Maria Botchkareva proposed to Mikhail Rodzianko the creation of an all-female combat unit that she claimed would fix the Army's morale problem. This was named “The Battalion of Death.” Maria’s story is a fascinating account of woman’s attempt to save the country that she lived while it was in its final death throes. She charts in fascinating detail the course of her life, from poverty-stricken serfdom, to an abusive relationship with a drunken husband, to becoming the first Russian woman to command a military unit. Her actions caused her to be a hero for suffragettes in the west and a symbol for white Russia in her home country. This book is a remarkable account that provides a unique view on the First World War and the Russian Revolution. Maria Botchkareva, nicknamed Yashka, was a Russian soldier who fought in World War I and formed the Women's Battalion of Death. She passed away in 1920. Her book, My Life as Peasant Officer and Exile was first published in America in 1919.