Text by Russian historian Alexey Isaev, posted in the Live Journal account of Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] An episode of Citizens in the North Caucasus in 1918, showing how dangerous a mutiny in the army is and what a catastrophic chain it can start.
On July 21, 1918, Ivan Lukich Sorokin, a former paramedic who ended up in the school of ensigns of the WWI, was appointed commander-in-chief of the red troops of the North Caucasus. On September 7, 1918, armies and fronts were formed and the army of the North Caucasian Republic became the 11th army.
In the interval between these dates, the Taman army came out to join Sorokin's troops, whose unprecedented 500-km campaign was later sung by A. Serafimovich in the Iron Stream. Those who are interested, it is better not to read worse, but rather the very informative work "Iron Stream" in a military presentation
The link is to a reference, not a book
Achievement, no question.
After such a breakthrough, the Tamanians considered themselves the salt of the earth (partially not unreasonably) and claimed a special status. However, the commander of the Taman army, Ivan Matveev, who lost his shores, was arrested and, by decision of the Revolutionary Military Council, on October 8, 1918, was shot. Party leader of the Kuban Yan Poluyan wrote bluntly: “The Revolutionary Military Council had to face separatism and the former “freedom” of the commanders and the armed masses who supported them. It was necessary first to subdue this mass, to take it, as they say, into hands ... ". I.I. Matveev was chosen as an exemplary victim and away we go.
Upon learning of the execution of Matveev, the Tamanians became furious, shouts were heard among them: “To Pyatigorsk! Let's avenge Matveev with bayonets! Sorokin is a traitor! Those. begins what is commonly called the word mutiny.
Meanwhile, Sorokin himself comes into conflict with the CEC, it comes to executions (which is usually called the "mutiny" of Sorokin himself, but here it is still in quotation marks, and this became the reason for glossing over the real picture of events written in hot pursuit of Citizens historical research), but comrade Trotsky sends a telegram demanding that he be brought to Moscow for trial.
Trotsky's telegram is hidden (and this is also a rebellion without quotes) and "through an oversight of the guards" Sorokin is killed on November 3, 1918 without trial or investigation. Using the Tamanians to fight Sorokin by the CEC was worse than a crime, it was a mistake. Subsequently, L.D. Trotsky blamed Poluyan that as a result of the latter’s stupid actions, “a talent-nugget (Sorokin)” was killed. For such statements, Lev Davidovich clearly had grounds. Denikin in his memoirs also praised Sorokin, who opposed him, as a talented commander.
The decapitated 11th Army was defeated over the next three months, and already in November 1918 suffered defeat after defeat. Denikin wrote about her "For 7.5 months she diverted almost all the Volunteer Forces of the South to herself," but the trick of the Tamanians follows and everything falls into decay.
Would all this have happened without the rebellion and revenge of the Tamanians and connivance with him? Most likely no.
(c) Alexey Isaev