the Old World from the gallant time, further aggravated the hostility of pan-European politics towards monarchical Russia. And it ultimately led to the emergence of the current “super-pragmatic superpower” overseas...

Brave Orphan

Russia was unable to resist the united fleets and troops of England and France, which acted on the side of the Turks. But, as has happened more than once, a common terrible misfortune united the country. Soldiers, sailors, generals, fathers, mothers, sons - all into a single organism, ready to face death in the face of the enemy. The examples of mass heroism, courage, and perseverance that the history of our country remembers are countless. And not only men performed feats, but also representatives of the fairer sex! Let's remember one of the heroines - Daria Mikhailova.

Battle of Sinop. 1853

In the Battle of Sinop, a huge Turkish fleet was defeated within a few hours. Among the dead was sailor Lavrenty Mikhailov. He died a heroic death, leaving his young daughter Dasha an orphan. Dasha’s mother left this world barely having time to give birth to her daughter, so now the girl is left alone. When in 1854 our troops were retreating under pressure from an enemy landing near Yevpatoria, 15-year-old orphan Dasha Mikhailova was riding in one of the convoys.

By this time, she had sold the small property left behind by her father and bought a horse and cart with the proceeds - the girl intended to bring water and supplies to the soldiers. However, during the retreat she had to take more care of the sick and provide first aid to the wounded. Daria spent days and nights in the hospital, and compensated for the lack of experience and medical knowledge with patience, affection and diligence in her work. In addition, with her modest funds, she opened the first traveling dressing station.

She provided invaluable assistance not only in the rear, but also under enemy fire: she bandaged the wounded on the battlefield and carried them out from under fire. Moreover, Dasha appeared at combat positions dressed in a male military uniform with a weapon in her hands and fought side by side with soldiers and sailors. Literally two months later, her fame thundered throughout Sevastopol, and, not knowing her last name, people began to call her that - Dasha Sevastopolskaya.

That's how she went down in history. And for a long time she remained Dasha of Sevastopol simply because nothing was really known about her. Only in 1984 were documents discovered confirming the awarding of the sister of mercy, maiden Daria Mikhailova, with the medal “For Diligence,” from which they learned the heroine’s full name and some circumstances of her life. By the way, the gold medal “For Diligence” was awarded only to those who had three silver medals. The award order, in pursuance of His Majesty's will, was announced throughout the Black Sea Fleet.

It is known that in addition to the medal on the Vladimir Ribbon, on the personal instructions of Emperor Nicholas I, she was also assigned 500 rubles in silver, and after getting married another 1000 rubles - a fair amount of money at that time, but simply huge for a rootless girl!

After the war, she married sailor Maxim Khvorostov and changed her last name. And just like that, Daria Khvorostova was awarded another medal, a veteran’s one: “For the defense of Sevastopol.”

With the thousand rubles granted by the sovereign, Maxim and Daria opened a tavern in Belbek. Things, however, did not work out: as you can see, heroism and practicality are incompatible things... The tavern was sold, the family moved to Nikolaev.

Further information about Dasha varies: either she became a widow and returned to Sevastopol, or her husband began to drink a lot, and his wife left him and left... One way or another, she again ended up in the city of her glory, where she lived until the end of her days.

She died in 1910. There is information that Daria Khvorostova (Mikhailova) was captured in photographs and newsreels in 1901 - then they tried to collect all the surviving veterans of the Crimean War and heroes of the defense of Sevastopol.

Dasha Sevastopolskaya is sitting in a white headscarf. Sevastopol, 1901

Of course, it is good that historians have established the identity of the Russian heroine and some details of her fate. But we will continue to call Dasha by a name that has become a legend and has become synonymous with female heroism. After all, there were thousands of such heroines. Thus, in September 1856, silver medals “For Diligence” for similar services to the fatherland were awarded to the wife of the lieutenant of the Arsenal companies, Agafya Shestoperova, and her fifteen-year-old daughter Daria. History has preserved more names - but few, very few!

Yes, not everyone has legends and films made about them, not everyone was gifted by the sovereign, few whose fates will ever be reconstructed by researchers. It’s good that we can name at least some of them... The rest went down in history nameless, “without demanding rewards for a noble feat...”

Today, the 3rd city hospital of Sevastopol bears the name of the Heroine.

A music video “Dasha Sevastopolskaya, or She Was the First!” was shot about the feat of Dasha Sevastopolskaya in 2016. performed by Varvara Strizhak. Filming took place on March 25, 2016 near the city of Sevastopol on the Fedyukhin Heights.

She became famous among the people as a military sister of mercy and found her happiness in selfless help and selfless service to other people. Not a nurse - she had no special education, but a merciful sister, driven by a warm impulse of the heart. She rightfully took her place among the world famous ascetics.

The history of the Russian Red Cross during the defense of Sevastopol in 1854 is connected with her name. But it so happened that the first nurse in the world was named the Englishwoman Florence Nightingale, and Britain is unlikely to refuse this, although the facts speak differently - the first was our compatriot Daria Mikhailova, who received the nickname Sevastopol and became a legend of the Crimean War.

If the “lady with the lamp,” as the Englishwoman was nicknamed, appeared in Crimea at the end of April 1855, then by this time Russian nurses had already been working in places of war for several months. And Dasha Sevastopolskaya began taking the wounded from the battlefield and caring for them even earlier - in September 1854.

Very little is known about Dasha. When the Crimean War began, which lasted three years, she was only seventeen years old. Dasha was born in 1836 on the outskirts of Sevastopol in the village of Sukhaya Balka in the family of a sailor of the 10th fin crew Lavrenty Mikhailov. According to another version, in the village of Klyuchishchi, not far from Kazan. She lost her mother early, whose name history has not preserved.

It is only known that Dasha’s mother was also the daughter of a sailor and made a living by washing clothes. From the age of twelve, Dasha also began washing clothes and with the money she earned she was even able to buy a cow, but this was her only wealth. And in 1853, my father died in a bloody battle at Sinop. But even during his father’s life, his salary was small - after all, the treasury saved on sailors. A small, thin girl with a thick brown braid was left all alone in her dilapidated, dilapidated house.

Sits in a white scarfDashaSevastopol Sevastopol, 1901

How to live further? In her situation, anyone would despair, but not Dasha. A difficult, lonely childhood strengthened her character, which was far from timid and compassionate by nature. Hardship and need did not embitter Dasha; on the contrary, they awakened in her sympathetic heart sympathy for other people and a desire to help. She, who grew up without parental care and affection, had plenty of courage and perseverance, but the situation was terrible. What can I say - war...

Crimean War 1853.ppt.DashaSevastopol- sister of Mercy

Chaos reigned in Sevastopol, which was under shelling. The famous lawyer Anatoly Fedorovich Koni recalled: “The honored general told me the following episode from the last days of the brutal bombing of long-suffering Sevastopol, when up to three thousand people were out of action wounded and killed a day; The commander, whom the narrator, while still a young lieutenant, accompanied to the position at night, could not resist a sorrowful exclamation at the constant meeting with the stretchers on which the dying were carried. From the dark mass of living “cover” lying on the ground, someone’s head rose and an encouraging voice said: “Your Excellency, don’t worry: we have enough for three more days!”

And then Dasha did an act that was strange to an outsider. The neighbors decided that, apparently, the poor orphan had lost her mind from grief and suffering, but she acted completely consciously and purposefully, at the behest of her heart. She cut off her braid, changed into a sailor's uniform, sold all her property, and exchanged her precious cow, which kept her from starving to death, for a horse and cart. She bought vinegar and white linen and turned her cart into a dressing station.

Dasha’s cart moved to the banks of the Alma, to where one of the hardest battles of the Crimean War was taking place - Alminskoye. This “carriage of grief,” as the residents of the Ship Side called the carriage of the “crazed orphan,” became the first dressing station in history on the battlefield.

All day long, tirelessly, Dasha traveled to the front line and back, taking out the wounded, for whom there was no one to care for, without making out who was in front of her - Russian, French, English or Turk. Many were left lying on the bare ground, bleeding, without any help. And then Dasha appeared to the wounded, like a bright angel, like the last hope. “Be patient, dear, everything will be fine, dear,” - with these words Dasha washed and bandaged the wounds. As best she could, she tried to alleviate the plight of the wounded. The soldiers loved their young “sister” so much that very often, when they died, they bequeathed her some watches and some money.

After the defeat of Russian troops at Alma, near Balaklava and Inkerman, the blockade of Sevastopol began. Dasha adapted one of the houses into a hospital. Other women helped her, doing what they had the strength and means to do, and the necessary dressings, food, and blankets were brought by the townspeople. Dasha survived the blow when her horse was killed by shrapnel, and she had to pull out the wounded on herself, but, fortunately, one of the officers ordered a new one to be brought to her. And soon, together with other voluntary sisters, Dasha became subordinate to the famous surgeon Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov.

Panorama "Defense of Sevastopol 1854-1855."DashaSevastopol

The emperor’s youngest sons, Nicholas and Mikhail, came to Crimea “to raise the spirit of the Russian army.” They also wrote to their father that in the fighting Sevastopol “a girl named Daria is taking care of the wounded and sick, and is doing exemplary efforts.” Nicholas I ordered her to receive a gold medal on the Vladimir ribbon with the inscription “For zeal” and 500 rubles in silver. According to their status, the gold medal “For Diligence” was awarded to those who already had three medals - silver, but for Dasha, the emperor, who admired her, made an exception. And another 1000 rubles were promised to her after marriage. In one of the letters to his wife, Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov wrote: “Daria now appears with a medal on her chest received from the sovereign... She is a young woman, not ugly... She assists in operations.” Following Dasha, inspired by her example, other Sevastopol patriots - wives, sisters and daughters of defense participants - began to care for the wounded. According to the famous surgeon, Dasha and other nurses “uncomplainingly endured all the labors and dangers, unselfishly sacrificing themselves with heroism that would honor any soldier.”

DashaSevastopol. Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. Add Medal "In honor of the first sister

Like Dasha, the Kryzhanovsky sisters - Ekaterina, Vassa and eleven-year-old Alexandra - were awarded gold medals “For Diligence” on the Vladimir Ribbon. But all of them were not doctors, which Pirogov really needed. And then he called on the nurses of the Holy Cross community of St. Petersburg, created on the initiative and at the expense of Princess Elena Pavlovna Romanova, the widow of the younger brother of Emperor Nicholas I, to “use all their strength and knowledge for the benefit of the army on the battlefield.” Soon, three detachments of sisters arrived from the capital to Sevastopol mercy. Among them are Ekaterina Griboyedova, the sister of the writer and diplomat Alexander Griboyedov, Ekaterina Bakunina, the daughter of a senator, the great-niece of Field Marshal Mikhail Ivanovich Kutuzov, Baroness Lode and others. These were amazing women, who were not called “white doves” for nothing. They understood helping their neighbors as their duty, accepted other people’s pain as their own, endured difficult trials and at the same time did not lose their humanity and kindness. The sisters of mercy, according to Pirogov, turned Sevastopol hospitals “upside down”, restored order and cleanliness, and established treatment and nutrition for the wounded. They even managed to tame the unclean quartermasters, and the supply of hospitals improved dramatically.

Woman and the Crimean War.DashaSevastopol

In the summer of 1855, Dasha married a private of the 4th fin crew, Maxim Khvorostov, and received the 1000 silver rubles promised by the emperor.

When the war ended, Sevastopol lay in ruins. Many residents who lost their homes fled the city. To have a livelihood, Daria bought a tavern in the village of Belbek, but she did not succeed in becoming the owner of the inn. Soon, having sold her property, she settled with her husband in the port city of Nikolaev, near the sea.

After breaking up with her husband (some sources say that due to his drunkenness, others say he died early), Daria returned to Sevastopol, where she lived quietly and modestly until the end of her days on her native Korabelnaya side. There were no relatives left alive, and Daria Lavrentievna whiled away her days in peace and solitude. Old-timers recalled that she died in 1910 and was buried in the cemetery in Dock Ravine. The grave of the selfless woman has not been preserved, a public garden is now laid out on the site of the cemetery, but the memory of Dasha of Sevastopol lives on among the people, and this is the main thing.

Plan:

1 Biography
2 Awards
3 Memory
4 In art

Introduction

Dasha of Sevastopol, sculpture on the building of the panorama of the defense of Sevastopol

Dasha Sevastopolskaya(real name Daria Lavrentievna Mikhailova, by Khvorostov’s husband; (November 1836 (1836 ) - 1892, according to other sources around 1910) - one of the first military nurses, heroine of the defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War of 1853-1856.

1. Biography

Daria Mikhailova was born in the village of Klyuchishchi near Kazan in the family of a sailor of the 10th fin crew Lavrenty Mikhailov. In 1853, her father died during the Battle of Sinop.

On September 2, 1854, the Anglo-French corps landed in the Evpatoria area. After the Battle of Alma on September 8, Russian troops began to retreat. In their convoy was Dasha, a 15-year-old orphan.

During the defense of Sevastopol, Daria Mikhailova, who did not have a medical education, was among the first among the “Sevastopol patriots” - wives, sisters, daughters of the defense participants, to provide assistance to the wounded and sick defenders of Sevastopol. Using her own funds, she equipped the first field dressing station. In her cart she found linen for bandaging, vinegar, and wine was distributed to strengthen the weak. Without knowing her last name, for a long time they called her Dasha of Sevastopol.

Popular rumor dubbed it “Sevastopol”; under this name it was preserved in the memories of doctors who took part in the war. And only recently, documents addressed to Daria Lavrentievna Mikhailova were found in the Central Military Historical Archive.

Having become the first front-line sister of mercy, she took a vow of chastity, reproaching her superiors for being “shy in front of the enemy.”

For her feat during the war, she was awarded by Emperor Nicholas I a gold medal with the inscription “For zeal” on the Vladimir ribbon to be worn on the chest. Moreover, she was given five hundred silver rubles and it was stated that “upon her marriage [the Tsar] will grant another 1000 silver rubles for the establishment.” By the way, the gold medal “For Diligence” was awarded only to those who had three silver medals. The award order, in pursuance of His Majesty's will, was announced throughout the Black Sea Fleet.

Perhaps Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov wrote about her in 1876: “Another sister..., also simple and uneducated, visited our forts of her own free will and was known as a heroine. She helped the wounded on the bastion, under the very fire of enemy cannons.”

“Perhaps, of course, there is a rumor in Western Europe ... that Miss Neutingel with 37 sisters, “ladies of high souls,” ... was the first who, of her own free will, came to the Crimean War in order to take care of all the sick with her sisters and the wounded in the outpatient clinic. We, Russians, should not allow anyone to alter historical truth to such an extent. We have a duty to claim... the palm in a matter so blessed, beneficial and now accepted by all. And this is all the easier because the community sisters not only brought technical assistance, but they also had a moral influence on the management of the entire hospital corps during the war.

In October 1854, the Holy Cross community received the highest permission, and in November of the same year it was already at the theater of war in full activity. About Miss Neutingel... we heard for the first time only at the beginning of 1855... Moral management and control of dressing stations and infirmaries", performed by women “from the very day of his arrival at Simferopol hospitals”- wrote Pirogov.

After the war, Daria bought a tavern in the village of Belbek. Soon, having sold her property, she settled with her husband in Nikolaev, near the sea. Soon they separated (according to one version - due to her husband’s drunkenness, according to another - she was widowed), and Daria returned to Sevastopol. She lived on the Ship side of the city until the end of her days. According to the recollections of old-timers, Daria Lavrentievna Khvorostova died around 1910 and was buried in the cemetery in Dokovy Ravine. Over time, the grave was lost, and currently there is a park on this site.

According to other sources, in 1892 she returned to her native village, where none of her relatives were left. Having donated the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which was with her in Sevastopol, to the local church, she left for the village of Shelanga (Verkhneuslonsky district of Tatarstan) and died six months later. Her grave in the local cemetery has not survived.

Other sources refer to Daria’s participation in the filming of the film “Defense of Sevastopol” (1911). " In the group, composed in the traditions of provincial photographers, fourteen gray-haired veterans appear before the audience, including two women - Daria Mikhailova (Khvorostova) and Elizaveta Serzhbutovskaya. Dressed up old women with medals on their chests look into the camera, as if blessing distant descendants.”(photo from 1901).

2. Awards

Gold medal "For zeal"
Medal of the Crimean War participant

3. Memory

Bust of the Heroine on the building of the "Defense of Sevastopol" panorama.
Monument to the Heroine near the 3rd city hospital of the city of Sevastopol.
The 3rd city hospital of Sevastopol bears the name of the Heroine.
A monument was unveiled in the village of Shelanga, on the territory of a local school.
She can be seen in one of the first Russian feature films, “Defense of Sevastopol,” filmed in 1911 by A. A. Khanzhonkov at the highest command. The author and director of the film, A. A. Khanzhonkov, invited participants in the defense of the hero city, including Daria Mikhailovna Mikhailova and the legendary Dasha Sevastopolskaya, to appear in the film.

4. In art

He is one of the characters in the film "Pirogov".

Notes

Russian State Military Historical Archive
From the report of Adjutant General A.I. Filosofov, Russian State Military Historical Archive
Letter from N.I. Pirogov from Vishnya on February 27, 1876 to E.F. Raden. About the Holy Cross community

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This abstract is based on an article from Russian Wikipedia. Synchronization completed 07/11/11 09:11:27
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Dasha Sevastopolskaya

Dasha Sevastopol... Nowadays, few young people are familiar with this name. It has been thrown out of the history books, like many other illustrious names that were the pride of the country. But if we get to Sevastopol and visit the famous panorama (I was there and saw both the panorama and the heroes depicted in it), then next to the portraits of V.A. Kornilov and P.S. Nakhimova, N.I. Pirogov and V.I. Istomina, I. Shevchenko and P.M. Cats we will see a portrait of Dasha Sevastopol - the first front-line sister of mercy in the Russian army, who saved the wounded on the battlefields of the Crimean War (1853-1856). Not for the sake of worldly glory, but at the call of the soul and heart.
For a long time, even the real name of the heroine was unknown. Popular rumor dubbed it “Sevastopol”; under this name it was preserved in the memories of doctors who took part in the war. For many years, researchers have been trying to find out the real name of the first sister of mercy. And only in 1984 the search was crowned with success. In the Central State Military-Historical Archive of the USSR (now - RGVIA) certificates, letters, financial reports of those years were found, filed in a blue folder for 1854 with the inscription on the cover: “On the Most Gracious award to the maiden Daria of a gold medal with the inscription: “For zeal "on the Vladimir ribbon and 500 rub. silver for her exemplary efforts in caring for the sick and wounded in Sevastopol.”
From the documents found, they were finally able to compile some biography of the folk heroine.

:
Daria Mikhailova was born in the village of Klyuchishchi near Kazan in the family of a sailor of the 10th fin crew Lavrenty Mikhailov. In 1853, her father died during the Battle of Sinop.

On September 2, 1854, the Anglo-French corps landed in the Evpatoria area. After the Battle of Alma on September 8, Russian troops began to retreat. In their convoy was Dasha, a 15-year-old orphan.

A.S. spoke in most detail about the feat of Dasha of Sevastopol. Ulrichson, chief physician of the military temporary hospital in Sevastopol: “When our troops, having lost the battle on September 8, returned after a long and stubborn battle back to Sevastopol exhausted, physically and mentally exhausted, with many wounded and mutilated, bleeding,” Daria “addressed became a sister of mercy and began to help the sufferers free of charge. Fortunately, in her cart there was vinegar and some rags, which she used to bandage her wounds... Thus, Dasha’s cart was the first dressing station after the enemy arrived in Crimea, and she herself was the first nurse of mercy. Such a humane act of a simple girl the next day spread throughout Sevastopol and became known in the capitals...”

The great surgeon N.I. also wrote about this girl in his letters. Pirogov in November 1854: “When dressing, you can see three or four women every day; of them, one is the famous Daria, one is the daughter of some official, a girl of about 17 years old, and one is the wife of a soldier... Daria now appears with a medal on her chest, received from the sovereign, who ordered the grand dukes to kiss her, gave her 500 rubles and another 1000 when she gets married. She is a young woman, not ugly. Near Alma, she brought the linen given to her for washing, and here for the first time her noble inclination to help the wounded was revealed. She also assists during operations.”
Yes, she did not have a medical education, but she acted based on folk experience, knowing, for example, that it is better to disinfect wounds with water and vinegar, that women’s care and the warmth of women’s hands calm the wounded, instilling hope in them...

Dasha's feat, captured in the panorama "Defense of Sevastopol"

Following Dasha, other Sevastopol patriots - wives, sisters and daughters of participants in the defense - began to care for the wounded. And Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, the widow of Emperor Nicholas I’s younger brother, appealed to the women of Russia to help the wounded in besieged Sevastopol. In the same 1854, Elena Pavlovna opened the Holy Cross community of sisters of mercy in St. Petersburg, and already in November its first detachment arrived in besieged Sevastopol. N.I. Pirogov, who supervised the work of the women, wrote: “Their zeal and activity in caring for the sick, their truly stoic self-sacrifice could not be quite marveled at. The slightest desires of the suffering, even their whims, were fulfilled by the sisters in the most conscientious manner... In a short time, the fruits of their... selflessness were already visible.” It happened that sisters of mercy spent 17 hours a day in hospitals, sparing no effort and health, distributing their salaries, food, and linen to the wounded. The gratitude of the soldiers was limitless: “our mothers” - they called the sisters of mercy.

Ekaterina Bakunina, Elizaveta Kartseva, Varvara Shchedrina, Ekaterina Khitrovo... Over two hundred sisters of mercy of the Holy Cross community participated in this work. Leo Tolstoy described their everyday life (“Sevastopol in May”):
“The sisters, with calm faces and an expression not of that empty female painful-tearful compassion, but of active practical participation, here and there, walking through the wounded, with medicines, with water, bandages, lint, flashed between bloody overcoats and shirts.”
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In soldiers' boots, drowning in the mud, the sisters walked around the wet tents one after another and, kneeling in the mud and blood, bandaged, fed, and gave water to the wounded. From 500 to 3000 people arrived daily. One nurse on duty had to care for 100-200 seriously or 300-400 lightly wounded. Day and night they did not leave their post. Coming into daily contact with the sick, sisters of mercy often became infected with typhoid and cholera. From December 1854 to January 1856, about 250 sisters worked in Crimea, more than 20 of them died while performing their duties.

For her feat during the war, Daria was awarded by Emperor Nicholas I a gold medal with the inscription “For zeal” on the Vladimir ribbon to be worn on her chest. Moreover, she was given five hundred silver rubles and it was stated that “upon her marriage [the Tsar] will grant another 1000 silver rubles for the establishment.” By the way, the gold medal “For Diligence” was awarded only to those who had three silver medals. The award order, in pursuance of His Majesty's will, was announced throughout the Black Sea Fleet.

After the war, Daria used money donated by the sovereign to buy a tavern in the village of Belbek. Then, having sold the property, she settled with her husband in Nikolaev, near the sea. Soon they separated (according to one version, due to her husband’s drunkenness, according to another, she became a widow), and Daria returned to Sevastopol. She lived on the Ship side of the city until the end of her days. According to the recollections of old-timers, Daria Lavrentievna Khvorostova died around 1910 and was buried in the cemetery in Dokovy Ravine. Over time, the grave was lost, and currently there is a park on this site.

There is also a bust of her on the Alley of Heroes in Sevastopol Park (Dnepropetrovsk).

The monument to Dasha of Sevastopol stands near the 3rd city hospital of the city of Sevastopol, which bears her name.

Dasha Sevastopolskaya is one of the characters in the film “Pirogov”, where she played the role
Tatiana Piletskaya.

And then the most curious thing.
Trying to find out more about the heroine of the Crimean War, I found information that...there were two Dashas of Sevastopol (is this where the discrepancies in the biography come from?)
Another Dasha of Sevstopol - Daria Shestoperova from Nikolaev. She was born into a military family, her father was a lieutenant in the Arsenal company, and his name, according to various sources, was either Alexei or Alexander. With the beginning of the war, Dasha and her mother Agafya Leontyevna went to Sevastopol, and the girl was only fifteen years old at that time. But history has preserved the name of an even younger nurse: Alexandra Kryzhanovskaya was only eleven years old! Little is known about the activities of the Shestoperovs during the Crimean War; documents about this period are stored in the central archive of the Russian Navy. On September 27, 1856, silver medals “For Diligence” on the Vladimir Ribbon were awarded to the wife of the lieutenant of the Arsenal companies, Agafya Leontyevna Shestoperova, and her fifteen-year-old daughter Daria
According to publications on the Internet, Moscow historians also found evidence that Dasha was actually engaged in bandaging the wounded in the period from October 5, 1854 to April 17, 1856. There are several more documents: report of the Inspectorate Department No. 16276 dated August 4, 1856 to the Grand Duke with his resolution about the award and a report from the Nikolaev police that the medal was awarded to Daria Shestoperova on September 27, 1856.
This is all that is known about Daria Shestoperova today.

In the photo of veterans - heroes of the defense of Sevastopol, taken in 1901, all the surviving participants of the Crimean War who lived in Sevastopol were collected. N.V. Ponomarenko writes that “Daria Khvorostova is sitting on it in a white scarf.” In another source, the photo is captioned “Daria Sevastopol (Alexandrova). Where is the truth? I think it’s not that important. They both deserve grateful memory and worship for their feat.

The activities of the Sevastopol nurses were unprecedented in the history of world medicine. It is no coincidence that the founder of the international Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Henri Dunant, wrote in 1896: “... if today the Red Cross covers the world, it is thanks to the example set during the war in Crimea...”.

Sources: Wikipedia, article by N. Ternova