The Rise of the Chernigov Regiment and the History Lesson

The event accompanying the accession to the throne of Emperor Nicholas I is widely known: the 26 December 1825 uprising on Senate Square in St. Petersburg. It entered history as an uprising of the Decembrists. But much less coverage was received by the Chernigov regiment's uprising, which occurred immediately after it and was its continuation. Officers - organizers and main participants of this event - were members of the Southern Society, one of two secret organizations created in the beginning of the XIX century by opposition-minded nobles.

Southern society rebels after the Northern

The uprising of the Chernigov regiment was planned long ago, but it began quite spontaneously. The command received news of the events that took place in the capital and the involvement of their officer, Lieutenant Colonel SI Murav'ev-Apostol. In this regard, he was imprisoned in the village of Trilesy. Upon learning of this, on December 29 (old style), four officers, also members of the secret organization, liberated him by force, while attacking the regiment commander, Colonel Gustav Gebel.

From the subsequent materials of the case it becomes known that SI Murav'ev-Apostol inflicted a severe wound on the colonist in the stomach. Other participants of the bout also attacked the regimental commander, inflicting multiple wounds on him with soldier's bayonets. Only a miracle regimental commander managed to escape. The curious detail is the fact that the soldiers and lower ranks present remained absolutely passive observers, without assisting either side. The only exception was the only soldier, Maxim Ivanov, who remained faithful to the oath and saved the life of the ill-fated Colonel.

The first appearance of the rebels

After the incident, the uprising of the Chernigov regiment had to start immediately, since the conspirators had already gone beyond the law and were subject to a military trial and unavoidable punishment. In this regard, the next day, December 30, the rebel officers withdrew the regiment from the barracks and sent it to the town of Vasilkov. There were numerous weapons stores and ammunition depots. But what else was the booty of the rebels is the regimental treasury. The minutes drawn up during the investigation show that ten thousand rubles in bank notes and seventeen thousand in silver fell into their hands. For those times it was a huge sum.

Investigative materials reflected in all details the uprising of the Chernigov regiment in 1825. So, the next day the Decembrists occupy the village of Motovilovka. Here, the leaders of the uprising, having built a regiment, read out before the rite a proclamation bearing the name "Orthodox Catechism." Its authors, Murav'ev-Apostol and Bestuzhev-Ryumin, creating the document, calculated that the intellect of those to whom it was addressed would be sufficient for its perception and correct understanding. However, the soldier's mass remained indifferent to what was heard, and this action had no effect.

Decomposition of the regiment's personnel

There was exactly the opposite of what the people's liberators expected. Instead of bursting into a single revolutionary impulse, the soldiers and lower ranks gave themselves up to unrestrained drunkenness and began to rob the local population. The testimony of witnesses of these atrocities was preserved in the investigative reports. It is possible that this was one of the reasons why the insurrection of the Chernigov Regiment did not have wide coverage during the Soviet period.

Further, we know that on January 1, after leaving Vasilkov, the regiment is sent to Zhitomir, where, according to the plans of the leaders of the uprising, they could receive reinforcements from military units in which, as they knew, members of another secret organization, the Society of United Slavs, served. However, the threat of a meeting with government forces forced them to turn to the White Church.

The defeat of the regiment by government troops

It should be noted that so far the Decembrists have not met resistance anywhere and have moved forward unhindered. However, during these days their ranks were significantly thinned as a result of mass desertion. Very many understood the adventurousness of what was happening and did not want to sacrifice freedom, and maybe even life for someone else's recklessness.

In the first battle with government troops near the village of Ustimovka, the rebels were defeated. This is the end of the uprising of the Chernigov regiment. The date of its defeat lags behind the start date by only five days. Do we now have the right to assess these five days of recklessness? They say that the winners are not judged, but the rebels did not become winners, and they were tried.

Court verdict and history lesson

The verdicts were harsh, as all the defendants with weapons in their hands opposed the legitimate authorities. Yes, they had high and noble intentions. Yes, for the sake of the ideal, you can risk your life, but your life, not the lives of hundreds of ordinary soldiers who do not even understand where and why they are being led to die. As you know, well-intentioned road to hell, and especially in those cases where they are not backed by anything other than fantasy. The sad page of our history was the Chernigov regiment. Its revolt can serve as a visual lesson for future generations.