How a Turkish girl became the ‘daughter’ of a Russian regiment

This story took place on January 24, 1878, during the Russo-Turkish War. Russian troops were rapidly advancing toward Adrianople (now Edirne).

There was chaos everywhere: columns of refugees were marching, overturned carts were lying around, as well as bodies of local residents, robbed and killed by the thugs of the Turkish army – ‘bashi-bazouks’.

Suddenly, private Mikhail Saenko of the Keksholm Grenadier Regiment saw a little Turkish girl of about five years old next to the body of a murdered woman. The soldier ran out of the ranks and immediately grabbed the child.

'Scout' magazine, Saint-Petersburg, 1892, № 113, p. 512

The regiment decided to adopt the child and take care of her until she came of age. Although the girl's name was Aishe, she was baptized and named Maria Kexholmskaya, in honor of Empress Maria Alexandrovna and the regiment that saved her.

Soldiers and officers created a special fund for “daughter of the regiment” Maria and regularly contributed funds to it. They even petitioned the royal couple to enroll the girl in the Institute for Noble Maidens.

Maria Kexholmskaya.

Public Domain

The diligent and disciplined girl graduated from this Institute in 1890 and, two years later, she married a dragoon named Alexander Schlemmer. The groom officially asked for Maria’s hand at the officers’ meeting of the regiment.

As a dowry for their “daughter”, the Keksholm Regiment gave an impressive sum of 12,500 silver rubles. The girl’s savior, Mikhail Saenko, was unable to attend the wedding, but sent a congratulatory telegram.

Maria with her husband Alexander and sons, Pavel and Georgy.

Public Domain

During World War I, Maria served as a nurse and the soldiers dubbed her “the saint of the saints” for her kindness and care. She died in 1920 in Crimea from tuberculosis.

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