Autobiography of Shabdan Jantaev
(From the manuscript of the unpublished book by N.A. Aristov "Western Tien Shan. Ussuni and Kyrgyz or Kara-Kyrgyz". 4.2. - St. Petersburg, 1893.)
... Here, for the convenience of considering the dates of military actions in Fergana, I place the autobiography of the Kara-Kyrgyz of the Sarybagysh clan, military elder Shabdan Jantaev, compiled at my request in 1885, a significant part of which consists of his participation in these military actions; this participation is naively exaggerated by him, nevertheless, this part of the biography is not without its own interest.
“In the year when the Kokand kushbegi, appearing with an army in our lands, plundered the well-known in the clan Bughu Shopak along with the Kyrgyz under his authority, I was born, Shabdan, on Tuyuk-bulun, near Kungay-Aksu, on Issyk-Kul, in May 1840. Since my father had many other sons from different wives, upon reaching the age of five, he gave me to a poor man, with whom I received careless upbringing. At the age of nine, I returned to live with my father and served him for three years.
In those times, the main business of both Kyrgyz and Cossacks was raids and plundering, and even influential and wealthy Kyrgyz engaged in them to gain fame. To become known among the Kyrgyz, I began to participate in raids. At first, I had to endure many failures, but I did not despair and did not abandon my activities. Finally, I managed to achieve fame not only among the Kyrgyz of the Tynai clan, who began to choose me as their leader during raids, but I also became influential among other clans of Kyrgyz and Cossacks. Both groups were at that time subordinate to the Sart (Kokand), who did not forbid the Kyrgyz from raiding, but on the contrary reported to their khan in Kokand with praise about the leaders of the raids. The Bek of Pishpek, Atybek, chose me from the Kyrgyz and Baisait Toychibekov from the Cossacks and sent us to Kokand to the khan as deputies. Malla-khan received us favorably and generously adorned us with gilded sabers, guns, and other weapons, as well as silk robes. He sent us back with his military minister Kanaat, who was going with an army against the Russians. The battle took place at Uzun-agach, where the Sarts were defeated and fled to Pishpek. After establishing a fortress in Pishpek, Kanaat went to Tashkent. He took me with him, while Baisait wished to stay at home. I served in Tashkent under Kanaat for two years. He wanted to send me as a bek to Pishpek, but I did not wish to.
During my time with Kanaat, the courtiers of Malla-khan, of Kipchak descent, Alimbek, Kydyr, Shabdan-khodzha with five companions, killed Malla-khan in his bedroom because he entrusted Kanaat with high positions. Hearing about this, Kanaat sent a man to Bukhara for Malla-khan's younger brother Khudoyar-khan, and upon the arrival of the latter, proclaimed him the Tashkent khan. The Kokand and Kipchaks elevated Sha-Murat-khan, the son of Sarimsak-khan, to the Kokand throne. After the election of the khan, the Kokand people undertook a campaign to Tashkent to capture Khudoyar-khan and Kanaat and bring them to execution. They besieged Tashkent for 53 days and finally, to break into the city, approached the Tashkent gates known as Karasaray. Fearing that the Kokand would break the gates, Kanaat ordered the troops to make a sortie and repel the enemy. None of the Sarts dared to go out first. Then I, with my jigit Bayake, climbed the wall by ladder and jumped down; the Sart soldiers did not lag behind me, fearing their khan. A hand-to-hand fight broke out beyond the wall, many people fell on both sides, but we gained the upper hand and the Kokand fled. Ten days later, a battle occurred at Shilbinin Ilyabi, where under my command were five hundred foot soldiers given to me by Kanaat; I attacked one wing of the enemy and drove it into flight. After this, the enemy retreated to Kokand.
For the services I rendered in two battles, Khudoyar-khan, at the suggestion of Kanaat, appointed me as bek in Azret-Sultan (the city of Turkestan), when I returned from leave, as I had requested to go home. Upon my departure, Khudoyar-khan entrusted me to inform all the beks in the eastern cities belonging to Tashkent, as well as the manaps of the Kyrgyz and Cossacks, about the victory over the Kokand. In Pishpek, I learned that [Gen.] Kolpakovsky had already taken Merke [?] and that our Kara-Kyrgyz, led by my father, had separated from the Sarts and submitted to the Russians. Rahmatulla, the bek of Pishpek, being angry with me for my father, ordered my jigit Bayake to be beaten with rods, gave him a hundred blows, and imprisoned both of us in a dungeon. However, we managed to escape from prison and arrived home. Rahmatulla later sent Dossaryk, his man, to inform me that he wanted to make peace with me, but I, remembering his offenses, killed the messenger and thus parted with the Sarts, finally submitting to the Russians. Soon Kolpakovsky took Pishpek as well.
After some time, hearing that our relative Sarimsak of the Bagysh clan was being besieged by the Sarts and they wanted to plunder him, I gathered a detachment of Kyrgyz and went to free him. I managed to inflict a defeat on the Sarts, during which two of their leaders, Pasim-kulak and Alishir, were killed: the first by me, and the second by my jigit Bayake.
Returning home after a year, I soon, with forty jigits, undertook a raid on the Kalmyks living on Suashu, on the Kulzhinskaya side of Tekes. Although our raid was successful and we took many horses, the times were no longer the same: we had to return the seized cattle to the Kalmyks by order of Kolpakovsky.
When the head of the district, Zagrjazskiy, was appointed to us and he went to the clans of the Kyrgyz to register them, a Kyrgyz named Osman attacked him on Toguz-Torau and captured many of his jigits, while Zagrjazskiy saved himself in the nearest forest. Hearing about Osman's attack on the district chief, I gathered 200 Kyrgyz and rushed to Osman; losing two jigits in battle and two horses killed under me, I freed the district chief with his jigits. For this, I received a gold medal from the Russians with an honorary cloak of the second degree.
[In 1875] when I was with forty jigits on the border of Sart [Kokand] and Russian possessions, under the command of a hundred Cossacks [of Baron] Shtakelberg, Gen. Kaufman sent for me to send for the Kipchak khan Avtobachi, who fled after the capture of Makhram. I went with my jigits at Kaufman's call towards Andijan [from Naryn, where Baron Shtakelberg's hundred was located]. When we reached Suzaka, we heard that Pulat-khan had blocked our way from the village of Aim-kishlak, on this side of Andijan. My jigit sent to Kaufman was intercepted and hanged. There was no way to break through, and we had to wait for Shtakelberg; having joined his hundred, we turned towards Namangan, as we heard that Kaufman had gone there. Near the towns of Batakara and Spiskena, Pulat-khan again blocked our way, but was defeated. I managed, with two jigits, to drive into the city gates up to a thousand enemies. The next day, with ten jigits, I routed five hundred men, of which Shtakelberg and [Cossack officer] Dubrovkin were witnesses. After repelling the enemy, we rode to Kaufman in Namangan. From there, we went with Kaufman to Andijan, which at that time was besieged by Skobelev. He failed to take Andijan, and being pursued by the enemy, he met Kaufman at Janabate. In the evening, noticing about 200 enemy soldiers on the other side of the Sary-Darya River, Skobelev, Shtakelberg, I, and three other Cossacks crossed the river and routed the enemy.
In Namangan, at the request of the officers, Kaufman awarded me and eight companions with the Order of St. George for our service at Batakara and Spiskena. From Namangan, I accompanied Kaufman with my jigits to Khojent, where I received from him 300 rubles and an honorary cloak, and all my jigits were awarded honorary cloaks, which in total amounted to 1,000 rubles. From Khojent, I asked Kaufman for leave to go home, where I lived for about a year.
The Alai Campaign Against Abdullabek
After a year, Skobelev undertook the Alai campaign against Abdullabek. Due to ignorance of the terrain, the Russians could not manage without the help of jigits during the conquest of the Kokand region. Skobelev took 25 jigits from the Argyns, but they were all cut down by Abdullakhan, who, luring them and exterminating them, blocked the way for the Russian troops. Having thus lost all the jigits, Skobelev called for me. I gathered again forty jigits and arrived at Skobelev in Osh. The next day, we moved through the Shut gorge, which is five times more terrifying than the Buam gorge. At the opposite exit from this gorge was the army of Abdullabek. Upon arriving at the gorge, Skobelev took 20 jigits from me: he sent 10 to Shtakelberg in Kyzyl-Kurgan, and 10 into the gorge to scout the enemy. When we entered the gorge, Skobelev sent me ahead with 20 jigits. Exiting the gorge, I saw that Abdullabek was fleeing, leaving behind his mother, wives, children, and people.
I sent one jigit to report this to Skobelev and received his order to raid the nearest auls. After making several raids, I captured about 40 people, as well as a lot of livestock and property.
Skobelev offered us to take all that was taken from the enemy, but I refused and said that “I came to serve the Russians, not to plunder.” Here Skobelev made a proposal to reward me with a rank. After resting for three days, we moved towards Kyzyl-Kurgan through the village of Gulchu. From Kyzyl-Kurgan, Skobelev sent me with 21 jigits to Abdullabek for negotiations. When I arrived at Kyzyl-Art, where Abdullabek was located, he fled with his people to Afghanistan, fearing that I would betray him to the Russians. I did not want to return to Skobelev empty-handed, so I set off in pursuit of Abdullabek. I could not capture him, but I took 8 people prisoner and seized a flag, which I presented to Prince Witgenstein, who caught up with me with two hundred Cossacks. Skobelev also approached with infantry. He gave my jigits 30 Berdan rifles, 6 revolvers, and ordered me to catch up with Abdullabek. He sent with us, at my request, [Captain] Kuropatkin. We chased Abdullabek for two days to Karakol, where Prince Witgenstein joined us. We rested here and moved further, but could not catch up with Abdullabek and returned to Skobelev from Tash-Kurgan. With him, we went down [the Kyzyl-Su] towards Karategin. When we reached Karamuk, which formed the border of the Karategins,
Skobelev stopped and sent me with 18 jigits as an envoy to the Karategin shah for negotiations about the border. The shah received me and sent with me to Skobelev his younger brother, with whom Skobelev established the border between the possessions of the Russians and the Karategins.
From here we moved towards Kokand. Learning along the way that nomadic clans in the vicinity of Kokand had risen against the Russians — the Noiguts [?], Dzhaukesek, Dulats, Boston, Nayman, and others, Skobelev, from the Kara-Kazyk pass, sent Prince Witgenstein with two hundred Cossacks and me with jigits to pacify them. We fulfilled the assignment and took a large booty. In the skirmish, Prince Witgenstein, [Lieutenant Colonel] Tserpitsky, I, and another officer, whose name I do not remember now, were wounded. After handing over my booty in Kokand, I appeared before Kaufman and received from him 2,000 rubles and an honorary cloak, as were all the jigits. From Kokand, Kaufman and Skobelev went to Gulchu. Returning from there to Osh, I heard that a leader named Jatym-khan had risen among the nomads in the vicinity of Jalal-Abad, preparing for war. Kaufman sent Skobelev against him with a hundred Cossacks. By Skobelev's order, I went out with my 8 jigits ahead and defeated Jatym-khan's army, taking 20 people and a flag from him, which I presented to Skobelev, who had just arrived.
For my service, Skobelev recommended me for the rank of military elder. But Kaufman did not agree because I was illiterate. He advised me to learn to read and promised that then he would try to obtain this rank for me. In Namangan, I received from Kaufman 2,000 rubles and all of us received cloaks, after which we went home, and Kaufman sent me another 1,600 rubles by mail, as I had supported the jigits at my own expense during the Alai and Kokand campaigns.
Having lived at home for a year, I went to Atbashu against the Chinese, in the detachment of [Colonel] Grinvald. In winter, I returned home and received a gold medal for this campaign. In the summer of the following year, I sent my nephew with 15 jigits to Atbashu with the detachment of [Colonel] Shcherbakov. In both campaigns, the jigits were supported at my expense.
In the following [1880] year, another detachment was sent to Atbashu under the command of [Colonel] Prince; I was also there with 100 jigits, by order of Kaufman. In this campaign, I and the jigits received provisions and salaries from the treasury, like the Cossacks.
In 1883, I was appointed by Gen. Kolpakovsky as a representative from the Kyrgyz and Cossacks at the coronation of His Imperial Majesty and received the rank of military elder. For not forgetting my merits, I express my deep gratitude to Kolpakovsky.
I received awards from the Russians without count. In addition to those mentioned above, I also received from Kolpakovsky an honorary cloak of the first degree and a red cross for donations of horses in the Turkish war.
Archive of the Geographical Society of Russia. Section 65. Inventory No. P. S.581-586.
Request of Shabdan Jantaev for release from the imprisonment of moldo Mamyrbai Kuatbekov
