Alexey Maksimovich Kaledin | |
|---|---|
 General Alexey Kaledin | |
| Born | (1861-10-24)24 October 1861 |
| Died | 11 February 1918(1918-02-11) (aged 56) |
| Allegiance |  Russian Empire Don Republic (White Movement) |
| Branch | Imperial Russian ArmyDon Army (White Movement) |
| Service years | 1889–1918 |
| Rank | General of the cavalry |
| Commands | 12th Cavalry Division and8th Army (WW1) Don Army |
| Conflicts | |
Alexey Maksimovich Kaledin (Russian:Алексе́й Макси́мович Кале́дин; 24 October 1861 – 11 February 1918) was aDon CossackCavalryGeneral who commanded the12th Cavalry Division andRussian Eight Army duringWorld War I. He also led theDon CossackWhite movement in the opening stages of theRussian Civil War.
Kaledin attended theMikhaylovskoye Artillery School and theGeneral Staff Academy.[1]
Kaledin served as a cavalry commander at the beginning of the war, before taking over command of a cavalry corps, and rising to the rank of General of the Cavalry. He was then assigned command of the8th Army on the Southwest Front, participated in theBrusilov offensive,[1][2] and won theBattle of Lutsk.
Kaledin spoke at theMoscow State Conference, stating "all Soviets and committees must be abolished, both in the army and in the rear." Following theKornilov affair, Kaledin retreated back toNovocherkassk, and protection of thevoisko, to avoid arrest by the Provisional Government.[3][1]
When he was 55 years old, the Cossackkrug had elected Kaledin as their ataman. According toPeter Kenez, Kaledin "...thus became the first democratically chosen leader of the Cosacks since 1723."[1]
According to Kenez, "On November 9, immediately after receiving news of thePetrograd revolution, and acting in the name of thevoisko government, he invited the members of the Provisional Government to Novocherkassk to join him in organizing the anti-Bolshevik struggle." On 15 November,Mikhail Alekseyev arrived and started organizing a new army. On 20 November, thevoisko declared its independence. On 5 December, Kaledin declared martial law when news came of aRed Guard detachment had been sent by the Soviet regime. Between 9 and 15 December, with the aid of the Alekseev Organization, Kaledin was able to suppress Bolshevik resistance inRostov-on-Don, and then open the third session of thekrug. On 19 December,Lavr Kornilov arrived, and by the end of the month, had reorganized the Alekseev Organization into the Volunteer Army. By January 1918,Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko was threatening Rostov andTaganrog with a force led by Sivers. On 8 February, Sivers had taken control of Taganrog, and Kornilov decided to retreat from the Don.[1]: 57–65, 74–75
The ensuing loss ofRostov-on-the-Don and theVolunteer Army's retreat during theirIce March led Kaledin to believe that the whole situation had become hopeless. On 11 February, he resigned from his post and committed suicide by shooting himself.[4][5]
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