The Ussuriian Cossack army is the youngest in comparison with the Don, Kuban and Orenburg. It consists of immigrants of various Cossack troops, that is, the Ussuriites are hereditary Cossacks. Their area of residence is the regions of the Ussuri and Sungari rivers . Creation of troops associated with the development of eastern lands. The goals remained the same - the protection of the border areas of Russia. The military headquarters was in the city of Vladivostok.
Creation of troops. History
The Ussuri Cossack army was created in 1889. Thirty-four years earlier, for seven years, from 1855 to 1862, immediately after the signing of the Beijing and Aigun treaties, more than 16 thousand Transbaikal residents, as well as Cossacks from the central provinces, who committed any violations, arrived at the place of settlement. Despite the fact that the Transbaikal army was formed four years earlier than the Ussuriysk, the settlement of these places by Cossacks began much earlier.
They appeared in Transbaikalia at the beginning of the 17th century, settled in, built villages and towns. The government intended to use this region to move migrants further to the Ussuri River region. It was a springboard for advancing to the Far East.
With the participation of the Cossacks, 96 villages and towns were formed in Primorye. Directly on the Ussuri River, 29 villages are located. In 1889, the developed Regulation on the Ussuri Cossack Army was approved. It consisted of 6 stanitsa districts - Bikinsky, Glenovsky, Grodekovsky, Don, Plato-Alexander, Poltava. Ussuriisk, Orenburg, Don and other Cossacks were accepted into it.
In 1891, construction began on the Trans-Siberian Railway, which stretched from the city of Miass, Chelyabinsk Region to Vladivostok. In the early 1890s, a new relocation begins, its purpose is to ensure the protection of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Until 1899, more than 5 thousand Cossack migrants from Transbaikalia, the Don and the Orenburg region arrived in the Ussuri region.
Symbols of the Ussuri Cossacks
The coat of arms of the Ussuriysk Cossack army was in the silver shield the azure Andreevsky cross, on top of which a golden tiger is depicted. Above in the scarlet field, the ascending symbol of Russia is the double-headed eagle. Behind the shield are crossed Ataman insects of gold color. The emblem is bordered with an orange-yellow ribbon, with a silver border. The flag was a green cloth, bordered by an orange ribbon, in the center of which was a coat of arms.
The situation of the Ussuri Cossacks at the beginning of the XX century
Building villages, the Cossacks of the Ussuriysk Cossack army simultaneously served on the border, delivered mail, guarded the order as police officers. In 1905, the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War forced them to abandon their usual affairs and take up military service. This was very unprofitable for families, since the Cossacks were more poor, having one horse on their farm, which was a nurse in peacetime, and a war friend in war. They could not be compared with the Don or Kuban Cossacks, whose generations went on campaigns or raids and brought rich loot home.
If the regular troops were provided with everything necessary, then the Cossacks of the Ussuri Cossack army had to buy uniforms, ammunition, horses at their own expense, many could not afford it. The approximate per capita income of the Cossacks was 33 rubles per year, and the cost of full equipment, including a horse, was 330 rubles. The government, realizing this, since 1904 has paid the Cossacks a cash subsidy in the amount of 100 rubles for the purchase of equipment.
All expenses for the acquisition of preferential and spare parts were made at the expense of the treasury. In 1905, money was allocated for reimbursement of expenses for lost or worn outfit for combat units, then a certain amount was allocated for the purchase of short fur coats. All these measures partially supported the families of the Cossacks. In total, in 1901, 14,700 Cossacks lived on the territory of the army, in 1917 - 44,340 people, of which the Cossack class - 33,800.
Participation in the Japanese war of 1905
Participation in the war of 1904-1905 was the first serious test, before that the Cossacks had to enter into clashes only with the gangs of the Hunguz who penetrated the Far East to rob. From the point of view of analysts, the participation of the Ussurians in the hostilities was successful, but from a socio-economic point of view, the war placed a very heavy burden on the families of the Cossacks, which affected their financial situation.
Russia's defeat in the war of 1904-1905 was caused by a number of reasons, the main of which were the remoteness of hostilities, corruption of high-ranking officials who felt too far from the center, poor supply and a slow concentration of military forces. This led to the fact that the main role fell on the Far Eastern Cossacks, who participated in all major operations. Their technical equipment was largely inferior to the Japanese. After the war, the rate was placed on regular troops. And the Cossacks remained responsible for border protection.
Participation in the First World War
In 1906, the Ussuri platoon was assembled, which was part of the fourth hundred of the combined Life Guard of the Cossack regiment. During the World War of 1914, the Ussuri brigade was formed, it included 4 regiments, including the Ussuri one. In 1916, the brigade reorganized into the Ussuri equestrian division, it included four regiments, two divisions and one battery. The commander of the division was General Krymov. She was part of the 3rd Corps, commanded by Count Keller. Major General Kalmykov was the ataman of the Ussuri Cossack Army.
They fought on the Romanian, Northwest, Northern fronts. General Wrangel, who served in the division as a colonel, characterized the Ussurians as brave Cossacks devoted to their homeland. General Krymov also spoke positively about the Ussuri Cossacks.
Elimination of the Cossacks and repression
After the October Revolution, a split occurred among the Cossack class, which was predetermined by the fact that part of the Cossacks supported the power of the Bolsheviks, the other, under the leadership of Ataman Kalmykov, opposed and fought in the Civil War on the side of the whites. After the war, the Ussuri Cossack army ceased to exist. Most of the Cossacks went to China and Manchuria. The Bolsheviks decided to abolish the Cossack estate.
The Ussuri Cossacks did not escape repression in the 30s. The first wave is dispossession. She struck the strongest Cossack households, they were evicted from their homes, they took the acquired. Actively involved in the Civil War were arrested. The second wave is the certification and registration of the population. Here, Cossacks living in rural areas were denied the issuance of passports, which entailed a violation of civil rights. The third wave, under which the Ussurians fell, passed in 1939. This is the eviction of the unreliable.
The structure of the Cossack society today
Today, there is the Ussuriysk military Cossack society, the charter of which was approved by the President of Russia on June 17, 1997. The army consists of 8 district Cossack societies. These are the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the Primorsky, Khabarovsky, Kamchatsky territories, the Jewish Autonomous Region, the Magadan, Sakhalin, Amur Regions.
The total number of 5588 people. There are 56 Cossack societies, of which urban - 7, village - 45, farm - 4. There are 4 cadet schools located in Khabarovsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Yakutsk and Blagoveshchensk.