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« on: April 26, 2010, 12:38:38 pm » |
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Following the withdrawal of the army, an Armenian revolutionary
organization was established in Erzurum. They named themselves as
the Armenian Military Unit. Some 400 Armenians, all of whom were
novices, were given to the command of the 2nd Erzurum Fortress
Artillery Regiment. Some of them deserted in no time. The remaining
was barely sufficient for keeping guard of the guns in the positions or
to be used as sentinels.
An internal fighting had already begun in the Northern Caucasus just
before the withdrawal of the army from the front. A government was
founded in the Southern Caucasus. This provisional government
assumed the name of Southern Caucasus Commissariat7.
The Commissariat declared that they were not an independent entity,
that they took up the control from the Russian government
temporarily until the establishment of a new central government, and
that the Southern Caucasus shall continue to live as an indispensable
part of Russia.
The Southern Caucasus Commissariat declared the formation of a
new army to replace the army that withdrew with a circular on
December 18, 1917. This new army was to embrace Russian,
Georgian, Armenian, Muslim corps; and the small units were to be
composed of small tribes like Romaics, Assyrians, Osetins8.
Until the clarification of the command of the artillery units, the
Erzurum and Deveboynu Fortified Region Artilleries maintained their
multinational command. The command echelon was thoroughly
composed of the Russian officers whereas the troops were composed of the Armenians.
7 Following the Russian Revolution, all the parties, associations, military committees,
army commanders in Tbilisi and Southern Caucasus convened and declared a
provisional government on October 11, 1917. With the inclusion of the Georgians,
Azerbaijanis, and Armenians they found the Southern Caucasus Commissariat, which
had a federal government structure.
İzzet ÖZTOPRAK. Maverayı Kafkas Hükümeti [Regional Government of the
Caucasus]. Sekizinci Askeri Tarih Semineri Bildirileri I [Proceedings of the Eighth
Military History Symposium I]. Ankara: Genelkurmay Basımevi, 2003, p. 127.
8 Osetians are believed to be the last generation of the historical Alan peoples living
in the Northern Caucasus. The Osetians call themselves Eron (some call themselves
Gron). Their language is said to be very close to the Polowi, an ancient Iranian
Dialect. Today, the Osetins are living in two autonomous administrations in Northern
Osetia and Southern Osetia located on the either side of the Caucasus Mountain
Range. Ottoman State received a wave of Osetian migration as of 1864. Today they
are living around Muş and Sarıkamış.
Hayri ERSOY, Aysu KAMACI. Çerkes Tarihi [History of the Circassians], 3. Ed.
İstanbul: Tümzamanlar Yayıncılık, 1994, p. 128-129.
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