Возврат на главную страницу Возврат на главную страницу Возврат на главную страницу Возврат на главную страницу Возврат на главную страницу
Entries / People's Militia of St. Petersburg (1805, 1812, 1854-55)

People's Militia of St. Petersburg (1805, 1812, 1854-55)


Categories / Army. Navy/Garrison

PEOPLE'S MILITIA (VOLUNTEER CORPS) OF ST. PETERSBURG, recruited from city residents, state peasants and serfs of St. Petersburg and the neighbouring governorates at the times of large-scale wars for reinforcing the regular army. In May 1806 during the war with France 11,000 people were recruited to the national (people's) militia, the regiment advanced to Pskov, afterwards guarded the coastline of the Gulf of Finland and garrisoned the region; in May 1809 it was disbanded. The Imperial Militia Battalion was formed from the best volunteers (see Finlyandsky Life Guards Regiment). During the Patriotic War of 1812, in July - August there had been 16,500 people recruited to the People's Militia, out of them 18 foot militia units and two mounted regiments were raised. In September 1812 the People's Militia took the field and joined the 1st Independent Infantry Corps of General P.C. Wittgenstein, covering the St. Petersburg vector, participating in the battles near Polotsk and Berezino, and pursuing the retreating enemy. During the campaign of 1813 a sub-division of the People's Militia besieged Gdansk, another sub-division within the Russian regular army reached Paris in 1814. Upon returning to Russia the People's Militia was disbanded. During the Crimean War of 1853-55 in June 1855 22,000 people were conscripted into the National (People's) Militia, forming 16 foot and three mounted units. The National (People's) Militia guarded the Baltic Coast; some of the combatants were transferred to the field army to bring it up to strength. In April 1856 the National (People's) Militia was disbanded.

References: Векслер А. Ф. Петербург и ополченские соединения Отечественной войны 1812 года // Петербург и Россия: Науч. конф. СПб., 1994. С. 17-20; Костин Б. А. Гром победы, раздавайся! СПб., 2001.

G. V. Kalashnikov.

Persons
Wittgenstein Peter Hristianovich (Peter Christian Adolf)

Bibliographies
Столетие Военного министерства. СПб., 1908
Бабкин В. И. Народное ополчение в Отечественной войне 1812 года. М., 1962
Отечественная война и русское общество. М., 1911-1912
Векслер А. Ф. Петербург и ополченские соединения Отечественной войны 1812 года // Петербург и Россия: Науч. конф. СПб., 1994
Костин Б.А. Гром победы, раздавайся! СПб., 2001

The subject Index
Finlyandsky Life Guards Regiment

Chronograph
1812
1814