Astrakhan Cossack Army

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Karl Karlowitsch Piratzky; General in the Astrakhan Cossack Army (1862)

The Astrakhan Cossack Army ( Russian Астраханское казачье Войско ) was from 1737 to 1918, a large military unit consisting of Cossacks and Kalmyks in the Russian Empire . It was founded in 1737 by a Russian ukase and was recruited from Cossacks from the Volga region and members of the Kalmyks. The association was not organized according to military principles, it consisted of several large and small groups between 50 and 100 people and was initially considered an irregular force . Mostly nobles were used as unit leaders . In 1750 the 1st Astrakhan Cossack Regiment was set up from this stock , whose task was to secure the border against Kyrgyz attacks and to staff the Astrakhan fortress . The regiment's headquarters were thus in Astrakhan .

Founding history

In Russia, several hundred Cossack families were settled in the Astrakhan area around 1733 . Astrakhan grew into an economic center and established important courier posts , main post offices and security services . This finally led to the establishment of the 1st Astrakhan Regiment on March 28, 1750. Their deployment area extended over 900 kilometers along the right Volga from Saratov to Astrakhan on the Caspian Sea . The Astrakhan Cossack Army was one of a total of 11 Cossack armies and was incorporated into the Imperial Russian Army within the framework of administrative legislation. In 1834, after a renewed restructuring, the regiment had 500 Cossacks and around 200 Kalmyks.

Mission history

Astrakhan Cossack Army

With the establishment of the Astrakhan-Cossack army in 1737, the Russian Empire wanted to protect the borders, the salt mines and the Russian settlers , together with the allied forces of the Kalmyks, from Kyrgyz attacks. Between 1771 and 1775, in addition to the Astrakhan Cossack Army, other Cossack associations for border security were integrated into the Russian services. At the same time, a new tax income was implemented, which secured the livelihoods. In the 1780s to 1790s there were several attacks by the Kazakhs , which led to the expansion of the lines of defense by several Cossack units. A cordon was erected along the border for security , which the Cossack forces checked at regular intervals and constantly secured. The encroachments between the Urals and the Volga lasted until 1862, when the ceasefire that had now occurred led to the lifting of the cordon. In the years 1807 ( plague ) and 1892 ( cholera ) the Astrakhan Cossacks were used to enforce quarantine measures and to protect the population.

Reorganization of the Astrakhan-Cossack army

On December 6, 1837 Ernst Heinrich von der Brüggen was promoted to major general and appointed ataman of the Astrakhan Cossack army. In this capacity as ataman he began to reorganize the Astrakhan-Cossack troop. He drew up a plan of priorities, streamlined the division of duties and kept strict forms. The regimental commanders, most of whom came from the nobility, had to take personal responsibility for the condition of their units. In 1845 the new army ordinances came into force in the Cossack Army, the Cossack armies were now an official part of the Imperial Russian Army. In addition, von der Brüggen ensured a high level of training for the Cossack officers, the training company and the cadet training of the Cossacks were directly subordinated to the army command. Not only the members of the army, but also their sons and daughters now enjoyed a school education, Brüggen provided for the establishment of educational institutions at the military sites and the Cossack settlements.

Structure and deployment

Displacement between Astrakhan and Saratov

The Astrakhan Cossack army consisted of three regiments and a cavalry - squadron . The first regiment was the oldest and richest in tradition. During the First World War the army was divided into three mounted regiments, two hundreds and a battery . The stanitsas or Cossack settlements where the regiments deployed were were, for example, Krasny Yar (Astrakhan) and Jenotajewka . Further Cossack settlements were subsequently established: 1750 Kasachebugrowskaya, 1764 Lebjashinskaya, Samjanskaya, Kosikinskaya, Wetlyanskaya and Grachovskaya, 1785 Durnovskaya and Gorodoforpostinskaya, 1842 Mikhailovskaya. In addition, units were stationed in the cities of Saratov, Kamysjak , Tsaritsyn and Chorny Yar (Astrakhan) . The strength of the Cossack army in the Astrakhan district (around 800,000 hectares) in 1916 was around 40,000.

War missions

The Astrakhan Cossack army celebrated its most glorious mission when it took part in the " Patriotic War " of 1812.

  • The 1st regiment was deployed against the French from August 8th to 18th, 1812 . In the Sixth Coalition War they marched against Warsaw and were involved in the siege of the Modlin Fortress from March 17 to August 28 .
  • The 2nd and 3rd regiments strengthened the Saxon dragoon squadron on July 18, 1812. From October 4 to 7, 1813, parts of the regiments fought against the French near Cracow and took part in the Battle of Leipzig. The 2nd regiment was at the head of the Allied forces and entered Paris in 1814 together with Kalmuck soldiers and the Astrakhan Cossacks. All participants were awarded the medal “In memory of the Patriotic War of 1812 ” and the medal for entering Paris .

A cavalry squadron with a staff of 60 Cossacks was also deployed in the border cordons established between Saratov and Astrakhan. They were used for border surveillance, as riding couriers and for urban patrols until 1878. Among them, cavalrymen took part in the Turkish War of 1877/1878 and later in combat operations in the Caucasus.

Dissolution of the Astrakhan-Cossack troops

After the October Revolution in 1917, power in the city and province of Astrakhan was taken over by the Bolsheviks . The Cossack army with its three regiments was incorporated into the Caucasian Army of the Armed Forces of Southern Russia as the Astrakhan Division . The Cossack uprising initiated by the ataman of the Astrakhan Cossacks, IA Biryukov, with 1200 Cossacks and 300 Kalmyks, was put down by the Soviets on January 12, 1918. After the defeat of the White Army , some of the Cossacks and Kalmyks went into exile , while the rest of the Cossack soldiers were subjected to repression and evictions . In 1918 the entire Astrakhan Cossack army was disbanded, after which some disputes developed over the Cossack inheritance of the Astrakhan Cossacks.

See also

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