Suppression of the Uprising
On August 12, punitive troops began to suppress the uprising. There were a number of serious clashes between the punitive forces and the rebels. The insurgents, bravely fighting against the punitive troops, offered them strong resistance. Major General Bardovsky wrote about a clash that took place near Khojand in the 20s of August, stating that at the second crossing from Khojand, the punitive detachment was met by 7,000 rebels. The Cossacks under the command of Colonel Skobolev, numbering eight hundred, with four guns and a rocket battery, "fought with the enemy all day," i.e., with the insurgents. A representative of the colonial authorities, Collegiate Councillor Weinberg, noted that on August 21, the imperial troops crossed the border of the Kokand Khanate and were soon surrounded by huge crowds of Kipchaks and Kara-Kyrgyz, with whom our (imperial troops — K.U.) engaged in skirmishes, occasionally having to resort to artillery fire to drive off particularly persistent parties (insurgents — rebels — K.U.). Nevertheless, the rebels, despite their numerical superiority and stubborn resistance, could not withstand the well-armed regular imperial detachment and gradually retreated to the fortress of Mahram, located 44 versts from Khojand. Mahram was considered one of the largest fortresses in the Kokand Khanate. It was surrounded by thick double mud walls, supplied with water, food, various military supplies, a large stock of gunpowder, shells, many falconets, and 40 cannons. Mahram was fortified with ramparts, especially on its left side, from where an attack by the punitive forces was expected. There was a deep moat filled with water and 24 cannons installed there. The main forces of the rebels, numbering more than 30,000, were concentrated in this fortress. The insurgents decided to give a decisive resistance to the imperial troops in Mahram.
From August 21, the punitive detachment began an offensive from two sides: via the mountain path through the Kyshtak Kara-Kum and from the southern side of the fortress. The rebels, despite the superiority of the punitive forces in armament and organization, defended themselves steadfastly and inflicted significant damage on the advancing columns. The bravery and decisiveness of the insurgents were acknowledged even by imperial officials and officers. In particular, Weinberg, in his report dated August 25, 1875, was forced to admit that "the enemy's masses attacked us from the rear and left flank. However, poorly armed and disorganized rebels could not withstand the imperial regular troops and were forced to retreat fighting. Some of the retreating jumped into the Syr-Darya River, not wanting to fall into the hands of the punitive forces.
The imperial generals and officers, eager for military careers and glory, tried to distinguish themselves in suppressing the uprising.
They, showing great cruelty in the Mahram "affair," ruthlessly destroyed the rebels. In an attempt to instill fear in the indigenous population and "teach them a lesson," the punitive forces brutally drowned hundreds of rebels in the Syr-Darya. Here is what can be read in this regard in the order of the troops of the Turkestan Military District dated August 25, 1875: "The cavalry commander Colonel Skobolev completed the defeat of the Kokandis, gallantly pursuing, drove the enemy for 15 versts, pressing them against the Syr-Darya (river — K.U.), many were drowned and cut down." The Turkestan governor-general hastened to report this as a heroic act to the emperor.
In the Mahram battle, which took place on August 21-22, the rebels suffered enormous losses, leaving several thousand dead and wounded on the battlefield. They were forced to abandon the fortress of Mahram. The punitive forces also suffered losses. On their side, 40 were killed and wounded. The rebels retreated fighting, with Abdurakhman Aftobachi "being one of the first to flee." The punitive detachment, pursuing the retreating rebels, approached the city of Kokand on August 25, where its commander Kaufman received a telegram in which the tsar hastened to congratulate him on the victory at Mahram.
The first serious defeat tore the mask off the faces of the temporary allies of the uprising. In particular, after the defeat at Mahram, Nasr-Eddin, Isa-Auliye, Sultan-Muratbek, Atakul-Batyr-Bashi, Khal-Nazar-dakha, and many other representatives of the feudal elite, uncertain of the further success of the uprising and considering their goal largely achieved, betrayed the uprising and hastened to switch sides to the punitive forces and beg for mercy from the imperial authority. They decided to retain power in their hands under the protection of tsarism.
For these purposes, on August 25, Khan Nasr-Eddin sent a delegation to Kaufman consisting of Isa-Auliye and Imam Fazil-Akhmat Magzum, with valuable gifts and Russian prisoners. This delegation declared their submission and asked for mercy. Kaufman stated that he preferred "to have personal negotiations with him (Khan Nasr-Eddin — K.U.) near Kokand." The next day, Khan Nasr-Eddin went to meet Kaufman, "bowing his submissive head and expressing submission together with the leaders of the uprising, asking for mercy and to preserve the independence of the Kokand Khanate." Kaufman recognized Nasr-Eddin as khan and promised to preserve the khanate.
On August 31, Abdurakhman Aftobachi and other representatives of the Kipchak and Kyrgyz feudal nobility, who had betrayed the uprising, addressed Kaufman with a letter. They asked for the same peace for themselves and their people that the population of Kokand enjoyed." However, Kaufman expressed a desire "to personally negotiate with the elders" and invited them to come to him. Aftobachi and the surrounding Kipchak-Kyrgyz feudal lords did not dare to appear before the appointed tsarist satrap. They preferred to remain with the rebels for the time being. For these representatives of the feudal nobility feared losing power from their hands in the event of a victory for the rebels. But among the allies of the uprising, the desire to end the struggle under the condition of full amnesty from the imperial authority grew more and more.
On August 27, Kaufman, along with the aforementioned delegation, sent a letter to the residents of Kokand, in which he tried to intimidate their freedom-loving spirit. Here is what is said in this letter: "If the residents of Kokand meet me with bread and salt, I will do them no harm. But if they fight, then there will be no mercy for the city; it will be taken by force, destroyed, and then the blood of the unfortunate victims will fall on the heads of those guilty of disobedience and unjust struggle against the troops of the Great White Tsar." The urban feudal elite, upon receiving this letter, hastened to meet the tsarist victors with bread and salt and declare their servile submission. The urban lower classes, however, reacted differently to the said letter, seeing that the tsarist punitive forces acted as brutally as the khan's troops, defending the interests of the exploiters. They began to prepare for a more serious uprising.
The Forced Struggle of the Rebels Against Tsarist Colonizers in 1875