Translated material
AFFAIRS OF PAST DAYS
Andrey
BIRYUKOV
The editors have at their disposal a rich selection of documents, most of which have not previously seen the light of day, concerning the first contacts (not always peaceful) between Russians and Chechens. The editors are starting to publish them and intend to continue it, as well as print a historical review dedicated to these materials by A.V. Biryukova in the following issues of “Dosh”.
The history of direct contacts between Russia and the mountain peoples of the North Caucasus begins in 1722. Although, as N.M. Pokrovsky states (Conquest of the Caucasus. In the book: History of Russia in the 19th century. M.: A. and I. Granat, b.g. T. V. P. 292-293) “Russian colonists, if you believe Chechen legends, appeared on the northern spurs of the Caucasus Range back in the 17th century. But this was the private enterprise of individual daredevils from the Don and Volga. They crossed the Terek and Sunzha not on instructions from the Moscow government, but precisely because they hoped to hide from its long arms.”During the Persian campaign of Peter I, cavalry detachments moved from Astrakhan to Derbent by land (the infantry was sent by sea). On the way, the vanguard of the cavalry was attacked by residents of the village of Andreeva (modern Endirei, in the west of Dagestan). Having waited for the main forces to arrive, the detachment commander, Brigadier Veterany, “completely defeated the Andreevites, and completely destroyed the village itself, which then consisted of 2,000 households” (Georgy Mikhailovich, Grand Prince. History of the Absheron Regiment. 1700-1892 / Compiled by L. Boguslavsky. St. Petersburg ., 1892. T.I. P.3.)
In connection with this incident, the letters of the “princes of Andreevskaya village” dating back to 1721, which are stored in the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire (hereinafter referred to as AVPRI), are of particular interest. From the letters to Peter I and the Astrakhan governor it is clear that the authors of the petitions were connected with Russia by many years of service.
Unfortunately, it remains unknown why the Andreevites attacked Russian troops the following year, which led to the destruction of the village.
A copy of the questionnaire from E. Khalimbekov,
July 1, 1732
On the 1st day of July 1732, Lieutenant General Count Duklas was sent to the village of Chechen to investigate the coming horde of Okochin Tatars, Eldar Halimbekov, upon returning to the office of the said General, the lieutenant was interrogated.
And during the interrogation he said: after my departure from the fortress of the Holy Cross on June 27th to the river village and the next day at night, I arrived and spent the night. I saw with my own eyes that from that village, about a mile away, the Kumyks of Kozlinzh, and more of the Tavlinites, were standing in the field, numbering about four thousand, horse and foot. And the ruler of that village, a resident of whom I stood, Aai Saltan, told me that in that assembly there were Tavlinians, Kazainzhu Kumyks and residents of the village of Okotskaya, subordinate to the owners of Musala and Demir, and the Aksai owner of Albek of the village of Sysu and Koshkoy, of whom there were a total number of It will be about ten or eight thousand. And their commander, as I truly heard, is from Tavlina, and I don’t know where he lives, named Azzha. And Albek supposedly sent messengers to these De Aksay Tatars, telling them to return to their homes. And if they don’t return, then he, Albek, will give their wives and children to the Russians. And I heard from the Chechen residents that these hordes intend to go into the mountains against the Kolchin peoples, supposedly to convert them to the Mohammedan faith (for these hordes are known, as if these Kolchin people hold the Christian faith), but will they really go there or to others? place, I couldn’t find out about it from anyone. And as I left there with the said news, I saw about twenty people coming towards me to meet the above-mentioned village of Okotsk Tatars, who were going to the same meeting. Yes, the said Chechen resident, my lord, said that supposedly for copulation with that horde, the Avar Tavlinsky owner Bi with several troops, who was supposed to arrive yesterday, will be assisted. Let it be in Chechnya, I heard, allegedly Raslambek and Aleguk, having gathered with the hordes, came to Kobarda, but I didn’t find out what troops were with them and why they came, and I didn’t hear anything else from anyone.
RGVIA, f.20, op.1/47, storage unit 36, l. 32-32 rev.
Copy of the questionnaire
Zh. Timirova,
July 2, 1732
Upon my arrival yesterday in Andreev’s village, I gave the letter sent with me to the local owner to Musal, who, having written a reply letter against him, gave it to me, with which I arrived here. And while I was there, I heard that in Chechnya under commander Adzhi there are about eight thousand Tavlinites, and where they want to go, no one in that village of Andreevka is known and they did not answer me. Yes, Adzhi is supposedly going to help him with Surkhaev’s children with their ten thousand troops, and the said Musal told me that two people, subjects of his village Auk, went without his knowledge to the said Adzhi to his army. Only he Musal sent his own six people after them and ordered those two people to be returned. And if someone from Andreeva’s village attempted to join the army with him, Musal, he, Musal, would immediately inform the generals in writing. And what’s more, I haven’t heard anything from him, Musala, or from anyone else.
RGVIA, f.20, op.1/47, ed.hr.36, l. 33.
Translation of the village owner's letter. Endery Musala Chepalova
Lieutenant General G. Douglas,
[1 July] 1732
To the noble and highly venerable serasker of the Slatsk city, Count Duklas, His Excellency, I bow many, many times and at the same time convey. Having accepted your letter, I received it, in which you would like to write, and from it I saw that my Andreevsky subordinates were all subject to a fine, and I forbade them to go anywhere for art and forbade them to go to Georgia. The same goes for Adji, just as I didn’t let you in now, I won’t let you in in the future, and then I will come to your Excellency myself, and whatever you want to order me, I will carry out according to it.
RGVIA, f.20, op.1/47, ed.hr.36, l. 34.
Translation of the letter of the Bragunsky mudar
Lieutenant General G. Douglas,
July 1732
I bow many, many bows to the general.
This army is close to the Braguns and the Russians, from which I fear troops. But I am the sovereign’s faithful servant, and I dare to believe that I was closer to the enemies, and as I took an oath, I stand by that. The villages of Andreeva swore an oath and this is what people were given to stand for the Russians and defeat the enemies. I am the sovereign's slave.
On the back is Mudar's seal.
RGVIA, f.20, op.1/47, ed.hr.36, l.35.
Protocol of the officers' consultation,
held in the detachment of Lieutenant General G. Douglas
July 5, 1732
committed on the march near the camp near the village of Korachy on July 5, 1732
According to what happened about the meeting under the command of a certain Aji with a horde of several thousand near the village of Chechnya, reports, and according to the consultation carried out in the fortress of the Holy Cross on the 3rd day of July in the meeting of the generals, such as Lieutenant General Count Duklas, General Major Eropkin and the headquarters of the officers The basis for suspicion is that this army is intended to go where. Although it was not reliably known about Aja, that within the borders of Her Imperial Majesty a large number had gathered and it was dangerous, so that through their carelessness they would not do anything, it was necessary to attack or destroy that assembled horde. Why am I the undersigned lieutenant general and staff officers from the fortress of the Holy Cross with a satisfied team, having set out for Chechnya, we are already following and reached the above-described village of Karagich. Yesterday, according to new reports, it was known that the aforementioned assembled army intended and came to despoil the village of Balsu, which the townsfolk, finding all sorts of ways, asked Adji and the army to give a short time, between which they let the bilakstan owners Mohammed Ali Murzin, Bata know about it Murza Khan and Pishta and Kazi Mambulatov. Why did those owners, wishing that the village of Balsu communicated with them, then under the command of Adzhi defeated the army with God’s help and did not allow their evil intention of preventing the march to Kabarda (which was therefore known) to be destroyed. And for this reason, not without imaginary suspicion on the Chechen owner Kazbulat, that he, as a loyal subject of the Russian Empire, in his sworn position, not only did not give news to the generals about that meeting in the fortress of the Holy Cross, but also he, Kazbulat, an accomplice of that Adzhi appeared with people with him, Adjei, he went. Which is happening, much to the contrary of Her Imperial Majesty. And for this, should that Kazbulat and its subordinates be ruined? Opinions are required from those who signed below, because the Bragun owner of the mudar, in his letter to me, the lieutenant general, announced that the assembled army was close to the Braguns and the Russians. What is he afraid of, and others may apparently follow suit. And if, without pacifying that Kazbulat, they left Kazbulat and returned back to the fortress, then, apart from work, there would be no shame for the current team, who, having set out idly, returned and would have given the local people a reason to continue to do the same actions and would not have accepted the dissolute courage from that. Having considered my opinion, I, Lieutenant General, believe that for the sake of the above-mentioned reasons, the aforementioned Kazbulat and the entire village of Chechnya should be ruined and to his best self, Kazbulat, and taking the noble bridles, bring them to the fortress of the Holy Cross and, confirming this, I sign.
The authentic one is signed by Lieutenant General Gustav Duclas. The above in the consultation depicted in everything, we the undersigned according to the contents and subscribe to the 5th day of July 1732.
Major Alexander Eshkov
Maeor Lamzdorf
Lieutenant Colonel Prince Grigory Volkonsky
Colonel Von Bandemir
Colonel Koch
RGVIA, f.20, op.1/47, storage unit 36, l.37-37 vol.
Report from Lieutenant General G. Douglas
to the Military Collegium
dated July 20, 1732
To the Highly Established State Military Collegium.
Delivery.
Last June, in the last days of June, an echo was heard here as if near a certain village called Chechnya (which is two days away from the local fortress for light people, and four days for regular people), a horde of several thousand intends to gather, but where, it is not known . The same Chechens are under the autocratic protection of Her Imperial Majesty. And the owners who found it: Khazbulat and Adelsar swore allegiance to the amanat from that Khazbulat is here. And against which echo spies from the local Tatars were sent for genuine reconnaissance. And, according to the ability, Colonel Baluev, who was stationed in the Greben towns, was sent to Kabarda, it was proposed that he send reliable Cossacks from the Greben towns to reconnoiter. Of which the aul Tatars, upon returning, announced that about fourteen thousand troops had gathered near Chechnya. And Colonel Baluev, notified through the Cossacks sent from the Grebensk towns, reported on June 30 that there were ten thousand, under the command of a certain Adzhi. And he, Aja, called the mentioned Khazbulat, so that he would unite with him and gather his people and go with him. What Khazbulat supposedly renounced with this announcement: if he, Akhzha, intends to attack the Greben towns or the owners who are under the citizenship and protection of Her Imperial Majesty, then he cannot be an accomplice against the oath. And for this reason, the aforementioned Akhzha allegedly asserted to him, Khazbulat, that he had no preconception about going to the Greben towns and those under the patronage of Her Imperial Majesty. He only intends to go to Balsuri because they contain the Muslim law incorrectly. However, that Khazbulat did not give any news here about how the army began to gather, and did not notify. According to which reports it was very incredible that they could not strike at Russian towns and those under the patronage of Her Imperial Majesty. For the most reliable reconnaissance, I also sent a special officer, Lieutenant Radkov, with ten irregular Cossacks to those Chechens on the 1st of July, and with him I wrote before the above Akhzhi, mentioning that it is not without suspicion and indecent to hold such meetings within Russian borders, so that this army would be ordered by Chechnya to retreat and, with someone sent from me, dissolve where they came from. But he did not wait for an answer, and after the departure of the said lieutenant, for the danger of that meeting of teams and people’s work, he added them to the fortress. And on the 3rd day of this month, I had a consultation with Mr. General-Major Eropkin and the headquarters officers on that news. Whereupon they laid down that army, preventing it from multiplying, with a command sent to turn it away and destroy it. And on the 4th day, having gathered here, out of extreme necessity, a team of ten thousand regular cavalry, from the infantry, for the cannons, two hundred granoders, four hundred eighty-three Don and Yaik Cossacks and several village Tatars, and six cannons with some artillery servants. I set out from the fortress, entrusting the command to General Major Eropkin. And although he should have been a major general in that command, he was then in poor health and very ill, but then he was left at the local fortress. And on the same day, during our march with the command, through the next Colonel El Murza Bekovich Cherkassky from Kabarda, who met us on the way, I received reliable news that on July 2 the mentioned army with Adzha, which was announced by fourteen thousand, having intended and notably heard about The meeting of the Russian troops, since although a lot of things are done secretly here, but for those staying here, the Amanat people always secretly give news to the mountains through fellow believers and monolinguals, they went to Little Kabarda, where there were Chechen Tatars, and began to destroy the villages there. Having not allowed the Chilahtanov owners of Magamet Ali Murzin, Bich Murza Khan Pishta and Kazi Mambulatov to reach Little Kabarda, having gathered their people as much as they could, they defeated Aja and his army and a considerable number of people were beaten and wounded by Ajina. Against the information, which had a camp near a certain village of Karagiche, a consultation was held with seconded staff officers on July 5th. At which they put the above-mentioned Khazbulat for infidelity and communication with Adzhoy and that he did not notify the above-mentioned army in the fortress to us, against his oath, in fear of others, so that the same respect would not be able, and the team would not come out idly, to ruin the above-mentioned Chechnya. And, having held that consultation, they adopted their route. And having passed Karagich, lieutenant Rozhkov, who was sent to Chechnya for reconnaissance, appeared on the way and announced the above information about the defeat of Adzhi and his meeting. And then to Andreeva village, which was adjacent to Chechnya along the highway and some of its owners were non-sworn and reported to the Bolshegorsk Tavlinsky residents, for whose sake I stopped at that Andreeva village and, having found them, non-sworn, were about five noble people, namely: Akhmet Khan Devlet Girey Chyubukov, Bigashi Shuukov, Alipkan Mamakov, Usmi Shinyaev, brought. In Chechnya, under Colonel Koch, from Andreeva village, on the 6th, he sent three hundred regular and two hundred irregular people, with instructions, to destroy Chechnya. Where did the ad go for one day? But as soon as this team set off, they found a way to bypass the crossings and rivers for two days. And what instructions were given to this Colonel Koch, a copy of that. And from what was received from the owners of Little Kabarda, what the troops announced about the evil intention of that Ajin and what kind of search they carried out, a translation from the Tatar letter is attached. Standing near Andreeva's village, waiting two and three days for news from that Colonel Koch, he remained reasonable, sending a special ensign to notify what was happening there. And the one sent, as well as the other one behind him, captain Raslan bek, with the governor on the road where that colonel was going, could not pass because the forests were blocked up, and were forced to receive that news, driving around from the Greben towns, the brother. And on the 9th, the ensign who was sent with a report from Colonel Kokh returned, in which the report announced that he, Kokh, according to these instructions, having arrived on the 7th near Chechnya, destroyed and burned that village. And somehow he finished, he intended to return back along the same path, then follow the “inspection” to discover that the path that he took to that village had been blocked and marked in the forest by assemblies from different villages (of which there are nine in those Chechens). Seeing that, he was forced to find another way to retreat and passed from that village to another place where there was less forest. Only because of many of the villages of the assembly, all the places suitable for the passage were captured, and as the passage began to perceive machinations, then a battle with a gun began, in which there was some decline on both sides. And in the necessary places, the foot Tatars and the assembled cavalry, who had fallen in the forests, struck at Evo, Kokhova, kamanda, where several regular and irregular soldiers were beaten and wounded, as well as horses were beaten and so on. As for the number, it is clear in the attached copy from the report of this colonel. And about the treatment that was taking place there, it is clear in the news submitted from him, the colonel, against this instruction, which means that an exact copy is included with this. And how many were beaten on their part, it is impossible to know for sure, unless genuine news can be found in the future, which I will make an effort to investigate. For this reason, for the sake of the actions of those Chechens who are disgusting, to the remaining villages that Her Imperial Majesty’s decree commands, I demand exit with the most careful determination. Even those villages, as can be seen from the above-mentioned my humble opinion, are very prone to evil intentions and the communication of thieves in the mountains, fickle Tavlinites and troublemakers. And that’s exactly the point: wasn’t it ordered to send a strong command there and destroy those villages to the ground; and with a small team, behind their communication with the thieves and people of Tavlina, and retreats in the mountains, it is impossible to do anything. And while those villages are in their condition, there will be peace from their malicious tricks and theft of the Greben towns for the Cossacks and neighbors living near that Chechnya, as the owner of Bragunsky presented to me with a petition and asked for protection from them (from which a copy of the translation into the Russian dialect was provided) will not be. For those Cossacks are constantly stealing Grebensky horses and cattle from the fields and driving them away.