Vasily Kochetkov - a soldier who served 100 years

It is incredible, but in history there is a person who served in the Russian army for 100 years.



Vasily Kochetkov (1785-1892), called the "soldier of the three emperors", lived 107 years. For 100 of 107 years, Vasily Kochetkov was in military service. Kochetkov's uniform was unique: the monograms of the three emperors to whom the old soldier swore allegiance were intertwined on his shoulder straps. On the sleeve of the uniform in eight rows there were gold and silver stripes for length of service and distinction, and on the neck and chest there were barely 23 crosses and medals.

Kochetkov was a cantonist (soldier's son). The cantonists have been on the lists of the military department since their birth. In the active army, Kochetkov began to serve in 1811 as a musician, then as a combat non-commissioned officer and sergeant major; in 1820 he was transferred to the Life Guards Pavlovsky Regiment, and in 1833 - to the Life Guards Horse Pioneer Division. After the latter was disbanded, in 1843, Kochetkov was sent to the Caucasian army, “to train on fast rivers the correct descent, aiming, strengthening and dismantling of pontoon bridges”. Here he was assigned to the Nizhny Novgorod dragoon regiment and, at his own request, remained to serve in the Caucasian troops.

While participating in hostilities in the Caucasus, Kochetkov was wounded three times: in the neck right through, in both legs with crushing of the left shin bone, and a year later - again in the left shin. Seriously wounded in the battle at the village of Dargo, Kochetkov was captured by the Chechens. After being in captivity for 9 months and 23 days, he escaped from there, for which he was awarded the Military Order of the 4th degree. In 1849, for the length of service, according to the exam, Vasily Kochetkov was promoted to second lieutenant, but refused the officer's rank, having received a silver chevron on the left sleeve of his uniform, an officer's lanyard for a saber and 2/3 of the ensign's salary in maintenance. In 1850 he was transferred to the headquarters of the Caucasian gendarmes corps and the next year, 1851, he retired.

This ended the first period of his military service, which lasted forty years. During this time, Kochetkov took part in the Patriotic War of 1812-1814, in the Turkish war of 1828-1829, in the war with the Polish rebels in 1830-1831, in the Caucasian war from 1844-1849. and in the Hungarian campaign of 1849. In particular, he was: in the battle of Borodino on August 26, 1812, in the battle near Leipzig in 1813, as part of the troops that entered Paris in 1814, during the capture of the Turkish fortresses of Varna, Isakchi and Silistria in 1828-1829, in the battles on Grokholskoye field and near Ostrolenka, as well as in the assault and capture of Warsaw on August 26, 1831, in sales during the felling of the Gaitinsky forest in 1844, at the village of Dargo in 1845 and during the strengthening of the Zyryany in 1846 and, finally, in the case at Debrechin in 1849.

Two years passed, the Crimean War of 1853-1856 began, and Kochetkov again entered active service, upon conscription, to defend Sevastopol, in the Kazan Jaeger Regiment, and here he spent two years, participating in the sorties of hunters, and on the Kornilov Bastion, a bomb exploded “He was showered with earth and small fragments and stones that hurt his back”. In 1856, personally by Emperor Alexander II, he was transferred to the Life Guards Dragoon Regiment, and then, in 1862, he was enlisted in the company of the palace grenadiers, and here he was promoted to non-commissioned officers.

At this time, Kochetkov was already sixty years old. Hanging with insignia, he received, comparatively, sufficient content, had a good official position, but felt the strength for further exploits, loved the military life of a soldier, and in 1869, "according to a memorandum he submitted to the Emperor", was sent to the theater of the military actions in Central Asia, where he was enrolled in 1869 in the Turkestan horse-artillery brigade of mountain guns with a 1st class fireworks, and, upon departure, the Emperor personally granted him fifty rubles. Here Kochetkov participated in the capture of Turkestan and Samarkand in 1870, and in 1874 crossed the sandy steppe, and as part of the troops under the command of Adjutant General Kaufman participated in the Khiva campaign and the capture of Khiva. With this he ended his service in Asia and in the same 1874, by the Imperial command, he was again assigned to serve in the gendarme corps, in the convoy of the Imperial train on the Kursk-Kiev railway.

Two years later, in 1876, Kochetkov, at the suggestion of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich the Elder, entered the Serbian army as a volunteer, and then, returning to his homeland, after the conclusion of peace between Serbia and Turkey in 1877, he was enlisted in the last Eastern war, in the composition of our army in the 19th cavalry artillery brigade. Here indefatigable Kochetkov participated in the defense of Shipka, but in one of the battles he lost his left leg. The old man survived, and in 1878 he was transferred “for distinction” to the Life Guards Horse-Artillery Brigade, from where he was dismissed. A little over 3 years later, Kochetkov died.

Thank.

a reply to: RussianTroll

Unbelievable. That is an incredible story. I love what you bring to ATS, thanks for being here.

That man is as tough as they come, most people can barely walk after 80 and this dude is serving in active duty at age 104. Great post man S&F.

Comes through very well the care the top brass had for him and by extension, their men.

Perhaps some of our current military could learn from this. Too many thrown out with injuries when they could well be given desk jobs instead of being thrown out.

P

a reply to: Alien Abduct

Thank you, I'm glad to be on the forum)))

a reply to: RussianTroll

Just cannot describe in words what this level of loyalty and character evokes in my hearth, and the unmeasurable respect they receive from me.

a reply to: RussianTroll

Wow, just wow! Just imagine the stories this man could tell!

Would love to sit across from him while he regale me with his stories.
Good post.

What a great post and history lesson.

Could you imagine being able to have a long conversation with this man about his experiences?

If only we valued the view of the grunt more.

Cool post, as usual.

The first thing I thought when seeing the title was "he couldn't have lived through the 20th centuries' slaughter of Russian peasantry." Then confirmed as a 19th century man.

If he had served a century through WW1 and 2 and Stalin, he'd be the first choice for someone looking for a genetic code for luck.

originally posted by: Baddogma
Cool post, as usual.

The first thing I thought when seeing the title was "he couldn't have lived through the 20th centuries' slaughter of Russian peasantry." Then confirmed as a 19th century man.

If he had served a century through WW1 and 2 and Stalin, he'd be the first choice for someone looking for a genetic code for luck.

Thank you my friend. I want to clarify your post. Kochetkov was originally from the Simbirsk province, now the Ulyanovsk region. All my ancestors, except for the direct female line (they are Germans from Leipzig), were from this area. They were never serfs, they were free cantonists or Cossacks. During World War II, my grandfather was the intelligence chief of the 9th Plastun Cossack Division of the North Caucasian Front. That is, he was a scout among the special forces))) In Russia, especially during the time of Stalin, such genetics were welcomed. You need to know the peculiarities of Russia. We welcome the continuity of generations, they are very proud of it)))

a reply to: RussianTroll

Twas a pretty interesting bio of a man I'd never heard of. These sorts of things interest the hell out of me...like the interview with the civil war soldier we saw here a while back on video!

But 100 years he did not serve, going by your dates he served 76 years. Sorry I couldn't help but point out the error in your math. 76 years though, is a massive amount of time to serve in the military and not just serve but to fight almost up until the end. He must have been one tough SOB!