In 1682, when
Peter with his mother,
Natalia Naryshkina, relocated to the royal lodge in
Preobrazhenskoye, he gradually formed a miniature army, ostensibly to school himself in the modern art of war. Besides fellow children, the servants and retainers were also enlisted, with 25-year-old Sergey Bukhvostov recorded in 1683 as the "first Russian soldier". Initially, the "play soldiers" were organized as a 100 men strong
Company of Bombardiers. The boys played war, and as they grew, their games became more
complex and realistic. Professional military advice was sought, and foreign officers were hired as instructors, eventually becoming part of the permanent officer corps of the
Poteshnyi. By 1685, the
Poteshnyi numbered 300 and were quartered in specially built barracks near Preobrazhenskoye, and as their numbers increased, a second similarly sized group was barracked in a neighboring village,
Semenovskoe. With further drafts of
streltsy volunteers, the
Poteshnyi were organized into the
Preobrazhensky and the
Semenovsky companies in 1687. At this stage both companies included artillery and cavalry components. ==References==