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Left Behind
Following the abdication of the last tsar of Russia and the outbreak of the Russian revolution in 1917, Baronness Sophie Buxhoeveden, a longtime lady-in-waiting to the Empress Alexandra, found her world turned upside down as she suddenly had no idea what might be in store in her future. "Left Behind" is another of her recollections of the last years of the Romanovs' lives, and her own personal memoir of the uncertain and fearful live she spent in Siberia from 1917-1919.
"Danger and hardship and the fact of having led a real working life with all that this entails have made me richer by giving me a fuller understanding of my fellows and by helping me to appreciate the point of view of other classes of society. If I have seen humanity at its worst-cruelty, hatred, and murder all surging in a chaos of untrammelled passion - I have also seen it at its best-kindness, unselfishness, and real charity.
This I will always bear in mind when I remember my Siberian wanderings and my last year in my own country."
Read the book online for free here: http://alexanderpalace.org/leftbehind...
"Danger and hardship and the fact of having led a real working life with all that this entails have made me richer by giving me a fuller understanding of my fellows and by helping me to appreciate the point of view of other classes of society. If I have seen humanity at its worst-cruelty, hatred, and murder all surging in a chaos of untrammelled passion - I have also seen it at its best-kindness, unselfishness, and real charity.
This I will always bear in mind when I remember my Siberian wanderings and my last year in my own country."
Read the book online for free here: http://alexanderpalace.org/leftbehind...
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
First published January 1, 1928
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 6, 2022
Left Behind is an excellent book if you want to find out how crazy and cruel Russian life became in the wake of the Bolshevik takeover. Sophie Buxhoeveden was a lady-in-waiting to Tsar Nicholas II and family right at that historical junction in which the Russian nobility decided to defenestrate the Romanovs, only to be overthrown themselves by the Bolsheviks. The author tried to follow the Romanovs to their temporary exile in Tobolsk, but the train journey she undertook was a nightmare. Soldiers returning from the front lines jammed the trains so full that the doors to compartments could not be opened. At one point, after getting out during a stop to buy food, Buxhoeveden could not get back on the train and had to ride on top of it, a trip that frightened her more than anything she had ever experienced, and she thought she only survived because of the slow speed of the train. At one point, the soldiers on her train got into a shooting war with another batch of soldiers in a fight over a locomotive engine.
Buxhoeveden mentions various atrocities, such as the archbishop who was kidnapped and tied to the paddle wheel of a boat and slowly drowned. In Tobolsk, Buxhoeveden was constantly watched and frequently searched by the authorities, and she found the Grand Duchess Olga suffering so much from the strain of her captivity that though only 22, she looked middle-aged. But even Tobolsk was thought to be too risky by the Bolsheviks, so the family was moved to Ekaterinburg, the Bolsheviks stealing the luggage of the Romanovs in the process. The new quarters for the imperial family had whitewash over the windows to prevent anyone seeing in or out, and a high wooden fence surrounded the building. At this point, Buxhoevden was no longer allowed to visit the family.
Meanwhile, refugees trying to escape Soviet rule poured out of the west and crowded trains heading to Siberia looking for food and work. Trains were often left trapped at stations full of passengers who could not obtain anything to eat. At Ekaterinburg alone, nearly 20,000 people were living on the trains. Some brought food with them and cooked it on fires built on the tracks between the carriages, and children of passengers went around begging for food. Dysentery and typhus spread rapidly, and babies died every day. The Soviets utterly refused to help any of these refugees. Buxhoeveden herself spent nearly two weeks stuck on one of these trains.
In a note, Buxhoeveden mentions that residents of Siberia were mainly Tatars or Germans settlers who had been invited to live there by the Russian emperors. They had never been serfs, they often owned their own land, and they were on the whole better off than the average Russian in the west.
Under Bolshevik rule, a man wearing a collar, or a woman with a hat instead of a shawl were looked upon with suspicion. People were arrested on the most trivial charges, bank accounts were frozen, and mass arrests of the richer class began. Then people of lesser importance were arrested, including foreigners. The wealthier peasants were robbed by roaming members of the army. Prisoners were removed from prison and subjected to mock executions only to find out it was an exercise to terrorize them. Although prisoners were allowed to eat food sent in by their relatives, the jailors often put it in dirty pails and added things like cigarette butts to make it unappetizing. Trials became a farce, and mass executions began.
Many of the foreigners and townspeople tried to flee even though the local commissar threatened to shoot them if they were caught trying to escape. Their houses and belongings were immediately confiscated by the local Soviet if they left. All peasants were ejected from the local Soviet, which afterwards consisted only of soldiers and town workman. Everything became very expensive and the author had to sell nearly all the fittings of her dressing-bag to cover her daily expenses.
But as the White Army forces fought their way closer, the Soviet Army ransacked all the houses in the area and stole everything of value that had not already been looted, and then fled. All the money in the banks and in the government offices was stolen, as well as all valuable stores. The next day the White Forces appeared and put an end to six months of Soviet reign.
The citizens went wild with excitement once their oppressors were gone, and people embraced each other in the street. When the Cossacks arrived, they were greeted with weeping and showers of flowers. The flag of the independent Siberian Government was raised in place of the Soviet flag, the laws of the Kerensky government reinstated, and property was returned to its owners. Everyone seemed to breathe freely again now that the atmosphere of perpetual oppression and fear had gone. However, some of the new recruits for the Siberian Army were actually old Red soldiers who had slunk back, and some were spies for the Soviets.
But no trace of the imperial family or any other members of the imperial household could be found. No one could discover what had happened to them, until a single valet to the Emperor was located in a house. He had been overlooked by the Soviets because he was ill and being nursed in the town, and he testified that the imperial family had actually gone hungry. All the doors to their rooms had been removed so they could be constantly spied on by the soldiers even when the family were sleeping in their beds.
Meanwhile, Buxhoeveden witnessed a reception for Catherine Breshkovsky, "the Grandmother of the Revolution," who had been hunted across Russia by the ungrateful Soviets. Finally, the author heard news of the murder of the Emperor, but there was still no word about the Empress and her children.
Buxhoeveden managed to get a job teaching English in the town--the Soviets had previously forbidden anyone to hire her--and she eventually travelled to Omsk, where she worked as a nurse for an American hospital helping the White Russian soldiers. Omsk had ballooned from 60,000 to 200,000 people because of the huge masses of refugees. By this time, the Siberians had gone through so much that even the disappearance of the monarchy was seen as ancient news. Buxhoeveden eventually went to Vladivostok with the British military, then left Russia entirely.
Buxhoeveden mentions various atrocities, such as the archbishop who was kidnapped and tied to the paddle wheel of a boat and slowly drowned. In Tobolsk, Buxhoeveden was constantly watched and frequently searched by the authorities, and she found the Grand Duchess Olga suffering so much from the strain of her captivity that though only 22, she looked middle-aged. But even Tobolsk was thought to be too risky by the Bolsheviks, so the family was moved to Ekaterinburg, the Bolsheviks stealing the luggage of the Romanovs in the process. The new quarters for the imperial family had whitewash over the windows to prevent anyone seeing in or out, and a high wooden fence surrounded the building. At this point, Buxhoevden was no longer allowed to visit the family.
Meanwhile, refugees trying to escape Soviet rule poured out of the west and crowded trains heading to Siberia looking for food and work. Trains were often left trapped at stations full of passengers who could not obtain anything to eat. At Ekaterinburg alone, nearly 20,000 people were living on the trains. Some brought food with them and cooked it on fires built on the tracks between the carriages, and children of passengers went around begging for food. Dysentery and typhus spread rapidly, and babies died every day. The Soviets utterly refused to help any of these refugees. Buxhoeveden herself spent nearly two weeks stuck on one of these trains.
In a note, Buxhoeveden mentions that residents of Siberia were mainly Tatars or Germans settlers who had been invited to live there by the Russian emperors. They had never been serfs, they often owned their own land, and they were on the whole better off than the average Russian in the west.
Under Bolshevik rule, a man wearing a collar, or a woman with a hat instead of a shawl were looked upon with suspicion. People were arrested on the most trivial charges, bank accounts were frozen, and mass arrests of the richer class began. Then people of lesser importance were arrested, including foreigners. The wealthier peasants were robbed by roaming members of the army. Prisoners were removed from prison and subjected to mock executions only to find out it was an exercise to terrorize them. Although prisoners were allowed to eat food sent in by their relatives, the jailors often put it in dirty pails and added things like cigarette butts to make it unappetizing. Trials became a farce, and mass executions began.
Many of the foreigners and townspeople tried to flee even though the local commissar threatened to shoot them if they were caught trying to escape. Their houses and belongings were immediately confiscated by the local Soviet if they left. All peasants were ejected from the local Soviet, which afterwards consisted only of soldiers and town workman. Everything became very expensive and the author had to sell nearly all the fittings of her dressing-bag to cover her daily expenses.
But as the White Army forces fought their way closer, the Soviet Army ransacked all the houses in the area and stole everything of value that had not already been looted, and then fled. All the money in the banks and in the government offices was stolen, as well as all valuable stores. The next day the White Forces appeared and put an end to six months of Soviet reign.
The citizens went wild with excitement once their oppressors were gone, and people embraced each other in the street. When the Cossacks arrived, they were greeted with weeping and showers of flowers. The flag of the independent Siberian Government was raised in place of the Soviet flag, the laws of the Kerensky government reinstated, and property was returned to its owners. Everyone seemed to breathe freely again now that the atmosphere of perpetual oppression and fear had gone. However, some of the new recruits for the Siberian Army were actually old Red soldiers who had slunk back, and some were spies for the Soviets.
But no trace of the imperial family or any other members of the imperial household could be found. No one could discover what had happened to them, until a single valet to the Emperor was located in a house. He had been overlooked by the Soviets because he was ill and being nursed in the town, and he testified that the imperial family had actually gone hungry. All the doors to their rooms had been removed so they could be constantly spied on by the soldiers even when the family were sleeping in their beds.
Meanwhile, Buxhoeveden witnessed a reception for Catherine Breshkovsky, "the Grandmother of the Revolution," who had been hunted across Russia by the ungrateful Soviets. Finally, the author heard news of the murder of the Emperor, but there was still no word about the Empress and her children.
Buxhoeveden managed to get a job teaching English in the town--the Soviets had previously forbidden anyone to hire her--and she eventually travelled to Omsk, where she worked as a nurse for an American hospital helping the White Russian soldiers. Omsk had ballooned from 60,000 to 200,000 people because of the huge masses of refugees. By this time, the Siberians had gone through so much that even the disappearance of the monarchy was seen as ancient news. Buxhoeveden eventually went to Vladivostok with the British military, then left Russia entirely.
July 15, 2017
Of all the ladies who wrote their memoirs about the last Imperial Family, Sophie "Isa" Buxhoeveden was the most gifted writer. While her account of hwe plight in the war-torn Russia does not lack emotional colouring and certain level of prejudice (understandably), unlike others (Dehn and Vyrubova) she does not go into high passion against her enemies and concentrates instead on actual events which she lived through. This gives her book more reliable feel, which I appreciated. Lef Behind is a sad account which illustrates how lost the Imperial entourage felt after being dispersed across Siberia, and how she made her way out of the newly formed Soviet state. Short, but full of events which could fill a whole massive novel.
to-buy
July 19, 2021Mentioned by India Hocks on Instagram
August 31, 2016
In all my earlier reading about the last tsar and tsaritsa of Russia and their tragic final years, I have severely underestimated the ability, intelligence and observation of lady-in-waiting Sophie Buxhoeveden. She wrote several memoirs and historical accounts of everything that happened to her while she served in the Russian court, and her recollections are still fascinating 100 years later.
Left Behind is different from her other books in that it isn't purely about her memories of the royal family. This time she goes into intense detail about what refugees of the Russian Civil War had to deal with, from fleeing the war itself, to starving and freezing to death in Siberia, to the fear and doubt of not ever seeing your family (or your country) again. And yes, Buxhoeveden's account is a bit biased at the beginning, when she begins her civil war travels in relative comfort as a soon-to-be prisoner of the state. But later in her story, she becomes the same destitute, rag-wearing nobody that she describes so well in the beginning.
I liked this book because of that: because Buxhoeveden discussed the consequences of the tsar's abdication and the consequential war, and didn't just lament the past. She explained war strategies and new leadership, the Bolshevik and Menshevik armies' clashes, and the desperation at trying to find somewhere to settle when nowhere was safe.
And the book is loaded with royal memories, yes, but it was refreshing that she moves past them quickly in the narrative. There's one section where she marvels that by 1919, the monarchy seemed to be a thing of the past, even though it had only been two years. But those two years alone had brought in such turmoil and upheaval that it felt like it just happened. How Sophie Buxhoeveden managed to survive all the executions and war is beyond me; on more than one occasion in this book, she remarks that luck must have gotten her through some of the most harrowing of situations.
I found myself saddened in the end, knowing she had to flee her homeland, perhaps forever. It's an absurd thought, considering how dangerous Russia was for anyone, let alone a monarchist or royal family devotee, at that time, but I could so picture her leaving Vladivostock and not knowing when or if she was going to come back. (Not to mention that part about the reuinion with Joy, Alexei's dog, which was just heartbreaking.) I've loved reading first-hand accounts of that time period. They are so much more real, and raw, that it brings all of my existing knowledge to light even more.
Left Behind is different from her other books in that it isn't purely about her memories of the royal family. This time she goes into intense detail about what refugees of the Russian Civil War had to deal with, from fleeing the war itself, to starving and freezing to death in Siberia, to the fear and doubt of not ever seeing your family (or your country) again. And yes, Buxhoeveden's account is a bit biased at the beginning, when she begins her civil war travels in relative comfort as a soon-to-be prisoner of the state. But later in her story, she becomes the same destitute, rag-wearing nobody that she describes so well in the beginning.
I liked this book because of that: because Buxhoeveden discussed the consequences of the tsar's abdication and the consequential war, and didn't just lament the past. She explained war strategies and new leadership, the Bolshevik and Menshevik armies' clashes, and the desperation at trying to find somewhere to settle when nowhere was safe.
And the book is loaded with royal memories, yes, but it was refreshing that she moves past them quickly in the narrative. There's one section where she marvels that by 1919, the monarchy seemed to be a thing of the past, even though it had only been two years. But those two years alone had brought in such turmoil and upheaval that it felt like it just happened. How Sophie Buxhoeveden managed to survive all the executions and war is beyond me; on more than one occasion in this book, she remarks that luck must have gotten her through some of the most harrowing of situations.
I found myself saddened in the end, knowing she had to flee her homeland, perhaps forever. It's an absurd thought, considering how dangerous Russia was for anyone, let alone a monarchist or royal family devotee, at that time, but I could so picture her leaving Vladivostock and not knowing when or if she was going to come back. (Not to mention that part about the reuinion with Joy, Alexei's dog, which was just heartbreaking.) I've loved reading first-hand accounts of that time period. They are so much more real, and raw, that it brings all of my existing knowledge to light even more.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews