Dasha Sevastopolskaya - this was the name of one of the sisters of mercy during the Crimean War. Like the names of other participants in the Crimean War, her surname was undeservedly forgotten by our contemporaries. Meanwhile, this woman was one of the first Russian sisters of mercy. 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
The real name of Dasha Sevastopolskaya 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 doing laundry. With the money she earned, she was able to buy a cow, which was her only we alth.
At this time, the combined Anglo-French troops landed on the territory of the Crimea. There was a battle of Sinop, in which her father died. Dasha was left completely alone. "How can an orphan survive?" neighbors argued. AndHere Dasha decided on a desperate act. She sold her cow-nurse, her dilapidated house, and with the money raised she bought a horse and cart, vinegar, wine, and dressings. She cut her hair and, dressed in a man's dress, went to the front line, where the most fierce fighting was going on.
Defense of Sevastopol
During the defense of Sevastopol, a volunteer movement of "Sevastopol patriots" was formed. Its main participants were the sisters, wives and mothers of the soldiers who defended the Crimean border. Dasha Sevastopolskaya, along with other sisters of mercy, helped the wounded on the battlefield, pulled them out of the fire, and provided emergency assistance.
Her "carriage of grief" - as Dasha's convoy was called by her friends - became the first sanitary combat mobile station in history, and Dasha Sevastopolskaya herself rightfully deserved 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 wounds as from medical care not provided on time. To them, lying on the bare ground, Dasha Sevastopolskaya sent her convoy. Like an angel of mercy, she found wounded soldiers, disinfected their wounds, comforted them with warm words. She had no medical education, she was helped by natural ingenuity and folk experience. She extended her mercy to all the wounded - andtheir own and others: they did not deprive their participation of either the British, or the Turks, or the French. Few people knew her patronymic and surname - among the wounded she was known as Dasha Sevastopolskaya. The sister of mercy not only performed her immediate duties, but also proved to be an excellent scout: dressed in a men's suit, she went to reconnaissance 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 the sailor Maxim Khvorostov and became known as Daria Khvorostova. After the end of hostilities, the couple left the 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, having left the mainland, returned to Sevastopol again. According to one version, the reason for the breakup was Hvorostov's unrestrained drunkenness, 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 the Dock ravine. Unfortunately, the wars of the 20th century did not save the place where Dasha of Sevastopolskaya was buried. The biography of this woman in the twentieth century did not interest anyone, and a city park was laid out on the site of an ancient cemetery.
Awards
The feat of Dasha Sevastopolskaya was highly appreciated by her contemporaries. Seeingdiligence and humanism of the young sister of mercy, Nikolai Pirogov took her into his submission. At this time, the emperor's brothers came to the Crimea to strengthen the spirit of the Russian army. They personally wrote about Dasha to the emperor, praising her courage and mercy. On the personal initiative of the emperor, she was the only one from her class to be awarded a gold medal on the Vladimir ribbon "For Zeal".
You should know that only those who already had such three silver medals could receive such an award. But an exception was made for Dasha of Sevastopol. In addition to this medal, she received another - "For the Defense of Sevastopol", which was issued to active participants in the hostilities. By the highest order of the king himself, she was granted 500 silver rubles and promised another 1000 rubles - after Dasha of Sevastopol, sister of mercy, gets 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 of this city bears her name, and a memorial created in her honor was opened in the village of Shelanga.
