Gavriil Stepanovich Batenkov

Gavriil Stepanovich Batenkov – a Decembrist and writer. Batenkov was born on 25 March (5 April) 1793 in Tobolsk into a military family. He was educated at the Tobolsk military orphan department and then at the Second Cadet Corps in Saint Petersburg. Batenkov took part in the Patriotic War of 1812 and in the subsequent foreign campaigns of the Russian army, where he was wounded. For his service he was awarded the Order of Saint Vladimir, 4th class with a bow (1814). In 1816 Batenkov retired. However, thanks to his mathematical abilities, he successfully passed examinations and entered the Department of Communications.

 

In 1817 Batenkov was appointed head of engineering works in Tomsk. This post marked the beginning of his extensive engineering activity in Siberia. In 1819 he received the rank of captain and met M. M. Speransky, whom he accompanied on a Siberian journey. Batenkov carried out several important assignments for Speransky, including designing fortifications on the Angara and building a road along Lake Baikal. In 1823 he transferred to the service of the Council of Military Settlements under the leadership of A. A. Arakcheev.

 

In December 1825 Batenkov attended meetings of members of the Northern Society, giving advice to the Decembrists, but did not take part in the uprising itself. In 1826 the court found him guilty and sentenced him to katorga (hard labor). In 1846 Nicholas I softened the sentence, replacing life imprisonment with a twenty-year term. After the 1856 amnesty Batenkov's noble rights were restored; he moved to European Russia and settled in the village of Petrishchevo in the Tula Governorate. He spent his last years in Kaluga, where he died on 29 October (10 November) 1863.