Although the early 19th century was a time of war, people were not only suffering and dying, but they lived their lives to the full. We have already touched upon such subjects as “love” and “friendship” in that epoch and now we will talk about the humor in the Russian army of that time. For example, Denis Davydov, one of the heroes of the Patriotic War, remembering the Battle of Borodino and his commander general Bagration wrote: “The Prince did not look discouraged, on the contrary, he was joking more than usual, which he always did in the minutes of greatest danger”. Fyodor Glinka, a famous writer of that time, noted a similar quality in the character of Field-Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov: “He was joyful, joking even in the gravest situations”. Glinka stressed that Kutuzov who dedicated 50 years of his life to military service regarded “merriment” as an essential component of his job: “Once Kutuzov was asked why he wouldn’t order the tavern, located right under his windows “ off limits” to his officers who were gambling, joking and making a noise. “Leave them alone” – the Prince replied – let them have a good time. I like to hear it. The people who liberated the Fatherland deserve respect. I don’t want my headquarters to look like a monastery. Merry-making in the army proves that the army is ready to go ahead!” Merriment in the army was regarded as an “honorable thing” which did not allow the officers and men to “admire the coward”. Humor was also widespread in the army thanks to the religious consciousness of the Russian people who believed that their fates were in the hands of God. The Polish Countess Anna Pototskaya wrote in her memoirs:“They believed in a disposition of Providence and this made their lives easier”. By the way, “faithless and air-minded” Frenchmen, (this is how the Great Russian Commander Alexander Suvorov called them) also believed in the Hand of God. The soldiers of Napoleon’s Grande Armee took the events of those days not as an “objective logic of social development” but relied mainly on their fate and the luck of their Emperor. In general, all military men of that époque had a lot in common and their vision of the world was bright and lively. Both Russian and French troops did not change their colorful uniforms for battlefield grey: the children of Mars of the Napoleonic epoch did not want to die unnoticed; their looks matched their behavior, whose goal was to draw attention to themselves. They lived as if they were always at their peak and considered that everything they did was a national asset for their descendants. The right word said in the right time just like an act of bravery was a chance to leave a mark on Earth. They feared obscurity more than death. In that heroic epoch the French writer Stendhal wrote: “It is impossible to imitate two things: courage on the battlefield and wit in a conversation”. Those who managed to combine those two qualities were the heroes of their time, men of destiny. The best example is Denis Davydov, a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, a guerilla warrior and a poet who always a had a ready reply. Infantry general Alexei Yermolov also had a good sense of humor. His contemporaries used to ask him why he had a portrait of Napoleon hanging on the wall in his study. The answer of this Russian gentleman, Yermolov, was simple and laconic: “Because during his life he saw only our backs”. The general who entered Paris in March 1814 as a victor could afford such an outrageous saying. Generals Alexander Langeron, Mikhail Milaradovic, Alexander Ostermann-Tolstoy were also known for their wit. They found time for joking even in the gravest situations on the battlefield supporting the spirit of soldiers. However, sometimes the humor of commanders was not the consequence of their cold-blood but the consequence of their irritability. For example, during the Battle of Leipzig when the Russian troops were under the gun of the enemy general Fabian Osten-Sacken suddenly noticed the absence of his young adjutant and suspected him of cowardice. When the young officer returned and said that he was absent because he had left his glasses in his pack, the general said ironically: “You won’t need your glasses here. You’ll see everything double here anyway, even without glasses”. Source: Voice of Russia.
