Sevastopol garrison in the first half of the XIX century: the composition of the garrison troops, military administration, the state of defensive fortifications

Ilyichev Anton Vladimirovich Junior researcher, Museum of the Heroic Defense and Liberation of Sevastopol 299020, Russia, Sevastopol, General Ostryakov Ave., 250-V, sq. 11 ilichev-toni@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Since ancient times, Crimea has been an important strategic, military and economic point in international politics, a place of conflict between various regional and global projects. The annexation of the peninsula to Russia in 1783 allowed not only to provide the Russian Empire with access to the Black and Azov Seas, but also to make it one of the active players in the Mediterranean political confrontation between the leading European powers. The geographical location of the Crimean Peninsula, as well as its enormous strategic potential, led to the creation of one of the largest Russian naval bases in the region, which deservedly became Sevastopol. In 1826, the city was classified as a fortress of the 1st class, and any foreign trade practically ceased ^{[44, p.XLI]}. For many years, researchers have carefully studied issues related to the Black Sea Fleet, however, the Sevastopol garrison, which was on permanent guard of the city, remains a little-studied research topic.

Unlike the history of the Black Sea Fleet, information about the Sevastopol garrison is extremely sparse and fragmentary. By 1801, the garrison of Sevastopol was represented by 4 battalions of the garrison Koshelev regiment ^{[25, p.25]}, which on April 17, 1801 was renamed the "Garrison Major General Prince Vyazemsky Regiment ^{[5, p.160]}.

The composition of the garrison troops in Sevastopol.

• Ensuring the security of cities in the Russian Empire in the 19th century was supported by three structures:
• 1. The Corps of Gendarmes;
• 2. Internal Guards (which included garrison battalions/semi-battalions);
• 3. Regiments stationed in the region.

There was a gendarmerie team in Sevastopol, which was part of the V gendarmerie district. It included: the chief officer, who was the head of the team, 4 non-commissioned officers, 24 lower ranks and 4 non-combat ranks (clerk, farrier, blacksmith, orderly). Their duties included law enforcement, participation in recruitment, investigation of crimes, search for criminals and runaway peasants.

The "Internal Guard Corps" was formed back in 1811, based on garrison regiments. His tasks included police functions, but at the same time the organization had a military structure and was subordinate to the Military Department. Throughout its history, the Corps consisted of 8-13 districts. They included brigades from provincial battalions and disabled teams. In 1816, the "Internal Guard Corps" was renamed the "Separate Internal Guard Corps", and the provincial battalions were garrisoned. The responsibilities of this structure included maintaining public order in the city. Infantry divisions stationed in the region provided protection against enemy attacks.

Sevastopol had a large garrison throughout the first half of the 19th century, which was due to the city's status as the main naval base on the Black Sea. At the beginning of the events called the "Plague Riot", the 11th Infantry Division of the 4th Infantry Corps was in Sevastopol. In 1833, by order of the military department, the 4th Infantry Corps was renamed the 6th, and the divisions included in it:

• 10th Infantry Division to the 16th Infantry Division;
• 11th Infantry Division to 17th Infantry Division;
• 12th Infantry Division to 18th Infantry Division;
• 10th Floor. Article. Brig. on the 16th Floor. art. brig.;
• 11th Floor. Article. Brig. on the 17th Floor. art. brig.;
• 12th Floor. Article. Brig. on the 18th Floor. art. brig.

We know about the presence of the 11th Infantry Division in the city from the "Report of the specially established Investigative Commission on the Sevastopol Uprising of 1830 to the Novorossiysk and Bessarabian Governor-General M.S. Vorontsov in the case of the Sevastopol riot of August 12, 1830" ^[36]. At the time of the quarantine, announced on May 28, 1828, there were 5,000 military units and auxiliary detachments in the city. This concentration of troops in the city is explained by the events of the Russian-Turkish War of 1828-1829. The fighting was conducted in the Balkan and Caucasian theaters, Sevastopol played the role of a transit point, from where combat-ready units were transferred to the combat zone, and the wounded returned to their homeland. In A. Polkanov's work "The Sevastopol Uprising", we find references to the Sevsky and Oryol infantry regiments that took part in the events of 1828-1830 in Sevastopol ^{[33, pp.87-88]}. They were part of the brigades of the 11th Infantry Division. Considering that these regiments had been permanently stationed in Mogilev province since 1820 ^{[9, p.254]}, they were probably transferred to Sevastopol due to the outbreak of a new war with the Ottoman Empire. At that time, the 12th Infantry Division under the command of General V.I. Timofeev was in Rumelia (the Balkans). In 1831, she was involved in the suppression of the uprising in Sevastopol.

Lower ranks who were punished for participating in the events of 1830-1831 were not prohibited from receiving insignia, unless they were subjected to corporal punishment and distinguished themselves by "good behavior and diligence in their duties." Those who were subjected to corporal punishment had the right to be dismissed upon "blameless service for the period legalized by that time" ^{[21, p.434]}.

On February 24, 1853, M.P. Lazarev reported to A.S. Menshikov with a report on the need to build a new admiralty in Sevastopol ^{[24, p.14]}. In a personal letter to Prince A.S. Menshikov dated December 9, Mikhail Petrovich asked for 5,000 soldiers. Infantry divisions (13th and 15th) of the 5th Infantry Corps were allocated to carry out construction work. Until 1833, it was the 6th Infantry Corps and the 16th and 17th Infantry Divisions, respectively. During the suppression of the Polish Uprising, the corps earned an "unreliable reputation." This was due to the sympathy of the personnel for the Poles, as well as the surrender without resistance after the corps was surrounded ^{[31, p.199]}. No official charges were brought, as many officers and soldiers fought bravely and were awarded for their service. But at the same time, Emperor Nicholas I had a negative opinion about the 6th Infantry Corps. The 15th Infantry Division was sent to Sevastopol, later it was replaced by the 13th. The work was carried out from April to October. There was no infrastructure to accommodate the personnel for the winter, the lower ranks and officers were forced to shuttle between their place of quartering (Bessarabia, Novorossiya) and their place of work ^{[1, p.257]}. In 1840, the Bialystok Infantry Regiment established permanent apartments on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula ^{[29, p.133]}. In 1837, the 14th Infantry Division performed border protection and guard duty duties in the south of the Russian Empire ^{[1, p.258]}. In the spring of 1840, the battalions of the 51st infantry of His Imperial Highness the heir to the Tsarevich of Lithuania, instead of construction work, carried out garrison duty in Sevastopol.

From 2,500 to 3,300 people per day could be allocated from the division for construction work. Such a small number was due to the fact that the soldiers could only work one day out of three. The military personnel were divided into three shifts, those soldiers who were not involved in construction work were engaged in guard duty. The 15th Infantry Division deployed 800 men on guard duty daily ^{[2, p.20]}. The duties of the soldiers included the management of the regimental economy, which was very extensive. These are workshops for sewing and repairing uniforms and equipment, warehouses for storing ammunition, ammunition, etc. ^{[2, p.20]}. For officers and commanding officers, construction work in the Crimea was a significant problem, since the corps divisions could not conduct full-fledged training of personnel.

Due to the shortage of barracks on the peninsula, soldiers from infantry divisions were accommodated in the homes of local residents in groups of 4-5 people per house ^{[2, p.20]}. This practice led to conflicts between military personnel and local residents, corps and division commanders and civilian authorities. The commander of the 5th Infantry Corps, Muravyov, even noted on this occasion "that the private displeasure between the inhabitants and the troops cannot be attributed to a general hostile mutual arrangement, but that the local authorities, instead of stopping these cases and establishing agreement, tried to keep this up and with empty representations to Vorontsov, disfiguring the most insignificant incidents, they try to arouse We can rather assume that we are being treated as an enemy army; that these same troops, quartered in other provinces, did not leave any displeasure behind, because the governors there were decent people, but that in the Taurida province we met something else" ^{[28, p.477]}.

The Tauride province, despite its size, could accommodate only 5 infantry regiments on its territory, and in case of urgent need, and for a short period of time, two more regiments. During the wartime period, the colonists' houses could provide a place to billet three more infantry battalions or two cavalry regiments ^{[7, p.5]}. British officer William Lennox Lascelles Fitzgerald-de Ros, during his visit to Sevastopol in 1835, wrote that the garrison of Sevastopol in the summer was about 12 thousands of people ^{[55, p.114]}.

From 1840 to 1845, units of the 5th Infantry Corps took part in combat operations in the Caucasus, due to the aggravation of the situation in the region and Shamil's successful offensive campaign ^{[1, pp.257-264]}. In 1846, all infantry divisions of the corps returned to their permanent locations in the Taurida and Kherson provinces. In 1848-1849, part of the 5th Infantry Corps was sent to suppress the Hungarian Revolution. The 13th Infantry Division was tasked with providing security in Moldavia and Wallachia ^{[1, pp.264-265]}. In 1851, the 5th Infantry Corps returned to the Empire. We can learn about the presence of the 13th Infantry Division in Sevastopol on the eve of the Crimean War from the "Painting of the Army and corps with an indication of the quarters and movement of troops." This document of the military department states that the Brest Infantry Regiment, the Bialystok Infantry Regiment and the Lithuanian Jaeger Regiment were stationed in Sevastopol. The Vilna Jaeger Regiment, although part of the 13th Infantry Division, was located in Simferopol ^{[37, p.136]}.

The assembly point for the camp was considered to be a place near the city, a mile away from it in the direction of the road towards Balaklava. The division should take this place only if necessary, for lack of another better one ^{[7, p.25]}. This was due to the rocky soil and low water reserves.

In Sevastopol, there were 138 guard posts from the active troops, which were manned by 19 chief officers, 69 non-commissioned officers, 12 musicians, 36 corporals and 907 privates. On top of this number, 3 non-commissioned officers and 60 privates went on night rounds ^{[7, p.46]}.

Provisions were supplied to the seaside shops of Sevastopol from the auctions of the Voronezh State Chamber, and transportation was carried out from Rostov at a price of 1 rub. 74 kopecks in silver for delivery ^{[7, pp.47-48]}. Items of the Commissar Department were supplied to the Tauride province: lapel cloth – the state Pavlovsky cloth factory, uniform – the Tambov and Kremenchug commissariat commissions, etc. contractors from Bolkhov, Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow.

During a visit to Sevastopol in September 1845, Emperor Nicholas I reviewed the 4th and 5th battalions of the 13th Infantry Division remaining in the city. For the "exemplary order and excellent organization", the highest favor was expressed to the commander of the 5th Infantry Corps and the commander of the troops remaining in the city during the deployment of corps forces in the Caucasus: Lieutenant General Danberg, commander of the 2nd Brigade of the 13th Infantry Division, Major General Rumyantsov, commander of the combined regiments, Colonel Prikhodkin. and Colonel Zhitkov 3rd, as well as all battalion commanders, chief and staff officers ^{[14, p.103]}. The Emperor also noted the commanders of the 6th Infantry Corps, who managed to transfer the 5th battalions of the 6th Infantry Corps to Sevastopol as soon as possible with a minimum number of patients ^{[14, p.103]}.

The composition of the local/internal troops in Crimea at the time of 1853 included: the Balaklava Greek battalion, the Tauride Battalion and the Kerch semi-battalion of the internal guard, as well as the Kinburn and Sevastopol artillery garrisons ^[3]. The Tauride garrison battalion of the internal guard was stationed on the territory of Simferopol in the barracks of the VI district of military settlements ^{[7, p.31]}. Sevastopol was home to the Sevastopol Artillery garrison of the Southern Artillery District. It consisted of:

1) Office of the Chief of Artillery Garrisons of the southern District;

2) Sevastopol artillery garrison, consisting of a serf staff of companies No. 3, 4, 5, 6 and half company No. 7;

3) Laboratory No. 4 half-mouth;

4) The District Artillery School of an institution for teaching sciences to ordinary lower ranks appointed to fill firecracker, Zeichshreiberg and clerk vacancies;

5) The training team, assembled in the city of Sevastopol, in the Southern District from artillery garrisons;

6) Sevastopol local parks for 1 infantry corps, 1 cavalry division and 1 artillery brigade ^{[7, pp.34-35]}.

Samples of weapons for replenishment of the Sevastopol arsenal were received from the Tula Arms Factory ^{[51, p.331]}. Colonel Becker was the commander of the Sevastopol Artillery Garrison in 1849. His assistant was Captain Myznikov ^{[45, p.50]}. There is a mention of a Breker in the documents of M.P. Lazarev August Bogdanovich, Lieutenant General, Chief of the Southern Artillery District ^{[24, p.532]}. Considering the issue of the number of officers in Sevastopol, we have the following data:

Generals – 14;

Staff officers - 153;

Chief officers - 782 ^{[6, pp.219-220]}.

Commandants of the Sevastopol fortress.

Military administration in fortresses and towns was under the jurisdiction of commandants and commandant's offices, which were subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and the military Governor. The duties of the commandants included maintaining security, conducting inspections of engineering, artillery and fire brigades. The garrison troops were directly subordinate to them. When transferring a fortress/city to a state of siege, the commandant received the rights of the commander of the detached corps for the period of wartime. Document management took place in the commandant's office or, in the case of large fortresses and towns, in the Ordinance House ^{[22, p.64]}. As a rule, officers from among the retired wounded ranks are appointed to the ranks of serf management ^{[43, p.182]}. Depending on the category of the fortress, the rank of commandant could be occupied:

1. 1st Class Fortress – Full General or Lieutenant General;

2. Fortress of the 2nd class – Lieutenant General or Major General;

3. Fortress of the 3rd class – Major General or Colonel;

4. Fortress of the 4th class - colonel or lieutenant colonel ^{[43, p.182]};

5. Fortress of the 5th class – the duties of the commandant were performed by the parade ground major.

At the same time, according to the Code of Military Regulations, the commandant could be appointed by the Highest Order with a rank higher or lower, but not lower than major ^{[43, p.182]}. The commandant had no right to leave the city at a distance further than a cannon shot without permission from the Military Governor or the Commander-in-Chief ^{[43, p.183]}. In addition, their duties included keeping the keys to all the gates and secret passages of the fortress, and they also supervised the fortress works ^{[43, p.188-189]}. During a state of siege or wartime, the commandant had to have a ready-made defense plan, which would determine the likely directions of attack, the locations of posts and reserves, and the order of interaction of all subordinate corps and commands located in the city ^{[43, p.190]}. To do this, the fortress archive, according to the documentation, must be provided with an accurate plan of the fortress and its surroundings, a map showing the area around the fortress, a general map of the region or empire, historical notes on the geographical features and defense of the fortress ^{[43, p.191]}.

The assistant commandant was the parade ground major, who, in the absence of the commandant, performed his duties. The garrison prison companies were subordinate to the parade ground major ^{[22, p.64]}. Office work (reports from the garrison, reports on patients in hospitals (if available), reports on arrivals and departures, archive management, filling out travel documents) was the responsibility of the adjutants ^{[22, p.64] [43, p.197]}. In Sevastopol, the Ordinance House (commandant's office) of the 2nd class was located. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to establish its location to date.

Commandants, parade ground majors, and adjutants from the army and foot artillery were required to wear half-bladders instead of swords, and from heavy cavalry they were required to wear broadswords with a scarf and cavalry swords ^{[21, p.452]}.

From 1816 to 1826, the commandant of the Sevastopol fortress was Major General Anastasy Antonovich Yurkovsky. On September 3, 1829, Lieutenant General Andrei Petrovich Turchaninov, a participant in the Napoleonic Wars, was appointed commandant of Sevastopol. He was dismissed from his post for incompetence shown during the Plague Riot in Sevastopol in 1830. The court decided to strip Andrei Petrovich of his ranks and orders, as well as demote him to the rank and file ^[49]. On September 20, 1832, another veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, awarded a medal for the "Capture of Paris in 1814", a representative of the Estonian nobility, Baron, Lieutenant General Fyodor Fedorovich Rosen, was appointed commandant of Sevastopol. A talented military figure, he was also part of the Lithuanian Infantry Regiment. From 1811 to 1814, Fyodor Fedorovich served as chief of the regiment. For health reasons, he was forced to write a petition for his release from the post of commandant of Sevastopol and from the army on September 9, 1842 ^{[10, p.98]}. He was replaced by Prince Lieven, the 4th Major General, and he did not stay in this position for long and was soon transferred to Taganrog ^{[12, p.2]}. In November 1844, the head of the 20th Infantry Division, Lieutenant General Apollon Vasilyevich Galafeev, was appointed to the post of commandant ^{[13, p.160]}. Apollon Vasilyevich was an experienced military officer who distinguished himself in the Russian-Turkish War of 1828-1829. For his participation in the operation to capture the Kyustenji fortress, he was awarded the Order of St. Nicholas.Vladimir of the 4th degree with a bow, Order of St. Anna of the 2nd degree for the "case at Karagyas", as well as a golden weapon with the signature "for bravery" for the operation at Gadzhi-Hasan-Laro. For the defense of Provody, he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree ^{[39, p.129]}. In 1830-1831, Galafeev A.V. took part in the suppression of the Polish Uprising. In 1839, he was included in an expedition under the command of Adjutant General P.H. Grabbe against Shamil. He was given command of the entire infantry unit. For this campaign, he was awarded the Order of St. Peter the Great. Anna of the 1st degree and St. Vladimir of the 2nd degree (for storming the village of Akhulgo), and was also promoted to lieutenant General. In 1840, a detachment under the command of A.V. Galafeev was sent to Chechnya ^{[23, p.136]}. The detachment included the Tenginsky Infantry regiment, where M.Y. Lermontov served ^{[47, p.236]}. For his excellent service, the poet was included in the adjutants of the commander during the Second Campaign in Chechnya ^{[47, p.250]}.

During the fighting in the Caucasus, the Lieutenant General was seriously wounded and remained in the region until 1846. At that time, the commander of the southern Artillery District, Lieutenant General Braker, served as commandant of the Sevastopol Fortress ^{[14, p.103]}. His official inauguration took place in 1850. In the Historical Bulletin, in the memoirs of naval officer V.P. Odintsovo, the characteristic of Apollon Vasilyevich was preserved: "General Apollon Vasilyevich Galafeev was the commandant in Sevastopol, an old Caucasian, a widower, and he had a daughter (now deceased) whom he wanted to amuse, so he lived openly, gave dinners and organized picnics; he wanted to be strict with young people but he never succeeded, because he was a very kind person by nature" ^{[8, p.498]}.

By order of the Ministry of War dated October 1, 1852, "The commandant of Sevastopol, Lieutenant-General Galafeev 1st, who is in the army, is dismissed from his post and is being tried by a military court, arrested for abuse of Commandant's Office" ^{[18, p.137]}. On October 20, 1852, Ivan Ivanovich Kizmer, a lieutenant general in cavalry, was appointed to the post of first commandant ^{[18, p.158]}. His actions were highly appreciated by the Government. For excellent performance of his official duties, by order of Emperor Alexander II, Ivan Ivanovich Kizmer was awarded the Order of the White Eagle with a diploma (one of the highest awards in the Russian Empire) ^{[27, p.37]}. On October 26, 1855, he was appointed Moscow Commandant ^{[27, p.37]}. From the collection of orders on During the period from 1853 to 1856, the garrison of Sevastopol can learn about the presence of two commandants in Sevastopol during the designated period: the first Sevastopol commandant, Lieutenant General I.I. Kizmer, the second commandant, Rear Admiral Ragulya ^{[34, p.108]}. The Code of military regulations states: "In a fortress located on the basis of military operations and in the space occupied by the Active Army, the Commander-in-Chief, in case of very urgent need, can himself determine special Commandants" ^{[43, p.183]}. However, in the documents of A.S. Menshikov, published by researcher A.V. Efimov, it was not possible to find any mention of the appointment of a special commandant in Sevastopol. In the index of names of the second volume of the collection of documents by P.S. Nakhimov, there is the following entry: "Grigory Ivanovich Rogulya (died 1871) – admiral (1865), vice admiral in 1852-1855, commandant of the Sevastopol fortress, then commandant of Nikolaev" ^{[35, p.394]}. In volume VIII of the general naval list, it is indicated that G.I. Rogulya was promoted to vice admiral and appointed acting commandant of Sevastopol. On October 22, he was appointed the second Sevastopol commandant ^{[30, p.129]}. In a later edition of the Code of Military Regulations of 1869, one can find a record of the presence of city commandants who rely on some cities and nodal terminal stations of railways. In coastal towns, they could deal with persons from naval departments rather than military ones ^{[41, pp.91-92]}. Based on this, it can be assumed that the "first commandant" is the commandant of the fortress, while the "second" is the commandant of the city or the "special commandant".

Apartment money for a year in Sevastopol was allocated in the following amount: 150 rubles for a parade ground major, 120 rubles for an adjutant, 150 rubles for an ordinance house auditor, 120 rubles for a barracks supervisor, 150 rubles for offices, 120 rubles for squad duty ^{[42, p.168]}. Apartment money was given to regimental commanders not by position, but by rank: to a major general 1,500 rubles., to staff officers 500 rubles. in banknotes ^{[48, pp.837-838]}.

With the outbreak of the military escalation of the Eastern issue in 1853, the 13th Infantry Division was transferred to the Caucasus. Instead, the 13th Reserve Infantry Division was deployed to Sevastopol.

On October 4, 1853, the Sevastopol garrison consisted of:

1) Reserve Brigade of the 13th Infantry Division;

2) Batteries No. 1 and 2.13 th Artillery Brigade;

3) No. 15 of the military working company of the Engineering Department;

4) No. 2 and No. 4 of the garrison artillery company;

5) Three hundred Cossacks of the Don Cossack regiment No. 39;

6) Military temporary No. 13 and 15 hospitals and the Kherson hospital staff;

7) The remaining commanders of the 13th Infantry Division.

The teams of lower ranks from the 13th Infantry Division that remained in the city were assigned to the Brest, Volyn, Bialystok infantry regiments and the Lithuanian and Vilna Jaeger regiments ^{[34, p.9]}.

In November 1853, Lieutenant General Fyodor Fedorovich Moller was appointed commander of the troops in the Crimea ^{[34, p.14]}. From March 1854, he began to serve as the head of the Sevastopol garrison ^{[34, p.20]}. The figure of Fyodor Fedorovich in Russian literature has acquired an exceptionally negative characteristic. It is based on the memoirs of Prince Viktor Illarionovich Vasilchikov, who succeeded F.F. Moller in 1854. In his memoirs, he wrote: "I needed a little bit of observation to make sure that there was no real commander in the besieged city. General Moller did not leave his apartment anywhere, did not give any orders to anyone, and did not even receive notification of the most important events on the defensive lines"^{[4, p.209]}.

Memoiristics is a very unreliable source of information. Any memories are subjective materials, since events are described from the point of view of a certain person, as a rule, after a significant time interval from the events taking place. Viktor Illarionovich learned most of the information about the life of the Sevastopol garrison from the stories of the officers upon arrival in Sevastopol. American professor Riiz R. in his study "The Imperial Russian Army in Peace, War, and Revolution, 1856-1917" noted a high level of conflict in the Russian officer corps caused by class problems ^{[54, p.30]}. In this context, V.I. Vasilchikov's information about F.F. Moller is questionable.

In 2022, a collection of documents "Orders for the Sevastopol garrison 1853-1855" was published in Moscow. This publication is the result of painstaking work with sources from the Russian State Military Historical Museum. It was possible to find authentic and complete sets of orders for the period from 1853 to 1855. The study is a valuable source of information for the study of the Crimean War. Analyzing the collection of orders, we can conclude that the Lieutenant General showed great attention to the maintenance of the units entrusted to him, gave orders for the appointment of officers to defensive lines, regulated the life of the Sevastopol garrison, noted inherent shortcomings and suggested ways to overcome them. In 1853, Lieutenant General F.F. Moller issued 18 orders, and in 1854, 92 orders. Such an active activity absolutely does not correlate with the image of a "weak, weak-willed and characterless man who abstracted from the problems of the garrison" imposed on Russian science by post-war memoirism, which was looking for those responsible for the Sevastopol tragedy. Let us give an example, namely the order of Lieutenant General F.F. Moller dated October 13, 1854: "I propose that To the (gentlemen) heads of the defensive line, immediately deliver to me a personal list of the officers killed, wounded and shell-shocked from the 5th of this month to the present day in a special way, and for the future to submit this information daily together with reports on the killed, wounded and shell-shocked lower ranks. I announce this to the troops under my command for precise execution" ^{[34, p.46]}.

On October 26, 1853, batteries No. 1 and 2 of the 13th Artillery Brigade were withdrawn from the city, and batteries No. 3 and 4 of the 14th Artillery Brigade arrived from Odessa instead ^{[34, pp. 12-13]}.

At the end of November 1853, the troops under the command of F.F. Moller were joined by the 1st brigade of the 14th Infantry Division, the 2nd and 3rd companies of the Balaklava Greek battalion, the Tauride garrison battalion, located in battalions and semi-battalions in Simferopol and Feodosia with subordinate and district and Bakhchisarai staging command. The commanders of the Balaklava Greek and Tauride garrison battalions, the Don Cossack Regiment No. 39 and the Reserve Brigade of the 13th Infantry Division were required to provide a report on the status of their units on the 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd of each month. All others every 8 days ^{[34, p.15]}.

The city magistrate was initially moved to Bibikov's house on B. Morskoy Street, then he was transferred to the Catherine Palace, and then to the Nikolaevskaya Battery ^{[46, p.36]}. In August 1855, the city authorities were transferred to the North Side. Even before the enemy landed in Crimea, the issue of preparing for the export of documentation and government property from the peninsula was being worked out. So in the order of the Commander-in-chief of the Order. Menshikov was instructed by the governor of the Taurida province , Pestel:

1) That the transportation to a safe place of sums, books, and deeds belonging to the offices of the province entrusted to you, I recognize, under present military circumstances, as not a useless measure of caution, which must be carried out immediately.;

2) That at present, treasuries should keep only the smallest amounts that are needed to cover the necessary immediate expenses, and not in specie, but in deposits ^{[46, p.4]}.

Unfortunately, the Sevastopol archive with inventories and desktop registers was destroyed as a result of the bombing on August 25, 1855, as well as after the burning of the building itself, which housed the documentation. The magistrate managed to take out sums of money with books and stamped paper to Mykolaiv ^{[46, pp.36-37]}.

The beginning of the city's preparations for martial law can be noted in Order No. 1 of January 23, 1854, and No. 2 of February 19, 1854, by Lieutenant General F.F. Moller, the lower ranks were required to sharpen bayonets and cleavers, and soldiers taking up guard duty were required to have 60 live ammunition in cartridge pouches ^[34,p.19].

Defensive fortifications of Sevastopol.

For many years, the Sevastopol fortress was protected only from the sea, which was partly explained by the difficulties in obtaining proper financial allocation for fortification works ^{[40, p.26-63]}. In the special part of the military static survey of the Russian Empire for 1849, there was the following entry: "Sevastopol Fortress is considered to be in the 1st class, but in its current position, it is not a fortress, but a military port, fortified extremely strongly from the sea side, and having almost no protection from the dry route." Attempts to solve the problem of a weak land defense line have been made repeatedly. Under the leadership and supervision of the military governor of Sevastopol, M.P. Lazarev, a unified plan for the land defense of the city was developed, from Karantina Bay to Ushakova Balka. However, due to lack of funding, most of the work had not been completed by the beginning of the Crimean War ^{[50, pp.95-96]}. By 1850, it was possible to complete the construction of: Konstantinovskaya battery, Mikhailovskaya battery, battery No. 4,5, Pavlovskaya battery, Nikolaevskaya battery, battery No. 8, the primorsky part of the 7th bastion at battery No. 8, Alexander battery, as well as three separate towers, i.e. the Primorsky defensive line ^{[50, p.96]}. Despite the fact that the work on the construction of land fortifications had not been completed by the time of the war, Emperor Nicholas I was overly confident in the safety of the city: "I have so strengthened Sevastopol that there should be no fears from this side. Now no one, not an Englishman, no one, will dare to come to us. Besides, I keep a division in Sevastopol all the time" ^{[50, p.96]}.

In 1854, under the leadership of A.S. Menshikov, Chief of the General Naval Staff, member of the Committee of Ministers (1828-1855) and Commander-in-Chief of the Crimean Army (from 04/14/1854 to 02/15/1855), work began on the accelerated creation of a land defensive line before the Allied landings in Crimea. In the spring of 1854, the shore crews and sailors from the ships were sent to erect the 6th and 5th bastions ^{[52, p.130]}. By order of A.S. Menshikov, 24-pounder cannon-carronades of the corvette Pilad, as well as 24-pounder cannons from the Naval Department's arsenal, were installed on the 4th bastion and the batteries attached to it, due to the use of artillery reserves of the garrison on the fortifications on the North side ^{[52, p.134]}. The ground forces stationed in the city were sent to resume the Northern Fortification and fortification of the northern side of the city ^{[52, p.156]}. The report to the chief of the artillery garrisons of the southern district dated May 21, 1854, number 645 indicated that by the beginning of May 1854, the reference points of the defensive line of the city from the south and east were nearing completion ^[52,p.157]. On July 10, 1854, the defensive tower on Malakhov Kurgan was consecrated ^{[52, p.168]}. The decision to establish on Malakhov Kurgan was jointly made by Emperor Nicholas I and A.S. Menshikov. In 1854, in his rescript to Adjutant General A.S. Menshikov, he separately emphasized the need to intensify work on the construction of the donjon on Malakhov Kurgan ^{[26, p.80]}. The cost of building a defensive tower on Malakhov Kurgan was borne by the merchants, who collected an amount of 11,500 rubles ^{[46, p.93]}. By September 1854, despite the intensification of work on the construction of the land defensive line of Sevastopol, 3/4 of the defensive line was still open ^{[53, p.125]}. On September 13, 1854, by order of Lieutenant General F.F. Moller, Sevastopol was placed under a state of siege ^{[34, p.31]}.

By an order dated June 8, 1854, lower ranks were prohibited from briefly staying outdoors without hats on hot days and were allowed to keep their hats on when meeting with the commander. Instead, it was proposed to join the front ^{[34, p.25]}. Already on June 25, 1854, in Sevastopol, the lower ranks were allowed to take off their helmets and put them in a warehouse ^{[34, p.25]}.

On the day of the first bombing of Sevastopol on October 5-6, 1854, the following units were located in the city:

1. Minsk, Moscow, Butyrsky infantry regiments;

2. The Tarutinsky Jaeger Regiment and the Borodino Jaeger Regiment of His Highness the Heir to the Tsarevich;

3. Reserve Brigade of the 13th Infantry Division;

4. 6th Reserve Battalion of the Volyn and Minsk Infantry Regiments;

5. 6th Sapper Battalion;

6. 2nd and 8th Black Sea Cossack Infantry Battalions;

7. Light No. 4 battery of the 14th Artillery Brigade and light No. 4 and No. 5 batteries of the 17th Artillery Brigade;

8. 5th hundred of the Don Cossack regiment No. 39;

9. 1st hundred of the Don Cossack regiment No. 67 ^{[34, pp.48-49]}.

In the period from October to November 1854, the wounded were actively transported from Sevastopol to Simferopol. Private houses were also allocated for accommodation. Some of the families of military personnel and officers from the besieged Sevastopol were also taken to Simferopol. Already in November, sums of money were allocated to the lower ranks and officers instead of apartments ^{[46, pp.43-44]}. In total, 45 houses were allocated for medical needs in Simferopol ^{[46, p.45]}. Houses could be rented out either free of charge or with compensation paid at the end of the war ^{[46, p.46]}.

The low level of development of transport infrastructure in Yekaterinoslav, Kharkov, Poltava, and Taurida provinces significantly complicated the delivery of food, ammunition, fuel, and clothing to Crimea and Sevastopol. Many cabmen refused to deliver the same sheepskin coats to Sevastopol or requested another 1 ruble per pound ^{[46, p.119-120]}. Supplies of ammunition (cannonballs, gunpowder, bullets, etc.) were paid at a higher price – 1 RUB 40 per pood ^{[46, p.120]}.

The courage, heroism and steadfastness of the defenders of Sevastopol during the Crimean War were noted by the imperial authorities back in October 1854. The addendum to the Supreme Order of October 12, 1854 read as follows:

"The Emperor, having received from Adjutant General Prince Menshikov a report on the unwavering courage, exemplary fortitude and praiseworthy dedication shown by all the Land and Naval forces that make up the garrison of Sevastopol during the bombing of this city by the Anglo-French on the 5th and 6th of this October, declares sincere sincere gratitude to all ranks of the aforementioned troops, from General to private, for their brilliant feat, by which they fully justified HIS MAJESTY's highest trust in them. –The EMPEROR is pleased to remain convinced that they will continue to distinguish themselves by their valiant bravery and all the virtues that animate the true sons of Russia" ^{[20, p.172]}.

Throughout the first half of the 19th century, a large garrison was stationed on the territory of Sevastopol, which was due to both the status of a 1st-class fortress and the high strategic importance of the base of the Black Sea Fleet. In the 1830s, after the suppression of the Polish Uprising was completed, the 13th Infantry Division of the 5th Infantry Corps was transferred to the city due to the need to create new military infrastructure facilities. In Sevastopol, in addition to construction work, the division was engaged in guard duty. The absence of key military infrastructure facilities (for example, barracks) caused serious difficulties not only in protecting the city and the peninsula from external threats, but also with the deployment of military personnel on the peninsula. The latter led to the fact that the 13th and 15th Infantry divisions were forced until 1840, at the end of the construction period (April-October) travel between your permanent place of residence and your immediate place of employment. The bulk of the 13th Infantry Division's forces were actively involved in military operations. From 1840 to 1845, most of the division was deployed to the Caucasus to counter Imam Shamil's new campaign, and in 1848-1849, they were involved in suppressing the Hungarian Revolution. At the beginning of the Crimean War, the division was fully stationed in Sevastopol.

The military administration in the 1st class Sevastopol fortress was carried out by commandants with the rank of Lieutenant General or Major General, many of them were veterans of the Patriotic War. Of the 5 commandants of the Sevastopol fortress, during the period from 1816 to 1852, two were tried by a military tribunal – Major General Anastasy Antonovich Yurkovsky for his incompetence during the suppression of the "Plague Riot" and Apollon Vasilyevich Galafeev for abuse of command. Since 1852, Sevastopol had two commandants – the first in the military department (Lieutenant General Ivan Ivanovich Kizmer) and the second in the navy (Rear Admiral Grigory Ivanovich Ragulya). With the outbreak of the Crimean War, Lieutenant General Fyodor Fedorovich Moller was appointed commander of the Sevastopol garrison. In literature, the personality of Fyodor Fedorovich was undeservedly criticized because of the ambiguous messages of pre-revolutionary memoirs. However, upon detailed study of the list of orders for the Sevastopol garrison, it was found out that F.F. Moller took an active part in preparing the city for defense and improving the conditions of the lower ranks in the fortress.

An acute problem throughout the first half of the 19th century . for the Sevastopol fortress, the necessary equipment and food were delivered. The insufficient level of development of the transport and logistics infrastructure of the Tauride and nearby provinces led to higher prices and longer delivery times. This problem became critical during the Crimean War (1853-1856) and the defense of Sevastopol (1854-1855).

Despite the deployment of a large garrison in Sevastopol, in many respects it did not correspond to the status of a fortress of the 1st class. The main disadvantages were the lack of necessary military infrastructure facilities, accessible transport and logistics infrastructure, as well as insufficient security. Sevastopol had a powerful defensive line protecting the city from the sea, but the land defensive line was completely absent. The discussion of this problem at the highest level and the active participation of M.P. Lazarev did not lead to proper results. By the beginning of the Crimean War, only a small part of the project planned in 1834 had been completed. Work intensified in 1853-1854, but by the time the Allies landed, three quarters of the land defensive line was still open. On the eve of the Crimean War, the same point of view was held by Colonel of the General Staff N.B. Gersevanov in the Military Statistical Review of the Taurida Province, compiled by order of the Ministry of War.