The Spaces of Russia in the Diary of General Patrick Gordon and His Letters

From the beginning of his service in the Russian military, Patrick Gordon paid special attention in his Diary to the description of the spaces of the Moscow state and their role in the conduct of military operations. In his opinion, the significant scale of Russia’s territory noticeably slowed down the course of military operations since the troops that gathered in the center of the country had to travel for weeks or even months to the borders to enter into direct combat contact with the enemy. General Gordon noted that enemies sometimes used Russia’s natural features against it: during the Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689, the Crimean Tatars set fire to the steppe, seriously complicating the situation of Prince V.V. Golitsyn’s army. In addition to road communications, Gordon described Russian and Turkish fortresses in detail; his Diary also provides information on the development of postal service at that time.