The first Kuban ("Ice") campaign of the Volunteer Army

The first Kuban campaign of the Volunteer Army, also included in history under the name "Ice", was held on February 22, 1918, when the army retreated from Rostov-on-Don, on May 13, 1918 - by this time the volunteer units returned to Don Region. The march was caused by the active offensive of the Red Guard troops, accompanied by the reluctance of the Don Cossacks to fight against the Bolsheviks, which led to the capture by the Soviet detachments on February 23 of Rostov and February 25 of Novocherkassk. Under these conditions, in an effort to preserve the army, Generals L. G. Kornilov and M. V. Alekseev decided to move to the south, in the direction of the capital of the Kuban Cossack Army - Yekaterinodar, considering the region as a possible base for the deployment of the army. The number of departed units amounted to about 4 thousand people, not counting a significant number of civilians who fled from the Bolsheviks. However, the plans of the volunteers were thwarted by the news of the entry of the Red Guard into Yekaterinodar on March 14, and the abandonment of the city by the detachments of the Kuban regional government under the command of Colonel Pokrovsky. General L. G. Kornilov announced the advance of the army further, for the Kuban, where he planned "to give soldiers rest in" mountain villages and Circassian villages "and" wait for more favorable circumstances. "In Kuban region, the army turned out to be practically in full Bolshevik surroundings and conducted uninterrupted fighting. Nevertheless, it managed to connect with the Kuban units, as a result of which the strength of the army increased to 6 thousand people. Constant fighting collisions with opponents were complicated by sharply changed weather conditions: the rain was replaced by frosts with piercing wind and snow snowstorm, as a result of which clothes covered with ice crust. According to one of the versions, for this reason the campaign was christened "Ice".

By joining forces, April 9-13, it was made an attempt to storm Yekaterinodar. The superior forces of the enemy under the command of A. I. Avtonomov and I. L. Sorokin repulsed the attacks of the Volunteer Army, which under the walls of the city suffered a heavy loss: on April 13, General Kornilov was killed by an accidental grenade. The command of the army was taken by General A. I. Denikin. He managed to lead the army out of the encirclement and make his way to the Don, where by that time the anti-Soviet uprising of the Don Cossacks began.

During the 80-day campaign - in difficult weather conditions, surrounded by Soviet detachments - the Volunteer Army overcame about 1,200 km with continuous fights, while not only retaining its integrity, but even increasing its strength by joining forces of the Kuban regional government.

The section presents memories of both participants in the campaign and contemporaries of the events under consideration; historical research, which reflected the events of the initial period of the Civil War in southern Russia and, in particular, the First Kuban campaign; essays on the leaders of the Volunteer Army (generals L. G. Kornilov and M. V. Alekseev); materials of the Union of Participants of the First Kuban campaign; as well as maps and plans of the Don Military Region, photographs and video lecture.