An attempt to involve Orenburg Cossacks in the persecution of Kalmyks leaving Russia in February — March 1771
Stepan V. Dzhundzhuzov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor
Orenburg State Pedagogical University, Orenburg, Russia, djund@yandex.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8937-5690
Abstract
The article focuses on a squad of Orenburg Cossacks, which the military administration of the Orenburg province attempted to use to pursue the Kalmyks who had migrated from Russia in January 1771. The source base consisted of materials from the Orenburg Provincial Chancellery of the United State Archives of the Orenburg Region, as well as letters from Kazakh Nurali Khan published in scientific periodicals. The period of the squad’s independent existence as a military formation fell on February — March 1771. At the first “marching” stage, they tried to use it in cooperation first with the Yaik Cossacks, and then in conjunction with the Kazakh army. However, a significant loss of horses forced the Cossacks to return. Further, the organizational difficulties associated with the supply of the Cossack squad at the second “recovery” stage are analyzed. The failure of the Cossack squad to achieve its goal was predictable. The military organization and technical capabilities did not allow military contingents to operate far from supply bases and border fortifications in winter conditions.
Keywords
Cossack squad, Kazakh khan Nurali, Cossack colonel A. A. Ugletsky, Kalmyks, Orenburg governor I. A. Reinsdorp, military campaign, steppe, supply.
For citation:
Dzhundzhuzov S. V. An attempt to involve Orenburg Cossacks in the persecution of Kalmyks leaving Russia in February — March 1771. Vestnik of Orenburg State Pedagogical University. Electronic Scientific Journal, 2025, no. 2 (54), pp. 147—160. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32516/2303-9922.2025.54.6.
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