Yaik Cossack Uprising (1772)

Dissatisfaction with the Yaik Cossacks by the government’s policy of eliminating old liberties troops accumulated during the entire 18th century . In previous decades, the Yaik army retained its autonomy and self-government due to its remoteness and almost abandonment on the distant Asiatic frontiers of the Russian state, representing a buffer between the Kazakhs, legs, Kalmyks, Bashkirs, and Tatars. This forced the Cossacks to pursue their own policies, dictated by their own interests. The periods when the Cossacks were forced to repel the raids of the steppe people gave way to periods when the Yaik Cossacks themselves independently embarked on campaigns to plunder the nomads and caravans. Under these conditions, the election of atamans and the democratic principles of the life of the Cossacks ensured the sustainability and survival of the troops. But the times of the undivided economy of the Cossacks on Yaik by the beginning of the 18th century were over. The Russian state has become increasingly involved in both the internal structure of the life of the Cossacks, subjugating the Yaik army of the Military Collegium , and the main fishery on Yaik - fishing. In the first half of the century commissions were sent to Yaik one after another for a census of the Cossacks and the search for fugitives. “Regularity” is introduced - the state of the troops is determined, the procedure for paying salaries, the elimination of atamans and foremen is actually canceled. In the army there was a split on the senior and military sides. The split deepened after the introduction in 1754 of the state salt monopoly and the beginning of the abuse of salt tax collectors from among the military elite ^{[1] [2]} .

With the establishment of the Orenburg and Orenburg Cossack troops, the government received powerful power levers of influence on the Yaik prone to insurgencies. Sharply increased load on the Cossacks as a service in the remote fortresses and in the royal campaigns. Vasily Tatishchev, one of the Orenburg governor-generals, proposed his own version of the reform of the Yaitsky army: to replace the “Cossack democracy” with senior councilors of various levels - “through which their ranks will be in great reverence, and meanness in fear”; to replace the old Cossack traditions of self-government with a charter - “the worst thing is that they don’t have any law for the court and the statute’s governing board; according to custom, for idle affairs they are put to death, but the important ones are neglected. ” The project of Tatishchev, although not fully implemented, formulated the empire's general line on eliminating identity and self-government - “gathering the best officers, writing a general charter for the Don, Yaik, Greben and Volga Cossacks ...” Attempts to counteract this policy led to consolidation of the division in the Yaitsky army: "... the reports sent from elders and Cossacks provided that the Yaik army, being divided into two parties, choose their chieftains with general sentences ..." The impossibility of changing unwanted chieftains and elders caused the camps eniya new class inside the army, provokes "army captain" of the abuse their superiority, leads to a significant property stratification. In an effort to preserve this position, the army foreman actually becomes a guide to the policies of the tsarist government, since it guarantees the preservation of the status quo. In addition to the chieftains and officers according to their positions, such a privileged class is formed as senior children. Atamans and foremen select in their favor the once public military resources - grasslands and fishing grounds. As the Cossacks wrote in their complaints about the ataman Merculiev: “Every year the Cossacks, collecting 6 and 7,000 carts each, drive off to catch sturgeon sticks, and almost every year the Merman son is the headman, and the best ones to catch places with his companions and seize 30 and 40 waggles each, and the Cossacks 2 and 3 each, and they are offended ... ” ^[1]

In 1769 - 1770, the Yaik Cossacks opposed the order to send several hundred people to form the Terek border line in Kizlyar , as well as sending the Cossacks to serve in the newly formed Moscow Legion . The last order outraged even the ataman and the foremen, since service in the legion imposed unacceptable demands on wearing uniform and shaving beards on the Cossacks of the Old Believers. At the same time, the Military Collegium refuses the army in the supply of gunpowder and lead, offering in return ready charges in paper cartridges, which are not suitable for guns of various kinds available to Cossacks. The Cossacks considered this to be another attempt to introduce the “regularity” they hated. At the last moment, the Military Collegium allowed the Cossacks not to shave their beards and the foremen tried to forcefully send to the Moscow Legion randomly snatched from Cossack ranks, which merely ignited protest sentiments. Direct disobedience to the military order, as well as a large number of sent petitions with complaints from both the senior and military sides, forced the Orenburg Governor-General Reinsdorp in 1770 to send an investigation commission led by Major-General I. I. Davydov (also in The commission was composed of generals Potapov, Cherepov, Brahfeld), in December 1771, replaced by General Traubenberg , accompanied by a detachment of government troops under the command of the captain of the guard Durnovo. While the commission was in Yaitsky town in 1771, while Kalmyks escaped outside Russia, ordinary Cossacks refused to obey the new order of the Orenburg Governor-General to go in pursuit ^[3] .

As a result, the investigation commission of General Davydov decided to convict more than 2 thousand Cossacks of “disobedience” at once, 43 of them being the main perpetrators. The Military Collegium was sent to St. Petersburg for approval of the verdict, which stated that 43 “deachers" should be punished by gauntlets "through a thousand people ten times and sent to the army", which in fact could be considered the death penalty. The rest of the convicted Cossacks "dress up in distant teams without waiting in line three times." The sentence shook the Cossacks, out of those sentenced to the gauntlets, only 20 people managed to detain, 23 Cossacks managed to escape. The rest decided to send to Petersburg a deputation of twenty Cossacks headed by the centurion Ivan Kirpichnikov. In the petition, handed to Kirpichnikov, all the insults and injustices of recent years were listed. On June 28, 1771, the Cossacks managed to file a complaint to Catherine II . Waiting for an answer was delayed for months. The Cossacks re-filed a complaint to Count Grigory Orlov , and then obtained a reception from the President of the Military Collegium, Count Z. Chernyshev . As the Cossacks were told later, the latter, in response to complaints, became furious and hit Kirpichnikov in such a way that “he was deprived of life,” drove the rest away, ordering him to whip it out before that. Only at the beginning of December 1771, Catherine in the order to the Chief Procurator of the Senate, Prince A. Vyazemsky, wrote that the complaint of the Cossacks was “filled with many lies and slanders”, that they also slander Count Chernyshev, that petitioners “are the very swindlers who for their own interest have inflated internecine anxiety on Yaik. " However, the draft sentence for the Cossacks was slightly relaxed - according to him, 43 Cossacks, including Kirpichnikov’s name, had to “cut off their beards, send them to the Second Army regiments for writing,” for the remaining three extraordinary outfits to distant teams ^[4] .

The delegation of Yaik Cossacks was summoned to the Military Collegium, where they were handed confirmation of the verdict of General Davydov. Finding out that their complaint was ignored, the Cossacks hurried to leave the building of the Military Collegium, leaving the package with the approved sentence “on leaving the College Hall”. Learning of this, Chernyshev ordered to catch the petitioners and arrest them, but only six of them managed to grab them. The rest, headed by Kirpichnikov, disguised themselves in a “yamskoe gown” hurriedly left Petersburg and headed for Yaik, arriving in the Yaitsky town at the beginning of January 1772 ^[5] .

General Traubenberg, who replaced Davydov as the head of the investigative commission in December 1771, did not wait for the verdict from St. Petersburg and ordered immediate restoration of order to the Yaitsky army. As a first step, he ordered the arrest of seven of the most "unruly" Cossacks and after punishing them with whips sent to Orenburg to record them in an army regiment. But when escorted, 40 versts from the city, horse Cossacks attacked the guard and beat off six of those arrested. The convoy was forced to return to the town of Yaitsky with the remaining prisoner, reporting to Traubenberg that about two hundred Cossacks participated in the attack, from which they "shot to death". Traubenberg announced that the army had rebelled and sent a message to Orenburg, demanding that they send an additional command to conduct the proceedings and punishments. Many of the Cossacks of the “naughty” side chose to leave the city and take refuge for a while on distant farms ^[6] .

At the same time, on the morning of January 9, deputies who had escaped from St. Petersburg, headed by Kirpichnikov, returned to Yaitsky town. As one of the officers of Traubenberg reported later: “As soon as the Centurion Kirpichnikov, who ran there from St. Petersburg, arrived with comrades, he was met more than five hundred Cossacks near the town itself”. The hopes of the Cossacks on the good news from the deputies were immediately destroyed. At that moment, the officers of the government detachment arrived, stating that the members of the delegation, on the orders of Traubenberg, should be isolated under the supervision of a doctor and a guard, under the pretext of a medical examination and quarantine. The assembled Cossacks did not allow to detain the deputies ^[7] .

Two days on January 10 and 11 were held in absentia confrontation. Traubenberg sent messengers and foremen demanding Kirpichnikov to appear in the military office. Kirpichnikov, feeling for himself the support of the overwhelming majority of the Cossacks, pointedly refused. By order of the general, part of the "disobedient" Cossacks were arrested, from among those who gathered around the rebellious sergeant's house, but also the Cossacks of the military side beat several representatives of the military foreman, and the two even "were killed with deadly logs in the cellar." Gradually, two irreconcilable centers of opposition arose in the city. The Cossacks of the elders' side made their way, clearly and secretly, to the military office, around which 30 guns were sent, directed along the streets adjacent to it. The Cossacks of the military side gathered daily near the house of the retired Cossack Mikhail Tolkachev , who became their informal leader, with every hour making ever more radical demands. Speaking on this circle, Kirpichnikov said that he allegedly brought the decree of the empress from St. Petersburg, in which she granted the Cossacks the right to act in their sole discretion. According to Kirpichnikov, Catherine put all the troubles of the Cossacks onto Count Chernyshev, but having learned about his intrigues, "that everything the Count is philosophizing, is very sorry." A simple lie, however, had an encouraging effect. Confident in their rightness, the Cossacks of the military side rejected all admonitions and demands of Traubenberg ^[8] .

On January 12, a troop circle was called at the Tolkachev house. Sotniki Ivan Kirpichnikov and Afanasy Perfilyev suggested once again to turn to General Traubenberg with a request to dismiss the foremen and the next morning to go to Traubenberg with a peace procession, with priests, icons, with families, to convince the general that there was no desire to fight and ask him to believe the army. Opinions were divided on the terms, the majority decided to try to solve the case by handing a petition to Traubenberg. But some of the Cossacks considered this venture meaningless, demanding that the matter be resolved by force. Many after the circle did not go home, and spent the night right there at the fires. On the morning of January 13, almost all the Cossacks and their families gathered around the house of Tolkachev, eyewitnesses called the number from 3 to 5 thousand people. From here they went to the Peter and Paul Church, where a prayer service was served. Then, with images and singing of prayers, the procession slowly moved along the main street of the city to the south, to the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel and the Military Chancellery. Having passed a part of the way, the demonstrators once again sent their representatives to the captain Durnovo — Cossack Shigaev and priest Vasilyev. They conveyed a request to Traubenberg to leave the city peacefully with the soldiers. In addition to Durnovo, military ataman Tambovtsev and military foremen Borodin and Suetin also went to the talks. Captain Durnovo promised, gaining time, that the troops and Traubenberg would soon leave the city, but at the same time, he refused to confirm this publicly to all the assembled Cossacks. Shigaev also urged the ataman and the foremen to obey before the army, saying that otherwise “he would bring, God bless, to bloodshed; the army now will not lag behind its enterprise. Durnovo and the general will not allow it, maybe they will fire them from their cannons, and de people will not restrain them then, because you know that a bad thing will come out. ” But the chieftain and the foremen only repeated the requirement of Traubenberg to everyone to go home ^[9] .

According to later testimonies, during the negotiations, part of the Cossacks of the disobedient side, on foot and on horseback, courtyards, back streets, hiding under the Chagan barracks , made their way close to the wax office. Durnovo showed that in the Army Chancellery they saw that about five hundred Cossacks were scattered around the gardens around the main square. In the meantime, when the main procession with the singing of prayers, carrying the large and revered icon of the Virgin before us, slowly moved forward again, Traubenberg ordered Durnovo to open fire on the crowd with cannon at the stop. Then they fired a volley of dragoons muskets. Immediately, more than 100 people died - men, women, children. There were significantly more injured. Part of the procession began to scatter and hide in houses on the sides of the street, others rushed off to their homes for weapons, some even unarmed remained in place. A detachment of armed Cossacks appeared from a side street. He quickly scattered around the Cossack houses and fired back from the shelters and from the rooftops. Shooting was carried out on the gunners and soon most of them either killed or dispersed. Then the Cossacks, both armed and unarmed, attacked the position of artillery. At first they captured one gun, and soon all the others. The position has been broken through. The dragoons behind the cannons quivered and ran in panic. The Cossacks of the “petty party” ran after them. Eyewitnesses said that the Cossacks deployed captured guns and fired several shots. In this case, probably due to too large a set of charges, two guns exploded. Unarmed Cossacks seized the guns abandoned by the dragoons. General Traubenberg with officers and chieftain Tambovtsev with their supporters tried to hide in the stone house of Tambovtsev, but the Cossacks and "several women and girls with a wooden tree" caught up with them. Traubenberg tried to hide under the porch, they took him out, hacked him with sabers and threw him on the garbage heap. Ataman Tambovtsev, foremen Mitryasov, Kolpakov, S. Tambovtsev, captain Dolgopolov, lieutenant Ashcheulov, 6 soldiers were killed. Captain Durnovo, lieutenant Skipin, foreman Suetin, 25 dragoons were wounded and captured. The rest of the dragoons were captured unscathed. Of the 200 "obedient" Cossacks, 40 people were killed, 20 were injured. The losses of the "disobedient" Cossacks are unknown ^{[10] [11] [12]} .

All the surviving officers and soldiers were disarmed, many were beaten. The Cossacks of the obedient side were also beaten up, many were dragged through the city to places of detention in custody. It went to the merchants who were at that moment in the city, since, for the most part, they had business with wealthy Cossacks of the petty part. On the evening of January 13, a circle was convened by the alarm bell, on which a new leadership of the Yaik army was formed. It was decided not to choose a military ataman, instead of it was elected a board of three military attorneys: Vasily Trifonov, Terenty Sengilevtsev and Andrei Labzenev. By the time of the uprising, all three were imprisoned on the orders of Traubenberg. All the foremen and centurions belonging to the foremost side were displaced. Many Cossacks were enthusiastic: “No matter how many forces there were, no one can overcome us!” Despite objections from newly elected elders, it was decided by a majority of votes to execute military deacon Suyetin and clerk Syugunov, who made out many unfair decisions of former atamans and foremen. In conversations they referred to legendary letters from Moscow kings, where the army allegedly had been granted many freedoms and the right to live at its own discretion. However, there were many cautious and sober-speaking Cossacks who did not share the optimism of their comrades and urged that all actions be given as lawful as possible. Therefore, when the captive elders were brought to the circle, after many disputes, it was decided not to execute them, but to keep them under arrest. Over the course of two days, jointly written petitions were written to Catherine II , Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich , Orenburg Governor-General Reinsdorp, Kazan Archbishop Veniamin , in which they tried to explain the performance by the senior officers and the injustice of the investigative commission. In the messages, the Cossacks asked to return the election of chieftains and foremen, in order to be able to remove from disagreeable and stealing positions, to issue a delayed salary, to transfer troops from the subordination of the Military Collegium under the authority of individual royal approximations (for example, Orlovs). Four delegates were chosen for the trip to Petersburg, among them Maxim Shigaev ^{[13] [14]} .

The wounded captain Durnovo was transferred from custody to the care of military healers. After the health of the wounded soldiers and officers improved, all members of the government detachment were released to Orenburg. With them, the Orenburg governor was sent a considerable stock of fish and caviar, counting on reconciliation. Meanwhile, troop attorneys with the participation of other Cossacks compiled a text of the new oath, to which all Cossack troops, including former prisoners' supporters of the front-line party, led to them on January 15. After the ceremony of taking the oath, all the Cossacks were forced to ask each other for forgiveness in order to restore peace and unity in the army. The oath was sealed by signatures ^[15] .

On February 11 in St. Petersburg, the State Council heard a report from the Orenburg Governor-General Reinsdorp about the events in Yaitsky town. Reinsdorp suggested not taking immediate action, but waiting for spring and the moment when most of the Cossacks would leave the city for the spring curtain — catch sturgeon, occupy the city with regular troops, bringing the Cossacks “into obedience” and changing the command of the army. On February 16, a Cossack delegation headed by the future associate of Pugachev, Maxim Shigaev, arrived in St. Petersburg. Immediately upon arrival, the entire delegation was arrested and placed in the Peter and Paul Fortress . On the same day, a decision was made at the State Council to send a punitive expedition under the command of Major-General F. Y. Freiman to Yaiko . On March 26, the rescript of Empress Catherine II to the Orenburg Governor Reinsdorp was issued in connection with the uprising of the Yaik Cossacks. Meanwhile, in Yaitsky town, they decided to send another group of deputies from the army of nine men headed by the ataman Morkovtsev to St. Petersburg ^{[16] [17]} .

The government and Empress Catherine had another reason to hasten with the liquidation of the rebellion in the Yaitsky army, since it received wide publicity. In the spring of 1772, an unexpected turn was received by an attempt to call the Cossacks from the Volga for the Moscow Legion. During the riots and expressions of discontent, the Cossacks unexpectedly declared that “Emperor Peter III” appeared in the villages on the Volga, who managed to escape after the coup in favor of his wife. For the emperor issued runaway serf Fedot Bogomolov . The rebellious Volga Cossacks arrested the officers who had arrived for recruitment to the legion, tried to seize the capital of the Volga army, Dubovka , but were defeated. Bogomolov was arrested, but soon an attempt was made to release him from the prison in Tsaritsyn and transport him to the Don. The preparation did not go unnoticed, during the clashes in Tsaritsyn the city commandant Colonel Tsyplev was seriously injured, but an attempt to revolt was suppressed ^[18] .

At this time in the town of Yaitsky, attempts were made to hastily strengthen the army militarily. By the beginning of the uprising, the entire artillery of the Yaik Cossacks was dispersed among the fortresses and outposts of the border line along the Yaik River ; The troop office issued an order to send half of the entire composition of the Cossack garrisons, as well as all the guns, to the Yaik town. In addition, most of the serfs who were in the Army and relocated were recorded in the Cossacks. Across the border line, the former chieftains of the fortresses were removed from their posts, and new ones were appointed from among the rebels. For military needs, the money of the arrested representatives of the elders' side was confiscated, and fines were imposed on those who remained at large. Horses were also confiscated. Nevertheless, there were not enough weapons, many Cossacks had only peaks, bows and edged weapons with them. Waiting for the inevitable clash with the government, the Cossacks hurried to take measures to reconcile with their closest neighbors. All the contained “amanaty” hostages, beaten off in raids, were released into the Kazakh steppes; on March 24, 200 horses were returned to Aychuwaku, the sultan ^{[13] [19]} .

At the same time, most of the preparations took place indiscriminately and inconsistently, part of the Cossacks advocated the need to continue negotiations with the authorities, partly for more decisive actions, the execution of the arrested foremen. The composition of the Army Chancellery was constantly changing, as a result of which some orders were canceled and then issued again. When one of the three military attorneys of the Sengilevtsy left the army to accompany the wounded captain of the guard Durnovo, the radical Cossacks insisted on the election of a 70-year-old Cossack Nelylyubin. Known for his obstinacy, in previous years, Nelylyubin was arrested many times and was sent into exile. With his arrival in the leadership of the rebel army there was a complete rift. Trying to find a peaceful solution after Trifonov happened in January, Kirpichnikov tried to call on the Cossacks for moderation in the demands on the government. But the radical part of the army together with the newly elected attorney Nelyubinin insisted on more decisive measures. In March, two of the attorneys found a reason to remove Neulibin, instead of him Nikita Kargin was chosen for this post. In April, the governor Reinsdorp sent a representative to the town of Yaitsky, an Orenburg Cossack, Colonel Ugletsky , who a few years before the events described were serving as acting ataman of the Yaitsky army. For two days, on April 28 and 29, on a convoked military circle with the participation of Ugletsky, the Cossacks tried to find a way of reconciliation with the government while preserving the foundations of the independence of the Yaik army. Moderate Cossacks offered to release all the arrested elders in Orenburg, convincing them to patrol for their fellow countrymen. Radically minded offered to rely only on the decision of the Empress and not to listen to anyone else. Without coming to any decision, the Cossacks released Ugletsky, who reported in Orenburg that his mission was unsuccessful. But at the same time, Ugletsky noted that because of the disputes and the inability of the Cossacks to agree among themselves, “he did not see any of the troops of Yaitsky, he did not see any resistance to the preparations” ^[20] .

On May 15, 1772, the Orenburg Corps under the command of Major General Freiman moved to Yaitsky town, it consisted of 2519 dragoons and rangers, 1,112 horse Orenburg Cossacks and Stavropol Kalmyks , about 20 guns. On May 16, the Cossacks of the Genvartsev Outpost informed the attorneys in Yaitsky Gorod that Freiman's corps was seen on the approach to the Iletsk town . The Iletsk Cossacks, in turn, reported that Freiman had asked them to prepare 275 horses with carts for his approach, and the local protopop threatened Yayak rioters with reprisals. Soon, this information was confirmed by another Cossack of the Iletsk town, he also said that he was equipped with a pursuit, "so that he would not send news to the army of Yaitskoye." The collection of weapons, gunpowder and ammunition announced earlier went extremely slowly, which was explained by the inconsistency of orders issued by the troop office, the lack of control over the course of orders issued ^[21] .

Hope for help from the Kazakhs was destroyed by active diplomatic and military measures by the governor of Reinsdorp. On the eve of the release of the Freiman’s corps, the governor, in a message to Nurali Khan, suggested that he join the campaign of the government troops, informing at the same time that the left (“Bukhara”) shore of Yaik should be a “special case”. His task is to assist Freiman, but Nurali Khan read this veiled threat and preferred to withdraw from participation in the events. On May 27, the Freiman corps crossed the Irtek River in close proximity to the lands of the rebellious army. The Yaik Cossacks, who for the most part went to the spring flood - fishing for stellate sturgeon , were urgently recalled to Yaik town. A military circle was convened in which the Cossacks for several days could not reach a unanimous opinion - whether to meet Freiman respectfully or to come forward to repel. The most radical speakers offered to take the battle, and after defeating Freiman, to go to Orenburg, “on the way, to anger the landlords' people to escape and take them into their army.” Later, Freiman wrote to Catherine II: “They are stubborn, proud, brutally vicious, like this, and this intention proves that they wanted to go through the Volga to Russia by breaking me.” But on the second day of the circle, more moderate moods took over. It was decided to meet Freiman at the Genvartsev outpost on the border troops and convince not to move on. First, the forward detachment of 400 Cossacks under the command of marching atamans I. Ponomarev and I. Ulyanov, and two days later and the main detachment in 2000 Cossacks under the command of V. Trifonov advanced up the Yaik ^{[13] [22]} .

Cossacks of the elders' side were forcibly recruited into the main detachment of Trifonov, which adversely affected his military unity. In Yaik town, only 200 people were left by lot. Of all the cannons they were able to select, only 12 of them were suitable, while there were only about 15 pounds of gunpowder, which was clearly not enough to fight with regular troops. The call of the Cossacks of the elder side immediately made itself felt. While the Cossacks were preparing for the purpose of attacking the Freiman economic train from the Irtetsk Rossosh, several "obedient" Cossacks fled and warned the government detachment. Freiman ordered the advanced columns to stop moving, so that the units stretching along the road would gather more closely. Making sure that the ambush lost its meaning, Ponomarev and Ulyanov ordered the Cossacks to take a position on the bank of the Yembulatovka River (not far from the present village of Rubezhinsky ) ^[23] .

On June 1, the Yaik Cossacks sent the centurion A. Perfilyev , another one of Pugachev’s future associates, to the negotiations with Freyman, accompanied by two more Cossacks. Perfilyev, when meeting with Freiman, stated that the Cossacks of the Yaik army “in great summaries about the teams and artillery marching with the spokesman-major-general”, asking “why and by what decree do they go to the Yaitsky town?”. At the same time, Perfilyev tried to exaggerate the number of Cossacks, saying that in Yembulatovka "up to about three thousand people who carry rifles, spears, arrows and sabers", and in Yaitsky town "there are enough Cossacks to defend it." In addition, Perfilyev demanded to give all the defectors - the Cossacks of the elder side. Freiman did not succumb to simple tricks, demanding in turn to give out all the instigators of the insurrection immediately, and then go to Yaik town and wait there for the arrival of his team. Perfilyev had no choice, as soon as the negotiations were completed with a proud statement: “We will all die on the Yembulatovka River, but we will not let us into the town!” ^[24]

Freyman attacked the Cossacks at dawn on June 3 and managed to take them by surprise, according to the testimony of the Cossacks - "at dawn, the team embarked on them and attacked them at such a time that they were not yet ready to fight back." The Cossacks missed the moment when the government detachment advanced along a narrow passage between the hills. Soon Freyman went to the open area of ​​the steppe, where he was able to rebuild his forces in the correct columns. The cossacks who came to their senses attacked his left flank, simultaneously setting fire to dry grass to hide their movements under the cover of smoke. However, the smoke intervened and in their actions, as Freiman wrote in the report, the Cossacks “drove up to the hollow of the cannon, fired very hastily, but they interfered with the smoke like smoke, then the nuclei flew through them”. Freiman's corps fired back from the cannons, while the soldiers were in a hurry to cut grass with shovels to stop the spread of fire. The Cossacks regrouped and attacked the government unit again, this time from the right flank, trying to push the soldiers back to the river bank. Freyman threw the cavalry units of the Orenburg Cossacks and Kalmyks into a counter-attack, forcing the Yaik Cossacks to retreat again and take up positions on the heights on both sides of the road along which the government corps was to move. The first day of the battle did not bring an obvious result to both sides, but it was noticeable that the government artillery fired much more efficiently than the rebel cannons ^[25] .

Despite this, the Yaitsky atamans sent messengers to the city with the news that the army "was not admitted" to the land of the Freiman corps and 8 prisoners were captured by the Cossacks. In Yaitsky town, a thanksgiving prayer service was served, after which it was decided to send to Yembulatovka greetings and orders to “throw off everyone, and bring the general to the city”. Women with images passed a procession through all the churches and chapels, after which “they searched for the homes of the obedient side of the Muscins and beat them” ^[26] .

Meanwhile, at dawn on June 4, Freyman falsely demonstrated that he was going to send his detachment to the crossing of Yembulatovka, ordering to place secretly on a hill at the crossing 4 guns under cover of 400 grenadiers, fencing off positions. The dispositions of the remaining units were also enclosed with slingshots, so that the attacks of the rebel cavalry would be difficult. The Cossacks attacked the government corps, but to no avail, after which they were forced to launch a retreat to the river, coming under fire from an ambush battery. Meanwhile, the entire body of Freiman moved to the attack, while the soldiers carried the slingshot in front of the front. The Cossacks hurried to ferry their guns to the right bank of the Ambulatka, and then they crossed themselves, leaving only a small barrier on the left bank. Freiman took all the dominant heights at the crossing under the positions of his batteries. After regrouping, the cavalry Cossacks returned to the left bank, while the guns and infantry tried to support them with fire from the right bank. But their positions were in the lowlands and the Cossacks were unable to organize the aimed mounted shooting. The attackers of Freiman had to return, after which the Cossacks decided to retreat to the Yaitsky town. Freiman was unable to pursue them immediately, continuing to the town only the next day on June 5, after repairing bridges, carts, carts and gun carriages ^[27] .

Having suffered defeat, the returning Cossacks called on all residents to leave the town of Yaitsky and move south towards the Persian border. Soon, about 30 thousand people, at least 10 thousand wagons, cattle and horses gathered at the ferries. The guards with most of the population crossed the Chagan . In this confusion, the relatives managed to free the imprisoned Cossacks of the petty side, running with them to meet Freyman. On the night of June 6, the tsarist troops entered the Yaik town and with decisive actions prevented the destruction of the crossing. Headmen Vitoshnov and Zhuravlyov were sent to negotiate with the Cossacks who had crossed over and were instructed to declare that all those who did not return to the city would be persecuted and executed by government forces. After negotiations and appeals to return without fear, gradually the majority of the inhabitants of Yaik town returned to their homes ^[28] .

The losses of the Cossacks turned out to be significant, the calculation of Freiman showed that in the city "the yards 128 remained empty after the dead and no-show". Freiman declared the city under siege. Troops were withdrawn from the city and camped nearby. Permanent guard and artillery battery were placed at the military office. Other batteries were located on the city shaft, with the task to open fire on the city if necessary. The streets of the city were patrolled by horse dragoon patrols. As a result of the defeat of the uprising, the gathering of military circles was banned, and power in the army now passed to the commandant's office, headed by the commandant, lieutenant colonel I. D. Simonov . The army was introduced previously unheard of post of police chief , who was declared foreman I. Tambovtsev, brother of the troop ataman killed at the beginning of the uprising, later foreman M. Borodin . The escaping elders and their families who had returned to the town avenged their offenders, robbed Cossack houses under the pretext of returning their property, and also helped in searching for the active participants in the uprising, indicating the places of their possible shelter. For the capture of the rebels, the Cossacks of the elder side paid cash awards. The most severe punishment was the non-admission of participants in the uprising to fishing, which put the majority of the Yaik Cossacks on the brink of ruin ^[29] .

Meanwhile, about 300-400 Cossacks, rightly believing that returning to Yaitsky town for them could have resulted in execution, they decided to leave the land forces and head towards the Volga and, possibly, further to the Kuban. In search of them was sent a detachment of 900 soldiers, accompanied by some of the foremen. Freyman also notified the fugitives of the Astrakhan governor Beketov . As a result of joint actions, many of the instigators of the uprising, including Trifonov, Kirpichnikova, were captured and taken to Yaitsky town. But at least half managed to escape from persecution in the steppe between Yaik and the Volga. Meanwhile, many thousands of Kazakh troops unexpectedly approached Yaitsky town, causing panic among the residents of the city. Freiman ordered the Kazakh foremen to immediately leave the lands of the Yaik army, and although in response to his threats, the Kazakhs replied that they also had “guns, arrows and copies,” the collision was avoided. Whether it was a belated response to the insurgents' call for help, or whether the Kazakhs wanted to seize the moment of confusion from their neighbors for the purpose of robbery, it remains unknown ^[30] .

One of the priority measures taken by Freiman in Yaitsky town was an attempt to conduct a census of the Cossacks in order to identify persons who are not entitled to be considered Cossacks and who were on Yaik illegally. By July 1, the census results were ready, but they did not suit the general; even loyal authorities of the elders made attempts to conceal the rather numerous non-Kazak population. Attempts to persuade Freiman to be satisfied with these results did not lead to anything and the census was announced again. This time it was ordered to rewrite everyone, starting at the age of 10. Following Freiman announced the upcoming restructuring of the troops and the introduction of new, previously absent ranks in Yaitsky army. He didn’t manage to complete the schedule personally; on August 2, he received an order from the governor of Reinsdorp to return to Orenburg. Two light field teams remained under the command of the commandant, lieutenant colonel Simonov, in whose assistance Colonel Baron von Bilov was seconded. Simonov was left with detailed instructions on organizing intelligence work with informers inside the troops, maintaining the strictest ban on any Cossack gathering, arrest at the slightest suspicion of insubordination and the search for those who still hid after the defeat of the uprising ^[31] .

Simonov continued the initiated reorganization of the Yaik army. From now on, it was divided into 10 regiments of 533 Cossacks in each, the new state was established the rank of colonel, captain, captain, cornet and conscript. The government’s garrison, which remained outside the city wall during the summer, was decided to be transferred to city apartments by the autumn. Simonov and Bilov ensured that at least two soldiers were lodged in the houses of the participants in the uprising, the representatives of the elders' camp were spared from standing. The rebellious mood among the Cossacks for the time subsided, because, having lost their participation in spring and autumn fishing, the Cossacks of the military side eagerly awaited the winter fire that the impoverished families had to provide for their livelihood. But the conversations about Tsaritsyn's “Peter III” did not give Simonov peace, and in November a rumor passed over the army that the “tsar” had been to Yaitsky town and personally spoke with Cossack Denis Pyanov. Tsar Peter called himself a fluent Don Cossack Pugachev , who came to the town for fish and was arrested after returning from a November trip to Yaik. Rumors about his visit shook up the army, which had quieted down, some did not want to believe in the “hiding sovereign”, urging not to violate the barely established pacification with the government. But many of the Cossacks, who did not want to admit defeat, seized upon this news as a new hope, especially those who were hiding and could not return to their homes. As Ivan Zarubin (Chika) later showed during interrogations, in the period described, he was hiding among others on Uzen : “We, the Cossacks of the military side, were already thinking about it and waiting for spring; where they did not get together, all the troopers said: “That will be a sovereign!” And as soon as they came, they were ready to accept it ” ^[31] .

The hopes that the government "will have mercy and forgive" the Cossacks for the revolt of 72 years were destroyed in the spring of the next 1773. The government commission in Orenburg completed the investigation into the revolt and submitted a draft sentence, which horrified the Cossacks on Yaik. All the Cossacks, elected during the uprising to the attorneys and chieftains, such were 11 people, were sentenced to quartering. Another 40 people, mostly from among those selected as centurions, were hanged, and three were cut off from the head. Another 13 Cossacks after punishment with whips were to be sent by soldiers to the regiments of the Second Army. But the commission did not stop there, all children sentenced to 15 years and older, who were counted by 316 people, were ordered to be registered as soldiers, and those who were not fit for health service were punished with whips. However, the verdict did not suit the governor Reinsdorp, who demanded to change it in order to achieve "on the one hand - severity, on the other - the highest mercy." As a result of his editing, 26 Cossacks were to be quartered, and from among the others sentenced to death - to choose 15 people by lot and hang them, the rest to beat with a whip and send to exile in Siberia. The same punishment was waiting for all the participants of the uprising who had hid so far. All other representatives of the military side should have been imposed large fines. At their own expense, it was necessary to build a monument on the site of the death of General Traubenberg ^[32] .

The draft verdicts, from the commission of inquiry and as amended by Reinsdorp, were sent to Petersburg for confirmation. After reviewing the submitted draft sentences, Catherine II ordered the Military Collegium to significantly soften their provisions. According to the final verdict, approved by the empress, 16 Cossacks, from among those named those sentenced to death, were supposed to "punish the whip, tearing nostrils and putting signs, to exile in Siberia to the Nerchinsk factories forever." Another group of 38 Cossacks - after whipping with a whip, but not branding or pulling nostrils, also sent to Siberia for settlement along with their families. 31 people were to be sent to the army regiments involved in the war with the Turks, and those who are not capable of serving - to the Siberian garrison battalions. This, considerably softened, sentence was carried out on July 10, 1773 in the Yaitsky town, where all the instigators of the insurrection who were imprisoned in the Orenburg prison were taken. At the same time, from among those sentenced to execution, those who persuaded the Cossacks not to execute the captured officers and petty officers, only 6 people, were completely forgiven. They included, in particular, Maxim Shigaev, who persuaded not to kill the wounded captain Durnovo. All the other Cossacks of the military side, on behalf of the empress, were also forgiven, which did not abolish the requirements for the payment of the imposed fine - more than 35 thousand rubles in total. The verdict by his terrible cruelty by mass punishment made a heavy oppressive impression on the Cossacks ^[33] .

Public execution of the sentence to the participants in the uprising in Yaitsky town, as well as those imposed on the rest of the Cossacks, who were not included in the number of those sentenced to exile, significant monetary penalties, should have broken the rebellious moods of the Cossacks of the military side. In fact, this goal was not only not achieved by the government, but, moreover, it only further angered the defeated Cossacks, which was intensified by the protest moods. A.S. Pushkin, who spoke with the participants of the events sixty years later, reflected these sentiments on the pages of the “ History of Pugachev ”, writing that when Cossacks sentenced to exile were lined up for transportation, sympathetic exclamations were heard in the crowd of their comrades: So are we shaking Moscow! ”The large fines imposed on the Cossacks of the military side were unbearable in size and offensive and unacceptable in character. According to the Orenburg official and historian Academician Rychkov , the authorities managed to collect only 12 thousand rubles from the total amount of the fine, “and the rest were not taken from anyone, because a considerable number of Cossacks fled from the strict collection”. The flight of Cossacks from among the disobedient from the town intensified with the announcement of the sentence, they joined their comrades who had been hiding in Uzen since the military defeat of the uprising. A ready-made and united core of the future performance formed there, which only needed a reason. Understanding that a large number of Cossacks on the military side are in a desperate mood and are ready for a new speech with the first suitable pretext, the moderate elite of the army attempted to mitigate the fate of those sentenced and reduce the amounts of fines imposed. A. Perfilyev and I. Gerasimov were sent to St. Petersburg, secretly from commandant Simonov, who handed over a petition from troops to Count Alexei Orlov. But its consideration was delayed ^[34] .

Meanwhile, the rumors about the “hiding king Peter III” continued to go among the Cossacks. In early August 1773, Pugachev, who had escaped from prison in Kazan, showed up in the land forces. Cossacks from among those who were hiding on Uzeni and their like-minded people from the Yaitsky town (Chika Zarubin, Shigaev, Myasnikov, Karavayev and others) rushed to meet the impostor. A part accepted the history of salvation and the sovereign's wanderings for the truth, but many recognized Pugachev as Cossack as themselves, but “they decided to call this Pugachev the late sovereign Peter Fedorovich, so that he could restore all our previous rites”. Pugachev assured them that “under the name of evo I can take Moscow too, for I will have a lot of power before me and I will have a lot of people, but there are no troops in Moscow”. The Yaik Cossacks decided that henceforth it was impossible to try to achieve their goals only in the lands, but it was necessary to “destroy the boyars, hoping that our enterprise would be supported and our strength would increase from the black people ...” To a new, much more extensive, which shook the whole empire this time , the speeches of the Yaik Cossacks remained a little over a month ^[35] .

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