Catalogue · ID 96

Записки А.П. Ермолова. 1798-1826 гг.

Author: Ермолов А. П.
Year of publication: 1991
Describes Russian colonization of peoples: several peoples
Publication rights: free: document (Yermolov’s memoirs (he died in 1861), the text is in the public domain)

What is here

Same folder on GitHub

Where we got it

Original source: https://web.archive.org/web/20260617105700/http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/ermolov_ap/index.html

The text was transcribed by us from a scan or saved from the source page; the original file is kept alongside so the transcription can be checked.

Where the knowledge base cites it

This material is cited in 21 place.

Campaigns

• Destruction of the Nokhchi Villages along the Sunzha and Construction of the Groznaya Fortress in Their Place (1817–1818)

  Imperial general Yermolov, commander of the Caucasus Corps, testifies in his "Notes" to the deployment of troops ("on May 24 the entire detachment crossed over… moved from the Terek to the Sunzha River"), to the demand that the elders "renew their long-standing oath of submission," and to the taking of amanats (hostages) "from their villages"

• Exploitation of the village of Solzha (Sunzhenskaya) as a resource base and its punitive devastation for the armed resistance of the Nokhchi (1818)

  Only after this did the troops enter the abandoned village, spending several days carting away from it "grain, forage, and timber fit for construction"

• Demonstrative destruction of the aul of Dadi-Yurt and the construction of the Vnezapnaya fortress to force the Nokhchi off the Kumyk plain (1819)

  Yermolov ordered Major General Sysoev to surround the aul and, "should they resist, to punish them with arms, giving quarter to no one"

  Yermolov himself admits the outcome in his "Notes": "all who bore arms were exterminated, and their number could not have been fewer than four hundred men"; of women and children "up to one hundred and forty were taken prisoner… but a far greater number were slaughtered or perished in the houses from the effects of artillery and fire," while the village "consisted of 200 houses" and was "razed to its foundations"

  After the destruction of the aul, Yermolov finished off the Kachkalyk villages with almost no resistance left; he himself admits: "the example of Dadan-Yurt spread terror everywhere"

• Devastation of the Kachkalyk villages of the Nokhchi and displacement of their inhabitants beyond the mountains after the Dadi-Yurt terror (1819)

  …30, 1819, he “himself set out with 6 battalions and 16 artillery pieces toward the Kachkalyk villages”; on October 2 he attacked “the village of Goryachevskaya, the strongest of them” (also known as Isti-Su), and a day later devastated Noen-Berdy and Allayar-Aul: “from the first the Chechens were driven out by heavy cannonade, the latter was abandoned by them… Both were utterly devastated”

  At the same time, Major General Sysoev invaded Chechen land from Groznaya through Khan-Kale, drawing the forces of the Chechens away from the Kachkalyk plain

  One village survived by submitting: Yermolov writes that “the village of Khangeldy begged for mercy… The Aksai owners vouched for its inhabitants, and mercy was granted them”

  Yermolov admits that “in none of the villages were there wives and children; the property had likewise been carried away,” for “the example of Dadan-Yurt spread terror everywhere”

  … 1 more

Procedures

• Propagandistic Inversion of Roles and Dehumanization (1800–1864) — technique Dehumanization

  …attacking the line», their land a refuge where «the villains of all other peoples, abandoning their own land on account of some crimes, were received amicably», while Chechnya itself «may justly be called the nest of all brigands», «were less filled than others with brigands who had previously taken part in all the raids of the Chechens on the line. In them predators gathered and took cover…»

• Destruction of the Nokhchi Villages along the Sunzha and Construction of the Groznaya Fortress in Their Place (1817–1818) — technique Military Intervention

  The imperial general Yermolov, in his «Notes», attests to the deployment of troops: «on May 24 the entire detachment crossed over… in a single march it moved from the Terek to the Sunzha River»

• Destruction of the Nokhchi Villages along the Sunzha and Construction of the Groznaya Fortress in Their Place (1817–1818) — technique Construction of Fortresses

  The imperial general Yermolov attests in his «Notes» that the fortress, «constraining the inhabitants in their possession of the best lands… not far from the entrance through the Khan-Kale gorge, was named Groznaya», and that the earthworks were completed by mid-October 1818

• Destruction of the Nokhchi Villages along the Sunzha and Construction of the Groznaya Fortress in Their Place (1817–1818) — technique Forced Registration of Subjecthood

  …threat of reprisal as against “open enemies.” Imperial general Yermolov testifies in his “Notes” that in May 1818 “the elders of almost all the principal Chechen villages were summoned to me,” to the military camp, and he demanded “that henceforth such [depredations] no longer be committed, and in confirmation they must renew their old oath of submission and return the captives held by them”

  The demand went unfulfilled: the elders “promised nothing”

• Destruction of the Nokhchi Villages along the Sunzha and Construction of the Groznaya Fortress in Their Place (1817–1818) — technique Hostage-Taking

  Imperial general Yermolov testifies in his “Notes” that when the troops advanced to the Sunzha, “amanats (hostages) from their villages were taken into the camp”

• Destruction of the Nokhchi Villages along the Sunzha and Construction of the Groznaya Fortress in Their Place (1817–1818) — technique Forced Mobilization

  …in his “Notes” that “instead of tribute it was ordained that men be sent out for service at the requisition of the commanders,” and admits: “there has not yet been an instance of anyone being able to force the Chechens to use arms against their own countrymen, but the first step toward this has already been taken, and it has been impressed upon them that this will always be demanded of them”

• Destruction of the Nokhchi Villages along the Sunzha and Construction of the Groznaya Fortress in Their Place (1817–1818) — technique Resource Exploitation

  Imperial general Yermolov testifies in his “Notes” that the men levied by requisition were sent out “with their own arms and at their own expense”

• Destruction of the Nokhchi Villages along the Sunzha and Construction of the Groznaya Fortress in Their Place (1817–1818) — technique Labor Exploitation

  Imperial general Yermolov testifies in his “Notes”: “the villages from which we held amanats were ordered to deliver timber for the construction”; the nearest villages “dared not show disobedience”

• Exploitation of the village of Solzha (Sunzhenskaya) as a resource base and its punitive devastation for the armed resistance of the Nokhchi (1818) — technique Pillage

  Imperial general Yermolov testifies in his “Notes” that he had earlier ordered the troops to spare the village so that the fortress “could obtain from it all necessary supplies,” and when the troops seized the village, “grain, forage, and timber fit for building were carted away for several days”

• Exploitation of the village of Solzha (Sunzhenskaya) as a resource base and its punitive devastation for the armed resistance of the Nokhchi (1818) — technique Punitive Expeditions

  …the troops came,” after which the chief of the corps staff “went himself with several companies… but was met with gunfire,” while “the wives and children and the best property had already been sent away; only men remained to defend the houses”; during the storming the troops were ordered to cut off the withdrawal — “to intercept the retreat in the forest” — but the defenders had withdrawn earlier

• Demonstrative destruction of the aul of Dadi-Yurt and the construction of the Vnezapnaya fortress to force the Nokhchi off the Kumyk plain (1819) — technique Punitive Expeditions

  Yermolov confirms his order in his “Notes”: to surround the aul, offer the inhabitants the chance to leave, “and should they resist, to punish them by force of arms, giving quarter to no one”

• Demonstrative destruction of the aul of Dadi-Yurt and the construction of the Vnezapnaya fortress to force the Nokhchi off the Kumyk plain (1819) — technique Terror

  Yermolov himself admits this calculation in his “Notes”: “only an example of terror can compel them to remove their wives,” and after the destruction of the aul “the example of Dadan-Yurt spread terror everywhere”

• Demonstrative destruction of the aul of Dadi-Yurt and the construction of the Vnezapnaya fortress to force the Nokhchi off the Kumyk plain (1819) — technique Mass Killings of Civilians

  The organizer himself, general Yermolov, admits the toll in his “Notes”: “all who bore arms were exterminated, and their number could not have been fewer than four hundred,” while “a far greater number were slaughtered or perished in the houses from the effect of artillery and fire”

• Demonstrative destruction of the aul of Dadi-Yurt and the construction of the Vnezapnaya fortress to force the Nokhchi off the Kumyk plain (1819) — technique Abduction of People

  General Yermolov himself writes in his “Notes” that women and children “were taken prisoner numbering up to one hundred and forty”

• Demonstrative destruction of the aul of Dadi-Yurt and the construction of the Vnezapnaya fortress to force the Nokhchi off the Kumyk plain (1819) — technique Pillage

  General Yermolov himself admits this in his “Notes”: after the destruction of Dadi-Yurt, “the soldiers came away with rather rich spoils”

• Devastation of the Kachkalyk villages of the Nokhchi and displacement of their inhabitants beyond the mountains after the Dadi-Yurt terror (1819) — technique Punitive Expeditions

  General Yermolov writes in his “Notes” that on September 30, 1819, he “went in person with 6 battalions and 16 artillery pieces toward the Kachkalyk villages” and on October 2 attacked “the village of Goryachevskaya, the strongest of them,” while Major General Sysoyev simultaneously invaded from the direction of Groznaya through Khan-Kale, drawing the Chechens’ forces away from the Kachkalyk plain

• Devastation of the Kachkalyk villages of the Nokhchi and displacement of their inhabitants beyond the mountains after the Dadi-Yurt terror (1819) — technique Total Destruction of Infrastructure

  General Yermolov writes in his “Notes” that Noyen-Berdy and Allayar-Aul were “utterly devastated”