A serviceable fighter and a committed communist did not know that descendants would confer upon him the title of Commander of the Revolution.
He already knows the history of one artilleryman who commanded millions of armies. True, he also received the imperial crown. Our hero was much more modest - he did not rush to become a tsar, being an ideological opponent of the monarchy. But the fatefulness of his shot is still being discussed.
Childhood
Pavel Ognev, a baker, lived in the Voronezh province. His first wife did not live long; a daughter was left behind as a keepsake. It was difficult for one to raise the baby to his feet, because the widower remarried the hard-working Cossack woman Fedosya. In 1887 she gave her husband a son, who was named Evdokim.
Parents spoiled their children with stories they heard from their grandparents. The head of the family would often retell the story of his ancestor. This fellow was from Don. In ancient times, he served as a gunner, distinguished himself in battle, received a number of awards and the nickname Ognev, which later became his surname. Pavel himself succeeded in it - he loved discipline, but did not tolerate tyranny. With such a disposition, it was difficult for him to find a job. Spouses with children were forced to travel across the vastness of Russia. Despite all the hardships, the father was able to give his son a decent, as for a commoner, education.
Military service
Evdokim was summoned in 1909 from the village of Velikoknyazheskaya on the Don. A smart, tough guy, he was ideal for service in any of the branches of the army. If his comrades asked to join the cavalry, then this Cossack immediately announced that he wanted to serve in the navy. He cherished the dream of sea voyages and battles with pirates from early childhood. The command gladly sent the fellow to the Baltic.
Service in those days was not easy, however, enthusiasm and good health helped Evdokim to cope with all the difficulties. The very first sea voyages allowed our hero to show himself in action - he not only coped with all the tasks perfectly, but also showed heroism, saving people in a fire. Ognev was noticed by the captain and sent to the gunnery school.
Sailor from "Aurora"
At the end of the course, the young artilleryman was assigned to the cruiser Aurora. Service on this ship was honorable, only the best were allowed to the guns, here one could make a brilliant career. In 1911, the ship with a diplomatic mission visited Italy and Spain. A fire broke out in Malaga on the very day of the arrival of the Russian guest. Ognev had experience in fighting fire and, together with his comrades, rushed to the rescue of the Spaniards. They were delighted with the courage and nobility of our sailors.
After a long voyage in 1913, the Aurora returned to St. Petersburg. The ship was sent to the dock, and the crew was released ashore. Evdokim, like his friends, wandered through the taverns and dropped in to visit the veteran sailors. Once, returning to the barracks in the dead of night, he saw how villains were beating a girl. The guy scattered the hooligans and offered their victim his protection. Neela, that was the name of the rescued, agreed reluctantly.
Agitation and propaganda
Ognev was looking for a meeting with Neela. It was possible to see her again at a late hour. The angry hero asked the young lady why she was looking for trouble. The answer surprised him - at night this young lady was putting up anti-government leaflets. The sailor was familiar with the ideas of Marxism - there were ideological communists in the Aurora's crew, but this was the first time he saw an agitator in a skirt. Soon, the young were married.
Those close to the changes in Evdokim's personal life learned from his letter, he and his wife could not visit them. The First World War began, and the cruiser Aurora defended the capital from the sea. Information from the fronts was confusing, and the conditions of service became unbearable. The gunman more and more often conducted conversations with the clerk Alexander Trapeznikov and the carpenter Timofey Lipatov - Marxists, members of the ship committee. He was imbued with the ideas of the Bolsheviks. He made his contribution to the common cause by delivering leaflets and books to the ship, which his wife sent him.
The revolution
In 1917 the Aurora moored in Kronstadt. Upon learning of the February Revolution, Ognev hurried to Petrograd, where he took an active part in the struggle against the monarchists. The Balts were a real force, because each party tried to win them over to its side. Evdokim, being literate, was able to get acquainted with what was written about politics in the newspapers, and supported the ideas of Vladimir Lenin. In the summer, he took part in protests against the Provisional Government.
In early November, the cruiser stood in the roadstead, aiming her guns in the direction of the Winter Palace. Ognev was on watch. When the Aurora radio operator received Vladimir Lenin's appeal "To the citizens of Russia!", The captain gave the order to prepare for battle. An empty salvo was supposed to be a signal to storm the residence of the Provisional Government. It was an honor to make this shot to Evdokim Ognev.
At home
Evdokim Ognev arrived in his native village as a famous person. It was not a visit, but a combat mission - he was a soldier of the Death Kaledin armored train. Knowing the biography of this serviceman, the command promoted him in rank and instructed him to create a red squadron. The Cossacks trusted their fellow countryman and enrolled in the detachment.
Among the volunteers there was a certain Krysin, of whom there was a bad reputation. Ognev considered such rumors to be a variation of oral folk art and did not attach importance to them. In one of the battles, this type was shot in the back to his commander. Evdokim Ognev was killed by a traitor's bullet. He was buried by his fellow soldiers in the steppe near the Kazachiy Khomutets farm.
