Why the giant Cossack Yakov Baklanov was considered conspiratorial and called the "devil"

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In Russia during imperial times, a military career was one of the ways for commoners to achieve status. History knows many glorious names of military leaders who started from the very bottom of the army. One of these is Yakov Baklanov, Lieutenant General of the Don Cossack Host and "Thunderstorm of the Caucasus." The mere appearance of a two-meter giant with a heroic physique and iron fists terrified the enemy. The hot-tempered, but at the same time fair commander was afraid of anger and his own subordinates. Baklanov was repeatedly overtaken by severe wounds, but he somehow remained in the ranks in any condition. And the highlanders, warriors of not a timid dozen, nicknamed the Cossack "The Devil", finding no other explanation for his invulnerability.

Daring decisions of a brave commander

Baklanov's father is a native of the rank and file Cossacks, who, thanks to his strong personal qualities, managed to rise to the rank of colonel. Yakov himself, after serving as a sergeant in the Don Cossack regiment, underwent a training course at the Feodosia district school. The received specialized education helped in the further growth in the service. With the beginning of the next Russian-Turkish war in 1928, the Cossack had the opportunity to take part in many battles. Even then, he first distinguished himself when crossing the Kamchik River, when, under heavy enemy fire, he risked the first to enter the water, leading the Cossacks into attack and turning the whole course of a difficult battle.

Returning from the war, the Esaul Baklanov was already closely engaged in self-education, studying the military-historical works of both domestic and foreign authors. Baklanov's growth in service was ensured by his skillful, successful and sometimes daring steps as a commander. He realized his loudest military victories in the Caucasus, pacifying the unfriendly and extremely assertive mountaineers. For bold attacks under the leadership of the Cossack, the Caucasians nicknamed him "the devil" in Russian. No less frightening for the enemy was Baklanov's regimental banner in the form of a black silk cloth with the image of a skull and two crossed bones under it. There was also an excerpt from the "Symbol of Faith" - "Tea for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the century to come. Amen". Baklanov did not part with this banner, so the enemy was well aware: after the fluttering banner, a massive figure of a giant donets always appeared. And along with the commander, everyone who stood in his way was invariably overtaken by defeat.

Bullets that did not take an invulnerable warrior

Once in the Caucasus, to Baklanov, who by that time had become widely known among Muslims, a "lured" mountain spy appeared. He reported that in the nearest aul one of the shooters in the Koran swore to Imam Shamil to kill the hitherto invincible Cossack tomorrow. That highlander allegedly was distinguished by rare accuracy and fell from fifty meters into a hen's egg.

In his austere memoir, My Fighting Life, Baklanov later admitted that he had survived a nasty night at that time. All the highlanders knew that he traveled the same path every day, and Baklanov could not afford to change the route, demonstrating cowardice. His authority in the Caucasus was already a strong Russian weapon in itself, and the Cossack had no right to question this. Taking his best fitting, Yakov jumped on his horse and moved to the site of a potential ambush. Knowing the area like his own palm, the Cossack unmistakably identified an advantageous sniper position for himself.

The Russian military and mountaineers, already aware of the unprecedented "duel", strained to the path to see everything with their own eyes. Risking for accurate detection of a shooter named Janem, Yakov stopped in the right place, calling him to shoot. Having risen from the grass, the enemy raised his gun and fired. Either a Cossack on horseback, fearless in his immobility, or the tales of superstitious mountaineers played on Janem's nerves, but he missed. Cormorants spotted the flash, continuing to stand in the same place and watching the hand of the shooter, hammering the second charge into the barrel. The next bullet from a clearly agitated sniper only struck Baklanov's clothes. When the panicked Janem got up for the third time, the Cossack calmly threw his leg over the saddle, rested his elbow on his knee and with a pre-emptive shot put the highlander to death. Approaching the body, he only calmly noticed that Janem's light copper bullets in the thin mountain air did not provide an accurate hit like lead.

"Conspiracy" warrior

Over the years spent in the Caucasus, Baklanov's commanding talent has earned respect even among the highlanders. The latter were very afraid of the fearless Russian Cossack, considering him to be nothing more than a fiend of hell. Courage, which was incomprehensible even to the most experienced fighters, gave Baklanov a touch of conspiracy. But, according to historians, it was based on the banal simplicity and calmness of a warrior who relied on higher powers. In the long-term meat grinder of military clashes, which formed his whole life, Baklanov was repeatedly wounded by firearms and cold weapons, received concussions, but remained alive. Not sparing himself, he took care of his comrades and subordinates, buying uniforms and weapons for the Cossacks at his own expense, sharing bread, cold, heat and danger with them.

Unlike tsarist officers and generals, who earn awards behind the backs of privates, Baklanov took a personal part in almost every battle. Without a shadow of a doubt, he threw himself at the enemy, if the situation required it, even hand-to-hand. The enemy was afraid of Yakov's crown blow like fire, cutting from the crown to the saddle. In more than one battle, Baklanov was covered from enemy bullets by loyal Cossacks. He never left such actions unnoticed, respecting the comradely spirit and readiness for sacrificial mutual assistance. Very quickly Baklanov managed to make his 20th Don Regiment the best Cossack unit in the Caucasus. When in 1850 he was appointed commander of another regiment, a number of officers with the Cossacks moved there after him. By the way, the new brainchild of the commander - the 17th regiment - became the most combat-ready in a short time.

As far as the strategic merits of Baklanov are concerned, his undoubted military achievement was the tactics of military operations. Yakov Petrovich spoke to the enemy in his language, imitating the highlanders and actually becoming a partisan formation against the partisans. Baklanov Cossacks made regular raids into the enemy's rear, depriving the enemy of a material and food base and redirecting the forces of the mountaineers to defend against the dashing raids of hundreds of Cossacks.

Left unscathed on the unthinkable paths of war, Yakov Petrovich died a natural death at the age of 63. Not making any capital and giving himself up to the service of the Fatherland, he was buried at the expense of the Donskoy army. A modest monument at his grave was erected at the expense of grateful fellow countrymen.

The Chinese Cossacks also have their own history. Elos. As the Russian minority of China passed the plague, wars and hungweipings in order to remain themselves.